Xin Zhao Build Guide by Somepoison

Introduction

Welcome to my Xin Zhao guide! Being my first guide on Mobafire this is a guide that will continue to be worked on for a long time until I can make it as ideal as possible! Xin Zhao is one of the best Pub-stomping fighters there is, for many reasons. This Guide will help me explain these reasons as best I can. Onward to the guide shall we?

Why tanky Xin over pure dmg Xin?

The problem I see with many Xin Zhaos while playing is that they can't take damage. This is bad because they are most likely being focused because of Xin Zhaos awesome focus and damage mid-late game. My answer to this major dilemma is to build him as a tanky DPS. Another reason I prefer the tankiness is my overwhelming reluctance to play a glass cannon fighter. It makes me feel I am wasting my damage potential.

Atmog's or Tanky?

You may be asking yourself; Why choose tanky when I can get more damage out of Atmogs? Or conversely Why choose Atmog's when I can be a supertank?

There are two answers to this: Playstyle and Current Status

For example, if you are the type of person to run in initiate focus a carry and get out, you would want to build Atmogs. However, if you like to do lots of sustained damage over the course of a long fight you will want to build tanky


When I say "Current Status" I mean you should ask yourself "How am I doing in-game." Through my experiences playing I have found that it is more beneficial to your team if you are doing okay to bad in a game to build more tank than DPS. You do this because people are already focusing you because they know they can grab easy kills. On the flip side if you are stomping your lane, Atmog's is a very good choice to sustain your lead by dealing massive damage while still rolling with the punches.

Pros / Cons

Pros:
- Overall fun champ to play
- Great chasing ability
- Devastating damage with three talon
- Low cooldowns with Battle Cry
- Great 1v1 potential with Three Talon Strike knockup


Cons:
- Extremely squishy early game
- New Xin Zhao players get too cocky and dive A LOT
- No great escaping ability

Masteries

- A Must have in terms of masteries. Improves both Ghost AND Exhaust. This allows Exhaust to reduce MR and Armor making it easy for you to focus the carries and the extra speed from ghost makes it easier to catch up to the carries if they try and run

- Take this because it gives a good 3 damage to each of your auto attacks which helps with early game farming and last-hitting.

- I take this because It gives us the extra point since we don't take Lethality . This mastery also greatly improves your last hitting early game

- Gives nice AS which means shorter cooldowns with Battle Cry

- Armor pen is great for late game when people start building armor

- Giving a total of 9 AD at level 18 this is pretty hard to pass up, since the majority of Xin Zhao's damage comes from auto-attacking

- It might not seem like a lot of lifesteal but it makes a difference, giving you 6% with Doran's Blade It provides early game sustain that largely helps in top lane

- Take ALL the armor pen!!!!

- Gives 6% extra damage on targets with 40% or less health, because who wants low health champs running away?

- I only put 1 point in this because usually you wont be up against an AP champ however the 2 MR is better than Summoner's Resolve or Touch skin which are your only other choices

- Extra resistance against your laning opponent? YES PLEASE!

- Gives an extra 108 health at level 18 and builds into Veteran's Scars which adds another 30 health

- Supplies an extra 30 health; the more sustain the better in teamfights.

Runes

- This rune is necessary while using laning Xin Zhao. When you lane with Xin Zhao you are going solo top or bottom lane, and the majority of the champions you are playing will be AD.

- These runes will give you the Attack speed you are missing through not building a Phantom Dancer

- These glyphs are to provide the extra Magic resist that you WILL need late game against the bursty AP carries--These glyphs greatly improve your tankiness late game.

- These Quints serve the same purpose as the marks; to make up for some of the attack speed lost from Phantom Dancer They serve their purpose all too well.

- I take these with the Atmog's build because it increases his late game damage just THAT much further, since he doesnt need more attack speed because of Phantom Dancer.

- I take these runes on the Atmog's build because unlike the normal Tanky guide you have Phantom Dancer which already gives an abundance of Attack Speed

Summoner Spells

What I Take

- I choose this because it lets him chase and escape better than flash. Truely though, flash/ghost seem like personal preference to me. A lot of Xin Zhaos kill will come from chasing so using one of these spells is necessary.

- This is a very important spell for Xin Zhao because it lets him 1v1 extremely well. Not only that, but it allows him to stop the brunt of an opponent's damage for 2.5 seconds which can make or break a teamfight.

