I'm Snorkil, a 27 year old streamer.

I've been Challenger since Season 4, peaked Rank 13 in Season 8, Rank 1 in Season 9, and Challenger again in Season 10. I took a break for a few years, but now I'm back and playing again.

I really appreciate you taking the time to read through this guide. If you have any questions, make sure to follow my Twitch channel and ask while I'm live, so I can help you directly.

Determination (Passive): Every third attack deals bonus damage and heals Xin Zhao. Play Video
Three Talon Strike (Q): Xin Zhao empowers his next 3 basic attacks to deal bonus damage, with the third strike knocking the target airborne. Play Video
Wind Becomes Lightning (W): Xin Zhao sweeps forward with his spear, then thrusts it out, dealing damage and slowing enemies hit. Enemies struck by the thrust are also marked. Play Video
Audacious Charge (E): Xin Zhao dashes to a target enemy, dealing damage to nearby enemies and slowing them briefly. Play Video
Crescent Guard (R): Xin Zhao sweeps his spear around him, dealing damage based on enemies’ current Health and knocking back all unchallenged targets. For a short duration, he blocks damage from champions outside the zone. Play Video

Pros + Strong early game + High damage output + Strong ganks + Great pick potential + Snowballs hard Xin Zhao is a powerful early game jungler who can level 2 gank, making him a huge threat from the start. He can quickly create leads for himself or his lanes through aggressive pressure. His mid game is still strong, but he starts to fall off later on, so you want to build an advantage early and close games during mid game.

Cons - Falls off late game - Needs early tempo - Relies on snowballing - Can be kited - Squishy when behind If Xin Zhao does not get ahead early, the game becomes much harder. He depends on tempo and early leads to stay relevant. Without items or momentum, enemies can kite him out and burst him before he reaches priority targets.

GOOD MATCHUPS Skarner Twitch Nasus Gragas Rengar Hecarim Shyvana Camille Taliyah Nidalee Fiddlesticks Lee Sin

DECENT MATCHUPS Kha'Zix Udyr Elise Master Yi Ivern Sejuani

BAD MATCHUPS Jax Rammus Shaco

Playing Xin Zhao, your main goal is to create an early lead and close the game as quickly as possible. You are an aggressive early game jungler, which means spending too much time full clearing camps is usually a mistake.

Look for early ganks whenever possible, and do not be afraid to go for a level 2 cheese gank. This means starting Red Buff and immediately pathing to the lane that is easiest to punish or has the best setup.

You can also invade early. Start Red Buff, then move into the enemy jungle if you know you win the 1v1. Steal camps and pressure the enemy jungler. Always pay attention to lane priority before doing this, since enemy laners may rotate faster than your own team. Ping for help first, and if your lanes cannot move, avoid risky invades.

A strong standard clear is:

This gives you an early level 3 with strong tempo. From there, look to gank, invade, or take one extra camp before contesting Scuttle. In most games, being proactive here is better than passive farming.

When mid game starts, your role shifts into forcing fights, zoning enemies, or looking for engage angles. You can also make strong insec-style plays by diving in and knocking enemy carries into your team with Crescent Guard.

This is usually where Xin Zhao is strongest relative to the game state, so try to end before late game if possible.

If the game reaches late game, play more front-to-back with your team. Use your crowd control and Ultimate to peel enemies away from your carries and create space. At this stage, you become more supportive compared to the early game carry style.

MERCURY'S TREADS Mercury's Treads are great when the enemy team has heavy crowd control or strong AP damage.

PLATED STEELCAPS Plated Steelcaps are the best option against heavy AD teams or multiple auto attackers.

DEATH'S DANCE Strong sustain item that helps you survive longer in extended fights.

THE BLACK CLEAVER Black Cleaver is excellent on Xin Zhao, giving health, ability haste, damage, and armor shred.

GOREDRINKER Goredrinker is a strong core item that gives sustain and strong skirmishing power.

STERAK'S GAGE Great mix of durability and damage, especially in teamfights.

GUARDIAN ANGEL Extra life is always valuable. Great for diving carries and creating pressure.

PHANTOM DANCER Good situational choice for split pushing or heavy 1v1 skirmishing after core items.

RANDUIN'S OMEN Strong armor option if you need more frontline durability.

MAW OF MALMORTIUS Best pickup against heavy AP burst when you need early magic resistance.

ADAPTIVE HELM Great against damage over time champions like Cassiopeia or Teemo.

In general, starting on Red Buff is very strong on Xin Zhao since it gives you the option to look for a cheesy level 2 gank. Many players do not expect it, and it can give you an early lead right away.

E → Q
Auto attack until the knockup lands, then use Wind Becomes Lightning to guarantee the hit.

E → Q → W
Use Wind Becomes Lightning instantly after engaging to apply the slow, then continue with auto attacks.

E → Q → W → R
Full engage combo for burst, disruption, and forcing enemies out of position.

When you are ahead as Xin Zhao, focus on extending your lead through objectives.

Rift Herald is very easy to take and fast to secure with your strong early dueling power. Herald often gives 1-2 towers, which means a lot of gold for both you and your team while increasing map pressure.

You can also solo dragons quite early, especially if you have lane priority. In general, try to control both river sides since Xin Zhao wins many early 1v1 fights against other junglers.

Thanks a lot for reading through my guide and making it all the way down here!

Xin Zhao is a great early game jungler and very straightforward to play. He does not require difficult mechanics, which makes him a strong pick for both newer and experienced jungle players.

I would really appreciate it if you dropped a like if you enjoyed the guide, as it helps a lot. You can also check out my stream if you want to watch high elo gameplay or ask any questions. I can help with most League related topics.

Overall, I think Xin Zhao is a jungler everyone should know how to play. He is almost always a solid solo queue pick, fits into many team comps, and works with different playstyles.

If you want some freelo, give this guy a try! :)