Ancient Apparition vs Weaver

How this matchup plays

Thinking that Ice Blast completely neutralizes Weaver is a common mistake. While the shatter effect does prevent Time Lapse from restoring health, actually hitting the ability is the real problem. Weaver spends most of his time invisible and moving at high speed with Shukuchi, which makes landing a slow-moving global spell on him incredibly difficult. On the flip side, Ancient Apparition is an easy target for a mobile assassin. AA is slow, has no escape, and dies quickly if Weaver gets on top of him. It’s less of a direct counter and more of a question of who finds whom first.

This back-and-forth defines the matchup throughout the game. Ancient Apparition's team will focus on pinning Weaver down with stuns or silences to guarantee an Ice Blast hit. A successful attempt often means Weaver is out of the fight for good. A smart Weaver plays around this by avoiding the frontline, using his mobility to scout for AA on the perimeter of a fight. If Weaver can find and eliminate AA before the ultimate comes out, his team loses its most significant teamfight spell. The game often comes down to which hero executes their plan better.