Shadow Fiend vs Primal Beast

How this matchup plays

Thinking you can kite Primal Beast with Shadowrazes is often a mistake. Primal Beast's entire kit is designed to close gaps and stay on targets. His charge gets him into melee range, and Trample makes it difficult for Shadow Fiend to create space and land spells. While Shadow Fiend can put out a lot of damage, Primal Beast is naturally very durable, especially with Uproar active. This means he can often survive the initial burst from a Requiem of Souls and then turn the fight around with his own lockdown, holding Shadow Fiend in place to finish him off.

This advantage plays out from the mid-game onward. Primal Beast is always looking for a pickoff on a squishy core, and Shadow Fiend is a perfect target due to his lack of an escape. A successful Onslaught from the fog is often a death sentence. Shadow Fiend's best bet is to play cautiously, build defensive items like a Black King Bar, and wait for Primal Beast to commit his spells on a different target. If Primal Beast dives the wrong hero, Shadow Fiend can still turn the fight, which keeps the matchup from being completely one-sided.