Top Preface Ok, now that my chair is laid back we can get started.



So, after the success of my first Shadow Fiend guide I looked back at my first guide, my guide to mid; and realized how ultimately in-depth guides do have their place, and I decided that it was only proper to make a new guide to Shadow Fiend, but reinvent it this time around, so it sort of becomes the spiritual successor of my guide to mid.



These last months have been very busy for me, and it was almost impossible for me to put this guide together without putting more work into it, and focus on writing it over everything else... So that's what I did, and I think I made a pretty decent product.



Also, I'll probably stop making guides (at least for a while) after this one is published; so I want to make it top notch; and hopefully the go-to guide when people are trying to learn Shadow Fiend. For it's creation I've had some target audiences in mind:



* Low MMR players looking to get really good at the hero in order to climb.

* Mid players who want to familiarize themselves with the intricacies of Shadow Fiend

* People who are into guides just for the expanded knowledge of other players and their view of a particular hero.

* /r/Learndota2 readers who are familiar with my work

* People with a higher mmr than mine making sure I don't spread misinformation (lmao)

The way I've laid this guide out is a bit different. When planning I gave extra consideration to what understanding a hero feels like, rather to just learning the workings in a more algorithmic way; so, if someone sits through and reads this guide from start to finish I promise it'll give you a really good specific hero game sense with Shadow Fiend



For those that looked into the index and got intimidated and did not make it down to here, well, then good luck with your doto.



Think of this guide as a textbook, you can read it whole, but it's not the idea, and I dont expect anyone to.

A few parts of this guide, especially around the beginning were taken and tweaked a little bit from my first guide. If you remember that one you'll probably see some stuff in common, but I promise, is mostly for details and this guide is not an expansion of that one.



Furthermore, I've avoided using multiple Item Progression tabs, as it seems they tend to cause users to miss builds on the guide. This time I've put everything together, and I'll go over it in a way that you can understand which items go with which by yourself. Just trust me, this guide is not a mess.



Anyway, without further ado I present to you:



Betray Your Prophets - Goo's Final Guide To Shadow Fiend

When planning I gave extra consideration to what understanding a hero feels like, rather to just learning the workings in a more algorithmic way; so, if someone sits through and reads this guide from start to finish I promise it'll give you a really good specific hero game sense with, and possibly to other heroes as well. But if you are not in for the whole thing, which I completely understand, you can use the index and jump to whatever you feel you need to know better.If you remember that one you'll probably see some stuff in common, but I promise, is mostly for details and this guide is not an expansion of that one.I've avoided using multiple Item Progression tabs, as it seems they tend to cause users to miss builds on the guide. This time I've put everything together, and I'll go over it in a way that you can understand which items go with which by yourself.

Top 1. Introduction Shadow Fiend is a very mechanic intensive-rewarding hero; meaning that the better you get at it, the better the hero becomes and does more for you. The main core concept of the hero is to start weak, with low damage and then, by CSing, build damage up with Necromastery. Shadowraze, all three in conjunction, make for the best spell per point in the game, meaning that when maxed out, they are dealing a total of 975 magic damage for just 270 Mana, and a really low cooldown. You have to learn to land them though.



Shadow Fiend's position is also a bit particular, because he certainly is a farm hoarder, and the fastest in the game by that matter, but that he is a hero that needs a lot to work properly; if you manage to pull it off by all means he is a mighty hero, but Dota is not a game of perfect. You'll notice that Shadow Fiend works with Position 1 farm, but lanes as a solo mid, and works his early game and part of the mid game as a Position 2 (A.k.a. farming but having really good killing capabilities), so he isnt a traditional position 1 hero, he doesnt safelane (although you can), he doesnt need supports to pull and stuff of that nature, and he can handle early fights by himself because of his unmatched damage output. To put it in simplier terms, he is a glass cannon.

Like I said in my last guide, once you handle this, Shadow Fiend



Also Shadowraze Rocket Barrage Lucent Beam Shadowraze



Shadow Fiend 15+2, 20+2.9, 18+2 ), but that is very well compensated with the damage you get from Necromastery Bottle Eul's Scepter of Divinity



And if I were to summarize a Shadow Fiend



* Don't die mid

* Get levels and CS

* Abuse Shadowraze

* Come online with some items

* Snowball & Win*

* (or the game extends and you become irrelevant and lose)

In a nutshell , it consists of you being familiar with your weakness, and power through to get to the good part of playing the hero, then just go berserk on everyone. And there's nothing like blinking next to a 100 Hp Crystal Maiden Shadowraze

Like I said in my last guide, once you handle this,becomes mostly a right clicking hero, and you have to keep in mind more universal concepts like map control, farming patterns and positioning in fights.Alsoisnt much of a laning nuke like for instanceoris a laning nuke for creeps and farming, and unmatched wave clearing (this doesnt mean you cant land sick triple razes and get a bunch of kills early game though).'s stats are just average (), but that is very well compensated with the damage you get from, and the intelligence can be compensated withcrowing (or).* Don't die mid* Get levels and CS* Abusein the jungle* Come online with some items* Snowball & Win** (or the game extends and you become irrelevant and lose), it consists of you being familiar with your weakness, and power through to get to the good part of playing the hero, then just go berserk on everyone. And there's nothing like blinking next to a 100 Hpand crushing her skull with your claws with a short, or chase an entire team by yourself being a giant magic immune winged demon while leaving your claw marks on the ground.

Top 1.1. Shadowraze Shadow Fiend is a very well self-contained hero, in the sense that he has everything he needs within his skillset. And in that sense, you are trading having a stun or a slow to being full on farming and nuking power, and that comes with his first (or first three) spells, Shadowraze.







Shadowraze Listen up:



On paper, Shadowraze



-325 Damage Nuke

-90 Mana at all levels

-10 Second cooldown at all levels

-And having three of these all in independent cooldowns



The downsides are that they are unreliable, as you have to land them, and the cast time is rather noticeable ( 0.67 ).

So first I'll show you what's the deal with razes and how they interact, learning this will help you make better sense of use later in matches.



Remember:



- All three Shadowraze

- The casting is instant, they are used in whatever direction you were facing at the moment of cast.

- Shadowraze

- This means two level 4 Shadowraze

- Razes have 250 radius of effect making the animation misleading. (I will go into detail in a second).





This is the first raze, default key "Q" and its the one that is used closer to Shadow Fiend







The first raze has a 200 casting range, and a 250 radius, this means it can hit 50 units behind Shadow Fiend



- Line 0 is 50 units behind Shadow Fiend Shadowraze

- Line 1 is a middle point between the closer raze and the middle raze, meaning that you can hit someone that is standing in Line 1 with both razes (Q & W) without moving.



The first raze is the one you use the least, mainly because its generally dangerous getting up close with people, and enemies tend to move out of the first raze effective zone quite quickly, giving you no time to cast in the first place. You are going to see yourself using this pretty much only on disabled enemies, creeps and when blinking initiating (or Shadow Blade

This is the second raze, default key "W", and its the one that you are going to be using a lot in lane, along the last (longer) raze.







Shadow Fiend The second raze has a casting range of 450 (and a 250 radius as well) this means it can hit enemies from 200 units in front ofand up to 700 units.



- Units standing in Line 1 can be hit with Q and W razes.

- Units standing in Line 2 can be hit with W and E razes.



Remember Line 2 and keep it in mind all the time. Using both the middle and the long Shadowraze Line 2 ranging. An easy way to learn this is by using your attack range as a reference. Shadow Fiend 's attack range is 500 line 2. . So basically, anything withing your attack range is going to be hit by both raze W and raze E.





This is the last Shadowraze Shadow Fiend







- You already know the deal with Line 2.

- Line 3 is the furthest point you can hit with Shadowraze

- This means you can hit from 50 units behind Shadow Fiend



The long raze has a special use that comes with it having such a long reach, and that is being a stacking tool. I will go into this later on the guide.

Bonus: Killing the opposing mid with a triple Shadowraze Lmao this champ is fun xd The downsides are that, as you have to land them, and the cast time is rather noticeable ().- All threespells are considered the same one in leveling, so leveling up one of them levels up the rest as well.- The casting is instant, they are used in whatever direction you were facing at the moment of cast.is 325 magical damage.- This means two level 4s kill a melee creep, and one kills a ranged creep.- Razes have 250 radius of effect making the animation misleading. (I will go into detail in a second).is 50 units behindthat is the first point you can hit withis a middle point between the closer raze and the middle raze, meaning that you can hit someone that is standing inwith both razes (Q & W) without moving.is the one you use the least, mainly because its generally dangerous getting up close with people, and enemies tend to move out of the first raze effective zone quite quickly, giving you no time to cast in the first place. You are going to see yourself using this pretty much only on disabled enemies, creeps and when blinking initiating (orinitiation).- Units standing incan be hit with Q and W razes.- Units standing incan be hit with W and E razes.Using both the middle and the longat max level, clears a creepwave. This is the wave push you are going to be using the most to push the lane and do whatever you need to do (check the runes, stack yourself some camps, etc) it is key that you master theranging.- You already know the deal withis the furthest point you can hit with- This means you can hit from 50 units behindto 950 units in front.Killing the opposing mid with a tripleand typing:

Top 1.2. Necromastery & Presence Of The Dark Lord





Necromastery Necromastery Shadow Fiend



- Upon leveling it, you permanently get a Necromastery

- Said buff gives you 2 extra damage to your regular attacks for each soul you hold.

- Souls are gained through killing units, any kind of unit (creeps, wards, summons, mines, traps) will yield a soul towards your counter, you also gain souls from denying your own friendly units.

- Killing a hero gives you 12 souls.

- You can only hold a maximum of 36 souls at once, meaning you sit at 72 extra damage.

- On death you lose half of the souls you hold.

- If you only have 1 soul you keep it on death.

- If on death you had an odd number of souls they are rounded up lower (so if you died and you had 11, you are left with 5)

- You can see how many souls you currently hold in the buff icon.



