Head-to-head Dota 2 7.41f win rate from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41f, Pudge wins the Pudge vs Shadow Demon matchup: Pudge beats Shadow Demon in 57.30% of 26,595 ranked matches.
Trying to save a hooked ally with Disruption is a nightmare against a good Pudge. The hero you're trying to save is invulnerable, but Pudge is free to walk right up to their location, turn on Rot, and wait for them to reappear. Now he’s in perfect position for a follow-up Dismember, and your save just guaranteed the kill. Pudge is also naturally durable thanks to Flesh Heap, letting him shrug off the sustained damage from Shadow Demon's poisons and ultimate. He can simply walk through the spells to get his hook.
This dynamic makes the entire game difficult for Shadow Demon. Pudge sees him as a priority target from the first minute because he’s fragile and has no escape mechanism. Shadow Demon can’t safely ward or position aggressively, which severely limits his impact. In teamfights, Pudge often looks to bypass the frontline and instantly delete Shadow Demon with his combo. This forces Shadow Demon's team to dedicate huge resources to protecting him, while Pudge can create map-wide pressure on his own.
How the matchup shifts across skill brackets — Pudge's win rate against Shadow Demon in recent ranked matches, split by average match rank. Ranks with too few recent matches are omitted. These rows use the last 30 days of quality-filtered ranked matches, all patches in that span combined — a wider window than the patch-scoped count above, so the per-rank match totals can exceed it.
| Rank | Pudge win rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Herald & Guardian | 65.98% | 241 |
| Crusader & Archon | 60.12% | 825 |
| Legend & Ancient | 57.48% | 1,016 |
| Divine & Immortal | 56.01% | 341 |
Pudge's win rate against Shadow Demon in each recent balance patch — whether this matchup is trending up or down. Patches without enough matches are omitted.
| Patch | Pudge win rate | Change | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.41f | 57.30% | ▲ +0.6pp | 26,595 |
| 7.41e | 56.74% | ▼ -0.9pp | 96,258 |
| 7.41d | 57.61% | ▲ +1.0pp | 94,860 |
| 7.41c | 56.61% | — | 41,119 |
Move this data into a draft
Pudge starts on Radiant and Shadow Demon on Dire. Add the other eight picks to see whether this head-to-head edge survives the full draft.
Data updated Oct 5, 2026.