Shaco is a trickster assassin. He invades, steals camps, ganks from stealth, and creates chaos with boxes and clone. His entire playstyle is about deception and early game aggression.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Backstab
Passive
Shaco's basic attacks and Two-Shiv Poison deal additional damage when striking from behind.
Backstab: auto-attacks from behind deal bonus damage. Always position behind targets.
Q
Deceive
Stealth · Blink · Crit
Shaco becomes Invisible and teleports to target location.His first attack while Invisible is empowered, dealing bonus damage and critically striking if he attacks from behind.
CD: 13/12.5/12/11.5/11 · Cost: 40
Q blinks you and gives stealth for 2.5-3.5s. First auto from stealth crits. Use for engage or escape.
W
Jack In The Box
Trap · Fear · AoE
Shaco creates a hidden animated Jack-in-the-Box. When triggered, it will fear and attack nearby enemies.
CD: 15 · Cost: 70/65/60/55/50
W places a box that fears nearby enemies. Place boxes in common paths for traps.
E
Two-Shiv Poison
Point-Click · Slow · Execute
Shaco's Shivs passively poison targets on hit, slowing their Move Speed. He can throw his Shivs to deal damage and poison the target. The thrown Shiv deals bonus damage if the target is below 30% health.
CD: 8 · Cost: 75
E is a point-and-click slow that deals execute damage. Use as finisher, not opener.
R
Hallucinate
Clone · AoE Explosion
Shaco creates an illusion of himself near him, which can attack nearby enemies (Deals reduced damage to turrets). Upon death, it explodes, spawning three mini Jack in the Boxes and dealing damage to nearby enemies.
CD: 100/90/80 · Cost: 100
R creates a clone you can control with Alt+click. Clone explodes on death, spawning 3 mini-boxes.
Skill Leveling Order — Max E first, then Q, then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take W — box for first camp | ||||
| 2 | Take Q — stealth | ||||
| 3 | Take E — slow + execute | ||||
| 4 | Level E | ||||
| 5 | Level E | ||||
| 6 | R — Hallucinate | ||||
| 7 | Level E | ||||
| 8 | Level Q | ||||
| 9 | E maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level Q | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level Q | ||||
| 13 | Level Q | ||||
| 14 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level W | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level W | ||||
| 18 | W maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Core Build
Kraken Slayer
True damage procs with backstab. Massive burst.
3100g
Berserker's Greaves
Attack speed.
1100g
Infinity Edge
Q crit + IE modifier = one-shot from stealth.
3400g
The Collector
Execute threshold + lethality.
3000g
Situational
Rapid Firecannon
Extended range for first crit auto from Q.
2500g
Maw of Malmortius
Magic shield.
2800g
Guardian Angel
Second life.
3200g
Kraken → IE → Collector. Q stealth crit one-shots squishies.
Runes
Domination Primary
Dark Harvest
Execute stacking from ganks.
Cheap Shot
Bonus damage on feared/slowed targets.
Eyeball Collection
Free AD.
Treasure Hunter
Gold on kills.
Precision Secondary
Triumph
Heal on takedown.
Coup de Grace
Execute damage.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Shaco
01
Early Game
Box Start, Invade, Chaos
- Place boxes at enemy buff at 0:50 for a level 1 invade/camp steal.
- Q stealth ganks are devastating. Blink behind the enemy for backstab crit.
- Steal enemy camps with Q stealth. Walk in invisible, Smite, walk out.
- Place boxes in river for free wards and traps.
- Your early 1v1 is strong with backstab + ignite. Invade weak junglers.
02
Mid Game
Split and Deceive
- Split-push with clone. Send R clone down a lane while you do something else.
- Box traps around objectives deny enemy approaches.
- Q → backstab → E execute is your assassination combo.
- R clone can tank dragon/baron for you. Send clone in, you DPS from behind.
- Use clone to bait abilities. Send clone forward, enemies waste everything on it, then you engage.
03
Late Game
Split-Push Trickster
- Split-push with clone presence. Enemies never know which Shaco is real.
- Box nests in chokepoints create death zones.
- You fall off in 5v5 teamfights. Focus on picks and split-pushing.
- Clone explosion deals massive AoE. Die intentionally in the middle of enemies for clone bomb.
- If behind, play full annoyance — steal camps, place boxes everywhere, make the enemy tilt.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Shaco
Shaco doesn't teamfight well. He picks, splits, and creates chaos. In 5v5s, assassinate the carry from stealth and escape.
1
Setup — Boxes and Clone
Before fight
01
Place boxes in retreat paths.
02
Send clone forward to bait abilities.
03
Q from stealth behind the carry.
Don't 5v5 as Shaco. You die instantly in group fights. Pick off isolated targets instead.
2
Assassinate — Q Backstab
Kill
01
Q behind the carry.
02
Backstab crit + E execute.
03
R if threatened — clone tanks while you escape.
3
Escape — Clone Bomb
After kill
01
R clone explodes on death for AoE damage + mini-boxes.
02
Q stealth to escape.
03
W boxes slow chasers.
Alt+click controls clone. Send clone at the enemy carry — they'll waste abilities on it. Then Q in for the real kill.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Shaco.
Basic
Backstab Positioning
Always attack from behind. Backstab deals bonus damage. Position yourself behind the target before Q-ing.
Intermediate
Box Level 1 Invade
Stack 2-3 boxes at enemy buff starting at 0:50. When they walk in, boxes fear and damage them. Steal the buff or get first blood.
Advanced
Clone Control
Alt+click directs your clone. Use it to tank, bait, split-push, or scout. The clone is your most versatile tool.
Basic
E Execute
E deals more damage the lower the target's HP. Use it as a finisher, not an opener.
Intermediate
Q Over Walls
Q blinks you — it can cross terrain. Use it to escape over walls or engage from unexpected angles.
Advanced
Clone Bomb
Clone explodes on death dealing AoE damage and spawning mini-boxes. In teamfights, send clone into grouped enemies to detonate.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Shaco struggles against tanks who survive his burst and champions with AoE that hit both him and clone. He excels against squishy teams with no sweepers.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Rammus survives your burst and thornmail reflects auto damage.
Don't fight Rammus. Kill his squishier teammates.
Lee Sin's E reveals you in stealth and his early dueling beats yours.
Avoid 1v1. Focus on ganking lanes Lee isn't at.
Warwick's W tracks you even in stealth when low. He outsustains your burst.
Don't fight Warwick. He heals through your damage and hunts you when low.
Wins Against
Karthus can't escape Q stealth. No mobility, no way to detect you.
Q behind him, backstab crit, E execute. Free kill every time.
Amumu's weak early game lets you invade freely. Boxes in his jungle ruin his clear.
Place boxes at his camps. Invade and tilt him off the map.
Evelynn pre-6 is helpless. You Q stealth into her jungle and kill her.
Invade constantly pre-6. She can't fight back.