Shadow Fiend counter picks: who to choose against this hero in Dota 2

Shadow Fiend is a versatile hero who is used in the mid lane. He is preferred for ranged attacks. Although his initial stats are weak, rapid development makes him invulnerable to the attacks of most enemies. Standard abilities in the form of dealing damage at any distance, the ability to collect the dead souls of warriors and reducing the opponent’s armor allow you to quickly increase damage. If SF is given complete freedom, then we will get a destructive force that will be impossible to stop.

Players are pretty tired of this hero, since capturing souls of killed enemies can make him almost unstoppable. At the same time, it is useless to rot him because of the fast farm. But what counterpicks are more relevant against him? Which characters to put up to inflict maximum damage and not die yourself? Let’s figure it out.

Who counters Shadow Fiend

Getting better of Shadow Fiend is not difficult, the main thing is to know by whom and how. So, supports can easily deal with him. The only thing is that they should have strong casts, stuns and hexes, excellent damage protection or magical immunity. But all this will not help if you let SF farm. Therefore, at first it is more relevant to influence him with mobile players in order to catch on the map and kill. With each death, Shadow Fiend loses some souls, so regular destruction is the basis of defeating him. He will not be able to gain a frantic pace and destructive power.

So, this hero can be countered by:

• Zeus. Calmly spams 1 and 2 skill at a distance, can find the enemy in invisibility.
• Outworld Devourer. Due to the possibility of sending yourself or SF to Astral Plane, you can bring down the attack, cancel the his ultimate, or finish off the creep.
• Templar Assassin. He is effective on the lanes due to traps. Not afraid of damage from coils.
• Pudge. In the first 30 minutes, when Shadow Fiend is still defenseless (didn’t get the items), he can easily kill SF in the mid lane.
• Tiny. Breaks the pace of the character, catches up with him even in the forest. Magic damage allows you to deal with Shadow Fiend throughout the game.
• Juggernaut. Resists all SF’s damage. Buying Nullifier provides serious damage.
• Ursa. Wins mini-battles due to fast convergence. Any attempts to deviate from the battle are ignored.
• Legion Commander. This hero is strong in duels with SF.
• Centaur Warrunner. Due to passivity, it easily beats SF with any attack.

If in the mid the main things are surprise effect and mobility of movement, then on the lanes you need to show aggressiveness. After all, from the third level SF becomes especially dangerous. There should always be some HP left in the supply. The best tactic is «hit-dodge-hit.» Otherwise, you will be choked with coils.

Which items will help against SF

The right choice of counters against SF will help to neutralize him in the beginning. But if he managed to gain strength, then these items can save you:

• Scythe of Vyse – makes the enemy an easy target for 3.5 seconds;
• Dagon – deals a powerful blow (1 time), helps to dodge the fight;
• Black King Bar – gives protection from magic, increases strength and damage;
• Assault Cuirass – increases physical strength;
• Eul’s Scepter of Divinity – cancels the enemies’ ult.
• Blade Mail returns the damage and kills the hero.

But since Shadow Fiend can deal magical and physical damage, it is useless to collect a certain set of items. Use the element of surprise in the mid lane. And remember that SF needs runes to maintain charges. Therefore, ensure their full control.