How Lifestealer and Shadow Demon perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41f, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41f, Lifestealer and Shadow Demon win 47.34% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 14,748 matches.
Facing this pair can be confusing. You get slowed by Open Wounds, amplified by Soul Catcher, and Lifestealer is running at you. Then Shadow Demon might use Disruption on you, which feels like a temporary save. The illusions that spawn are dangerous, but it gives your team a moment to reposition. This lack of continuous pressure is what keeps the combo from being truly scary. Lifestealer relies on non-stop attacks to heal and kill, and his partner’s main spell can accidentally give you the break you need to survive.
The whole dynamic depends on the Shadow Demon's judgment. Saving Lifestealer with Disruption is awkward, as he can't attack or Rage while banished. Using it on an enemy gives them immunity right when Lifestealer wants to connect. Fights can feel disjointed as a result; the target gets amplified but then disappears. While Demonic Purge helps Lifestealer stick to a target, the core abilities are often at odds, making the pairing less reliable than it seems.
How this pairing performs across skill brackets — the duo's team win rate 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 | Team win rate | Matches |
|---|---|---|
| Crusader & Archon | 49.21% | 445 |
| Legend & Ancient | 46.41% | 696 |
| Divine & Immortal | 44.76% | 248 |
This duo's team win rate in each recent balance patch — whether the pairing is trending up or down. Patches without enough matches are omitted.
| Patch | Team win rate | Change | Matches |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.41f | 47.34% | ▼ -1.3pp | 14,748 |
| 7.41e | 48.59% | ▲ +0.8pp | 49,807 |
| 7.41d | 47.84% | ▼ -0.3pp | 33,964 |
| 7.41c | 48.18% | — | 15,649 |
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Data updated Oct 5, 2026.