Centaur Warrunner vs Grimstroke

How this matchup plays

Binding the enemy frontliner with Soulbind seems like a bad plan, since Centaur Warrunner wants to be in the middle of everything anyway. The real value isn't locking down Centaur himself; it's leashing one of his allies to him. When he tries to Stampede in or use a Blink-Hoof Stomp combo, his backline support can get dragged along and caught by follow-up stuns. Grimstroke can also use Ink Swell on an ally as a defensive counter-initiation. The moment Centaur lands his stun, the Ink Swell explodes, stunning him right back and ruining the follow-up.

The matchup often comes down to who gets the jump. In lane, Grimstroke has the advantage with his range and slows, making it hard for a melee Centaur to get on top of him. Later, Centaur Warrunner will look for opportunities to initiate directly on Grimstroke before he can cast his spells. If he succeeds, Centaur can usually burst him down. However, Grimstroke’s spells are perfectly designed to punish a predictable, single-target initiation, giving him a consistent way to turn Centaur's own aggression against his team.