*Whenever Jarvan III, the king of Demacia, delivers one of his rallying speeches from the glinting marble balcony atop the Royal Palace, Xin Zhao is at his side. Coined the Seneschal of Demacia, Xin Zhao is the personal steward of the Lightshield Dynasty. His enigmatic, silent vigil has led to an abundance of conjecture concerning his ''secret life'' and origins. Whether it's ''Zaun double-agent'' tendered at the dinner table or ''indebted rune mage'' mused in the editorials of the ''Demacian Constant'', Xin Zhao betrays no hints to sate the curiosity of the masses... for good reason.

Prior to the formation of the League, Noxus was renowned for a spectacle called The Fleshing. It was a gladiatorial event with a cruel twist: as a fighter won matches, his number of opponents (generally prisoners of war) fought simultaneously would increase. This meant eventual death for every contender, but with unparalleled glory. Xin Zhao, known then as Viscero, was slated to face 300 soldiers, nearly six times the previous record. This was clearly meant to be his final match. Jarvan II, hearing of this unprescedented feat, infiltrated the arena to offer him an alternative: serve Demacia and punish those who ultimately sentence him to death in exchange for his freedom. Xin Zhao accepted, astonished that a king would risk his own life on his behalf. Under the cover of a prearranged Demacian assault on Noxus, Jarvan liberated Xin Zhao and his 300 opponents. During their retreat, Xin Zhao took a poisoned dart meant for Jarvan. This act of loyalty, from a man who vowed no allegiance, earned Xin Zhao a spot at his side until the day the king died. Now in the service of his son, Jarvan III, Xin Zhao is stepping into a new ring - the Fields of Justice - to fight for his adopted country and to honor the legacy of the man who gave purpose to his life.

''Death is inevitable, one can only avoid defeat.''
- Demacian Manual of Arms

Xin Zhao is a champion that I picked up a few weeks ago, and I found him very fun to play, and not very difficult to learn. This is my build that I came up with from my experience of playing him. If you like a different build I am not going to tell you that this has to be the one you use. I just wish to share the way I play him.

Pros
- Very strong
- Passive lifesteal
- Ultimate deals tons, and gives survivablity.
- Good chaser
- Great duelist
- Dominates when he is fed
- Can lane or jungle
- Gap closer
- AOE Slow
- Knock up

Cons
- No escapes other than summoners
- Very vulnerable to CC
- Vunerable to kiting

I chose Greater marks of desolation for some good armor penetration, this is good on most (if not every) AD champion. Flat armor and magic resist are used for my seals and glyphs, although other good choices are dodge seals and Mr per level glyphs. I took Health quintessences too for more lane stability, but Armor penetration or movement speed quints are also a good choice.

I take 21/0/9 masteries with Xin Zhao, taking all of the AD spots I can. If I decide that I need to be using exhaust for the game, I will take improved exhaust instead of the one point I have in archmage's savvy. I like to use improved ghost, as it is Xin Zhao's only escape. I also took the improved experience, and one point in improved buff duration. Buffs are very good on Xin Zhao. Red buff is good on most melee AD champions, and Blue buff lets you spam your spells a lot more.

I take cloth armor and 5x health potions to start. Once I farm up around 1650 gold, I go back and get wriggle's lantern and Boots of Speed. Wriggle's Lantern lets you farm a lot easier, and gives more lifesteal than the little that your passive gives every three hits. Plus it is a ward every three minutes, too. Then I get a zeal, and finish my Mercury Treads. I get a phantom dancer for some movement speed and attack speed, because I always felt a little bit slow when playing Xin Zhao, and that I needed a bit more attack speed. This gives both of those stats. After that I get a Frozen Mallet, as it gives you lots of Hp and some damage, and helps you chase even more using the passive slow. Then I get a Chain Vest and Negatron Cloak for defense against their casters and AD. I build those items into a Banshee's Veil and an Atma's Impaler, giving you more defense and good attack damage. When this happens, Sell your Wriggle's Lantern and buy a blood thirster. It is a better item than Wriggle's Lantern. You only lose a small amount of armor that will not be needed, and you gain a lot of extra damage. Then you can just quadra Elixir. Also, don't forget to buy elixirs any time you want.

I max out Audacious charge first, because it gives as much damage as three talon strike, and more slow. I then max out my Battle cry for more attack speed. Your three talon strike is a one-point wonder. You should be upgrading it last. And of course, you should take your ultimate whenever you have the opportunity to.

I suggest taking Ghost and Ignite. Ghost lets you catch up for your audacious charge, and get your knock up on your three talon strike. Ignite can finish off champions that still get away after everything else. Ignite also counters some champions like Dr. Mundo, Vladamir, and Swain. Exhaust is also a good choice if your team does not have one, and it helps with finishing off people just the same, as well as helping you with running away from losing battles.

This here is how I play Xin Zhao. Feel free to give me some suggestions for changes on the build. I am open to suggestions, and I am happy to listen to what you have to say. Thank you for reading this, and have a lot of fun playing The Seneschal of Demacia.