Monkey King vs Necrophos

How this matchup plays

Trying to burst down a lone Necrophos seems like a good idea for Monkey King, but it's a classic trap. Monkey King's entire damage plan revolves around landing successive physical hits to build Jingu Mastery stacks. Necrophos completely shuts this down with Ghost Shroud, becoming immune to physical attacks while slowing anyone nearby. During this time, Monkey King can't do anything but take constant damage from Heartstopper Aura and Death Pulse spam. The very tool Necrophos uses for defense also drains the health of his attacker, leaving MK in a terrible position to get finished off by Reaper's Scythe.

This difficult dynamic defines the entire game. In lane, Necrophos can sustain and bully, making it hard for Monkey King to farm safely. Later on, MK can't initiate on him, and in larger teamfights, Necrophos can pop Ghost Shroud to ignore Wukong's Command entirely. The only real counterplay for Monkey King is to get an item that purges, but that's a late and expensive solution to a problem that starts from the first minute. Necrophos, on the other hand, simply has to hold his defensive spell for when Monkey King commits, making it a very straightforward counter.