Shi
(西施)Mage
Shi
西施
Mage
Also known as
Shi's Chinese name is 西施.
Quick summary
Shi is a mid-tier Mid Mage who wants to lock down team fights with crowd control. Public guides recommend a build starting with Boots of Deftness. Watch for Athena-style counters in the enemy draft.
Current patch decision guide
When to pick Shi, when to avoid them, and how to adapt your build.
Shi is a balanced Mid Mage who wants to lock down team fights with crowd control. Public guide data shows a build centered on Boots of Deftness, Holy Grail, Venomous Staff, used to farm safely and rotate to side lanes when the wave allows. Pick her when the draft lets Shi reach targets that aren't built around Athena-style answers; avoid when the matchup denies the windows her kit needs.
Pick Shi when
- The enemy team has multiple high-mobility threats that need to be locked down before they reach your backline
- Your team has the structure to use her ability to farm safely and rotate to side lanes when the wave allows, since Shi delivers consistent damage output and timely roams.
- The enemy draft includes Li Bai, Wukong, and Ukyo Tachibana, who appear in counter data as matchups Shi can pressure.
Avoid Shi when
- Your team lacks the follow-up damage to convert your control windows into kills
- Your team needs a jungle pick more than Shi's specialty, leaving the role unfilled if you commit here.
- The enemy already drafted Athena, who counter data identifies as direct answers to Shi.
Power spikes
Build decisions
Default mid path
Public build references for Shi recommend Boots of Deftness, Holy Grail, Venomous Staff, Ardent Dominion, Sage's Tome, and Void Staff. Use this as the baseline mage plan before adapting to the enemy draft.
Situational item pivots
Spare options listed in build data include Sage's Sanctuary, Splendor, and Destiny. Treat these as situational swaps when the default path is not enough — for example, swapping in defensive items against burst comps or penetration items against stacked armor.
Matchup logic
Versus Athena
Athena is flagged in counter data as a direct answer to Shi. Read the enemy's primary win condition, time Shi's key cooldowns to the moment that condition activates, and don't pre-commit when the matchup answer is still up.
Versus mobility
Dashes and immunity skills bypass Shi's control. Force the enemy mobility before committing Sole Focus, and aim control on stationary targets like channeling carries.
Synergies
Public synergy data lists Liu Shan, Zhang Fei, and Zhuangzi as strong partners for Shi. Plan engages around Liu Shan's setup window, then second-engage with Sole Focus.
Common mistakes
- Throwing Silky Beauty on the front-line tank instead of saving it for backline carries.
- Ignoring Athena on the enemy team when picking fights — counter data flags them as direct answers, so engage timing must respect their cooldowns.
- Greeding farm in mid lane while side lanes get camped — rotation timing matters more than CS lead in most matchups.
Background
Silkweaver
“Everything that happens to you is another gift from fate.”
Shi, a girl from the Southlands, has had to struggle for her livelihood since she was young. One day, while escaping from debtors, she accidentally stumbled into an abandoned shrine and gained a mysterious power from the southern continent. This power helped her resolve many troubles in the following years, but also attracted some who coveted it. They disguised themselves as debtors and trapped her with a cleverly designed ambush. With Zhuangzi's help, Shi escaped to her new home at the Jixia Academy where she could train her new powers and prepare for the rewarding Dream Trial...
- Race:
- Human
- Height:
- 163 cm
- Style:
- Sorcery
- Nation:
- Jixia Academy
- Title:
- Jixia Academy Student
Source: Official Honor of Kings — canonical lore for Shi.
Base Stats
Source: in-game capture (HoK Global v11.x, 2026-04-20)Survivability
Offense
Utility
Current patch rates
Source: Camp APIMid lane
- Win rate
- 50.8%
- Pick rate
- 0.6%
- Ban rate
- 0.3%
Rates are role-specific snapshots from the current Honor of Kings Camp data refresh.
Build
How to choose a build
Start with the safe default badge if the draft looks normal, then swap to burst, anti-tank, sustain, or utility builds when the matchup clearly calls for it.
Full AP burst
Safe defaultStart here if the draft looks standard and you want the safest all-around setup.
2♡
Full AP burst
Burst damageBest when you can reach squishier targets and convert quick kills.
Build
Mage support
Utility supportBest when your team needs peel, setup, or safer fight control more than damage.
Presets
Full AP burst
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
preajustes
Full AP burst
Burst damageBest when you can reach squishier targets and convert quick kills.
Tank support
Tanky teamfightBest when your team needs a sturdier front line for repeated engages.
Full AP burst
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Full AP burst
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Full AP burst
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Build
Recommended Build
Flash
Skills
The farther away the enemy is, the more damage skills deal.
Throws her artifact, damaging enemies and pulling them toward it. Can be used again to pull the enemy in the target direction.
Releases an energy orb that continuously deals damage to enemies within range for a short time, and then explodes to deal additional damage. Enemies are slowed the first time the orb hits them.
Resets Skill 2's cooldown and enhances herself. While enhanced, gains Movement Speed and reduces Skill 2's cooldown by half. Skill 1 can pull the enemy twice.
Skins
4 skins
Dream Weaver
Poetic Past
Snowventure
Return of Dreams
Playstyle
Land control on the enemy carry, not the front-line tank — chain follow-up damage from teammates immediately after.