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Xin Zhao Build Guide by

🔸 Xin Zhaofend / To The Arena [25.10] 🔸

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Build Guide By 934 78

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934 78

2,409,781 Views

36 Comments

Xin Zhao Build Guide By Updated on

Guide Discussion (36) More Xin Zhao Guides

Runes: META

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Precision

Conqueror

Triumph

Legend: Alacrity

Last Stand

Inspiration

Magical Footwear

Cosmic Insight

Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+10-180 Bonus Health

Spells:

Flash

Smite

Items

Starter

Vision Control

Boots

Pro Build #1

META #1

META #2

META #3

Assassin #1

Assassin #2

Assassin #3

Duelist Assassin #1

Duelist Fighter #1

Duelist Fighter #2

Sustain Fighter #1

Sustain Fighter #2

Sustain Fighter #3

Ability Order Dominate

1 2

Xin Zhao Passive Ability

More Xin Zhao Counters

Guide Chapters

x Intro
x Xin Zhao
x Spells
x Abilities
x Items
x Runes
x Jungling
x Spotlight
x How To Play
x Matchups
x Ban List
x Video Clips & Images
x OA Tips

Rumored to have never lost a one-on-one duel, Xin Zhao is a relentless warrior who thrives in the thick of battle.

I still remember the first time I played Xin Zhao. I was instantly drawn to his unique blend of durability and burst damage—a fighter who trades like an assassin. His aggressive, all-in playstyle perfectly matched my preferences, and over time, I became a dedicated Xin Zhao one-trick, mastering his strengths and weaknesses.

Pros

+ Strong early-game ganks
+ High burst and sustained damage
+ Excellent 1v1 dueling potential
+ Snowballs leads effectively
+ Healthy jungle clear with sustain
+ Dynamic and engaging playstyle

Xin Zhao’s greatest strength lies in his early-game dominance. Securing leads and pressuring the map proactively is key to maximizing his impact.

Cons

- Struggles against peel-heavy team comps
- Vulnerable to heavy crowd control
- Falls off in late-game teamfights

While Xin Zhao has clear weaknesses, experienced players can mitigate them through smart positioning, target selection, and adapting their build to the game’s needs.

Why Xin Zhao?

Xin Zhao is a rewarding champion for players who enjoy assertive, tempo-driven gameplay. His kit excels at dictating early fights, making him a fantastic pick for climbing ranked solo queue. Whether you prefer skirmishing, diving backlines, or securing objectives, Xin Zhao delivers a visceral, high-impact experience that feels true to his warrior fantasy.

Fun Fact: The correct pronunciation of "Xin Zhao" is "Shin Jao".

FLASH

The ultimate playmaking tool for :
• Enables flashy engages with into immediate knockbacks
• Lets you reposition during fights to maximize resets
• Critical for escaping bad situations when your is on cooldown
• Can be used to steal objectives by flashing over walls for last-hit plays

Mastering Flash timing separates decent players from exceptional ones.

SMITE

Your jungle control starts with proper usage:

Upgrade Choices:
• - Best for aggressive early gank paths and map mobility
• - Ideal when you need extra dueling power against tanky opponents
• - Essential versus team comps with heavy crowd control

Key tactics:
• Always keep one charge available for contested objectives
• Use it to secure crucial buffs during invades
• Time your with for burst damage on epic monsters

Proper management is what separates junglers who react from those who control the game.

PASSIVE ABILITY

Determination

✦ Every third attack deals bonus damage and heals Xin Zhao.

's passive is the foundation of his strength as a relentless duelist and jungler. The healing and bonus damage on every third attack gives him exceptional sustain in the jungle and during extended fights. What makes this ability truly powerful is how it works on everything - champions, monsters, even wards and turrets. This versatility allows for creative plays, like sustaining off jungle camps between fights or getting that extra bit of damage when taking objectives. The healing scales with attack damage, meaning it grows stronger throughout the game. Combined with Conqueror, this passive turns Xin Zhao into an unstoppable force in prolonged engagements. To maximize its value, always be conscious of your attack count - that third hit can mean the difference between winning and losing a close duel. The passive also enables healthier jungle clears than most fighters, letting you maintain pressure across the map without needing to recall constantly. It's this perfect blend of sustain and damage that makes Xin Zhao such a consistent pick regardless of meta shifts.

Three Talon Strike

✦ 's next 3 standard attacks deal increased damage with the third attack knocking an opponent into the air.

's is the backbone of his early pressure, delivering burst damage and guaranteed crowd control on the third hit. The ability's raw damage (especially when paired with his passive's third-attack bonus) makes him one of the strongest early duelists, capable of out-trading most junglers in a straight 1v1. But the real power lies in the knock-up—this is what cements Xin Zhao as a ganking menace. Unlike skillshot-dependent CC, his Q's airborne effect is point-and-click reliable, ensuring ganks or invades almost always force flashes or secure kills. The hidden value is in its cooldown reduction passive: each Q strike shaves 1 second off your other abilities. This rewards weaving basic attacks between spells, letting you cycle Audacious Charge and Wind Becomes Lightning faster in extended fights. For advanced playmaking, auto-attack twice on a camp or minion before a gank, then Audacious Charge + Q for an immediate knock-up to catch enemies off-guard, especially when diving towers. Time your third Q hit with Smite for burst executes on Dragons or Rift Herald. Use the knock-up to interrupt channeled ults (like Katarina's Death Lotus) or save carries from divers. While the damage falls off later, the utility never does—that knock-up remains one of League's most reliable tools for picks, dives, and teamfight disruption.

Wind Becomes Lightning

✦ Xin Zhao slashes in front of himself with his spear, then thrusts it forward, slowing affected enemies and marking them as Challenged.

is Xin Zhao's versatile damage tool, functioning as both a wave-clearing powerhouse and a lethal execute. The ability's two-part strike delivers exceptional burst - the initial thrust deals solid damage in a cone, while the follow-up slash has extended range (increased by attack speed) and applies a heavy slow. This dual-nature makes it devastating at all stages: early-game for jungle clears and ganks, late-game for assassinating priority targets. The real mastery comes from timing its usage: lead with W when enemies are out of range where the slow ensures you can close the gap, and landing both strikes chunks them before they react. After 's knock-up, the guaranteed W double-hit becomes a finishing blow, and the cooldown refund from Q means you'll often get a second W in extended fights. For jungle efficiency, the cone damage one-shots small camps, while the extended slash lets you pull and damage multiple monsters simultaneously. But the hidden genius lies in its synergy with Xin's kit: the W slow triggers 's extended dash range, applies your passive's heal/damage if it hits a third attack, can be flashed during cast for surprise snipes, and pierces through minions making it deadly in lane skirmishes. While it demands precision (the slash is narrow), mastering W's timing transforms Xin Zhao from a simple bruiser into a precision strike assassin who can delete carries the moment they misposition.

Audacious Charge

✦ Xin Zhao charges to an enemy, gaining increased Attack Speed and dealing damage to all enemies in the area, slowing them briefly. Audacious Charge gains increased range against Challenged targets.

's stands as one of the most reliable engage tools in the jungle role. What makes it exceptional isn't just the targeted dash, but the complete package—an immediate attack speed steroid combined with an area slow that lingers even if targets escape. This ability rewards creative positioning, letting you dash to minions or jungle monsters near your real target to apply the slow zone while keeping your options open. The attack speed boost transforms your follow-up attacks, syncing perfectly with your passive and Q resets to create explosive short trades. Unlike free-movement dashes, the enemy-target restriction forces you to think ahead about minion waves and camp positioning, adding depth to what seems like a simple point-and-click ability. For ganking, it's the ultimate setup tool—the slow ensures your W becomes nearly impossible to dodge, while the attack speed lets you rapidly stack conqueror or lethal tempo. Clearing camps becomes smoother as the AoE damage and slow helps group monsters together while the steroid speeds up your takedowns. Post-six, the ability takes on new dimensions when combined with your ultimate, letting you dictate exactly where fights happen. Mastering when to use it directly on champions versus nearby units separates decent Xin Zhao players from those who truly control the tempo of a match. The cooldown refund from Q strikes means you'll often get multiple uses in extended skirmishes, making it the rhythmic pulse of your combat flow—dash in, attack faster, slow them down, and do it all over again.

Crescent Guard

✦ Xin Zhao challenges an enemy he damaged recently. Xin Zhao deals damage to nearby enemies based on their current Health and knocks non-challenged targets back, becoming impervious to damage dealt by champions outside of the circle created.

