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Choose Champion Build:
-
Top + Mid
-
Jungle
-
Support
-
River Shen (meme)
Recommended Items
Runes: Grasp + Domination
1
2
3
Resolve
Domination
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+15-140 HP (lvls 1-18)
Spells:
1
2
Flash + Ignite
Flash
Ignite
Items
Threats & Synergies
Extreme
Major
Even
Minor
Tiny
None
Low
Ok
Strong
Ideal
Azir
Ranged matchup like Akshan but he is more vulnerable lvl 1, stronger at lvl 2 and always outscales you. Ganking him can sometimes be hard. Take TP and play for Ults.
Kha'Zix
invisible ults = OP
Ideal
Strong
Ok
Low
None
Kha'Zix
invisible ults = OP
Patch Updates
This section will cover future patches and how they will affect Shen (will not reference patches that aren't important)
Patch 13.23: Turret gold got buffed again, basically neglecting the change they made a few patches ago and nerfing Shen again lol.
Patch 13.21: Hullbreaker is getting nerfed, but still seems to be strong. Let's just hope to god they remove the item at some point. I also updated the runes to give you more options as well as the items to fit into the current meta. Items like Iceborn Gauntlet and Jak'Sho feel pretty good and it seems like you aren't forced that much into a supportive playstyle. Try them out for yourself and let me know! (Credit for my inspiration goes to IMainToplane, goated Shen player)
Patch 13.20: Not really any direct Shen changes, but a lot of other changes that indirectly affect him. Turret gold is getting nerfed, meaning that roaming around the map early on isn't as punishing anymore. However, early drakes are getting nerfed, which means ulting to secure the first few drakes isn't as worth it anymore (in Top Lane). Most runes are getting nerfed later on, except Grasp, which means it is overall a bit stronger and better for Shen. Doran's items (including DShield) are getting buffed a lot so you might opt a lot more for DShield instead of Ruby Crystal, even against melees. Jungle is getting nerfed, which means Shen Jungle is even more **** pls never play this unless Shen gets direct monster damage buffs. Death Timers are also lower, which might make early kills not as impactful anymore. Let's just hope riot listens and fixes Shen (they are already rescripting Fiora so we might be able to block vitals with W again).
Patch 13.18: Guide rework after a little hiatus. Added new runes and updated my item section based on the current state of the game. I also acquired more experience and knowledge about Shen Mid and can confidently say that this is Shen's best role by a landslide. Try it out for yourself!
Patch 13.6: SHEN FINALLY GOT THE SKIN WE WERE WAITING FOR! Oh and also no relevant balance changes
Patch 13.5: Grasp got a little nerf to it's healing, but in return, you receive more HP per proc, which is quite nice for Shen's scaling. Triumph now heals off of your max health as well as missing health so it's overall better for Shen. Plated Steelcaps got buffed because they were a lot worse than we thought. Now they are actually good, but still worse than Ionians (except if you play against full AD/Auto-Attack based teams).
Patch 13.4: Doran's Shield got nerfed, diminishing our early power in lane quite a bit, especially against ranged enemies. However, I've already thought of a good alternative to Doran's Shield. Both support items for Shen got buffed, giving you a lot more health regen, which helps against poke laners.
Patch 13.3: Iceborn Gauntlet finally received it's bug fix and properly works on Shen, meaning it's actually a viable option! Radiant Virtue, while getting nerfed for most tanks, got even stronger for Shen since his Ult cooldown is super high by default so he just gets more stats for free. This item is a must-build in my opinion if you want to play like a supportive tank (the heal and ability haste amp removal is still a nerf tho).
Patch 13.1: Nerfed Jak'Sho so it's no longer OP, but "just" strong. It has been discovered that Radiant Virtue is super strong so build that. Iceborn is apparently still bugged for Shen (not applying the debuff if you are shielded) so don't build it until it gets fixed.
