Shen Build Guide by WardSome

Introduction

Hello, my name is wardedsum3401, and today we will be covering Shen. Shen was the first 3150 champion I purchased with influence points(IP), and he is extremely fun to play. He can save team mates and splitpush with his ult Stand United, as well as catch people off guard with Shadow Dash. Late game, Shen is nearly unkillable in a one vs. one scenario, because he just becomes that tanky. On top of all that, he's a flippin' ninja. Without further ado, let us dive into the depths of Shen: The Eye of Twilight

Pros/Cons

Pros

+ Energy-based champion. + Can catch people off guard with Shadow Dash. + Extremely tanky late game. + Strong splitpushing with Stand United. + Easily escapes ganks and has high sustain.

Shen is a very strong champion late game and a very viable pick for solo que. Shen has nice sustain throughout the same with Vorpal Blade. He becomes extremely tanky and nearly unkillable late game. Shadow Dash is very useful for catching enemies off guard and escaping ganks. Shen brings great utility and protection to the team through Shadow Dash and Stand United.

Cons

+ Can run out of energy during prolonged fights. + Sometimes hard to coordinate Stand United with others. + No wave clear without Sunfire Cape. + Can have trouble early game.

While Shen is very powerful mid and late game, his early game isn't the strongest in the league. During the laning phase, Shen is quite weak and may need the jungler to assist him. Sunfire Cape is a necessity for Shen. Without it, he has no wave clear and cannot splitpush.

Masteries

26 Defense 4 into Offense

M O N U M E N T O U S

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M A S T E R I E S

// Shen's primary goal in a team is to be a tank. He should be able to soak up damage from the enemy team and protect his own carry. Getting near full defensive masteries helps Shen survive during the laning phase and have near infinite sustain. I get Sorcery on the offensive tree for the 5% CDR. This allows you to use your abilities more often. The 5% CDR could make the different between saving a teammate with Stand United or letting them die. Q: Do I have to use my four points to get Sorcery in the offense tree? // You don't have to get Sorcery . That is just my personal preference when it comes to masteries.

Runes

• Greater Quintessence of Health Regeneration: // Health regeneration quintessences allow Shen to have insane sustain. The heal from Vorpal Blade combined with the heal regeneration gives Shen the ability to shove the opponent out of lane, while staying at high health yourself.
  
• Greater Mark of Attack Speed: // I grab attack speed marks in order to proc Shen's passive, Ki Strike more often, as Ki Strike's cooldown is reduced by 1 every time Shen attacks an enemy. This allows for higher damage output.
  
• Greater Glyph of Magic Resist: // Having some extra magic resist is always important to have, especially because Shen is a tank. Get these even if the enemy top laner has no attacks that do magic damage.
  
• Greater Seal of Armor: // Armor seals are very useful. The majority of top laners that you will face will use attack damage. Even if the enemy is ability power based, grab these runes anyways. They will help you survive throughout the whole game.

Summoner Spells

Ignite: // Ignite and Flash is my common summoner spell set up for Shen. Ignite gives you higher kill potential in lane and while ganking.

Flash: // Flash is essential on Shen and allows for quick escapes in a pinch. A Shadow Dash + Flash combo can lead to a kill or even a victorious team fight.

Teleport: // Teleport is the spell I would take if the enemy top laner is a touch matchup. Teleport is also useful for splitpushing. I prefer Flash + Ignite though.

Champion Abilities/Skill Sequence

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Ki Strike: // This is a really nice passive to have. It gives you extra magic damage on your basic attack every 9 seconds. If you autoattack while Ki Strike is on cooldown, it will reduce the cooldown by one second. Use Ki Strike in combination with Vorpal Blade to gain a nice chunk of your health back.

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Vorpal Blade: // Vorpal Blade deals some magic damage to a target and life taps it. If any champion(including you) attacks the life-tapped target, they gain health back. Use this ability to last hit and harass in lane. You're going to want to level up this ability first.

