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Shen Build Guide by Fr0ntButt88

Support Frontbutt's Support Shen S8 - Don't Touch Me, I'm Sterile.

Support Frontbutt's Support Shen S8 - Don't Touch Me, I'm Sterile.

Updated on March 22, 2018
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Fr0ntButt88 Build Guide By Fr0ntButt88 25 3 168,835 Views 7 Comments
25 3 168,835 Views 7 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Fr0ntButt88 Shen Build Guide By Fr0ntButt88 Updated on March 22, 2018
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Choose Champion Build:

  • LoL Champion: Shen
    Support Shen
  • LoL Champion: Shen
    Aggressive Support Shen

Runes:

Resolve
Aftershock
Font of Life
Conditioning
Revitalize

Sorcery
The Ultimate Hat
Celerity

Spells:

LoL Summoner Spell: Exhaust

Exhaust

LoL Summoner Spell: Flash

Flash

Threats & Synergies

Threats Synergies
Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny
Show All
None Low Ok Strong Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal Synergies
Synergies
Ideal Strong Ok Low None

Introduction

Hello, my name is Frontbutt. I am a support main in League. Although I am currently unranked, I can go on record stating that support Shen is great. I have always enjoyed playing Shen, especially before his rework. I recently started to play him again, and I am Level 7 mastery with Shen already. Him and Taric are the two supports I main as of now. If you enjoy this guide, then please upvote it and recommend anything to improve the guide. If you do not enjoy this guide, then please be respectful and discuss with me any ways I can improve this guide. Without further ado, let's get into the guide itself.

Why should I play Support Shen?


It's a simple answer really. Shen's abilities have proven to provide his teammates with the benefits they require. His Q, Twilight Assault, can provide bonus damage to the target at hand, and it can slow running enemies if placed correctly. His W, Spirit's Refuge, provides an "Auto block" zone around his spirit sword to protect you and your ADC from harm. His E, Shadow Dash, is great for engage and disengage when considering your options to help secure a kill for your ADC. Finally, his ultimate, Stand United, has saved many lives,and it can be used on other teammates than your ADC, if need be.


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Important Updates

Make sure to check this section for any important updates or news on this guide and Shen himself. I will reset this section every season.

"Enforced Equilibrium." - Shen
Patch 8.6

Patch 8.5

Patch 8.4

Patch 8.3

Patch 8.2
Patch 8.1

Patch 7.24

Patch 7.23

Patch 7.22
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Pros vs Cons of the Ninja

Pros
+ Energy based, providing sustain in lane (400 Energy)
+ Tanky with scaling, especially with Ki Barrier
+ Protect your ADC and yourself from damage with Spirit's Refuge
+ "This unit is a Flippin' ninja!"
+ Shadow Dash is an AOE taunt that also deals damage
+ Global ultimate Stand United is great for saving any ally
Cons
- Energy based, no scaling
- Weak against range champs early game
- Low AD scaling
- Risk of leaving ADC to Ult another ally
- Learning the tricks with Spirit Blade with Twilight Assault and the Flash + Shadow Dash combo
- Flippin' ninja buff removed
- Requires good map awareness for Stand United
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Support Shenergy

Support Shen may be viable in the role, but which champions does he pair the best with? The Shenergy between you and your ADC is important to further the potential of playing support Shen. I created a scale on how Shenergistic you are to your ADC.

The scale goes from 1 to 5, "1" being no Shenergy to "5" being most Shenergy. The following is a list detailing this scale:

Sivir (1)
Sivir


Mordekaiser (2)
Mordekaiser


Graves (3)
Graves


Tristana (3)
Tristana


Twitch (4)
Twitch


Jhin (5)
Jhin
Caitlyn (2)
Caitlyn


Teemo (2)
Teemo


Kog'Maw (3)
Kog'Maw


Xerath (3)
Xerath


Varus (4)
Varus


Jinx (5)
Jinx
Ezreal (2)
Ezreal


Ashe (3)
Ashe


Miss Fortune (3)
Miss Fortune


Corki (4)
Corki


Vayne (4)
Vayne


Yasuo (5)
Yasuo
Lucian (2)
Lucian


Draven (3)
Draven


Quinn (3)
Quinn


Kalista (4)
Kalista


Xayah (4)
Xayah


Shen (∞)
Shen



I will further update this chapter as I continue playing support Shen. My experiences with this guide may be different from your experiences playing support Shen. If you think that certain ADCs should be ranked differently, then please provide feedback in the discussion. For now, this will be there rankings on shenergy.
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Abilities of the Ninja

To master Shen, let alone support Shen, let's begin with his abilities. The following is all of Shen's abilities.

Ki Barrier
PASSIVE ABILITY
Cooldown (Static): 10

INNATE: After using an ability, Shen shield himself for 50 - 101 (based on level) + (14% of bonus health) damage for 2.5 seconds. If the triggering ability successfully affects at least one champion, Ki Barrier's cooldown is reduced by 4 - 7.5 (based on level) seconds.

Shen's power manifests a Spirit Blade that he can control with his active abilities.