Xin Zhao's stands as one of the most versatile ultimates in League, a perfect expression of his warrior fantasy that rewards both instinct and calculation. What makes it extraordinary isn't just the immediate knockback and damage immunity—it's how it redefines positioning and fight dynamics in your favor. The ability creates this beautiful contradiction where you're simultaneously untouchable by distant threats while locking your chosen target into an intimate duel. Skilled use turns enemy teamfights into chaos as you selectively invalidate their backline damage while isolating their frontline. The mind games are endless—you can bait entire ultimates like 's Death Mark or 's Unleashed Power only to render them useless with perfect timing. It's equally devastating as an engage tool when flashed aggressively, scattering enemy formations to secure picks. The damage immunity lasts just long enough to survive what should be lethal focus fire, creating those highlight moments where you emerge from five enemies at 1 HP. Unlike similar "zone control" ultimates, yours doesn't trap you in animations—you keep auto-attacking and casting spells normally, maintaining pressure while untouchable. Advanced play involves using the knockback to reposition enemies into your team's AoE effects or to peel divers off carries. There's this beautiful rhythm to mastering it—the moment you recognize when to go from aggressive duelist to impervious wall, then back again. That's why it never gets old, patch after patch; the creativity it enables makes every feel like a fresh statement on how fights should be controlled.

ABILITY SEQUENCE

>>>

This skill max order prioritizes first for its superior scaling and burst potential, establishing it as your primary execute tool. The attack speed steroid from comes next to maintain clear speed and duel consistency. While received meaningful damage buffs, we delay its max because your early damage needs are already covered. However, post-W max you now have a legitimate choice: either continue with E for attack speed reliability or invest points into Q for its enhanced base damage - both approaches have merit depending on whether you value sustained DPS (E) or burst potential (Q) in mid-game fights. The beauty of Xin Zhao's current kit is this flexibility after securing your core W power spike.

Starting Items

This will be your go-to choice for raw map control. The movement speed lets crash into fights before enemies can react, turning potential stalemates into winning skirmishes. When you need to be everywhere at once—securing ganks, counter-jungling, or rushing objectives—this pet delivers. For a playmaker like , that’s everything.

Choose this when you plan to hunt squishy targets and dominate duels. The burn effect amplifies 's all-in damage, melting vulnerable champions in skirmishes. Perfect for aggressive builds where you want to delete carries and win every 1v1. If the enemy team lacks tanks, this upgrade turns you into a true assassin.

The safe pick when the enemy team packs heavy crowd control. The extra tenacity lets power through stuns and slows, ensuring he can always reach his target. While it sacrifices some damage, the survivability it provides against chain-CC comps is invaluable. When in doubt against lockdown teams, this upgrade won't let you down.

Typically skipped to save gold for faster item spikes, but consider buying one when expecting early jungle fights or invades. 's natural sustain usually makes these unnecessary, though they can provide that slight edge in close level 1-3 skirmishes around scuttle crab or enemy buffs. Only purchase when you anticipate immediate combat before your first recall.

First Base

The ideal buy when you have exactly 1150g from early kills or extended farming. While rushing this for is powerful, you can always grab its components ( + ) separately if short on gold. Only commit to Tunneler when you can complete it in one purchase—otherwise, the individual pieces give equal stats for more flexible recall timings.

After a full clear + scuttle, this is the most efficient damage buy for 875g. The raw AD outperforms other component items at this gold tier, especially when rushing . While it delays health/ability haste from other options, the immediate power spike lets you dominate early skirmishes and secure kills that snowball your lead.

While never mandatory, always grab one if you have 75g leftover after core purchases. A single well-placed ward can secure objective control, prevent ganks, or enable counter-jungling - all crucial for maintaining 's early pressure. Making this a consistent habit noticeably boosts your map control and win rate over time.

Boots

The optimal choice when facing primarily physical damage teams or multiple auto-attack reliant opponents. These boots significantly improve 's survivability during early skirmishes and tower dives. Upgrade to after your second core item to amplify their effectiveness during mid-game objective fights.

Essential against teams with heavy magic damage or crowd control. The tenacity allows to maintain his aggressive playstyle without being kited or locked down. Upgrade to after completing two core items to further enhance your teamfight durability.

A niche option for ability-haste focused builds, typically paired with items like . While the cooldown reduction can be situationally useful, these generally provide less combat power than defensive alternatives for . Consider upgrading last when spare gold is available.

A specialized choice for attack speed-reliant builds, primarily useful against tank-heavy compositions. While the stats synergize with 's passive, the lack of defensive properties makes them risky. Only build these when you can afford to prioritize sustained damage over survivability.

Item Pool

The premier first-item rush for , perfectly blending damage, durability, and sustain. This bruiser staple provides everything he wants: burst damage on first attacks, significant health for survivability, and healing that synergizes with his passive. The guaranteed crit makes your initial engage devastating, while the health pool lets you survive counter-engagement. Build this first in nearly every game to dominate early skirmishes and maintain pressure through mid-game.

This is the damage-focused alternative when you want to prioritize burst and dueling power over raw sustain. The shield helps survive all-ins while the passive damage boost makes his engages more lethal. It works particularly well when building early into aggressive comps where shorter trades are common. While not as universally strong as , it's a solid choice when you're looking to maximize damage output and have the mechanics to leverage the shielding effectively.

The ideal second item when facing tank-heavy compositions. This bruiser staple gives everything he needs - health for survivability, damage for threats, and crucial armor shred to handle durable opponents. The passive movement speed boost also helps stick to targets after engages. While not always necessary against squishy teams, it becomes essential when enemies start stacking armor items.

The ultimate survival tool for when facing burst-heavy teams. This bruiser essential dramatically increases your effective health while still providing meaningful attack damage. The lifeline shield transforms you into an unstoppable teamfight presence just when enemies try to focus you down. Build this as your third or fourth item to cement your mid-game dominance and survive dangerous engagements that would normally kill you.

A powerful alternative for when prioritizing waveclear and burst combos. The auto-attack reset synergizes perfectly with , letting you weave in extra damage during engagements. The added health boosts your durability while the cleave effect dramatically improves jungle clear and split-pushing potential. Consider this when your playstyle revolves around map pressure and quick trades rather than extended duels.

The ultimate anti-AD item for when facing heavy physical damage teams. While it doesn’t provide raw health, the armor and damage delay passive let you survive burst and turn extended skirmishes in your favor. The healing on takedowns synergizes perfectly with your all-in playstyle, making it a must-buy against multiple AD threats. Prioritize this when the enemy team relies on champions that want quick kills but struggle in prolonged fights.

The essential counter against AP burst champions and magic damage assassins. This item gives the survivability to withstand initial spell rotations, with the lifeline shield and magic resist allowing you to turn seemingly lost fights. The bonus attack damage when triggered perfectly complements your all-in playstyle. Build this as your defensive option when the enemy team has multiple AP threats looking to delete you in teamfights or skirmishes.

A situational anti-heal option when your team lacks proper grievous wounds application. Start with for early healing reduction, then upgrade only when absolutely necessary. While the health and AD stats are decent, this should typically be built by other roles - only complete it as when facing extreme healing comps that demand your personal counter.

The ultimate defensive option when needs to survive against heavy magic damage teams. This item amplifies your natural sustain from while providing crucial resistances to withstand burst. While it sacrifices some damage, the added survivability lets you stay in fights longer and create more opportunities for your team. Build this when the enemy has multiple AP threats and you need to transition into a frontline role.

A powerful late-game option when needs to survive focused fire in teamfights. The armor provides solid physical damage reduction while the revive passive forces enemies to either gamble on killing you twice or ignore you completely. Build this when you're the primary engage and your continued presence in fights is crucial - the second life often creates just enough disruption to turn battles in your favor.

A situational defensive option when needs to counter heavy auto-attack teams while also applying grievous wounds. While not ideal for most builds, it becomes valuable when you're forced into a tank role against multiple AD threats. The passive reflects damage and reduces healing, making it particularly effective when playing from behind or when your team lacks other anti-heal options.

While no longer the dominant choice it once was, this remains a viable option for players who prefer attack-speed focused builds. The spellblade passive synergizes well with rotations, and the movement speed helps stick to targets. However, it's generally outclassed by more specialized items like for burst or for split-pushing. Consider this only when you specifically want to maximize sustained damage output in extended duels.

A high-damage option for when needs to prioritize carry potential over tankiness. The attack speed and current health damage synergize perfectly with his passive, making it devastating against health-stacking opponents. While it sacrifices durability, the lifesteal and movement steal provide surprising sustain in duels. Consider this when you're snowballing and can afford to trade survivability for explosive damage output, though standard bruiser items often offer more balanced power.

A specialized anti-AP option that gives valuable magic resistance while enhancing his sustained damage. The bonus magic damage on attacks works exceptionally well with his rapid strike pattern, particularly against magic-resistant opponents. While not a conventional bruiser item, it provides the perfect blend of offensive and defensive stats when facing multiple AP threats. The added tenacity helps maintain pressure in magic-heavy teamfights where crowd control would normally shut you down.

