Centaur Warrunner vs Invoker

How this matchup plays

Picking a big initiator like Centaur Warrunner against an Invoker means you're betting on your ability to get the perfect jump. The core problem for Centaur is Invoker's wide array of control spells. A well-placed Tornado can completely negate a Blink-Stomp by lifting him out of the fight, buying precious seconds for his team to scatter or counter-attack. Even before the jump, Cold Snap can repeatedly cancel Blink Dagger's channel if Centaur takes any damage, making it very difficult for him to find a clean opening on his own.

This forces Centaur's team to play around vision and smoke to find their initiations. The whole game for Centaur Warrunner can revolve around landing that one perfect jump on Invoker before he can react. It often comes down to key item timings; a Black King Bar allows Centaur to ignore spells like Deafening Blast and Ice Wall to guarantee his combo goes off. Until then, Invoker can often keep him at a distance and control the pace of engagements, giving him a small but noticeable advantage.