Monkey King + Tinker

Why this works

Running these two cores creates a serious farm problem. Both Monkey King and Tinker are incredibly greedy, but Tinker's ability to push every lane from safety with Rearm vacuums up the entire map's resources. This leaves Monkey King with very little safe farm to hit his own timings, often forcing him into the jungle or risky lanes. Beyond the economy conflict, their abilities don't mesh well. Tinker offers no real lockdown to set up for Boundless Strike or Wukong's Command, and Monkey King's dive-heavy style means he can't protect a vulnerable backliner.

The game often becomes a race against time where your team is forced to play defensively. The enemy can exploit this by grouping as five, controlling the map, and taking objectives while your two main heroes are still trying to get their core items online. Monkey King is put in a terrible position, forced to either fight unprepared or risk his life for farm the enemy is happy to let him take. This duo puts immense pressure on the other three players to somehow survive the early and mid game against an opponent who has a clear window to win.