Pugna vs Tiny

How this matchup plays

Trying to delete a hero with the Avalanche and Toss combo feels awful when Pugna is on the other team. Nether Ward punishes those exact kinds of high-mana spells, often hitting Tiny for massive damage in return. He can easily end up dying from his own initiation attempt. Even if Tiny survives his combo, Pugna can follow up with Decrepify to make a target immune to physical attacks, completely shutting down any chance of finishing them off with punches. Life Drain also gives Pugna a way to survive and turn the fight if Tiny gets the jump on him without his full combo.

This interaction shapes the whole game. Tiny is forced to either find and kill the Nether Ward before starting a fight, which gives the enemy team plenty of warning, or buy a Black King Bar much earlier than he'd like. Pugna gets to play with confidence, pushing lanes and buildings with Nether Blast, knowing that Tiny’s main threat is heavily contained. Pugna’s job becomes about ward placement and staying alive, while Tiny has to constantly look for a pickoff away from the ward's radius or wait for Pugna to misplay.