A powerful late-game defensive option when needs to survive against heavy magic damage compositions. The item's unique magic shield makes you significantly more durable against burst mages and AP threats, while the health and magic resistance provide consistent tankiness. Consider this as a final item when your team needs you to frontline against multiple AP carries and you've already built your core damage items.

A strong bruiser option when needs to enhance his basic ability rotations in extended fights. The bonus ability haste improves and frequency, while the stacking damage amplification rewards sustained combat patterns. Though less impactful than on ability-spam champions, it becomes viable against health-stacking teams where fights drag on. The health pool also provides valuable survivability when diving backlines.

As an experienced player, I've always cherished the lethality/assassin variation - a playstyle that defies conventional bruiser norms. This build unlocks his hidden potential as a explosive dive assassin, trading sustained combat for the thrill of instant backline deletions. While unconventional, it's remarkably viable given his kit's natural synergy with burst patterns. The playstyle demands perfect engage timing and target selection, but rewards you with unparalleled pick potential. Like his AP variant (proof that thrives beyond standard builds), lethality transforms him into a different champion entirely - one that capitalizes on early aggression before opponents can adapt. Whether you're testing limits or simply craving a fresh experience, this approach reminds us why item diversity keeps mastery exciting.

The ultimate high-risk, high-reward playstyle cherished by dedicated mains. This build takes the lethality approach's burst potential and amplifies it with raw critical strike power, transforming every into a potential oneshot. The sheer satisfaction of watching health bars disappear in two hits is unmatched, though it demands perfect positioning and fight timing. You'll live and die by your ability to pick isolated targets and execute flawless knockbacks to create favorable engagements. While exceptionally squishy, the build turns into a true hypercarry that rewards mastery with explosive outplay potential.

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Yes, Hail Of Blades fits Xin Zhao, give him more gank potential and help you to do your Q as soon as possible, not only dealing the great damage in shorter period of time, but you knock you enemies much faster and over all its helps you to make more secure ganks, i usually choose it for as a keystone when i can 1v1 every enemy champ, if i see there is a champ that i can't burst him down with this keystone i may go for , whilemean Hail Of Blades works at every stage of game but mostly on squishy champs and not tanks.

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Conqueror is so strong at the current meta, best 1v1 rune and good for late game since it brings nice amount of healing. good rune for more sustain and healing, you can stuck it easily and become stronger in many duels, while gives and early advantage, start shining in mid game while it makes you unstoppable when you get your tanky items in late game.

Is a must choice since Xin need that amount of early attack speed and even more, same goes for that amount of Adaptive Force, You usually go for +10-180 Bonus Health, but against heavy control-crowd teams you can grab the Tenactiy, in some early game scenarios, where you might want to invade, you can get raw health so you have some more health bar early game.

Rune Discuss

Cheap
Shot

All of your abilities trigger the , The main reason of using is due to true damage amount, so we can say its good for ganking tanks.

Sudden
Impact

Your trigger this rune can be a good option vs squishy teams or simply teams without tanks or champs that rush armor.

Grisly Mementos

A strategic choice for when prioritizing vision control and map awareness. The trinket haste stacks transform your warding game, allowing more frequent vision placement and sweeper usage as you secure takedowns.

Treasure Hunter

This aggressive rune supercharges 's snowball potential by providing bonus gold on unique takedowns. Each successful gank or skirmish win accelerates your item spikes, letting you dominate the mid-game faster.

Relentless
Hunter

I would say this extra out of combat movement speed is necessary as your main goal is to be ready for ganks, joining fights, going for objectives and over all being active in the whole map.

Triumph

its just a great rune over all, give us 12% of our missing health after each take down which is a great amount that helps for survive, or even taking another fight as well as +20 gold for each take down which is usefull for snowballing and make your time which you effort to gank even worthier than before.

Legend: Alacrity

Any extra attack speed is welcomed and useful for Xin Zhao and we really need this amount of attack speed specially when we can stack it to max amount possible as a champ like Xin.

Legend: Tenacity

This rune is recommended vs CC Comps, tenacity reduces the duration of all crowd controls and since most of the times we may want to engage as Xin Zhao we gonna receive ton of cc. at the moment most of the Pros are using this rune due to fights that happen around Drakes and Heralds.

Coup De Grace

If you are facing squishy enemies or some mobile champs that you think they can escape before you finish them, this rune helps a bit with that little extra damage.

Last Stand

I recommend it if you are playing , as you can deal 11% more damage when you are at 30% of your hp that means more damage and more healing.

Magical Footwear

If you are playing Inspiration as your secondary rune, you can rush for it as it gives a free boot with more movement speed, you can also get it earlier than any champs with you early take downs.

Approach Velocity

Your E triggers this rune, thats mean every time you use on a target you gave an extra speed, your W slow also bring this speed. this rune is being used by pros mostly with as key stone.

Cosmic Insight

This rune provides valuable cooldown reduction for 's summoner spells and active items, creating more playmaking windows throughout the game.

Bone Plating

I Love this rune because i believe that we can use all three plate of it, and that means 180 less damage which is a great amount, i play Resolve as my secondary page when i go with .

Revitalize

This Rune is AMAZING, even since min 1 you start getting more heal with your passive, play it with and you will become an moster with your amazing sustain.

Pathing

The first jungle route is the cornerstone of every jungler’s game plan, setting the tempo for the entire match. A well-optimized path ensures maximum efficiency in gold, experience, and map pressure while minimizing wasted time. For , this is especially critical—his early-game dominance relies on proper sequencing to hit key power spikes (Level 3, first item) at the right moments.

Understanding lane matchups and win conditions dictates whether you should prioritize a full clear, a three-camp gank, or an invade-heavy route. Strong early lanes may allow for aggressive pathing, while weaker ones may require defensive tracking to counter enemy jungle pressure. The best routes balance farming with opportunistic plays, ensuring maintains tempo without falling behind in experience.

Efficient camp sequencing also impacts respawn timers, allowing for smoother mid-game rotations. If executed correctly, the first clear transitions seamlessly into scuttle control, ganks, or invades—all while keeping up with the enemy jungler’s movements. A disciplined path ensures remains a constant threat, whether through relentless aggression or controlled map dominance.

Ward Trick

The Ward Trick is a high-level vision technique that gives critical early information while setting up gank success. By placing a ward at the enemy raptors (or your own on blue side) around 0:40 and immediately recalling for , you accomplish two goals simultaneously. First, the ward reveals the enemy jungler’s starting location and likely pathing, allowing you to predict their early movements. Second, securing an early sweeper ensures your first gank isn’t spotted by defensive wards. This tactic requires precise timing—ward placement must occur before 0:45 to allow a safe recall—and situational awareness to avoid risky invades. When executed properly, it provides a strategic edge without disrupting your clear tempo, perfectly complementing ’s early aggression. The information advantage lets you counter-jungle, intercept scuttle attempts, or plan dives with confidence, while the early denies vision on your gank routes.

Vertical Jungling

Vertical jungling fundamentally reshapes map control by dividing the jungle into strong and weak sides for each team. As , this strategy allows you to dominate one vertical half of the map—clearing both your assigned quadrant and the enemy's mirror quadrant—while conceding the opposite side. This creates predictable pressure zones where your presence amplifies nearby lane dominance while minimizing cross-map vulnerability. The strong side benefits from superior vision control, safer gank opportunities, and priority access to nearby objectives, while the weak side requires calculated sacrifice.

This approach can emerge reactively when facing aggressive invaders who deny your natural pathing, forcing you to claim equivalent value on their side. Alternatively, it can be proactively executed when coordinating with laners to overload a specific quadrant, particularly when playing around a hypercarry or winning matchup. thrives in vertical jungling scenarios thanks to his strong early dueling power, allowing him to secure contested quadrants and punish enemy junglers who overextend into his strong side. While inherently riskier in solo queue due to communication barriers, mastering this concept elevates your macro play by teaching advanced tempo tradeoffs and lane-jungle synergy.

Counter Jungling & Invade

Counter-jungling and invading require precise enemy tracking and strategic foresight to execute effectively. The foundation lies in understanding where the opposing jungler is likely to be through vision or predictive pathing analysis. Proper ward placement on key camps like buffs or raptors before invading provides critical information on camp respawns and rotation patterns. This preparation separates reactive counter-jungling from calculated aggression—you're not just stealing resources blindly, but systematically denying the enemy jungler while minimizing risk.

