A comprehensive guide on how to beat Shen top.
Playing Shen top is pretty fun, especially after the rework. Catching opponents by surprise and maneuvering around them to trap them into trades is the most fun thing to do in the top lane right now. However, in one such game against a Lee Sin top (he was literally just ASKING to lose this one) the following scenario happened:
has drawn first blood!
"Did you know that Shen is broken?"
Now, usually I just think about this as a typical salty post-mortem statement. Anything is broken in the eyes of a person who can't admit that they were outplayed. However, it made me think... the community doesn't really know HOW to beat Shen top, and I've already gotten my S+ ranking this season on him, so what do I have to lose?
Also, I don't want Riot to nerf him for being "oppressive," so here we go.
#1. Avoid the Level 1 Cheese. What? But Mell-senpai, isn't that the strategy for beating Riven? How can Shen, a guy who can only level up two abilities at level 1, cheese me into winning lane? Well, here's how...
http://i.imgur.com/wr8Lhp6.png
These are the directional paths Shen players (well, at least me) take to execute the cheese strat. Early on they sneak into the far bush, place their sword inside, and wait by their turret. During the laning phase, they will attempt to pull the sword through you and chunk your HP, rendering you at a severe disadvantage. Is it honorable? Hell if I know. Does it work? Surprisingly, yes. It works VERY well. And this is all based on the ignorance or unawareness of Shen's opponent.
How to Avoid It It's simpler to execute than you think. When you arrive in lane, check that bush FIRST. Then, cautiously go up the lane until you see Shen. If you don't see his blade, assume it is either behind him or in the middle bush. Just simply farm and remember which angle Shen's blade was at in the bush. If you avoid playing into his hands, he's going to lose pushing power and you can poke him down until you force him to give up the cheese strat and essentially much needed farm. Additionally, you can bait out his Q so you can punish him hard when it's down, giving you ample poke and forcing Shen to play defensive. And playing defensive is how you outscale Shen.
#2. Watch Shen's behavior... closely. If your minion wave is large, don't feel safe. Shen at level three can still dive you in the middle of your wave, harass you heavily, and block all minion aggro with his W before backing away. Remember to also watch his minion wave as this is a clear indication of when he will try to get minion harass on you. Don't let him get that opportunity. Dodging Shen's E is always expecting it and sidestepping it, and that in itself can give you a good window to potentially kill him if he misses. He will most likely try to walk through or away from you, attempting to land a swift Q on you in order to make the trade more favorable. Maneuver around his Q and apply damage accordingly.
...and for goodness' sake, make sure you're not getting ganked.
If Shen is level 6 and backing away, or acting aloof, don't ease up on him. He's most likely checking the map for potential ganks. When you see him do that, all-in him heavily if you can, do anything to draw his attention. If you can, completely prevent him from backing away to base or under his turret in order to delay any potential ultimates. If not, at least try to interrupt his ultimate cast so he doesn't get to teleport. This can prove to be effective as allies of Shen will act more aggressive knowing Shen is coming, and having them play into your allies' hands when Shen doesn't arrive to save the day can give your team a distinct advantage.
If Shen is farming with his Q and moving around minions, watch which ones are low. His auto attack animation is relatively long, and you can quickly harass him and back out when you see him over-commit to a cannon minion or he's farming under his turret in general.
As for laners with 
... don't blow your first blood underestimating Shen's ability to take damage. If you get him low and ignite him, don't let up. Keep hitting him as long as possible. Good Shen players keep a health potion available to heal through ignite's damage while they shield themselves with their passive. Not only does Shen deny you first blood, but he gains a distinct advantage in your next all-in, which is most likely when he gets more durability.
#3. Respect the damages. Shen can deal some pretty heavy damage if you don't position correctly. His E has scaling physical damage (scales with HP, nonetheless), and his Q deals a % of your HP in magic damage, which can prove to be an issue since generally base MR is lower than armor. Don't let him combo you. Even if he misses his taunt, don't all-in him immediately unless you know for a fact that his W is down. Unless you're a spellcaster, Shen's W will block significant harass. Just treat it like a Jax E: back away until it's over.
For squishier, light fighters: avoid extended trades with Shen unless you know for a fact that you have the damage and sustain to keep up with him. Shen has decent damage with his Q (need I say that again?) and his E will render you helpless to it. Try to build some sustain, then rush some MR to keep Shen off your back. DO NOT rush HP, you're literally just giving him bigger numbers to hit you with.
For burlier bruisers, this is a matchup you want to be careful in. Unless you can hold your own, Shen can surprise you with chunks of damage. Try to bring some sustain or MR to the playing field to match his dueling potential. Otherwise, stay back and watch him. A good Shen player is always watching his opponent for the tiniest mistake.
