S10 May 2025 Stat Buffs
Increased skill damage
Shangguan
(上官婉儿) C Mid Difficulty
Mage/Assassin
Ambush Mage Burst/Gap-Close Early Game Very Hard
Shangguan
上官婉儿
C Mid
Difficulty Mage/Assassin
Ambush Mage Burst/Gap-Close Early Game Very Hard
Also known as
Shangguan's Chinese name is 上官婉儿.
上官婉儿
Quick summary
Shangguan is a situational Mid Mage who wants to delete priority targets in one rotation. Public guides recommend a build starting with Boots of Resistance and Purify.
Current patch decision guide
When to pick Shangguan, when to avoid them, and how to adapt your build.
Shangguan is a situational Mid Mage who wants to open fights with a high-commitment burst combo. Public guide data shows a build centered on Boots of Resistance, Stone of Sorcery, Scepter of Reverberation, paired with Purify, used to farm safely and rotate to side lanes when the wave allows. Pick her when the draft lets Shangguan reach the targets her kit is designed to threaten; avoid when the enemy already stacks shields and magic resist.
Pick Shangguan when
- Your team needs a damage threat that can finish a fight when Finishing Stroke comes back up
- Your draft can capitalize on early picks and snowball lane leads
- The enemy draft includes Diaochan, Mulan, and Sima Yi, who appear in counter data as matchups Shangguan can pressure.
Avoid Shangguan when
- The enemy already invested in magic resist and shields that absorb committed burst windows
- Enemy peel is strong and Shangguan cannot reach the backline without dying first
- A stronger pick in the same role is open and the matchup does not specifically reward Shangguan's Burst.
Power spikes
Early game: Shangguan is listed as an early-game threat in public guide data — convert the early window into objectives before scaling picks come online.
Ultimate unlocked: Finishing Stroke is the threshold where Shangguan starts deleting low-resist targets in one rotation
Late game: cooldowns become short enough that Seething Script influences every team fight rather than being a one-shot tool.
Build decisions
Burst assassin-mage core
Shangguan's official build supports his Burst and Gap-Close identity. Stone of Sorcery (magical attack and movement speed) and Savant's Wrath (greatly boosts magical attack) front-load his burst, while Scepter of Reverberation makes his skill hits trigger explosions and Void Staff is the anti-tank penetration core. Boots of Resistance is taken to shorten crowd control on a dive-heavy mid.
Scaling & survivability finishers
Sage's Tome and Nebulon Wood round out his magical scaling and bulk, while Splendor and Enigma - Moon Goddess (temporary invincibility), Sage's Sanctuary (on-the-spot resurrect) and Destiny (negates fatal damage) keep him alive after committing. The recommended arcana are Nightmare, Hunt and Mind's Eye, with Purify to cleanse the crowd control that would otherwise stop his dive.
Matchup logic
Versus shielded targets
Heroes with shields or damage reduction blunt Shangguan's burst window. Wait for the shield to lapse before committing Finishing Stroke, otherwise the combo wastes the cooldown without finishing the kill.
Role positioning
Shangguan is a Mid pick whose value depends on consistent damage output and timely roams. Stick to the role plan rather than forcing fights her kit is not designed to win.
Synergies
Public synergy data lists Ming, Cai Yan, and Guiguzi as strong partners for Shangguan. Plan engages around Ming's setup window, then second-engage with Finishing Stroke.
Common mistakes
- Opening fights when the enemy still has full crowd control, getting deleted before damage lands.
- Diving while enemy hard control is still up, which directly counters Shangguan's engage.
- Engaging without checking enemy summoner-spell cooldowns, which often decide whether Shangguan's commit reaches the target alive.
- Greeding farm in mid lane while side lanes get camped — rotation timing matters more than CS lead in most matchups.
Background
Calligrapher
“I speak and write my mind.”
Once a lowly servant girl sequestered in the palace due to her grandfather's involvement in a prince's attempted rebellion against the throne long ago, suffered for years from nightmares filled with murderous flowers and endless. She has since become the at the palace painter's suggestion, and has gained permission to roam the streets of Chang'an. She is a lady bent on vengeance and uncovering the truth of her grandfather's suspect coup. Now that the peonies have bloomed once again, and the sinister figure has surfaced once again, the truth is almost within reach.
- Race:
- Human
- Height:
- 170 cm
- Style:
- Martial Arts
- Nation:
- Chang'an
- Title:
- Empress' Spy
Source: Official Honor of Kings — canonical lore for Shangguan.
Base Stats
Source: in-game capture (HoK Global v11.x, 2026-04-20)Survivability
3389
Max HP
150
Phys DEF
75
Mag DEF
48
HP/5s
Offense
161
Phys ATK
5%
Atk Speed
200%
Crit DMG
Utility
360
Move Speed
640
Max Mana
16
Mana/5s
Ranged
Range
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.
Arcana
Mage support
Utility supportBest when your team needs peel, setup, or safer fight control more than damage.
Arcana
Teratas
Full AP burst
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Arcana
AP penetration
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Arcana
Teratas
Full AP burst
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Arcana
Full AP burst
Burst damageBest when you can reach squishier targets and convert quick kills.
Arcana
Mage support
Utility supportBest when your team needs peel, setup, or safer fight control more than damage.
Arcana
Full AP burst
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Arcana
Full AP burst
Anti-tankBest when the enemy team has multiple frontliners or early defense items.
Arcana
Skills
passive Piercing Brush
Enhances every 3rd Basic Attack, causing it to deal pierce damage. Deals damage when brush strokes of different skills come in contact. Touching Brush Power grants enhanced Basic Attack and Health restoration.
skill1 Ink Burst
Swipes the brush in the target direction, dealing damage to enemies in the path. Extra damage is dealt at max distance.
skill2 Seething Script
Summons a brush to write at the target location, dealing damage andslowing enemies in the path.
ultimate Finishing Stroke
Dashes forward, damaging enemies in the path. Can dash again upon coming into contact with an enemy or brushstroke. Dash 3-5 times to become untargetable and damage nearby enemies multiple times.
Skins
4 skins
Mirage Writer
Astral Magic
Sirius Artist
Bamboo Assassin
Playstyle
Hold Finishing Stroke for isolated targets rather than blowing it on the front line. Bait the enemy crowd-control cooldowns before committing the engage.
Patch History
S6 Jul 2024 Stat Buffs
Increased base Movement Speed and reduced Skill 2's stock interval.