The enslaver of the tormented souls, the reaper of their joy, the one, and only Shadow Fiend is back to dominate the International mainstage. If you follow the Ti, you may know that Shadow Fiend is one of the most picked heroes of the tournament as he is being played in both the mid and the safe lane, making him an extremely flexible pick. Shadow Fiend’s recent buffs allow him to obliterate his enemies with the increased damage to both Raze and his damage from Necromastery. In most scenarios, Shadow Fiend can outfarm his opponents and stay relevant throughout the late game, ensuring nothing but pain for his foes.
Shadow Fiend has various different strengths, but at the same time, it should be noted that he has multiple weaknesses as well. He can be countered with certain mechanics which simply disable him from the fights, making him unable to sustain himself long enough to have an impact. We bring you the Best 10 Shadow Fiend Counters in the current meta!
Best general items against Shadow Fiend
- Eul’s Scepter - It can be used to sweep yourself or Shadow Fiend into the air for 2.5 seconds, making them unable to use spells or move. This can be used to lock down Shadow Fiend or temporarily remove yourself from the fights, it dispels most debuffs upon self-cast. You can use it to escape from his ultimate if he is trying to gank you with it.
- Scythe of Vyse - It can be used to hex Shadow Fiend, essentially making him unable to use spells or items, along with reducing his movement speed for 3.5 seconds. Shadow Fiend becomes useless under its duration, hence it can be used to disable him from the team fight.
- Glimmer Cape/Shadow Blade - Both of these items turn you invisible for a brief duration. Invisibility is always useful against heroes like Shadow Fiend to escape from their lethal physical damage.
- Orchid of Malevolence - Silences the target for 5 seconds, also dealing them an extra 30% damage at the end of its duration. It can be useful to silence Shadow Fiend and entirely shut him off from the team fight.
- Force Staff - Allows you to force yourself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing, it can be useful to escape from Shadow Fiend’s ultimate or to catch him before he tries to use it.
- Black King Bar - On usage, it provides spell immunity. This entirely negates the damage from Shadow Fiend’s spells, as they all are magical types.
10. Dragon Knight
Davion, the Dragon Knight is a classic mid hero and although he has been absent through multiple patches, he can always be picked against the nefarious Shadow Fiend. The prime reason is his high HP pool and strength which keeps him durable right from the laning stage against the mighty Shadow Fiend. The latter’s magic damage does decent damage, although it wears off in the late game when Davion acquires his Black King Bar.
Dragon Knight is a tough nut to crack, he has natural high armor which is amplified by his Dragon’s Blood passive, which makes him unkillable unless all 5 enemy heroes rotate and hunt him down, which is of course impractical in most games. Shadow Fiend stands no chance against him unless he is six-slotted and way ahead. Dragon Knight also does not require much skill to play making him an easy counter to most heroes if played right.
Why is Dragon Knight a great counter to Shadow Fiend?
- Breathe Fire reduces Shadow Fiend's damage even further.
- Dragon Knight's high strength and Dragon Blood mean that he'll be able to tank Shadow Fiend's right clicks.
- Dragon Tail can be used to cancel Requiem of Souls.
Items to buy against Shadow Fiend
- Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Dragon Knight 1200 units in the distance he is facing, can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to close the gap and to get on top of Shadow Fiend, or it can also be used to escape away from him.
- Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility on cast which can be used to escape or set up on Shadow Fiend.
- Assault Cuirass - Increases armor and attack speed while reducing the same for Shadow Fiend in an AoE.
- Heaven’s Halberd - Can disarm Shadow Fiend, making him unable to attack for a few seconds, while Dragon Knight and his allies can freely attack him.
- Black King Bar - It provides Dragon Knight with spell immunity from all of Shadow Fiend’s magic damage spells, making him invulnerable in the fight. It is always a top priority item against Shadow Fiend.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Dragon_Knight
9. Spirit Breaker
Shadow Fiend is quite a squishy hero against the likes of the Spirit Breaker as he lacks the armor along with the HP to withstand his damage. There is hardly any way to survive the onslaught of Spirit Breaker, as it feels like you’ve been hit by a truck. More than the damage, it is the global potential of SB’s Charge which makes him stay alert at all times, farming only in secure locations and never showing himself too far out on the map.
