You will be looking to cheese for first blood at level 1. After cheesing at level 1 you will do very little damage for the rest of the game. Instead, you will have two main jobs:

I. Make sure you have by far the highest vision score in the game.

II. Bait the enemy team. You are essentially your team's engage tank. Pretending to get caught is your bread and butter (and cheese). You are strongest at low HP. Survive using Ult, Zhonya's, Q, Flash, and boxes.

I. Get a ward in enemy tri bush immediately, then walk back out of enemy vision into your own tri bush. You don't want them to spot you and consider what you might be doing.

II. If enemy team doesn't get vision in tri bush (or high bush if you're blue side), start setting up box traps after 1min, to kill them as they walk into the bush on their way back from leashing. Use your ignite here and tell your ADC to come after a short leash if you see the enemy bot lane entering your trap.

III. Regardless of whether your trap works, you want to beat your opponents back to the lane and drop a box in the wave, closer to casters that the melee. This will thin the wave rapidly (without stealing CS) and allow you to beat the enemy bot lane to level 2. Getting level 2 first is critical, due to how terrible Shaco is in lane. Do whatever you can to hard shove for 2 (within reason).

IV. Keep them on the back foot as much as possible. You'll likely lose trades, so your goal now is get through lane phase even or slightly ahead on CS. Instead of trading with your limited mana, try and hard shove them, so they lose CS under tower. You can place boxes in the river to stay safe from the enemy jungler, and boxes to your back and sides to prevent them collapsing in the long lane. Harass with your E when you can throw a cheeky one, but don't try particularly hard to trade with it, as it doesn't do much damage.

V. You CAN still get kills in lane but don't try too hard for them. If you've managed to get an opponent low, chip away at them further with your E. Be patient. Wait until they do something silly like run over a bunch of boxes.

VI. You are an extremely strong diver once you get ult. If they're low, push them in and call for your jungler. You can take tower aggro, pop clone and Q out, them get your clone to die on top of them while your ADC finishes them off. You might even have a Seeker's by now.

VII. Be patient. Your time will come. VISION AND BAITS.

W to cheese level 1 and shove for level 2.

E max for some lane pressure.

Q max second for reduced CD, so you can survive more easily after baiting.

W last. Your boxes aren't for damage after level 1. They're for vision and fear.

Ignite to level 1 cheese.

Flash for safety when deep warding and baiting.

Movement speed items allow you to get to where you want to ward more quickly, as well as get back onto the map after topping up your ward supply.

Zhonya's is an amazing baiting tool, especially when used in combination with all of Shaco's other methods of avoiding damage and slipping away.

Essential early items are pink wards, Seeker's (for early bait cheese) and Mobby boots (for rapid vision and higher KP)