Shadow Shaman vs Winter Wyvern

How this matchup plays

Trying to take objectives against a Winter Wyvern can feel like hitting a wall. Her defensive spells are a direct answer to the pickoff-and-push style Shadow Shaman enables. When an ally gets caught by Hex or Shackle, Wyvern can save them with Cold Embrace, making them immune to the physical damage that's supposed to secure the kill. She can also completely turn a gank around with Winter's Curse; if Shadow Shaman commits for a Shackle, he's a sitting duck for a counter-initiation that forces his own allies to attack him. This constant threat of a save or a reversal makes it difficult for Shaman to build momentum.

The whole game becomes about who gets caught first. A successful gank for the Shadow Shaman team usually involves him blinking directly onto Winter Wyvern and locking her down before she can cast anything. Without her saves, her team is much more vulnerable. In response, a good Wyvern will position cautiously, staying far behind her cores so she can react without being the primary target. Because the success of any fight depends so heavily on which of these two supports gets the jump on the other, the matchup tends to play out very evenly.