Successful invades demand awareness of lane states, as priority determines your safety when crossing territorial lines. When you spot the enemy jungler ganking one lane quadrant, that creates a window to claim uncontested camps on the opposite side of the map. This exchange philosophy extends beyond early game—every failed gank or recall from the opponent presents an opportunity to establish deeper vision or take camps. For , this plays to his strengths; his dueling power allows him to contest camps aggressively when conditions are favorable, while his mobility helps escape collapsing enemies.

The strategic payoff compounds over time. Each stolen camp not only accelerates your own growth but delays the enemy jungler's critical power spikes. However, over-aggression without proper setup can backfire—always weigh the risks of invading against potential lane collapses and missing objective timers. Mastery comes from recognizing when to push the advantage versus when to concede and regroup.

Lane Priority

Lane priority fundamentally dictates your options as a jungler, shaping both early-game pathing and mid-game objective control. For , understanding priority means recognizing which lanes naturally exert pressure—whether through waveclear, matchup advantage, or early kills—and leveraging that to secure advantages across the map. A lane with priority can rotate faster to skirmishes, assist invades, or help secure vision, while a losing lane often forces defensive play.

Your game plan should adapt dynamically based on which side of the map holds stronger pressure. If your bot lane secures an early lead, focusing pathing toward dragon-side camps and ganks maximizes that advantage, enabling easier drake takes and invades. Conversely, if top lane struggles, avoiding forced plays there prevents unnecessary risks. However, priority isn’t static; a single kill or roam can shift a lane’s influence, demanding constant reassessment of where your presence is most impactful.

In practical terms, priority enables proactive plays. When your laners push waves under the enemy tower, they gain freedom to assist invades, contest scuttle crabs, or collapse on the enemy jungler. This control creates safe zones for deep vision, counter-jungling, and objective setups. Without priority, even well-timed invades or ganks can backfire if enemy laners arrive first.

For , this means aligning your aggression with winning lanes to snowball leads, while avoiding overcommitting to lost causes. A bot-side priority game, for example, allows for relentless dives and dragon control, while mid priority opens up river dominance and Herald plays. Always weigh the risk of a play against the likelihood of lane support—low-elo teammates may not rotate as reliably, demanding more cautious judgment.

Tracking Enemy Jungler

Understanding the enemy jungler’s movements is the foundation of superior jungle control. By anticipating their pathing, you gain the foresight needed to make proactive decisions—whether it’s securing objectives, setting up counter-ganks, or executing invades. The process begins with vision, but true mastery comes from combining map awareness, wave-state analysis, and predictive logic.

Early tracking starts with identifying the opponent’s likely starting position, often revealed through lane leashes or deep wards. From there, their clear pattern becomes predictable—some prioritize full farming routes, while others look for early aggression. Recognizing these tendencies allows you to adjust your own pathing, avoiding unnecessary confrontations or capitalizing on their absence to take resources elsewhere.

As the game progresses, tracking evolves beyond just camp timers. Every appearance on the map—whether through vision, lane pressure, or missing pings—provides valuable information. If they show on one side, the opposite jungle becomes vulnerable. If they gank a lane and burn summoner spells, their next move will likely loop back to exploit that advantage. The key is to constantly update your mental map of their position, using every clue to stay ahead.

For aggressive junglers, tracking enables decisive counterplays. Instead of reacting to the enemy’s moves, you dictate the tempo—stealing camps when they’re occupied elsewhere, securing objectives during their downtime, or ambushing them at their weakest moments. The better you predict their pathing, the more control you exert over the game’s flow.

Vision remains the most reliable tool, but even without direct sight, lane states and respawn logic fill the gaps. Pushed lanes signal potential gank targets, while frozen waves suggest setups. Missing laners often hint at roams or invades. By synthesizing these details, you minimize guesswork and maximize efficiency.

Ultimately, tracking isn’t just about knowing where the enemy is—it’s about understanding where they will be and using that knowledge to outmaneuver them at every turn.

Ganking

Ganking forms the core of 's aggressive playstyle, leveraging his targeted engage and crowd control to create early advantages. Unlike junglers dependent on skillshot CC, his provides reliable gap-closing while delivers guaranteed knock-ups, making his ganks exceptionally potent when executed properly. However, maximizing their effectiveness requires careful consideration of lane states, enemy mobility, and vision control before committing.

Lane selection significantly impacts gank success rates. thrives most in bot lane due to the dual-target potential and dragon proximity, though overextended top laners also present prime opportunities. Mid lane proves more challenging unless opponents lack mobility or your ally has strong setup. Critical evaluation of lane priority determines whether allies can assist without sacrificing minion waves, while tracking summoner spells and escape tools prevents wasted time on unkillable targets. Vision awareness separates predictable river walks from impactful ganks—entering through unwarded flanks or lane bushes dramatically increases success odds.

Optimal pathing utilizes unconventional angles to bypass common ward placements. Lane ganks through reset waves, blast cone jumps into enemy territory, or calculated counter-gank positioning all create favorable engagements. The gank sequence itself is brutally efficient: initiates with its slow, followed by auto-attacks into 's knock-up, finishing with 's execution damage. Against flash escapes, chasing maintains pressure, while post-6 enables daring tower dives by zoning reinforcements.

Discretion remains equally important—avoid ganking lanes where enemies retain mobility tools, allies lack follow-up resources, or counter-gank threats loom nearby. By balancing these factors, players transform ganks into snowball opportunities, consistently pressuring the map while minimizing risky commitments.

Wave Management

Wave management is a crucial yet often overlooked skill for junglers, especially in lower elos where many players fail to recognize its impact. Proper manipulation of minion waves can significantly influence lane states, creating advantages for your team while denying resources from opponents.

Taxing refers to last-hitting minions after a gank, whether successful or not, to gain extra gold and experience. This is particularly useful for farming junglers who need to maximize their income between clears. After a successful gank where your laner secures the kill, taxing a few minions is generally acceptable since the ally is already rewarded with gold. If the gank fails but forces the enemy to recall, taxing compensates for the time invested. However, be mindful of your laner's reaction—some may tilt if they perceive you as stealing resources unnecessarily.

Holding a wave involves preventing it from crashing into your tower when your laner is absent. This is essentially creating a temporary freeze, ensuring your ally doesn’t lose experience or gold upon returning. If the wave is pushing toward your side, thin it out slightly to stall its advance, keeping it in a favorable position. This prevents the enemy from building a large minion advantage or setting up an unfavorable freeze against your teammate.

Pushing is the act of shoving the wave into the enemy tower, typically after a successful kill or when your laner needs a clean recall. This resets the wave to a neutral state, denying the enemy minion gold if they’re dead or forcing them to lose resources under tower. excels at quick pushes thanks to his AoE abilities, making it easy to help allies secure optimal recalls. However, avoid pushing unnecessarily—if the wave isn’t naturally advancing, forcing a push can disrupt your laner’s tempo.

Mastering these concepts allows you to support your team beyond just ganking. Proper wave management ensures your laners maintain pressure, recover from bad states, and transition smoothly into mid-game. While lower-elos may not always appreciate these subtleties, applying them correctly will lead to more consistent victories.

Objectieves

Void Grubs: Spawn at 8:00 and serve as the primary early-game objective, enabling split-push pressure through structure-burning effects. Teams should prioritize securing at least one Grub to accelerate turret-taking potential later. Path toward the Baron pit after initial clears, leveraging lane priority (e.g., mid/top control) to safely contest. Denying Grubs to the enemy jungler weakens their ability to pressure sidelanes, forcing them into reactive play. Vision around the pit is critical—deep wards or scuttle control deter ambushes during takes.

Rift Herald: Available at 15:00, this objective shifts focus to mid-game sieges. Use it to break high-value turrets (mid or inhibitor lanes) and unlock map control for deeper vision. Coordinate with split-pushers to maximize its charge, but avoid forcing contests if the enemy has strong teamfight zoning tools. Trade Herald for cross-map Dragons when lanes lack priority or the enemy jungler is poised to counter. Post-15:00, prioritize Herald to enable Baron setups or split-push strategies.

Atakhan: Spawns at 20:00 in the river half with the most early skirmish activity. Track early fights to predict its location, as controlling this objective grants scaling advantages through enhanced map resources. Teams must secure vision pre-20:00 to contest safely, as its debuff (resistance reduction) punishes poorly coordinated engages. Prioritize collapsing with laners to isolate the enemy jungler or punish split rotations. Winning Atakhan accelerates late-game power spikes, making it a pivotal teamfight objective.

Dragons: Elemental buffs remain critical for scaling. Prioritize early Dragons when bot/mid have priority, using lane advantages to zone enemies from the pit. Concede Dragons if the enemy has overwhelming numbers or stronger teamfight tools, opting instead for cross-map trades (e.g., turrets or Grubs). Late-game Dragons like Soul or Elder demand full-team coordination—control river vision and punish isolated opponents before committing.

