Anti-Mage + Crystal Maiden

Why this works

Thinking that Crystal Maiden's mana aura is the main reason this works is a common mistake. Anti-Mage solves his own mana needs fairly quickly once he gets a farming item. The more practical, though minor, benefit comes from laning together. Crystal Maiden’s Frostbite can hold an enemy in place, giving Anti-Mage a chance to secure an early kill or the time he needs to Blink away from danger. It’s a standard laning dynamic that helps him get started, but it doesn't create an especially threatening lane on its own.

This early help can give Anti-Mage a decent start, but the pair has very different goals as the game progresses. Once the laning phase breaks down, he will focus on split-pushing and farming the map alone, while Crystal Maiden will typically group with other heroes to force fights. They operate quite independently of each other. Their success relies less on a special synergy and more on whether the space Crystal Maiden can help create is enough for Anti-Mage to hit his item timings before the enemy team takes control.