Phantom Lancer + Puck

Why this works

Facing down a Dream Coil often feels like a death sentence. Puck locks down one or more heroes, creating a perfect stationary target. This allows Phantom Lancer to close the distance with Phantom Rush and immediately start building an army of illusions. Puck's Waning Rift can also silence anyone caught, preventing them from casting a crucial escape spell or an area-of-effect nuke that might clear out the initial illusions. When this sequence works, it's a clean way to isolate and delete a priority target before a fight can properly begin.

The problem is that this combo is very timing-dependent. Puck is strongest in the early and mid game, while Phantom Lancer needs time to farm his core items before he can contribute meaningful damage. If Puck initiates a fight that PL isn't ready for, the follow-up is too weak. On the other hand, if enemies get their hands on items that let them survive or break the Dream Coil, like a Black King Bar, the entire setup can fall apart. The game often becomes a race to see if Puck can make enough space for PL to come online before the enemy can shut down their one big combo.