Dark Willow + Slardar

Why this works

Setting up kills with this pair seems straightforward, but their kits can work at cross-purposes. The ideal combo involves Slardar's Slithereen Crush locking down a target for Dark Willow's Cursed Crown and follow-up damage. The problem is that their damage sources don't amplify each other. Corrosive Haze only boosts physical damage, offering nothing for Willow's magical burst. Furthermore, for Dark Willow to contribute her full damage with Bedlam, she has to stand in the frontline right next to Slardar, which is usually a fatal mistake for a fragile support.

This tension defines how their games play out. In the laning stage, a simple stun chain can work well enough. Later on, however, the duo struggles to focus targets efficiently. Slardar wants to bash a single hero to death, while Willow is often forced to play from the back with Shadow Realm, holding Bedlam for purely defensive situations. Opponents can often survive the initial burst because the damage is split between physical and magical, and then turn on the overextended Slardar or the now-vulnerable Dark Willow. The combo isn't weak, but it rarely delivers the clean kill potential it seems to promise.