Muerta vs Winter Wyvern

How this matchup plays

Controlling the map often comes down to which hero can dictate the terms of a teamfight. Muerta presents a unique problem for Winter Wyvern because Pierce the Veil bypasses her key defensive spells. Normally, Cold Embrace saves an ally from physical damage, but an ulted Muerta can attack them anyway since she becomes ethereal and deals magic damage. Likewise, Winter's Curse loses its lethality when used on a hero who is immune to the physical attacks of her own teammates. This gives Muerta's team a direct way to push through saves that would stop other carries, especially when trying to secure a key kill or an objective.

The matchup isn't one-sided, though. A smart Winter Wyvern player will adapt their targeting. Instead of trying to save a hero from an ulted Muerta, they will use Winter's Curse on one of Muerta's important allies, forcing her team to fight itself. Wyvern can also use Arctic Burn to stay far away from the fight, making it difficult for Muerta to ever get in range. The game becomes a standoff where Muerta looks for a window to burst a priority target during her ultimate, while Winter Wyvern plays patiently, waiting to punish a different hero's positioning.