Shadow Demon · Soft Support (pos. 4)
Shadow Demon Safe Play Guide
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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.
Overview
This guide is about playing Shadow Demon safely and consistently. Safe support means warding ahead of danger, staying out of the enemy's reach and saving spells to protect your cores. The kit brings crowd control (disable) with Disruption and sustain with Demonic Cleanse.
Strengths
- Keeps allies alive with Demonic Cleanse.
- Reliable disable: Disruption sets up kills.
- Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
Weaknesses
- No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Shadow Demon is easy to catch.
- Low base armor (0): vulnerable to physical harass early on.
- Plays on little gold: expensive items arrive late.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Survival buildDefensiveRecommendedPrioritises the popular items that keep you alive — Glimmer Cape and Pavise. Choose it against heavy disables or burst, or when you are the enemy's focus. Built from what Shadow Demon players buy in the public matches we measured.
- Against physical damageDefensiveSituationalFor games against right-click carries: keep your first two core items and add armor, evasion or damage block.
Builds
Survival build
When to use it
Prioritises the popular items that keep you alive — Glimmer Cape and Pavise. Choose it against heavy disables or burst, or when you are the enemy's focus. Built from what Shadow Demon players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
247%148%- Safe laneMain48% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- OfflanePriority 247% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Glimmer Cape+20% Magic Resistance. Active: Glimmer.
- 2Pavise+3 Armor, +175 Mana, +175 Health. Active: Protect.
- 3Solar Crest+7 Armor, +25 Movement Speed, +200 Mana. Active: Shine.
- 4Essence Distiller+1.5 Mana Regeneration, +3 All Attributes, +6 Armor. Active: Soul Release.
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Shadow Poison›Disseminate›Disruption
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
 | · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
 | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- 2 Charges of DisruptionDemonic Purge Applies Shadow Poison25
- +15% Disseminate Shared Damage-20s Demonic Purge Cooldown20
- -1s Shadow Poison Cooldown+25 Movement Speed15
- +8 Strength+15% Shadow Poison Damage10
Against physical damage
When to use it
For games against right-click carries: keep your first two core items and add armor, evasion or damage block.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
247%148%- Safe laneMain48% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- OfflanePriority 247% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Core items
- 1Blink Dagger
- 2Aghanim's Shard
Situational
Skill order
Max order:Shadow Poison›Disseminate›Disruption
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- 2 Charges of DisruptionDemonic Purge Applies Shadow Poison25
- +15% Disseminate Shared Damage-20s Demonic Purge Cooldown20
- -1s Shadow Poison Cooldown+25 Movement Speed15
- +8 Strength+15% Shadow Poison Damage10
Abilities
- Disruption26 / 24 / 22 / 20s120 mpBanishes the targeted unit from the battlefield for a short duration. Upon returning, two illusions of the banished unit with bonus base damage are created under Shadow Demon's control.
- Banish duration
- 2.75
- Illusion duration
- 8·10·12·14
- Illusion damage
- 20%·30%·40%·50%
- Bonus base damage
- 20·35·50·65
- Illusion damage taken
- 300%
- Disseminate26 / 22 / 18 / 14s100 mpWhenever the target takes damage, all enemies, including the target itself if it is an enemy, within 675 range of the target also receive a portion of that damage. Can target enemy and allied units. Effect is paused if the target is hidden by Disruption.
- Duration
- 6
- Shared damage
- 16%·24%·32%·40%
- Shadow Poison2.5s40 mpDeals damage in a line, and afflicts enemy units with a poison effect. The poison deals 1/2/4/8/16 times the stack damage based on the number of stacks on the target, up to 5 stacks. Additional stacks cause 60 damage each. This deferred damage is dealt when Shadow Poison's duration is expired, or the Release sub-ability is used.
- Stack damage
- 24·36·48·60
- Max stacks to multiply
- 5
- Radius
- 200
- Hit damage
- 24·36·48·60
- Debuff duration
- 10
Shadow Poison Release1sReleases the poison to do damage on all affected enemies. Units under the effect of Disruption can still be affected by Shadow Poison.
Demonic Cleanse60s150 mpCleanses the target allied unit, removing negative buffs for the duration. At the end of the duration, the unit is healed. Units under the effect of Disruption can still be affected by Demonic Cleanse.
DISPEL TYPE: Basic Dispel- Cleanse heal
- 450
- Duration
- 5
- Demonic Purge70 / 65 / 60s150 / 175 / 200 mpPurges the target enemy unit, removing positive buffs, and slowing the target for the duration. The unit slowly regains its speed until the end of the duration, upon which damage is dealt. Units under the effect of Disruption can still be affected by Demonic Purge.
DISPEL TYPE: Basic Dispel
- Purge damage
- 300·450·600
- Duration
- 5
MenacePassiveShadow Demon's Attacks apply a stacking debuff to the enemy for 8 seconds that increases their damage taken.- Damage amp
- 1.9%
Most played skill order
The most played order in the last 100 professional matches with this hero. Highlighted levels are the points spent on talents.
Max order:Shadow Poison›Disseminate›Disruption
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | ● | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Strategy
1Safe laning
Safe support means warding ahead of danger, staying out of the enemy's reach and saving spells to protect your cores. Harass when the enemy core walks up to last hit: every hit you land is gold your carry keeps.
2Surviving fights
Stay behind your cores, use Disruption on whoever jumps on your carry and keep Demonic Cleanse for the moment the enemy commits. You have no escape in the kit, so your position is your defence: stay behind someone who can protect you.
3Positioning and peel
Stand where the enemy has to go through your team to reach you, and protect whoever the enemy focuses. Hold Disruption for the enemy diver.
4Playing from behind
When the game goes badly, farm what's safe, defend with your team and wait for the enemy to make a mistake: a single won fight can turn it around.
Tips
- Save Disruption for whoever jumps on your team.
- Keep Demonic Cleanse for the enemy's burst, not for chip damage.
- Go back when your key abilities are down: a reset costs less than a death.
- Never be the first to show on the map in the late game.
- If enemies are missing from the map, back off before they appear.
Matchups
Weak against
- Beastmaster45.3%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Demon only wins 45.3% of the 137 games measured against Beastmaster this patch.
137 matches
- Pangolier45.5%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Demon only wins 45.5% of the 189 games measured against Pangolier this patch.
189 matches
- Phoenix45.7%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Demon only wins 45.7% of the 188 games measured against Phoenix this patch.
188 matches
- Juggernaut47.1%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Demon only wins 47.1% of the 121 games measured against Juggernaut this patch.
121 matches
- Rubick47.5%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Demon only wins 47.5% of the 236 games measured against Rubick this patch.
236 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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