Baron Nashor: A late-game cornerstone for closing matches. New terrain mechanics demand adaptable positioning—use pit walls to zone enemies or split their focus. Secure Baron only after winning teamfights or securing key picks, as overcommitting risks throw scenarios. Post-take, leverage empowered minions to pressure multiple lanes, forcing the enemy to split resources. Vision denial around the pit is critical to prevent steals or ambushes.

Early Game (0-14:00): Focus on Grubs at 8:00 and Dragons, using lane priority to dictate objective tempo. Trade Grubs for Dragons if bot-side pressure is weak.

Mid Game (14:00-25:00): Use Atakhan and Herald to break turrets and unlock vision for Baron control. Prioritize skirmishes in the objective-heavy river.

Late Game (25:00+): Secure Baron or Elder to close games, leveraging split-push pressure from Grub buffs. Avoid overcommitting to objectives without vision or teamfight advantages.

Adapt rotations based on enemy jungler tracking and lane states—vertical jungling or counter-invades create windows to claim objectives uncontested. Always prioritize vision control around spawn timers to dictate engagements on your terms.

Gank

Start by choosing the right path, you try to appear behind your enemy that you can use Q first and walk trough them and with doing that you keep your E for the moment that they use Flash, but not always, just go on a lane use E > Q and if enemy flashed before your last Q depends on their position you can insta flash too or simply let them go, flash still worth.

Ganking on mid game is easier and we are playing Xin Zhao, he got easy mechanics aswell so there is nothing to discuss simply just wait when your bot start a fight or get ganks and just go in.

Farm

First thing, is about kiting, for those who don't know what kiting mean, i would say the moves and steps that we do while farming or fighting or simply attacking anything, is what i personally call kiting. a right kiting for killing the Krugs will still keep you full hp! if you do a camp and you lose much hp or even time, kiting can improve it and save you more time on clearing camps and yeah keep you more safe from invades, as it's a Xin Zhao guide i can't go further about kiting, if you have no idea about kiting for start, do sidestep after each 3 basic attack around your target or move for getting closer to your next camp.

About camps, for early solo camps, that means Blue & Red Buff and Gromp are most easier camps for On Hit junglers like Xin, thats why my current path is Red > Blue Gromp > Gank and after that i get jungle item to do Krugs > Raptors > Wolves.

Ward

Like i said, vision control is important part for any jungler, for start get Oracle Lens at the start of the game, specially if you have Zombie Ward, next step is always have a active Control Ward in map you can right places for wards in Images part, also dewarding should become an addict for you!

Invade

I can say that ganking is always easier object for Xin Zhao, but if you mind for an invade, you have to consider that you can 1v1 enemy jungler or not, beside that, if you get in enemy jungle his team may follow and pick you in jungle, so an early invade is recommended, for a successful invade you have to your Smite up aswell, so if enemy is clearing camp you can stole it. actully, outjungling your opponent is enough for get a lead on him.

Objectieves

Xin is really great on doing objectives, specially getting turrets after a successful gank. Whilemean doing drakes and herald is so easy in season 10 for most of junglers including Xin Zhao aswell, you can solo drake when you are lvl 4 at drake spawn time, but you need to do both Drakes and Herald safely since everyone aware of importance of drakes. you may want to fight for Ocean & Mountain drakes as they fit Xin zhao, brings us more sustain.

Dive

Diving as Xin Zhao is not recommended at all, you can't handle turrets shot on early game, if you are going to dive top or bot, always let your Toplaner or Support move on first, or you just can share the Dive time with your teammates.

Kills

Most of Junglers asking alot, should i give kills to others? should i let kill for Adc? should i take the kills? at first step, you must focus on clearing target despite who is gonna to take the kill, and thats mean you are not there for taking a kill for yourself, you are there for taking a kill, but simply, i prefer to increase my KDA Specially on Xin, more kills mean more bully and one step closer to carrying game, if i already have a great lead, i may let some kills for my teammates, but notice that on doing this so enemy may escape, don't greed for letting kills to others.

Balance between Farming & Ganking

Recently, i find out that Balancing between farming and ganking is so important in season 10, ofcurse ganking always work and we are playing an agro champ, but still, wasting a lot of time trying to force ganks, camping and waiting to long for a moment to gank and etc, i would say you should avoid these stuff, its because camp's experiences got nerfed but gives more exp with more farming. and here we have patch 10.3 Note: FARM ALOT, more than before as Exp's got buffed, if you waste time you get behind.

Early Game

Almost for many junglers specially Xin early game is an important part, Xin has strong early ganks With his E & Q its possible to make early ganks. for Early game follow my jungle path, you start Red Buff then you can look for an early gank , but if you do Red > Blue > Gromp at the moment, you get a quick 3 and then you can make a secure gank mostly on top, for that just ask your toplaner to don't push.

you just want to make sure that you don't waste your time, in another word you must know how to do a secure gank, it needs timing, gank path, ability using!, simply timing is about enemy position, like you don't wanna come for a gank when they are under their turret or they are looking for a recall! i know it may sounds funny, what im trying to say is dont force impossible ganks. now i told you this, dont forgot about enemy jungler aswell, they may counter gank you!

if you see you can't gank top or bot you can go for ganking mid , invade or waiting for Rift Scuttler then going for mid, or Raptors and then Recalling to base for getting items. getting items specially if you had a successful gank before that give you a lead on farming, ganking, invading and fighting their jungler.

i can say that, after you completed jungle path its all on you know, you are free and you are the one who decide what to do, you have to analyze lines and their champs and choose bestwhere to gank, i always ask myself, if i gank bot they can get lead? or they gonna still lose? but you know, you never gank for your laner! you gank for yourself.. so thats why you have to use any opportunity and that's the diff between a good jungler and a bad one. i mean, you are playing Xin, farming while your bot is getting gank is not the right decision, for that you need to work on tracking enemy jungler and be ready to counter him.

even on early, sometimes you can help push line and get turret plates specially on top, but care for enemy jungle and mid specially when toplaner enemy got his teleport up, same goes for botlane and mid, what im trying to say is don't stay in a line for long time as it makes some opportunity for enemys, keep them in doubt. notice if you are pushing alone you have to make wave for you teammate.

now let me answer some FAQ:

What if i was not able to gank like enemy is so safe and carefull and enemy jungler Can gank alot? first thing is too make sure that the same thing goes for you teammates, you can ask kindly when the game start : please be safe and care for enemy ganks, please use ward and etc, but still if you can't gank while your teammates are getting ganked, first thing is to track and analyze enemy jungler and report it your team, like if you think their jungler is bot, ping your bot to get back and... but still! the best way is to counter gank. i mean when enemys are so safe that's mean your lines are pushed and that make it easy to gank for enemy jungler, with noticing that you can be there for a counter gank and get lead for your team. and another way is getting objectives like herald or drakes, but counter gank is best.

What if i got out jungled and enemy jungler got my farms and buffs? well, first step on early time is asking to cover and ward your blue, but if enemy jungler invaded your blue and some farms, you have to notice that then there is farms in his jungle that he didn't done them yet, so simply you can go on their jungle, WHERE is SAFE and you dont need to face enemy , like Krugs or sometimes Raptors or Gromp, just track him and locate safe farms in his jungle and check for them or simply go for another gank.

When and how to do drakes and herald? my style is: do drake and herald when enemy never think of it! when enemy have Rift Scuttlerin front of drake or herald, it shows like a fake vision to them, they have vision of a great area in front of drake and herald, in this moment i just use Blast cone and get objective as easy as possible! like herald and drake on their spawn times! but notice that Ganks are still a thing when they are possible at any time. do early drake or herald when your team is ahead. another way for doing herald or drake is: when your team is here to help , when enemy jungler is far away, when their team isn't there to help, but season 10 you gonna have rough time for these objectives.

Mid Game & Late Game

The thing is that you don't make mistakes, any mistakes with Xin is a Death for you, you have to be smart, for me mid game is since minute 15 till 25-30 where Xin can Shine , in my games this time, is team fighting times, if you got lead you can carry, if not you have to get lead now to be usefull at least in lategame, for that you have to looking for picks. the main reason that Xin isn't popular that much is because players think Xin is Squishy, they pick him get into a fight and insta death, i know, Xin concept is to get that early lead for you and your team that you don't need to think about the hard fights at all, but if even 30% of your games with Xin goes long enough or even for mid game fights there is how you fight as a Xin Zhao!

At first, about targeting i have to say that you have to always go for someone that you are sure you can kill him but that's not the only thing that a Xin can do, there is alot of things that is possible Only FOR Xin Zhao.

The best style is: Wait for fight start, then while your team is fighting with enemy team, there is no huge peeling for enemy carries, then go in and join fight by targeting and clearing them look at the video below.

