League of Legends Shaco Guide: Best Build, Runes, Items, Combos

Shaco is one of the sneakiest and most unpredictable champions in League of Legends, perfect for players who love outsmarting their enemies and causing chaos. With his stealthy movement, deceptive clones, and high burst damage, Shaco excels at assassinating targets, setting traps, and disrupting the enemy team. In this guide, we’ll break down the best Shaco build, runes, items, and combos to help you master his tricky playstyle and climb the ranks with confidence.

Shaco Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Here’s a breakdown of Shaco’s abilities in League of Legends:

Passive – Backstab: Shaco’s basic attacks and abilities deal bonus damage when striking enemies from behind, making positioning essential for maximizing damage.

Q – Deceive: Shaco blinks to a nearby location and becomes invisible for a few seconds. His next basic attack after exiting stealth critically strikes if hitting from behind, perfect for ambushes and escapes.

W – Jack In The Box: Shaco places a hidden trap that fears nearby enemies when triggered and shoots at them for a few seconds. Great for zoning, vision control, or setting up ganks.

E – Two-Shiv Poison: A ranged attack that slows the target and deals bonus magic damage. If cast while out of melee range, it throws a dagger; if close, it empowers Shaco’s next basic attack.

R – Hallucinate: Shaco creates a clone of himself that lasts for a few seconds and explodes on death, dealing AoE damage. The clone can be used to confuse enemies, dodge spells, or split-push.

Mastering Shaco’s kit means using deception, traps, and ambushes to control fights and keep your opponents guessing.

How To Play Shaco In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells For Shaco

The best summoner spells for Shaco are Ignite and Flash.

Ignite gives you strong early kill pressure, especially when combined with Shaco’s bursty gank style and invisibility. It helps secure kills in tight fights and adds pressure in 1v1 duels. Flash is essential for repositioning, escaping sticky situations, or chaining with your Q (Deceive) to make your ganks even more unpredictable. If you’re playing jungle Shaco, you’ll want to swap Ignite for Smite to secure camps and objectives.

Best Runes For Shaco

The best build for Shaco depends on whether you’re going AD (lethality) or AP (burst/support), but here’s the top AD Jungle Shaco build that works best for solo queue ganking and one-shotting squishies:

Starting Items:
• Gustwalker Smite
• Emberknife or Hailblade (based on preference)
• Refillable Potion

Core Items:
• Duskblade of Draktharr – Gives stealth on takedown and massive burst.
• Youmuu’s Ghostblade – Great for chasing or escaping, plus raw lethality.
• The Collector – Executes low-health enemies and boosts damage.

Situational / Late-Game Items:
• Edge of Night – Spell shield helps dive safely.
• Serpent’s Fang – Counter shields like Lulu or Janna.
• Guardian Angel – Extra life when you’re the carry.
• Lord Dominik’s Regards – Shreds tanks if needed.

Boots:
• Ionian Boots of Lucidity – Most common for ability haste.
• Mobility Boots – If you’re looking to roam and gank hard.

This lethality Shaco build focuses on deleting the enemy backline before they can react, giving you the edge in skirmishes and mid-game fights. Always place boxes smartly and use your clone to bait and confuse enemies.

Best Combos To Learn For Shaco

Here are the best combos to learn for Shaco that make him deadly in the jungle and excellent at ambushing enemies:

1. Classic One-Shot Combo (AD Shaco):

Q (Deceive) → Auto Attack → E (Two-Shiv Poison) → Ignite (if needed)
This is your go-to burst combo. Use Q to invisibly close in, hit a crit auto, then instantly follow up with E for a quick takedown. Use Ignite if they survive the burst.

2. Clone Burst Trick:

R (Hallucinate) → Q → Control Clone → Clone Explodes on Enemy
Use R, then Q immediately to confuse the enemy. Send the clone toward them while you reposition. The clone will explode on death, dealing big AoE damage.

3. Box Chain Ambush (AP Shaco or Vision Denial):

Place multiple W (Jack in the Box) in a bush → Wait → Pull enemy into it
Lure enemies into your trap. The fear and burst damage can easily win a 1v1 or start a favorable fight.

4. Backstab + Clone Confuse Combo:

Q → Auto → R mid-fight → Use Clone to split and distract
In close fights, use R while attacking to confuse enemies. Proper clone control can dodge skillshots and bait key abilities.

Tip: Always attack from behind when possible – Shaco’s passive Backstab deals bonus damage. Combining this with his stealth makes him lethal if played smart.

Mastering these combos and using your clone creatively will let you outplay enemies consistently.

Conclusion

Shaco is one of the trickiest and most unpredictable champions in League of Legends, and with the right build, runes, and combos, he becomes a nightmare for any opponent. Whether you’re playing him as a bursty assassin or a mind-game-heavy AP trickster, understanding his stealth mechanics and clone manipulation is the key to mastering him. If you learn how to chain his abilities, set up ambushes, and control fights with deception, Shaco can carry games with surgical precision. This guide gives you everything you need to start outsmarting your enemies and dominating the Rift as the Demon Jester.