An Ambitious Attempt at A SHen

I come humbly to you with the hopes that you will openly share in my imagination and allow me, a man smitten by the game of League of Legends, to present my vision. Today, I present a kit for our beloved ninja - Shen. My proposed kit focuses heavily on his lore as a ninja meanwhile staying true to Shen's Tank/Fighter/Life Alert play style.

Shen- The eye of twilight In Zed's and Shen's lore you learn that there are hidden and forbidden Shadow techniques that Zed later uses to defeat Shen and also lead him to murder Shen's father, however, there is a rather big absence in what exactly were the non-forbidden techniques taught by Father Shen. As a result of being his father's best student, in my proposed kit the Eye of Twilight becomes a Ninja master of what can be loosely called Presence - the twin to the Shadow energy used by Zed. Presence energy works similarly to Shadow energy, however it is more defensive in nature and draws from the light created from inner balance rather than the chaos created from the lack thereof (or so it was taught from Father Shen). The critical difference between the two is that Shadow energy stands alone while Presence energy requires a preexisting energy (ironically similar to how a shadow requires an object) allowing the user to use presence to further manipulate the already existing energy. This allows a master of presence energies to mark, teleport to, protect, absorb or even summon pre-existing energies. There is already evidence that both Zed and Shen already both use presence energies in their current Kit: Zed manipulates presence in his Death Mark and Shen masterfully uses it in his current Stand United and his Shadow Dash (Taunt=Summon). One could also argue that presence energies is what allows his Vorpal blade to stick to a target but I am pretty sure he could make it stick either way^kappa. Moving forward I also would like my audience to envision these changes with an appropriate VU and I invite the artists in the audience to show us their take on an accommodating Visual Update. Now, without further ado, here is my proposed Shen kit:

Passive- Ki strike Static Cooldown 14

Shen's next basic attack deals bonus magic damage equal to「4 + (4 × Shen's level)」(+ 10% of bonus health) and restores 15 / 25 / 35 Energy. Dealing and receiving basic attack damage from/to a target with an attached presence clone or while attaching a presence clone to yourself lowers the cooldown by 2 secs per basic attack (basic attacks from minions do not lower the CD)

Visual: A very flashy and quick auto animation that uses both Shen's blades. He should cycle between 2-3 different flashy animations for his Ki strike basic attack animations

Explanation: Shen's current passive allows for him to trade effectively in a lot match ups. I considered making it into a passive that would allow for better split pushing however part of what keeps Shen balanced is his slower split pushing. The Presence clone tidbit is an adaption to his new kit and forces Shen to use his clones wisely to maximize his damage and minimize the passive down time with its increased cooldown. Despite the increased cooldown Shen can actually proc his passive MORE often if he uses presence clones efficiently. I also slight buffed the energy return in order to make the Ki strike feel more relevant all game.

Q - Null Silence Scroll 8/7.5/7/6.5/6 Seconds CD(static) 50 energy 650 range (skillshot)

Shen quickly throws out an empowered protection scroll that blocks and absorbs up to 2 non-ultimate projectiles (doesn't affect minion projectiles) before being consumed and damaging the Champion who destroyed it for 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+ 80% AP) magic damage. If the scroll hits an enemy champion it deals 60 / 100 / 140 / 180 / 220 (+ 60% AP) magic damage, silences the target for .8/.9/1/1.1/1.2 second(s) and consumes the scroll. Successfully blocking 2 projectiles Reduces Null Silence Scroll's cooldown by half of the full amount and provides a Presence clone stack to Twilight's Presence. Silencing an enemy refunds 15/ 20/30/45/65 energy and provides a Presence clone stack to Twilight's Presence.

