Lich + Mars

Why this works

Arena of Blood seems like a perfect setup for Chain Frost, but the actual interaction is often the opposite of what you’d expect. When trapped by Mars, enemies naturally spread to the edges of the arena to dodge spears and avoid clumping up for his allies. This correct play against Mars directly counters what Lich needs for a big ultimate, as Chain Frost requires targets to be close enough for the projectile to bounce between them. The result is a signature teamfight spell from Lich that fizzles out after one or two hits, completely wasting its potential.

This core conflict makes the pair feel awkward at all stages. The lane can be stable, with Frost Shield making Mars even harder to kill, but they often lack the lockdown to secure kills against mobile opponents. Later on, their big teamfight moment fails to connect. Mars successfully isolates the enemy team, but Lich can’t deliver the expected catastrophic damage. They're left trying to win fights with single-target spells like Spear of Mars and Sinister Gaze, which is a far cry from the wombo-combo potential their kits appear to have on paper.