League of Legends S12: Shen Top Build Guide

From runes to items, gameplay tips amd more, we've put together a guide to help you master playing Shen in the toplane in League of Legends.

Be mindful that there are several ways to build and play a champion, and you'll need to be adaptable as the game and the enemy team progress.

That said, this guide is a good starting point to helping you get to grips with the champion and making an impact in your games.

Runes

Core Items

Iceborne Gauntlet

2800 Gold

Thornmail

2Gold

Build

Iceborne Gauntlet turns tank players like Shen into damage-dealing behemoths.

Thornmail adds to the survivability, inflicting Grievous Wounds and reflecting damage back to the enemy. 

Other great items include Randuin's Omen, Titanic Hydra, and Force of Nature.

Starting Item & Boots

Health Potion

50 Gold

Doran's Shield

450 Gold

Defensive Boots

1100 Gold

Skill Order

While your choices may differ according to how the game progresses, the typical Shen skill priority is:

R > Q > E > W

Summoner Spells

These are the summoner spells most typically taken by Shen in this role. Naturally, this may change depending on match-ups.

Gameplay

Shen is great in the toplane, exerting a lot of control and split pushing potential. You can trade effectively thanks to extra cooldown on your passive shield when you damage enemies with spells, and you'll always be a threat in other lanes thanks to your global ultimate.

• Level 1 - Take Q - Twilight Assault, for the zoning and slow.
• Level 2 - Take E - Shadow Dash, for a gap closer and taunt. 
• First Back - If you need the extra sustain, go for your boots. If not, build towards Iceborne Gauntlet with a Bami's Cinder.

Tips & Tricks

• You can ignore on-hit effects of auto-attacks with Spirit's Refuge, such as Twisted Fate's gold card. 
• You can use Shadow Dash through walls, although it can be cancelled by enemy stuns.
• Use Flash to change the trajectory of Shadow Dash, and surprise your enemy. It must be used before the dash animation concludes.  
• Stand United can be interrupted by crowd control, so try to anticipate any spells before you commit to the channeling time.
• Your abilities reduce the cooldown on your passive, so try to synchronize using spells with the passive and benefit from an almost-permanent shield.