Pudge vs Shadow Shaman

How this matchup plays

Trying to Dismember an enemy near a Shadow Shaman is a serious gamble. If you successfully hook Shadow Shaman himself, he's fragile and often dies before he can react. The real issue is when you hook a different target or miss. A good Shaman will be waiting to instantly Hex you, breaking your channel and leaving you vulnerable. His own channeled disable, Shackles, can also hold you in place for a very long time, completely turning your gank attempt against you. It's a duel of who gets their disable off first.

This leads to a tense game of vision control. Pudge often needs to use Smoke or hide in the trees to get a hook without being pre-emptively disabled. In response, Shadow Shaman will play further back, letting his teammates draw Pudge's attention. A teamfight can hinge entirely on which of these two heroes is caught and locked down first. Shadow Shaman can also complicate things by using Mass Serpent Ward to block paths and control an area, making it much harder for Pudge to find a good angle for a fight-winning hook.