1. Introduction Who am I? What champion am I covering? 3. Masteries Where thou placeth those skill points? 5. Summoner Spells The saving spells shall be...? Any alternatives? 7. Itemization Building from the ground up. How should you build? 9. Warding Where should the NINJA wards be hiding? When? 11. Synergies How shall you team up to blow enemies up? Why?

2. Pros/Cons The good surgeon vs. the killer surgeon. 4. Runes What runes allow us to Shen? Alternatives? 6. Abilities What shall you max on this surgeon? How should I use them? 8. Gameplay What's your Shenful role? 10. Matchups You have enemies, strong and weak? Who's "difficult"? 12. Summary Let's jump to the end!

Hi everyone, I am HighTide29, a support main riding the ELO train to higher divisions. The information that follows is my Shen guide. I worked hard to make this guide the best I could, and I would appreciate any and all feedback that you guys may provide. Shen is a fun ninja and is a support that brings some good defense into matches. Please note, if you came here looking for a straight up build to Shen support, you are in the wrong guide. Without me babbling on, I present to you, my readers and commenters, my Shen guide. I put an enormous amount of effort into this guide-my first one-so I do implore you to reconsider downvotes pending the actual trial and testing of my guide that you MAY follow. Above all, I thank you for taking the time to read this Shen guide.

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Pros

+ A sword wielding ninja + Possesses arguably the best map presence in game + Tanky + Stand United gives one of the biggest shields in game + Taunt can hit the entire enemy team without being blown up + No mana costs + Feint can bait enemies

Shen is a mobile ninja that has good success in lane as a support. He is a tank with global presence and a built in escape. His Shadow Dash can lock down both the enemy support and ADC, but it can also lock down an entire enemy team. Feint absorbs some damage and can be used to bait enemies into your team especially if you are low. Above all, his Stand United can change the course of a skirmish or team fight by not only giving a shield to an ally, but transporting him into it. This ultimate is sure to have your team standing united.

Cons

- Energy based-being low can be detrimental in fights - Missing taunt is like saying, "Kill me" - Susceptible to poke and ranged champs - Stand United has a long cooldown at early levels - Requires descent amount of gold to itemize well w/ team - Ulting away from ADC leaves them susceptible to a 2v1

Although Shen can bring a lot to team fights, he does have some weaknesses. As a support, Shen does not bring poke, heals or a surmountable amount of CC. While he can help peel for an ADC or a team with Shadow Dash, using it leaves him susceptible to any oncoming CC or abilities that chunk him down. Even missing a Shadow Dash taunt in a fight can turn the tide of the team fight towards the enemy. Despite this, he can still set up a fight with coordination between teammates.

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tank and succeeds more when abilities have less cooldowns, these masteries set up his kit nicely. Some may be inclined to switch the tree to 0/12/18 taking the Bond of Stone mastery. However, I find myself having more success with Windspeaker's Blessing because the extra potency of his ultimate shield has saved my teammates more times than not.

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CUNNING TREE Tier 1 - All 5 points go into Wanderer . Having an extra 3% MS can get you to lane slightly quicker. Tack on Explorer and Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed and your even quicker. No points into Savagery because you are not the one who is farming. Tier 2 - A point into Secret Stash allows for you to sustain for most of the laning phase. The added 20 HP can save you from the last ticks of ignite-if not Feint shield. I do not take a point in Runic Affinity because you do not always get buffs as a support-although blue buff is nice. Tier 3 - You take all your points in Merciless because Shen does not utilize mana. So, Meditation is not viable. Although you do not put out a whole lot of damage, sometimes an AA that procs Ki Strike can net yourself a kill on low enemies. Tier 4 - I take a point in Bandit because you need the gold. Without gold, you are not able to itemize efficiently to the team's needs. So, getting an extra 1 gold-or 3 if you AA an enemy-can net you the additional gold needed to buy an item. Dangerous Game is not chosen because you are a tank and Shen should stay alive most of the time. Tier 5 - Five points into Intelligence and you already start out with 5% cooldown reduction. A nice bonus to have because you can Shadow Dash, Feint and Stand United more often. No points into Precision because you hardly ever AA. Keystone - Rounding off the CUNNING TREE, you take the keystone Windspeaker's Blessing . Not only will you give a greater shield to allies when ulting, but you will give some bonus resistance. Since support Shen does not build for damage or AS, Stormraider's Surge and Thunderlord's Decree are not viable options.

