Centaur Warrunner vs Phantom Assassin

How this matchup plays

Jumping on a Centaur Warrunner is often a losing trade for Phantom Assassin. Her entire damage profile is based on fast, repeated physical attacks, and each one triggers Centaur's Return. A big crit from Coup de Grace can deal a surprising amount of damage back to PA, especially if Centaur has a Blade Mail. His huge health pool also means he usually survives her initial burst from Phantom Strike, giving him a clean window to land Hoof Stomp and turn the fight around with his own team's help.

This dynamic gives Centaur Warrunner an edge in the early and mid-game, making it difficult for Phantom Assassin to snowball off solo kills. The matchup evens out later, however, as PA builds items to solve these problems. A Black King Bar negates the stun, while a Satanic can allow her to lifesteal through the Return damage. The game often comes down to whether Centaur's team can press their advantage before PA gets the items she needs to ignore him entirely.