Centaur Warrunner vs Dark Willow

How this matchup plays

Catching Dark Willow often depends entirely on her cooldowns. Centaur Warrunner can initiate with a Blink Dagger into Hoof Stomp, but a quick Shadow Realm makes her untargetable, completely avoiding his burst damage and stun. This forces Centaur to wait for the perfect moment. Conversely, a core Dark Willow relying on Bedlam for damage is hugely threatened by Centaur’s inevitable Blade Mail purchase, which can reflect all that damage right back at her. Her control spells are decent for holding him in place, but his raw health pool means he can usually survive her team's follow-up.

This tension extends to full-team engagements. A Stampede charge is a great way to run at the enemy backline, but Dark Willow's Terrorize does the exact opposite, scattering the charging heroes and nullifying the initiation. Fights can be decided by which of these ultimates gets cast first. Centaur wants to force a quick, overwhelming fight to kill Willow before she can react. She, in turn, wants to kite and use spells like Bramble Maze to control the fight's pace, preventing Centaur’s team from ever getting on top of her allies.