Shadow Fiend Spell Steal When killing a unit you can actually see the particle effect of the soul coming out and going into, this effect however doesn't affect the spell itself, like for example. You get the soul instantly, despite the particle effect.

So this is what makes Shadow Fiend Shadowraze



Its a pretty straight forward spell , try to last hit and deny as best as you can during the laning stage to start building that damage. Try keeping your souls at max at all times, not only for the damage you get, but also because of the interaction with Requiem of Souls



By the way, this is one of the few passives that is not disabled by Silver Edge



Shadow Fiend +dmg green numbers ), and they will start at 0 souls; so basically it has no effect.







Presence Of The Dark Lord Pretty sure Presence of the Dark Lord Anyway, we'll call it presence to simplify things, m'kay? Default Key "F".



Shadow Fiend Presence is a passive aura ability that reduces armor of everything around(this includes towers, creeps and heroes) in a 900 radius.



- This aura is carried by illusions.

- It is disabled by Silver Edge

- Presence only works if enemies have vision of you (hence, they are spooked).

- The debuff lingers for half a second when people lose vision of you or get out of the radius of effect.



At max level, Presence will take away 6 armor, which is a just balanced amount.



It is a simple aura, we will talk more about it in the building section.

- Upon leveling it, you permanently get abuff above your health bar.- Said buff gives you- Souls are gained through killing units, any kind of unit (creeps, wards, summons, mines, traps) will yield a soul towards your counter, you also gain souls from denying your own friendly units.- Killing a hero gives you 12 souls.- You can only hold a maximum of 36 souls at once, meaning you sit at 72 extra damage.- If you only have 1 soul you keep it on death.- If on death you had an odd number of souls they are rounded up lower (so if you died and you had 11, you are left with 5)- You can see how many souls you currently hold in the buff icon., try to last hit and deny as best as you can during the laning stage to start building that damage. Try keeping your souls at max at all times, not only for the damage you get, but also because of the interaction with, I'll go into that in the next section.'s illusions have both of his passives, however, even if they can last hit and get souls, they do not gain any damage from the buff (since it the soul extra damage goes into the), and they will start at 0 souls; so basically it has no effect.Anyway,- This aura is carried by illusions.- It is disabled bybreak.- Presence only works if enemies have vision of you (hence, they are spooked).- The debuff lingers for half a second when people lose vision of you or get out of the radius of effect.we will talk more about it in the building section.

Top 1.4. The Skill Builds Shadow Fiend's skill builds all look alike, and that's because there is really only a proper way of building him, and that's always maxing Shadowraze first, for obvious reasons. The variations between builds are generally tied to match tempo and itemization, but they are all similar with small swaps in some levels.



So this is the absolute base Shadow Fiend



This the build with Necromastery



Requiem of Souls Presence of the Dark Lord Added something you can do with your build past level 8 is delay some points ofand put a value point in

So this is the absolute basebuild; I'll talk a bit about this and the following build and when to pick up each in the next section, and also in the matchup sections:This the build withlevel 1. You don't need pictures for this, but it makes the look more complete and it's easier to remember if you are completely new to the build.; or you can delay points of that and get stats instead (not ideal though most of the time), whatever you want along those lines.

Top 2. Understanding Starting Item Builds The first stage of the game has you do stuff like:



-Choosing starting items

-Creepblocking

-Contesting a bounty rune

-Get your first last hits with very low damage (in both attacks and razes at level 1).

-Avoiding death

-Preventing out-harassment



It is, by far, the most difficult stage in the whole match. And it plays out differently, depending on the matchup (see matchup sections) and your starting items choices.



Let's get into that:



These are the template item builds:



Build 1: 2 pooled Tangos, 2 Iron Branches: This is the super Bottle rush build, aims to get Bottle as fast as possible to start pushing the lane from very early on. If your allies are stingy you can buy a set of tangos yourself but that is somewhat detrimental towards your Bottle time. 2 branches puts you at a whopping 40 dmg. Because of the super low damage and the fact that you are really close to getting bottle, you should be grabbing Shadowraze at level 1, and use that to get your first 2-3 last hits. Also, remember you have 2 tangos and 2 branches, and to make the best use of the long cooldown shared tangos, it is best to sacrifice an Iron Branch, plant it, and use the tango on it for double effect.



Build 2: 2 pooled tangos, 2 iron branches, circlet: This is a sort of safer aproach to the Bottle rush, it's still relatively low damage, but you have the option of going for a Magic Wand, or you can back pedal and go Wraith Band into Ring of Aquila as you see fit. It's not that often that you will be building this but still, it's damage isnt that high for you to go Necromastery at level 1, so stick to shadowraze for it. Going for a full Tango set for this one isnt that bad (unlike the first build in which that just defeats the purpose of the rush).



Build 3: Set of Tangos, Wraith Band: This is the safest one of the alternatives. I personally like pairing wraith band with a full set of tangos for three reasons: first, you have already spent a lot of gold in the Wraith Band and spending a bit more isnt that dramatic since it's a bottlerush anymore really; and second, because you are so far from the Bottle, you will need extra tangos to deal with harass, not only in case you need more than 2, but because sometimes you cant affort the cooldown of shared tangos, also, as you dont have branches in this build you can't make best use of a shared tango by planting the branch. I do go Necromastery level 1 when purchasing Wraith Band and I can get about 4-5 last hits without using razes, just by pulling aggro and using my tower shots to help me damage creeps (I'll explain this later). If you dont trust yourself to get necro in 1, then do not go Wraith Band first.



Modified build 3: 2 pooled Tangos, 2 Iron Branches, Wraith Band. This is an even safer alternative to the build 3, with it you can use the double tango regen, and you are starting with +11 damage taking all +stats into account, which is more than enough to set you at a comfortable CSing damage on level 1.



Faerie Fire build: I'll go into detail in it's own section.



Top 2.1. Bottle Stage The Bottle stage is what I call the time between the moment you arrive to the lane with your starting items and the moment the courier brings you your Bottle.



I dare say the Bottle stage is mostly dependent on the matchup, but it does have some stuff you have to control.



After picking your starting item set, which is the first decision you face; you have to make another, and that is if you are looking to block your creeps or go contest the first bounty rune.



Since making decisions in game is mostly built from experience and time, I've made this flowchart to help you make those kinds of decisions.



After that, your sole objective is to get CS and grab the Bottle



Leaving the matchup issues to the side; this stage of the game also changes a lot depending on what skill you picked up at level 1.



When you go Necromastery Necromastery Necromastery



Shadowraze However, most of the time, you'll getat level 1. Here you'll struggle to CS just with right clicks, the best way to help yourself last hit in these scenarios is to either pull their melee creeps towards your ranged creep and have them further away to they don't get denies on you (or let your tower help you, this needs a lot of practice though). That, or you use razes. If you plan using razes a lot to get the gold you are missing for Bottle Bottle Bottle

Leaving the matchup issues to the side; this stage of the game also changes a lot depending onNote that this is not becauseitself, at all, but because the occasions where you would getat level 1, you generally have an easy lane, in which you can CS.Here you'll struggle to CS just with right clicks, the best way to help yourself last hit in these scenarios is to either pull their melee creeps towards your ranged creep and have them further away to they don't get denies on you (or let your tower help you, this needs a lot of practice though).If you plan using razes a lot to get the gold you are missing for, make sure you don't run completely dry on mana before level 2 or the time you get; because CS after level 2 is more valuable (as it gives you souls), so you can have 2 last hits or something like that at the first wave using razes, and save mana for the second wave when you get level 2, then raze there, get themoney and a soul.

Top 2.1.1. The Laning Phase I call laning stage all that time between you get your Bottle and the moment where you start to move around and be active for your team. Usually this happens when you get your first item after Power Treads (say Blink Dagger for example).



This is the most "make-or-break" stage for a Shadow Fiend's early game, as you already have souls built, and you generally run around with a bunch of gold on yourself; it is most important for you to stay alive. Dying at this point will really, really set you back hard; and the fact that you are back to your lane trying to get souls and gold back hurts your team, as you come online later, and you can't risk a second death by going on a gank (with only a Bottle and Power Treads).



A lot of Shadow Fiend players are able to picture how they'll manage through this stage just by looking at the picks, and you can generally call at the start if you are going to die, and what's going to cause it; so play for it.



Laning stage deaths are caused by a variety of things; here is a list so you know what to keep an eye on:



- Smoke Ganks

- Lack of Warding paired with heroes such as Mirana or Pudge.

- Getting ganked while jungling/stacking

- Similarly, people using your stack to lure you into a gank

- Clockwerks with level 6

- Mr. Bara (also known as Spirit Breaker)

- Going for runes solo/blind

- Joining started ganks/fights on sidelanes (see below)

- Roaming solo

- Diving towers (even with allies)

Ok so, you can actually join started ganks and fights on sidelanes, but only under certain conditions:







This is just a guideline remember, you still have to watch for stuff like, even if you have a haste rune you can't run into three people and a Legion Commander



Ok so, you can actually join started ganks and fights on sidelanes, but only under certain conditions:

Top 2.1.2. Offtime Stacking & Rune Control I want to start this section by saying that the latest nerfs and map changes made stacking way less forgiving than before when it comes to laning and sustaining gpm, cloak auras and the inconsistency of double camp-stacking. Basically, you can still do it because Shadow Fiend allows you to with his kit, but it is no longer a lifesaver like before, where you could get trashed in lane but if you managed to stack and get level 5 you were back in the game. The nerf to Bottle and the cost per Shadowraze increase contributes as well.



And now that a single Shadowraze costs 90 mana and the Bottle is a joke, you have to either choose to play less around razes (which is why I consider the Faerie Fire build great in some scenarios), or bottle crow/control runes more. And both of those options are rather annoying.



Here is how I work around it, basically try to not use razes at all until you are at the very least, level 5; once you get 7 (level 4 Shadowraze), then you can raze all you want, as the damage-mana cost trade is worth it.



