So let's talk about Shen

Mercuteio·8/5/2016, 8:42:22 PM·1 votes·537 views

I recently got shen out of a hextech crate (thank goodness bc he is -edit- 3150IP) and i decided to get him. I really do love his kit and think he is a unique champion...but, i don't know where to play him. I've tried supp and that went Terribly / I've donte top and i'm pretty inconsistent with him relative to who i am facing (im sure thats some my fault too for being so new to him) / the only role i consistently do well and i mean like legitimately help my team win the game is jungle shen. So calling all shen aficionados, i need your help and advice with where to bring and what to build on the tank ninja. Have a good day and show "a demonstration of superior judgment" on the rift!

16 Comments

kweeen8/5/2016, 8:56:56 PM2 votes

shen costs 3150 IP, first of all

for top lane, are you saying some matchups give you trouble? that's a sign of good balance, you can't succeed in every matchup.

i haven't played jungle shen but it is viable so don't worry. even if it he wasn't "meant" to jungle, that shouldn't stop you especially if you're finding success.

Tikail8/5/2016, 9:45:43 PM2 votes

Shen is viable top, supp, and jungle.

For jungle Shen, start with item 1041 item 2031 . Because of his AS steroid, jungle Shen pretty much goes straight tank.

item 1401 item 1409 item 1413 item 3047 item 3111 item 3009 Your tier 2 boots and smite will depend on the enemy team comp more than anything else. Obviously jungle item, boots, cinderhulk, tier 2 boots is the normal way to go.

item 3068 Universal core item for peel and engage tanks like Shen. I normally grab item 1011 first over item 1031 since the added health benefits him more in the early game jungle than the armor does. Almost always built first unless then enemy team is overloaded on AP. Useless if you grab Cinderhulk as they have the same passive

item 3102 vs item 3065 Pre-rework (when Shen had lifesteal built in) you'd build SV, nowadays since he doesn't have lifesteal but does have an AOE dodge, Banshee's is more prevalent if you'll be getting CDR from another source or the enemy team has a lot of poke. It is viable to still grab both if needed. The biggest benefit of SV on Shen now is if you constantly have red buff, an ocean drake, and plan on buying item 3083 , then the increased healing adds up to almost Garen levels of health regen. Enemy abilities can still hit you and allies in your dodge zone

item 3143 Randuin's was, is, and will always be core on Shen and is usually built second or third item depending on if you need armor or MR first. If the enemy ADC is pulling ahead or you find yourself bot lane more than you're comfortable with grab this in lieu of item 3068 as first item. If you're building Cinderhulk, forego completely.

item 3742 vs item 3075 Deadman's was a great overall core item for him until the recent hit it took which generally leads to Thornmail eeking out slightly ahead in the benefits department. So this comparision is really down to if you need more armor or health.

item 3748 vs item 3091 vs item 3025 Offensive itemization is really more of preference now on Shen. Usually item 3068 or item 1401 and stacking health is all you need cause Shen can stick and initiate counterganks like no one's business.

Moral of the story, health till you're bleeding HP out of your ears. Shen's innate stickiness and ability to answer ganks with a hard shield and tp to the target is his greatest asset, so you need to build around surviving the fight once you get there. Ultimately, what you build and in what order is highly dependent on the enemy team, but the rule of thumb is health unless you need to build hard armor.

Edit: Forgot about immolate passive, added clarification for overlap of Cinderhulk and Sunfire.

DarkRitual8/5/2016, 10:03:21 PM2 votes

Shen support item 3401 item 3190 item 2049 item 3117 item 3083 . Last item is situational, but item 3065 or item 3056 keep you at 40% CDR if you don't want to use item 3158 .

Erockandroll8/5/2016, 9:08:25 PM1 votes

He's probably going to be best Top lane. As a tank, your probably not going to bully your opponent, but you should be able to survive most matchups. And then it's a matter of using your ultimate to apply the global pressure.

Not sure about Shen Jungle. Though my advice might be, use you ult like Rek'sai's "Farm alarm" inverted. Go directly from base, to a gank, then back to farming. (This is just speculation)

I'm not as thrilled with Shen support. I use to use shen support before the rework. And though it still works. Using his new kit in a duo lane is a lot trickier now. Also, the idea of shen support should be driven by having your support have global pressure. But at the moment, Tahm Kench probably 1ups him in that regard.

Pauguster8/5/2016, 10:18:16 PM1 votes

{quoted}

I recently got shen out of a hextech crate (thank goodness bc he is 6300IP)

[slayer-jinx-unamused]