Lion vs Rubick

How this matchup plays

Stealing Finger of Death can be game-winning for Rubick, but it’s a high-risk, high-reward play that a good Lion player will try to prevent. More commonly, Rubick will end up stealing either Earth Spike or Hex. While getting another disable on top of his own Telekinesis is definitely useful for locking down targets, it doesn’t fundamentally change what he can do in a fight. It’s an incremental advantage, not a complete counter. The possibility of that ultimate steal hangs over every fight, but the most frequent outcome is Rubick getting a more ordinary, less impactful spell.

This dynamic puts the pressure on the Lion player throughout the game. They have to constantly think about their positioning and spell order to avoid giving away a free Finger of Death. This often means Lion has to play more cautiously or use his ultimate from the fog of war, which can make his initiations less effective. Even if Rubick only gets a Hex, it's another piece of control for his team. The constant threat of Spell Steal forces Lion to play around Rubick, which slightly tips the scales in teamfights by limiting Lion’s options and giving Rubick’s team a bit more space to work with.