If you really need a raze to secure a last hit, then go ahead, and use a single charge; and so on; but don’t abuse them because if you think you can keep up your mana just with Bottle charges you will see yourself running out of them way too fast and if you get harassed or accidentally get in the way of that power shot, you’ll have no way of regening up, and your hp will be in a dangerous spot (in the sense that having 400 hp is telling the other mid “dive me”).



Also, once you start building souls it becomes relatively easy to start chipping away hp with autoattacks, especially if the opposing mid has low armor/is melee; use this, and if they get cocky, you already have the saved mana for 3 razes, and you can land yourself a kill. When doing this remember:



1) Start with short razes, the shortest you are able to.

2) Don’t stand behind the wave, otherwise pathing may make you miss the second raze, or get you through too late for the third one, and running short.



Landing solo kills in lane just using razes becomes easier with runes of course, but after level 5, doing it just by acting and standing back a tad, making the opponent think you are playing safe, and then turning with nukes can also land you a kill. Especially if your enemy isnt an experienced player/predictable mid.



On top of this, if you have some way of burst healing and they dive you with supports, you can sometimes land 3 razes on one of them under tower and trade them with you, and often even make it out unharmed and with a kill. Burst heal being a Magic Stick or a couple faerie fires. The best example of these are Clockwerk and Spirit Breaker, who get right up on your face and landing Q razes is easy as pie (as long as you aren’t bashed).

Now, that is just saving the mana; but the best (though also risky) way of getting bottle charges quickly is with a rune refill. And it sounds as simple as going and getting a rune being wary of enemy heroes, but still, there is stuff to watch when leaving lane; mainly where the lane is standing, to avoid losing exp and such. So here is a little list for you to remember when in need of runes:



1) Always consider the top rune instead of the bottom one: No matter how hard you raze the lane, it will not be enough to get to the bottom rune and back to mid without losing exp; and is really easy to tell when someone goes to the bottom rune because of the time they are missing from the lane, and the other mid can call to their safelane support to go get the rune before you get there or to just catch you off with the mid and sandwich you between the two heroes; and until later you can’t fight 2 at a time; not worth it.



2) Never leave the lane if the enemy creeps are going to die while you are away: This is super simple and super basic, but I see a lot of low level players who don’t realize they are missing out exp and potential last hits by straight-out leaving the lane alone when enemy creeps are low hp. The way to avoid this is by killing the wave really quickly, and then, as your creeps go forward; leave the lane; then come back quickly as the next enemy wave arrives, no creeps missed.



3) Avoid going to the rune if the opposing mid is going/is already there: Once you get into a frontal fight 1v1 on someone, it becomes far more difficult to land razes on them, as they will move accordingly. If they really need a rune, let them have it, and stay in lane, push as hard as you can and make your creeps die under their tower, to maximize the exp they are losing by going to said rune.



4) Never wait for the most critical moment to get a rune: I cannot stress this enough , if you think you can push your luck, go dry on mana and then just “get the rune” and “regen up”, then you are mistaken; and there is no reason to risk your whole laning to push the lane another wave. Try to keep at least 1 bottle charge on you when you go get the rune, and just use it when you are already there in front of the rune. This is in case you get jumped by a support from the fog (and even if you have vision you should keep that charge by the way, you never know when a gank is coming, or if they expect you to go to a rune). Also, for obvious reasons, do not leave the lane and go for the rune when you are low hp/dry on mana; that’s just a recipe for death.



5) Check both sidelanes before crossing the street: If you look at top lane and both heroes are missing, and you have no vision at the rune; going to said rune expecting no one to be there is how you gank yourself. Keep everyone in check before going to any rune, especially if your team lacks vision or map control.

Then there is stacking the jungle for yourself. Using the same thinking as for rune control (pushing late before leaving, keep an eye on missing heroes, etc); you want to leave the lane and stack camps in the jungle. The closest camp in radiant is a medium camp, while dire’s is a large one; both have annoying cloak auras on them though.



The rule of thumb I tell people when I coach is leaving the lane at 40 seconds, so you are pushing as soon as the 30s wave arrives, so about 36-38 you raze twice, and you leave; if it’s earlier in the game, you can also start pushing with autoattacks and use a single raze, to maintain some mana, as I told you earlier.



But overall, if you manage to get a support to do it for you is better as you can have both hands on winning your lane and csing.

, that is just saving the mana; but the best (though also risky) way of getting bottle charges quickly is with a rune refill. And it sounds as simple as going and getting a rune being wary of enemy heroes, but still, there is stuff to watch when leaving lane; mainly where the lane is standing, to avoid losing exp and such. So here is a little list for you to remember when in need of runes:No matter how hard you raze the lane, it will not be enough to get to the bottom rune and back to mid without losing exp; and is really easy to tell when someone goes to the bottom rune because of the time they are missing from the lane, and the other mid can call to their safelane support to go get the rune before you get there or to just catch you off with the mid and sandwich you between the two heroes; and until later you can’t fight 2 at a time;This is super simple and super basic, but I see a lot of low level players who don’t realize they are missing out exp and potential last hits by straight-out leaving the lane alone when enemy creeps are low hp. The way to avoid this is by killing the wave really quickly, and then, as your creeps go forward; leave the lane; then come back quickly as the next enemy wave arrives, no creeps missed.Once you get into a frontal fight 1v1 on someone, it becomes far more difficult to land razes on them, as they will move accordingly. If they really need a rune, let them have it, and stay in lane, push as hard as you can and make your creeps die under their tower, to maximize the exp they are losing by going to said rune., if you think you can push your luck, go dry on mana and then just “get the rune” and “regen up”, then you are mistaken; and there is no reason to risk your whole laning to push the lane another wave. Try to keep at least 1 bottle charge on you when you go get the rune, and just use it when you are already there in front of the rune. This is in case you get jumped by a support from the fog (and even if you have vision you should keep that charge by the way, you never know when a gank is coming, or if they expect you to go to a rune). Also, for obvious reasons, do not leave the lane and go for the rune when you are low hp/dry on mana; that’s just a recipe for death.If you look at top lane and both heroes are missing, and you have no vision at the rune; going to said rune expecting no one to be there is how you gank yourself. Keep everyone in check before going to any rune, especially if your team lacks vision or map control.Using the same thinking as for rune control (pushing late before leaving, keep an eye on missing heroes, etc); you want to leave the lane and stack camps in the jungle. The closest camp in radiant is a medium camp, while dire’s is a large one;The rule of thumb I tell people when I coach is leaving the lane at 40 seconds, so you are pushing as soon as the 30s wave arrives, so about 36-38 you raze twice, and you leave; if it’s earlier in the game, you can also start pushing with autoattacks and use a single raze, to maintain some mana, as I told you earlier.

Top 2.1.2.1. Using & Abusing Runes I made individual sections for each matchup, and that covers the early game with their own particular differences for the heroes. However, runes are something I feel is more universal and they can go in their own section.



The thing with runes is that, unlike some heroes (usually ganking based ones), you don’t go out of your way to find them, more like they come to you as a by product of winning the lane and having the space to go pick them up. Because of this, you’ll often not use them to gank anyone, and more like to sharpen your advantage over the opposing mid.



So:



If we want to talk about the strongest runes (also known as those that’ll get you kills), we usually think haste or double damage; but invisibility is arguably the best rune for getting kills as sf, and not only kills on the opposing mid, but get away with otherwise obvious ganks on sidelanes.







Invis allows you to land requiems, sure, but usually this will be earlier on; so instead it’ll help you land Q razes to break the invis and follow up. So, let’s say you find an invis rune, and you Bottle Shadowraze



On the other hand, if you know for sure they have a ward somewhere, you can fake the direction you are going by using the fade time; so you would make it look like you are going top, then use the rune, and once you are completely invis, do a 180 and go back mid; more often than not, the opposing mid will ping their allies top and try to push the lane as hard as possible to make you lose exp, and in the process put themselves in the river and sometimes even past it, which allows you to easily get a kill off.



The safest way to break invis and not fail your gank attempt by getting stunned or the juking a Shadowraze line 1 of shadowrazes (remember the diagram), and use the Q first, then adjust for angles if they happened to move and use the second raze right away; sometimes this is enough to land the kill, but if it’s not you’ll need the third raze and that’s when it gets complicated. If the hero in question has a stun, for example lina, and they panic after the first 2 razes and stun you, then it’s fine because the stun will run out before they are out the E raze radius. If they are smart, they’ll run forward and stun you right before they are in the E raze radius ring, and try to walk past it while you are stunned; but for them to do this they need a longer range stun, as the E raze has a much further range than Light Strike Array Windranger



Heroes with escapes like Skewer Leap Pounce Blink Puck Ember Spirit Anyway that’s the invis rune.

Haste is sort of scary to use , at least for me, because they can see you coming and the fact that you need to start off by using a short raze, means that often you’ll get dangerously close to enemies and with a single stun you can get downed to 300 hp and really put yourself in a bad spot.



Instead, I forced myself to use the haste runes as a turn around element, and pop it only when I really need it, so to use it as an escape or to catch up to a single hero, but I wouldn’t go and initiate on 3 heroes expecting my allies to jump in as soon as they could. Also haste isn’t the best way to get kills on the other mid, as it’s obvious and makes them back out/pay attention to your movement, instead I use it to get to stacking faster and maybe get the bottom rune (as with a single wave clear you can get to bottom rune and back without losing exp if you have a haste rune); less aggressive stuff.

Double Damage same thing , as a Shadow Fiend Windranger



Again, not over aggressive.

Regen Runes, Arcane runes and bounty runes all serve the same purpose really , and that is mana refill. Regen of course being the strongest one of them as you can pop it and refill your whole pool and keep using razes during the effect, when you have big stacks or more than one stack, a regen rune is a godsend.



Arcane runes are a bit better to push the lane in my opinion; think of them as a more active, less defensive regen rune of sorts, the reduced cooldown and mana cost allow you to spend more razes in lane without putting yourself in that critical spot I talked about earlier (when you are dry on mana or your spells are on cooldown); so I would use arcane runes to clear a wave, then if the enemy mid is absent just push the tower and clear the next coming wave; or if they decide to stay and pull the aggro around the tower, maybe pop a raze on them or on the next creepwave too; these sorts of super lane pushes give you a lot of time to go around and do stuff like stacking and bottlecrowing.



