Medusa vs Necrophos

How this matchup plays

Trying to burst down Medusa is exactly what Necrophos's kit is designed for. Heartstopper Aura continuously drains her health regardless of her mana, and Reaper's Scythe is the perfect tool to finish off a durable hero. The issue for Necrophos is that Mana Shield provides such an enormous effective health pool that bringing Medusa into Scythe's execute range requires a serious, coordinated commitment from his team. She often has plenty of time to react to his pressure, and if she isn't the primary focus of a gank, she can typically outlast him.

The whole lane and mid-game revolve around key ultimate timings. The Necrophos plan is to gather his team, find Medusa, and secure a Scythe kill to cripple her farm. This can be very effective if they can lock her down. Medusa’s counter-plan is Stone Gaze. Popping her ultimate buys her crucial seconds to survive the burst, allows her team to turn the fight, and can completely waste the Scythe cooldown. If Medusa gets her core items, she often becomes too durable for Necrophos to threaten on his own.