Game patch 26.20Data Dragon 16.20.1

Reference patch 16.20.1

Xin Zhao

the Seneschal of Demacia

Xin Zhao is a durable champion who creates space through control, protection or a committed front line. This overview keeps the explanation practical and leaves patch-sensitive numbers to Riot's structured data and the current in-game tooltip.

JungleMostly physical damageMelee attacks

Open matchup guide Find counters Status effects

Usual roleJungle

ClassFighter · Tank

DifficultyLow · 2/10

Basic attacksMeleeMelee basic attacks · 175 range.

Damage profileMostly physical damageMost normal kit pressure is physical. Armour may help, but check whether attacks or abilities are the main source.

Reference patch16.20.1

Strengths and limits

What Xin Zhao does well, and what can go wrong

These are kit-level patterns, not a promise that every lane or matchup plays the same way.

Good patterns

Combines damage and durability in committed skirmishes or extended exchanges.
Creates space through durability, control or a reliable front-line threat.

Limits to respect

Can be worn down or controlled before reaching the range where the kit is strongest.
Durability does not make an unsupported engage safe or guarantee enough damage to finish a target.
Basic attacks require close access, so enemy range, slows and displacement can deny a clean trade.

Riot ally tips

Use these while learning the champion

Xin Zhao is a great initiator to combat. Lead the front to start a fight and use your ultimate to do the most damage possible.

Try to position yourself so your ultimate's knockback is most effective.

Riot opponent tips

What an opponent is told to watch for

Xin Zhao is a powerful initiator with both his charge and ultimate dealing damage to all units around him. Try having your team stay spread out until he's used his ultimate.

Xin Zhao relies heavily on his Three Talon Strikes for damage and cooldown resets, so preventing him from finishing his combo will have a dramatic effect.

Practical champion reading

How to read Xin Zhao in a real fight

Use these patterns to ask better questions before choosing an item, target or commitment. They describe the kit, not a guaranteed result.

Damage delivery

Primarily physical pressure

Armour can reduce the broad physical profile. Separate basic attacks from physical abilities before relying on an item passive that only affects attacks.

Fight rhythm

Repeated access matters

The threat grows while this champion can keep attacking a useful target. Break target access, create distance or use control before the repeated pattern settles in.

Range and access

Needs close access for basic attacks

Range, slows, displacement and terrain can deny the clean contact this champion wants. Plan the route in as carefully as the damage after arrival.

Typical team job

Create space and absorb attention

The kit is usually most valuable when it controls an entrance, protects a carry or begins a fight allies can actually reach. Durability does not make an isolated engage safe.

Control check

Identify the exact movement restriction

Tenacity can shorten only eligible control. Displacements, airborne effects and repeated slows need their own positioning, blocking or movement answer.

Protection and sustain

Check whether recovery changes the fight

Anti-heal or anti-shielding is situational. Buy it only when the effect is materially protecting targets and your champion can apply the answer reliably.

Resource pattern

Mana and cooldowns both matter

A spell being available does not mean the complete sequence is sustainable. Watch the resource bar as well as the setup and escape cooldowns.

Defensive item reference

What can help against Xin Zhao?

Start with the threat that is actually affecting the match. These are conditional comparisons, not an automatic counter build.

Pre-game choices

DEFENSIVE BOOTS

Plated Steelcaps usually fit better

Armour and attack reduction address repeated physical basic attacks. The passive does not reduce every physical ability.

Choose Mercury's Treads instead when magic damage or reducible crowd control across the full team matters more.

Repeated attacksDisplacementSlowsHealing or sustainHealth-scaling or true damage

PHYSICAL DEFENCE

Physical defence

Armour · health · role-appropriate defence

Armour can reduce physical damage, but Plated Steelcaps' passive is specific to attacks.

Match the item to attacks, critical strikes or ability burst rather than buying armour from the label alone.

REPEATED ATTACKS

Repeated attacks

Plated Steelcaps · Frozen Heart

These can reduce attack-focused pressure when their stats fit your champion.

Do not use this as an answer to physical spells that are not attacks.

CONTROL AND ONE KEY SPELL

Control and one key spell

Mercury's Treads · Quicksilver Sash · Banshee's Veil · Edge of Night

Tenacity and a removable-control active can help against the relevant disabling effects. Airborne and displacement effects are not solved simply by stacking Tenacity.

Check the current tooltip and whether the exact effect can be shortened, removed or blocked.

REPEATED SLOWS

Repeated slows

Boots of Swiftness

Slow resistance can be more useful than Tenacity when repeated slowing strength is the main problem.

It gives no armour or magic resistance, so compare the rest of the opposing team.

MEANINGFUL HEALING

Meaningful healing

Bramble Vest or Thornmail · Morellonomicon · Mortal Reminder

A role-appropriate Grievous Wounds item can reduce healing.

Buy it only when healing is materially changing fights and your champion can apply it reliably.

HEALTH-SCALING OR TRUE DAMAGE

Health-scaling or true damage

Shields · sustain · positioning · exact resistance check

Raw health or one resistance may be incomplete against percent-health, missing-health or true-damage mechanics.

Read the current ability tooltip before choosing defence; these mechanics do not all use the same counter.

Normal Draft and Ranked role map

Where Xin Zhao fits on Summoner's Rift

Each lane is assessed separately. Open a role to reach its queue-specific build and matchup preparation.

TopUnestablished route

Historical reference. Recommendation review pending. Xin Zhao is normally played Jungle and does not currently have a reviewed Top route. Top usually needs independent laning, durable trading or reliable side-lane pressure. Treat this as a deliberate experiment, not a standard recommendation.