You can engage and start a fight aswell, since you can block incoming damages from enemies, once again choose a target and go on, you will be fine if team follows.

Amumu

Amumu

Quest: Be more active on ganking, Take objectives.

Amumu is not hard matchup, but a good one can make a lot of successful ganks and get bring his team the lead, and you don't want this to happen, for that, you must act before him and do early ganks, whilemean the best way is to counter gank him. taking objectives for amumu takes more time than other junglers so overall you got a head start. he can't 1v1 you as well but attempting to invade an amumu is not recommended as his team may follow, just do your normal job.

Ekko

Ekko

Quest: Be more active on ganking, Take objectives, Counter gank, Track and report, Make sure he don't get fed.

Ekko is one of the strong junglers in season 10, people love his mechanics so his pick rate is getting increased over all, you can 1v1 an Ekko easily in any stage of game but be aware of his W, if you get his stun you are done, you may even invade him early game. he is an assassin so he got the good kit for getting kills and your job is to make sure that he don't, simply by out jungling, out ganking, getting objectives and track and report it to your team to aware them of Ekko and you are fine.

Bel'Veth

Bel'Veth

Quest: Starve her scaling, Control void zones, Force early tempo.

Bel'Veth dominates through late-game snowballing - your goal is to accelerate the game before she hits critical mass. Prioritize early heralds over dragons to break outer towers quickly, denying her safe farming zones. When she shows on one side, immediately take resources on the opposite quadrant - her weak early rotations can't match your map speed. Coordinate with lanes that have priority to invade her jungle constantly, as she relies heavily on farm efficiency. In mid-game, avoid symmetrical teamfights in choke points where her area control shines - instead, look for picks or split push to stretch the map.

Briar

Briar

Quest: Exploit predictable pathing, Bait overextensions, Control vision.

Briar's forced aggression creates counterplay opportunities through map awareness. Place deep wards in her jungle to track her linear gank routes, then set up counter-ganks when she commits. When she's locked onto a target, immediately look for cross-map plays on the opposite side - her self-taunt creates predictable windows for objective trades. In mid-game, use her ultimates as engagement signals - if she jumps bot lane, rush her top jungle or take Baron. Communicate constantly with your team to collapse when she overextends, as her kit rewards isolation but crumbles against coordinated focus.

Elise

Elise

Quest: Be more active on ganking, Counter gank, Make sure she don't get fed.

Elise may beat you if she do her combo at once, but if she miss her E she become an easy target as what as she is squishy, also counter ganking is her weak spot, when she start a fight she probably go all in, then if you join she is a free kill, if you give your team early lead with your ganks you make her job harder.

Evelynn

Evelynn

Quest: Invade, Make sure she don't get fed.

Evelynn is one of the easiest matchups, she is squishy and got no escape early, you can always try invading, killing her or taking her camps, while her main goal is to farm and reach 6 asap that she can start getting fed, and if that happen she get super fed she can even os you and we don't want this to happen, counter ganking is also possible just like taking all objectives.

Fiddlesticks

Fiddlesticks

Quest: Invade, Take objectives, Counter gank.

For dueling him you need to keep Q to knock him and disable his heal drain, he probably just want to use fear on you and run but you can catch him with E and W, he is squishy so you can invade him early.

Gragas

Gragas

Quest: Counter gank, Invade.

I count Gragas as the easiset matchup ever, he is only effective if he get fed which is a hard concept for a gragas, or going full tank but players usually want to play AP as he can deal good damage, whilemean you can always 1v1 him, just killing him once or twice while he try to attempt ganks make him useless for the rest of game.

Graves

Graves

Quest: Invade, Counter gank.

Graves is another easy matchup. he got nothing for dueling you in early so you can easily invade him, also if you counter gank him while he attempt to gank, you make him useless for the rest of game.

Hecarim

Hecarim

Quest: Ganking a lot.

Hecarim is a matchup mostly focused on who is gonna make more ganks, you usually can 1v1 him if you suprise him, while mean you want to avoid a full hp Hecarim specially if he has Ignite and Conqueror, counter ganking is also effective since he is another all in champ.

Ivern

Ivern

Quest: Be more active on ganking.

Ivern is a supportive jungler, whilemean if his team get behind he can't do any thing, thats why like always early ganks are recommended in this matchup, you also want to be careful as what as he can stole your red/blue buff, you can also 1v1 him he isn't that strong, over all i have to say that i didn't ever face good Ivern players, just once or twice and i just ganked alot that we got a huge lead so his shields and cc's wasn't effective that much.

Jarvan IV

Jarvan IV

Quest: Be more active on ganking, Take objectives.

Jarvan is another easy matchup, he has some potential for early gank while he can get out played so easy, when he miss his E>Q combo he got nothing left so counter ganking is so effective, also you can 1v1 him in any stage of game.

Jax

Jax

Quest: Be more active on ganking, Take objectives.

At first, Jax is getting pick mostly on top and not jungle, but if you face an jax despite that he is top or jung, don't be afraid, Jax isn't that hard at all, you can't 1v1 him so you just don't try to duel him, while he is easy on fights, i usually go Conqueror and Blade of the Ruined King and i even 1v1 him, but not that early because his ult is a huge buff for him, but i can deal with him in late. try to not get caught by him if he is playing jungle and wait for counter ganks, and team fights to beat him.

Karthus

Karthus

Quest: Invade, Counter gank, Take objectives.

Karthus is great at clearing his camps, thats why a right invade is some how recommended, other wise you need to do your early job which is ganking, whenever you catch Karthus you can go aggro and kill him as what as he is Squishy while you need to be careful and try to dodge some of his Q, counter ganking him is so easy due to his lack of cc.

Kayn

Kayn

Quest: Be more active on ganking, Counter gank.

You can 1v1 him early but careful as he try to deal some damage and escape to fill his passive, most of kayn players spend their time to farm early game while we can gank and make the jungle diff as soon as possible, also counter ganking him is easy before his R.

Kha'Zix

Kha'Zix

Quest: Make sure he don't get fed.

Really, your first job is to do every thing to make sure he don't get fed his ***ssin kit make it possible for him to feed himself, simply by tracking him and asking your team to be safe, don't overstay and etc, and then counter ganking him and even outjungling him early as we can 1v1 him before his 6. a good Kha probably can beat Xin Zhao if he gets fed.

Kindred

Kindred

Quest: Counter gank, Take objectives.

And again, another easy matchup. she is easy for counter ganking since you probably can 2v2 at mid or top, you can be her nightmare, you can 1v1 her easily. usually the whole jungle is my kingdom while i face a kindred, but there is still some Kindred mains that know what to do. i count her as a out of meta champs as she can't take fights vs many jungler at Drakes and Heralds.

Lee Sin

Lee Sin

Quest: Be more active on ganking, Take objectives, Counter gank, Track and report, Make sure he don't get fed.

I can say that the whole matchup may depends on how good Lee is, but still, Lee is not a threat at all, you can 1v1 him easily. The thing is about jungling itself, you must focus on ganking, counter ganking that game. Lee is also a good ganker so you wanna warn your team, once your team get the lead he can't do anything. Simply we can say that Lee has the Same concept that Xin does have but way to harder, because He really falls off late game while Xin just get stronger and yeah, scaling for Xin is easier with his Kit while Lee need to do more stuff. when i get a little ahead in this matchup i invade him often.

Master Yi

Master Yi

Quest: Be more active on ganking, Make sure he don't get fed.

First let me say that: YES, you can 1v1 Master Yi aswell^^. Before 6 he is so easy to fight and invade, after 6 it depends, if you are ahead you can always kill him, if he is ahead you need to use R after he Q You, then if you are on a good position you can insta E > Q. if he didn't Q when he start fights, you just want to run because we need our ult knock for killing him. Anyway, Yi pref to farm at the early game so we have a great chance to make a lead. He mostly want to gank and join fights that he knows he can get kills so your team must not over stay or fight while he is nearby.

Nidalee

Nidalee

Quest: Disrupt early tempo, Control jungle corridors, Punish failed ganks.

Nidalee thrives on early map control through rapid jungle traversal. Counter this by establishing deep vision in pixel brushes and her raptor camp to track movements. When she commits to a gank, immediately invade the opposite quadrant - her camp-taking speed leaves little margin for error. Prioritize vertical jungling to compress her farming routes, forcing awkward pathing. In mid-game, use her spear-dependent playstyle against her by maintaining bush control around objectives - without vision, her threat diminishes significantly. Coordinate with lanes to collapse when she overextends for invades, as her escape tools rely on pre-set terrain jumps.

Diana

Diana

Quest: Dominate early skirmishes, Track her ult timers, Deny multi-man engages.

