Ember Spirit + Pugna

Why this works

Saving an aggressive Ember Spirit with Decrepify seems like the main draw here. The problem is that Decrepify also makes the target immune to physical damage, which is the core of Ember's output from Sleight of Fist. This creates a direct conflict where Pugna using his spell offensively on Ember's target can completely negate his damage. While Nether Ward provides some general value against spellcasters, Ember's highly mobile nature means he is often fighting away from where Pugna wants to set up, creating a disconnect between their preferred fight patterns.

During a game, this puts a lot of pressure on the Pugna player's decision-making. Using Decrepify to enable Life Drain on a key target might be the wrong move if Ember Spirit is trying to burst that same hero. This often relegates the spell to being a purely defensive tool. In chaotic teamfights, this lack of offensive synergy means they don't actively build on each other's strengths. Instead, they operate as two separate individuals fighting near each other, which can work but rarely leads to a decisive advantage.