Nature's Prophet + Lifestealer

Why this works

Trapping an enemy in Sprout often hurts Lifestealer more than it helps. As a melee hero, he can't attack the target inside the trees, completely wasting Nature's Prophet's setup unless he has a way to cut them down. The other major interaction, Infest, is also awkward. Lifestealer wants to hide inside a durable hero who will run into the middle of the fight, but Nature's Prophet is fragile and prefers to stay on the edges, making him a poor choice for a carrier. The two heroes offer each other very little in terms of direct setup or follow-up during a gank.

This disconnect defines their shared game plan. Nature's Prophet excels at creating pressure across the map with Teleport and pushing lanes, which often leaves Lifestealer alone. When fights do break out, Lifestealer needs his team grouped up to support him after he uses Rage, but NP is frequently on the other side of the map entirely. This forces Lifestealer to play passively or risk dying without his team, while the enemy can more easily pick off a solo Nature's Prophet who lacks the backup of a strong fighting core.