RESOLVE TREE Tier 1 - I take all 5 points in Unyielding because it synergizes well with Shen's tankiness. Bonus armor and MR are nice things to have. You may opt to take some, if not all, points into Recovery . However, with Feint, you should not be taking too much damage. Tier 2 - A point into Wanderer gives us 12 MS in brush/river. I take a point here because it allows me to be more safe when I ward the bottom side of the jungle. While Tough Skin mitigates 2 damage, I find the safety of the bot lane more important than 2 AA damage. Tier 3 - In my opinion, I like taking 5 points into Runic Armor because it allows me to take a little more damage when using Feint. However, you can opt to mix the points with Veteran's Scars to add some HP or max it out. (Testing in progress) Tier 4 - The last point goes into Insight . Having access to Flash, Exhaust or Ignite more often can benefit you, your ADC and the team. Perseverance may be a viable option, but Feint negates most of the damage dealt to you.

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• 9 Greater Mark of Armor: Flat armor allows us to mitigate some AA damage and increase your tankiness.
  
  Alternatives: Greater Mark of Magic Resist - Flat MR may be a better option when it comes to a more AP based team. More times than not, though, there will always be a champion that uses AAs.
  
  
• 4 Greater Seal of Scaling Armor: Scaling armor here allows us to cater towards your late game potential. Although you lose some early game armor, you can add to your tankiness in the mid to late game phase.
  
• 5 Greater Seal of Scaling Health: Scaling health caters towards the late game health while giving some HP early on. I take these so I can tank more AAs rather than taking fullarmor.
  
  Alternatives: Greater Seal of Armor - Total flat armor is another option if you would rather get an edge early. Having these may prove worthwhile for an AA heavy enemy bot lane. A mixture of these and another alternative is also another option.
  
  Greater Seal of Magic Resist - Total flat MR is also a choice here. If a team is more AP based then these might be a good choice. Mix and match if you choose too.
  
  Greater Seal of Health - Total flat health is another choice. If you would rather give up some defensive stats to increase HP and overall health early, then these may be a good option. Mix these with others to give a good range of stats.
  
  Greater Seal of Scaling Health - Taking only scaling health caters towards the late game health while giving some HP early on. You can take these if you would prefer to tank more AAs rather than taking full armor or a mix of the two.
  
  
• 9 Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist: I prefer scaling MR as most bot lane comps do not rely heavily on magic damage. So, these give us some resistance to abilities, but cater mostly towards the late game when AP bursts become a threat.
  
  Alternatives: Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction - If you would like access to abilities faster early on, then flat cooldown reduction is the way to go.
  
  Greater Glyph of Magic Resist - Depending on the situation, flat MR may be better. Morgana bot is a prime example when these come in handy as she is always dishing out magic damage. Take these if you feel threatened by any AP champs.
  
  
• 3 Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed: These are a great way to aid in avoiding plenty of skillshots. Plus, moving faster than the enemy ADC or support can set up taunts with Shadow Dash more easily. Not to mention that ADCs cannot kite as well if you move faster than them.
  
  Alternatives: Greater Quintessence of Armor - If you would rather be tanky then armor is one way to go. These will do nicely in addition to the armor added from marks and/or seals.
  
  Greater Quintessence of Health - Needing more health? Then these quintessences will do nicely. They will add to your overall HP and allow you to tank more AAs.

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Flash is always a must. This summoner's not only can give you a third escape-the other's being Shadow Dash and Stand United, but it can be used to set up some nice Shadow Dash, Flash taunts. There is also Flash, Shadow Dash taunts, but the Shadow Dash, Flash taunts are almost unavoidable.

Exhaust can turn the tide of a teamfight. The debuffs are nice to mitigate damage and can set up some easy Shadow Dash taunts. I almost always take Exhaust.

Ignite is sometimes a choice on a support such as Shen. It halves the effect of any heal oriented spell, including Heal. Take this if your fellow team does not have a champ taking Ignite and there is an enemy champion who relies on healing. Otherwise, go with Exhaust.

