Tidehunter + Venomancer

Why this works

Pairing these two heroes together often seems like a straightforward plan to win teamfights. Tidehunter can initiate with Ravage, holding enemies in place for Venomancer to land a massive Poison Nova. The problem is that these abilities don't really solve the same problem. Ravage is a setup for immediate, high-impact burst damage to kill targets during the stun. Venomancer's entire kit is the opposite; it's slow, sustained damage over a long duration. Poison Nova can't even land a killing blow on its own, so targets are often still standing when Ravage's stun wears off, poisoned but alive.

The success of this duo relies heavily on what your other three heroes bring to the fight. If your other cores provide the necessary burst to capitalize on the Ravage stun, then Venomancer’s poison feels like a good way to clean up or zone enemies out. More often, the combo lands, enemies survive the initial lockdown, and then have time to retreat or be saved by their supports. The area denial from Tidehunter and Venomancer is solid, but converting that control into kills is where the pairing can feel unreliable without very specific help.