And bounty runes are really just a refill + a last hit.

Illusion runes . Widely considered as the weakest rune, I personally like them on Shadow Fiend



Something I do a lot with it is, have one of them in the lane with me or stacking the jungle, and the other one I send to the enemy safelane and look around their jungle to check for stacks; after than just stick around there, giving vision, and if I see they try to pull the lane, I just walk the illusion through and stick it in the large camp nearby; this completely ****s the pull, and you don’t have to risk any hero to do it. Also illusions tend to spook pub junglers, and you can use them to block their camps as well.



Illusions are useful, you just have to find the uses for them.

Invis allows you to land requiems, sure, but usually this will be earlier on; so instead it’ll help you land Q razes to break the invis and follow up. So, let’s say you find an invis rune, and youit, and you see the enemy mid and you have level 4so you think you can kill them if you manage to sneak up on them. First step is to make sure you are not going invis inside the vision range of anything (that can be a ward or maybe one of their supports from a high ground).On the other hand, if you know for sure they have a ward somewhere, you can fake the direction you are going by using the fade time; so you would make it look like you are going top, then use the rune, and once you are completely invis, do a 180 and go back mid; more often than not, the opposing mid will ping their allies top and try to push the lane as hard as possible to make you lose exp, and in the process put themselves in the river and sometimes even past it, which allows you to easily get a kill off.The safest way to break invis and not fail your gank attempt by getting stunned or the juking ais to put your target in theof shadowrazes (), and use the Q first, then adjust for angles if they happened to move and use the second raze right away; sometimes this is enough to land the kill, but if it’s not you’ll need the third raze and that’s when it gets complicated. If the hero in question has a stun, for example lina, and they panic after the first 2 razes and stun you, then it’s fine because the stun will run out before they are out the E raze radius. If they are smart, they’ll run forward and stun you right before they are in the E raze radius ring, and try to walk past it while you are stunned; but for them to do this they need a longer range stun, as the E raze has a much further range than. Also it’s sort of hard to do and you have to have a long enough stun. In my experience the most problematic hero for this is, also because she windruns during the stun and manages to get away the E raze radius.Heroes with escapes like, are very easy to predict and shouldn’t be much of a problem (if you know they'll escape then avoid engaging); and heroes with mixed defensive spells likeorare more case specific and you’ll have to get creative., at least for me, because they can see you coming and the fact that you need to start off by using a short raze, means that often you’ll get dangerously close to enemies and with a single stun you can get downed to 300 hp and really put yourself in a bad spot.Instead, I forced myself to use the haste runes as a turn around element,so to use it as an escape or to catch up to a single hero, but I wouldn’t go and initiate on 3 heroes expecting my allies to jump in as soon as they could. Also haste isn’t the best way to get kills on the other mid, as it’s obvious and makes them back out/pay attention to your movement, instead I use it to get to stacking faster and maybe get the bottom rune (as with a single wave clear you can get to bottom rune and back without losing exp if you have a haste rune);, as awith no mobility, going and initiating head first isn’t as effective as maybe adoing the same thing; I tend to use the double damage to CS and harass a little bit, maybe kill the cloak creeps in my stack so I can raze it afterwards., and that is mana refill. Regen of course being the strongest one of them as you can pop it and refill your whole pool and keep using razes during the effect, when you have big stacks or more than one stack,; think of them as a more active, less defensive regen rune of sorts, the reduced cooldown and mana cost allow you to spend more razes in lane without putting yourself in that critical spot I talked about earlier (when you are dry on mana or your spells are on cooldown); so I would use arcane runes to clear a wave, then if the enemy mid is absent just push the tower and clear the next coming wave; or if they decide to stay and pull the aggro around the tower, maybe pop a raze on them or on the next creepwave too; these sorts of super lane pushes give you a lot of time to go around and do stuff like stacking and bottlecrowing.. Widely considered as the weakest rune, I personally like them onas they allow you to multitask. You can stack a camp or two in the jungle without having to push the lane in preparation, you can secure both runes without waveclearing (well, more like deny the runes); you can use them as moving wards and you can use them to bait or patrol enemy territory, etc.have one of them in the lane with me or stacking the jungle, and the other one I send to the enemy safelane and look around their jungle to check for stacks; after than just stick around there, giving vision, and if I see they try to pull the lane, I just walk the illusion through and stick it in the large camp nearby; this completely ****s the pull, and you don’t have to risk any hero to do it.and you can use them to block their camps as well.

Top 2.2. Early Game's Items The early game has four items for you to choose, two of which are core and necessary; and the other two which are more like extensions and situational. The two core items are pretty obvious, and I say core as obligatory pickups, Bottle and Power Treads.



I feel there is no need for explanation on these items by themselves, but there is some stuff to be said with how you play along them (treadswitching).





As you well know, Bottle Boots of Speed Shadowraze





Power Treads Shadow Fiend Drow Ranger Phantom Assassin Phantom Lancer Instead consider Shadow Fiend Gyrocopter



And Shadow Fiend Necromastery Bottle Shadow Fiend



Having better treadswitching comes with practice and common sense, so the best I can tell you is to remember to do it , and forcing you to treadswitch every time will adjust you to do it automatically. And it is really important for shadow fiend so you have to go out of your way to learn it, treadswitch isn’t a small min-maxing technique, it is really key throughout the game. Once you get it down you'll cringe when people cast stuff without switching.





Magic Wand Power Treads Boots of Speed



As I said, I’ll get a stick if my matchup is really spammy; and I’ll only get a full Magic Wand Mekansm Mekansm Eul's Scepter of Divinity Mekansm which will happen more than often), and I’m retreating with low hp and no mana to fight back, I’ll pop the wand, get mana and hp, then use the mana with mekansm, and heal myself even further; generally this will leave you back with 0 mana, but with enough hp to get away with no problems.





Ring of Aquila



Also, it’s super cheap considering you already bought the Wraith Band If you didn’t go wraith band as a starting item, generally you wont go ring of Aquila then, as it’s a step back from your first item and probably you don’t even need it (if you didn’t need stats enough to go Wraith Band

As you well know,is the first item you’ll be purchasing (most of the time anyway, you'll sometimes see people getfirst against certain matchups); and the base of it is to capitalize ons to push the lane and keep it in control, and also to be able to CS with the razes in difficult matchups, and keep you in regen.is the boot of choice not just becauseis supposed to be an agility carry (and you’ll see I don’t consider him as one because how spell focused be can become, in contrast to say,, orand even).Andeven though he is agility, gets most of his damage; and this leaves him with a sort of lacking attack speed, and treads do a lot towards that. Also, you will be spamming razes a lot and moving from and to intelligence to cast andup, which is a huge part of learning how to handle your lane and early game as. After casting, and in fights I recommend to default to strength, because that early on you will feel the squishiness and get swiped easily if you are out of position.Having better treadswitching comes with practice and common sense, so the best I can tell you is to, and forcing you to treadswitch every time will adjust you to do it automatically. And it is really important for shadow fiend so you have to go out of your way to learn it, treadswitch isn’t a small min-maxing technique, it is really key throughout the game.is widely considered a situational item, but in the right build it can be bought despite enemy heroes. Here is the deal with it, you will generally buy it after, unless your matchup is something like zeus or a really spam based hero, in which case you can get stick before treads and maybe even before; and turn it into wand later if you wish. Some people like it, some people don’t because it’s not really reliable and it’s not regen either.As I said, I’ll get a stick if my matchup is really spammy; and I’ll only get a fullif I am going. The deal with thepickup is that, especially nowadays, you’ll be running low on mana very frequently, and you don’t even haveto make up for it, because you went. What I do is get a wand and charge it, and save it; and having like 15+ charges, getting in a fight with my mek, and even when I deplete my mana from requiem and razes (), and I’m retreating with low hp and no mana to fight back, I’ll pop the wand, get mana and hp, then use the mana with mekansm, and heal myself even further; generally this will leave you back with 0 mana,is actually better than a lot of people think, and it’s effect, especially the mana regen, really do make a difference once you try it and compare.Also, it’s super cheap considering you already bought theas an starting item.(if you didn’t need stats enough to goas starting, you can most likely handle your early game without the Aquila). But seriously, if you went wraith and you think you’ll be selling it, trust me and invest that money to finish the Aquila, you’ll notice the difference; if you didn’t, then just move on and skip it. Also ring of Aquila isn’t kind of trash you can sell to make space, it’s already an item to consider; so it will take it’s slot.

Top 2.3. Starting Build #4 (Faerie Fires) As you might expect with a lengthy guide like this one, the update crashed while it was in progress; naturally, I have to go over it multiple times to find all the instances where I mention Shadowraze's mana cost, so...



Anyway, this is about this new consumable item: Faerie Fire.



Faerie Fire, or Fire branch as I call it costs 75 gold, and it passively provides the holder with a +2 damage. On top of that you can consume them, similar to an Enchanted Mango; this heals you for a small but not useles 75 HP. They do not stack.



The Faerie Fire starting build isn't the worst, and actually, a pretty solid alternative to build 3 (which are generally Necromastery level 1, damage building starting item builds).



The build consists of 6 Faerie Fires, that's it. That costs 450 gold and provides you with +12 total extra damage, which sits you at 52 starting damage, then picking up Necromastery at level 1. Every soul will replace the damage provided by a single Faerie Fire, meaning that if you get 6 souls you'll be back at square 1 even if you eat them all 6 to regen up. The concept of it is simple, going for last hits and if you get harassed in the process you just start eating the things.



All in all, I think this build is pretty decent for people who play Shadow Fiend on lower brackets (where having tango pulls is not as easy), and if you aren't planning on going Ring of Aquila.



Also, since Faerie Fires cost just 75 gold, you can replace one of them for an Observer Ward and have a safer mid, especially if you feel you are going up a scary matchup.



