Lich vs Silencer

How this matchup plays

Laning against Silencer forces Lich to be extremely careful. Lich wants to cast his spells in sequence, but Arcane Curse punishes him for using low-cooldown abilities, while Last Word silences him immediately after he casts anything. This breaks his rhythm and prevents him from following up a Frost Blast with a Sinister Gaze, for example. Later on, a well-timed Global Silence can completely neutralize Lich at the start of a teamfight, preventing him from casting a clutch Frost Shield on a focused ally or getting his Chain Frost off before he dies.

The entire matchup becomes a test of timing and positioning. Lich’s main answer is to use Frost Shield to give his allies enough durability to survive Silencer's initial burst or the Global Silence duration. If Lich can stay alive, he can turn the fight by locking down a key hero or bouncing Chain Frost between enemies who grouped up for the kill. Silencer is a squishy hero, so a good Sinister Gaze from Lich can easily set him up to be killed. It comes down to which support uses their spells more effectively to control the engagement.