Teleport on somebody who already has a "teleport"? Well, it could come in handy. If you want to give your teammates some room for error then this may be a good spell. Yet, I seldom take it because Stand United is enough to give you lane presence in my opinion.

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Ki Strike
AAs deal bonus magic damage and restore energy
Shen's passive that allows him to have some poke. It is also great for when you are sharing minions with Relic Shield because you can take down minions closer to 1/3 of their health.
Vorpal Blade
A blade is thrown dealing damage and giving health
It has come to my attention that as a support, Shen gives passive lifesteal. Each time his Vorpal Blade hits an enemy, any ally attacking it will be healed accordingly. Plus, it does proc Relic Shield. May change up ability order. (Testing in progress)
Feint
Shen obtains a shield soaking up damage
Shen's ability to mitigate poke with this is good. The shield can soak up a few AAs and can make for safe sharing of farm with Relic Shield. It can also lead to some nifty bait plays.
Shadow Dash
Dash to a target location and taunt enemies hit
The bread and butter ability for Shen support. His dash can be utilized to set up nice poke from the ADC and leave the enemies vulnerable for 1.5 seconds. The dash can also be used for escaping enemies by dashing over walls or away. Look to taunt as many enemies as you can in teamfights.
Stand United
Teleport to a target ally champion and grant them a shield
The most saving grace a team could have. About to die top lane? No problem! Having trouble? Here I am! Shen's ult is something not to be messed with. Stand United can quickly turn the tide of a fight in your favor. It can save someone from death and set up for some nice split pushes. Be sure to look at the mini-map and the respective ally health bars for help in deciding when to ult in.

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Maxing out Feint gives you the most out of the shield you can get. This allows for us to proc Relic Shield more easily as it absorbs damage. I would aim to max Shadow Dash second because then you have the ability to taunt more often. Max Stand United whenever you can as the cooldown gets reduced further and the shield is greater. Max Vorpal Blade last as it will usually be off cooldown quickly especially when you get the max 45% cooldown reduction and having it early is only for the effect of giving some lifesteal to your fellow ADC.

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face of the mountain

A key support item that not only gives us, as a support, a way to shield someone from some damage. In addition, you gain some cooldown reduction and good health stats. Look to complete this item when you deem it necessary as other items such as Sightstone are a must while others are entirely dependent on who is ahead/behind.

Most of the time, Shen will be building out these boots. Mercury's Treads gives us some nice tenacity and MR along with MS. Look to get these against CC and AP comps.

Always a must have item on a support. The support role generally requires to ward everywhere. So, Sightstone gives us some nice warding potential. If you prefer to not build into face of the mountain, then the items building out of Sightstone may be suitable-aside from maybe Ruby Sightstone.

Most team compositions will include an AP champ of some sort. Look to buy this early if mid-lane is fed or ahead. Doing so will save you and your teammates some trouble later on if they remain the way they are.

A good option to opt for especially for team comps that rely on AAs. Getting this is good against a Vayne and Tryndamere. I say get this if the team is AD heavy or a champion like Vayne is ahead.

With the changes to this item, you now reduce critical strikes by 10%. Get this item if you go up against say a Sivir or Jinx, but do not forget about Tryndamere. Any potential in slowing down their AAs can lead to your team being able to burst them down before they burst us down.

Gives good amounts of armor and health. It also allows Shen to deal some damage to enemies when he Shadow Dash's into a team. Good against AD comps or non-burst comps.

The critical strike item that synergizes well with champions that rely on critcal chance. These champs include Tristana, Jinx and Sivir. Look to grab this item if your ADC is needing a boost in DPS. In my opinion, I like this item, but you lose out on the mana aspect because Shen uses energy so there are other options.

Let the heart of a high AS fighter be frozen. Frozen Heart is a similar item to Randuin's Omen except that it gives cooldown reduction and more armor. However, I prefer Randuin's Omen because it reduces critical strikes and gives health. A good choice, though, nonetheless.

An alternative to Mercury's Treads. If the team does not possess a lot of CC, but enough damage to pose a threat then these will do good.

