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Such a good guide... alas it is my fate to never play this hero since I just never get the sweet spot to play this hero.
Shadow Demon has bullsh1t killing potential in lane when partnering with Lina. Guaranteed lane win from level 2 ( Disruption and Soul Catcher) no matter what your enemy hero is, well except Anti-Mage with his blinks. My friend gets godlike under 8 minutes from starting the game, god....
I'm a huge fan of your guide, it's really helpful and nice to read. However I think you could discuss the item and skill build in a little more detail and depth. I personally think that shadow poison shouldn't be taken first without thought, as disruption can be a much better alternative in many situations and very handy for first bloods. Also if you have time it would be nice to have an item section added.
Thank you for your feedback! Yes the guide will receive additional sections in the future as I have time to add them, one of those sections being an item section. Also I agree with you that my suggested build is not the go-to build in 100% of situations, but in the current meta I believe this build will suit SD players very well in MOST situations. The additional damage/duration from Disruption illusions isn't really important until later in the game, and the cooldown reduction is nice, but to me it doesn't outweigh the massive damage from Shadow Poison. But there are many different builds and items that can work on SD so it's ultimately up to player preference :)
OMG wow! i was looking for a guide because; well I'm good with him its just i thought his shadow poison was useless, then i happen to see that he and his spells are death its self! lol! fantastic guide except i worry that new players will easily stumble upon mana issues. maybe make a section on so?
Overall, I like this guide. Your style is engaging and your intent clear. There's a few minor niggles I'd raise about the content:
- Mana is a concern, even with 3 Clarity potions. I'd suggest altering the build slightly so you take Shadow Poison at levels 2 and 3 - more bang per buck once you get the levels in it. 5 casts is 200 mana, and you need stacks or it's not very effective.
- I'm sure you know this, but mention about using Shadow Poison to stack multiple camps on xx:53.
- Infused Raindrops can be really useful on this hero - more mana regeneration early doors, and stops him being blown up quite so easily.
- Medallion of Courage is worth considering, it helps your poor armour and can also work well with Soul Catcher if your carries are mainly physical output. But fair enough, you're going for a more magic focused build.
- Disruption is actually really good late game, you can get some very strong illusions from it. Demonic Purge is one of the few spells to go go through BKB effectively. I'd say his main issue is more around lack of team fight and reliance on allies.
A little colour and formatting would really elevate this and get more people to read it - and it deserves to be read! Good effort.
Thank you for your positive feedback! When I find some time later this week I will add more formatting and such similar to my Sven and Visage guides :)
- I actually mention stacking multiple camps in the ability overview and briefly in the support volume :) I put the timings in to make it more clear though.
- I always forget about that item but you're right, it's a great item on most supports. Added into his item build.
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Shadow Demon has bullsh1t killing potential in lane when partnering with Lina. Guaranteed lane win from level 2 ( Disruption and Soul Catcher) no matter what your enemy hero is, well except Anti-Mage with his blinks. My friend gets godlike under 8 minutes from starting the game, god....
- Mana is a concern, even with 3 Clarity potions. I'd suggest altering the build slightly so you take Shadow Poison at levels 2 and 3 - more bang per buck once you get the levels in it. 5 casts is 200 mana, and you need stacks or it's not very effective.
- I'm sure you know this, but mention about using Shadow Poison to stack multiple camps on xx:53.
- Infused Raindrops can be really useful on this hero - more mana regeneration early doors, and stops him being blown up quite so easily.
- Medallion of Courage is worth considering, it helps your poor armour and can also work well with Soul Catcher if your carries are mainly physical output. But fair enough, you're going for a more magic focused build.
- Disruption is actually really good late game, you can get some very strong illusions from it. Demonic Purge is one of the few spells to go go through BKB effectively. I'd say his main issue is more around lack of team fight and reliance on allies.
A little colour and formatting would really elevate this and get more people to read it - and it deserves to be read! Good effort.
- I actually mention stacking multiple camps in the ability overview and briefly in the support volume :) I put the timings in to make it more clear though.
- I always forget about that item but you're right, it's a great item on most supports. Added into his item build.
- I've always considered Medallion of Courage to be situational at best on most heroes. There are a few heroes I would pick it up often on ( Visage, Dazzle, Vengeful Spirit), but for Shadow Demon it's very situational. I'm not saying I would never pick this item up on him, but not enough to list it in my item builds. Imo, that 1200 gold is better spent toward a Blink Dagger or Urn of Shadows or Aether Lens.