How Lion and Shadow Fiend perform as teammates in Dota 2 7.41e, from ranked matches.
In Dota 2 7.41e, Lion and Shadow Fiend win 48.11% of ranked matches when playing on the same team, over 54,654 matches.
Getting caught by Lion's disables feels like a death sentence when a Shadow Fiend is nearby to follow up. The lockdown from Hex and Earth Spike creates a clean window for landing successive Shadowrazes, which can be difficult to do otherwise. The main issue is that both heroes are built to do the same thing: deliver a massive amount of magical burst to a single target. They are both relatively fragile and rely on deleting an enemy quickly to win an engagement. When that initial burst isn't enough, or when the enemy team can turn the fight, neither hero has a strong tool to protect the other.
This ganking potential is strongest in the early-to-mid game, where Lion and Shadow Fiend can roam together to find pickoffs. The duo's success often hinges on securing these kills to build momentum. In larger teamfights, however, their effectiveness can wane. Lion's single-target control doesn't do much to enable a multi-hero Requiem of Souls, which is where Shadow Fiend often wants to have the most impact. They can end up competing for the finishing blow on a target, as both have mechanics that reward them for securing kills.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Herald & Guardian | 47.98% | 2,895 |
| Crusader & Archon | 48.08% | 8,485 |
| Legend & Ancient | 48.23% | 7,387 |
| Divine & Immortal | 49.40% | 2,593 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7.41e | 48.11% | ▼ -0.2pp | 54,654 |
| 7.41d | 48.29% | ▼ -1.3pp | 569,857 |
| 7.41c | 49.56% | ▲ +1.9pp | 231,453 |
| 7.41b | 47.62% | — | 206,596 |
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Data updated Aug 17, 2026.