I personally like this build (now even more considering how mana expensive using razes is now), because it's very laid back and simple; if I go this build I generally just focus fully on getting CS and I dont have to be looking at aggro pulls to try to get creeps down together for raze CS. So yea, really recommend it (if you don't go Ring of Aquila.







Top 3. Understanding The First Item Pickup In this section I’ll talk about the first item, and there are 5 that I’ll present as alternatives; three of them will be the way to go on the vast majority of matches:



* Blink Dagger

* Shadow Blade

* Eul's Scepter of Divinity

* Mekansm

* Yasha



The items which are highlighted will have their own sections , as they really need a lot of explanation to why you pick them up; so I’ll talk about Mekansm and Yasha here as first items, and why they are picked up the least, and why you will be purchasing them very rarely as well.





So Mekansm “I buy this because SF farms fast and it’s good to have early” ; and the difference between this and Eul’s is that Mek will not help you as much, but your team.



And I hate the pickup, but sometimes you just gotta do it for the team, because your team wants to push early and they need the aura/the heal. And I dislike it because, first of all, it doesn’t help me farm at all, it doesn’t help with my razes like eul's and it doesn’t help with mobility like Blink Dagger



There is an case to be made for the aura, and sure, it tanks you up for fights and really early so you become kind of unkillable pre-bkb (at least for a Shadow Fiend Anyway, to put it in simpler terms, Mekansm Shadow Fiend





Yasha Shadow Fiend



Yasha



I mean, one could argue it goes for an early SnY or even an early Manta Style I really need a 15 min SnY this game”. The manta is a bit different because it dispels debuffs, but generally if you want to get rid of stuff you’ll have the Eul’s, and even if it’s not instant, it does have a lower cooldown and has all those early and midgame cool uses. The point is that getting Yasha Power Treads it's just a lazy item.



Overall, there are certain matches where you could want to have a Yasha Yasha It's a better second item than it is a first item. Fair enough?

Let’s take a look at Blink Dagger Shadow Blade Sois one of those items that fall into the category of; and the difference between this and Eul’s is that Mek will not help you as muchbut sometimes you just gotta do it for the team, because your team wants to push early and they need the aura/the heal. And I dislike it because,itat all, itlike eul's and itlikeThere is an case to be made for the aura, and sure, it tanks you up for fights and really early so you become kind of unkillable pre-bkb (at least for a), but the same can be done by playing smart and having defensive positioning.to put it in simpler terms,is one of those items that if you don’t read the guide, you’ll think I’m recommending it, but the reason is included in the item tree is so that in the explanation you realize that I am actually explaining how bad it is, or at least letting you know that just because somes at 2k want it so they have an earlier Sange & Yasha, it’s really not what you want.costs just a little over 2k gold, which is just under what a blink dagger costs for example. It gives you a bit of agility (so damage and attack speed), and movement speed.I mean, one could argue it goes for an early SnY or even an early, but really, you will very rarely go “”., but generally if you want to get rid of stuff you’ll have the Eul’s, and even if it’s not instant, it does have a lower cooldown and has all those early and midgame cool uses. The point is that gettingas a first item fight afteris wasting the potential of having a bigger impact/more active item at that early stage of the game;Overall, there are certain matches where you could want to have arather early, but I really don’t recommend you take it as the first item. Maybe you can take something else as a first item, and then when you would normally get a bkb for example, delay it a bit, getjust to feel a little bit buffed up and go a little bit more attack speed dps rather than big raw damage dps.

Top 3.1. Splitting The Item Tree (Blink Vs Shadow Blade) The reason I say making the first item decision splits your item tree options is because some items later in the game will synergize better with some items in the early game, and some of them won’t; sometimes indirectly.



This section is just for Blink Dagger and Shadow Blade, which will be the baseline first items you pick up; and the situations where you pick up both is rather uncommon (though possible), the other first item you can get is Eul’s, but I’ll talk about that in it’s own section, as it is a different item and not really a mobility focused one.





With a fairly good lane you can easily get a Blink Dagger Shadow Blade at least until you get the laning stage down flawlessly; of course it also depends on your matchup and how annoying the enemy supports may be…







But anyway, people often argue that the shadow blade is a bit more defensive, as it is a more reliable escape (as long as no detection is bought), and Blink Dagger Silver Edge



Each have their place, and the way they help you initiate is very different:



Both give you the option for landing triple razes: This consists of getting up close with someone, hitting a close raze, then the other two now that you are in position for it. Blink Dagger as you can just jump into someone who is retreating with 700 HP and trash them before they go too far, which with a Shadow Blade



Landing requiems is different though, as you need them to be still while the casting is done; both items standalone and with no eul’s, Shadow Blade Shadow Fiend Shadow Blade is the sneak approach plus, you can see the neutral’s health and know if they may move, etc. Of course landing a point blank Requiem of Souls Shadow Blade Blink Dagger This is why eul’s is necessary if you plan to get Blink Dagger



Then again, using Shadow Blade you are in an awful position. Also, you will notice how Shadow Blade And on top of this remember, detection and you are toast.



Blink and eul’s will allow you to requiem someone point blank even after the fight has started, and since it doesn’t use invis as it’s way of doing so, you can have a BKB in there and it wont ruin the effect, so if you need to take this Magnus then whoops.



Just remember you will not be using requiem as the primary source of killing in all matches, often you’ll just be farming at this stage and going for big items and avoiding some fights; so, Blink Dagger even if it can help you land non-point blank requiems just by fixing a bit your positioning). Also, you can go Shadow Blade If it works it's not bad.

Things to keep in mind when choosing either Blink Dagger Shadow Blade



Their heroes: Do they have a hero that should really be taken out? This can be a carry in a 4 protect 1 strat, or maybe a really problematic support or initiator like Earthshaker Axe Blink Dagger unless you pair it with euls.



Your item plan: For example, if you think Desolator Shadow Blade It’ll net you kills on 1000 Hp targets without using requiem.



And if your team is going for a 4 protect Shadow Fiend don’t waste your time and farm up quick, you have to slot yourself before you decay too much into the late game. Blink can save you off bad dives, help split push, and overall have faster jungle clear to coming back to lanes. It's more flexible than Shadow Blade

With a fairly good lane you can easily get aat min 7-8, and theat maybe 9-10; but it’ll average at 10 for blink and 12 for shadow blade,; of course it also depends on your matchup and how annoying the enemy supports may be…people often argue that the shadow blade is a bit more defensive, as it is a more reliable escape (as long as no detection is bought), andis the more offensive option, because it has added range and faster travel; and also because it doesn’t build intowhich tanks you up., and the way they help you initiate is very different:This consists of getting up close with someone, hitting a close raze, then the other two now that you are in position for it.as you can just jump into someone who is retreating with 700 HP and trash them before they go too far, which with awould have taken you the time to get there, and also, since you are on foot, getting a Q raze off on someone who is moving away can very easily result in a miss/mis-positioning., as you need them to be still while the casting is done; both items standalone and with no eul’s,is better for this, as nobody will stand still in it’s place when the 4-meterblinks on top of them,, and the best ways to find people standing still are either people attacking a tower, or people farming (especially the jungle), where they will most likely be still, and if they are orb walking you can easily predict their path;, you can see the neutral’s health and know if they may move, etc. Of course landing a point blankwith a(or any invis for that matter) is not reliable, but doing it withand no eul’s is impossible unless you get someone on your team to put a disable on them.Then again, usingto say, initiate a teamfight, has you go alone and invis into their enemies and do the requiem there, for then your allies to come in; and if you ran out of invis, or they have detection, or you miss the requiem,Also, you will notice howrequiems only work if the target is either alone or if you are going into unexpecting enemies, so it’s almost impossible to land a point blank requiem on one of their heroes once a teamfight has started, as they’ll be moving around a lot. One way to do it is by standing really back out and requiem retreating heroes, but that will have you too far from the fight to help your allies if they happen to be in the losing side of the engagement.and since it doesn’t use invis as it’s way of doing so, you can have a BKB in there and it wont ruin the effect, so if you need to take thisout of the fight ASAP, and you have a shadow blade, and he is not standing still,Just remember you will not be using requiem as the primary source of killing in all matches, often you’ll just be farming at this stage and going for big items and avoiding some fights;by itself is not bad, it’s just not for requiems (). Also, you can goand eul’s if you want, whatever works for you in a particular match counts.Do they have a hero that should really be taken out? This can be a carry in a 4 protect 1 strat, or maybe a really problematic support or initiator likeor. If so, you may want to rely on requiem more to win early fights, andmight not be the best option hereyou pair it with euls.For example, if you thinkis a good option is a certain match, you may want to twist your early items a bit to accommodate that, andis the better option here, as you can even forget about requiem and just go roaming invis and using the extra invis break damage, on top of the minus 13 armor from deso and presence and just destroy heroes with 350 damage attacks. With this build you can just go into the jungle, stand point blank on someone, brake invis, Q raze, W raze, attack and E raze;And if your team is going for a 4 protect, then go blink and then bkb or some other later game items,you have to slot yourself before you decay too much into the late game.It's more flexible than

Top 3.1.1 Eul's First Scenarios The third option for first items is Eul's Scepter of Divinity. Remember this is Eul’s first, like, right after Power Treads. And here is the case with it: You basically are combining Shadow Fiend’s uber farming speed with the fact that he is missing a disable and complement him with the Eul’s.



Think of Shadow Fiend , and the two ways to build him split in between making up for what he lacks, or building items that enhance his damage output, leaving him lacking in most spots, but creating a killing machine.



Some say (including Purge himself) that Eul’s was made for Shadow Fiend which aren’t that bad but the more you are able to spam the better), and movement speed.



The issue with having Eul’s only is that you’ll feel like you lack mobility, Eul’s still allows you land triple razes, you just have to set the first one up with cyclone. You can land requiems, and this is mostly something you get with practice, but the trick is to get close before you requiem, and get right under it with time, so you can cast it easy and time it without worrying you blow it too early. And the baseline for that is 1 full second, as requiem is 1.67 and eul’s is 2.5 seconds; and it doesn’t have to be perfect either, just not early, and not more than half a second late otherwise most of the damage is lost. Got it?