Visual: An empowered paper scroll with over-sized glowing markings complete with an over-sized circle around the markings whose circumference ignores the boundaries of the scroll; with parts of the circumference existing freely in the air. Shen casts the scroll quickly and then the scroll suddenly stops when it reaches its target position. When it reaches its destination, it stays there for 2-3 seconds and floats in position. It acts as a mini wall, the circle around the markings is about 1- 1.2 teemo shrooms wide, and the spell is relatively thin. The scroll always faces the same direction that Shen is facing when it was cast and the circled markings glow even brighter whenever they absorb the first projectile. Shen can cast it while moving and it has little to no cast delay. Minions cannot be hit by the scroll nor do their basic attacks affect the scroll. When the scroll is consumed the paper part of the scroll fades away, leaving the curse mark which lingers for a brief second before also fading away. In addition, the scrolls do not have to be casted to their full range (short casting similar to fizz's ult) allowing for a higher level of positioning. Champions who are damaged by the scroll are briefly tattooed by the curse mark to indicate damage and the curse mark lingers on silenced targets. The CD does not start until the scroll has left the rift

Explanation: First things first, scrolls are relatively unexplored in LoL with the notable exception of Ryze but he doesn't even use his. I was never fond of Shen throwing one of his primary attacking weapons and scrolls tend to be more disposable (at least for a ninja). Effective use of the Q will be crucial to playing Shen due to optimal usage granting a stack of Twilight's Presence (described below). Silences are effective defensive strategies all game and really fit the Tank/fighter/Life alert Ninja fantasy. He can make plays with this ability all game, mitigate damage in lane and deny CS in higher levels of play. Fundamentally, it works almost like a skill shot shield with offensive capabilities but I felt allowing it to block ultimates was an overreach in power and the cooldown would have to be much longer to justify that sort of power- making the skill much less interesting.

W- Twilight's Presence 22/20/18/16/14 seconds cooldown per clone 60 energy and 1 Presence clone per each cast 475 range (targeted)

Shen can stick his Presence via clones to allies and enemies (non-minions). His clones can be stored up to 1 + (rank of ultimate) and each cast of Twilight's Presence requires a clone. Shen cannot mark the same consecutive enemy with a presence clone within the same 12 - [minus rank of ultimate] seconds [affected by CDR]. He can only self-mark or mark an ally every 6 Seconds [afftected by CDR] (cooldown begins when debuff/buff expires)

On unmarked enemy cast: A presence imbued Shen clone travels to an enemy marking them with a Presence clone for 3 secs. Subsequent auto attacks and single target abilities slow the target by 20%/30%/40%/50%/60% for 1 second plus heal Shen and his allies for 6 / 10 / 14 / 18 / 22 (+ 1.5% Shen's maximum health) per attack.

On unmarked champion/Self cast:

Shen marks himself or an ally with a clone, mitigating 30 + (6%/7%/8%/9%/10% of Shen's maximum health) damage for Shen and half that amount for his allies. The presence clone last for 3 seconds. When the mitigation is exhausted on an ally, Shen takes 5%/10%/15%/20%/25% percent of all damage intended for the target

On marked champion/enemy cast (675 range): Instantly teleports to the target, appearing in front of allies and behind enemies

On marked self-cast: Shen's clone gains more presence granting an additional 20/30/40/50/60 (+75% of total ability power) damage mitigation, increases the total duration of Twilight's Presence's damage mitigation to 4.5 seconds, and allows Shen to interrupt all projectiles he comes in contact with. He absorbs the projectiles taking an additional 15% damage from AoE abilities.

Visual:

Shen quickly clasps his hands and sends out a clone. On enemy cast a very translucent ghostly clone travels upward from Shen quickly disappearing. The clone reappears over the target and slowly descends leaving a shadowy, target size appropriate silhouette with glowing red eyes that last for the duration of the debuff and grants vision. The debuff duration begins as soon as the silhouette begins descending above the target. On friendly cast the animation is the same but the target is protected by a much less menacing shadow of Shen with glowing yellow eyes (or green for more clarity). The actual Silhouette flickers on every instance of damage and stops flickering if the mitigation has been exhausted. On self-cast Shen's entire model flickers on damage instances until the shield is exhausted. On double self-cast Shen glows slightly and his presence clone buff grows in size with the glowing eyes changing purple. Projectiles he comes in contact with melt/disappear into Shen's model and cause his entire model to flicker. On teleport Shen instantly appears and his image at his previous location, now just a silhouette, blinks and then fades away. The recast CD does not start until the presence clone has left the target

Explanation: Compared to a lot of other tanks in the game Shen is heavily lacking on the CC side. I do not find this to be an issue however as he is a mother flippin ninja and it would be much more interesting to explore the mobility side of that fantasy. Instead of controlling the fight with Hard CC, an effective Shen will you use his clones to peel for his carries and to threaten the enemy back line- always able to maintain excellent positioning. The slow on the enemy cast Twilight's Presence allows him to either control enemy threats or stick to enemy carries. His mobility comes at High energy cost in addition to being double gated by his energy AND his clone stacks. In lane Shen will need to masterfully use his Null Silence Scroll in order to keep his clones up due to its high Cooldown and low stacks early game. In the extreme cases, Shen can become a shield for his allies but, once again, it comes at a serious cost. Notice: Before you consider any of the multitude of combos made possible by this spell to be overbearing, calculate how much it cost Shen in total to execute said combo take into account his 200 energy resource pool and presence clone stacks.

