Is Liu Shan good in Honor of Kings?

Current HOKMeta data lists Liu Shan as Tier A, with 49.7% win rate and 0.9% pick rate. Liu Shan is worth playing if your team needs reliable Roaming pressure, but you should avoid blind-picking into Li Bai without peel or defensive item planning.

How do you play Liu Shan in teamfights?

In teamfights, Liu Shan should respect enemy engage range first, then play around the hero's Tank job: dealing damage, protecting carries, or entering after key control is used. When behind, clear waves and preserve cooldowns instead of face-checking fog.

ARoaming

Liu Shan Build, Items, Arcana & Counters

Liu Shan is a Tier A Roaming pick. Get the best build, core items, arcana, battle spell, counters, and tool-backed item decisions.

WR 49.7%Pick 0.9%Ban 0.1%

Build answer

Liu Shan best build for S15 (June 2026)

International server

Updated: 2026-08-07

Reviewed by: HOKMeta

Role, lane, difficulty

Roaming · Tank · Tier A · Easy

Current patch rates

49.7% WR · 0.9% Pick · 0.1% Ban

Core 3 items

Crimson Shadow - Radiance, Blazing Cape, Axe of Torment

Best arcana

Lvl 5: Fate, Lvl 5: Hunt, Lvl 5: Void

Battle spell

Execute

Best into

Arthur, Augran, Biron

Watch out for

Li Bai

Liu Shan TL;DR

Tier A49.7% WRRoaming

Liu Shan: Liu Shan's skills deal equal damage to structures and can disrupt them while also recovering Health.

Fast conclusion

Liu Shan is a Tier A Roaming pick with 49.7% win rate.

Overcharge! → Robo Smash → Take It for a Spin → weave basic attacks

Core 3 items

Crimson Shadow - Radiance

Blazing Cape

Axe of Torment

Pick when

Your carry needs peel or engage setup, and your team can follow your first crowd-control window.

Avoid when

Main threats: Li Bai.

Open full counter pageMatchup notes, strong targets, and heroes that punish Liu Shan.

Current patch decision guide

How to decide if Liu Shan is the right pick

Pick Liu Shan if

Pick Liu Shan when your team needs a Tier A Roaming option and the draft gives this hero enough space to play around core cooldowns.

Avoid Liu Shan if

Avoid Liu Shan when the enemy composition directly attacks the hero's main weakness or your team cannot support the Roaming game plan.

Power spikes

First completed core item: check whether the hero can now contest lane or jungle tempo.
Two to three item point: decide whether to group for objectives or keep farming toward the late-game plan.
Final defensive or damage item: adapt to the enemy threat instead of following the build blindly.

Build decision

Start from the recommended build, then adjust based on whether the enemy is forcing burst survival, anti-tank damage, anti-heal, or safer positioning.

Matchup logic

Use the counter page and build compare tool together: first identify the threat, then test whether damage, defense, or utility gives the better answer.

Common mistakes

Following the build without checking the enemy draft.

Taking fights before the first meaningful item spike.

Ignoring wave state and vision before rotating.

30-day trend

Last 30 days of win rate, pick rate, and ban rate

Use daily snapshots to see whether this hero is heating up, cooling down, or simply staying popular without converting that attention into wins.

Win rate

Current 49.71%

7d change -0.26 pts

30d change +0.26 pts

Pick rate

Current 0.87%

7d change -0.05 pts

30d change +0.18 pts

Ban rate

Current 0.10%

7d change 0.00 pts

30d change +0.02 pts

Trend read

Liu Shan currently sits at 49.71% win rate, with a 30-day move of +0.26 pts and a 7-day move of -0.26 pts.

Win rate is climbing by +0.26 pts.

Pick rate is climbing by +0.18 pts.

Ban rate is climbing by +0.02 pts.

Patch reason

There is no current-season official balance entry to cite in the last 45 days.

Tools

Test Liu Shan damage and item builds

Use the calculator for combo damage, or compare two item builds side by side before changing your ranked setup.

Damage calculator Compare builds

Best Build for Liu Shan

End-game item order with gold costs and slot notes. Purchase path may differ in-match.

Build philosophy

Liu Shan benefits from Survivability, Movement speed — match items and runes to kit scaling.

Passive: Skills deal equal damage to structures and disrupt them, while also recovering Health.

SurvivabilityMovement speed

Arcana: Prioritize runes that boost Survivability, Movement speed for this hero's passive and skill scaling.

2 presets — switch by draft, lane, or CN meta. Default matches Roaming when available.

Recommended item build order
#	Item	Gold	Stats	Why
1	Crimson Shadow - Radiance	2,080g	HP +1,200, MSPD +7.5% DPS aura	Fits Survivability priority — Active - Mirror Domain — Releases a scouting light wave that deals damage 4 times to enemies within a range of 1,200, each dealing damage equal to 3% of current Health and slowing them by 25%–50%. The scouting light remains within range for 2s, providing visibility and exposing stealth units, while also dealing damage and slowing enemies.
2	Blazing Cape	2,040g	PDEF +150, MDEF +150, HP +1,100 Area burn & imperil	Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Conflagration — Burns enemies within a range of 375 every second, dealing (1.5% HP) magical damage. Deals double damage to minions and monsters.
3	Axe of Torment	2,090g	PATK +80, CDR +10%, HP +500 Anti-squishy	Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Sever — Increases Physical Pierce by 90–180.
4	Blood Rage	2,180g	PATK +75, HP +900 Trades HP for shield	Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Apoplexy — Basic Attacks deal an extra (1.5% HP) physical damage. When Health drops below 50%, this damage increases by 25%–50%.
5	Ominous Premonition	2,020g	PDEF +300, HP +1,200 Slows attackers	Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Cold Steel — When taking damage, reduces the attacker's Attack Speed by 20%–40% and Movement Speed by 7.5%–15% for 2.5s.
6	Longnight Guardian	2,020g	MDEF +210, HP +1,000, MSPD +7.5% Reduces magical damage	Fits Survivability priority — Passive - Guardian — When taking damage exceeding 30% max Health within 3s, restores a total of (320 + 8% HP) Health over 3s.

