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Runes: The Only Runes You Need
+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor
Spells:
Flash
Ignite
Recommended Items
Items
Ability Order
Ki Barrier (PASSIVE)
Shen Passive Ability
Threats & Synergies
Aatrox
Tips: W his Passive-AA. Dodge inwards when he Q's. Early Bramble Vest can be good. Either insta E or don't E at all if he hits W, if you wait and E at the wrong time, you will get pulled back and die. He can also interrupt your E with his Qs.
Kha'Zix
I've abused the Shen + Kha'Zix combo for multiple years with my friend Tanu, who's a Challenger Jungler from Finland. Kha ults, Shen ults, you appear together in the enemy backline, Shen taunts everyone and Kha'Zix oneshots the highest priority target. I'm convinced this is one of the best top and jungle DuoQ combinations.
Kha'Zix
I've abused the Shen + Kha'Zix combo for multiple years with my friend Tanu, who's a Challenger Jungler from Finland. Kha ults, Shen ults, you appear together in the enemy backline, Shen taunts everyone and Kha'Zix oneshots the highest priority target. I'm convinced this is one of the best top and jungle DuoQ combinations.
Champion Build Guide
The community translations are not updated as frequently as the main guide.
French: xPetu's Shen Guide FR
All thanks to Sinaloeb for the translation.
Portuguese: xPetu's Shen Guide PT
Special thanks to Igris_Woo for the translation.
German: xPetu's Shen Guide DE
Vielen Dank an Gizmo für die Übersetzung.
Turkish: xPetu's Shen Guide TR
Special thanks to Tutku for the translation!
Spanish: xPetu's Shen Guide ES
Huge thanks to Prosze for the translation!
Russian: xPetu's Shen Guide RU
Thanks to KrumpRizer for the translation!
x Why Should I Play Shen? x Overview of Shen's Abilities
x Split-pushing x Stand United |
x Itemization x Trading Pattern
x Conclusions x Update Log |




