Bane vs Invoker

How this matchup plays

Picking one of these heroes into the other is a bet on who can out-position whom. Bane offers a hard answer to a slippery Invoker with Fiend's Grip, a long disable that holds him in place. If Bane can get the jump on a lone Invoker, that's usually the end of him. The challenge for Bane is that Invoker has multiple ways to answer back. A well-timed Tornado can lift Bane and interrupt the channel from a safe distance. Similarly, Deafening Blast can knock Bane back and break the spell, completely turning the tables on a gank attempt.

This standoff defines how the matchup plays out. Bane is constantly looking for an angle to initiate, forcing the Invoker to play cautiously and further back in teamfights than he'd prefer. Invoker, meanwhile, can use his global reach with Sun Strike to punish Bane if he's caught out of position while channeling on someone else. Ultimately, fights are often decided by which of the two gets their key spell off first, or which one makes the first mistake in positioning. It's a true skill matchup where either hero can come out on top.