Diana presents an interesting dynamic - while her early dueling is weaker than yours, her clear speed and scaling make her dangerous if left unchecked. The key is to abuse your early advantage by contesting every scuttle crab and invading her jungle when possible. Her Moonfall shield is crucial for surviving fights, so bait it out before committing fully with Audacious Charge. Post-6, her teamfight potential skyrockets with Lunar Rush resets, so either match her roams or punish opposite-side objectives when she shows on map. Warding her raptors is particularly valuable as it reveals her rotation patterns between mid and jungle. In teamfights, save Crescent Guard to disrupt her engages and split her from her team.

Dr. Mundo

Dr. Mundo

Quest: Rush grievous wounds, Out-tempo his farming, Starve his scaling.

Modern Mundo boasts one of the fastest clears in the game, but his early dueling remains exploitable. Your goal is to establish tempo before he completes his first item. Contest early scuttles aggressively - his pre-6 damage is negligible compared to your burst. While he can't match your gank pressure early, his mid-game power spike with Heartsteel is formidable. Always carry Executioner's Calling or Chempunk Chainsword to counter his Maximum Dosage healing. Track his camp respawns - stealing his krugs or raptors significantly delays his scaling. In teamfights, focus on zoning him from carries rather than committing to extended duels, as his sustained damage will outlast your burst.

Gwen

Gwen

Quest: Disrupt her scaling, Bait Hallowed Mist, Win early skirmishes.

Gwen's weak early game gives you a crucial window to establish dominance. Her Hallowed Mist makes her untargetable, so engage only when it's on cooldown. Pre-6, invade her jungle aggressively - she can't match your duel potential. Post-6, her Needlework sustain becomes problematic, so build Executioner's Calling if your team lacks anti-heal. Focus on ganking lanes she can't easily assist, as her mobility is limited without Skip 'n Slash resets. In teamfights, use Crescent Guard to push her away from your backline during her ultimate.

Lillia

Lillia

Quest: Deny early stacks, Match her tempo, Interrupt ult setups.

Lillia's power grows with her passive stacks, making early disruption critical. Contest every scuttle crab - her weak dueling before Lillia's Blooms stacks gives you free reign. Ward her raptors to track rotations between mid and jungle. Her Swirlseed slow enables dangerous ganks, so ping missing aggressively when she disappears. Post-6, her Lilting Lullaby teamfight potential skyrockets - either match her roams or take opposite-side objectives. Build Maw of Malmortius against AP-heavy comps, and always save Audacious Charge to interrupt her ultimate channel.

Maokai

Maokai

Quest: Counter-gank aggressively, Deny vision control, Match his objective pressure.

Maokai's strength lies in his relentless gank pressure and vision dominance through Sapling Toss. While you outduel him early, his point-and-click Twisted Advance makes his ganks nearly unavoidable. Prioritize control wards to clear his saplings in river choke points. His jungle clear is mediocre - punish this by invading when you see him commit to ganks. Post-6, his Nature's Grasp becomes a teamfight menace; either match his roams or force trades on opposite sides of the map. Build Maw of Malmortius if his AP damage becomes problematic, and always save Crescent Guard to knock him away during his ultimate engages. Track his unusual jungle pathing - Maokai players often prioritize ganking over farming, leaving camps vulnerable.

Nocturne

Nocturne

Quest: Disrupt his level 6 spike, Counter-gank globally, Itemize against burst.

Nocturne's Paranoia creates one of the most dangerous map-wide threats at level 6. Your early game is stronger - abuse this by invading his red buff side where he's most vulnerable. Ward his raptors to track his pathing towards level 6. Once he hits 6, play opposite his ultimate - if he uses it bot, immediately take Herald or his top jungle. Build Death's Dance to survive his burst combo, and save Crescent Guard to block his Unspeakable Horror fear. His split-push potential is formidable; coordinate with your team to collapse when he overextends. In teamfights, position to intercept his dives on your carries - your knock-up can disrupt his assassination attempts.

Nunu

Nunu & Willump

Quest: Disrupt snowball ganks, Secure early vision, Counter-objective plays.

Nunu's strength lies in his relentless early gank pressure and objective control with Consume. To counter this, establish deep vision in river choke points at 1:10 to spot his predictable level 3 gank routes. When he appears on one side of the map, immediately take resources on the opposite side - his slow camp clearing leaves his jungle vulnerable. Coordinate with laners to collapse when he overextends for invades. Post-6, his Absolute Zero demands instant disengage in teamfights - use Crescent Guard to disrupt his channeling. Always save Smite for epic monsters, as his Q+Smite combo outsecures most junglers.

Pantheon

Pantheon

Quest: Respect early burst, Track ultimate roams, Punish cooldowns.

Pantheon's Grand Starfall creates cross-map pressure - when he uses it, immediately take objectives or invade his jungle on the opposite side. His early dueling is strong with Shield Vault, so avoid extended trades when his Empowered bar is full. Ward pixel brushes to intercept his gank paths, and coordinate with laners to collapse when he overcommits. Post-6, his roams become more frequent - ping missing and countergank by pathing toward his landing zone. In teamfights, save Crescent Guard to peel him off your carries during his dives.

Poppy

Poppy

Quest: Respect wall stuns, Control river terrain, Bait ultimate.

Poppy's Heroic Charge punishes Audacious Charge engages near walls. Fight her in open areas and save E for after she uses W. Her Steadfast Presence blocks your dash - time engagements around its 24s cooldown. Ward pixel brushes to avoid surprise Keeper's Verdict knockups. Build Black Cleaver to shred her armor stacking. In teamfights, position to intercept her attempts to isolate your carries with ult.

Rammus

Rammus

Quest: Build magic resist, Disengage powerball, Punish early weakness.

Rammus's Defensive Ball Curl counters your attack speed - build Wit's End and Maw of Malmortius. His pre-6 ganks are weak - invade his blue side early. Post-6, his Soaring Slam deals surprising damage - save Crescent Guard to knock him away during teamfights. Never chase him when Powerball is active - instead, punish his long cooldowns (18s on W). Ward his raptors to track his unusual gank paths through lanes.

Rek'Sai

Rek'Sai

Quest: Match early aggression, Ward tunnel routes, Counter-burrow.

Rek'Sai's Queen's Wrath gives her superior early dueling - avoid 1v1s until level 3. Pink ward her common tunnel spots (river walls, buff camps). Her Void Rush has predictable audio cues - save Audacious Charge to dodge the knockup. Build Death's Dance to survive her burst combos. Post-6, her ult reveals low-health targets - always recall when wounded. In teamfights, focus on interrupting her tunnel engages with knockups.

Rengar

Rengar

Quest: Deny brush control, Itemize armor early, Track ferocity.

Rengar's Unseen Predator makes river skirmishes dangerous - fight in open areas. His level 2 invade potential is extreme - ward your buffs at 1:20. Build Plated Steelcaps before first item to mitigate his Savagery burst. Track his ferocity bar - engage when he has zero stacks. Post-6, his Thrill of the Hunt requires defensive positioning - group when the alert appears. In teamfights, save Crescent Guard to peel him off carries during jumps.

Sejuani

Sejuani

Quest: Invade early, Disrupt her clear tempo, Counter-engage ultimates.

Sejuani's weak early dueling makes her vulnerable to invades - target her blue buff side where her Winter's Wrath clear is slowest. Her Permafrost stun requires melee allies to activate - prioritize ganking isolated lanes. Post-6, her Glacial Prison engage is devastating; either match her roams or punish with opposite-side objectives. Build Tenacity items to reduce her CC chain duration. In teamfights, use Crescent Guard to split her from follow-up damage when she engages.

Shaco

Shaco

Quest: Control his boxes, Track invisibility timers, Secure early vision.

Shaco's Jack In The Box setup demands early sweeper purchase. His level 2 invade potential requires defensive warding at your buffs. Track his Deceive cooldown (8s early) - engage when it's expended. Build Oracle Lens by first back to neutralize his box traps. Post-6, his Hallucinate clone deals reduced damage - focus the real Shaco (look for item actives). In teamfights, save Crescent Guard to knock him away during backline dives.

Shyvana

Shyvana

Quest: Disrupt dragon stacks, Punish pre-6 weakness, Itemize against hybrid damage.

Shyvana's power spikes directly correlate with Dragon's Descent availability. Invade aggressively pre-6 when she's weakest - her Burnout clear leaves her low on health. Ward dragon pit at 3:00 to prevent early stacks. Build Wit's End and Death's Dance to mitigate her hybrid damage. Post-6, her ultimate has a long cooldown - force fights when it's down. In teamfights, Crescent Guard can disrupt her flight engages and zone her from your backline.

Skarner

Skarner

Quest: Control spire zones, Bait ultimate, Build tenacity.