Tasked with enforcing the equilibrium between the spirit realm and the physical world, Shen wields blades of steel and arcane energy against any who would threaten it.
“The Eye is blind to fear, to hate, to love – to all things that would sway equilibrium.”
- Shen
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Why Should I Play Shen?
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The Only Runes You Need
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Summoner Spells
Always
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Flash is simply the best and most versatile Summoner Spell in League of Legends. It should be taken every time you play Shen, with no exceptions. Flash can be combined together with your E to perform a "Taunt-Flash", which is discussed in the Mechanics section of the guide. | ||||
Pick One
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Ignite is the primary option for your second Summoner Spell slot. Shen can use Stand United to join his team, which allows him to go for a combat Summoner Spell instead of Teleport. It synergizes well with your strong early game, thus allowing you to play more aggressively. | ||||
Teleport is seen as the standard secondary Summoner Spell for top laners. It allows you to play the map in a versatile manner and acts as Get Out of Jail Free card if you screw up your wave management in the laning phase. Teleport is the safer option in comparison to Ignite. |
Some of you have voiced your concerns on how to choose what to build and I have listened. However, I will never recommend a cookie-cutter build that should be used in every game. The motivation for this is quite simple: I do not want to take the fun of experimenting with different item combinations from you. Inventing new off-meta builds is one of the reasons why I fell in love with League of Legends and I will not take that away from anyone. So be curious and have fun with your item choices, but do try to justify your choices because that's how you will improve.
Mythics
Frostfire Gauntlet Frostfire Gauntlet is a very consistent Mythic item. It offers Shen everything you want from an item: defensive stats, wave clear, sustained damage and utility in the form of AoE slows. The Mythic passive is also exceptional on a health-based champion like Shen. I honestly think that you could build Frostfire every game and do well. Frostfire is also considerably cheaper than Sunfire, and only loses by 5 armor and MR in comparison. |
Turbo Chemtank There are two main reasons for building Turbo Chemtank over its direct competitors, Frost- and Sunfire. Firstly, Turbo Chemtank allows you to catch up to champions with high mobility and/or long range. Efficient usage of Supercharged guarantees Taunts and Q-empowerments. Secondly, Turbo Chemtank's Mythic passive grants Ability Haste which decreases the long cooldown on Shen's ultimate. |
Sunfire Aegis Sunfire Aegis has been the most popular Immolate Mythic but I think it is superseded by Frostfire Gauntlet and Turbo Chemtank in most games. Sunfire Aegis offers more damage and also tenacity. This being said, I still think there are games where Sunfire Aegis is the right option. Sunfire Aegis shines in long, drawn-out fights and as such, it should be built when facing multiple tanks with CC in the enemy team. |
Riftmaker I can confidently say that I am solely responsible for the rise of Riftmaker Shen. In fact, due to advancements in the data science algorithm behind the in-game shop, the surgence of high-winrate Riftmaker Shen players lead to the item being one of the recommended Mythic options for Shen. The item is very cost-effective with a brilliant passive and amplifies ![]() |
Divine Sunderer Shen has always been a good Sheen user, but Divine Sunderer is the first Sheen item that actually fits into his build well. I consider Divine Sunderer to be the best offensive Mythic for Shen. It offers decent stats, an extremely good Spellblade passive and one of the best Mythic passives. Shen's damage composition is hybrid in essence, meaning that gaining both Armor and Magic penetration is extremely valuable. This item is also very fun to play with. I'd recommend picking this Mythic up if you gain a considerable early game lead. |
Goredrinker The Goredrinker changes in Patches 11.21 and 11.22 gave rise to a new Shen build, namely Goredrinker Shen. I theorized the build in a presentation at the time. Goredrinker offers sustain, durability and sufficient waveclear. It can be regarded as an "AD Riftmaker" with built-in waveclear. Patch 12.3 shifted Goredrinker's stats away from Shen's preference, but it can still be built as a "4 fun" Mythic. |
Boots
Plated Steelcaps Buy these when facing multiple AA-based AD champions. (Recommended boots #1) |
Mercury's Treads Buy these when facing hard-CC (and/or AP) champions. (Recommended boots #2) |
Boots of Swiftness Buy these if you're feeling swifty and the enemies have slows. (Fun boots #1) |
Berserker's Greaves Buy these if you're ahead and want to destroy your opponents. (Fun boots #2) |
Legendaries
Titanic Hydra Titanic Hydra is my all-time favorite item and even after the removal of its Unique Active, it is still a powerful item on Shen. Titanic Hydra is the best damage item for Shen and it also gives a considerable amount of Health. Shen's kit revolves around basic attacks and he is one of the only tanks with an Attack Speed boost in kit. Titanic Hydra simply synergizes perfectly with Shen's playstyle and build. |
Thornmail Thornmail's build path and stats are stronger than ever before. Grievous Wounds is generally valuable due to the influx of Omnivamp and other healing effects in the game. Instead of rushing the complete Thornmail, I recommend purchasing ![]() |
Randuin's Omen Randuin's Omen is the best defensive item when it comes to dealing with physical damage. Both the passive and active are fantastic, and the item fits well into Shen's build. Pick this up after your Titanic Hydra versus AD-heavy team compositions. |
Spirit Visage The defensive magic resist option. Spirit visage increases all healing and shielding on you. This naturally includes ![]() |
Abyssal Mask After its changes, Abyssal Mask has turned into a very situational item for Shen. It should be purchased when there are multiple magic damage threats on both teams. You should not underestimate the value of the magic resist reduction. Overall, this item is a powerful option when purchased in the correct situation. |
Wit's End The offensive magic resist option. Wit's End is the best secondary damage item for Shen, after Titanic Hydra. Combined with Frostfire and Titanic, Wit's End makes Shen an inescapable terror with balanced defensive stats and a truckload of damage. |
Force of Nature The situational (additional) magic resist option. I added Force of Nature to the list because it can be a good laning item in some matchups, notably versus high spell-frequency mages like ![]() ![]() |
Gargoyle Stoneplate Stoneplate is the primary late game tank item. It costs a lot but if you manage to finish it as your 4th or 5th item, you become very durable. A lot of people don't know this, but the Active shield actually triggers ![]() |
Sterak's Gage Sterak's Gage is the secondary late game tank item. Since Patch 12.3, Sterak's no longer heals but it can still be purchased if you need mixed survivability. The passive shield on Sterak's will also trigger ![]() |
Warmog's Armor Warmog's Armor was changed in Patch 11.11 and now it is a viable second item for Shen. It offers you sustain for side laning and a lot of bonus health which increases your Ultimate shield. This is a good item vs mixed damage. |
Redemption Redemption is the best support item for Shen. It is a fantastic second item due to its low cost and powerful effects. The RedempShen playstyle is extremely good in higher ranks like Grandmaster and Challenger due to the fast and volatile nature of high rank games. Moreover, this item was significantly buffed in Patch 11.16, making it an even more attractive option than before. |
Demonic Embrace Demonic Embrace is a surprisingly powerful offensive item for Shen. It synergises well with Frostfire Gauntlet because Snowbind applies Azakana Gaze. The HP granted by Frostfire Gauntlet's Mythic passive is also scaled into AP through Dark Pact. I recommend trying the Demonfire combination when facing tanky opponents to make use of the maximum health burn. |
The Extended Trade

To perform the Extended trade, start off by simply using Q to pull the Spirit Blade through your opponent. Now you want to wait for a couple of seconds to let your Q cool down. The 3 empowered Q stacks last for 8 seconds, so you're in no hurry. If the enemy does not respect you, you can simply walk up and start attacking him. After 3 basic attacks, you should position yourself inside of the enemy champion's model to guarantee a second drag-through with your Q. You are almost guaranteed to win the trade if you manage to get all 6 empowered basic attacks off. You can use your E to close the initial gap, to chase for a kill or to disengage after your Qs, depending on the matchup and how the enemy plays it. You should use your W to block the enemy's retaliation attempts during the trade. This trading tool is at its best during the early stages of the laning phase (levels 2-5). Naturally, there is room for variation, i.e. the Extended Trade can be performed from a defensive Spirit Blade position or with any number of initial Q stacks. Always try to adapt the tools to fit the situation presented to you.
The Grasp Chop




