Lich vs Phantom Lancer

How this matchup plays

Trying to land a big Chain Frost during a teamfight becomes a problem against Phantom Lancer. His swarm of illusions gives the ultimate too many targets to bounce between. Instead of hitting key heroes multiple times, the spell often gets soaked up by illusions that can be replaced almost instantly. Phantom Lancer can also use Doppelganger to dodge the initial cast of Frost Blast or the ultimate itself, making it hard for Lich to land his most impactful spells. Even a targeted disable like Sinister Gaze relies on Lich finding the real hero in the chaos, which is often impossible.

This matchup is a race against time for Lich. During the laning phase, his constant harass can make life very difficult for a young Phantom Lancer. However, once PL gets his core items and starts creating a proper army, the advantage shifts. A late-game PL can simply overwhelm the defensive buffs from Frost Shield and will rarely be threatened by Lich’s spells alone. Lich needs his team to provide lockdown to isolate the real Phantom Lancer, while PL can often fight by creating a confusing mess that renders Lich's kit unreliable.