Shadow Demon/Counters

Bad against...

 * Disruption is not reliable enough to catch an Ember Spirit with a backup.
 * will also make quick work of the spawned illusions.
 * The best you can do against an Ember Spirit is to dispel his with your Demonic Purge.


 * makes quick work of any illusions with amplified damage, and deals damage even if Leshrac is in Disruption.
 * An attempt to save an ally using Disruption can easily become a perfect setup for a for the enemy.
 * Disruption does not stop and  once they start pulsing, and even worse it provides a safe shelter for Leshrac to keep pumping up his powerful AoE damage onto the battlefield.
 * Shadow Demon doesn't have the burst damage to take Leshrac out of the fight quickly, although Demonic Purge can help his allies kill a squishy Leshrac.


 * will make quick work of the spawned illusions from Disruption.
 * An attempt to save an ally using Disruption can easily become a perfect setup for a for the enemy.
 * Shadow Demon doesn't have the burst damage to take Lina out of the fight quickly, although Demonic Purge can help his allies kill a squishy Lina.


 * All of Lion's abilities are active making Demonic Purge break from useless.
 * and can make quick work of whatever illusions you're creating, especially when he acquires his Talents at level 20 and 25.
 * An attempt to save an ally using Disruption can easily become a perfect setup for a or  with  for the enemy.


 * All of Puck's abilities are active making Demonic Purge break from useless.
 * Shadow Demon will find a hard time catching a Puck, as he can get away with or even ;
 * Puck can dodge Shadow Poison waves and potentially avoid the damage from Demonic Purge with . Furthermore, after Disruption ended, Puck can use Phase Shift to avoid any further danger and can blink away with.
 * can be used to initiate Shadow Demon, prevent him from using any spells.


 * All of Pugna's abilities are active, making Demonic Purge break from useless.
 * punishes Shadow Demon's constant mana usage from spamming spells, especially Shadow Poison.
 * An attempt to save an ally using Disruption can easily become a perfect setup for a for the enemy.
 * can be used to heal Pugna or an ally to save them from Shadow Demon's abilities.
 * However, it can be cancelled by Disruption unless Pugna buys defensive items.


 * All of Queen of Pain's abilities are active, making Demonic Purge break from useless.
 * However, Demonic Purge can help his allies kill a squishy Queen of Pain.
 * allows Queen of Pain to escape from Shadow Demon's abilities if he doesn't have disables.
 * An attempt to save an ally using Disruption can easily become a perfect setup for a for the enemy.


 * Shadow Demon will have a hard time catching Storm Spirit, as he can get away with.
 * will make quick work of the spawned illusions from Disruption.
 * With very high mobility and usually being paired with, he can catch Shadow Demon with ease both in ganks and in teamfights if Shadow Demon has no survivability items.


 * with makes quick work of the spawned illusions from Disruption.
 * However, it can be cancelled by Disruption until Witch Doctor buys or.
 * All of Witch Doctor's abilities are active, making Demonic Purge break from useless.
 * can out-heal the damage from Shadow Demon's abilities.
 * An attempt to save an ally using Disruption can easily become a perfect setup for a or  for the enemy.


 * Shadow Demon's Demonic Purge with cannot break, which could put him in a disadvantage against Wraith King if his whole team is with him.
 * can out-heal the damage from Shadow Demon's abilities.
 * However, Wraith King is a single-target hero, so he cannot deal with Disruption illusions.

Others

 * Although will generate strong illusions, and you can also break his  with an Aghanim's Demonic Purge, you have a small chance of guessing which is the real Phantom Lancer after he uses.
 * and has abilities that allow them to move at maximum movement speed, and those abilities can't be dispelled, potentially wasting the slow from Demonic Purge.
 * You can potentially kill a fragile by using Disruption during  with a well-placed, wasting the Shukuchi. But odds are he'll wait to get low health,  the damage away and Shukuchi away once more.
 * ,, and  can be hard targets since Shadow Demon's spells are ill-suited to fight many enemies at once.