The Towercrash Taunt

E-Flash



Q-Flash



Triple-Q Leash


Q-W Protecting





Current Objective

Mirroring Pressure

Vision







Map Awareness

Wave Management


Cast Timing



This is the first guide I've written on MobaFire (excluding when I was 14 years old and tried to make a Silver Lee Sin Guide) and that's why it took me a day or two to get the hang of BBCode formatting. I probably would've struggled even longer, if it were not for the excellent code examples in jhoijhoi's Making a Guide. Additional thanks go to the MobaFire discord server for answering my questions and my Twitch moderator, TrueVenm, for giving out BBCode tips. All in all, I think the guide turned out even better than I originally hoped for and I will definitely keep it updated for the foreseeable future.
References
If you have read this far, I commend you for your diligence and wish you good luck in Solo Queue. I also highly recommend you to check out my Season 11 Shen Climbing Guide. It's a two-hour-long video where I explain top lane concepts ranging from basic to advanced and also show you directly how to apply those concepts in practice. If you enjoyed this guide or learned something new, I would appreciate a subscription on YouTube or a follow on Twitch. If you have any questions, you can leave them in Discussion section or ask them directly through my Discord Server.
- Rework Skin Tier List
Update Log
- 15.2.2022 Patch 12.4 Update: Checked patch notes and added Russian translation.
- 1.2.2022 Patch 12.3 Update: Lots of bruiser item changes in this patch. Changed the descriptions of Divine Sunderer, Goredrinker and Sterak's Gage to reflect my predictions on the impact of the changes. Keeping an eye on Trinity Force.
- 18.1.2022 Patch 12.2 Update: Shen became OP because of the Teleport changes in 12.1, thus he was nerfed this patch. Unfortunately, Riot decided to nerf the skill expressive part of Shen's kit (Empowered Q), instead of nerfing the problem (his R). The guide is updated accordingly.
- 20.12.2021 Patch 11.24 Update: Removed Fleet Footwork from the suggested runes because it is no longer viable on Shen. Made changes to the Itemization section due to the Pre-Season Updates.
- 03.11.2021 Patch 11.22 Update: Goredrinker added to the Itemization section under Mythics. The recent changes have made it attractive for Shen, as explained in my recent YouTube video.
- 06.10.2021 Patch 11.20 Update: Shen's passive shield was nerfed in this patch. It's not the end of the world but you can definitely feel the nerf.
- 11.08.2021 Patch 11.16 Update: Redemption buffed, and it is looking MIGHTY JUICY for Shen right now. Put on your seat belts and enjoy the ELO ride.
- 21.07.2021 Patch 11.15 Update: Adjusted for the new patch. Hullbreaker does not seem to be good on Shen from my testing. I'm still feeling ambivalent about Anathema's Chains.
- 23.06.2021 Patch 11.13 Update: I need to test out Anathema's Chains and Hullbreaker before adding them to the guide, but they seem promising.
- 25.05.2021 Patch 11.11 Update: Added Redemption and Warmog's Armor to the Itemization section. Added Gwen and Lee Sin to the Threats section.
- 12.05.2021 Patch 11.10 Update: Checked Patch notes. RedempShen build is still very strong and Abyssal Mask is a very good 3rd item now.
- 04.05.2021 Spanish Translation: Added yet another translation!
- 28.04.2021 Patch 11.9 Update: Shen buffs! Checked Patch notes and added a link to my RedempShen build in the itemization section.
- 14.04.2021 Patch 11.8 Update: Titanic Hydra nerfed in the early game, it's still ok as first item because the on-hit damage is unchanged. Sunfire Aegis first is viable and probably better in some games.
- 26.03.2021 Turkish Translation: Added another translation!
- 17.03.2021 Patch 11.5 Update: Itemization updated! I now recommend building Titanic Hydra first and then choosing your Mythic item. This allows for more flexibility (and more fun mythic items like Riftmaker). Added a couple of champions to the Synergies section and read the patch notes.
- 03.03.2021 Patch 11.5 Update: Read patch notes. Thinking about including a couple of more Mythic Items (Riftmaker, Immortal Shieldbow).
- 18.02.2021 Patch 11.4 Update: Added German translation, checked patch notes.
- 06.02.2021 Patch 11.3 Update: Checked patch notes and updated accordingly. No direct changes to Shen, but bruiser top laners are weaker (indirect buff).
- 28.01.2021 Portuguese Translation: Special thanks to Igris_Woo for this translation!
- 28.01.2021 S11 Guide Contest: My guide was awarded first place in the category "New Top Guides" in the S11 MOBAFire Guide Contest. Hard work pays off.
- 21.01.2021 French translation: I have added a link to a French translation of the guide as a Google Docs file. Thanks to Sinaloeb for the translation!
- 21.01.2021 Patch 11.2 Update: Added Force of Nature to the itemization section. Updated Frostfire and Sunfire explanations according to patch changes. Reworded miscellaneous parts of the guide.
- 06.01.2021 Initial Release: The guide is finally ready to be published. Worked on this non-stop for the past two days. Very happy with the content and the form. Season 11 starts in 2 days.
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