But eul’s is much more useful than just that:



1) With euls you can cancel’s people stuff , and I don’t mean just channelings like TPs and such, but cancel their animations, so you can stop a Fissure You can cancel turn rates, so if you see their Mirana



2) With eul’s you can set up any raze , not only close ones, and it’s great to screw over really escape-y heroes like Slark Broodmother save the eul’s for the most critical spot, that can be when you are in danger and you want to create a gap or if they are getting low and start escaping, this is a great way to put the block on them and gives you time to prepare/bottle up/whatever you need.



3) With eul’s you can get out of the way when spells hit , something you wouldn’t be able to do with a Blink Dagger Shadow Blade Kinetic Field Lina Most of the stuff is just on the spot and intuitive, much like Blink Dagger



And on top of everything, Eul’s purges **** off of you , so you can get rid of some pretty big debuffs like Amplify Damage.



I recommend getting Eul’s first when not only their heroes and your heroes set for it, but when you have a good start in lane, allowing you to get a Eul’s at something like 8 minutes, makes up for the fact that you may need positioning help for razes and requiem, and makes your ganks way more reliable and less sloppy.



And on top of that you’ll be getting the requiem kill potential as soon as you get your first point in requiem (though I recommend not putting requiem on cooldown when on level 1, and wait a bit and get level 11 so you have requiem on level 2).



With the eul’s you can literally walk up to the enemy mid and just eul’s them when you get close and get a triple Shadowraze Plus, early eul’s destroys Ember Spirit

, and the two ways to build him split in between making up for what he lacks, or building items that enhance his damage output, leaving him lacking in most spots,Some say (including Purge himself) that Eul’s was made for, gives him the disable he lacks allowing him to setup requiem and also razes, makes up for his mana problems (), and movement speed.The issue with having Eul’s only is that you’ll feel like you lack mobility, Eul’s still allows you land triple razes,. You can land requiems, and this is mostly something you get with practice, but the trick is to get close before you requiem, and get right under it with time, so you can cast it easy and time it without worrying you blow it too early. And the baseline for that is 1 full second, as requiem is 1.67 and eul’s is 2.5 seconds; and it doesn’t have to be perfect either, just not early, and not more than half a second late otherwise most of the damage is lost., and I don’t mean just channelings like TPs and such, but cancel their animations, so you can stop awith it for example., so if you see theircoming, and you blink on top of her and raze her, she is going to do a 180 and leap, to which you eul’s her up, and you can set yourself in the direction she would leap to, and use a long raze as soon as she hits the ground, having either you or a teammate finish her off., not only close ones, and it’s great to screw over really escape-y heroes likeor. As you can Eul’s them whenever and use whatever raze you don’t have on cooldown, so you can take them down to 200 hp and euls them up, step back and put yourself at long raze range, and time it; razes are way faster than requiem so I’d say you don’t need to time it in your head more like just listen and look at the animation. Especially if you don’t have requiem or you don’t want to use it,, that can be when you are in danger and you want to create a gap or if they are getting low and start escaping,, something you wouldn’t be able to do with aor. For example, if you get caught inside aand they are closing in, you are better off using eul’s on yourself and minimize the time you are both vulnerable and trapped, and come down as the kinetic is fading, so you can get out of harm’s way; and also, it can help you not only dodge stuff, but avoid getting set up with other spells, such as awith Eul’s, you can just eul’s yourself and dodge the stun., so you can get rid of some pretty big debuffs like Amplify Damage.I recommend getting Eul’s first when not only their heroes and your heroes set for it, but, allowing you to get a Eul’s at something like 8 minutes, makes up for the fact that you may need positioning help for razes and requiem,And on top of that you’ll be getting the requiem kill potential as soon as you get your first point in requiem ().With the eul’s you can literally walk up to the enemy mid and just eul’s them when you get close and get a tripleany time.

Top 4. The Third Items & Late Game Itemization The third items are a group of late game items that, on the vast majority of cases, you’ll pick up depending on how much money you have and how the match is going; and they are supposed to combo with other third items or with the last second items.



These combinations are pretty intuitive, but still there are some that don’t quite work as well as others; and since those are the minority I’d rather cover those combinations that aren’t as good, so you know for example, when you shouldn’t double down on raw damage, or when you are missing certain need of the build. But as I say, most of the time these items combine with no further problem so don’t worry about finding an optimal build across all matches because you simply won’t.

The “Moar dmg = gud” build:







Works sometimes and you’ll be killing supports in one blow. However, this build lacks a bunch of things, such as attack speed, HP pool for Shadow Fiend



The build is good, but is not a build for a carry, you’ll just die off if you do it.

The “ Necromastery







This or similar variations (like replacing the eul’s with a Mekansm Shadow Fiend



In this build you are going for three items t tank you up, and Shadow Fiend Simple.

The “I don’t know what I’m doing” build:







This build tends to happen when the player realizes they have gone two different ways. You see this build has a bunch of dps items in it, and a Manta Style



And you’ll realize how the Manta Style Eye of Skadi Satanic Butterfly Daedalus Monkey King Bar which is not what you want.



If you are looking to translate your damage into a building damage thing, some combinations with Manta Style Desolator Butterfly Assault Cuirass

Now that you are familiarized with those common "bad" builds , let’s look at the items so you can make the connections: . However, this build lacks a bunch of things, such as attack speed, HP pool for, effective range (and AoE, I tend to call manta AOE because you can attack multiple targets with it) and building like this will end up in you being unable to take down more than one hero per teamfight, and if you are the most focused maybe not even one; because when items start coming online for the other team, defensive items, you start to need more than a couple of attacks per hero, and this means you’ll be standing around and having to get more in the teamfight itself, and this will get you killed., you’ll just die off if you do it.This or similar variations (like replacing the eul’s with a) are awfully common, and they come from misunderstanding the role ofas a hero; and thinking he is supposed to play like a regular agility carry, but the truth is that he can’t, because he lacks natural stats to do so; and he has to play like a more aggressive kind of carry (and even keep him as a pos 2 with another true carry to take the wheel in the late game), because his only real strength, which is damage (both attacks and spells if you can tell), decay pretty bad in the late game., andstill sits at 2500 hp tops, which isn’t that much in the late game scheme of proportions, and same thing as the dps build which is it doesn’t matter what your dps output is if you are dead, it doesn’t matter if you are alive if you can’t output any dps to the fight.You see this build has a bunch of dps items in it, and aAnd you’ll realize how theis almost useless in this context, it doesn’t tank up illusions from any big item likeor, it doesn’t get attack speed from theagility, and of course it doesn’t get damage from theor the. So you have this weak illusions and then you are back to the first build,If you are looking to translate your damage into a building damage thing, some combinations withare(you can apply corruption to a building and pop manta and just leave it),(agility damage and attack speed for your illusions) andis not bad with this build either, just for the aura and the further minus armor on the buildings, and also because it tanks you up a bit in terms of armor instead of raw hp (ehp)., let’s look at the items so you can make the connections:

Top 4.1. Dps Focused When I say DPS Items I seriously mean it, I’m not talking about Butterfly or anything like that; I’m talking about the truly raw damage items or as I like to call them, the aggressive trio:



Daedalus Moon Shard Monkey King Bar

I want you to write these three items in a little checklist on a paper and have it beside you when you play, that way when you are winning and building dps, you can go through it and buy one of them and check it off; or maybe you went full defensive build and you didn’t realize you have no dps until later, then you go “oh ****!” and check your piece of paper.





Daedalus raw damage”, and it really is great even for your non-crit damage. Daedalus



Maybe you have damage items and Daedalus Daedalus It’s a pretty standard item choice across builds.





Moon Shard



“Hey goo why is moonshard here and not in situationals, what’s wrong with you. Peruvian noob”. I’ll tell you why.



You’ll be getting Moon Shard Moon Shard mainly just this scenario.



Say you wanted to go Desolator Shadow Blade Daedalus Monkey King Bar Manta Style



And you may be thinking, there is no way some attack speed is better dps than a Daedalus Monkey King Bar Night vision is an added bonus useful for when you are farming during nighttime.



Also it’s cheaper than the other two items, and you can buy it very casually if you are winning, and then just continue building normally, and eat it when you see fit.



It’s like a Divine Rapier





And last is Monkey King Bar Silver Edge Solar Crest Blur Daedalus



I think the damage it gives you is just enough to handle yourself through mid game, but again, if you were going for the full dps ganker kind of playstyle, you might find it lacking (compared to other item choices).



Also I think early MKBs are a bit reckless, it’s a rather expensive item and it’s just damage if you think about it, so be careful with it. Oh, and if you didn’t go euls this is the only way you are going to be able to cancel chanellings (by the way, during the early and mid game, it isn’t much of a problem the fact that you can’t cancel tps if you didn’t go euls that is, because if someone stands still in front of you you’ll just destroy them, if someone manages to tp out in your face they are either really tanky/lucky, or you are trash with razes).

