Invoker + Monkey King

Why this works

Picking this pair for your cores often forces a difficult choice in fights. The core issue is spell interference. Monkey King's entire game plan revolves around trapping enemies inside Wukong's Command to stack up damage. A standard Invoker, however, relies on spells like Tornado and Deafening Blast that forcibly move enemies. Throwing these into Monkey King's ultimate will actively push enemies out of the circle, saving them from damage and completely wasting the setup. This fundamental clash in how they control enemy positioning makes it very difficult for them to coordinate their biggest spells.

This problem plays out constantly in mid and late-game teamfights. The Monkey King will find a great opening and commit his ultimate, only for the Invoker's well-intentioned combo to scatter the trapped targets to safety. The Invoker player is then stuck between using his spells sub-optimally or not using them at all during a crucial window. While Invoker can offer some setup with Cold Snap, he typically prefers a partner with more reliable lockdown who doesn't have their primary damage source nullified by his own abilities.