Shen Build Guide by Iguanasaurusrex

Introduction

(IMPORTANT: READ PAST THE ITEMS. THEY ARE ALL EXPLAINED. I DON'T RUSH A WARMOGS. DEAL WITH IT)

What??! Shen isn't banned? Guess you're playing a normal, or the enemy team captain has never been crushed by the EYE OF TWILIGHT. Whatever reason, enjoy standing on their faces while you plow through as the un-killable ninja.

This build is an example of how Shen should be played.
I've been playing Shen a long time now, and have managed to get a firm grip of his play-style. I have to say, he is probably the most rewarding, and most fun, tank out there in the league. This build will hopefully make sure you squeeze the most enjoyment out of him as possible, while PWNING FACE.

Enjoy :3

Pre-guide calming words.

Hear me out please, friendly league community.
As I've said, I've been playing Shen for a long time, since I first started playing this game (A long time ago). It makes me die inside to see Shen players rushing that early health. A lot of good league players don't, but the vast majority of people unfamiliar with him fall into the same trap over and over. And over.
A far superior way to build, in my opinion, is to amass armor and magic resistance primarily, then stack the health up in the Mid/Late game. This is because his 'W', which is his shield, negates the need for early health, and is made far more effective with armor and MR. At level 3, it gives you 170 health, and comes off cool down so quick it may as well be permanent, especially with the blue buff. Therefore, this build is focused around getting heaps of armor and MR early game to carry you through to the late game.

Pros/ Cons

Pros:

Super tanky. End of.
Fantastic lane dominance (even 2v1).
Great 1v1 ability.
Sweet initiator.
Saves team-mates a bazillion times over with his ult.
Potent all the way through all the stages of the game.
Versatile role-wise (mainly top laner, but can also jungle effectively, and support)
He's a friggin NINJA.


Cons:

Banned a lot in draft/ranked games.
Energy cost quite high.
Other tanks can become a little tankier - a LITTLE.
Cant think of anything else :/

Masteries

Pretty standard masteries for a tank. Really, you want them explained? -_-

Grab 21 points in defense. Don't get the improved heal, it's not used in this build, and in m opinion, should never be.
The Hardiness and Resistance masteries are really nice little perks, giving you 6 extra armor and MR, and making your early game that much easier.
Veteran's Scars You really not gonna grab this? So good, the 30 health is such a life-saver.
It combines excellently with the other masteries to give you a nice chunk of life.
The cooldown reduction mastery: Really nice on Shen. He can pop out his abilities so quickly, but shortening the cooldown even more is truly beneficial.
The others are fairly self-explanatory, but they basically just make you harder to kill.
Which is always nice.

Runes

Yeah, I know, it looks like a HORRENDOUS N00B has slept all over his keyboard.
But, the added 34 armor makes you so undeniably hard to kill. Admittedly, there are other, perhaps preferable options, like the attack speed marks, which make better use of the offensive nature of the mark. Feel free to use these instead, if you wish, the core build will still make you tanky enough.
The magic resist per level: Unless you've been counter picked top, and have come up against some nasty AP champion, you're unlikely to face too much Magic damage until the Mid/Late game, which is when these bad boys show their worth.

Summoner Spells

Exhaust: I am completely addicted to this spell, and take it over Ignite The vast majority of the time. It enables your escape, your catch-up, and your sneaky level one bush fight by slowing and reducing the damage of your opponent.

Ghost: Still not sure about this or flash, but tempted to say that ghost is a more worthwhile summoner spell. The speed really helps to initiate properly, surprisingly, and of course, the cowardly get away while your carries and beaten into a pulp.

Other viable picks:
Flash: Really neat spell. Combines well with your taunt to initiate over a long distance. Lets you get away where otherwise you would not.

Teleport: Highly viable. You have total map dominance with your ult. Enables you to keep your tower for far longer than without this spell, and also works as a substitute when your ult is on cool down (or you haven't hit 6-you should probably go ahead and reach that stage, its quite important).

Items

Right, the most CONTROVERSIAL PART of the whole guide.
As I said before, its a mistake to get the early health on Shen, no matter how tempting it may seem. It simply wastes his 'W'. For this reason, you're gonna want to go:

Boots of Speed: Standard item, little explanation needed. Makes your dude move a bit quicker.

Health Potion: Again, little explanation required. You have money left over from buying your boots. No need to waste it. Gives you nice sustain in the lane, combined with the re-gen effects of your Q.

Heart of Gold: Gives you a nice chunk of health (I'm contradicting myself here, but come on, you need SOMETHING to work with), but more importantly, gives you 5 gold every 10 seconds, which really stacks up, paying for itself in about 27 minutes, and also builds into your Randuin's Omen. What's not to like?

Wit's End: Such a good item. Gives you a hefty chunk of MR to begin with, plenty more than you need at this stage in the game, but that amount also increases when you punch things. So nice. Plus, the extra magic damage works great with your passive (Ki strike: Magic damage on auto-attack every few seconds - cool down decreases when every time you auto-attack).

Randuin's Omen: Another perfect item for any tank. Health, health regen, armor, and cool-down reduction. Plus, with the active combined with your summoners and frozen mallet, there's no way the enemy team is getting away.

Frozen Mallet: Another step to making you un-killable. At this point in the game, your 'W' will have become slightly less effective, so the health is going to be a very welcome benefit. The damage is fairly useful, but the 40% slow more so.

Warmogs's Armor: Now, THIS is the time to grab your warmog's. Even without being stacked, it will get you up to the 4000 health mark. The mark where you become nigh on indestructible. This will increase the damage on your vorpal blade, giving you a better damage output as well.

Thornmail: +100 armor. You didn't really need it too much, but now you have it, you've stopped dying. Unless that STUPID Evelynn has fed them to the point of no return. That said, you're still going to be a difficult target to take down.

Skill Sequence/ Play-style

You need all your skills. So get them, ASAP.
To properly excel, I advise pumping the shield on your 'W' to about level 3 before getting the points in your 'Q'. Otherwise, what was the point in following this build?
Mind you, your Vorpal Blade damage is very potent, great at picking up those last hits on minions and annoying 4 HP champions. Plus, the more health you have, the more damage it does, and the more health it gives you when you auto-attack your target. A thoroughly OP skill :3
Don't max your taunt until last, you noob. The taunt length doesnt increase with levels.

Playstyle: Minions are vital, as with any other champion. Grab last hits with your 'Q' and the nice magic damage from your passive and you should be fine.
Warning: Do not push the lane. Shen can comfortably last hit at his tower. Shen is less comfortable while being carelessly ganked by a jungler thirsting for a first blood.
Feel free to harrass your lane opponent, unless you really think they can beat you one versus one. When you feel like one of you has commited, keep pressing your 'W' and 'Q'. Do not use your taunt for initiation in a 1v1 WHERE THE OTHER PERSON IS LIKELY TO COMMIT (if they aren't feel free). It has a really hefty energy cost that you will be missing while spamming your other two abilities.
Your ultimate is key to your teams success. Don't be selfish. Be constantly aware of various engages around the map. Your presence will turn the tides in your teams favor 95% of the time. Also, your team will rage at you if you don't use it as often as possible.

Summary

Shen is a super tanky, fairly high damage output champion that excels at all stages in the game. This is why he is perma-banned. Can save games with his ult, and dominates whichever lane he happens to be in. There are no reasons not to play him, other than you want a higher damage dealer, such as Riven. But who wants that, right?

Iguanasaur :3

Have fun guys.