Shadow Fiend is known to purchase Black King Bar, but it is seen as a useless item against the likes of Spirit Breaker due to his bashes and ultimate Nether Strike which pierce his spell immunity. Though the late game can be a little difficult for Spirit Breaker as Shadow Fiend eventually catches up with the farm, the former does not rely on items and his job is only to gank the bone fletcher or provide vision for his allies to gank him. Shadow Fiend is deeply annoyed by such interruption and thus can’t optimally play his game.
Why is Spirit Breaker a great counter to Shadow Fiend?
- When Spirit Breaker charges onto Shadow Fiend, he can easily use Dust of Appearance to guarantee a reveal on him while stunned.
- Charge of Darkness allows Spirit Breaker to gank Shadow Fiend in the early game, preventing him from getting Necromastery stacks.
- Nether Strike and Charge of Darkness can be used to prevent Shadow Fiend from casting Requiem of Souls.
- Possibly Shadow Fiend's worst enemy. He has many tools to utterly destroy Shadow Fiend, let it be the Bash, Charge, or even Nether Strike.
Items to buy on Spirit Breaker
- Shadow Blade - Provides invisibility which can be used to escape or set up on Shadow Fiend
- Drums of Endurance - Upon usage, it provides high attack and movement speed bonus to SB and his allies in an AoE. It can be used while charging to increase his charge speed and damage.
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, making you invulnerable in the fight against Shadow Fiend’s items in case he opts for Orchid or Scythe
- Echo Sabre - Provides immense stat gain along with increased physical damage and attack speed
- Solar Crest - Upon cast, it grants armor, attack speed, and movement speed to the targetted ally while reducing the same stats from enemies. This reduces Shadow Fiend's armor and eventually weakens him, making him unable to stand firm in teamfights.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Spirit_Breaker
8. Nightstalker
The night is indeed scary if you’re facing the Nightstalker. This vicious creature of the night huts his enemies and decimates them in no time. He fares well against Shadow Fiend because they rarely lane against each other, making it easy for Nightstalker to lane as he hates facing ranged heroes. His disables are also extremely dangerous as they can pretty much make Shadow Fiend useless and turn him into a melee creep.
Although, as dawn approaches his powers get weaker but he still holds the power to rip Shadow Fiend apart with his immense physical damage. The latter can’t contest Nightstalker because he is frankly powerless against him in the early game, courtesy of the Silence which makes it unable for him to cast his ultimate. Obviously, Nightstalker is a slow farmer but as soon as he hits level 6, he can rotate toward other lanes to secure kills and gold.
Why is Nightstalker a great counter to Shadow Fiend?
- Void can be used to cancel Requiem of Souls.
- Crippling Fear prevents Shadow Fiend from using Shadowraze or Requiem of Souls.
- With Dark Ascension and Gem of True Sight, Night Stalker can find and kill Shadow Fiend easily. He is also a tanky hero that can fight Shadow Fiend at any stage of the game.
Items to Buy against Shadow Fiend
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating, allows Ursa to both escape or get on top of Shadow Fiend
- Aghanim’s Scepter - AoE Void, allowing him to farm quickly and slow the enemy team in teamfights
- Echo Sabre - Provides great stat gain along with immense damage and attack speed.
- Nullifier - Mutes items, which is exceptional and can be used in tandem with Blink Dagger followed by his silence
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all of Shadow Fiend’s magic damage spells, making you invulnerable in the fight.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Shadow_Fiend
7. Razor
Razor is always a great counter to squishy heroes like the Shadow Fiend. Razor decimates him, he steals their damage, slows him down, and whips him back with his own damage! Razor can farm faster with his spells, which translates to early-game domination by securing a few kills on the Shadow Fiend due to his low armor. Apart from that, he is known to be a tempo-control hero, just like Shadow Fiend but he is far more lethal right from the early game.
Razor’s electrifying rage is quite unparalleled in the new patch. Shadow Fiend does not fare well versus this beast, this is due to his low armor and magic resistance along with slow movement speed. Having high movement speed and AoE damage ensures that the Shadow Fiend does not escape alive. Razor has the upper hand as he can outfarm the Shadow Fiend and gank as quickly as possible. He has the potential to quickly snowball in under 15 mins with the right items.
