Alchemist + Lina

Why this works

Handing Lina a free Aghanim's Scepter seems like a powerful play. It lets her Laguna Blade pierce spell immunity, which is theoretically great for deleting a key enemy. The issue is that both Alchemist and Lina are greedy heroes who need a lot of farm to come online. Alchemist has to occupy the jungle for a long time to get that scepter farmed up, while Lina simultaneously needs lane farm and her own core items to function. This can lead to a map that feels starved of resources for the rest of your team, creating a difficult early and mid-game.

By the time the Aghanim's Scepter arrives, the window for it to be truly impactful might be closing. Lina is still a fragile hero who has trouble surviving if she gets jumped, and the scepter doesn't solve that weakness. An enemy team can often deal with this strategy by focusing Lina down first or by simply not grouping up for an easy pickoff. The combination relies heavily on a single-target burst plan that is often less effective than having two heroes who provide more well-rounded teamfight presence and utility.