Who has ever tower dove somebody? I think everyone can say "yes". Ohmwrecker is a wonderful item to have for tower dives. It is not ideal to get early, but it can come in handy when your teams decides to tower dive an inner turret-inhibitor or nexus turrets. The active disables the turret for 3 seconds giving some time to dive without taking any damage from a turret. Look to grab this against AD heavy teams, but it also can work against AP comps yet I believe the efficiency is greater versus AD.

A wonderful item to mitigate burst damage. The spell shield allows you to take no damage from an ability and can come in handy when you go in with Shadow Dash. Time it right, and vital CC stopping you from taunting will be nulled and your team can potentially follow up. For a tanky diver, this item is good against AP heavy and CC heavy comps.

If you do not need Locket of the Iron Solari, but still need some MR then Banner of Command is perfect. The stats it gives are comparable to locket and also give a little boost to your abilities with some AP. Plus, tack on the active to a cannon and a team will have some trouble taking it down early on.

Spirit Visage is needed if you need even more HP and MR. This item can also max you out on cooldown reduction at 45%. Look to this item against AP comps.

I hardly ever get this item, but when I do, it is good for both AD and AP comps. It gives good amounts of armor and MR as well as a nice active that can take down towers quickly. To do that, put this in a bush near a tower and hopefully it will last a while to at least do sizable damage to a tower. If not, place it when you are on a siege near the enemy base.

Although Warmog's Armor does not give any MR, it does give insane amounts of health. Tack on everything else it brings and you will be regenerating HP like a madman. Against AP comps, look to this to give some boost in your tankiness on top of other MR items. You can also take this against AD.

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Early on, you will want to passively farm with Relic Shield and keep your ADC relatively safe with Shadow Dash. In addition, you can do some pre-6 trades with Shadow Dash and you may come out with an assist or kill. Keep in mind though that how you play is based on the matchup. Against ranged supports, utilize your Feint to mitigate damage and Shadow Dash taunt when necessary, but don't overcommit especially with an enemy Thresh or Morgana. The Death Sentence or Dark Binding can leave you vulnerable. Try to back once you obtain Stand United and get Sightstone, targon's brace and Boots. If you have more gold than that, you can probably upgrade to higher boots. Ward tri or river with Stealth Ward when possible and then Sightstone when you obtain it.

If all has gone well, you should be on your way to completing your first or second big item. If you are behind, work with your team to get you and whoever is behind back into the game, but do not go into fights you cannot win-even with Stand United. Look to Shadow Dash taunt whenever it will net you a kill or when a teamfight breaks out. Taunt whoever is pivotal to winning the fight. Do not taunt a champion that does not do a lot of damage-aka the support. Aim for AP burst champions or ADCs. On occasions top will be a good choice. Also, remember that the taunt can affect all champions so aim for a 5-man taunt whenever possible. Continue to ward with Sightstone and clear areas with Oracle Lens or Sweeping Lens.

By then you should have two or three big items. If you truly lost in the laning phase and had not picked up the pace in the mid-game, then here is when Shen is not at his best. If you are in this state, try to work with your team to catch an enemy out and slowly build up your gold count. For the best possible scenario-you won lane and did well mid-game-then you should be controlling baron nashor and dragon. Keep warding with Sightstone and with Vision Wards. When a teamfight breaks out, keep an eye on your allies health as Stand United can really turn the fight. Look for high priority targets to shut down and work with your team to follow if you Shadow Dash taunt someone of priority.

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"You can't kill what you can't see!" Generally, you are THE person who wards. Yet, you can only fit 4 wards on the map which typically cover only the bot lane. That is why ALL champs need to ward so make sure your team is doing this as well. By warding, you are giving yourself some leeway from being ganked and not extending lane too far for too long. Without vision, a split push may end in your death. So, if the team has all champs warding, the map can have a total of 20 potential wards. That's more than enough to provide adequate vision to keep you and your teammates safe. Below is a map of early game warding:

Almost no matter what, you WILL be warding the tri-bush and dragon pit. Basically, all junglers have to come through those areas and having vision of them can save you from your demise. It can do so by alerting you of an MIA enemy coming down to you-typically mid. The bottom bush wards are defensive and typically are placed to avoid surprise hooks, binds and stuns. They can also be helpful to any top with Teleport.