Patch 12.23: They buffed Sunfire! It now cost 100 gold less and also gives you 100HP more, very very neat. They also buffed a lot of tanks this patch and Shen is generally good against tanks. Overall pretty happy with the changes.
Patch 12.22: PRESEASON PATCH! New Top Lane tank mythics are out, guide will be updated a lot over time, but right now, Jak'Sho and Heartsteel are the best imo, Radiant Virtue felt kinda lackluster to me and a bit too support focused. IBG feels weird because no MR and it lost synergy with Demonic, probably wont build this item ever again. You should still take bamis cinder and build it into sunfire, pretty good item on Shen (or build tiamat into titanic if they literally have no AD). You don't need a damage item anymore and can go straight into tank items. Randuins and Frozen Heart are both viable now in the right circumstances. Turbo Chemtank is super situational and is basically Dead Mans, but against AP. Abyssal Mask got changed and is no longer viable in my opinion. Gargoyle might be super strong combined with the new tank items. We'll see how this turns out over the preseason.
Patch 12.20: Demonic Embrace got changed, but it's a nerf for Shen since they nerfed the Health for more AP and nerfed the max health ratio on the burn effect. Demonfire might be strong still but the -100 health and -0.2% max health ratio nerf hurt a bit. Sterak's Gage got buffed, might be worth building again in some very rare cases (probably in combination with titanic hydra).
Patch 13.23: Turret gold got buffed again, basically neglecting the change they made a few patches ago and nerfing Shen again lol.
Patch 13.21: Hullbreaker is getting nerfed, but still seems to be strong. Let's just hope to god they remove the item at some point. I also updated the runes to give you more options as well as the items to fit into the current meta. Items like Iceborn Gauntlet and Jak'Sho feel pretty good and it seems like you aren't forced that much into a supportive playstyle. Try them out for yourself and let me know! (Credit for my inspiration goes to IMainToplane, goated Shen player)
Patch 13.20: Not really any direct Shen changes, but a lot of other changes that indirectly affect him. Turret gold is getting nerfed, meaning that roaming around the map early on isn't as punishing anymore. However, early drakes are getting nerfed, which means ulting to secure the first few drakes isn't as worth it anymore (in Top Lane). Most runes are getting nerfed later on, except Grasp, which means it is overall a bit stronger and better for Shen. Doran's items (including DShield) are getting buffed a lot so you might opt a lot more for DShield instead of Ruby Crystal, even against melees. Jungle is getting nerfed, which means Shen Jungle is even more **** pls never play this unless Shen gets direct monster damage buffs. Death Timers are also lower, which might make early kills not as impactful anymore. Let's just hope riot listens and fixes Shen (they are already rescripting Fiora so we might be able to block vitals with W again).
Patch 13.18: Guide rework after a little hiatus. Added new runes and updated my item section based on the current state of the game. I also acquired more experience and knowledge about Shen Mid and can confidently say that this is Shen's best role by a landslide. Try it out for yourself!
Patch 13.6: SHEN FINALLY GOT THE SKIN WE WERE WAITING FOR! Oh and also no relevant balance changes
Patch 13.5: Grasp got a little nerf to it's healing, but in return, you receive more HP per proc, which is quite nice for Shen's scaling. Triumph now heals off of your max health as well as missing health so it's overall better for Shen. Plated Steelcaps got buffed because they were a lot worse than we thought. Now they are actually good, but still worse than Ionians (except if you play against full AD/Auto-Attack based teams).
Patch 13.4: Doran's Shield got nerfed, diminishing our early power in lane quite a bit, especially against ranged enemies. However, I've already thought of a good alternative to Doran's Shield. Both support items for Shen got buffed, giving you a lot more health regen, which helps against poke laners.
Patch 13.3: Iceborn Gauntlet finally received it's bug fix and properly works on Shen, meaning it's actually a viable option! Radiant Virtue, while getting nerfed for most tanks, got even stronger for Shen since his Ult cooldown is super high by default so he just gets more stats for free. This item is a must-build in my opinion if you want to play like a supportive tank (the heal and ability haste amp removal is still a nerf tho).