Twilight Assault
Cost: 140 / 130 / 120 / 110 / 100
Cooldown: 8 / 7.25 / 6.5 / 5.75 / 5

ACTIVE: Shen recalls his Spirit Blade to his current location. Enemies the Spirit Blade collides with are slowed by 35% for the next 2 seconds when moving away from Shen.

Once it arrives, Shen's next 3 attacks within 8 seconds are empowered with a 200 range and dealing bonus magic damage on-hit. The bonus magic damage is 5 - 30 (based on level) + (2 / 2.5 / 3 / 3.5 / 4% (+1.5% per 100% AP) of target's maximum health). Empowered attacks against monsters instead deal 15 - 40 (based on level) bonus magic damage, but their total damage is capped at 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 / 175.



Spirit's Refuge
Cost: 40
Cooldown: 18 / 16.5 / 15 / 13.5 / 12

ACTIVE: Shen primes his Spirit Blade for 2 seconds, causing it to project a protective zone around it for 1.75 seconds if he or an allied champion moves nearby, causing allies in the zone to dodge attacks.



Shadow Dash
Cost: 150
Cooldown: 18 / 16 / 14 / 12 / 10
PASSIVE: Damage from Shadow Dash and Twilight Assault recovers 30 / 35 / 40 Energy.

ACTIVE: Shen dashes in target direction (up to 600 range), dealing physical damage to all enemy champions and monsters he hits and taunt ing them for 1.5 seconds. The physical damage is equal to 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 / 150 + (12% of his bonus health).



Stand United
Cost: None
Cooldown: 200 / 180 / 160

ACTIVE: Shen channels for 3 seconds, shielding target allied champion for up to 5 seconds, with the base value increased by 1% for every 1% of target's missing health, up to a maximum of 60% at 40% of target's maximum health.

Upon completing the channel, Shen and his Spirit Blade blink to the target ally's location. The range is global.



Shen's Stand United in a nutshell.
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Summoner Spells of the Ninja

Exhaust

This summoner spell has proven to be a staple among supports, and Shen is no different. Exhaust provides a nice slow with a damage reduction for the enemy it was applied to. Great for locking down their ADC after you Shadow Dash them.


Ignite

This summoner spell provides that extra power for damaging the enemy bot laners for securing the kill. Usually, I prefer Exhaust over Ignite for most match-ups, but you can choose this summoner spell when you have easier match-ups.


Flash

The ultimate summoner spell staple for most champions. This summoner spell is great for engage, disengage, and speed. Flash is a must have summoner spell on Shen. The best way to utilize this summoner spell is by comboing it with Shadow Dash. This allows for you to have a large range at which you can taunt the enemy.
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Runes of the Ninja



Since runes were reforged during Preseason 8, there have been some interesting yet simplified builds. As of now (01/23/2018), these are the best runes I found for Shen support.

Resolve

  • Aftershock - This is great for adding that little extra damage for being a support Shen on top of the Relic Shield. Whenever you use your [[Shadow Dash] to engage and harash the enemy adc and/or others, you cause them to take a lot more damage. This damage can secure more kills for your adc in the early game.
  • Font of Life - You thought Stoneborn Pact was good? This rune triggers much more often, but returns less health for your allies. Nevertheless, it is still a great rune on Shen support.
  • Conditioning - After 10 minutes, you gain flat armor & flat magic resist. However, your overall armor & magic resist increases by 5%. This is great for tank stats.
  • Revitalize - Not only are your heals stronger, but your Ki Barrier and Stand United abilities are stronger. Stand United gains a 10% increased shield most of the time you'll use it.


Sorcery

  • The Ultimate Hat - This rune makes Shen all that much better. Stand United is progressively reducing its cooldown every time you use it. This allows for more lifesaving moments as Shen.
  • Celerity - One of Shen's greatest strengths is speed. You must be able to Shadow Dash enemy champions to ensure kills and escapes. Further bonus movement speed is changed to adaptive damage.


Alternative Runes

  • Demolish - If the shenergy is high, then I recommend trying this rune. It allows for great pushing power.
  • Nullifying Orb - This rune could be great against a bot lane that deals large amounts of AP damage. Additionally, it shenergies with your Revitalize rune.
  • Scorch - For a more aggressive player, you could try this rune instead of Celerity. This rune provides some nice early damage trading potential and may secure early kills for your team.
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Items of the Ninja

Classic Shen

Frozen Shen

Yellow Jacket Shen

Surgeon Shen

Blood Moon Shen

Warlord Shen

TPA Shen
Starter Items

  • Relic Shield/ Celestial Eye - Out of the three main support items, I find this one to be the most useful for Shen. Since Shen has no heal within his kit for the ADC, this item makes up for that.
Support Items

