Lich vs Venomancer

How this matchup plays

Trying to control an area with Plague Wards feels awful against a Lich. His Chain Frost turns your own summons into perfect bounce targets, often sending the projectile right back to deal massive damage to your team. Venomancer thrives in long, drawn-out fights where his poisons can slowly drain opponents, but this dynamic is completely reversed by Lich. The combination of Frost Blast's immediate burst and Frost Shield's defensive value means Lich can often survive Venomancer's initial assault and simply kill him before the damage-over-time becomes relevant.

This difficult pattern plays out across the entire game. In lane, Frost Shield mitigates the constant chip damage from Poison Sting, making trades much easier for Lich's side. In later teamfights, Venomancer's entire game plan of grouping up his team to fight around his wards and Poison Nova plays directly into Lich's hands. A single well-placed Chain Frost can wipe a team that is clumped together. Venomancer is forced to play cautiously, spreading his wards thin and trying to avoid the fight, which fundamentally weakens his contribution.