Shadow Fiend vs Silencer

How this matchup plays

Facing a Silencer as Shadow Fiend feels like you're always fighting uphill. Shadow Fiend needs to constantly cast Shadowraze to farm and fight, but that's exactly what Silencer wants. Every Raze you cast while under Arcane Curse extends its duration, piling on damage and slowing you down. This forces an awkward choice: either stop farming efficiently or take a lot of punishment. Then there's the ultimate. A well-timed Global Silence can completely neutralize Shadow Fiend's big Requiem of Souls play, leaving him exposed and useless at the start of a crucial fight.

This pressure begins in the laning stage, where Silencer can make it very difficult for Shadow Fiend to collect souls and secure last hits. Shadow Fiend's main goal becomes surviving the lane and getting a Black King Bar to play his own game. Later on, fights revolve around baiting out key spells. A smart Shadow Fiend will try to wait for Global Silence to be used before committing his ultimate. However, the need to play so reactively puts the Shadow Fiend player on the back foot, which is enough to give Silencer a small edge.