Lane edge
Win rate vs Rell
Lane opponent
How to play
Rank
All ranks
Patch 16.16.21–16.22
171819202122
How to play Xin Zhao
Read the full guide
Do not eat your own E auto—Xin is much cleaner when you E -> AA -> Q and pre-load Q on a camp or ward before the gank so Q3 is already on schedule instead of getting delayed by buffering W or R too early.
Treat W like a permission tag, not poke: if it lands from fog, you often gain more by waiting out the dash or Flash before E, then using R to keep the Challenged target inside your circle instead of knocking the wrong body away.
Xin’s best early games come from lanes where someone can pin one target long enough for your W and Q3 to stack on the same body, and the recent data backs that up by showing both a sharp early-state swing and a strong lift from ally-assisted catch patterns.
In a messy fight, pick the body you need to stay with you after R, not the one that merely looks easiest to hit first. If their diver is already on your carry, tag that diver and ult so the rest of their team gets pushed out while you keep the one real threat trapped with you. If you have flank access to a carry and can actually stick, then that carry can be the target. The common miss is dashing onto one champion, pressing R, and knocking away the person you actually needed to keep close. Decide the trapped target first, then press the button.
Every third attack deals bonus damage and heals Xin Zhao.
Xin Zhao's next 3 standard attacks deal increased damage with the third attack knocking an opponent into the air.
Xin Zhao slashes in front of himself with his spear, then thrusts it forward, slowing affected enemies and marking them as Challenged.
Xin Zhao charges to an enemy, gaining increased Attack Speed and dealing damage to all enemies in the area, slowing them briefly. This Ability gains increased range against Challenged targets.
Xin Zhao passively challenges an enemy he damaged recently. When activated, Xin Zhao deals damage to nearby enemies based on their current Health and knocks non-challenged targets back, becoming impervious to damage dealt by champions outside of the circle created.
