Bristleback + Magnus

Why this works

Giving Bristleback an Empower seems like a straightforward way to boost his damage. The trouble is, Bristleback's real strength comes from tanking hits and spamming Quill Spray, not from standing still to land auto-attacks. While the cleave from Empower helps him farm and adds some area damage, it doesn't fundamentally change how he plays. He is a durability hero who gets value from being a nuisance, not a primary right-clicker. Even Magnus's Reverse Polarity can be awkward, sometimes grouping enemies in front of Bristleback when he would rather have them hitting his back to trigger his passive.

In practice, the combo’s success is very situational. It looks best when Magnus catches several heroes and Bristleback can run them down with the Empower buff active. More often, fights are chaotic. Bristleback might have to focus on surviving a break or kiting, which makes the bonus attack damage less relevant. If the enemy team has good positioning and control, they can often separate the two, disabling Magnus before he can set up a play or simply kiting Bristleback until the fight is decided. This makes their combined impact inconsistent from one game to the next.