Bane vs Lion

How this matchup plays

Trying to lock down a key target feels like the whole game with these two on the map. Both Bane and Lion excel at disabling a single hero, but their methods create a standoff. Bane's Fiend's Grip is an incredibly long lockdown, but it's a channel. Lion's Hex is the perfect tool for instantly breaking that channel from a safe distance. This means whoever gets the jump usually wins the immediate exchange. Bane can try to use Nightmare to disable Lion first or to buy time, but it’s a delicate dance of cooldowns and reaction speed.

Throughout the game, this dynamic forces both supports to play a tense game of vision and positioning. Bane has an advantage in lane trades thanks to Brain Sap, but in teamfights, Lion is always looking for the Fiend's Grip channel to get an easy interrupt. A successful Bane will wait until Lion is distracted or out of position before committing his ultimate. A successful Lion will hold his Hex specifically for that moment. It's less of a direct counter and more of a contest to see which support can execute their primary job more effectively.