Lina vs Winter Wyvern

How this matchup plays

Trying to delete a single hero with Light Strike Array and Laguna Blade is Lina's main goal. Winter Wyvern directly complicates this with her defensive spells. Winter's Curse is the biggest issue, as it can completely disrupt the burst attempt. If cast on Lina's target, it makes them immune to her and can turn allies against her. If cast on Lina herself, she's locked down and vulnerable. Cold Embrace is also a factor, particularly against a physical Lina build. It can save an ally from the follow-up right-clicks after they survive the initial magical damage from the combo.

Across the game, this means Lina can't play as aggressively as she might want. Her usual strategy of finding a pick-off to start a fight is less reliable when Winter Wyvern is on the map and ready to react. Lina's success then depends on catching Wyvern out of position first, as Wyvern is quite fragile and will die to the combo herself. Otherwise, Lina has to carefully bait out the saves before committing her ultimate. This constant threat of being countered gives Wyvern's team a slight edge in engagements.