Grimstroke vs Viper

How this matchup plays

Casting Viper Strike on a Soulbound enemy forces the spell to also hit the second tethered hero. This is a serious problem for Viper, whose entire game plan often revolves around picking one hero off with his ultimate. Grimstroke's Soulbind makes Viper's own spell work against his team's interests by potentially locking down a secondary target they didn't want to focus. It forces a difficult choice: either hold a crucial cooldown, use it on a less important hero, or give Grimstroke's team a free, powerful slow on a second target.

Throughout the game, Viper's team has to be conscious of their positioning to deny Grimstroke good ultimate opportunities. Playing spread out is the main counter-play. If Viper or an ally gets tethered, he often has to simply wait out the duration before committing his Viper Strike, which gives the enemy a window to reposition or counter-initiate. The edge is slight because it’s conditional on Grimstroke landing a good Soulbind. A patient Viper who respects the cooldown can still be very effective at bullying lanes and applying pressure, he just has to be much more careful about when and where he uses his ultimate during teamfights.