I always used to hate Shadow as I could never get a decent game on it. One shot slightly off the left ramp and it was straight down the middle or outlane.
Last week I borrowed a friends' Shadow so that i could host a tournament this weekend and for the first dozen or so practice games it was exactly the same, so I tried some different tactics.
Shooting for Vengence is too risky due to the standups guarding the left ramp being so close to the flippers that a missed shot is almost certain death.
Trying for Shadow multiball, easy enough to achieve but not worth huge amounts, likewise with Battlefield.
I tried the left orbit / shadow loop strategy as demonstrated by Bowen, but despite getting some decent scores around 1B, couldn't get much further and it doesn't progress towards Final Battle.
By far the best strategy I have found is concentrate on shooting for scenes, once a scene starts go back to Left Orbit/Shadow Loop. Yes it's a tight shot, but once you get it nailed the points flow, plus if you miss it's far enough away to allow you a chance of saving the ball.
I find that using this strategy you end up getting the other multiballs and battlefield just by the ball careering around, which then sets up Final Battle. I've reached FB twice in the last week and completed it once.
Another good scoring opportunity is the Secret Laugh Mode, although it does mean you've got an extra scene to complete before FB.
I've now managed to wipe all my friends scores off the high score table, with the best being 2.8B. Doubt he's going to lend me anything again.