E: Warp Presence Dash 60 energy 18 / 16 / 14 / 12/ 10 seconds 600 range(skillshot)

Shen projects his Presence in a straight line, marking all non-minion targets hit with a Presence clone and dealing 50 / 85 / 120 / 155 / 190 (+ 70% AP) magic damage to all enemies hit. All enemy champions already marked with Presence clones are summoned toward Shen for 1.25 seconds and all targets already marked have their presence clone buff/debuff refreshed. Successfully taunting a target grants Shen 40 energy per target.

Shen cannot mark the same consecutive enemy with a presence clone within the same 12 - (minus rank of ultimate) seconds [affected by CDR]. He can only self-mark or mark an ally every 6 Seconds [afftected by CDR] (cooldown begins when debuff/buff expires)

Visual: Shen stands still, pulls one hand performing a ninja seal toward his chest and the other points in the direction he is facing. He casts a presence clone that travels in a fashion similar to his current shadow dash with a similar hit-box. It fades rapidly as it travels, turning invisible and disappearing altogether when it reaches the target destination. It moves slightly slower than Shen's current Shadow Dash and Shen stands still as it travels. The clone shimmers every instance it applies damage or applies a Presence clone. He does not have to face the direction he sends the clone and can use this to deceive unsuspecting opponents.

Explanation: I'm sorry guys I had to change the great Shadow Dash. I have come to believe that between his Global ult and his taunt, most of Shen's power budget had already been used up. Shadow Dash is one of the few (if not only) "non-ultimate, multi-target, long duration hard-CC, gap closer"s in the game that doesn't stop on first target hit. Although Warp Presence does have a taunt (summon) mechanic, gone are the days where you can taunt a whole team hiding in a bush. You MAY get a one or two person taunt but the cost of missing the taunt combo is even more punishing than it was before. The restriction on Shen's access to hard CC, however, allows us to add more ability synergy to his kit. While Twilight's Presence is a targeted way of applying Presence clones, Warp Presence Dash takes a more hands on approach. It is technically cheaper due to it not being double gated in addition to being able to refresh/apply multiple presence clones with one spell, but you have to land that skill shot. We all know how expensive skill can be.

R: Stand United 180/160/120 Second cooldown Global range (targeted) 0 energy

A targeted allied champion is marked with a special presence clone, mitigating 250/550/850 (+60% AP) damage and lasting for 6 seconds. After 3 seconds of channeling, Shen teleports in front of the allied champion. After the initial teleport, Shen can use his Twilight's Presence to teleport back to this special clone at a cost of 25 energy (does not require a presence clone stack).

Visual: Shen channels exactly how he does now. On cast the presence clone immediately shoots upward and disappears. The clone quickly reappears, descends over the target and then attaches itself to the target for the buff duration. The special clone's silhouette does not resemble Shen's and is instead the silhouette of someone/something more ancient. Like other presence clones, it will adjust to a size appropriate for the target. As Shen travels the clone's eyes glow brightly purple and ripple with power. The clones eyes fade back to yellow (or green) when Shen arrives.

Explanation: This is Shen's trademark. No need to really change it on a fundamental level. The visual tweaks are just an adaptation to his new kit but the spell is the same. I nerfed the AP ratio on the spell due to the somewhat viable AP Shen that this kit enables and wanted to curb that build path's power. The ability to teleport back to the clone at reduced cost is an addition intended to give Shen more defensive options to fill the void lost by his more offensive ones (namely losing Shadow Dash's taunt and skillshot gap closer).

Thanks for reading!! please leave comments below. Also, imagine the Shen vs Zed 1v1s now......