Best Arcana & Spells

Arcana and battle spell setup
Slot	Choice	Effect
Primary	Fate	Recommended for Tank Roaming
Spell	Flash	Adjust Purify/Execute based on enemy dive.

Abilities

Skill Order

Skill 2 → Skill 1 → Take It for a Spin (max Skill 2 first)

Max primary utility/damage skill first, then Overcharge!, and Take It for a Spin on cooldown.

Passive

Magnetic Barrier

Skills deal equal damage to structures and disrupt them, while also recovering Health.

Skill 1

Overcharge!

Gains a shield and increased Movement Speed while enhancing the next Basic Attack to damage and launch enemies.

Skill 2

Robo Smash

Inflicts damage and stun on enemies in the target area.

Ultimate

Take It for a Spin

Unleashes a spinning attack that continuously deals damage to nearby enemies. While spinning, Basic Attacks slow and deal damage to targets.

Combos

1. Standard trade
Overcharge! → Robo Smash → Take It for a Spin → weave basic attacks
When: Roaming skirmish or objective fight

Counters & Matchups

🏛️ Camp Official Counter Data

Official counter reference from Camp HOK rank statistics.

Liu Shan is strong into

Pick Liu Shan when the enemy drafts these heroes.

Liu Shan struggles into

Avoid Liu Shan or ban these when they appear on the enemy team.

Li BaiAssassin · Tier B

Full counter analysis →

vs Similar Heroes

Liu Shan vs Kaizer (Tank, Tier S): Kaizer is 1.6% pick / 51.4% WR. Kaizer wins 1.7% more often globally. Choose Liu Shan when you need Roaming identity; choose Kaizer for Clash Lane comfort.
Liu Shan vs Dun (Tank, Tier S): Dun is 1.5% pick / 52.3% WR. Dun wins 2.6% more often globally. Choose Liu Shan when you need Roaming identity; choose Dun for Clash Lane comfort.

Playstyle & Ranked Tips

Laning Phase

Help marksman crash wave, then rotate mid for picks. Return before Tyrant if your carry has no escape.

Teamfight Role

Engage on enemy carry when your team has follow-up. Body-block skillshots for your marksman.

High Rank (Diamond+)

Liu Shan is a viable Tier A pick in high rank with 49.6% win rate — strong in one-trick hands or as a counter-pick. Pick rate 0.9% — frequently seen in ranked; learn the matchup even if you do not main Liu Shan.

Related decisions

Keep researching Liu Shan

Liu Shan full guide

Lane plan, teamfight rules, ranked mistakes, and matchup notes.

Liu Shan counters

Best counter picks, matchup notes, and draft risks.

Liu Shan damage calculator

Test item damage against marksman, mage, fighter, and tank templates.

Liu Shan build compare

Compare two item builds and get matchup-specific conclusions.

Best Tank heroes

Compare this pick with other heroes in the same role.

Liu Shan Build 2026 FAQ

Quick answers for Liu Shan builds, arcana, counters, lane choice, and ranked value.

What is the best Liu Shan build in 2026?

The best Liu Shan build in 2026 uses Crimson Shadow - Radiance, Blazing Cape, Axe of Torment, Blood Rage, Ominous Premonition, Longnight Guardian. Play Liu Shan in Roaming, take Lvl 5: Fate, Lvl 5: Hunt, Lvl 5: Void arcana, and usually run Execute. This recommendation is aligned with S15 (June 2026) and the 2026-08-07 HOKMeta data snapshot.

What is the best arcana for Liu Shan?

The best Liu Shan arcana setup is Lvl 5: Fate, Lvl 5: Hunt, Lvl 5: Void. Keep the core damage arcana first, then adjust movement speed, pierce, or sustain only when the matchup makes your lane unsafe.

What should Liu Shan build first?

Liu Shan usually wants Crimson Shadow - Radiance first because the first item should stabilize Roaming clear speed, trading power, or tempo. If the lane is unsafe, adjust boots or a small defensive component first, but do not delay the core damage curve too long.

What should Liu Shan build against tanks?

Use the HOKMeta damage calculator or build compare tool to test penetration, sustained damage, and survivability against tank templates. The best anti-tank item choice depends on whether Liu Shan can keep attacking safely or needs a defensive item to survive the first engage.

Who counters Liu Shan?

Liu Shan is most vulnerable to Li Bai. Draft peel, respect engage range, and adjust items when the enemy lineup can dive or chain crowd control.

What lane does Liu Shan play?

Liu Shan is mainly played as a Tank in Roaming. In ranked games, prioritize a stable farm pattern and only rotate early when the wave state keeps your economy safe.