Welcome to my guide of Xin Zhao! I will explain you how xin works and why and when you should pick him as Jungler. I played Xin mostly to reach Silver I, he's a very strong pick due to his mobility, damage and high defensive stats per level.

Hes a very complete champion so he can fill the role of utility-tank or carry-diver bruiser!

You should build Tank Xin when you have a squishy top, such as Rengar, Riven, Teemo or Jayce and Bruiser Xin when there's another bruiser, such as Renekton, Garen, Yorick or Nasus

Lets gets started!

Pros
- Very good ganks
- A lot of CC
- Naturally tanky
- Highest melee basic attack range
- Gapclose
- Good sustain

Cons
- No escape
- No poke
- Slow jungle camp/wave clear

- Need Team fight utility
- Need Crowd Control
- Need Carry diving
- Need Tanks with engage
- Need a high mobility jungler who can help someone with poor laning, or to counter slow junglers like Sejuani or Nautilus. Also counters Vi
- Want to Combo with Yasuo
- Squishy enemy team
- Need Physical Damage

Abilities

[Passive] Challenge Your attacks shreds enemy's armor by 15%, this is why you can dive carries, just attack the carry and your ADs will do the dirty part.

[Q] Three Talon Strike Three Talon strike does three fast basic attacks with a bonus damage. The third attack knocks the target. ( Yasuo: Yay!) Aditionally this gives Xin Zhao a little attack range bonus and the three attacks animation is faster than the basic one. Always combine with your Battle Cry

[W] Battle Cry Passively heals every third attack and when activated gives you attack speed, always use when farming and fighting. Gives a lot of sustain in the jungle with a single point on the skill.

[E] Audacious Charge Gapclose with slow, wonderful ability, use this to slow or to get close when the enemy kites a lot, combined with a ward you can follow someone who Flashed or dashed through a wall.

[R] Crescent Sweep This is why you're a threat in teamfights, and does a considerable damage. Dive someone and ult, this will leave the target alone, 'cause you will knock everyone away, and will probably instadie. If you hit'd 3-4 champions with your ult, you will receive a lot of armor and magic resist and you will be extremely tanky. You can also do a [E]+[R] start on a gank.

Spells

Just the only 2 viable spells on Xin Zhao
Smite because your a jungler and you want to secure objectives and clear camps/waves faster. If you aren't taking Smite, you aren't a jungler.
Flash becuase you don't have any escape, and you don't need Ghost when you have a gapclose with a decent range to chase and can't escape through walls.

Skill sequence

Maxing E first allows you to gank better and be more useful overall, max Q second for the damage and CDR.

Runes

You can use both

These gives you a lot of utility, when you have more movement you will stay in Three Talon Strike and Audacious Charge range when needed, the attack speed helps you to proc Battle Cry more often and to land the third Three Talon Strike

These gives you tons of damage if you are planning to build bruiser or if you want more damage when building tank.

Masteries

Items

Core

Just too good, gives you mixed resistances, CDR, a shield and health regeneration, no mention that also affect allies. If the support is building it already just take a Hexdrinker if there's an AP threat or Sunfire Aegis for an AD threat. If you took a sunfire and have a free slot you can also buy Frozen Heart, Banshee's Veil or Warmog's Armor.

Mercury if there's a lot of CC, magic damage or just if you aren't sure, Tabi if there's too much AD threat or autoattackers.

This is the item of the season, is just amazing, AoE slow, armor and a lot of health. A must buy because of the passive, active and health.

An excellent choice unless there's no AP in the enemy team, the health, CDR and magic resist are just too good on Xin. Can be replaced by Frozen Heart if there's no AP on the enemy team.

Spirit of the Elder Lizard if you're building Tank, you will do like 0 damage mid game without this, the 25 AD, True damage DoT and CDR are too good. Spirit of the Ancient Golem for Bruisers, gives you health to survive early-mid game because you will build mostly damage, The Brutalizer, and then 1 tanky item ( Randuin's Omen) team.

If the enemy is stacking amor get Last Whisper, if the enemy is stacking health Blade of the Ruined King. Take instead of Spirit of the Elder Lizard on Tank build and whenever necessary on Bruiser build. If the enemy is mostly squishy take Trinity Force.

Others

You can choose here, if you are having problems with ADs, grab Sunfire Aegis otherwise, Maw of Malmortius. If you aren't sure Sunfire Aegis is overall a better choice, the health and DPS are really good on teamfights and duels

Take this when is fed someone like: - Fiora - Tryndamere - Master Yi - Gangplank - Caitlyn - Lucian - Yasuo - Vayne - Sivir - Ezreal You need health to be effective

Black Cleaver is the best item for Xin Zhao, Black Cleaver fits in all builds in any moment. Get Trinity Force if you are planning to build 1 or 2 damage items because is too expensive and will delay too much a bruiser build, Trinity Force gives you insane damage even without another damage items.

Ill try to explain, basically, how to play him and some tricks.

Jungling
You have 3 possible starts:

- Standard S4 start, Blue Buff with a light leash and Smite, then Wolves or Wraiths then Red Buff with Smite again, and gank with your new red buff.
- Botlane start, start on the buff closest to the botlane for 3-man light leash with Smite, then Wolves or Wraiths then the next Buff with Smite again, and gank.
- Start on Red Buff. This is if you are pretty sure that the enemy jungler will try to steal your Red Buff. I always do this vs Lee Sin or Rengar.

Jungle Times and Objectives
IMPORTANT WHEN FIGHTING/TAKING OBJECTIVES: NEVER MISS YOUR Smite!
Blue/Red Buff respawn time: 5 mins. If you see the enemy jungler far away from their buffs near the respawn time, try to steal the buff, take the lessers if you are planing to steal again.
Wraiths, Wight and Wolves: 50 secs. Try to steal wraiths when ganking mid and golems/wight when ganking top.
Golems: 1 min
Dragon: 6 mins. Take when:
- Your team got 2 kills on bot or enemies recalled
- Enemy jungler died or its too far
- The enemy can't contest
- Your team have enough wards to secure the objective
- Everyone is in their lanes and you can solo
Baron: 7 mins. Take when:
- Jungler is in bot or died
- Any enemy died and your team can beat the enemy team in a 5v5 fight (Baron Damage is too high, its like an enemy)
- Your team destroyed an inhibitor

Ganking:

When you are level 3 with double buff, you are ready to gank, you may want to gank the lane with someone that lacks of escapes or its pusing a lot. Ganking with Xin Zhao its pretty easy:

- Most of times you want your laner to start a trade then you can enter from behind. You should enter WALKING, get on melee range and attack with your Three Talon Strike and Battle Cry and the Red Buff, if the enemy Flashes away then you will gap-slow him with your Audacious Charge. ALWAYS save your Audacious Charge to get close and slow the enemy when they Flashes, Leaps, or dashes away, if you always do this, its 90% kill.
- Lane ganks are different, you need to walk into the bushes while your laner is pushing the waves and tower dive the enemy, this time you need to start with Audacious Charge, if they Flash away just retreat, you cant chase someone under the turret unless you're too many and you can Flash or burst the enemy before receiving too many turret shots.
- Post-6 you can enter from behind and Crescent Sweep to knock the enemy to your side (like dragons rage) then attack. This is very effective but takes a lot of practice to master

Thanks for reading my guide, hopefully you can climb high with him!

Max R>E>Q>W
Gank with QW and E when enemy Flashes
21/9 masteries
Tank: AS reds MS quints Armor yellows MR blues
AD: AD reds AD quints Armor yellows MR blues