Credit: Thanks goes to the League legends wiki page for allowing me to double check my info and being generally useful

Tl;DR Shen is a Master ninja of defensive arts Passive: ki strike Q: Magic Ninja scroll- blocks spells and silences W: clones - shield, slow, tele and more shield E: Still clones- can taunt with correct conditions, most expensive ability because it cost skill R: Stand united- same thing more clone

Edit: Added more to the TL;DR

Passive- Ki strike 14 secs static CD Shen's next basic attack deals bonus magic damage equal to「4 + (4 × Shen's level)」(+ 10% of bonus health) and restores 15 / 25 / 35 Energy. Dealing and receiving basic attack damage from/to a target with an attached presence clone or while attaching a presence clone to yourself lowers the cooldown by 2 secs per basic attack (basic attacks from minions do not lower the CD)

Q - Null Silence Scroll 8/7.5/7/6.5/6 Seconds CD(static) 50 energy 650 range (skillshot) Shen quickly throws out an empowered protection scroll that blocks and absorbs up to 2 non-ultimate projectiles (doesn't affect minion projectiles) before being consumed and damaging the Champion who destroyed it for 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+ 80% AP) magic damage. If the scroll hits an enemy champion it deals 60 / 100 / 140 / 180 / 220 (+ 60% AP) magic damage, silences the target for .8/.9/1/1.1/1.2 second(s) and consumes the scroll. Successfully blocking 2 projectiles Reduces Null Silence Scroll's cooldown by half of the full amount and provides a Presence clone stack to Twilight's Presence. Silencing an enemy refunds 15/ 20/30/45/65 energy and provides a Presence clone stack to Twilight's Presence.

W- Twilight's Presence 22/20/18/16/14 seconds cooldown per clone 60 energy and 1 Presence clone per each cast 475 range (targeted) Shen can stick his Presence via clones to allies and enemies (non-minions). His clones can be stored up to 1 + (rank of ultimate) and each cast of Twilight's Presence requires a clone. Shen cannot mark the same consecutive enemy with a presence clone within the same 12 - [minus rank of ultimate] seconds [affected by CDR]. He can only self-mark or mark an ally every 6 Seconds [afftected by CDR] (cooldown begins when debuff/buff expires) On unmarked enemy cast: A presence imbued Shen clone travels to an enemy marking them with a Presence clone for 3 secs. Subsequent auto attacks and single target abilities slow the target by 20%/30%/40%/50%/60% for 1 second plus heal Shen and his allies for 6 / 10 / 14 / 18 / 22 (+ 1.5% Shen's maximum health) per attack. On unmarked champion/Self cast: Shen marks himself or an ally with a clone, mitigating 30 + (6%/7%/8%/9%/10% of Shen's maximum health) damage for Shen and half that amount for his allies. The presence clone last for 3 seconds. When the mitigation is exhausted on an ally, Shen takes 5/10/15/20/25% of all damage intended for the target On marked champion/enemy cast (675 range): Instantly teleports to the target, appearing in front of allies and behind enemies On marked self-cast: Shen's clone gains more presence granting an additional 20/30/40/50/60 (+75% of total ability power) damage mitigation, increases the total duration of Twilight's Presence's damage mitigation to 4.5 seconds, and allows Shen to interrupt all projectiles he comes in contact with. He absorbs the projectiles taking an additional 15% damage from AoE abilities

E- Warp Presence Dash 60 energy 18 / 16 / 14 / 12/ 10 seconds 600 range(skillshot) Shen projects his Presence in a straight line, marking all non-minion targets hit with a Presence clone and dealing 50 / 85 / 120 / 155 / 190 (+ 70% AP) magic damage to all enemies hit. All enemy champions already marked with Presence clones are summoned toward Shen for 1.25 seconds and all targets already marked have their presence clone buff/debuff refreshed. Successfully taunting a target grants Shen 40 energy per target.

R- Stand United 180/160/120 Second cooldown Global range (targeted) 0 energy A targeted allied champion is marked with a special presence clone, mitigating 250/550/850 (+60% AP) damage and lasting for 6 seconds. After 3 seconds of channeling, Shen teleports in front of the allied champion. After the initial teleport, Shen can use his Twilight's Presence to teleport back to this special clone at a cost of 25 energy (does not require a presence clone stack).