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Shen's W just feels terrible

vIbvdOwbko·6/13/2015, 9:44:20 AM·53 votes·4,263 views

Shens max R > Q > E > W.

Shen's W gives a 60 health shield for 3 seconds at the cost of 50 energy.

Shen has staggering energy issues, even with the recent small buff to his E cost.

This W has no real reason to be maxed second anymore because of nerfs a long while back and ends up becoming this useless ability that no Shen should think about using in any situation besides fighting monsters.

This ability is an absolutely humongous energy drain when put in comparison with the lackluster shield it provides. Shens can't afford to waste any energy during teamfights or even small trades in lane. I only use it when I know a teamfight or a trade is over, because at that point I will know that I won't end up not being able to cast E or Q because my W just took 50 energy from me.

This ability garbage now lmfao. I think the rest of Shen is fine as long as you don't pick him into absolutely terrible conditions.

64 Comments

Borbland6/13/2015, 12:19:06 PM20 votes

It's not that bad in lane to trade.

Dont forget it refreshes your passive more often you AA with that, and a little shield is always apreciated in my opinion, to block an AA or a skill.

It's utility drops in teamfights, but it'sm still useful if you have some energy leftover.

NemeBro6/13/2015, 6:19:46 PM9 votes

Shens usually max their W after they max Q actually. E is maxed last.

bonemountain6/13/2015, 3:51:23 PM8 votes

You say it has no real reason to be maxed second and then complain about its level 1 base values...leveling W lowers the cooldown to 5 seconds and increases the shield up to 220. Those are two pretty good reasons to level it up if you ask me.

I like that Shen has some flexibility to his skill max progression. Against heavy poke champs like Gangplank or Pantheon I tend to max W second. Maxing E is really nice, and might be the way to go after the energy cost buff, but I see it as the "greedy" skill order...something I can only do if I'm ahead or my lane opponent is playing passively. Anyway, is it a problem if there are tradeoffs for leveling one skill over the other?

Chaotic Reks6/13/2015, 4:52:42 PM5 votes

i think it should just be replaced with a 1 second dodge or block or something like that for basic attacks and single target spells. Kind of gives him a more ninja feel while keeping his tanky (SPOOKY) ninja identity.

Jamaree6/13/2015, 9:48:32 AM5 votes

I'm not sure I want a close to resourceless shield being like...amazing.

Edit: I see everyone comparing Shen to Riven and Rumble even though all three are wildly different champions who serve different roles and do different things. I'm ok with Riven having her shield because she isn't tanky, nor does she have ranged poke to slowly wittle you down and as least has to fight you, annoying as it may be, Rumble is just Rumble and his problem is his Q more so then his W, but whatever, let's go back to hayday Shen, that was so much fun to fight, getting outdueled and not being able to trade back because...reasons...and fun...and balance, and because no one ever looks at these things until after the fact.

Worldferno6/13/2015, 8:07:55 PM5 votes

Why you so greedy OP? Riot JUST gave us Scaling MR + slightly higher base MR, a Ki-Strike that becomes available more often as we level, AND lowered late-game energy costs on Shadowdash late game ON TOP of the lowered energy cost on Shadowdash's base cost they just gave us a few patches ago.

All the things that Shen players have been begging for in one lump "Here you guys go, we're feeling generous" patch. Let's show appreciation for the amazing things we've gotten before we go back to the table asking for more.

UdoIkOSc4u6/13/2015, 11:58:08 AM2 votes

yes but it needs a buff for the late game otherwise he would became op again

MetroArcher6/13/2015, 10:54:31 PM2 votes

Man... i max W after Q in shen and his W shield feels so strong with that low cd and base shield dmg, if you go tank, the shield is gonna be so useful (mostly in baits)

Bemapon6/14/2015, 4:01:14 AM2 votes

I feel like his sheild should scale with HP

Transgressor6/14/2015, 12:30:04 AM1 votes

Shen's W is at the same state as Akali's E. Click a button get a shield, click a button do damage. NOTHING sort of engaging and stimulating, not to mention rewarding. Notice any similarities? Let me help: Energy based champions with no-counterplay ranged harass, great built in sustain, each with 1 great highlight ability at a fairly short use with a great reward. Thus they HAVE to suck at something. Both are results of Riot's archaic design values from back when they were just throwing stuff out, and did not have any solid design goals and artistic vision.

It's just how it is, we just have to be patient and wait for them to get reworked, but to be fair, I'd be much happier to see Poppy's rework(she's in the same scale as Sion's, Riot confirmed) than Shen getting a more interesting W. Don't get me wrong, that'd be great, but I can live with it since I know there are more important matters to be taken care off.

