Lich + Zeus

Why this works

Picking these two together commits your team to a heavy magic-damage draft. The core idea is to layer Zeus's raw burst on top of Lich's control. Lich can use Frost Shield to slow an enemy, making them an easy target for a Lightning Bolt from Zeus. The main threat, however, is combining their ultimates. A good Chain Frost forces the enemy team to scatter to avoid the bounces. Any hero who gets low while running away is then a prime target for a global Thundergod's Wrath to finish the job. This pressure on enemy positioning can be quite effective.

This pairing is strongest in mid-game teamfights before enemy cores have their Black King Bars. Zeus can often secure kills across the map after Lich starts a fight, accelerating his farm. The weakness of this duo is that both heroes are squishy and have no real escape mechanism. Opponents will look to draft heroes with high mobility and lockdown to jump on Zeus or Lich and kill them before they can get their spells off. Building magic resistance items early is the standard counter, and that clear counterplay is what keeps this from being a guaranteed winning combination.