Items

 * will reflect Disruption and Demonic Purge back to Shadow Demon. Additionally, illusions of Shadow Demon created by the reflected Disruption will spawn under the control of the enemy hero who reflected it.
 * blocks Disruption and Demonic Purge.
 * can save the victim if they are able to force through a cliff, to the high ground or create enough distance to retreat into a foggy area.
 * can help the victim survive a gank attempt from Shadow Demon if he initiates with a Disruption and has no way to cancel the teleport afterward, while Shadow Poison needs time to stack up and Demonic Purge only deals damage after a lengthy delay.

Good against...

 * Alchemist is a well-known carrier among other auras your illusions will benefit from. They also get the extra move speed and reduced base attack time from his, and it's even better if you can catch him as his own rage is about to expire.
 * Disruption will buy enough time for all allies to retreat when Alchemist starts to activate.


 * While it is unwise to encounter Anti-Mage alone, Disruption's considerable cast range can become a perfect setup for any hard-disable to follow up. If he is pinned down, Anti-Mage will quickly face his demise when the illusions deplete his already low mana pool. will easily allow him to escape, however.
 * The illusions can be controlled to quickly sap mana from any other target, making Anti-Mage one of the most valuable targets to disrupt.


 * While it is unwise to encounter Axe alone, Disruption can be used to save your allies from Axe's initiate, or, if timed correctly, from his.
 * Illusions spawned from Axe has the Counter Helix passive, which with deal some nasty damage if an enemy focuses them
 * Your upgraded Demonic Purge breaks Axe's primary damage output:, This can be used on him during Berserker's Call to seriously hinder him.
 * Demonic Cleanse will clear, which is Axe's method of catching heroes, and Shard upgraded Counter Helix's Damage Reduction, which is one of Axe's primary survivability abilities.


 * The constant dispel from Demonic Purge will make any attempt to save the victim or himself by become futile. For what it's worth, Demonic Purge will also dispel.


 * Shadow Poison can quickly stack up on Huskar, And with his naturally low health you don't need as many stacks to be effective.
 * Disruption turns Huskars high attack speed against him, They also have the highest survivability as illusions due to his passive, It also allows you to put Shadow Poison stacks on him,
 * Dissimulate turns Huskar's burning damage against his team, You can cast it on an ally who is taking a bunch of stacks and cause Huskar to take high amounts of damage as well
 * Scepter upgraded Demonic Purge is your most effective weapon against him, It's 7 second Break causes him to quickly die in battle


 * Disruption can save allies and mess up an initiation from an enemy Legion Commander. Using Disruption on your ally that is affected by will leave her totally exposed without the benefit of the life steal from . A precise decision to Disrupt Legion Commander or her victim is crucial to waste Duel's potential.
 * Demonic Purge cannot be dispelled by a hard dispel from, which in turn can be dispelled by your ultimate.


 * Demonic Purge can dispel on the key target during combat, allow your allies to finish them.


 * Her illusions with are very valuable, especially when they are usually paired with . Unlike blink or force movement, 's escaping mechanic requires manual movement, and therefore Demonic Purge can hold her back really hard and allow your allies to finish her off.
 * If she tries to kill you or any key ally with at any point of the game, remember to not panic and always use Disruption on the illusion, whether it is fake or the real Spectre herself. When the situation calls, Demonic Purge can save a second victim from a haunting Spectre.
 * When upgraded by, Demonic Purge can remove Spectre from a fight by disabling Desolate and , negating her damage and tankiness respectively.


 * Be ready to save an ally from with your Disruption.
 * Spawning 's illusions is a great deal, as his base attack time is low and he has a critical strike. Illusions will benefit from both.
 * Demonic Purge will prevent Juggernaut's desperate attempt to flee using . However, it cannot stop him if he is using.


 * Demonic Purge takes off Luna's superior mobility, removing the need for chasing her and allowing your team to reposition in team fights or escape when at low HP. If Shadow Demon has Aghanim's Sceptre it will also take away glaive bounces and extra damage from Luna's passive.
 * Luna's illusions created by Disruption are very valuable with their . These will effectively counter her pushing attempts and are painfully effective in team fights.
 * Disruption can be used to save an ally from.
 * For the same reasons, Shadow Demon is a very good ally for Luna when they are in the same team.