  • Remnant of the Aspect - I prefer finishing Celestial Eye quickly to have that psuedo- Sightstone at or before 10 minutes. Since patch 8.2, it has simplified the support paths and guarenteed another space in your inventory for other items, but we lost the Face of the Mountain option on SR. If you are on TT, you can build the Timeworn Face of the Mountain.
  • Knight's Vow - Feel like you need armor, health, and to further your role as support? This item will help with all of those concerns. When you're nearby your paired ally, which is usually your ADC, both gain 20 armor and 12% movement speed. Additionally, you heal for 12% of the damage your paired ally deals. Lastly, 12% of the damage your paired ally takes is redirected at you for true damage.
  • Redemption - A great support item to buy on any support. It provides health and mana regen for you, and the AOE can heal 30 - 270 (based on level) and deal 10% of the target's maximum health as true damage to enemy champions. With being Shen, the mana regen will go to waste because you're an energy-based champion. It also combos well with the Revitalize rune.
Items vs. AD

  • Frozen Heart - This item is great for armor and Cooldown Reduction. However, the mana benefit is lost on Shen because of his energy-based abilities. This is made up by the passive aura (1000 Range) you give off that slows the attack speed of enemy champions by 15%.
  • Randuin's Omen - Does the enemy team have a Yasuo, Tryndamere, or an ADC building crit? This item helps with reducing the damage from critical strikes by 20%. This is useful for reducing the criticals from the enemy ADCs when they build Infinity Edge. Additionally, this item provides a nice amount of armor and health. Not to mention, the active that slows the enemy champions by 55%, and reduce an enemy champion attack speed by 15% for 1 second when one hits you.
  • Sunfire Aegis - Need some armor and health? What some passive aura that deals magic damage that scales with level? Sunfire Aegis provides all of these benefits. Shen could make use of this magic damage whenever he Shadow Dashes into the enemy team. It also triggers Relic Shield's heal.
Items vs. AP

  • Abyssal Mask - If you have a mainly AP team, or you have a Corki, Kai'Sa, or Varus for an ADC, then try this item. It allows for you and your team's abilities to deal 10% magic damage to nearby enemy champions. You will be nearby them due to your Shadow Dash and Spirit's Refuge abilities.
  • Banshee's Veil - In addition to Adaptive Helm, this item is a great selection for magic resist and prevent abilities from effecting you. It also provides AP for your abilities and 10% cooldown reduction.
Items vs. Both (Hybrid)

  • Banner of Command - This banner will help lead your team to victory by promoting a minion to become much stronger than it normally be. You gain the benefit 20% increased movement speed when near turrets, fallen turrets, and void gates over the course of 2 seconds.
  • Locket of the Iron Solari - Even after the nerfs to this item, Locket of the Iron Solari proves to be strong with its active. Mini-shields are given to your allies that blocks 65 - 434 (based on level) + (+ 2 - 36% of the caster's bonus health) damage. It combos well with Gargoyle Stoneplate and the Revitalize rune.
  • Zz'Rot Portal - Lay down the split-pushing void gate to secretly take towers. The void gate from this item spawns one voidspawn every 4 seconds, and the first, and every 4th voidspawn after, deals 15% of your total health as damage to the structure. Use this item especially if your team is having trouble taking the enemy towers.
Situational Items

  • Adaptive Helm - When it comes to magic resist, this item is just phenomenal. If you engage onto any AP enemy champion, then this item reduces subsequent magic damage by 15% from abilities for 4 seconds. It also provides 10% cooldown reduction and 100% increase to health regen.
  • Gargoyle Stoneplate - In the middle of a team fight and need more tank now? Become Alistar with this item. Its passive Stone Skin provides 40 armor and magic resist when near 3 or more enemy champions. Its active causes you to gain 40% increase to your maximum health, but deal 60% less damage for 4 seconds. You literally stole Galio's chestplate.
  • Ohmwrecker - I rarely see this item being used, but I also liked it. If your allies or you want to tower dive a low-health enemy champion or the tower is low and there are no minions nearby to help, then zap that tower to prevent damage from it for 3 seconds. You also have the same Point Runner passive like Banner of Command because both items require Raptor Cloak run past the tower you just zapped even faster.
  • Turbo Chemtank - Not quick enough for those Shadow Dashes? This item provides a burst of 75% increased movement speed for 4 seconds when moving towards enemy champions or towers. Then, if that still wasn't enough, after 3 seconds you emit a shockwave that slows enemy champions by 75% for 2 seconds.
  • Warmog's Armor - The mother of all tank items, or should I say "heart." Warmog's Armor doesn't provide armor but a huge amount of health, 200% increase to health regen, and 10% cooldown reduction. On top of all of that, this item has a passive that restores 5% of your maximum health when you aren't in combat for 6 seconds. That passive is similar to Garen's passive, Perseverance.

  • Timeworn Face of the Mountain - *ONLY ON TWISTED TREELINE* If you're going to build this item, I suggest you also build a Ruby Sightstone. Regardless, this item provides a stronger Targon's Brace, and its active is a shield for you and a targeted ally that blocks an amount of damage based on your maximum health for 4 seconds. Then, after those 4 seconds, the shield bursts and slows nearby enemy champions for 40% for 2 seconds.
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Suggestions

Thank you for reading this guide! This is my first guide on this website, and I would love your feedback to improve my bb coding and guide skills to provide better guides in the future. I will continue to update this one as well.
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