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Spells:
Exhaust
Ghost
Ability Order
Determination (PASSIVE)
Xin Zhao Passive Ability
Xin zhao the master.
My number one choices for Xin's spells are definitely ghost and exhaust. You can argue the benefits of almost any spell, but these two are standouts for the style of play that this build suggests. I'm talking about getting your *** moving, while slowing down the enemy as much as possible.
Exhaust is key to this build. Your number one difficulty as Xin will be keeping your enemies from running so that you can unload on them. You already have a slow and a knock up, but exhaust is the icing on the cake. A lot of kills will come from chasing down enemies as they are running away. The speed you get Trinity Force, Phantom Dancer, and ghost help, but exhaust is what will make your enemy's escape downright impossible. Exhaust is also great for one on one fights with another powerful melee character. The reduced damage from the enemy can often times tip the scale in your favor. With the mastery points set as they are, you will also be reducing armor and magic resist for that extra little pow.
Ghost is another must-have. The vast majority of your kills early game will come from chasing enemies in your lane who you've already weakened. Late game, although you won't have a problem catching people because of your items, ghost let's you get to the other side of the map in a hurry, or chase down other people using ghost. Using this build, I have literally chased down slower enemies using ghost that have also exhausted me. That's the crazy speed we are talking here. Like I said, this build is all about getting to enemies quickly, slowing them down, and unloading your damage.
Another important thing to remember is that Xin has no real escape mechanism besides his speed. That being said, you can sometimes avoid ganks by using ghost and exhaust defensively. Don't be afraid to avoid your death by popping exhaust on the nearby carry and ghosting out of there.
Other Options
Flash is a decent substitute for ghost. It can get you to a spot fast and save your *** from huge ganks. I still think ghost compliments this build more consistently, but feel free to make that swap.
Ignite can also be put in for those early kills, but in my experience the ghost/exhaust combo has allowed me to finish off most opponents. If you see the enemy team has a Dr. Mundo or Vladimir, then this spell becomes much more valuable. Don't underestimate the healing reduction it gives.
Teleport can be extremely useful on 5v5 for getting around, so you may need to make that change for ghost. Hopefully a tank has teleport instead, and you don't have to sacrifice that killing power.
Cleanse is never a bad idea on any champion, but your focus here should really be bringing the pain to the enemy. It can be extremely useful to diminish your vulnerability to CC if you are facing a Lux or a team with a lot of slows and stuns. Use your judgment based on the other teams champions.
Off-limits!
I'm just going to suggest staying away from these spells for Xin. They definitely have their uses, but the spells I suggest above have more consistent benefits for this build.
Exhaust is key to this build. Your number one difficulty as Xin will be keeping your enemies from running so that you can unload on them. You already have a slow and a knock up, but exhaust is the icing on the cake. A lot of kills will come from chasing down enemies as they are running away. The speed you get Trinity Force, Phantom Dancer, and ghost help, but exhaust is what will make your enemy's escape downright impossible. Exhaust is also great for one on one fights with another powerful melee character. The reduced damage from the enemy can often times tip the scale in your favor. With the mastery points set as they are, you will also be reducing armor and magic resist for that extra little pow.
Ghost is another must-have. The vast majority of your kills early game will come from chasing enemies in your lane who you've already weakened. Late game, although you won't have a problem catching people because of your items, ghost let's you get to the other side of the map in a hurry, or chase down other people using ghost. Using this build, I have literally chased down slower enemies using ghost that have also exhausted me. That's the crazy speed we are talking here. Like I said, this build is all about getting to enemies quickly, slowing them down, and unloading your damage.
Another important thing to remember is that Xin has no real escape mechanism besides his speed. That being said, you can sometimes avoid ganks by using ghost and exhaust defensively. Don't be afraid to avoid your death by popping exhaust on the nearby carry and ghosting out of there.
Other Options
Flash is a decent substitute for ghost. It can get you to a spot fast and save your *** from huge ganks. I still think ghost compliments this build more consistently, but feel free to make that swap.
Ignite can also be put in for those early kills, but in my experience the ghost/exhaust combo has allowed me to finish off most opponents. If you see the enemy team has a Dr. Mundo or Vladimir, then this spell becomes much more valuable. Don't underestimate the healing reduction it gives.
Teleport can be extremely useful on 5v5 for getting around, so you may need to make that change for ghost. Hopefully a tank has teleport instead, and you don't have to sacrifice that killing power.
Cleanse is never a bad idea on any champion, but your focus here should really be bringing the pain to the enemy. It can be extremely useful to diminish your vulnerability to CC if you are facing a Lux or a team with a lot of slows and stuns. Use your judgment based on the other teams champions.
Off-limits!
I'm just going to suggest staying away from these spells for Xin. They definitely have their uses, but the spells I suggest above have more consistent benefits for this build.
