Update 12/29/11
-Added jungling guide(no photo yet)
-Updated to Viktor patch
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-Skill sequence changed to max Shadow Dash first.
- Updated to Nautilus patch

Well, hey guys, I'm back again with a Shen build in the midst.

Well, here i'll state the pros and cons of our favorite tanky/fighter ninja.


Pros!: Amazing solo top fighter, Global ulti to support allies from across the map, a skillshot taunt for a quick escape or to well, taunt an enemy or 2, or 3, or more


Cons!: Long CD on ultimate, not many escape tactics. Summoner Spells are Shen's massive reliability early game(IMO)

Even with his cons, runes and masteries can really set him up as a great solo top fighter and a reliable support champ, especially with his new buffs coming in the next patch! :D

Well here we are. The runes i use are fairly standard for someone like Shen

Marks(Reds): i take Greater Mark of Magic Penetration for my reds. Even though he only has one damage dealing ability ( vorpol blade), it has a much better fit than most runes.

Seals(Yellows): i take Greater Seal of Armor for the extra armor, you'll see why i take Armor yellows in the next patch and in general.

Glyphs(Blues) i take Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction for the extra cooldown reduction so that Stand United doesn't have a dreadfully long Cooldown

Now off to why i chose the items that are above. i choose to take a Doran's Shield as my first item of the laning phase for the health, obviously, the extra health regeneration, and the extra 10 armor. which can help in a solo top situation against Irelia or Garen, or really any AD champion. next i prefer to buy mercury treads or Boots of Swiftness, all depending on the enemy team, if the team has really high CC (Crowd Control), i'll take Mercury's Treads no argument needed. The tenacity is much to hard to pass up. If the enemy team is lacking CC's, i'll take Boots of Swiftness. it's your choice. Next in my arsenal of items, i take a Heart of Gold. Not only does it give a nice amount of health, but it also gives an extra 5 gold per 10 seconds, AND turns into Randuin's Omen. You're going to want to keep your Heart of Gold for a while as you start to build your Sunfire Aegis, Force of Nature for your magic resist and health regeneration, and your Abyssal Mask for even MORE magic resist and AP, and the aura that lowers enemy magic resist. Once these items are purchased, you can convert your Heart of Gold into a Randuin's Omen. Then your finally onto your last item, which is none other than a Rylai's Crystal Scepter. Why not make yourself more tanky, but also make your Vorpal Blade deal extra damage and slow the carryfor your team for a quick kill, and make yourself take more of a beating for a team for your team because your also a tank as well as a support.

Ohhh, my great friend Ki Strike. Ki Strike is a passive ability that makes your next basic attack deal 12% of your maximum health and a flat amount. The ability is on an eight second cooldown, but is decreased by 2 for every basic attack you land. It helps for last hitting and jungling

Damages target unit and life taps him, healing allies that attack the target.
Deals magic damage to target unit. healing any champions who attack it for health over 3 seconds. ( also includes 2% of Shen's max health every hit, and it stacks!) This a great harass ability and gives you the ability to stay in lane. The only reason you wouldneed to leave is if you need to buy an item for yourself.

Shen shields himself, absorbing some damage for a few seconds.
Shen enters a defensive stance, granting a damage blocking shield for 3 seconds. This is Shen's great defense which will benefit him against AD champions like Irelia, Corki, and Garen

Shen dashes rapidly toward a target location, taunting enemies he encounters.
Shen rapidly dashes to a target location, taunting enemies he collides with and lowering their damage.
Shen restores 50 Energy for each Champion hit. Each champion hit will restore 50 Energy, so you can regain the initial amount by hitting two champions. This is not only Shen's taunt, but is also his main escape mechanism, since its a decent sized skill-shot, it can go over most to all terrain! It can also gie you a chance to smack your enemy in the face with Ki Strike and a few Vorpal Blades.

