The Current State of Shen

Posted on at 5:04 AM by Moobeat
As you may recall, Shen got a few changes while back that nerfed his low level damage but ( ideally ) scaled him better into late game to get his damage on the level of other tanks such as Amumu, Alistar, and Malphite. After the dust has settled and more testing has been done, it seems this change just wasn't enough. Couple this with his rather linear gearing options and we are ripe for some tinkering.

Here are some of RiotStatikk's thoughts on Shen and how to improve him.
I agree that we overnerfed him but really not by much. He doesn't really fit into this high DPS environment ("meta") especially when champions with % HP damage are popular such as Vayne and Malzahar. I really feel he is overshadowed by picks such as Amumu and Alistar who bring more to the table.

The 2 things we are looking to do:

- Give Shen better offensive scaling (primarily through AP ratios) so he isn't always forced/pigeonholed to buy Warmog's, Sunfire, etc. even when he wants to build damage to become a threat

- Make Feint something more exciting and fun

One thing to really look out for is that Shen's ultimate is likely to not be touched with the global changes happening to other champions such as TF. This may cause a spike in his power and popularity, we'll see.
- RiotStatikk, QA Analyst, via the official forums.






I like the idea of bulking up Shen's ability power ratios a bit. Being an energy based tank with low ratios, Shen has a very few gear paths. Item's like the defensive Frozen Heart and Banshee's Veil, as well as the offensive Rod of Ages,  are very popular amongst tanks who have mana but are either not viable or are cost ineffective for those without mana. Factoring this and his very poor ratio's together leave him to little in the way of gear choices outside of HP/Regen items. By buffing up Shen's ratios, hybrid defensive/offensive items like Abyssal Scepter, Haunting Guise, and Rylai's Crystal Scepter could possibly become viable or staples in Shen's gear line up.

I also like the idea of Feint doing something interesting. Newer champions, such as Rumble and Orianna, have built in shields with interesting and fun secondary effects that give them a bit more of a unique play experience. My ideas for sprucing the ability would be something like a small group buff when it pops or an energy boost / reduction if the shield is depleted before the duration runs out. I s'pose a complete revamp could be plausible as well. Maybe something that akin to Garen's Courage ability or a shield that grows in strength based on the amount of enemies around you.

 What are your thoughts on the manner? Do you think Shen needs more tweaking or do you think that his Global ultimate holds the key to his power, thus he should suffer a bit to make up for it? Let me know in the comments below!

27 comments

  1. ZachJune 5, 2011 at 5:35 AM

    He could probably do with a few tweaks

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  2. HOODPHENOMENOMJune 5, 2011 at 5:50 AM

    Shen definitely needs more tweaks !

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  3. DejchJune 5, 2011 at 6:05 AM

    could use more tweaking

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  4. RaineJune 5, 2011 at 6:40 AM

    I hope you don't change the AP ratios such that building him a tanky AP DPS (such as Rumble or Swain) is the most viable options. I think that doing so would impact on the tanky DPS meta that is trying to be broken; as well as hurt probably one of the only good tanks in the game.

    By good tank, I mean that his kit is aimed at legitimately protecting the carry (through shieldin' and tauntin'). I got nothing against Maphite or Singed, but they can kill things on their own. In my opinion, Shen lets the carry actually carry.

    So I think he is fine the way he is. Feint is a bit lackluster, as you pointed out, but I like his kit overall. But please, buff him in a defensive fashion. When Phreak said "allow Shen to carry" in one of the patch previews, I got shivers up my spine. The fun in tanks should be initiating a fight and protecting your team.

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  5. MoobeatJune 5, 2011 at 7:00 AM

    @Raine

    I think the problem is a tank like Alistar can put out just as much damage while using both of his CC's to protect the carry while taking just as much of a beating and putting out more, and even AoE, damage.

    Buffing Rylai's or something into effectiveness isn't going to swirl him into a tanky caster, but improve his contribution late game. Doesn't it suck staring down an end game Vayne you can do nothing about? At least if you were packing an extra chunk of damage and a slow you could help burst her down.

    Heck, the AP Ratio on the shields could be dialed up as well to amplify his kit.

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  6. Vince^_^June 5, 2011 at 9:35 AM

    Nice post, could do with more tweaks imho.

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  7. AnonymousJune 5, 2011 at 9:51 AM

    Yeah more tweaks.

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  8. elexerdelexJune 5, 2011 at 9:58 AM

    Not a clue, but the art is epic :D

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  9. RiyumaJune 5, 2011 at 10:08 AM

    He needs some tweaks, because right now it's all "Stack HP and right-click" with the occasional ability.

    I would love to see Riot making him more dynamic because I like Shen

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  10. AnonymousJune 5, 2011 at 12:02 PM

    I agree with elexerdelex, I must read some more on this before I can give you a proper comment on the content. But the art was very cool. Going to read it when I have some time to kill.

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  11. edJune 5, 2011 at 1:27 PM

    i think leave him as he is

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  12. 123June 5, 2011 at 1:53 PM

    i like the character artwork

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  13. DaveJune 5, 2011 at 2:53 PM

    The pics are really nice. Ill be looking more into this game.

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  14. Biff TannerJune 5, 2011 at 2:58 PM

    Great pics get it SHEN!

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  15. MagixxJune 5, 2011 at 3:37 PM

    not a LOL fan at all, but I really like your effort and passion to this blog and the game

    keep it up!

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  16. SeanJune 5, 2011 at 3:52 PM

    Good idea!

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  17. AnonymousJune 5, 2011 at 3:58 PM

    I think more tweaking for Shen will do!

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  18. Bunny HillJune 5, 2011 at 7:25 PM

    I can't really help you on this one

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  19. Quick ReadsJune 5, 2011 at 9:20 PM

    Gotta love this character, pretty nice dude :) and i don't really think it needs more tweaking.

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  20. JaccstevJune 5, 2011 at 9:23 PM

    The artworks are impressive and cool!

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  21. WhitelightJune 5, 2011 at 9:28 PM

    Great post :D

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  22. JayPowerJune 5, 2011 at 11:22 PM

    Its about time they changed up Shen a bit!! ;D

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  23. BTN Hip HopJune 6, 2011 at 1:31 AM

    ive been waiting, his animations and design are awesome.

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  24. AnonymousJune 6, 2011 at 2:08 AM

    his ulti is great, he should be based around it.

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  25. baka1236June 6, 2011 at 2:10 AM

    more tweaks all round!

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  26. Blk JesusJune 6, 2011 at 3:41 AM

    i liked him the way he was. But seems as soon as i like someone they change them

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  27. psychpostJune 6, 2011 at 10:20 AM

    i use shen more than any other hero and i think he's fine the way he is.

    maybe additional effect to shield wouldn't hurt. but i would hate to see his ult change >_>

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