Shadow Shaman vs Sniper

How this matchup plays

Picking a support into Sniper often means looking for a way to close the gap and hold him down. Shadow Shaman offers one of the best lockdown kits for that job. A successful Blink Dagger initiation into Hex and Shackles will almost always secure a kill on Sniper, who has no natural escape. The entire challenge for Shadow Shaman is getting into position to do this. Without mobility items or help from his team, Shaman is a slow and fragile hero himself, making him an easy target for a well-positioned Sniper who can attack from well outside normal spell range.

This matchup is a constant positioning battle. Early on, Sniper can make laning very difficult for Shadow Shaman with his superior range and harassment. Later, it becomes a cat-and-mouse game during teamfights. If Shadow Shaman finds an opening from the fog of war, Sniper is removed from the fight instantly. If the Sniper player anticipates this and positions safely behind his tanks, he can pick off the Shaman before he ever gets close. It comes down to which team better enables their hero to execute their game plan.