Rubick vs Spectre

How this matchup plays

Stealing spells from Spectre is often more of a liability than a benefit for Rubick. Using a stolen Haunt usually gets Rubick killed, as he lacks the durability to survive jumping into the enemy team and can't follow up with Spectre's level of damage. The other option, Spectral Dagger, is a decent slow but it’s hardly the game-changing ultimate that Rubick wants to find with Spell Steal. To make matters worse, Spectre’s Dispersion passive makes her incredibly difficult to burst down with magic damage. Any spells thrown at her get partially spread out to her enemies, meaning Rubick and his allies take damage for trying to focus her.

This dynamic leaves Rubick in a tough spot all game. He can't effectively pressure Spectre in lane, and once she has a few items, she makes him a primary target. A farmed Spectre can use Haunt to instantly close the gap on a backline Rubick, bypassing all his attempts at careful positioning. Rubick is then forced to play reactively, hoping to steal a more useful spell from one of Spectre’s allies to turn the fight. But against Spectre herself, he has almost no good options and is often one of the first to die in teamfights.