Liu Bei

Liu Bei is played jungle first. His Passive shotgun fires four pellets and all four only connect at point-blank range, so hug every buff monster while you clear — your camp speed improves visibly. Level 4 and the Ultimate unlock is your first real decision point; until then, don't force anything and just bank your second buff rotation. When you do gank, enter with Skill 2 from the enemy's escape side so the knockback shoves them toward your teammates. Every pellet that lands stacks physical defense shred, so make it a rule: fight inside their face and empty everything.

Six to eight minutes, when your core damage item finishes, is when Liu Bei runs wild. Skill 3 cleanses CC, grants three seconds of CC immunity, and converts 60% of the damage you deal to enemy heroes into shield. Press it the moment enemy CC turns toward you and the brawl becomes one-sided. At Tyrant and Overlord, keep the stack condition straight: Combat Instinct only builds when a pellet hits an enemy hero, so hammering the boss adds nothing. What the boss does feed is the shield — 20% of the damage dealt to minions and monsters comes back as shield points. Open Skill 3 to thicken the shield while you burn the objective, then turn the pellets onto whoever contests. Sequenced that way, the shred is stacked in time for the Smite duel. When you spot an isolated target, walk them down while saving Skill 2 for the chase — holding the dash in reserve is what separates good Liu Bei players from impatient ones.

Past ten minutes, switch to entering fights second. The moment enemy CC and attention lock onto your front line, flank with Skill 2 onto their back line and delete a squishy with point-blank pellets — that's Liu Bei's signature win condition. The Ultimate's shield rebuilds as long as you keep shooting, so answer panicked CC chains with your immunity window and simply out-damage them. Once it expires, though, you're just a melee hero; don't get greedy after a kill. Secure the Shadow Tyrant buff, then close out with the numbers advantage.

In teamfights, Liu Bei becomes the star a few seconds after the opening, not at it. Wait until the enemy dumps skills and CC on your front line, then Skill 2 onto something soft and unload — pellets, Skill 1's double shot, more pellets. If they try to stop you, cleanse instantly with your Ultimate and keep firing. The outer two pellets whiff at range, so your teamfight position is permanently inside the enemy's pocket. From their perspective, the fight is basically lost the moment lockdown stops working on you. Cycling shields in the middle of the scrum, he plays like a fighter wearing a marksman's tag.