Myozthirirn6/14/2015, 2:06:10 AM1 votes

W needs either its cost reduced with levels 50~10 or actualy some scaling into it

thinking man6/14/2015, 2:57:19 AM1 votes

Make his W something that reduces the damage of the next auto/spell that hits him by 20-70% (scaling by ranks) and if it blocks something he gets energy while if it doesn't he gets nothing

My Waifu Vanilla6/14/2015, 3:45:37 AM1 votes

I hate when people say "but it has a short cd" on energy based champions. Great now I will run out of energy even faster. Sure his W will help with passive but with its miserable base and lack of scaling I might be able to get ONE auto in before it's gone.

Hellpyre6/14/2015, 7:53:06 AM1 votes

I honestly think it's because Riot remembers how dominant the shield became when it was on the per-hit mechanic, and so they're wary of letting Shen get out of hand again even the slightest bit.

Ale non è male6/14/2015, 9:58:20 AM1 votes

Well, Shen has decent scaling on his shield if he want to build some AP, and there are a decent amount of good tanky ite,s that give also AP. W is maxed last because maxing the other things before is just more convenient

AFK Push6/14/2015, 3:13:31 PM1 votes

I hate to say it, but shen's whole kit is kind of the problem. There is practically no reason to choose him as a tank over other top laners besides his global ult. Other tanks are tankier, have more cc, can initiate, and are just cooler thematically. Sure buff his W, but it won't really make him better to the point of picking him over say Sion

iProbie6/14/2015, 3:28:47 PM1 votes

Here's an idea

When Feint's shield is broken, fully resets your Ki Strike timer. This means if you use your shield in an all-in/trades and your shield gets broken, you can at least recover some of the energy cost via Ki Strike

Snakezzy6/14/2015, 5:06:49 PM1 votes

Shen is just in a terrible state, he is useless whenever I see one.

BlackMagicWilson6/14/2015, 8:43:07 PM1 votes

Shen rework where?

Meeks0116/14/2015, 9:36:10 PM1 votes

Then there's Ekko with a 50 mana skill that stuns, and gives him a 150 health shield based on what he's building, AND has a passive that lets him death % missing health damage. Having Shen's W scale with AP is like having Ekko's shield scale with maximum health.

GG Noob Team6/15/2015, 5:40:06 AM1 votes

And then, someone discovers he could build some ap tanky items and get 400 + shield every 3-5 sec. gg wp

{quoted}

But we're okay with it on Riven and having riven's scale with her ad?

Shen shield has bigger base, lasts 2 times longer and has 1 sec less cd. With 40% cdr you have your shield all the time on shen.

Jhera6/13/2015, 3:16:02 PM1 votes

It really does feel terrible, especially after I tried maxing E second recently. The mobility you get from maxed E is quite ridiculous. You can literally enter fights with it, tank up as much damage as necessary and then get the hell out when you've done your job. It also makes you MUCH more slippery to catch when people are trying to stop you from split pushing.

48983507DEL16/13/2015, 6:15:53 PM1 votes

Actually, his W isn't all that useless. It's got a really low cooldown, meaning that, with good timing, it can be used to block specific damage attacks and have it up again a few seconds later. It's not like the shield Sion or Nautilus get, which is giant and lasts a long time, but a small shield that is up more often.

Yes, it is a bit of an energy dump, but it gives Shen the ability to choose whether he wants to play a bit more defensively or save his energy for his next Shadow Dash. Also, it allows him to proc his passive more often, making it an even bigger decision to make.

If it were to be changed at all, I would say give it a slightly lower energy cost (say 30 or 40) and/or make it scale with a small amount of health, say like 5% bonus HP, that way it retains the somewhat spammable nature it always has.

Sammystorm6/13/2015, 9:10:25 PM1 votes

Depends on the situation. Maxing w second can be the difference between a good mid game and a bad one depending on who you are laning against. However if you max w third it feels like garbage at all points in the game.

junglerboy166/13/2015, 9:23:55 PM1 votes

Don't worry, it's supposed to feel like crap, because when it's good Shen breaks top lane pretty quick. His W and Q are the 2 biggest reasons he needs a rework. One is low counterplay harass and sustain, the other is low counterplay trading power. Both are toxic in nature, and both need to be removed before Riot can really allow Shen to be good ever again.

WillHealForHonor6/13/2015, 9:45:46 PM1 votes

What if the shield gave a mini thornmail effect? Wouldnt that be fun.. for shen..

Sir Fuzzi6/13/2015, 10:19:55 PM1 votes

great to fake out opponents, lends credence to AP builds, provides a buffer since he has to taunt (for 50% less damage mind) as his CC.

you're not meant to use it to just one-off protect yourself, it's got a time and a place

Juggernaut Jesus6/13/2015, 11:39:30 PM1 votes

Just revert his W to what it was before.

MarkedOfKane6/13/2015, 11:45:33 PM1 votes

His passive ramps up while his W is active. Too bad his shield breaks if you breathe on him.