Earth Spirit + Shadow Shaman

Why this works

Taking over the map and pushing objectives can feel a little more straightforward with this lineup. Earth Spirit is great at starting a gank from long range; a successful Roll or a smart kickback gives Shadow Shaman all the time he needs to walk up and land Hex on a target. From there, Shaman can chain his Shackles, creating a disable duration that few heroes can survive on their own. This reliability at securing a kill means you can often immediately transition that advantage into taking a tower with Mass Serpent Ward.

The game plan revolves around finding these pickoffs in the mid-game to starve the enemy team. When it works, you choke out their map control and build a lead. The whole play is conditional, though. It relies on Earth Spirit landing his initiation, and good opponents will use vision to see the gank coming. If the initial stun misses, or if the target has a teammate nearby to save them, both Earth Spirit and Shadow Shaman can find themselves caught out and killed. It’s a solid ganking partnership, but it demands coordination to be effective.