Pugna vs Sand King

How this matchup plays

Channeling Epicenter can be a problem for Sand King when a Nether Ward is up. His spells, from Burrowstrike to his ultimate, have significant mana costs. This means using any of them near the ward can result in taking a lot of return damage. Since Sand King often wants to cast multiple spells in quick succession to start a fight, the ward's presence taxes his resources and his health pool before he can even land his combo. This pressure applies to farming with Sand Storm as well, making the map a little less safe for him.

This interaction forces Sand King to play more deliberately. He has to rely on his team to clear the Nether Ward before he can commit, or try to find an angle of initiation that avoids it entirely. A well-placed ward from Pugna can zone Sand King out of a key area or force him to hold his spells at the start of a teamfight. Sand King can eventually get items like a Black King Bar to ignore the ward, but until then, Pugna makes his job of starting fights noticeably more awkward.