Shangguan
Scepter of Reverberation
Boots of Tranquility
Savant's Wrath
Sage's Tome
Ardent Dominion
Void StaffShangguan: Enhances every 3rd Basic Attack, causing it to deal pierce damage.
Build core
Rush Scepter of Reverberation, Boots of Tranquility, Savant's Wrath, then complete Insatiable Tome, Void Staff
Combo
Ink Burst → Seething Script → Finishing Stroke → weave basic attacks
Draft
Shangguan excels into Diaochan, Mulan, Sima Yi. Avoid blind picking into Augran, Biron, Musashi without team peel.
Best Build for Shangguan
End-game item order with gold costs and slot notes. Purchase path may differ in-match.
Build philosophy
Shangguan benefits from Physical attack, Cooldown reduction, Penetration — match items and runes to kit scaling.
Passive: Enhances every 3rd Basic Attack, causing it to deal pierce damage. Deals damage when ink from different skills come in contact. Gains an enhanced Basic Attack and recovers Health if she is also nearby when they do.
Arcana: Prioritize runes that boost Physical attack, Cooldown reduction, Penetration for this hero's passive and skill scaling.
4 presets — switch by draft, lane, or CN meta. Default matches Mid Lane when available.
| # | Item | Gold | Stats | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Scepter of Reverberation | 2,100g | MATK +210, MSPD +7.5% Skill hits explode | Fits Magic attack priority — Passive - Echo — Triggers an explosion when landing a skill hit, dealing (140–280 + 28% {ap}) magical damage. |
| 2 | Boots of Tranquility | 700g | CDR +15%, MSPD +50 Speeds up skill cooldown | Fits Cooldown reduction priority — Passive - Swift — Grants 50 Movement Speed. |
| 3 | Savant's Wrath | 2,140g | MATK +210 Greatly boosts MATK | Fits Magic attack priority — Passive - Doom — {ap} +30% |
| 4 | Sage's Tome | 2,610g | MATK +350, CDR +10% Great for mages | Fits Cooldown reduction priority — Passive - Enlightenment — Every 100 Magical Attack increases damage dealt by 0.5% and grants 0.5% damage reduction. |
| 5 | Ardent Dominion | 2,040g | MATK +150, Magical Lifesteal +12%, MSPD +7.5% Cleanse and shield at low HP | Fits Lifesteal priority — Passive - Mana Shield — When Health drops below 30%, removes all crowd control effects and grants a shield that negates (500–1,000 + 100% {ap} + 7.5% extra HP) damage and increases Movement Speed by 30% for 4s. |
| 6 | Void Staff | 2,040g | MATK +210, HP +500, CDR +5% Anti-tank | Fits Cooldown reduction priority — Passive - Devastation — Magical Pierce +45% |
Best Arcana & Spells
| Slot | Choice | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Nightmare | Recommended for Assassin Mid Lane |
| Spell | Flash | Adjust Purify/Execute based on enemy dive. |
Skill Order
Skill 2 → Skill 1 → Finishing Stroke (max Skill 2 first)
Seething Script provides mobility or stick—max first. Ink Burst second for damage. Finishing Stroke on every level.
Combos
1. Standard trade
Ink Burst → Seething Script → Finishing Stroke → weave basic attacks
When: Mid Lane skirmish or objective fight
2. All-in
Finishing Stroke after full rotation when Flash is down
When: Gank or backline dive with team CC
Abilities
Passive
Piercing Brush
Enhances every 3rd Basic Attack, causing it to deal pierce damage. Deals damage when ink from different skills come in contact. Gains an enhanced Basic Attack and recovers Health if she is also nearby when they do.
Skill 1
Ink Burst
Flings a powerful drop of ink, which deals damage to enemies in its path and explodes to deal extra damage at the end of its range.
Skill 2
Seething Script
Summons a brush to write at the target location, dealing damage and slowing enemies in its path.
Ultimate
Finishing Stroke
Dashes wildly with her brush, dealing damage to enemies in her path. Can dash again if she passes through an enemy or ink left by another skill. After dashing 3–5 times, becomes untargetable and continuously attacks nearby enemies.
Counters & Matchups
Shangguan is strong into
Pick Shangguan when the enemy drafts these heroes.
Shangguan struggles into
Avoid Shangguan or ban these when they appear on the enemy team.
Playstyle & Ranked Tips
Laning Phase
Control first wave without taking free poke. Roam after pushing wave 2–4 to side lanes with your jungler.
Teamfight Role
Wait for CC from your team, then dive carry with full combo. Exit with reset or flash if focus fired.
High Rank (Diamond+)
Shangguan sits at Tier B globally (47.7% WR). In high rank, pick only into favorable matchups or when you have a dedicated pocket pick. Below 49% global WR — high-rank players often avoid unless compensating for team comp.
vs Similar Heroes
- Shangguan vs Wukong (Assassin, Tier S): Wukong is 1.3% pick / 49.7% WR. Wukong wins 2.0% more often globally. Choose Shangguan when you need Mid Lane identity; choose Wukong for Jungling comfort.
- Shangguan vs Musashi (Assassin, Tier A): Musashi is 1.1% pick / 50.7% WR. Musashi wins 3.0% more often globally. Choose Shangguan when you need Mid Lane identity; choose Musashi for Jungling comfort.
FAQ
What is the best Shangguan build?
Recommended: Scepter of Reverberation, Boots of Tranquility, Savant's Wrath, Sage's Tome, Ardent Dominion, Void Staff.
How to counter Shangguan?
Pick Augran, Biron, Musashi. Strong into Diaochan, Mulan, Sima Yi.
Is Shangguan good in current season?
Shangguan is Tier A Assassin with 47.83% win rate, 0.8% pick rate, and 0.07% ban rate (Camp HOK international).