Hi, fellow Shen main.

As a league of legends player, I regularly experience the "tilit":When i get smocked on lane, when teammates are getting destroyed, when objectives are being lost, or worse, stolen from my team.

Those moments of pure rage are something I despise. It takes away the joy, the pleasure a game, a GAME. I'm supposed to enjoy gaming, not being frustrated. Well, it's league, it's designed to do so. But I think we, league players, and especially Shen enjoyers, should see all of this rage and tilt... differently.

For the last 2 years I've played a lot of league of legends, and I've changed mains a few times. But currently, there are 3 champions I played until mastery 7: Warwick, Mordekaiser... and Shen.

I played mostly jungle for the longest part of my journey as a league player, to learn about objectives, priorities, etc. I learned a lot about macros, and despite the flame and rage, i can now carry most of my jungle games.

Not because i play hypercarries (well... warwick is, but that's not the point i want to bring), but because i play around farming, denying farm of the ennemies by invading and warding, i take objectives to set a better late game for my team, i gank to pressure ennemies and hopefully kill them, etc.

League is a ressource and knowledge base game. It's not that much a display of individual skills as it is a demonstration of knowledge and teamwork.

As Shen players, we don't have a huge damage output. We CAN'T (unless we are godlike) carry games by ourselves. So, we learn quickly that to play as Shen is to take a secondary place in a team, to be a second support to our team. A tanky, useful front line that has a game-changing utlimate and useful abilities. We can be good duelists: strong Q against champions, a passive that denies damage, abilities that make escaping and denying easy. So we aren't weak. But we are not meant to kill: we are meant to protect, to give ourselves to other.

We can deal damage, but this is not our point: our point is to be adaptable, flexible to anything. Shen can be played in top, jungle, support or mid. He can build virtually anything: he will still be useful for his team, even while using Galeforce, Blade of the ruined king or Divine sunderer.

Playing Shen is trying to understand macros and priorities to their fullest. Maybe you have to let your ADC die, so you can secure a dragon. Maybe your tank front line will die: you need your ultimate to protect your ADC.

This whole essay has a simple message: if you play Shen, you have to accept a role that isn't in the spotlight, but that is necessary to progress and win more games.

As a depressive person, Shen helped me to understand the value of patience, of analyses, of temperance. Today, even if i play the most horrible game, I just about the principles Shen taught me, and believe it or not, I won games that shouldn't have been winnable. And if I live the most horrible situations... despite the feelings, I do my best to adapt quickly and react to find answers.

So, as a message to all of you, Shen mains who read those few lines: keep the balance. Be nice to both teammates and allies. Do your best, both in life and in game. Never alloy yourself to be tilted: allow your emotions to flow in you, and by seing them clearly, find solutions to your problems.

Apply the philosophy of our Purple Ninja to your life in general, and in game.

I promise you, you will feel a thousand times better.

Take care out there !