Axe vs Morphling

How this matchup plays

Controlling Morphling is all about having a way to finish him off, and Axe has the perfect tool for it. Morphling’s main defensive trick is to shift attributes into strength to gain a massive amount of health and survive burst damage. Culling Blade ignores this entirely. It doesn't care how much max HP he has; if his current health drops below the threshold, he’s instantly dead. Berserker’s Call also forces him into a terrible position, making him hit Axe and take pure damage from Counter Helix spins, which quickly pushes his health into Culling Blade range.

This interaction defines the entire mid-game. Once Axe gets his Blink Dagger, Morphling can't safely farm anywhere on the map. He's forced to play close to his team and towers, slowing his item progression dramatically. Any fight can end with him getting called and then culled, even if his supports try to save him. The constant threat of that instant kill makes it incredibly difficult for the Morphling to build momentum and become the late-game carry he's supposed to be.