Shadow Shaman · Hard Support (pos. 5)
Shadow Shaman Laning 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
Position 5 starts in the safe lane with your carry: their last hits come first, so harass the enemy offlaner, pull the small camp when the wave needs resetting and buy the wards nobody else will. Early, your objectives are a safe lane for your carry, vision on the runes and stacked camps for when your carry has time to farm them.
Strengths
- Takes towers quickly: Valve lists it as a Pusher.
- Heavy magical burst: Valve lists it as a Nuker.
- Clear job in the team: keep your carry safe in the safe lane, buy the wards and give up farm so the cores can have it.
Weaknesses
- No escape in the kit: without good positioning and vision, Shadow Shaman is easy to catch.
- Plays on little gold: expensive items arrive late.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Laning itemsBalancedRecommendedWhat leaves the fountain and what lands in the first ten minutes, with what each item gives you.
- Most-played buildBalancedAdvancedThe items most bought with this hero, phase by phase. Pick it when you don't have a clear reason to deviate. Built from what Shadow Shaman players buy in the public matches we measured.
Builds
Laning items
When to use it
What leaves the fountain and what lands in the first ten minutes, with what each item gives you.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
233%164%- Safe laneMain64% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- OfflanePriority 233% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Blink Dagger
Boots
Skill order
Max order:Shackles›Hex›Ether Shock
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Talents by level
- +1 Ward Attack Targets+250 Ether Shock Damage25
- +1.5s Shackles Duration+50% Serpent Wards Max HP20
- +160 Serpent Wards Attack RangeHex Breaks15
- +170 Shackles Total Damage+1.75 Mana Regen10
Most-played build
When to use it
The items most bought with this hero, phase by phase. Pick it when you don't have a clear reason to deviate. Built from what Shadow Shaman players buy in the public matches we measured.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
233%164%- Safe laneMain64% of matchesSafe lane next to your carry, as Hard Support (pos. 5).
- OfflanePriority 233% of matchesOff lane next to your offlaner, as Soft Support (pos. 4).
Starting items
Core items
- 1Blink Dagger
- 2Aether Lens
- 3Aghanim's Shard
- 4Glimmer Cape
Boots
Late game
Skill order
Max order:Shackles›Hex›Ether Shock
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● |
Talents by level
- +1 Ward Attack Targets+250 Ether Shock Damage25
- +1.5s Shackles Duration+50% Serpent Wards Max HP20
- +160 Serpent Wards Attack RangeHex Breaks15
- +170 Shackles Total Damage+1.75 Mana Regen10
Abilities
- Ether Shock14 / 12 / 10 / 8s90 / 105 / 120 / 135 mpCreates a cone of ethereal energy that strikes multiple enemy units.
- Targets
- 3·5·7·9
- Damage
- 125·190·255·320
- Hex24 / 20 / 16 / 12s130 / 150 / 170 / 190 mpTransforms an enemy unit into a harmless creature, disabling their attacks and abilities.
- Duration
- 2·2.3·2.6·2.9
- Shackles14 / 13 / 12 / 11s125 / 140 / 155 / 170 mpCHANNELED - Magically binds an enemy unit so that it cannot move or attack, absorbing their life energy over time.
- Total damage/heal
- 100·160·220·280
- Max duration
- 2.4·3·3.6·4.2
Fowl PlayPassive120sWhen taking lethal damage, Shadow Shaman receives a strong dispel and survives as a 1 HP chicken with increased movement speed. Incoming damage is reduced to zero for a short duration and additional chickens are created to confuse the enemy. Cooldown resets when Shadow Shaman respawns.
DISPEL TYPE: Strong Dispel- Duration
- 3
- Movespeed bonus
- 5%
- Total chickens
- 1
Urnaconda50s140 mpThrow a snake jar at the target location, damaging all enemies in the AoE and creating a Massive Serpent Ward that has 4x the base Serpent Ward damage and health there that lasts 15s.- Impact radius
- 225
- Impact damage
- 275
- Mass Serpent Ward110 / 105 / 100s200 / 350 / 550 mpSummons 10 Serpent Wards to attack enemy units and structures. The Wards are immune to magic. Creeps deal half damage to the Serpent Ward.
- Duration
- 45
- Hits to destroy
- 2
- Ward damage
- 50·85·120
- Mega ward health
- 8
- Mega ward damage
- 200·340·480
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:Shackles›Hex›Ether Shock
| Ability | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
| · | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | · | ● | · | ● | ● | · | · |
| · | · | · | ● | · | · | · | ● | ● | ● | · | · | · | · | · | · | · |
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Strategy
1Starting and early items
The first items decide how comfortable the lane is. The lane build below lists them with what each one gives you.
2Trading
Harass when the enemy core walks up to last hit: every hit you land is gold your carry keeps.
3Wave management
Keep the creep equilibrium close to your tower when you're weaker, deny to cut the enemy's experience and pull the jungle camp to reset a lane that's pushing too far.
4Early objectives
Early, your objectives are a safe lane for your carry, vision on the runes and stacked camps for when your carry has time to farm them. Your spikes are level 6, when Mass Serpent Ward comes online, and your core items: Blink Dagger and then Aether Lens.
Tips
- Harass when the enemy core walks up to last hit: every hit you land is gold your carry keeps.
- Early, your objectives are a safe lane for your carry, vision on the runes and stacked camps for when your carry has time to farm them.
- Don't fight next to the enemy creeps: early on they hit hard.
- Go back to base when your health or mana won't survive the next trade.
Matchups
Strong against
- Razor58.7%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Shaman wins 58.7% of the 104 games measured against Razor this patch.
104 matches
- Ring Master57.2%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Shaman wins 57.2% of the 138 games measured against Ring Master this patch.
138 matches
- Crystal Maiden55.4%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Shaman wins 55.4% of the 121 games measured against Crystal Maiden this patch.
121 matches
Weak against
- Hoodwink38.3%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Shaman only wins 38.3% of the 162 games measured against Hoodwink this patch.
162 matches
- Beastmaster40.7%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Shaman only wins 40.7% of the 108 games measured against Beastmaster this patch.
108 matches
- Sniper41.7%win rate in the matchup
Shadow Shaman only wins 41.7% of the 127 games measured against Sniper this patch.
127 matches
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 7.41.
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