Ogre Magi + Pangolier

Why this works

Casting Bloodlust on Pangolier seems like a straightforward plan, but a large part of the spell's benefit is often lost. The attack speed bonus from Bloodlust does nothing to improve Swashbuckle, which is a fixed number of quick attacks and Pangolier's main source of damage. While the extra movement speed is certainly useful for setting up Rolling Thunder or escaping, it's not the game-changing buff Ogre Magi can provide to other heroes. The stuns and slows from Ogre can also be difficult to coordinate with the chaos of a Rolling Thunder, making their lockdown potential less reliable than it might appear on paper.

In practice, the pair can find some success with early ganks, where Ogre Magi's control helps Pangolier connect his spells. As the game progresses, however, their plans often diverge. Pangolier wants to play an aggressive, spell-focused game of disruption, diving in and out of fights. Ogre is typically looking for a core who stands their ground and makes full use of the sustained attack speed from Bloodlust to melt through enemy heroes and buildings. They don't actively get in each other's way, but they don't combine into a cohesive unit that consistently executes a single, powerful strategy.