Why is Razor a great counter to Shadow Fiend?
- Static Link can steal Shadow Fiend's high physical damage output from Necromastery, lowering his damage output, and Static Link cannot be prevented by Black King Bar.
- Plasma Field and Eye of the Storm can melt down Shadow Fiend easily, due to his low health.
Items to Buy against Shadow Fiend
- Assault Cuirass - Increases armor and attack speed while reducing the same for Shadow Fiend if he is in the AoE.
- Refresher’s Orb - Can refresh spells and items and use them again in quick succession to delete Shadow Fiend from the fight. It can be used to refresh Eye of the Storm to use it twice during a team fight.
- Shiva’s Guard - Upon activation, it deals damage in an AoE, slowing down the affected targets. It also provides increased armor and reduces Shadow Fiend’s armor in an AoE.
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Causes Eye of the Storm to strike two different units instead of one and can damage structures.
- Heaven’s Halberd - Can disarm Shadow Fiend, making him unable to attack for a few seconds, while Razor can freely attack him or steal his damage at the same time.
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity from all of Shadow Fiend’s magic damage spells, making Razor invulnerable in the team fight.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Razor
6. Lion
Lion is one of those heroes that never goes out of the meta! Shadow Fiend fares well against most support heroes, but Lion is a noble exception. Lion can disable Shadow Fiend with his extensive toolkit. He also has significant nuke damage with his ultimate, which can further be amplified with the number of kills you get with it, allowing a possibility of one-shotting the demon in the late game. He can also drain Shadow Fiend’s mana, making him unable to escape this hellish torture.
Lion is obviously a squishy hero, but he can purchase various items to stand his ground against the respectable physical damage being dished out by the Shadow Fiend. The latter is privy to magical damage, courtesy of his low magic resistance, which can be abused in the early game with constant ganks. Shadow Fiend is effectively a ranged creep against Lion if he does not have a good start in the game interrupting his ultimate and catching him off-guard.
What makes Lion a great counter to Shadow Fiend?
- Hex and Earth Spike can hold Shadow Fiend down, giving him no chance to use Black King Bar in order to escape.
- Finger of Death quickly kills Shadow Fiend due to his low health pool.
- Mana Drain makes sure Shadow Fiend can’t use invisibility to escape.
Items to buy on Lion
- Aether Lens - Provides increased cast range on both spells and items, can be used to catch Shadow Fiend off-guard
- Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Lion 1200 units in the distance he is facing, can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to close the gap and to get on top of Shadow Fiend to further disable him with Hex or Stun.
- Glimmer Cape- Upon cast, it turns Lion or the targetted ally invisible, allowing you to escape from Shadow Fiend. Giving him a taste of his own medicine is always great!
- Aghanim’s Scepter - AoE damage from Finger, also reduces the cooldown
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from Shadow Fiend's physical damage and also applies a basic dispel
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Lion
5. Puck
If you add skill and flamboyance, you get the marvelous Puck. He is an exceptional hero against the likes of Shadow Fiend who is essentially a spellcasting hero. He can be a weak laner and squishy against Shadow Fiend, Puck can turn the tides in his favor if he manages to secure his early game by farming sufficiently and ganking other lanes with his Dream Coil. His decent magical damage can decimate Shadow Fiend within no time in the early stages of the game.
Shadow Fiend may prove to have the higher ground in the late game but if he is caught off-guard once by the Puck, he can essentially lose his momentum and turn the game in the favor of Puck. The latter can triumph with his Aghanim’s Scepter which helps him stop Shadow Fiend from using the combo of both Black King Bar and his ultimate with Dream Coil. The right items at the right time allow him to sustain himself and deal lethal magical damage without worrying about the damage dished out by Shadow Fiend.
Why is Puck a great counter to Shadow Fiend?
- Illusory Orb and Waning Rift provide great mobility, allowing Puck to catch up or escape from Shadow Fiend.
- Waning Rift instantly cancels Shadow Fiend’s channeling.
