Shadow Fiend vs Pangolier

How this matchup plays

Dealing with Pangolier's disruption often means bursting him before he can get started, and Shadow Fiend is well-equipped for that. The high magic damage from a Shadowraze combination can often overwhelm the mitigation from Shield Crash. Pangolier wants to get close to be effective with his spells, but this puts him in prime range to be hit by multiple razes and potentially a Requiem of Souls. While Swashbuckle can dodge incoming damage, the pressure is on the Pangolier player to perfectly time it against SF's rapid spell-casting.

This dynamic usually gives Shadow Fiend a strong laning phase, allowing him to accumulate souls and hit his item timings faster. A farmed SF can then threaten to kill Pangolier from a distance before he can even think about using Rolling Thunder to start a fight. The game for Pangolier becomes about survival and creative initiations, trying to catch SF off-guard or focusing on his less-protected teammates. It’s a slight advantage for SF because Pango still has the tools to make plays, but he’s forced to react more than he’d like.