Mars vs Pangolier

How this matchup plays

Trying to lock down Pangolier inside Arena of Blood often backfires. He can Swashbuckle out before the wall even fully forms, or use Rolling Thunder to ricochet off the sides and stun everyone Mars trapped inside. This turns Mars's signature spell into a liability. Mars also relies on trading hits with his passive Bulwark, but Pangolier's quick Swashbuckle attacks can apply a disarming Lucky Shot, completely shutting down his physical damage.

Across the game, this forces Mars to play around Pangolier’s cooldowns. If he uses Arena while Rolling Thunder is available, the fight is often lost on the spot. Pangolier is free to position aggressively, knowing he has a powerful counter-initiation for Mars's biggest spell. A successful Mars has to hope his team can burst Pangolier from a distance or wait until he has already used his spells on someone else, leaving him briefly vulnerable.