Earthshaker + Clockwerk

Why this works

Drafting both of these heroes together looks good on paper, as they both offer long-duration stuns for locking down a single target. A successful Hookshot from Clockwerk can provide an easy setup for Earthshaker to land a Fissure and follow up. The problem is that their abilities can interfere with each other. Power Cogs might trap Earthshaker out of a fight or block the path for a perfect Echo Slam. Both heroes also want to be the one to start the fight, but from different positions, which can lead to poorly timed initiations where one hero is left out of position.

For this duo to work, Earthshaker needs his own initiation tool, usually a Blink Dagger, to follow up on Clockwerk's long-range jumps. Without it, Clockwerk often finds himself isolated, fighting one hero inside his Cogs while the rest of the fight moves away. A lot of the game plan rests on landing that initial Hookshot. If Clockwerk misses or catches a target the team can't kill, the fight is often lost before it begins. The coordination required is high, and a single misstep from either hero can easily leave the other stranded and useless.