I want you to write these three items in a little checklist on a paper and have it beside you when you play, that way when you are winning and building dps, you can go through it and buy one of them and check it off; or maybe you went full defensive build and you didn’t realize you have no dps until later, then you goand check your piece of paper.is the first thing that pops into my mind when I hear “”, and it really is great even for your non-crit damage.will do it’s work, the item itself is pretty flat, what changes is the other items in your build and how they interact.Maybe you have damage items and’ crits will be even greater. Maybe you have a bunch of mixed items andis the extra bit of damage you need.”.You’ll be gettingmostly when you are slotted, and you’ll just buy it, eat it, and pick up your item from the ground. Butas an inventory item is actually really good under the right circumstances;Say you wanted to go(maybe paired with) to gank around, and you are debating your third item, if maybe you wanted to gobut you don’t feel you need those huge crits and much rather invest in your non-crit dps; your other options are you either go a different dps item (), or you go for one of the safe utility items (likeor whatever).And you may be thinking, there is no way some attack speed is better dps than aor a. But the fact is that a single moon shard, in your inventory that early, doubles your attack speed, and one would say it doubles your dps (not exactly but ehh).Also it’s cheaper than the other two items, and you can buy it very casually if you are winning, and then just continue building normally, and eat it when you see fit.And last is, which is I think the simpler of them all. You get it when there’s evasion on their side and you can’t justbreak it, like evasion items ors (or maybe you don’t trust yourself to be able to breakin a late game fight). It’s a bunch of damage and some attack speed, plus the bashes (which are mostly just like a mini 100 damage critical hit), and it’s dps which isn’t chance based (well, not to the extent of aat least).I think the damage it gives you is just enough to handle yourself through mid game, but again, if you were going for the full dps ganker kind of playstyle, you might find it lacking (compared to other item choices).Also I think early MKBs are a bit reckless, it’s a rather expensive item and it’s just damage if you think about it, so be careful with it. Oh, and if you didn’t go euls this is).

Top 4.2. Safe & Utility Pickups On the other hand, we have the items that are focused on stats, utility, actives; instead of raw damage.





Eye of Skadi Shadow Fiend



It’s a good third item right after bkb, even if a little bit passive, but if you get it early enough when your Shadowraze





Satanic Shadow Fiend Satanic Satanic



If anything, I think you must pair it with a Daedalus , because if you go just for the defensive trio ( Eye of Skadi Satanic Manta Style Shadow Fiend Helm of the Dominator Luna Gyrocopter Satanic



Is not that is not a good item, it is; but when you get it make sure to not instantly regret it thinking “I should have gone dps here”.





Manta Style And I’d say there are three main scenarios where I purchase it:



1) I need to tank up and I don’t want to go Eye of Skadi Desolator



2) It’s getting late and I want to replace my eul’s scepter of divinity . Manta Style



3) I specifically went for some sort of illusion based build , which includes Eye of Skadi



But yeah, sometimes after buying your first and second item and the match doesn’t require a bkb, and you want to tank up without having to go full passive items like Eye of Skadi Manta Style





Assault Cuirass



The armor is pretty solid, and the attack speed is barely noticeable, but an added bonus. The true meat of it is the extra minus armor, and -5 is not much for heroes in the late game, but if you have desolator it is a big booster for your team to take down buildings.



You won’t buy it that much.





Butterfly is just agility plus evasion Flutter is actually a really freaking good escape tool if you have eul’s or manta, if you flutter and bkb you are out of any bad fight really. Butterfly



Not recommended for too early on because it’s really expensive and really passive, but a good follow up for any dps item, also good for your illusions as I said.





Get Boots of Travel



Generally I notice I need to go travels when I’m doing rosh and I have to put my Bottle

is the base I think for tanking up as, and you get it when you aren’t looking for anything specific for late game and you want to tank up, the slow effect is an added bonus and it allows you to scale a little bit better because first, it’s bkb piercing, and second, it slows attack speed and so allows you to manfight opposing carries a little bit better.It’s a good third item right after bkb, even if a little bit passive, but if you get it early enough when yours are still sort of relevant in fights you can 100% pull it off. It certainly is a more traditional carry approach to it, but it works, and you can follow it up with one of the dps items.is an item that I think isn’t as good onas on other heroes, because shadow fiend’s hp pool isn’t as big and if you get downed a bit you’ll most likely just die instead of being able to pull off a super awesome comeback heal with the active. You'll see that being a big hits dps output instead of an attack speed sort of dps makes it so the short effect of theactive isn't as good; if you don't believe me give it a shot and you'll know what I mean.If anything,, because if you go just for the defensive trio (and) sure you’ll have pretty tanky illusions, but you won’t be dealing enough dps to heal you back up in a critical point of a fight. Also,is not one of those heroes who needs theto jungle like other agility carries (likeor). Another reason why I thinkought to be bought whole in the late game and not having helm earlier on as a first or second item.Is not that is not a good item, it is; but when you get it make sure to not instantly regret it thinkingis actually one I really like.and I don’t want to go(or I went). The ultimate orb and the fact that you can dispel stuff off of you and deflect focus from you with illusions will make you last more in fights, and if you went deso you can use the manta illusions to rat towers a little.has the dispel effect built in, as well as the extra movement speed. They are very different items, but in the late game you’ll sometimes just need to replace the eul’s when you are unable to land requiems or maybe the important targets have bkbs already., which includesfor overall stats and butterfly for extra agility.But yeah, sometimes after buying your first and second item and the match doesn’t require a bkb, and you want to tank up without having to go full passive items likeis a good mid point. And you can do the cool stuff you do with illusion runes, and remember your illusions carry presence of the dark lord too.is similar to Vladmir’s offering in the sense that I rather have an ally buy it than myself; it’s just that sometimes you need the effect.The armor is pretty solid, and the attack speed is barely noticeable, but an added bonus. The true meat of it is the extra minus armor, and -5 is not much for heroes in the late game, but if you have desolator it is a big booster for your team to take down buildings., if you flutter and bkb you are out of any bad fight really.is the standard big agility item and you get it mainly for the attack speed, the evasion comes second, and it’s damage is often underrated, but it does provide a decent 60 damage from the raw damage bonus plus the agility.Getas soon as you feel you are starting to run out of inventory slots and the match requires you to have the dedicated tp scroll slot. Not for every match, otherwise it’s trashing your money when you could be going for a more useful item.

Top 6. Handling The Mid Lane (Matchup) Shadow Fiend is regarded as a strong mid, even top tier in the right hands; and his strength comes from the ability of completely controlling the lane with Shadowraze, and basically making the opponent unable of pushing or leaving the lane as long as Shadow Fiend has mana to spend.



If you look at it from a very general perspective you’ll notice how Shadow Fiend matches all summarize to a series of objectives, especially in the early game:



Purchase Bottle, get level 7, get the first item, get a bkb most of the time, and so on.



You must remember these and have them as the north for your matches, and I want you to see roughly at what time in the match you hit each of these steps; and then try to better those times. Do not compare yourself with timings of other players because they might do many things differently and sometimes these times end up with considerable variations.



For example, if I go the starting build 1, I’d generally hit my Bottle time at about 1 min in, and 1:20 if the opposing mid is playing aggressively or if there is a support lingering mid. Then I set my baseline for level 7 at 6 minutes; which you can easily hit with a medium camp stack clear.



The following sections include how to handle each individual matchup against popular mid heroes (and storm spirit), mostly for the first 4 minutes of the game, as later on you get level 3 and 4 razes and all matchups play out similarly (pushing the lane and eventually the tower). ), mostly for the first 4 minutes of the game, as later on you get level 3 and 4 razes and all matchups play out similarly (pushing the lane and eventually the tower).

Top 6.1. Windranger



Versus Shadow Fiend Windranger Also, I'm going to use big images for these sections, to add some color to the guide after all those item explanations.



Naturally, you will be using razes to last hits early because wind will out CS you no problem. I suggest you go build 1, maybe 2, for this matchup. As it's key you get your bottle faster than her, that way you can pressure he lane a bit and force her to stand by, which allows you to take runes (and prevent her from doing so). Maybe you could pull off Faerie Fire



The use of Powershot Bottle



Use your long raze to harass her when she gets close to CS with regular attacks, doing this many times will force her to use Bottle Powershot Windranger Powershot Powershot Shadow Fiend



Do not stand near creeps, keep an eye out for shackleshot angles all the time, but also powershot; you dont want her to do what I told you, aka, harassing you down to waste bottle charges. Keep your lane pushed and force her to stand back and protect her tower, get more runes than her, use the mana to push the lane even more.



Sitting at minute 5-6 you will start to pick up a bit (that's why I call it the pick up stage), you will have Bottle Power Treads Shadowraze



Once you get 7-8 levels, and Bottle Power Treads Windranger

VersusI thinkgets a 7 in the scary scale, not that high; now low either. You can definetely play the lane out so she doesnt have the opportunity, but if she does, and she dives you, you may be in trouble.Naturally, you will be using razes to last hits early because wind will out CS you no problem. I suggest you go build 1, maybe 2, for this matchup. As it's key you get your bottle faster than her, that way you can pressure he lane a bit and force her to stand by, which allows you to take runes (and prevent her from doing so). Maybe you could pull offs but I wouldnt do it myself.The use ofspam as harass supported byis a big part of her laning and your best bet to survive the stage 1 and 2 is to hinder that.Use your long raze to harass her when she gets close to CS with regular attacks, doing this many times will force her to usecharges to heal and so, not using them to regen mana to spam. A goodplayer will stand inside fog of war to, so you cant dodge it, but if they dont, try to abuse the fact that it doesnt quite clear the wave and deny the creeps you can. If she is just usingto push you can easily clear the wave, you are, keep an eye out for shackleshot angles all the time, but also powershot; you dont want her to do what I told you, aka, harassing you down to waste bottle charges. Keep your lane pushed and force her to stand back and protect her tower, get more runes than her, use the mana to push the lane even more.Sitting at minute 5-6 you will start to pick up a bit (), you will have, a bunch of points inand plenty of souls, or at least enough to beat wind's damage. Still keep your distance because she will have level 6 as well and if she happens to get a rune you could be in trouble.Once you get 7-8 levels, andandyou just go jungle, come back to lane every wave and raze ot twice, that way you will be getting farm from both sides and puttingin the position where she either stays and tanks the wave, or leaves and loses the tower.

Top 6.2. Lina



Shadow Fiend The slayer lady is in my opinion one of the toughest opponents against Windranger



Being realistic, it's very unlikely you beat her at laning unless you are dealing with a under-average player; but on the other hand, breaking even is not that difficult, as long as you know you limits.



