Hi. This is aronzei. First of let me list some things. 1. I'm not a pro. I don't even understand wtf ELO is. 2. I'm not ranked. I just like making different builds and improvising. 3. I just bought Shen and was wondering what kind of things I can make.

And damn I was surprised.

At first I was only speculating what is the capacity of Shen. Just using estimates however, I believe Shen to be a good duelist in long winding fights. Naturally tanky augmented by built in CC and good items, I BELIEVE - yes BELIEVE - somehow someway there is a way to find the right build and play to create a perfect Shen - for my eyes at the very least.

I made this guide to share and compare somewhat to the current meta and continue to improve upon it. Within it, I intend to compare the records of most champions to what Shen can do that shall be found in this guide.

Lastly, I hope you enjoy reading as I enjoyed typing it.

R>Q>W>E

There is preference of W over E for farming/defensive purposes and also depending on Ki Strike for dps. E is optimal at level 1. Increasing only decreases cooldown with increasing damage but that 120 energy cost is not really meant for 2 successive casts.

Current rune setup is:
(All Tier 3 and Primary)
7 arpen 2 as
7 ar 2 health booster
9 mr/lvl
1 health regen quint
1 mr/lvl quint
1 ms+ quint

As you can see this is a cr*ppy rune page for the intended Shen proving it's experimental nature. This for the purpose of gauging improvements and/or changes that can be made to further improve an aspect of a specific nature.

I am planning whether to go full as rune or go hybrid rune. To be tested. (and grinded. meh.)

Current Mastery setup 8/22/0 is for the sake of jungling and tankiness. Tanky = more damage which is good.

Blue>Wolf>Wraith>Golem>Red

Jungling is fairly easy but is quite hard to clear out compared to other junglers. By the time you have Red, your Blue is gone and you have 1Q1W1E and ready for ganking.

Earliest Dragon

After you've got a Madred's Razor, and 3Q you are good for dragon. I think I still had the Red Elixir I used for ganking at this specific attempt I recall. Bring potions since you don't have lifesteal and will rely on your Q+W combo. Note: Personally I don't use Q for last hit while jungling. The heal for your Q is the calculated health per 5 sec for 3 sec rounded up. Therefore your heal is 3 times better when attacking.

Ganking

Always gank with a Red. Steal their red if you must.

Earliest Baron

The minimum requirements for this is level 11 Shen + 2 Hitters. During this specific playthrough I was with a Kayle and an Irelia both with dps items. Minimum items is Giant's Belt, Madred's Razor and Mercury Boots. Just use Q+W combo. You may notice that you tend to run out of energy. Remember: Stay CLOSEST to Baron. Baron autoattacks the closest and casts randomly in the area. Your Q will sustain them easily along with yourself.

The order as to which to buy is as the order on the item purchases. They are currently considered the optimal (ar+,mr+,hp+) for survivability and damage. This is your core. If you have already built up to Frozen Mallet, you are ready to initiate fights with your team.

Each item bought next considers what you need.
Are you in danger from magic and need damage?
- Prioritize Wit's End.
Is there a threat from AD types?
- Prioritze Atma's Impaler.

During my specific playthrough, the game ended with this.

After wits end, the game was already finished thus ending the experiment.

Post Game

You could try Leviathan. Your W is affected by your resistances and if you get a 20 stack, your shield will prove to be a lot of trouble with its low cooldown. However since your AP is relatively small, its apparent health is not that big. If it scaled with your hp... that'd be too OP I think.

Your Madred's could be updated to Bloodrazor if there are a lot of tanky enemies or you could sell it and go Malady.

Your primary role with this Shen is to outfarm, and out-gank the opposing enemy.
Also with your core built, try to pick overextended chases, roaming and jungling.
Use wards on critical points to make sure you have the advantage (dragon and baron usually. enemy jungle for counter jungling).

Change.

- Aron