Riki vs Spirit Breaker

How this matchup plays

Picking one of these heroes into the other is always a gamble. Spirit Breaker’s Charge of Darkness is one of the very few abilities that can track an invisible Riki across the map, revealing him for the whole team to see. This forces Riki to play with a lot of respect. However, Riki has the perfect defensive tool in Tricks of the Trade, which he can time to become invulnerable and dodge the stun from Charge or the damage from Nether Strike. A well-placed Smoke Screen upon Spirit Breaker's arrival can also completely shut down his follow-up, silencing him and making his target hard to hit.

This back-and-forth creates a duel of reflexes that evolves throughout the game. Early on, Spirit Breaker can make Riki's life miserable by constantly threatening to reveal him. As the game progresses, it becomes more about cooldowns and vision. If Riki gets caught by a Charge while his spells are down, he’s an easy kill. But if Spirit Breaker commits and Riki dodges the initiation, Barathrum is left deep in enemy territory and exposed. The fight often comes down to which hero gets the jump on the other.