 * Phantom Lancer's strength is the sheer amount of illusions he can conjure, Dissimulate can be cast on an ally that he is focusing to quickly thin out his ranks
 * Landing a upgraded Demonic Purge on the real Phantom Lancer prevents him from making very many illusions (His only source being ), You can reapply as needed if you have the Shard
 * Disrupting Phantom Lancer allows you to create multiple extra illusions with, As he is a common carrier of , you can also drain the mana of any nearby heros


 * Shadow Demon's spammable illusions can be used to scout Techies'.


 * In the laning stage, making illusions of Venomancer will turn his back at him, making for an easy gank at level one, and for later when your mid comes for ganks.


 * Shadow Demon can waste precious seconds of with Disruption.
 * Alternatively, Demonic Purge can be used to dispel it altogether, leaving her completely defenseless for 7 seconds.
 * Disruption can be used to save an ally if they get stunned by.

Others

 * Heroes that rely on high health to tank will spread a lot of damage thanks to Disseminate.
 * Disruption can make a beautiful and crucial save for your allies when against heroes who have powerful single target abilities, like, , , ,.
 * Melee carries such as, or  can be slowed and easily kited with Demonic Purge.
 * Disruption and Demonic Purge are very good tools to waste the duration of many precious abilities such as, , or.
 * Heroes with high physical damage output but lack of reliable escape mechanisms are always a good target for a solo gank:, , , . Those heroes, however, are dangerous if they manage to close the gap, so take caution.
 * Once you have an, Shadow Demon instantly reaches a new power spike and becomes a counter for a variety of heroes that have strong passives.
 * Heroes that lose a great amount of their tankiness and become easier to finish off:, , , ,.
 * Heroes that lose a great amount of damage output and become less threatening:, , ,.
 * You can always stack camps and farm the scepter with Shadow Poison.

Items

 * ,, or can benefit your team thanks to the illusions created by Disruption.
 * Demonic Purge has a lengthy duration and pierce through spell immunity, which reduces the impact from an activated.

Works well with...

 * Disruption and Demonic Purge can easily trigger the stun from.
 * Use to slow the target after Disruption, keeping them in place for illusion damage, and amplify all magical damage such as from Shadow Poison and Demonic Purge.
 * Disruption can serve as a set up for landing.


 * Combined with Disseminate and Disruption's illusions, can deal tremendous damage to enemies.


 * Disruption can be considered a free for Luna even when she already has one thanks to her  and, and it can also be a good setup for.


 * Disseminate allows Outworld Destroyer to quickly and easily destroy groups of heroes with his.
 * If you Disseminate a low mana target, Outworld Destroyer can land a very high damage on him, and spread that damage, potentially killing a large group of heroes instantly.
 * Disruption along side allows you to potentially Banish a hero for as long as you want, Using it on the Carry hero can quickly turn the tide of battle, And you can land as many Shadow Poison stacks as you wish while they are banished with Disruption,


 * Disruption provides a lots of free time for Razor to close the gap and suck dry the attack capability of his victim using.
 * Neither nor  is disabled during the banishment.


 * With an additional bonus to raw damage and very long range, Terrorblade's form is among one of the best targets to get your illusions, which deals more damage than the illusions created by Terrorblade himself using.
 * A Disruption can save Terrorblade from a long chain of disables, allowing him to use a critical.

Others

 * Any aforementioned heroes who give valuable illusions pair very well with Shadow Demon.
 * Tanky heroes and initiators provide great value to Disseminate.
 * Both and  are natural  carriers and tend to have very strong illusions, making Disruption very potent ability for them as well.  is also a strong follow up to Disruption to beat down an enemy with an army of illusions.
 * ,, , , with their long-delaying abilities can become much easier to land thanks to Disruption: , , , , and , respectively.

Items

 * provides illusion targets for Disruption, without removing the original hero from play.
 * Disruption lasts long enough for a to be used, allowing low health allies escape, Bear in mind that some damage-over-time abilities will prevent that, like Sniper's, or Enigma's.

List of heroes that counter Shadow Demon, and list of heroes that work well with Shadow Demon.

Shadow Demon/Противостоящие