Bane + Lion

Why this works

Committing two heroes to killing a single target often feels like overkill and can strain your team's economy. Bane and Lion both excel at disabling one enemy, and chaining Fiend's Grip with Lion's stuns will certainly remove that hero from a fight. The problem is that you've invested most of your support utility into that one kill, leaving your team with limited tools for controlling the rest of the enemy draft. Furthermore, neither hero farms or pushes waves well, so your cores are left with the entire burden of managing the map and creating pressure between fights.

Ganking an isolated hero early on can be effective. A Nightmare setup for a chain stun is a reliable way to secure a kill and create some space. As opponents start to group for objectives, however, the redundancy becomes a bigger issue. A single well-timed save item from the enemy team can unravel your entire initiation attempt. Without area-of-effect control from your supports, teamfights become difficult to navigate, forcing your cores to play perfectly to make up for the lack of broader utility from the duo.