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Shen Build Guide by Th3MiteeyLambo

Tank Shen: El Champione of the Jungle

Tank Shen: El Champione of the Jungle

Updated on May 30, 2013
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Th3MiteeyLambo Build Guide By Th3MiteeyLambo 5 2 28,075 Views 2 Comments
5 2 28,075 Views 2 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Th3MiteeyLambo Shen Build Guide By Th3MiteeyLambo Updated on May 30, 2013
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Introduction

Welcome to my guide. This is my first guide, so if you have any ideas on how to make it better i.e. wording, build, etc. please let me know. Also, I would appreciate it if you wouldn't downvote my guide without commenting. Also, I know I'm not ranked anywhere, but don't take one look at my rank and downvote, please comment what you disagree with first.

So, let's get started. I play Shen as an AP bruiser, but also tankier than the average bruiser. The reason I play him in the jungle is because it offers more freedom. If you play him in some lane you might be reluctant to leave using your ulti to save some lives for fear of your lane getting pushed. For the most part I see Shen being played at the top lane, or the bottom lane as a support. There's nothing wrong with playing him there, but like I said above you may be more reluctant to leave your lane if you are in a lane, whereas in the jungle it doesn't matter.
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Tips and Tricks

Okay so there's a few things you need to keep in mind while playing Shen.

First, his passive Ki Strike does extra damage based off of Shen's bonus health, and the cooldown is reduced by basic attacks.

Second, Vorpal Blade puts a mark on an opponent. While that mark is up on your opponent, anyone who basic attacks him gets healed for a portion of shen's maximum health.

Third, while the shield from Feint is up your basic attacks reduce the cooldown of Ki Strike by double the normal amount.

Fourth, when Shen taunts an enemy using Shadow Dash he gets 40 energy refunded for each enemy champion he taunts.

Finally, a good Shen needs to have exceptional map awareness. You need to have eyes on all corners of the map so you can teleport using your Stand United and save some lives!
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Pros / Cons

SPACESPACESPACESPACESPACESPAPROSSPACESPACESPACESPACESPACESCONS
SPACESPACESPACESPACESPACEStrong GanksSPACESPACESPACESPACEExpensive Build
SPACESPACESPACESPACESPACETeam ProtectorSPACESPACESPACESPACSlow Start
SPACESPACESPACESPACESPACESustainabilitySPACESPACESPACESPACElEnergy Management
SPACESPACESPACESPACESPACEHigh Damage(for a tank)SPACESPACESlBanned A LOT
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Summoner's Spells

The summoner spells I almost always go with while jungling are Smite and Teleport.


Smite is a must because that extra damage on the monsters is really helpful.


I like to use Teleport because along with Shen's ulti Stand United he can be almost everywhere at once.

Other viable spells


Ghost is viable to help get from point A to point B, I still prefer to use Teleport over Ghost, because you can go farther with Teleport.


Ignite is also a decent choice during ganks to ensure the kill. However, usually your teammate will be using Ignite and throw that up onto the enemy to ensure they won't get away.


Flash is a good summoner spell no matter who you are. It is a great escape tool, as well as a good chase tool. I normally don't use Flash because Shen's Shadow Dash acts as a jump with about the same range as Flash,
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Masteries

Like it shows above, I like to use 4/26/0 for my masteries.

OFFENSIVE MASTERIES
First, we invest in Fury because the extra attack speed helps Shen use his Ki Strike faster and more often.

DEFENSIVE MASTERIES
For the defensive side we go with Summoner's Resolve to get that extra 10 gold on all of our smites. Then Perseverance for some extra health regen. Next, Durability for more health which benefits his Ki Strike and the heal from his Vorpal Blade. We need to waste two points on Tough Skin in order to get to Bladed Armor , which is worth it. Three points each for Hardiness and Resistance for some extra armor and magic resist. Next, Veteran's Scars for some more health. Then a point for Safeguard in order to tank turrets more effectively. Now Juggernaut for even more health, Legendary Armor to increase your armor and magic resist, and Honor Guard for even more damage resistance.
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Runes

Here's the runes I usually go with:
3 x Greater Quintessence of Magic Penetration
These quints are pretty standard for my Shen build, but you could also go for some Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed to help you navigate through the jungle faster. I, however, prefer to use the Magic Penetration quints, because it deals more damage in the long run, even compared to Greater Quintessence of Ability Power.

9 x Greater Seal of Armor
I chose these seals because the extra armor from them can make or break your jungling.

9 x Greater Mark of Health
I use these marks to make Shen a little more beefy. It also helps do more damage with his Ki Strike.

9 x Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist
I like to use the scaling version for magic resist, because during early game you don't have to worry about your enemy AP's having too much Ability Power.
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Skills

1. Ki Strike (Passive)
What this does is allows you to release a more powerful basic attack every 9 seconds, this attack also refunds you some energy. This 9 second cooldown is reduced by 1 second for each basic attack (2 while feint is active). But wait there's more, it does a portion of Shen's bonus health as magic damage.

