Anti-Mage + Lion

Why this works

The idea of Lion's Mana Drain setting up a big Mana Void for Anti-Mage is rarely as effective as it sounds. Mana Drain is a slow channel that forces Lion to expose himself, which clashes with Anti-Mage's fast-paced, in-and-out fighting style. Anti-Mage wants to Blink on a target, secure the kill, and escape; he can’t afford to wait for Lion to whittle down an enemy’s mana pool. Since Anti-Mage is already burning mana with his own attacks, the specific contribution from Mana Drain is often redundant. Their core abilities simply operate on conflicting timetables.

Across the game, this tempo difference often means the two heroes play on opposite sides of the map. Anti-Mage is focused on farming and split-pushing to hit his item timings, while Lion is typically looking to create pressure with his team and secure kills using his lockdown. While a Hex can certainly hold someone in place for Anti-Mage to kill, this is true for any carry. The duo lacks a way to accelerate Anti-Mage's farm or provide a strong defensive save for him when he gets caught out. They can secure kills together, but they don't solve each other's fundamental problems.