Shadowhunter PvP Comp Viability

Although Shadowhunter is a hybrid character, due to their lack of Push Immunities, they are best placed as the ranged pick for a given comp. Pairing up with a melee frontliner and a support will give Shadowhunter the space they needs to be able to support her team from range while also having the ability to pressure the enemy without being overwhelmed. Alternatively, Shadowhunter fits well into double melee comps and can also fill the role as a second ranged in double ranged comps.

There is no support preference for Shadowhunter specifically, as they can sync well with any support. Gunlancer can use Hook Chain on reaction to Grind Chain for team combos and offer a good frontline with space control that allow Shadowhunter to play her ranged game. Bard's buff support, namely Heavenly Tune and Guardian Tune can make for heavy rushdown moments without sacrificing zone control due to Bard's ability to peel effectively from a distance. Lastly, Paladin's aggression can alleviate the pressure on Shadowhunter to engage, all the while providing the highest team mitigation out of any support, making initiations be less risky and more likely to pay out if going in together.

As all supports are good for Shadowhunter, it is important to pick a support around your second damage-dealer pick. Due to her high damage and rushdown potential, Shadowhunter can work particularly well with melee characters that would usually favor having other melees, such as Berserker and Deathblade. Shadowhunter can also provide great support to independent melee classes too, such as Glaivier, Destroyer, and Reaper. Be wary of running comps that are too range-heavy or lack in Push Immunity, as it may be exploited by knockdown oriented teams.

Shadowhunter's high burst and peel potential also make her fit well into triple DPS teams. All the aforementioned classes can all be put together for oppressive, high damage compositions. Her role would either be as an aggressive ranged to support double melee teams — like being the backline for a Berserker/Striker comp — or be the second ranged fill in a melee/range comp mix, like Destroyer/Sorceress. Shadowhunter can feel more forgiving to play with a double melee than with a second ranged in a no support comp due to her lack of Push Immunities needing a strong frontline, but at the same time, a ranged ally can work effectively against single melee teams that would find great difficulty dealing with peel from either backliner.

Gunlancer specifically opens up more comp viability as he can serve as both a frontline and a support, in which case Wardancer and Striker (light melees) or either a ranged or hybrid ally, like Sharpshooter, Gunslinger, or Soulfist match up well. These comps are better for a defensive playstyle, as damage carry melees would sync up better with Bard or Paladin support.

Overall Shadowhunter is a pretty flex character. While you do not usually want a team that's too lacking in Push Immunities, her ranged capabilities can still work to disrupt enemy combos and get value without being in too much risk.

Gunlancer, Wardancer, Shadowhunter — Support and frontline with Gunlancer gives space to Wardancer and Shadowhunter to execute their gameplan. Wardancer offers great initiation abilities that Shadowhunter can capitalize off of without having to risk melee engages, but still has the opportunity to take over and rotate pressure after Wardancer cooldowns. All classes have a good number of Pushes that can make it difficult for enemies to engage carelessly, while Gunlancer and Shadowhunter can combo off each other well.

Bard, Berserker, Shadowhunter — Incredibly strong rushdown comp that works on a clock. Shadowhunter and Bard buy time for Berserker's long cooldowns and capitalize on enemy engages with a defensive playstyle, then with Heavenly Tune up, both Berserker and Shadowhunter can engage simultaneously on different targets to overwhelm enemy team with damage and pressure while still being safe due to Bard backline support. Flex comp that can do well offensively or defensively depending on cooldown rotation.

Blade, Soulfist, Shadowhunter — Well balanced comp with good damage. Blade's difficulty lies primarily in playing into multiple ranged as a sole melee, but both Soulfist and Shadowhunter can rotate pressure to maintain constant aggression. By making use of Maelstrom, Shadowhunter has lightning fast engages and can cover Deathblade or Soulfist when either goes for heavy damage. This also allows more aggressive play from the Soufist, as Shadowhunter ranged peel tools offer good support.