2. Vorpal Blade (Q)
This is a very interesting ability. It is Shen's primary damage dealer, while also being a big part of his sustain. After throwing it the opponent is marked, and while they are marked every attack made against the opponent heals the attacker for a portion of Shen's maximum health. Since the mark has a healing effect, I usually throw a Vorpal Blade at whomever we are focusing, so that your team can get healed while attacking.

3. Feint (W)
This ability allows Shen to soak up a lot of damage, while not losing any health. It shields Shen from any damage, and while the shield is up his basic attacks reduce his Ki Strike cooldown by 2 seconds instead of 1.

4. Shadow Dash (E)
This is Shen's taunt/jump. It can be used as an escape tool, or as an initiator. You can use it to dash through walls. It deals magic damage when you hit an enemy with it. For each enemy champion you taunt you get refunded 40 energy, which is nice because it takes 120/200 energy to cast it. Also, taunted enemies do 50% less damage to you while taunted.

5. Stand United (R)
This is the money maker. Shen teleports to a friendly champion, and while he is teleporting your teammate gets a massive shield. I suggest using this to save lives, not for just getting around the map, but that part is up to you.
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Items

When you clear the jungle and have at least one gank kill or assist under your belt you should go back and buy a Giant's Belt, and if you don't have enough gold I suggest getting a Chain Vest. Next time you go back either buy a Giant's Belt or a Chain Vest depending on which you bought first. If, on your first recall, you got a Giant's Belt invest in a Chain Vest, and vice versa. If you don't have enough to get either, buy some Boots and maybe a Null-Magic Mantle if possible. Next recall if you have enough to finish off your Sunfire Aegis do so, otherwise finish your Mercury's Treads. If you finished off your Sunfire Aegis and have 950+ gold on your next recall get a Recurve Bow, otherwise finish your Mercury's Treads. If you finished your Mercury's Treads first finish your Sunfire Aegis. After this point you should just finish your Wit's End then get either a Rylai's Crystal Scepter or Warmog's Armor depending on if your team is winning or losing respectively. I rarely get to full build with Shen, because his build is very expensive and most games don't last 40+ minutes. So, after this point it really is up to you, I suggest a Randuin's Omen, Spirit Visage, Thornmail, or Runic Bulwark.

If you are facing a heavy AD team I suggest a Thornmail or Randuin's Omen, if they are havy on AP get a Spirit Visage, and if they're for the most part balanced and/or your support didn't grab one get a Runic Bulwark.
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Jungling Route

The route:
    Blue Golem
    Wolves
    Wraiths
    Golems
    Red Lizard
    Dragon?

This is pretty standard for almost any jungler out there. You may want some help with the blue golem, but if you have 4+ people there to help you I suggest taking wolves first.

After taking blue buff, put a point into your W, Feint and continue on through the jungling route. Then after taking the smaller golems, you should have enough experience to put a point into your E, Shadow Dash. Once you have your Shadow Dash you should be able to gank pretty effectively.
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Ganking

First, you should always wait until at least level 3 to gank so that you have your Shadow Dash handy, however, if one of your lanes is losing really badly you may need to babysit them.

Second, no matter where you are ganking top, mid, or bottom, make sure that the enemy has pushed your team back somewhat. Then run a diagonal towards the outer range of their tower (don't get into range of their tower), so that you can cut them off. Then it should be the enemy in between you and your teammate. Do a E-W-Q-passive ( Shadow Dash- Feint- Vorpal Blade- Ki Strike) combo and let your teammate finish him off. This will do a significant amount of damage, but in most cases not enough to actually kill.

Third, sometimes your teammate will want you to take over their lane for a little while, whether they died or need to go back to the spawn fountain. While laning with Shen you have a really good poke with your Vorpal Blade, so I suggest spamming that, or using it to farm.
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We Stand United

I know, the title for this chapter is really bad, but I figured a chapter dedicated to Shen's ulti, Stand United was necessary.

This is Shen's best ability, it allows you to get anywhere in a pinch, and prevent a few deaths on your team. In order to be effective with this ability, you must have really good map awareness. I usually watch the health bars on the left side of the screen. If someone is getting really low I take a look at them, and if they're not safe I use Stand United.

I usually try to use Stand United in team fights to protect either the AD or AP carry, because if you can keep them alive for even a few seconds longer, that could make or break the team fight.
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Summary

If you just happened to skim over this guide and not actually read it, the one thing I suggest is to read the Tips and Tricks section, because that is some of the most important things to keep in mind while playing Shen.

In conclusion, remember to save lives using your ulti Stand United, and have fun!
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Th3MiteeyLambo
Th3MiteeyLambo Shen Guide
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Shen: El Champione of the Jungle

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