Riki vs Templar Assassin

How this matchup plays

Controlling the map against Templar Assassin becomes much easier with a Riki on the team. TA’s game plan relies on using Refraction to farm aggressively and survive ganks, but Riki’s kit dismantles this plan. A well-placed Smoke Screen silences her, preventing a Meld escape, and the miss chance neuters her physical damage. More importantly, Tricks of the Trade hits so many times in a short duration that it instantly shreds through all her Refraction charges. This leaves her vulnerable to a Blink Strike and follow-up from Riki and his team, turning her primary defensive tool into a non-factor.

This dynamic forces Templar Assassin to play an extremely passive game. She can’t safely farm the jungle or split-push because Riki is always a threat, able to hunt her without warning. Her usual escape of standing still in Meld is easily countered by Dust of Appearance or the vision granted inside Smoke Screen. As a result, TA often has to rush a Black King Bar much earlier than she’d like, delaying her core damage items and slowing her snowball. Riki gets to set the tempo, choking her farm and making her a liability.