Muerta vs Phantom Lancer

How this matchup plays

Thinking Muerta's ultimate will solve a Phantom Lancer problem is a common trap. Pierce the Veil gives her a ton of magic damage, but she still has to click the right target, and Phantom Lancer makes that nearly impossible. His whole kit is designed to create chaos and overwhelm heroes who lack area damage. He can use Doppelganger to dodge her Dead Shot fear, and once he gets a few illusions out from Juxtapose, Muerta has no efficient way to clear them. Her damage gets completely diluted hitting fakes while the real Lancer closes the distance, and she has no way to escape.

This gets worse as the game goes on. Phantom Lancer can farm much faster and safer once he has a few levels. He can split push and force reactions, and if Muerta shows up alone, he can easily run her down and kill her. For Muerta to have any impact in a teamfight, she relies entirely on her allies to provide the area-of-effect control needed to expose the real PL. Otherwise, she's stuck trying to shoot through a sea of illusions, quickly running out of mana and health before she ever finds him.