Bristleback + Pugna

Why this works

Keeping Bristleback alive with Life Drain seems like a straightforward plan, but it's much harder in practice. Pugna needs to channel his heal, while Bristleback needs to constantly move and reposition to keep his back turned to enemies. This constant motion often breaks the Life Drain tether or forces Pugna into a bad position. The two heroes can also work against each other; a defensive Decrepify from Pugna can accidentally save an enemy that Bristleback was about to finish off with physical attacks. The core abilities don't always line up smoothly during a chaotic fight.

When the duo gets a good start, Pugna can play far behind his nearly unkillable frontline, providing sustain and amplifying magic damage. The problem is that smart enemies will ignore the Bristleback and go straight for the fragile Pugna. Bristleback offers very little peel for his backline, as his kit encourages him to run at the enemy, not protect his allies. If the enemy draft has heroes that can jump the back lines, they can often kill Pugna first, leaving Bristleback without his support and vulnerable to being kited and worn down.