Grimstroke vs Lina

How this matchup plays

Lining up a kill on a key target becomes a problem for Lina when Grimstroke is on the other team. The main issue is Soulbind. If Grimstroke links two of your allies, casting Laguna Blade on one of them will duplicate the spell onto the other. This turns Lina's single-target execution into a massive burst of damage on two heroes, which is rarely the intended play. It forces hesitation at a critical moment. On top of that, Phantom's Embrace is another single-target spell that can latch onto Lina, silencing and draining her until it's destroyed, disrupting her spellcasting rhythm.

Throughout the game, this dynamic forces Lina to be very aware of Grimstroke's positioning and ultimate cooldown. A fight can be lost if she uses her ultimate on a Soulbound pair, so she has to wait for the effect to expire or find an isolated target. This delay is often all the enemy team needs. Grimstroke's goal is to force this exact situation, landing a good ultimate right as a fight begins. Lina can try to play around this with a Black King Bar or by having her team spread out, but the pressure from Grimstroke's kit makes her job noticeably harder.