Xin Zhao's skills make him a huge asset to ganks. The ability to close distance and slow with Audacious Charge and then knock in the air with Three Talon Strike means your allies will have plenty of time to come in and clean up the scraps (if you haven't already finished the enemy off).
Your passive heals you every 3 hits. This is a HUGE advantage in early game. It means you can lane for long periods of time without wasting money on lifesteal. Even mid and late game you will be healing rather quickly with all the attack speed you will be getting. Keep in mind that if you want to keep laning but are scared of the enemy, jungling for a bit is a viable option to get your health back up.
This is the skill you will level up first, and it will be your bread and butter throughout the game. Not only do you get in 3 quick hits with bonus damage, but you knock up your opponent on the third hit. This allows your teammates to help you out, or slows down the enemy enough to get that kill shot in. Spam this skill as much as you can. It works great in combo with the active of Battle Cry, because your 3 hits will get in faster and the cooldown on TTS will be extremely short.
This skill is great in itself as a passive ability. It boosts your attack speed up to 35%. That's like two daggers for free! You'll want to level this skill early because attack speed benefits Xin like no other champion. Faster attack speed with Tireless Warrior means faster healing. It makes your Three Talon knockup hit sooner. It makes your cooldowns reduce more quickly with Battle Cry's active. Moral of the story? You want attack speed.
Battle Cry's active is also amazing. It doubles the bonus of the passive for 7 seconds. An extra 70% attack speed? Yes, please! Also, during those 7 seconds all cooldowns are reduced by 1 second. This is a HUGE benefit for three talon strike. Don't forget, this also reduces the cooldown of your ult, making it nearly spammable. Word of caution: your passive attack speed bonus goes away while this active is on cooldown. That shouldn't stop you from spamming this skill (extremely low mana cost) to farm and get your ult off of cooldown.
This is a great skill for initiating fights. It's a distance closer, but also slows all enemies around the target. Typically after using this skill, you want to immediately use your ultimate for maximum damage. One point in this skill early is useful for closing distance, but we're going to hold off on more points till late game. The increased slowing is really nice, but we already have many tools for slowing the enemy, as well as a high movement speed to chase the baddies down.
Oh no! That tank has so much health! Nope. It doesn't. You just reduced it by 20%. Welcome to crescent sweep.
This great skill deals some flat damage, as well as a nice 20% of the current enemies health. What does that mean for you, almighty enemy pwner? Use this skill first when you are going for a kill, while their health is still high. A typical skill sequence is Battle Cry, Audacious Charge, Crescent Sweep, Three Talon Strike, and repeat the TTS and AC as much as possible. Not even tanks will last very long.
Your passive heals you every 3 hits. This is a HUGE advantage in early game. It means you can lane for long periods of time without wasting money on lifesteal. Even mid and late game you will be healing rather quickly with all the attack speed you will be getting. Keep in mind that if you want to keep laning but are scared of the enemy, jungling for a bit is a viable option to get your health back up.
This is the skill you will level up first, and it will be your bread and butter throughout the game. Not only do you get in 3 quick hits with bonus damage, but you knock up your opponent on the third hit. This allows your teammates to help you out, or slows down the enemy enough to get that kill shot in. Spam this skill as much as you can. It works great in combo with the active of Battle Cry, because your 3 hits will get in faster and the cooldown on TTS will be extremely short.
This skill is great in itself as a passive ability. It boosts your attack speed up to 35%. That's like two daggers for free! You'll want to level this skill early because attack speed benefits Xin like no other champion. Faster attack speed with Tireless Warrior means faster healing. It makes your Three Talon knockup hit sooner. It makes your cooldowns reduce more quickly with Battle Cry's active. Moral of the story? You want attack speed.
Battle Cry's active is also amazing. It doubles the bonus of the passive for 7 seconds. An extra 70% attack speed? Yes, please! Also, during those 7 seconds all cooldowns are reduced by 1 second. This is a HUGE benefit for three talon strike. Don't forget, this also reduces the cooldown of your ult, making it nearly spammable. Word of caution: your passive attack speed bonus goes away while this active is on cooldown. That shouldn't stop you from spamming this skill (extremely low mana cost) to farm and get your ult off of cooldown.
This is a great skill for initiating fights. It's a distance closer, but also slows all enemies around the target. Typically after using this skill, you want to immediately use your ultimate for maximum damage. One point in this skill early is useful for closing distance, but we're going to hold off on more points till late game. The increased slowing is really nice, but we already have many tools for slowing the enemy, as well as a high movement speed to chase the baddies down.
Oh no! That tank has so much health! Nope. It doesn't. You just reduced it by 20%. Welcome to crescent sweep.
This great skill deals some flat damage, as well as a nice 20% of the current enemies health. What does that mean for you, almighty enemy pwner? Use this skill first when you are going for a kill, while their health is still high. A typical skill sequence is Battle Cry, Audacious Charge, Crescent Sweep, Three Talon Strike, and repeat the TTS and AC as much as possible. Not even tanks will last very long.
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