- Dream Coil's leash can lock Shadow Fiend down and make him immobile even if he has Black King Bar.
Items to Buy on Puck
- Blink Dagger - On cast, Blink transports Puck 1200 units in the distance he is facing, can’t be used for 3 seconds if he takes any form of damage. Blink is used to close the gap and to get on top of Shadow Fiend, or it can also be used to escape away from him.
- Aghanim’s Shard and Scepter - Can lock in a spell-immune Shadow Fiend and silence him for a longer duration with the Shard.
- Aeon Disk - Saves Puck from getting burst quickly from Shadow Fiend’s spells and also applies a basic dispel, although it has an extremely high cooldown of 180 seconds.
- Witch Blade - Increased physical damage based on Puck’s int while also dealing damage over time.
- Desolator - Provides Puck with increased damage along with armor corruption on physical attacks. It can also gain stacks and increased the mentioned perks with the increase in stacks. Desolator is ideal to mow down the squishy Shadow Fiend
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Puck
4. Disruptor
Stormy weather is inevitable when you play against the dominant Disruptor. His electrifying low cooldown spells and surprisingly high damage make him a perfect fit against Shadow Fiend. He is an exceptional hero to lane with, as he can ensure his enemies get interrupted and annoyed. Shadow Fiend is highly privy to magic damage, making him the number one target of Disruptor before the former can even get his Black King Bar. Above all this, Disruptor is a level-reliant hero, making him prone to a team fighting more.
Disruptor can change the trajectory of the battle if he manages to separate the enemy Shadow Fiend from the team fight by Glimpsing him back or silencing him, rendering him highly useless! The Static Storm ultimate is further amplified by Aghanim’s Scepter that not only silences him but mutes his items as well. Shadow Fiend can easily be caught off guard by Disruptor if he does not have any magic immunity.
Why is Disruptor a great counter to Shadow Fiend?
- Glimpse and Kinetic Field allow Disruptor to set up some early kills onto Shadow Fiend.
- Static Storm can be used to cancel the cast of Requiem of Souls.
- Low CD on spells, allows him to spam and shove him off the lane if he is trying to use Requiem ultimate.
Items to Buy against Shadow Fiend
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Causes ultimate to mute Shadow Fiend’s items.
- Aeon Disk - Saves him from getting burst quickly from MK and also applies a basic dispel
- Glimmer Cape - Invisibility can be used to escape or set up to gank the Shadow Fiend
- Eul’s Scepter - Can be used to set up for Lighting Storm ultimate.
- Force Staff - Allows you to force yourself or the targetted unit 600 units ahead in the direction they are facing, it can be useful to catch or initiate on the Shadow Fiend.
3. Ursa
Statistically, Ursa is one of the most played carry heroes in the game, known for his ability to jungle smoothly and slay Roshan alone, it all proves that he is an exceptional hero played by beginners and pros alike. He can also rip through squishy heroes like Shadow Fiend within no time. His Fury Swipes stack up quickly, combined with his second spell, Overpower, make him deal high amounts of physical damage right from the early game to the Shadow Fiend with low armor.
Ursa’s ultimate, Enrage, makes him take less damage from Shadow Fiend’s magic spells and reduces the duration he is affected by the latter’s ultimate, making him slightly invulnerable in teamfights. Ursa almost always purchases a Black King Bar due to his poor natural magic resistance, and doing so against Shadow Fiend is a no-brainer.
Why is Ursa a great counter to Shadow Fiend?
- Earthshock prevents Shadow Fiend from escaping after Ursa used his Blink Dagger to get on top of him.
- Overpower and Fury Swipes allow Ursa to quickly kill Shadow Fiend.
- Enrage keeps Ursa alive in a man fight with Shadow Fiend and allows him to stay close, even if Shadow Fiend uses Requiem of Souls.
Items to buy against Shadow Fiend
- Blink Dagger - Great for gap closing or initiating, allows Ursa to both escape or get on top of Shadow Fiend.
- Diffusal Blade - Slows down Shadow Fiend by 100% upon casting and physical attack. It also burns his mana, making him useless as he cannot cast any spells.
- Satanic - Provides increased lifesteal on physical attacks upon activation, also provides basic dispel from the latter.
