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I'm pretty sure the major difference is that The Matchmaker actively words towards getting the couple together, while a Shipper on Deck doesn't. The Shipper will usually go only so far as to tease the couple they're shipping or make jokes about them.
Edited by KarxridaIf that's the distinction indeed, then it's really unclear from both the descriptions and the examples.
Fiat iustitia, et pereat mundus.

The Matchmaker claims that Shipper on Deck is a subtrope, without explaining what sets it apart. Shipper on Deck, meanwhile, claims the following as its distinction: "Contrasting with The Matchmaker, the Shipper on Deck is usually a secondary character and the characters shipped are the protagonists of the story, and likely to be the Official Couple." That's all fine and dandy, except that it doesn't specify what The Matchmaker itself normally does to complete the contrast. Furthermore, the two descriptions read very similarly to each other, which compounds the problem.
Can anyone help clarify this to me?