Review this role

JunglePrimary role

Historical reference. Recommendation review pending. Xin Zhao has an established clear and map plan that can function without lane income while contesting camps and objectives.

Review this role Open matchup

MidUnestablished route

Historical reference. Recommendation review pending. Xin Zhao is normally played Jungle and does not currently have a reviewed Mid route. Mid usually needs solo-lane safety plus wave control, roaming or reliable burst pressure. Treat this as a deliberate experiment, not a standard recommendation.

Review this role

BotUnestablished route

Historical reference. Recommendation review pending. Xin Zhao is normally played Jungle and does not currently have a reviewed Bot route. Bot usually needs dependable duo-lane scaling and sustained damage with shared early pressure. Treat this as a deliberate experiment, not a standard recommendation.

Review this role

SupportUnestablished route

Historical reference. Recommendation review pending. Xin Zhao is normally played Jungle and does not currently have a reviewed Support route. Support usually needs useful engage, peel or utility while operating on low gold income. Treat this as a deliberate experiment, not a standard recommendation.

Review this role

Kit reference

Xin Zhao abilities

Ability names, descriptions and numeric fields come from Riot Data Dragon. Practical reads are independently written; the current in-game tooltip remains authoritative.

Abilities Data Dragon 16.20.1Cooldown / Cost / Range Data Dragon 16.20.1

Passive

Determination

What it doesEvery third attack deals bonus damage and heals Xin Zhao.

Practical readDetermination is an automatic part of the kit involving damage. Track when its condition is active instead of treating every fight the same way.

Protection

The protection or sustain is part of the cast's value. Compare its timing with incoming damage rather than reading only the offensive effect.

Q ability

Three Talon Strike

What it doesXin Zhao's next 3 standard attacks deal increased damage with the third attack knocking an opponent into the air.

Practical readThree Talon Strike contributes damage. Its value changes with cooldown, range and target access; recognise the setup before moving into its effective area.

Cooldown7/6.5/6/5.5/5 secCost30Listed range375 units

W ability

Wind Becomes Lightning

What it doesXin Zhao slashes in front of himself with his spear, then thrusts it forward, slowing affected enemies and marking them as Challenged.

Practical readWind Becomes Lightning contributes a slowing effect. Its value changes with cooldown, range and target access; recognise the setup before moving into its effective area.

Cooldown12/11/10/9/8 secCost60Listed range1000 units

E ability

Audacious Charge

What it doesXin 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.

Practical readAudacious Charge contributes a slowing effect and basic-attack interaction. Its value changes with cooldown, range and target access; recognise the setup before moving into its effective area.

Cooldown11 secCost60Listed range650 units

Cast commitment

This cast has a wind-up, charge or channel. Movement, interruption or a changing target state can matter before the effect completes.

Ultimate

Crescent Guard

What it doesXin 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.

Practical readCrescent Guard contributes damage. Its value changes with cooldown, range and target access; recognise the setup before moving into its effective area.

Cooldown120/110/100 secCost100Listed range500 units

Levels 1–18

Xin Zhao · Health / Mana · Abilities

Base values exclude items, runes, temporary buffs and mode-specific modifiers. Cooldowns are the listed base cooldown before ability haste.

Level 1620 Health274 Mana

Level 3776 Health355 Mana

Level 61,039 Health491 Mana

Level 111,550 Health757 Mana

Level 162,154 Health1,070 Mana

Level 182,422 Health1,209 Mana

Cooldown Data Dragon 16.20.1

Basic abilityThree Talon Strike

Can receive its first point from level 1. Later ranks normally become available at levels 3, 5, 7 and 9.

Rank 17 secRank 26.5 secRank 36 secRank 45.5 secRank 55 sec

Basic abilityWind Becomes Lightning

Can receive its first point from level 1. Later ranks normally become available at levels 3, 5, 7 and 9.

Rank 112 secRank 211 secRank 310 secRank 49 secRank 58 sec

Basic abilityAudacious Charge

Can receive its first point from level 1. Later ranks normally become available at levels 3, 5, 7 and 9.

All ranks11 sec

UltimateCrescent Guard

First rank becomes available at level 6; later ranks normally become available at levels 11 and 16.

Rank 1120 secRank 2110 secRank 3100 sec

Open every levelHealth and mana from level 1 to 18

Level	Health	Mana	Ability milestone
1	620	274 Mana	Choose the first basic ability
2	696	314 Mana	Add another basic ability or rank
3	776	355 Mana	Add another basic ability or rank
4	860	399 Mana	Spend one ability point
5	948	444 Mana	Spend one ability point
6	1,039	491 Mana	First ultimate rank normally available
7	1,134	540 Mana	Spend one ability point
8	1,232	592 Mana	Spend one ability point
9	1,334	645 Mana	Spend one ability point
10	1,440	700 Mana	Spend one ability point
11	1,550	757 Mana	Second ultimate rank normally available
12	1,664	815 Mana	Spend one ability point
13	1,781	876 Mana	Spend one ability point
14	1,902	939 Mana	Spend one ability point
15	2,026	1,004 Mana	Spend one ability point
16	2,154	1,070 Mana	Final ultimate rank normally available
17	2,286	1,139 Mana	Spend one ability point
18	2,422	1,209 Mana	Spend one ability point

Choose the next question

Turn the profile into a pre-game plan

Choose a queue-aware build, compare a lane opponent, or return to the full champion library.

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