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Shen combos

the Eye of Twilight

3 Shen combos explained key by key: in which order to cast the abilities, when to use them and what each step does. The main combo is E › Q › AA › W. Further down: every ability's cooldown, cost and range, and the skill max order measured over ranked games.

Shen combos

Written guide · based on the official ability texts

The engage

Q AA AA

When: An enemy is within taunt range.

Shadow Dash dashes you and taunts the enemies you cross; Twilight Assault recalls your blade for damage based on max health; Spirit's Refuge blocks targeted attacks.

The rescue ultimate

When: An ally is in danger far from you.

Stand United gives an absorbing shield to an allied champion then teleports you to them: keep it for an ally under threat.

Harassment

Q AA AA

When: An enemy is far from their allies.

The blade slows the enemies it hits when they move away from you; attacks are greatly empowered if it hits a champion.

Common mistakes

Using the ultimate with no ally to protect.
Forgetting your passive: every ability gives you a shield.
Placing Spirit's Refuge far from your blade.

Cooldowns, costs and ranges

A combo only comes back once its abilities are off cooldown: these values (rank 1 to max rank, in seconds) tell how long to wait between two combos. Source: Data Dragon 16.19.1.

Ability	Cooldown (s)	Cost	Range
Q · Twilight Assault	8/7.25/6.5/5.75/5	140/130/120/110/100 Energy	400
W · Spirit's Refuge	16/14.5/13/11.5/10	40 Energy	400
E · Shadow Dash	18/16/14/12/10	150 Energy	600
R · Stand United	200/180/160	—	35000

Official ability descriptions

PassiveKi Barrier

After casting a spell, Shen gets a shield. Affecting other champions reduces the cooldown of this effect.

QTwilight Assault

Shen recalls his spirit blade to attack with it, dealing damage based on the target's max health. The attacks are greatly empowered if it collides with an enemy champion, and all collided enemies are slowed while running away from Shen.

WSpirit's Refuge

Attacks that would hit Shen or his allies near his spirit blade are blocked.

EShadow Dash

Shen dashes in a direction, taunting enemies in his path.

RStand United

Shen shields target allied champion from incoming damage, and soon after teleports to their location.

Skill order

Max order: Q > E > W53.7% · 54 games

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15
Q	●			●	●		●		●
W			●											●	●
E		●						●		●		●	●
R						●					●

The order shows which abilities reach rank 5 first; the grid shows the most-played level-up sequence with that order (measured over 61 games).

Riot's official tips for 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.

How to play around Shen's combos

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.

Frequently asked questions

What is Shen's main combo?

The engage: E › Q › AA › W. An enemy is within taunt range. Shadow Dash dashes you and taunts the enemies you cross; Twilight Assault recalls your blade for damage based on max health; Spirit's Refuge blocks targeted attacks.

Which ability should I max first on Shen?

The most-played max order is Q > E > W (54 games, 53.7% win rate).

What is the cooldown of Shen's ultimate?

Stand United has a 200/180/160 second cooldown depending on its rank.

Build, runes and counters: full Shen guide · every champion's combos · tier list