Shadow Fiend — Dota 2 7.41 Counters, Synergies & Win Rate
Also known as: SF, Nevermore
Shadow Fiend (SF, Nevermore) in Dota 2 7.41: win rate, pick rate, the heroes Shadow Fiend counters and struggles against, and its best teammates — from recent ranked matches by Batru's AI win-prediction pipeline.
Shadow Fiend counters & matchups
Shadow Fiend is a glass-cannon mid who stacks Necromastery souls for huge physical right-clicks and a triple Requiem of Souls nuke. He beats immobile, low-pressure mids: Timbersaw (55.5%), Nature's Prophet (54.9%) and Tinker (52.9%) let him free-farm souls and out-damage them. He's hard-countered by heroes that punish his zero-escape frame: Wraith King (41.4%) and Spectre (41.8%) out-tank and walk him down, while Vengeful Spirit (43.9%) swaps and deletes him with negative armor. Draft tip: SF wants lane space into passive mids; never leave him without a save into a dive comp — he is the squishiest carry in the game.
Strong against
| Hero | Win Rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|
 Timbersaw | 55.48% | 25,881 |
 Nature's Prophet | 54.91% | 63,152 |
 Tinker | 52.88% | 41,457 |
 Gyrocopter | 51.66% | 30,007 |
 Tiny | 51.41% | 58,898 |
 Mars | 51.24% | 60,738 |
 Puck | 51.22% | 40,542 |
 Chen | 51.15% | 6,352 |
Struggles against
| Hero | Win Rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|
 Wraith King | 41.43% | 107,722 |
 Spectre | 41.83% | 71,676 |
 Lifestealer | 43.80% | 123,150 |
 Phantom Lancer | 43.91% | 65,278 |
 Vengeful Spirit | 43.91% | 57,458 |
 Medusa | 44.45% | 35,142 |
 Techies | 44.68% | 93,138 |
 Keeper of the Light | 44.73% | 45,020 |
Shadow Fiend synergies
Shadow Fiend brings a massive AoE Requiem nuke and a powerful armor-reduction presence — he wants targets clumped and locked, plus a save for his fragile body. He pairs best with AoE setup and front line: Spectre (53.2%) and Wraith King (52.9%) hold the line while SF stacks souls, and Tidehunter (52.0%) Ravages a clumped team straight into a max-stack Requiem. Shadow Shaman (51.2%) and Legion Commander (51.2%) provide the single-target lock that lets SF safely cast. Give SF a frontline and a clump-and-stun, and his combo erases teamfights.
Best teammates
| Hero | Win Rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Spectre | 53.19% | 46,926 |
| Wraith King | 52.91% | 88,158 |
 Tidehunter | 52.02% | 91,882 |
 Shadow Shaman | 51.23% | 133,645 |
 Legion Commander | 51.16% | 126,811 |
 Riki | 51.00% | 32,534 |
| Vengeful Spirit | 50.90% | 54,890 |
 Night Stalker | 50.71% | 51,812 |