Anti-Mage + Muerta

Why this works

Thinking you have the late game secured with two hard-hitting cores often leads to a false sense of security. The core problem is that both Anti-Mage and Muerta are hungry for farm, and there's rarely enough space on the map to feed them both into the late game. They also overlap heavily in their damage profile. For most of the game, both heroes are dealing physical damage through their attacks, which makes it straightforward for enemies to counter-build with armor items. This lack of damage diversity means that even if they do find their items, their combined impact can be blunted.

The result is usually a very difficult mid-game. Your team lacks the tools to fight or create pressure, leaving the enemy free to take objectives and control the map. While Anti-Mage is trying to find space to split-push and Muerta is trying to accelerate her own farm, the rest of the team is often left vulnerable. By the time either hero is ready to fight, the gold and experience gap can be too large to overcome. Instead of a powerful duo, you often get two heroes who step on each other's toes from the very start.