Ember Spirit vs Sand King

How this matchup plays

Finding momentum for Sand King is often difficult when playing into an Ember Spirit. The standard Burrowstrike initiation that sets up kills and controls fights can be dodged with a well-timed Sleight of Fist. Even if Sand King lands his stun, Ember's Flame Guard is quite effective at absorbing the magic damage that follows from an Epicenter or Sand Storm, giving him a chance to survive the initial burst and escape with a remnant. This interaction forces Sand King to be more patient and precise than he might like.

Throughout the game, Ember Spirit can leverage this advantage to split-push and farm more aggressively. He knows a solo Sand King has a hard time locking him down without help. The pressure then shifts to Sand King to coordinate ganks with teammates who have more reliable lockdown, or to catch Ember only after he has committed his defensive spells. If Sand King uses his long cooldowns to attempt a solo kill and fails, Ember's team gains a significant window to take objectives or win a fight.