Skarner's Dominion spires give him combat advantages - avoid fighting in these zones early. His Impale has a long cooldown early (120s) - track its usage for engage windows. Build Mercury's Treads to reduce his CC duration. Post-6, his flash-ult combos are deadly - position conservatively when his ultimate is available. In teamfights, use Crescent Guard to peel him off carries after he engages. Ward his jungle entrances to intercept his predictable gank paths.

Taliyah

Taliyah

Quest: Disrupt her kiting, Track wall jumps, Counter-roam.

Taliyah's Threaded Volley gives her strong kiting potential - engage with Audacious Charge when she's near walls to limit her mobility. Her Weaver's Wall creates rotational advantages - match her roams or punish with opposite-side objectives. Build Hexdrinker against her burst combos. Post-6, her ultimate cooldown is long (160s early) - capitalize when it's down. In teamfights, Crescent Guard can interrupt her Seismic Shove setups.

Udyr

Udyr

Quest: Respect early duels, Kite his engages, Itemize against hybrid damage.

Udyr's Wilding Claw makes him dangerous in early skirmishes - avoid extended trades. His Blazing Stampede gives strong engage - save Audacious Charge to disengage. Build Plated Steelcaps and Wit's End against his hybrid damage. Post-6, his stance dancing becomes more potent - focus on interrupting his Wingborne Storm healing. In teamfights, Crescent Guard can disrupt his attempts to dive your backline.

Vi

Quest: Dodge Q engages, Punish cooldowns, Counter-gank ultimates.

Vi's Vault Breaker is her primary engage tool - sidestepping it removes her threat. Her level 6 Cease and Desist creates guaranteed ganks - track her ult timer (110s early) and counter-gank. Build Plated Steelcaps to mitigate her Denting Blows damage. Post-6, her tower dives become dangerous - ping missing when she disappears. In teamfights, save Crescent Guard to interrupt her ultimate trajectory.

Viego

Viego

Quest: Invade early, Control resets, Itemize against sustain.

Viego's Sovereign's Domination makes him snowball hard - deny early kills. His Blade of the Ruined King rush gives strong dueling - build Executioner's Calling to counter his healing. Post-6, his reset potential is extreme - focus him first in skirmishes. Ward his raptors to track his farming pattern. In teamfights, Crescent Guard can zone him during possession attempts.

Volibear

Volibear

Quest: Kite his engages, Disrupt tower dives, Build anti-heal.

Volibear's Frenzied Maul healing makes extended fights dangerous - burst him down quickly. His Sky Splitter gives strong gank pressure - ping missing when he hits 6. Build Bramble Vest to counter his sustain. Post-6, his tower disable is deadly - collapse when he overextends. In teamfights, Crescent Guard can knock him away during ultimate engages.

Warwick

Warwick

Quest: Respect early duels, Track blood trails, Itemize against healing.

Warwick's Jaws of the Beast gives insane early sustain - avoid 1v1s when below 50% HP. His Blood Hunt reveals low-health targets - recall when wounded. Build Executioner's Calling first back to counter his healing. Post-6, his Infinite Duress is telegraphed - save Audacious Charge to dodge. In teamfights, Crescent Guard can peel him off carries.

Wukong

Wukong

Quest: Track clone usage, Respect level 6 spike, Build armor shred.

Wukong's Warrior Trickster makes targeting difficult - watch for the real one (takes tower aggro). His Cyclone teamfight potential is massive - disengage when he ults. Build Black Cleaver to counter his armor stacking. Post-6, his tower dives become strong - ping missing when he disappears. In teamfights, Crescent Guard can disrupt his multi-man knockups.

Zac

Zac

Quest: Interrupt E engages, Control bloblets, Match his roams.

Zac's Elastic Slingshot ganks are telegraphed - ward jungle entrances at unusual angles. His Cell Division makes him deceptively tanky - focus bloblets in fights. Build Bramble Vest against his healing. Post-6, his Let's Bounce creates strong engages - save Crescent Guard to disrupt. In teamfights, position to intercept his backline dives.

Zyra

Zyra

Quest: Clear plants early, Avoid choke points, Build tenacity.

Zyra's Garden of Thorns gives strong zone control - prioritize killing plants in fights. Her Stranglethorns combo is deadly in jungle corridors - fight in open areas. Build Mercury's Treads to reduce her CC duration. Post-6, her objective control is strong - always sweep dragon/baron pits. In teamfights, Crescent Guard can knock her away from optimal ult positions.

As a Xin Zhao, there is a ban list for you including champs that can make most problem from you, stop you from carrying your game, you may want to know the champs that can out play Xin Zhao, and at least ban one of them. Note: these champs are not listed because they can 1v1 Xin Zhao or something like that, they are listed becuase they can impact their games and deny your lead.

Vladimir is my most banned champ, he got amazing sustain and self healing with great damage and even escape potential, even if we get lead on him, just by farming he can bring some items and make some plays, he scale well tough.
Caitlyn is so strong now, she is squishy but with her kit that include a lot of cc, and ofcurse her great range and damage, she just need to win her lane and become the greatest threat for any jungler.
But ADC's are not the only problem, having a tanky cc supp like Nautilus is something that we can't handle it, thats why he is on my ban list as well.
We all know how strong is Olaf at this moment, one of the greatest jungler that we never can handle him if he is just ahead we probably gonna lose all the drakes, not only that, Olaf can kill you and its so hard to escape from his Q and R.

A+

Kha'Zix and Ekko are both dangerous assassins, their kill potential always let them to feed them selfs in any time of game, facing them needs your team to be safe and that never gonna work, not every single game, so they are worth to ban.

Perfect Clear by Zen'Kih

Over All Tips : More Than 100 Tips for Playing Xin Zhao!

✢-1-✢Farming combo is E>W>Q due to Q passive always use W before Q on Farming , Drakes and Herald.

✢-2-✢Ganking and Fighting Combo on Early Game is E>Q>W , you do W after Q Combo to make sure you hit it perfectly.

✢-3-✢Ganking and Fighting Combo on Late Game is E>R>Q>W or W>E>R>Q.

✢-4-✢ heals Xin Zhao every three attacks, allowing him to sustain himself in lane for a while by autoattacking minion waves and turrets. Doing so for extended periods however will push your lane, so watch out for gank attempts.

✢-5-✢ resets the auto attack timer, so getting one basic attack off, then using the ability will yield a greater DPS.

✢-6-✢The attack speed granted by is great for taking down turrets and minion waves, whilst also being extremely effective while jungling.

✢-7-✢ does magic damage and slows enemies surrounding the target; you can use that to your advantage by charging a nearby enemy in order to slow another just outside its range. This ability will also pop item (or similar spell shields) on any of the affected targets which is extremely useful if your team has an incoming area of effect disable.

✢-8-✢Try using where it will hit the most enemy champions.

✢-9-✢Xin Zhao is a great initiator. Lunge at a target with and use to do the most damage possible.

✢-10-✢Xin Zhao is a formidable ambush ganker. makes it very hard to immediately escape from him and deals high initial damage, and makes it so that even targets with escapes can be chased effectively.

✢-11-✢ can be used to escape ganks on some occasions by targeting a minion or a champion along your escape route. Combined with , this can allow Xin Zhao to escape most unfavorable fights. Use it on an enemy across a wall for a clean escape (e.g.: throw ward across small golems wall, then dash to golems, when they flash in or come around, flash is still available for use)

✢-12-✢ can be used to knock enemies away from you when trying to escape.

✢-13-✢ can also push enemies towards your team, or split them away.

✢-14-✢ can be used for slow enemies and securing the kills.

✢-15-✢When attempting a retreat, ensure that your pursuer has not been Challenged first before using as otherwise it will have no effect on them.

✢-16-✢ can effectively punish an enemy's wasteful ability usage with . If the enemy uses their dash or damage spell to farm minions, using on the enemy will usually lead to a favorable trade.

✢-17-✢A good combo for trading is to use the first two procs of on minions, saving the third. When an enemy goes to last hit minions, use and perform an autoattack to knock the enemy upwards. This allows to get in some free damage.

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🔸 Xin Zhaofend / To The Arena [25.10] 🔸

Xin Zhao

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🔸 Xin Zhaofend / To The Arena [25.10] 🔸

🔸 Xin Zhaofend / To The Arena [25.10] 🔸

Recommended Items

Runes: META

Spells:

Flash

Smite

Items

Ability Order Dominate

Determination (PASSIVE)

Three Talon Strike (Q)

Wind Becomes Lightning (W)

Audacious Charge (E)

Crescent Guard (R)

Determination (PASSIVE)

Three Talon Strike (Q)

Wind Becomes Lightning (W)

Audacious Charge (E)

Crescent Guard (R)

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