Shen shields target allied champion from incoming damage, and soon after teleports to their location.
Places a shield on target allied champion, absorbing damage for . After channeling for, Shen teleports to the target's location.
This is Shen's main reason he is a support, a global damage blocking shield that can let your carry tank turret for a kill or to teleport to keep an enemy off your friend's butt and saves him from certain death

As a solo top fighter for my team, i take my Vorpal Blade at Lvl 1 so that i can keep harassing,last-hitting minions, and also heal myself. Since this ability is on such a low cooldown, you can harass like MAD and last-hit. i take my Feint at Lvl 2 and max it second to give me the most laning durability early on in the game. i take Shadow Dash at Lvl 3 and max it last just so that i have a taunt on me for an escape or to smack someone in the face with Ki Strike. i alwaystake my ulti at Lvl's 6,11, and 16,which is whenever possible. Since you are the solo top fighter,you can Lvl up fairly quick.

Now for the summoner spells that i choose for Shen


Exhaust:
I take Exhaust for 2 reasons. 1: you can bait someone into a fight they can't win if your at a critical health lvl because they won't be able to deal enough damage with attacks OR abilities to kill you. or option 2: you can pop Exhaust on someone to make a quick escape because they'll be slowed by a large sum of movement speed and usually won't be able to catch up.


Ignite:

I take Ignite on our friend Shen here to secure kills, like most people would use Ignite since it does true damage, so it's 225 DIRECT DAMAGE AT LVL 1. which is amazing for quick kills.


Smite:
Only take Smite if your are planning to jungle, which is a great choice for a jungle Shen, if you do so, or are curious on how a jungle path for Shen will work, then i advise you to read the section below

Alright, Now to help you all with a jungle path. Just because Shen is a tank, doesn't mean he can't jungle, like Rammus. Since Shen has his own heal, he can start with a plain Doran's Shield, iv'e done the path before, trust me on this one. He can start anywhere you choose, but i prefer to take blue buff to keep my Vorpal Blade spammable at other buffs. Then you can move onto the Wolf camp. Once the camp is clear, go to the Wraiths and then the small Golems, ending with Lizard buff. Then you have 2 choices. you can
A. Go back and get your desired boots with your extra gold.
-OR-
B. Gank a lane for your team, and hopefully score First Blood.

If you chose Option A. Buy your desired item and head to the jungle to gain some quick gold and look at a lane in need of a gank. Rinse and repeat

If you chose Option B. Then you have many things to do.
1. Has that lane you're about to ganked been warded by the enemy? If so, take a Vision Ward and place it near the lane, and search for the ward, and destroy it. Even though they may still see you, their ward is gone, make them go back and get another, equaling free farm for your lane, and if they don't notice. Boom! Shadow Dash the target and have your team focus that champion, if they get away, well darn. If they die, there's your team's First Blood.

2.How weak is your target? If your target has a full health pool, it's a little risky to attack, but it's possible to snag a kill. If the target is still in lane with his Summoner Heal down and doesn't have a defense mechanism, Then gank at your heart's desire, but always beware. If he has a CC like a stun, then that could end your gank and show your position.

3. Should i gank or stay in jungle for more gold and experience? This is something that always gets to me. I could easily gank a lane for my teammate and get that damn Gangplank off his ***, but if he has enough HP to sustain and last-hit, then i prefer to stay in the jungle and level myself up. If he desperately needs the gank, then ill get into position, Shadow Dash to him,lock him up, and let my teammate finish him off. At some points in a game, it's a hard decision to make but can be vital depending on what you do


For abilities, you'll want to start with a Vorpal Blade and follow the same skill sequence as above. As for items, also follow the above, since Shen can take the damage from the other camps with a Doran's Shield as much as he can with a Cloth Armor and 5 health pots.

Now the thing about this build in particular i have used only once in a solo top situation, and it's a viable build for a tanky/AP Shen since you get MR, Health, and Armor from all items in the build above including AP for your spells and defenses. So if you do want to try this build in a ranked environment, be my guest. it's much better than most people would actually expect.

When it comes to farming as Shen, you'll mainly want to use vorpol blade to last hit minions from a distance if you're being harassed by the enemy top lane fighter. If you are alone say if the top lane fighter is "MIA" then you you can get closer to the minions to grab melee last hits, since Shen has a quick attack counter, making last hitting a breeze(at least for me). Also make sure that you do ward your lane for incoming ganks since you are soloing so your bot lane support won't be warding for you. It's your fault if you don't ward your lane and go 1/6/2 due to ganks. Simple mistakes can be fixed

When it comes to Shen, he can make a viable choice for your team due to his durability. his damage, and his ability to support his teammates in a large teamfight. I'm glad you guys have read this build. thanks guys.