Patch 13.1: Nerfed Jak'Sho so it's no longer OP, but "just" strong. It has been discovered that Radiant Virtue is super strong so build that. Iceborn is apparently still bugged for Shen (not applying the debuff if you are shielded) so don't build it until it gets fixed.
Patch 12.23: They buffed Sunfire! It now cost 100 gold less and also gives you 100HP more, very very neat. They also buffed a lot of tanks this patch and Shen is generally good against tanks. Overall pretty happy with the changes.
Patch 12.22: PRESEASON PATCH! New Top Lane tank mythics are out, guide will be updated a lot over time, but right now, Jak'Sho and Heartsteel are the best imo, Radiant Virtue felt kinda lackluster to me and a bit too support focused. IBG feels weird because no MR and it lost synergy with Demonic, probably wont build this item ever again. You should still take bamis cinder and build it into sunfire, pretty good item on Shen (or build tiamat into titanic if they literally have no AD). You don't need a damage item anymore and can go straight into tank items. Randuins and Frozen Heart are both viable now in the right circumstances. Turbo Chemtank is super situational and is basically Dead Mans, but against AP. Abyssal Mask got changed and is no longer viable in my opinion. Gargoyle might be super strong combined with the new tank items. We'll see how this turns out over the preseason.
Patch 12.20: Demonic Embrace got changed, but it's a nerf for Shen since they nerfed the Health for more AP and nerfed the max health ratio on the burn effect. Demonfire might be strong still but the -100 health and -0.2% max health ratio nerf hurt a bit. Sterak's Gage got buffed, might be worth building again in some very rare cases (probably in combination with titanic hydra).
IMPORTANT
This guide isn't finished yet, some general info and tips on how to play Shen in the Top, Mid, Support and Jungle role will be coming soon. I might add a bio of myself and my history with Shen once I'm done with everything else.
Table of Contents
Who is Shen?
Shen has been classified as a Warden, which is a sub-category of tanks. His focus lies on being a big meatshield that peels for his teammates and protects them at all costs. However, unlike other tanks, Shen is at his strongest in the early game, meaning his laning phase is very strong and consistent with little to no losing matchups. With his early-mid game power and his global ultimate, he can control the entire map like no other champion. Shen’s abilities are very straightforward, making him somewhat easy to pick up, but he needs a lot of time and practice to master him to his fullest. He not only has very in-depth tech with his spirit blade, he also requires a good understanding of macro through his global ultimate, giving him a high skill ceiling and making him super fun since you can always learn new stuff from playing Shen. He is also very versatile, being able to build and play like a peeling supportive tank, an engaging frontliner or perhaps even a team carrying bruiser! He can successfully be played in a variety of playstyles (which is the reason why I want to make him work in nearly all roles to make full use of his versatility) so you can identify your own Shen in your own playstyle. If you want to a champion, that: • Has a strong laning phase • Can impact the entire map early on • Is easy to learn, but hard to master • Has satisfying blade mechanics • Rewards your macro and decision making • Can be played in a variety of ways Then Shen is the right champion for you. Start your journey now to embrace the equilibrium and achieve true balance. Shen is currently very strong, but not a lot of people play him, so if there is any time to start playing Shen, then it’s right now! |
Shen Ability Rundown





Runes
Top Lane Runes |
If you don't want to think about runes too much, you could go these every game. This runes page enhances one of Shen's strongest aspects, his laning phase. It gives you the most power early with some additional scaling options if you want to be a bit stronger later but sacrifice early power.
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Jungle Runes |
Your Jungle Runes are a lot more variable because you can for example opt into taking Aftershock for a more supportive playstyle or Hail of Blades for more upfront burst in skirmishes, but I figured that Precision with Domination is the most consistent choice for me.
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Support Runes |
The Resolve + Domination tree is in my opinion the stongest, but if this ever changes in the future or you want to play something different, I can recommend the Inspiration tree to you.
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