Mid-game is almost the same as the early game. The only changes are that you have a more broad area of warding. Instead of primarily focusing bot lane, you attempt to get vision all over your jungle. This, in turn, allows your teammates to enter the jungle safely and put vision on key objectives such as dragon and baron nashor. Having vision is everything. From objectives to enemy champion locations, vision is everything. Get an Oracle Lens to help with making sure you move through the jungle with better ease because you will be taking out some enemy wards.

Explanation within the image is pretty self explanatory. Get wards anywhere and everywhere as this is where vision can make or break a game. Don't know where an enemy went? Hope to god that you have wards down so that you can quickly see them and either A) peel away or B) strike them down. If you're at the point in which the enemy team is sieging you, warding over the nexus walls is vital in being able to avoid any skill shots or enemies that can send you into a team fight you will lose.

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Below is a section detailing any supports that I have played against. ADCs will be omitted as all of them pose some threat to any support. I will attempt to give some tips when you are against certain supports. Remember though, every matchup is purely skill based and even a counter pick does not mean the enemy will win.

Blitzcrank
Difficulty: 3/10
Build: Mercury's Treads and Locket of the Iron Solari
Blitzcrank will typically pose a threat to anyone, but Shen. With my current build, I can easily avoid his Rocket Grab and avoid any unnecessary skirmishes. However, he can still pull your ADC with ease. So, be sure they stand behind either you or the minions. Prepare to Shadow Dash if you do get pulled as you can generally do so before he Power Fists. Generally, this matchup is easy. Build MR and Shadow Dash taunt for an easier lane and late game overall.

Braum
Difficulty: 5/10
Build: Mercury's Treads
You can avoid his Winter's Bite with your Shadow Dash or sidestep it with the MS you do have with this build. Since you possess a dash, you are able to save your ADC from Concussive Blows reaching full stacks. You do put yourself in a potentially bad situation if you Shadow Dash and Braum AAs to start the stack. However, you can Feint before the stun to mitigate the stun damage and any following AAs. Be prepared to Shadow Dash out to avoid death. I found this matchup to be easy at times, but it can be difficult depending on who is jungle, mid or top. Aim to Shadow Dash towards an enemy ADC to avoid them procing the stun and build accordingly.

Lulu
Difficulty: 4/10
Build: Mercury's Treads
This little faerie wielding champion is something that can be a nuisance, but overall is an easy support to play against. Despite her range with AAs, Glitterlance and Help, Pix!, Shen can easily jump her. Even with Whimsy, players will have to react quickly to null the effect of Shadow Dash. However, Whimsy can lead to ill-fated plays especially because you are polymorphed for so long. Make sure to by Mercury's Treads to combat this. Other than that, look to make her waste Wild Growth and look to cause engages thereafter as that is her primary ability to save an ally.

Nami
Difficulty: 7/10
Build: Mercury's Treads
One of the most annoying matchups that I have encountered. She has a heal with Ebb and Flow and an ability with peel and damage amplification in Tidecaller's Blessing. She has hard CC with Aqua Prison, but you can easily avoid that with Shadow Dash, let alone your MS. Look to Feint as much as you can so you do not start to dwindle on health and Shadow Dash her when the situation deems it necessary. Be careful though! Once you go in, she can Aqua Prison you and you can die because you will not always be able to avoid it. Other than that, coordinate with your ADC to poke when necessary and make her use up her mana. A deficient fish cannot help the ADC anymore than AAs and Exhaust.

Nautilus
Difficulty: 3/10
Build: Mercury's Treads
He may have access to a stun, hook and slow, but you can avoid all of that with your MS and Shadow Dash. Plus, I found that enemy ADCs try to follow up on his Dredge Line so it makes it that much easier to Shadow Dash taunt both Nautilus and the ADC. He does possess more hard CC than Shen and an equivalent shield with Titan's Wrath, but with good teamwork, the matchup is easy. Avoid unnecessary Dredge Lines and always be on the lookout for Depth Charge. If he uses it on Shen, Shadow Dash over a wall so that he cannot follow up with Dredge Line. Otherwise, this support is easy to go against to me.

