Doom vs Tidehunter

How this matchup plays

Trying to delete Tidehunter with your ultimate is often a losing play. The entire point of Doom is to remove a single, high-impact hero from a fight, but Tidehunter is one of the most durable targets in the game. His Kraken Shell can shrug off initial stuns or slows meant to set up the gank. Even if Doom lands successfully, Tidehunter has so much raw health and armor that he can frequently survive the duration without needing his spells. A hero that tanky who doesn't need to cast spells to be a threat is a poor target for Doom's main spell, making it feel wasted.

This dynamic shapes the entire game. In the laning stage, Tidehunter can reduce Doom's damage with Anchor Smash, making it hard to trade hits or secure last hits. Later on, Doom is stuck with a bad choice: use his ultimate on a durable frontliner who will probably live, or try to target a backliner and risk getting caught by Ravage before he can even get it off. If Tidehunter's team is grouped, Doom struggles to find an opening, while Tide can always force a fight on his terms.