First, you must accept that a part of your mana is going to be designated to using the long raze to last hit, even when you have damage to do so without it. This is because Lina



If you are tied at laning and it's very early on, so Lina Laguna Blade Lina Bottle



The safest option for you is Bottle but sometimes that is not the most efficient optiona dn grabbing the top rune is considerably better; if you plan on doing this you must push the lane as hard as you can, that way:



1) Lina waveclears and her spells are on cooldown, so she cant contest you at rune.

2) She stays and tanks/clears, and not contesting the rune



Both of these are your green light. Always remember someone else could have gotten it, like an enemy offlaner or whatever.



Then, unless you are running around with 400 hp, Lina unless she gets the stun on you. If she does stun you then you dead, but otherwise you can run uphill to your tower and raze at her, sometimes bringing her hp down enough to discourage her from commiting for the kill.



Going into the midgame you are going to need a bkb 100% especially if she goes euls, otherwise it's extremely easy for her to take you out of the fight. After that you can go skadi to tank, but i personally like manta, not only because it does tank you up, but also becuase you can manta before she Laguna Blade s and make her hesitate about ulting you and risking missing with an illusion.

, for many reasons: her wave clear is fairly good so you cant just push away as you do would do against, she has really high damage and can easily outharass you and even kill you if you arent careful, etc.Being realistic, it's very unlikely you beat her at laning unless you are dealing with a under-average player; but on the other hand, breaking even is not that difficult, as long as you know you limits., you must accept that a part of your mana is going to be designated to using the long raze to last hit, even when you have damage to do so without it. This is becausehas a greater range, and her spells have quite a good reach themselves, and coming close will get you harassed for sure.If you are tied at laning and it's very early on, sodoes not have much levels and obviously doesnt have, then you can come closer to the wave and try to cs normally, however when doing this, chances aregoes aggresive on you, and when she does you should use your long raze on her. This way you will start to wear down hercharges and she will have to stop spamming so much and save charges to keep her Hp up.but sometimes that is not the most efficient optiona dn grabbing the top rune is considerably better; if you plan on doing this you must push the lane as hard as you can, that way:Lina waveclears and her spells are on cooldown, so she cant contest you at rune.She stays and tanks/clears, and not contesting the runeAlways remember someone else could have gotten it, like an enemy offlaner or whatever.Then, unless you are running around with 400 hp,is not going to be able to solo kill you when she gets 6,. If she does stun you then you dead, but otherwise you can run uphill to your tower and raze at her, sometimes bringing her hp down enough to discourage her from commiting for the kill.especially if she goes euls, otherwise it's extremely easy for her to take you out of the fight. After that you can go skadi to tank, but i personally like manta, not only because it does tank you up, but also becuase you can manta before shes and make her hesitate about ulting you and risking missing with an illusion.

Top 6.3. Templar Assassin



Pink shy girl is yet another spooky matchup , to a certain extent. As in the Templar Assassin Shadow Fiend



For instance, Templar Assassin Shadow Fiend



Then, Templar Assassin Refraction Shadow Fiend Shadow Fiend



So, how do you deal with this unfavorable matchup? First of all , dont be decieved by her small hp pool, you will not be able to zone her out, focus on your cs and that only. You shouldnt be looking at her at all unless she really makes a mistake like walking past your creeps and killing her Refraction



Second , careful with psiblades slashing, 2 or 3 will get you down enough for her to consider diving in or for a support to see the window for a gank. It's just a matter of keeping your distance and an eye on her, heal when needed dont get greedy for cs or you may end up losing half your souls.



Third , your objective is getting level 7 and Bottle Power Treads



From there you should, at the very least, be breaking even in farm, and if you stacked jungle you could even be higher level than her.

, to a certain extent.For instance,is much much stronger right clicker than, all throughout the early and most of the mid game too one would argue, she will out harass you without sweating it at all, and thats why you should be going for razes start, in other words, build 1; otherwise you will be pretty much unable to CS.Then,is also good in terms of winning aggresively, because of. Mainly becauseis a hero that hits hard but slowly, and with refraction you can also block razes, and you really only need to block one forto lose his kill potential, as he already used his only raze for that range and when it's on cooldown you can go right up on him and hit him a bunch of times and maybe even kill him if you have traps.So, how do you deal with this unfavorable matchup?, dont be decieved by her small hp pool,, focus on your cs and that only. You shouldnt be looking at her at all unless she really makes a mistake like walking past your creeps and killing her, then it's really easy to raze twice and get the kill; but thats the exception not the rule., careful with psiblades slashing, 2 or 3 will get you down enough for her to consider diving in or for a support to see the window for a gank. It's just a matter of keeping your distance and an eye on her, heal when needed dont get greedy for cs or you may end up losing half your souls., your objective is getting level 7 and, with this and some bottle crowing you can keep your mana up 100% of the time, and use your maxed out razes to keep the lane pushed, by doing his, TA is forced to tank the creeps or wait back and defend the tower (or lose it), when pushing like this, unless she has a lot of damage and she is able to psiblades the creeps before they go uphill to their side, you should be good, as if she wants to tank them, 4 creeps will remove the 6 refraction charges in 2 seconds, and you can harass then.From there you should, at the very least,, and if you stacked jungle you could even be higher level than her.

Top 6.4. Queen Of Pain



Sexy mistress is not that much of a difficult matchup as it is annoying, she cant really kill you until she gets 6 if you play your cards right. And even then if you managed to get Power Treads



Queen of Pain One , she is the queen of mindless harass. Often you will have qop constantly and perpetually cast Shadow Strike Scream of Pain Shadow Strike Best way of dealing with this? When she comes close to cast it, try to kite her a bit, force her to get past creeps, that way if she wants to attack on top of the dagger ahe will get attacked by the creeps herself. Second, when you are already slowed, dont harass her, and try to stay in uphill, that way you'll have the miss chance backing you.



Next, she will sometimes Scream of Pain Windranger Shadow Fiend Queen of Pain



Queen has strong spells all round, and that makes up for her rather ****py stats. However, she cant have points in all of her spells. Which makes up for something like this:



- Harass

- Waveclear

- Escape



Pick 2.



If she goes for a bunch of points in Shadow Strike Scream of Pain So: QWQEQR up to 6.



If the enemy qop has just 1 point in Blink



- She will save it to escape or dive , so she will walk to scream and dagger, which can be seen with anticipation.

- She wont blink for runes most of the time , allowing you to take them without risking your life (if she happens to blink, then you are in a position to kill her, as, unless she has her ultimate, your nuking and also your right clicks are stronger than her's, talking about level 4-5).

- It's very unlikely she blinks to attack you or dive you , if she does, again, you can walk under your tower and often times 1-2 razes plus the tower shots will get her. You have to make sure you land these razes instead of panicking; and this will only work if she doesnt have ult. A Magic Stick



If she maxes Scream of Pain QEEWER at 6.



When she does that, and since you have stronger nukes you can A , push the lane and force her to use mana, or B , focus on farming and harassing her with long razes, and out harass her, for not having points in Q.



When she does this build and she hits level 6 she has a pretty strong spike in power, and she can kill you off really easily. However, often times she will choose to attack a sidelane instead, so keep you allies notified and when she leaves just push relentlessly and take the tower down. The tower gold will help your allies recover the gold Qop made them lose on the gank.



And lastly, if she happens to max Shadow Strike I generally dont contest runes against qop players that do this, because the slow is super strong and the dmg over time keeps you relatively low across all the laning stage. What I do is focus much more in Bottle so that's a won lane.

Sexy mistress is not that much of a difficult matchup as it is annoying, she cant really kill you until she gets 6 if you play your cards right. And even then if you managed to getshe wont have the easiest time.is strong in various points but all of them can be played around.she is the queen of mindless harass. Often you will have qop constantly and perpetually caston you, the spell itself wont harass you that hard unless she puts like 2-3 levels on it, which if she does you can punish by pushing the wave as she wont have that many points inand so cant contain the wave. The strong point ofis the super long slow, and how she can draw attacks on you and also the creeps will aggro you harder, as you will have a difficult time leaving 500 radius in 2 secs with the slow.When she comes close to cast it, try to kite her a bit, force her to get past creeps, that way if she wants to attack on top of the dagger ahe will get attacked by the creeps herself.when you are already slowed, dont harass her, and try to stay in uphill, that way you'll have the miss chance backing you., she will sometimesthe wave, when going for runes and ganks, when she does, get out of the way, just as with, these heroes (relative to) pale in wave clear. Also, she will get sort of close to do it, and even as close to try to hit you along the creeps; hence, it's really easy to use a medium raze and harass her while countering her lane push.'s HP pool is really small even with null tallisman., and that makes up for her rather ****py stats. However, she cant have points in all of her spells. Which makes up for something like this:If she goes for a bunch of points in, it's very likely their next priority is(just to have an aoe nuke) which leaves you with 1 point in blink.If the enemy qop has just 1 point init means:, so she will walk to scream and dagger, which can be seen with anticipation., allowing you to take them without risking your life (if she happens to blink, then you are in a position to kill her, as, unless she has her ultimate, your nuking and also your right clicks are stronger than her's, talking about level 4-5)., if she does, again, you can walk under your tower and often times 1-2 razes plus the tower shots will get her. You have to make sure you land these razes instead of panicking; and this will only work if she doesnt have ult. Acan help you out in this case.If she maxes, then it's likely she only has a value point in dagger, which is not that bad. So most likely she went something like:When she does that, and since you have stronger nukes, push the lane and force her to use mana,, focus on farming and harassing her with long razes, and out harass her, for not having points in Q.When she does this build and she hits level 6 she has a pretty strong spike in power, and she can kill you off really easily.often times she will choose to attack a sidelane instead, so keep you allies notified and when she leaves just push relentlessly and take the tower down. The tower gold will help your allies recover the gold Qop made them lose on the gank., if she happens to maxfor whatever reason, you will 8/10 times just win the lane, and those 2 points really only mean that you are getting zoned out.What I do is focus much more incrowing, then stack a lot, because generally with that sort of harass you wont be able to walk in a CS in the lane and you'd want to only use the long raze as your way to get that farm; from there with your stacks and just try to get level 5 so you can clear them; which is great because sinc