Tahm Kench
Difficulty: 9/10
Build: Mercury's Treads and Dead Man's Plate
This frog is annoying! He is especially annoying if you play against a Tahm Kench and Vayne bot lane. He can AA Shen so easily to apply An Acquired Taste and then Devour. You see Dead Man's Plate? Buy it against him! If he can out speed you then you will die. Shadow Dash taunt the enemy ADC when he is not able to AA you. Be aggressive when needed, but always be wary that his Devour also works against Shadow Dash. Poke him down from a distance and then attack him when deemed a sure kill. A good idea is to wait till his Thick Skin has no gray health, but that will not always be the case. Play a passive/aggressive lane and work with all lanes including the jungle to mitigate him as an issue.

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Here you will find a wide array of ADCs that I have been paired up with. Each will describe who him/her is and the level of synergy ranging from poor to excellent. In addition, each section will detail why I rated each ADC the way I did and how I worked to make the synergy happen-even if it was poor.

Jinx
Synergy: Excellent
I tried to resist giving Jinx an excellent rating, but Shen and her work so well! Your Shadow Dash leaves enemies vulnerable to her Flame Chompers! as the arm time is only 0.7 seconds. So, as long as she follows you up after you taunt, the enemy will have to waste Heal, Exhaust and/or Flash to get out. In any case, the taunt allows her to net splash damage with her rockets or overall AA damage with her mini-gun-that is her Switcheroo!. Her Zap! synergizes nicely with your Shadow Dash and tack on that MS and taunting is a breeze-just don't mess up with where you put your cursor. For a bot lane, the two synergize very well and I highly suggest pairing up with a good Jinx player. Do remember that you are not unstoppable though!

Kalista
Synergy: Great
Brother and sister, literally with Fate's Call. Kalista and Shen are a great combination because you can be pulled in to knock up enemies to win a fight-and then Shadow Dash taunt-or she can pull you away from a sticky situation. With Rends passive, her spears can stack easily when you Shadow Dash taunt. With her kiting ability, if you land a taunt she can follow up with Pierce and Shen can add to the damage by AAing especially in conjunction with Sentinels passive. You give Kalista lane presence and most of the time you will be safe from any ganks with Sentinels active. Look to capitalize on her ability to stack spears and be ready for when you get pulled in from Fate's Call.

Miss Fortune
Synergy: Great
Everything that MF possesses is greatly complimented by your Shadow Dash. Her range allows her to poke from afar and deal insane amounts of damage even though the taunt lasts only 1.5 seconds. Shen allows her to output the maximum amount of damage in any given ability. You can trap an enemy within her Bullet Time cone and give her extra time to switch between targets to proc Love Tap. Between those two abilities, you have an insane lane! Of course, going up against a support that is "better" than Shen can have you playing passive, but you can still be poke heavy. The only thing you need to know is when to limit certain actions.

Vayne
Synergy: Great/Excellent
Yeah, I know. How could I possibly be giving an in-between rating? Well, Vayne is versatile, but much of her game requires her laning phase to go unimpeded. That will not always happen. So, as Shen you need to set her up with an early kill or allow her to farm while peeling with Shadow Dash. With Vayne, Shen can easily set up a Condemn or a Tumble+ Condemn combo with Shadow Dash taunt. Plus, the taunt allows her to easily add to Silver Bolts and eventually procing the true damage. If you don't fall behind, she will be a carry worth Excellent, but she can also be Great because not everyone can play her to that level. Oh, and because she can have a rough time with poke, go ahead and Vorpal Blade a cannon or enemy and let her regain some health. This does help in the laning phase as she has a weak early game. Look to get ahead.

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Shen is a fun champion to play as a whole. He requires some map awareness, but with practice, you can play him effectively and be a "savior". If you have any comments or questions about anything in my guide, please don't hesitate to post them or message me. Upvote if you liked the guide, and downvote if you absolutely feel it's necessary to do so. For anyone who does downvote, please inform me of why and I will do my best to change up the guide to reflect your opinion. Happy "Defending" with Shen -"Surgeon" HighTide29

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Creation 2015

Special Thanks to:

jhoijhoi's Making a Guide guide for most of the templates!
jamespongebob A Coding Service guide for help on other coding and giving ideas for future changes!
astrolia's Guide to Making a Custom Table of Contents guide for helping me create the table of contents!
astrolia's Support Guide Supplement guide for warding images!