Phantom Lancer vs Riki

How this matchup plays

Picking one of these carries into the other is a real gamble. Phantom Lancer's whole game plan is to overwhelm single-target heroes, and Riki often fits that description. The sheer number of illusions makes it hard for Riki to find his target, and if PL has a Diffusal Blade, that illusion army will drain Riki's mana in seconds. Riki isn't helpless, though. Tricks of the Trade gives him a way to damage everything in an area, helping to clear the fakes and find the real hero. A good Smoke Screen can also leave PL silenced and unable to create new illusions or escape.

This matchup often comes down to an itemization race and who gets the jump. The Riki player is usually forced to adapt their build to include some form of area damage to deal with the illusion spam. The Phantom Lancer has to be careful about his positioning, as getting caught by Riki's silence before he can use Doppelganger can be a death sentence. Fights are decided by split-second decisions. If Riki initiates correctly, he can burst PL down. If PL gets his army going, Riki is the one who has to run.