- Black King Bar - It provides spell immunity from all of Shadow Fiend's magic damage spells, making him invulnerable in the fight. It is always a top priority item against SF.
- Skull Basher - Provides a chance to Mini Stun on physical attacks. It can further be upgraded into Abyssal Blade later on in the game.
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Ursa
2. Viper
If you are a mid-player, you can definitely benefit from playing Viper, as he is highly relevant in the current meta. Also, he is undoubtedly the strongest hero against Shadow Fiend as the latter has a small health pool. Viper has the range advantage so Shadow Fiend can’t freely come within the attack range to last hit, he has to use his spells which in turn cost him a great deal of mana while making the Viper gain stick charges. The DPS and slow from his spells are also quite annoying to play against as a squishy low HP Shadow Fiend.
Shadow Fiend players despise Viper as he makes their presence and impact disappear from the game. His ultimate, Viper Strike isn’t even needed to kill Shadow Fiend as only his Poison Attack is enough to do the job. Picking Shadow Fiend against a Viper is essentially just throwing the game away.
Why is Viper a great counter to Shadow Fiend?
- Nethertoxin breaks both Necromastery and Presence of the Dark Lord, reducing his damage massively.
- Corrosive Skin gives Viper a bonus Magic Resistance against Shadowraze and Requiem of Souls.
- Viper can easily take advantage of Shadow Fiend's lack of escape and mobility spells with Viper Strike and Poison Attack. Poison Attack also serves as a great way to harass Shadow Fiend.
Items to Buy on Viper
- Kaya and Sange - Increases stats along with increasing mana gain and reducing mana cost, allowing him to cast spells freely against Shadow Fiend.
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Decreases Nethertoxin duration and increases damage, destroying the squishy Shadow Fiend in no time
- Pipe of Insight - Provides immense magic damage block on activation, and affects the whole team.
- Hurricane Pike - Allows Viper to close the gap and deal immense damage to Shadow Fiend, also provides decent stats and increases attack range
- Blademail - Reflects Shadow Fiend’s magical and physical damage to him upon activation.
- Black King Bar - Provides spell immunity, negating all the magical damage being dished out by Shadow Fiend.
1. Zeus
Zeus, the allfather proves to be one of the best counters against Shadow Fiend right from the early game. He is a dominant mid-laner who can shove the fierce demon out of the lane with his immense magical potential. As Shadow Fiend has low magical resistance, he hates laning against Zeus. The constant magical damage is prevalent until Shadow Fiend gets magic immunity, providing him some relief from the thunder god.
Zeus can dish out some serious damage with spells and constantly harass him. He is also infamous for having the potential to solo kill from miles away on the map with the right items and levels, hence Shadow Fiend stands no chance against him. He can also interrupt the latter’s channeling ultimate, putting it on a cooldown and hence rendering him useless for a solid duration.
Why is Zeus a great counter to Shadow Fiend?
- Arc Lightning allows Zeus to get the farm in the lane against Shadow Fiend without coming into the range of his Shadowrazes.
- Lightning Bolt can be used to heavily harass Shadow Fiend when he tries to get the last hit.
- Thundergod's Wrath and Lightning Bolt can be used to detect Shadow Fiend if he tries to escape with Shadow Blade.
Items to buy against Shadow Fiend
- Octraine Core - Provides spell lifesteal and stats while reducing item cooldowns by 25%, making him excellent against Shadow Fiend.
- Refresher’s Orb - Can refresh spells and items and use them again in quick succession to delete Shadow Fiend from the fight with 2x Nimbus and Thundergod’s Wrath.
- Arcane Blink - Great for gap closing or initiating, low mana cost on spells and items on usage, ensures you can escape or initiate on Shadow Fiend.
- Eul’s Scepter - It can be used to sweep yourself or Shadow Fiend into the air for 2.5 seconds, making them unable to use spells or move. This can be used to lock down Shadow Fiend or temporarily remove yourself from the fights, it dispels most debuffs upon self-cast.
- Bloodstone - Increased mana and HP usage
- Aghanim’s Scepter - Provides Nimbus which is essential for teamfights in the late game
https://dota2.fandom.com/wiki/Zeus
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