Lich vs Templar Assassin

How this matchup plays

Thinking you can blink onto Lich and burst him down is a common mistake for a Templar Assassin player. Her survivability relies on Refraction absorbing damage instances, but Lich's kit is perfectly designed to counter this. A single cast of Chain Frost can bounce between TA and another unit, stripping away all her defensive charges in a second. This leaves her exposed to the rest of the spell's damage and any follow-up from Lich’s team. His Sinister Gaze can also lock her down, preventing an escape with Meld.

This interaction shapes the entire game. In the laning stage, Lich can make farming miserable for Templar Assassin by repeatedly forcing her to use Refraction on his low-cooldown spells. In mid-game teamfights, TA is forced to play cautiously and wait for Chain Frost to be used on someone else, or she risks being instantly deleted. Her only reliable option is to rush a Black King Bar, which can significantly slow down her damage progression and limit her ability to snowball.