Grimstroke + Necrophos

Why this works

Trying to split up to avoid a big teamfight spell is a mistake against this lineup. Grimstroke’s Soulbind will catch two heroes, and Necrophos can then cast Reaper’s Scythe on either one to hit both. This turns a single-target execute into a potential double kill, or at the very least a long-duration double stun. The lockdown from Soulbind itself, combined with Grimstroke’s ink spells, also gives Necrophos time to soften up both targets with Death Pulse, making the eventual Scythe lethal.

The threat of this combination warps the entire mid-game. Opponents can’t farm or push in pairs, because getting two heroes latched by Soulbind almost guarantees a lost fight and long respawn timers. This allows the Grimstroke and Necrophos side to control the map and force objectives, knowing the enemy has to play separated and cautiously. The only real answer is for multiple enemy heroes to build spell immunity or specific save items, but that’s an expensive and slow response that usually concedes too much space early on.