Other Viable Choices

- Take this if you are laning vs a Dr. Mundo or a Warwick

- Like I had said before I feel it is personal preference

- When you are at bottom lane, most times this should be taken by your AD carry, however if he/she refuses to take it, grab it because Heal is a VERY good summoner spell.

Skills

- This is Xin Zhaos survival early game, his sustain in lane, AND his tower pushing ability mid/late game due to it working on turrets.

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- This is Xin Zhaos bread and butter ability. Not only does it give Xin Zhao extra damage, after the 3rd hit, it knocks the target into the air. Three attacks is nothing with his amazingly fast attack speeds mid-late game. Level and max this first

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- Giving Xin Zhao amazing attack speed, Battle Cry is his second ability. Perhaps the most unique and important part of this ability is when it is active it gives DOUBLE the passive attack speed and each attack REDUCES HIS OTHER ABILITIES' COOLDOWNS BY ONE SECOND for 5 seconds. This is amazing because it increases the use of your ultimate, making it able to be used in practically every fight which makes a drastic difference late game. Make sure to max this second

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- Not too much about this ability. This is how Xin Zhao chases so well. Being used on minions, this ability also allows Xin Zhao to escape from other champions. Max this LAST

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- This ability is to get get an edge on health-stacking champs like Cho'Gath and Dr. Mundo. Use it right after Audacious Chargeing someone to get the most damage out of it. Level this up whenever possible.

Items-Build 1

- This is a GREAT early game item due to the damage and health you get for the price you pay.

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OR - These both are great boots for tanky champs. Take Mercury's Treads If their team has a lot of CC or AP. If not feel free to grab a Ninja Tabi.

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- This item provides a great deal of health and damage. Grab an early Phage and finish building this after your Wit's End

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- Giving 40% attack speed, 42 magic damage on hit, 30 flat Magic Resist with another 20 Magic Resist after 4 attacks this Item is hard to pass up as it helps deal damage and sustain you through the damage of the other team's AP carry

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- This item gives great AD and Magic resist, gives a Magic damage-soaking shield AND a passive 1 AD for every 2.5% missing health. This gives you more sustain against AP champs along with a threat at low health meaning you have a reason to stay in fights longer.

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- This gives much needed Health and Armor which you seem to be lacking up to this point if you haven't gotten a Ninja tabi. Also, that Ashe you are chasing? Is she kiting you? Audacious Charge her and use the active from this item and it's game over for her.

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- A free life! Late game this helps when you are getting focused...you can still deal massive damage despite you being tanky which makes you THAT much more of a threat and a target, which makes this that much more necessary.

Items- Build 2

- Gives great early MR and cc mitigation I grab these almost every time unless they have a lot of AD. Like I had said above the two boots are interchangeable and should vary on your situation.

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- The "Mog's" in "atmog's" This give a hefty chunk of health, I get this before Atma's for the instant gratification of damage once you get Atma's Impaler. I also take this before Atma's because you can do more with it seperate than you can with only Atma's Impaler.

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- This Item gives 1.5% of your max health in damage, coupled with Warmog's Armor this gives 19 damage, along with the base health you already have. which gives a total of 44 damage along with 18% crit AND 45 armor...even after the nerf on this item it gives amazing stats for how cheap it is!

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- Giving tons of health is the Frozen Mallet. While the damage from this is not substantial, the health is what we want. It gives survivability and even more damage from Atma's Impaler, not to mention the badass passive that slows enemies when you hit them which means you can chase exponentially better.

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Zeke's Herald- Gives Lifesteal, AS, cooldown reduction, AND health. Lifesteal and AS are obvious pluses while the cooldown reduction gives us more frequent Battle Crys and Three Talon Strikes and the health gives us more survivability and more damage from Atma's Impaler.

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- This gives great damage and armor shred which helps late game when people try to counter you with armor.

SOON TO COME!

Hall of Fame

Ganking with Audacious Charge


(Working on laning explanation as we speak :))

Summary

This has been my view on Xin Zhao The Seneschal of Demacia! Drop a comment below and tell me how I did! My first guide so any constructive criticism would be appreciated!

Deds:
- kadun
- NeshkeBGD
- Minami
Thanks to these guys for the criticism that helped mold the guide.

Also Special thanks to JhoiJhoi and her "Making A Guide" guide, really helped with the aesthetics of guide making