For tanks, you don't need to worry much. Just avoid Shen's CC and rush a Banshee's or Spirit Visage. If Shen has the upper hand in a fight, CC him and walk away. Even the tiniest slow can stop a Shen in his tracks.
#4. Counterpicks.
This guy is probably one of THE hardest matchups for Shen. He can easily shred through Shen's shield, can use the uptime of Shen's W to stop auto attacking and use his abilities, and his built-in lifesteal lets him outlast Shen by a long shot. Not to mention his poke and slow with his Q is the perfect counter to Shen, who needs to all-in to mitigate damage. His ultimate also absolutely destroys Shen's chances, as you can laugh at him while Shen tries to taunt you.
Fitted with a silence, a slow removal, and a damage mitigation move, all paired up with true damage and a large execute, it's like Garen was made to counter Shen. By pressing Q in the middle of Shen's E cast, you can deny him his perfect all-in, then proceed to shred him as his W proves to be utterly useless. If he manages to get a kill on you, he becomes the villain, and you can blow him up in the next fight. Oh, and he can't cheese out your damage at low HP. Demacia has a bigger sword.
He's literally the bane of all melee auto attack champions. Shen's Q takes at least two hits to go through Malphite's passive shield early on, and slowing Shen's attack speed will make the trade more favorable. Malphite can also press Q to steal movement speed from Shen and walk away as Shen's E goes on an 18 second cooldown. This matchup is rock solid, by all accounts.
Sporting the poke of a mage and the durability and sustain of a bruiser, Maokai is a force to be reckoned with. His auto attacks are nothing to worry about, so Shen's W doesn't do much in his favor. Not to mention that Maokai's heal still goes off if his attack is blocked, and he can avoid Shen's E by using his W to dodge it and counter-engage at the same time. His Q can turn away a pursuing Shen and his ultimate gives him the ability to deny Shen's team an effective follow-up on a multi-man taunt without hundreds of damage being mitigated.
Probably the hardest matchup besides Olaf or Rumble, Shen simply cannot lane against Pantheon. While formerly a counter to Pantheon, Shen now finds himself at a disadvantage given the nature of his new kit: auto attacks. Without the sustain or reliability of an instant-cast shield to live past Pantheon's endless poke, Shen will find himself in need of a gank and a recall soon. Pantheon also can punish all ins hard, and can stop a fleeing Shen mid-taunt. Pantheon can also, to a degree, follow Shen across the map with his own ultimate, and has the tools to punish a Shen who tried to ult in his sight.
This one should be self-explanatory.
Ever since Graves lost his cigar, he has become a god. Top lane is dominated by this guy who can virtually win any matchup against melee opponents with his immense early damage. Not to mention that Shen cannot deal as much damage early on given the nature of Graves' E, with the stacking armor and MR.
Irelia isn't the hardest counter to Shen, but when played right she can make his lane hell. When Shen all-ins, he will naturally activate his W to mitigate Irelia's auto attacks. Which gives her a perfect opportunity to stun Shen and counter attack. Her mixture of true damage and self-heals give her an edge over Shen, and her mobile nature lets her quickly jump and stop an ulting Shen.
Ok.
This isn't a lane Shen can bear to deal with. Heh. Volibear naturally does a lot of damage, and his E is the perfect anti-Shen tool. It slows Shen AND fears minions, giving Shen literally no back-up for second or two. Not to mention that Volibear can flip Shen mid-taunt when done right, and his W can execute Shen even within his Spirit's Refuge (W). Not to mention you can flip tables when Shen tries to ult, and assert your manliness.
Every melee top laner HATES Teemo. And for good reason. Branded by the community as "Satan," Teemo has the poke, speed, and tools to keep Shen at bay and prevent him from even considering an all-in. As long as Teemo keeps his distance and watches the river, he can win this matchup with no problem.
This is literally the stupidest top lane matchup Shen players can go up against. Rumble is the bane of Shen's existence, melting him and his minion wave and denying him all-ins with his slows and shields. Shen will almost never win this matchup without help, and will be absolutely demoralized by the time he hits 6.
Yeah. I don't even want to talk about this one.
I hate you and you don't belong in top lane.
This is a skill matchup above all, but Darius has it easier. In extended trades, Shen usually wins. But Darius is the KING of extended trades. Sporting tools to zone Shen away and cripple him during his windows of strength, Darius was made to crush tanks. And, come 6, Shen gets a global teleport with a shield. Darius gets to DUNK.
Thanks for reading my comprehensive guide on how to beat Shen top lane. If you guys have any thoughts, questions, or suggestions (this includes you little bumpkins out there who don't agree with me), feel free to comment below. And please, don't just downvote because you don't agree. Unless I was personally mean to you in my comment replaying to yours, there's no need to try to undermine all the time and effort I spent to make this post. Thank you, and may Shenpai notice you.
