Semi-daily hero tips. Day 77: Shadow Demon

DISCLAIMER

A lot of you probably know about the weekly hero discussion, but that often ends up in a meta discussion (whether or not the hero needs buffs, etc) or a meme war than actual tips to play, itemize and build the hero.

This is what I'd like to do. Please discuss any notes I made and possible improvements while also giving tips of your own if you have them.

The roles, skill builds and item builds, as well as a lot of the notes are my opinion on matters and should not be seen as a must do or don't. Also remember that almost every single build or role is situationally possible.

A lot of the tips on heroes were also mentioned in tsunami's amazing hero tips series he did over the last couple of years.

Shadow Demon

Notes:

• You can see the enemy hero skill build by selecting the illusion of the hero you disrupted (still the case?)
• Don't disrupt allies to save them unless: They are going to die from DoT or they are stunned for 2 seconds or more or they need their blink to come off cooldown
• Don't disrupt enemies with blink dagger unless you can get damage on them with shadow poison. Consider a value point in the poison when enemies get their blink.
• Disrupt allies to help them: jungle, push, scare the enemy
• Good versus: AM, Luna, etc. (heroes with attack modifying passives), Chen (5 man push), TA (easily clear refraction, strong illusions, disable psi blades with aghs ult), WK (disrupt stunned ally, agh's ult disables aura and crit), Dazzle (disrupt graved target)
• Friends: Luna, AM, PL (strong illusions), Lina, Lesh, Kunkka, Mirana (great setup for their delayed disables), Gyro (great setup for his close combat skills)
• Counters: LD, Meepo, CK (you can only disrupt one), Timber, Gyro (uses your disruption save against you), Weaver, QoP (Disruption is no real disable), Tide (Ravage AOE is very big, you can't disrupt only one ally)
• Shadow poison is a very good spell for slow jungling and multicamp stacking. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep1SPXcuJgE
• Shadow poison is great for anti-push because it can aggro creeps on you instead of your tower from long range
• Shadow poison is cheap, has 1500 range and flying vision along it's path. Cast it to scout
• Demonic purge can kill of summons and illusions as well as going through BKB
• with Aghanim’s if you use ‘Demonic Purge’ and it is blocked by say a Linken’s, it will break the Linken’s and you won’t even lose one of your 3 charges for it!
• Versus: Magic stick/wand if he's spamming shadow poison
• Versus: Evade shadow poison, back off if you have 3 stacks on you

Role: support

Item build: Wand/Stick, (Urn,) Arcanes, Force staff, (Aether lens, Ghost scepter, Eul's, Sheep, Agh's, Blink, Glimmer)

Skill build: Max disruption --> Soul catcher --> Shadow poison

PREVIOUS HEROES

• Abaddon
• Alchemist
• Ancient Apparition
• Anti-Mage
• Arc Warden
• Axe
• Bane
• Batrider
• Beastmaster
• Bloodseeker
• Bounty Hunter
• Brewmaster
• Bristleback
• Broodmother
• Centaur Warrunner
• Chaos Knight
• Chen
• Clinkz
• Clockwerk
• Crystal Maiden
• Dark Seer
• Dazzle
• Death Prophet
• Disruptor
• Doom
• Dragon Knight
• Drow Ranger
• Earth Spirit
• Earthshaker
• Elder Titan
• Ember Spirit
• Enchantress
• Enigma
• Faceless Void
• Gyrocopter
• Huskar
• Invoker
• IO
• Jakiro
• Juggernaut
• Keeper of the Light
• Kunkka
• Legion Commander
• Leshrac
• Lich
• Lifestealer
• Lina
• Lion
• Lone Druid
• Luna
• Lycan
• Magnus
• Medusa
• Meepo
• Monkey King
• Morphling
• Naga Siren
• Nature's Prophet
• Necrophos
• Night Stalker
• Nyx Assassin
• Ogre Magi
• Omniknight
• Oracle
• Outworld Devourer
• Phantom Assassin
• Phantom Lancer
• Phoenix
• Puck
• Pudge
• Pugna
• Queen of Pain
• Razor
• Riki
• Rubick
• Sand King