Huskar vs Shadow Fiend

How this matchup plays

Fighting into a Huskar feels like a puzzle for Shadow Fiend. Berserker's Blood makes him incredibly resistant to the magical burst from Shadowraze and Requiem of Souls, which is normally SF's main plan. However, Huskar has to fight at low health to be effective, and he rarely builds much armor early on. This is where Shadow Fiend's passive, Presence of the Dark Lord, comes in. The armor reduction makes SF's right-clicks surprisingly dangerous. A few good hits can often finish off a Huskar who thinks he is safe from the magic damage.

The mid lane between them is a constant battle for control. Shadow Fiend wants to keep his distance, farming with razes and trying to deny Huskar experience. Huskar looks for any opportunity to close the gap and start applying Burning Spears. Whoever gets ahead first can snowball hard. A winning SF will accelerate his farm and become a huge mixed-damage threat in teamfights. A winning Huskar will take the mid tower, invade the enemy jungle, and look to secure an early Roshan. It really comes down to execution in the first few minutes.