A few ideas for a visual update for Shen
I apologize if this isn't the correct section for this. It's the most relevant one I could find.
So, it's not a secret to most people that, thematically speaking, Shen is in a really awkward spot. When one thinks of a ninja, the first few thoughts that come to mind are of nimble, agile masters of deception that overcome their opponents using a combination of their cunning and their situational awareness. In that same breath, it's hard to picture a ninja as someone who makes headlong dashes into the enemy and takes as many hits as possible to protect their allies from harm. In spite of the common view of a ninja, I still think there is a way to make Shen fit thematically as a ninja while still retaining his role as a bulwark for the Kinkou Order.
DISCLAIMER BEFORE WE CONTINUE: This thread is not going to suggest any balance changes. All of the suggestions made here will be based on aesthetics.
To start, let's take a look at what we already have:
http://puu.sh/iWKAQ/80f438a64e.jpg
Riot, I have one question for you:
WHAT ARE THOOOOOOOOSE? http://i.imgur.com/KZIlw1a.jpg
In all seriousness, Shen doesn't have the worst rig in the world and touching it up is relatively simple compared to Taric. Aside from that, he could use a different running animation, as his current one is a bit awkward -- especially at early stages of the game when your movement speed is lower. His attack animations are pretty solid considering his old rig, which is probably why Shen is low priority on the VU list.
Let's take a look at Shen's individual skills.
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130929123241/leagueoflegends/images/3/3a/Vorpal_Blade.png - Vorpal Blade (Q): Overall, I think the particles for this skill are pretty decent. My suggestion would be to change the mark on the afflicted opponent to match the serpentine emblem on Shen's sash. In my opinion, this catches the eye better and tells the opponent "Hey! This is something you should pay attention to!". Aside from that, I feel as though the animation of the blade reaching its target should be a vertical aerial somersaulting motion, as this makes more sense for the tossing of a short sword.
http://img1.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130929123237/leagueoflegends/images/d/d3/Feint.png - Feint (W): In my opinion, this skill doesn't properly fit the thematic of a ninja. I understand that the shield has crossed blades encircling it and makes the sound of a blow being parried by a blade, but it doesn't adequately convey what a feint is, nor does it visually indicate that you're benefiting from using basic attacks while feint persists. My suggestion would be to scrap the purple bubble shield entirely and, instead, have Shen change his fighting stance while Feint persists to that of him positioning his blades defensively in a cross-formation similar to Ki Strike. Have this animation persist until either the shield breaks or the skill reaches the end of its duration.
http://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130929123239/leagueoflegends/images/9/92/Shadow_Dash.png - Shadow Dash (E): Visually speaking, this is one of the most confusing skills in the game. I feel that it not only needs a visual overhaul, but a change of description as well. Sample below:
Shen moves quickly through the shadows, challenging any opponents he contacts on the way to his destination. Opponents hit by Shadow Dash take damage and are taunted, reducing the damage from their basic attacks by 50%. Shen also restores 40 energy per opponent hit.
As for the visual portion, I feel as though the line dash should leave a trail of quickly-fading afterimages in its wake to visually convey a dash from the shadows. I've thrown together a crude animation to show what I mean:
http://i.imgur.com/KWfoClj.gif[/img]
http://img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130929123240/leagueoflegends/images/4/44/Stand_United.png - Stand United (R): Other than my now obvious hatred of purple bubble shields on ninja, I feel as though this does a damn good job of visually conveying what's supposed to happen. As far as fitting the theme of a ninja goes, I feel as though there should be something shadow-related to bring home the ninja theme.
All in all, I know there's a bit of work to be done with Shen to bring him up to the standards Riot has set with their visual overhauls, but I just wanted to provide some feedback and suggestions to get the ball rolling on a champion that's only recently been talked about. If you made it this far, thanks for taking the time to read this. Cya, nerds.
So I go.
..did someone say VU?