• Use Vorpal Blade on enemies during team fights to let your teammates life steal some extra health.
• Using Vorpal Blade with Ki Strike will give you a nice chunk of health and do some moderate damage at any stage of the game.
• At rank two of Vorpal Blade, the ability will come off cooldown before the debuff disappears on the enemy champion.
  

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  Feint: // Feint gives you a very nice shield that absorbs damage. This ability is useful for soaking up damage during team fights and trading damage in lane. Level Feint up last. However, if you're having some trouble in lane, you can level this up second.
  
  
  
  Tips and Tricks
  • While on the run from enemies, try to spam Feint, as it could save your life.
  • Feint is also great for baiting enemies into thinking that you're about to die. Bait them into a dangerous situation and pop Feint. Sometimes, this can lead to a kill.
  • Use Feint in lane to win trades and absorb damage.
    

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    Shadow Dash: // Shadow Dash is one of the most versatile abilities in the whole game. Shen dashes rapidly in a direction, taunting every opponent he collides with. This ability has many different uses. Use Shadow Dash to set up ganks, chase opponents, escape perilous situations, and catch enemies off guard.
    
    
    Tips and Tricks
    • // Shadow Dash causes enemies to do 50% less damage to you. There isn't a large chance of you dying if you taunt an enemy.
    • // Use Shadow Dash to dash through walls to catch opponents or escape them.
    • // Spamming Shadow Dash at the end of Stand United will allow you to sometimes cancel the ultimate.
    
    

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    Stand United: // Shen's ultimate gives an allied champion a shield and teleports Shen to them after three seconds. This ability is what makes Shen feared and banned in solo que. This ultimate will have your allies saying, "OMG THIS SHEN IS SO PRO." A great Shen player can provide global map protection with Stand United. Using Shen's ultimate correctly can allow you to win in team fights by protecting the carry. Max Stand United the moment you're able to at levels 6, 11, and 16.
    
    Tips and Tricks
    
    
    • // Spamming Shadow Dash at the end of Stand United sometimes cancels the ultimate, allowing you to give an allied champion a shield, but stay in the same position.
    • // Using Stand United correctly takes some practice and coordination. Don't be bummed if you mess up a couple times.

Items

// I usually rush Sunfire Cape every game. It provides a bit of needed armor and gives you the wave clear you need to splitpush. This item is part of your core build. Get Spirit Visage first if you're up against magic damage.

// Spirit Visage gives Shen pretty much everything he needs. It gives him cool down reduction, health, magic resist, and health regen. This is usually my second or first item for Shen. Get this item first if you need the magic resist. Otherwise, get Sunfire Cape.

// After the buffs to Trinity Force, I started using it more often. It gives a large upgrade to your damage, health, and chasing capabilities. Trinity Force does TONS OF DAMAGE as well :P.

// Locket of the Iron Solari is a great item. It provides your whole team some nice magic resist and a shield during team fights. The item also gives you some cooldown reduction, health, and armor. I would highly recommend getting this every game unless the enemy team has no magic damage or someone on your team got it already.

// Randuin's Omen is a fabulous armor item. Use the active in the middle of team fights on their carry to shut them down. I always get this item every single game. It provides a considerable amount of armor, health, and the active/passive are great.

// Get these boots if you're in need of magic resist and CC reduction.

//Get these boots if you are in need of some armor. Ninja Tabi is very cost effective.

Teamfights

// During team fights, your main job should be to peel for the carry. Peeling means to keep enemies off the carry and protect him/her. Use Feint to block incoming damage, and Shadow Dash to taunt enemies that try to jump on your carry.

Summary

Conclusion

Thanks for reading my guide! This was my first guide on Mobafire, and it would be appreciated if you gave a +1 and left some constructive criticism in the discussion section. I will be updating this throughout the whole season, so come back once in a while to see something new. Thanks to jhoijhoi for her "Making a Guide" guide. I also used many of her templates for my guide.

Change Log

1/17/13- Published Guide
1/18/13- Made some minor changes- Pictures and coding.