How to Play Shen Support: Tips & Power Spikes (26.20)

Max order: Q > E > W
First item: Heartsteel14.1 min
Gold vs lane at 15: +55
Win rate 1k gold ahead: 70.2%
Win rate 1k gold behind: 30.7%

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Shen Power Spikes (Patch 26.20)

Support

When Shen Support gets stronger, in the order it happens in a typical ranked game: ability unlocks from the most common skill order, item spikes at the median minute players finish them, and the game length Shen wins most.

Lv 3
All three basic abilities at level 3
Shen's full combo is online — the first point where trading all-in is realistic.
Lv 6
Ultimate rank 1 at level 6
The biggest early spike: look for a kill or a roam as soon as Shen hits it.
Lv 11
Ultimate rank 2 at level 11
Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Shen can start or win.
Lv 16
Ultimate rank 3 at level 16
Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Shen can start or win.
14.1 min
First item at 14.1 min
Heartsteel is done — Shen's first real damage or durability spike.
23.8 min
Two items at 23.8 min
Heartsteel + Thornmail: the window to group and take objectives.
25 min
Strongest in games of about 25 minutes
Shen wins 59.8% of games that end around this point.

Item timings are medians: half of players finish later. Fall behind in farm and every item spike moves back with it.

Shen Support Laning Plan

Shen plays an even lane: no extreme in gold, leads or scaling, so the matchup decides how hard to push. On average Shen Support is 55 gold ahead of the lane opponent at 15 minutes and ahead in 54% of games. A 1,000-gold lead at 15 turns into a 70% win rate; a 1,000-gold deficit leaves 31%. Shen averages 0.09 solo kills by 15 minutes.

Shen win rate by gold at 15

1,000+ gold ahead70.2%
Ahead64.0%
Behind37.1%
1,000+ gold behind30.7%

Shen Mid and Late Game

What Shen does better or worse than other champions after laning, from this patch's ranked games — percentiles where 100 is the highest of every champion.

Play to these strengths

Shen soaks damage well (percentile 92): stand between the enemy and your carries.
Shen wins 2.0 points more in short games than long ones: group, take objectives and end before the enemy scales.

Mistakes to avoid

Shen is not a damage carry (18/100): don't take fights expecting Shen to win them alone.

These expert Shen tips are generated by MetaBot's advanced analysis of thousands of Shen games. Learn the best strategies, ability combos, and gameplay tactics to master Shen and climb the ranked ladder. Follow these tips to maximize your Shen performance.

Shen is able to soak a lot of damage, making them much more viable in the frontline taking damage to protect less tanky teammates.
Shen has less crowd control than most champions. This can make locking down kills or ganking for other players more difficult.
Shen tends to have a lower vision score than other champions. Make sure you are working to place wards and clear enemy wards.
Shen has a much higher early late game win rate than their late game win rate. Take advantage of this by playing aggressive early on and trying to snowball through kills.
Shen has more magic resistance than most champions, which makes them excellent in the early game against magic damage type enemies.
Shen has more mana regen than most champions, making their playstyle optimal for aggressive trades in lane.
Shen has more health regen than most champions, making their playstyle optimal for aggressive trades in lane.
Shen has more base attack damage than most champions, so they should be trading autos aggressively in lane.

Playing Shen

Keep an eye on allies and be ready to save them with your teleport.
Leverage your Energy to get a long-term advantage over Mana users.

Playing Against Shen

Be ready to dodge Shen's taunt and punish him if he misses.
Once Shen reaches level 6, watch out for his global-range ultimate, which can turn fights quickly.

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How to Play Shen FAQ - Patch 26.20

When does Shen power spike?

Shen's spikes in a typical ranked game: All three basic abilities at level 3; Ultimate rank 1 at level 6; Ultimate rank 2 at level 11; Ultimate rank 3 at level 16; First item at 14.1 min.

Can Shen come back from behind?

Shen wins 37% of games when behind in gold at 15 minutes (over 294 games), against 64% when ahead — so a lost lane costs Shen games, but it is not decisive.

What is Shen's first item?

Most Shen players finish Heartsteel first, at a median of 14.1 minutes.

How do you play Shen Support?

From this patch's ranked data, Shen wins by playing to these strengths: front-line for your carries; end the game early.

Shen How to Play: Tips & Power Spikes