Shadow Demon/Counters

Bad against...

 * Anti-Mage's high mobility makes it almost impossible for Shadow Demon to pin him down even with his entire arsenal. However, the illusions of Anti-Mage created by Disruption are very valuable as they probably will have a very high damage output and also inherit the annoying from him as well.
 * An Anti-Mage with activated will discourage any intentions to intercept him from Shadow Demon when Anti-Mage initiates combat.
 * Counterspell will also increase his tankiness against Shadow Poison.


 * Disruption is not reliable enough to catch an Ember Spirit with a backup.
 * will 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.


 * and can make quick work of whatever illusions you're creating, especially when he acquires his Talents as level 20 and 25.


 * Phantom Assassin's can easily turn the situation if she is ganked by Shadow Demon alone, as it allows her to ignore the powerful slow from Demonic Purge and finish him off with a few quick hits.
 * Phantom Assassin's ensure her survival when fighting her own illusions created by Shadow Demon. Although the illusions do benefit from, their much weaker stats and mediocre attack speed without the aid of Phantom Strike makes them not very valuable.


 * Good luck catching Storm Spirit with Shadow Demon's abilities, as he can simply get away with . Shadow Demon will need a strong disabling skill such as to catch a Storm Spirit if you initiate with Disruption.
 * With very high mobility and usually paired with, he can catch Shadow Demon with ease both in ganks and in teamfights if Shadow Demon has no survivability items.

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 used.
 * 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.
 * Heroes who can dispel will be able to remove Shadow Poison before Shadow Demon can build up a big stack, or remove Soul Catcher's debuff to instantly bring the health of affected heroes back to a considerable amount:, , ,.
 * : An undispellable can easily save a victim of Shadow Demon.

Items

 * and can dispel Shadow Poison and Soul Catcher. A well-timed Lotus Orb can also reflect Disruption and Demonic Purge.
 * can save an ally or the victim himself if he is able to force through a cliff to the highground, or create enough distance to retreat into foggy area.
 * can help a victim survive an early solo gank attempt from Shadow Demon since he usually 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 BAT 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 start 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 illusion 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 target to disrupt.


 * The constantly 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.


 * Disruption can save allies and mess up initiation from an enemy Legion Commander. Use Disruption on your ally that is affected by will leave her totally exposed without the benefit when battling like 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 him.


 * Her illusions with is 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 allow your allies to finish her off.
 * If she would try to kill you or any key ally with at any point of the game, remember to not panic and always use Disrupt 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.
 * Demonic Purge (Upgraded by ) can remove Spectre from a game since She relies on two passive abilities to do damage and to tank.


 * 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, it cannot hold him if he is using , however.


 * 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 is 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.


 * Shadow Demon's spammable illusions can be used to scout Techies' . The illusion of your carries can be even used to trick Techies into detonate his precious.


 * 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 suffer a lots of damage thanks to your Soul Catcher.
 * Disruption can make a beautiful and crucial save for your allies when versus heroes who has powerful single target ability:, , ,.
 * Melee carries such as, or  can be slowed and easily kited with Demonic Purge.
 * Disruption and Demonic Purge is a very good tool to waste the duration of many precious abilities such as, , or.
 * Hero with high physical damage output but lack of reliable escaping mechanism is always a good target for a solo gank:, , , . Those heroes are very dangerous if they are able to close the gap so always keep the distance and usually the combo Disruption/Demonic Purge will only act as a time buyer for you to finish the work with a burst of Shadow Poison.
 * Once you have an, Shadow Demon instantly reach a new power spike and become a counter for 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 camp 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, 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 laning.


 * Combining with Soul Catcher's health removal and Disruption's illusions, can deal tremendous damage to the enemies.


 * With an additional bonus to raw damage and very long range, Terrorblade's form is among one of the best target 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, allows him to use a critical.


 * 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.

Others

 * Any aforementioned heroes who gives a valuable illusions pair very well with Shadow Demon.
 * Both and  are natural  carriers and tend to have very strong illusions, making your own very potent 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.

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

Shadow Demon/Противостоящие