Every figure shows its source. Where a source is missing, the number is a placeholder — and it is never written as fact.

By GamGem ResearchLast updated 22 Sept 2026

Shadow Shaman

Ranged · Intelligence

Win rate
51.8%
Pick share
1.5%
Matches
674,886
Patch
7.41f
Draft coverage
BringsSupportPusherDisablerNukerInitiator
NeedsCarryFrontlineEscape

Recommendation

Pick

  • The game is heading for 40–50 min — that is where this hero measures best, at 52.0% over 2,091 matches.

Avoid

  • Hoodwink is on their side — this hero wins 38.2% of 173 matches against it.
  • Beastmaster is on their side — this hero wins 38.8% of 116 matches against it.
  • Dawnbreaker is on their side — this hero wins 37.0% of 81 matches against it.

What players buy

The items bought most in each of Valve’s four game stages

Public matches · each item’s own count
1stMost bought
122 buys
2ndSecond most
94 buys
3rdThird most
83 buys
4thFourth most
76 buys
5thFifth most
56 buys

Skill Order

Which ability to max first, and where each point goes — what most league players on Shadow Shaman took at each level.

Q

Ether Shock

Creates a cone of ethereal energy that strikes multiple enemy units.

Unit Target · Magical damage
W

Hex

Transforms an enemy unit into a harmless creature, disabling their attacks and abilities.

Unit Target
E

Shackles

CHANNELED - Magically binds an enemy unit so that it cannot move or attack, absorbing their life energy over time.

Unit Target · Channeled · Magical damage
R

Mass Serpent Ward

Summons 10 Serpent Wards to attack enemy units and structures.

Point Target · AOE · Physical damage

Max Order

EWQ

Max E first, then W, then Q. Most took R at 6 / 13.

Level-up Order

  • Q
  • W
  • E
  • R
  • T
Ability12345678910111213141516
QEther ShockQQQQ
WHexWWWW
EShacklesEEEE
RMass Serpent WardRR
TTalentTT

Matchup map

How Shadow Shaman performs against every opponent with 30 or more counted games

111 opponents · public matches40%60%Shadow Shaman's win rate
≥ 60%Very favorable
55 – 60%Favorable
50 – 55%Even
45 – 50%Unfavorable
40 – 45%Hard
< 40%Very hard

If this happens, use this

  • I am being jumped

    A way out, a way to shrug the debuff, or something to eat the burst. Matched on “dispel”.

  • Kill them in one window

    Damage that lands now rather than over a minute. Matched on “magical”.

  • Clear or push the wave

    Creeps, summons and anything that hits a building. Matched on “creep”, “summon”.

By medal

  • Herald52.1%20,403
  • Guardian51.4%68,054
  • Crusader51.8%110,911
  • Archon51.9%144,749
  • Legend51.8%142,376
  • Ancient51.8%87,111
  • Divine51.5%47,700

One count per medal, not one rate split across them; a medal with no counted matches is left out.

By match length

  • 0–20 min48.8%4,605
  • 20–30 min49.6%9,597
  • 30–40 min50.4%5,240
  • 40–50 min52.0%2,091
  • 50 min +50.4%810

Bands under 120 matches are absent rather than shown small.

Learning Shadow Shaman

Abilities

  • Ether Shock

    Unit Target · Magical damage

    Creates a cone of ethereal energy that strikes multiple enemy units.

  • Hex

    Unit Target

    Transforms an enemy unit into a harmless creature, disabling their attacks and abilities.

  • Shackles

    Unit Target · Channeled · Magical damage

    CHANNELED - Magically binds an enemy unit so that it cannot move or attack, absorbing their life energy over time.

  • Fowl Play

    Passive

    When taking lethal damage, Shadow Shaman receives a strong dispel and survives as a 1 HP chicken with increased movement speed. Incoming damage is reduced to zero for a short duration and additional chickens are created to confuse the enemy. Cooldown resets when Shadow Shaman respawns. DISPEL TYPE: Strong Dispel

  • Urnaconda

    Point Target · AOE

    Throw a snake jar at the target location, damaging all enemies in the AoE and creating a Massive Serpent Ward that has 4x the base Serpent Ward damage and health there that lasts 15s.

  • Mass Serpent Ward

    Point Target · AOE · Physical damage

    Summons 10 Serpent Wards to attack enemy units and structures. The Wards are immune to magic. Creeps deal half damage to the Serpent Ward.

Base attributes

Strength
20 +2.3
Agility
16 +1.6
Intelligence
23 +3.5
Move · range
285 · 400

Talents

  • 4Ether Shock DamageWard Attack Targets
  • 3Shackles DurationSerpent Wards Max HP
  • 2Serpent Wards Attack RangeHex Breaks
  • 1Shackles Total Damage+1.75 Mana Regen

Aghanim’s Scepter

Changes Shackles

Increase cast range. Every 0.9 seconds, shackled units emit a radial Ether Shock hitting all other units within 600 of the target for 100% of Ether Shock's normal damage. Shackles can now also be cast on allies and Mass Serpent Wards that stay within 2000 units of Shadow Shaman. Allied units are not disabled by Shackle.

Aghanim’s Shard

Changes Mass Serpent Ward

Allows to create a Mega Ward using the Urnaconda ability.

Sources

  • Kit, talents and upgrades · mechanicalread 22 Sept 2026

    Ability names, icons, behaviour, damage type and text, plus the Aghanim’s Scepter and Shard descriptions — as the game itself ships them. Nothing here was counted over matches.

  • Win rate by medal · countedread 15 Sept 2026

    The same hero at each of Valve’s eight medals, over 4,610,063 public matches. Each medal carries its own sample, because the eight buckets are nothing like the same size.

  • Matchups and match length · counted, on a narrower windowread 16 Sept 2026

    Win rate against each opponent and across five match-length bands. This channel reports far fewer games than the medal figures above: the median hero pairing is 51 matches and the largest on the whole roster is 707. Rows under 30 games are absent rather than shown small, and the ones that remain are ORDERED by a figure shrunk toward even by its own sample — the rate you see is the real one, the ranking is the careful one.

  • What players build · countedread 15 Sept 2026

    The five most common items in each of Valve’s four game stages, with each row’s own pick count.

  • Skill order · counted, in league matchesread 3 Oct 2026

    Where skill points go, read off every player's own learning order in premium and professional league matches on patches 7.41 and 7.40. Each level shows the ability most players took there and the share that did — a column only a third agree on is printed as a third, not as the rule. Heroes under 30 counted games show no path.

  • Situation index · derived, and checkableread 22 Sept 2026

    Each situation is a phrase match against Valve’s own ability text, and every row shows the phrases that matched. No win rate is attached, because nobody counts one per situation.

Mechanics are the ones Valve publishes for patch 7.41f. GamGem is not affiliated with or endorsed by Valve Corporation.