Dazzle vs Tidehunter

How this matchup plays

Applying debuffs to Tidehunter is often frustrating because of his Kraken Shell. This passive ability frequently purges the slow from Poison Touch and, more importantly, the armor reduction from Bad Juju. This makes Tidehunter an incredibly resilient front-liner who is difficult to focus down with physical damage, which is what Dazzle's kit is built to enable. While Shallow Grave is still a powerful tool for saving an ally caught in Ravage, Dazzle’s own offensive contribution against Tidehunter himself is noticeably reduced. It complicates target selection for Dazzle’s entire team.

This dynamic allows Tidehunter to have a more comfortable laning stage, as Dazzle’s primary harass spell has less impact. Later in the game, Tidehunter can confidently initiate and soak spells, knowing the armor shred won't stick to him for long. This forces Dazzle’s team to either try to burn through a self-cleansing target or find a way to get past him to the backline. Dazzle often has to play more defensively, focusing on heals and saves rather than enabling a pickoff. The game hinges on whether Dazzle's cores can isolate a better target before Tidehunter finds his moment.