Huskar vs Phoenix

How this matchup plays

Trying to burst down Phoenix's Supernova is where this matchup gets complicated. Huskar normally excels at hitting a single static target very quickly, especially when his health is low. The problem is Phoenix has the perfect tool to stop him: Fire Spirits. Landing these spirits cripples Huskar's attack speed, turning his primary advantage into a non-factor and making it almost impossible for him to destroy the egg by himself. Sun Ray also chews through a low-health Huskar, as its pure damage ignores the magic resistance he gets from being near death.

This makes their interactions a game of chicken. If Huskar can Life Break onto Phoenix after the Fire Spirits have been used on someone else, he can often win the fight and handle the egg. If Phoenix holds his spirits for Huskar's engage, he can turn the tables completely, leaving Huskar slow and vulnerable. This often forces Huskar to buy a Black King Bar earlier than he might want to, purely to guarantee he can connect and stay on target without being disabled by Phoenix's slows.