Alchemist + Sniper

Why this works

Drafting both Alchemist and Sniper asks your team to play a specific, protective style around two farm-dependent cores. Both heroes need safe lanes and jungle camps to hit their item timings, which can create competition for resources and slow down your team's early aggression. The entire strategy often revolves around Alchemist using Greevil's Greed to accelerate his farm and provide an early Aghanim's Scepter for Sniper. This gives Sniper a powerful area-of-effect stun on his Assassinate, which is the main reason to pair these heroes.

This game plan usually requires trading early map presence for late-game power. While your team plays defensively, the enemy might take towers and control of key areas. The success of the duo hinges on the other three heroes being able to create space and delay the game long enough for this investment to pay off. If an Alchemist-funded Sniper gets his Scepter on time, he can initiate fights and break sieges from a very long range. However, surviving until that point against an aggressive lineup can be a significant challenge.