Lion vs Outworld Destroyer

How this matchup plays

Trying to burst Outworld Destroyer with your full combo is often frustrating for Lion. He can use Astral Imprisonment to dodge either the initial stun or the Finger of Death, buying crucial seconds to turn the fight or escape. This forces Lion to have perfect timing or a teammate to help secure the kill. On the other hand, Lion's Mana Drain is a direct counter to everything Outworld Destroyer wants to do, as a few seconds of draining can leave him completely unable to cast spells. This creates a tense standoff where both heroes can shut the other down, but neither has a clear upper hand.

The whole game becomes a battle of who gets the jump on whom. A Lion with an early Blink Dagger can find and disable Outworld Destroyer before he has time to react. As OD gets items, though, he can often survive Lion's initial lockdown and then easily kill the fragile support with his own damage. In teamfights, everything comes down to positioning. If Lion can stay in the fog and land a Hex, OD dies. If Outworld Destroyer spots Lion first, he can use Astral Imprisonment on him to take him out of the fight entirely before deleting him.