Tips for Xin

Despite working very well as a jungler, I personally like to play Xin top, whether it was old Xin or the Xin now (not like because I suck at jungling or anything). So if you want some ideas on playing Xin top, keep reading.

His new passive grants him sustain at all levels, unlike previously when you had to put a point into W if you want sustain in early lane. So as long as you are attacking, you'll heal up.

His Q is his bread and butter. Its overall damage is strong and provides a nice knock-up. It also resets your auto attack timer so when you auto attack the enemy, use this immediately after to maximize your damage output. I would recommend maxing this first (aside from your ult).

His new W allows him to poke his enemy if needed. After all, it is a long range slow. But don't always rely on this as it can be easily sidestepped. Alternatively, you can use this if you want to push in the wave faster. I'll explain later on how I like to use this.

His E is a targeted dash which slows and grants Attack Speed. This spell is good when you want to engage the enemy in lane or close in on them. The Attack Speed synergizes with your Q and passive.

If on a 1v1 and you plan to kill the enemy, use your ult after you attack your opponent as its damage scales with percent of target's current health. You can also use this if you want to block long ranged damage. If in a teamfight, try to use this at the beginning to survive as much as possible. Be sure to keep attacking your enemy as the duration increases each time you auto attack.

I find Xin to have a fairly strong laning phase, so I try to use this to my advantage in order to snowball and win. If you are against enemies with low mobility, you can easily snowball off of them. You have a powerspike at level 2 when you have Q and E. When you are ready, E onto them, auto attack, and Q for the auto reset. Your attack speed will allow you to pull this combo off fast. Worried about minion damage and whatnot? Your passive has you covered. After the knock-up, you can choose to walk away and continue to CS and heal up. You'll realize after this combo, they'll lose a good chunk of their health. Repeat the process.

When you have your W after level 3, I like to use it right after the knock-up from the Q. Your E already has the slow, so using W right after Eing isn't that beneficial when you would just use the slow from the E to get your 3 Qs off the enemy. Besides, while the enemy is knocked-up, they won't be moving, allowing you to hit your W reliably. That way, they'll still be slowed. At this point, you can choose to continue auto attacking them while they are slowed, or use that slow to your advantage to disengage. Repeat this process in lane and you'll be able to snowball.

If your enemy has mobility, however, it'll be a lot trickier. Your best bet is to make them use their mobility before engaging. If not and you want to engage, try to use your E only when they are trying to escape (that is if you are winning the fight).

I guess that's the basics on top lane Xin. At least on how I play him top lane.