Shyvana, Fighter / Tank
Shyvana, the Half-Dragon, is a Fighter and Tank champion in League of Legends. Everything below comes from Riot's Data Dragon for patch 16.21.1: ability text, base stats and Riot's tips. Counters and matchups by class are worked out from that text, and each one shows its reason.
Playing as Shyvana
Riot's own tips
Shyvana's abilities all benefit from attacking units. As a result, Attack Speed items are more valuable on her than most champions.
Flame Breath is great to level-up against difficult lane opponents.
Burnout is an ideal choice for jungling. Monsters will be hit by the full duration, and the speed boost improves her ganking potential.
It can be valuable to purchase one of the items that can slow enemies: Frozen Mallet, Dead Man's Plate, or Entropy.
Playing against Shyvana
Riot's own tips
A significant portion of Shyvana's power is generated through aggression, making her weak against opponents who are able to keep their distance.
All of Shyvana's basic abilities hit multiple enemies in dragon form. It's important for opposing champions to not cluster while fighting her.
Shyvana's Fury Bar indicate her ultimate can be activated. Harassing her when she's low on Fury can be very effective.
What the kit does
Analysis read from Riot's ability text. Each line shows the words it rests on.
RHard crowd controlDragon's Descent: "path to flee"
ESoft crowd control (slow, silence, blind)Molten Burst: "target and slows them"
- RDash, leap or blink
Dragon's Descent: "Dragon and leaps forward causing"
WHealing or life stealInferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if"
- WArea damage
Inferno Aegis: "the explosion will heal"
Shyvana's abilities
Riot's own text and preview clip for each ability, from Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1. Pick an ability and its clip plays here, muted.
PPassive
Scalemail
Takedowns on enemy champions, large minions, and large monsters grant Shyvana Scalemail stacks, improving her defenses.
Emberstrike
Shyvana's next attack strikes both the target and the surrounding area. This Ability can be recast. While in Dragon Form, it gains an additional recast, dealing massive damage to a single target.
WW
Inferno Aegis
Shyvana gains a shield, movement speed, and after a short delay, the area around her detonates. While in Dragon Form, the explosion will heal her if it strikes an enemy champion.
Effects in the text
EE
Molten Burst
Shyvana launches a fireball that explodes upon striking a large target and slows them. In Dragon Form, it passes through and explodes upon striking large enemies, leaving behind a trail of fire.
Effects in the text
RR
Dragon's Descent
Shyvana transforms into a Dragon and leaps forward causing enemies along her path to flee. While in Dragon form she becomes larger and her basic abilities are empowered.
Effects in the text
Items and runes that fit Shyvana
Riot publishes no builds and this page invents none. Below: completed items ranked by how many of the stats Shyvana's kit uses they give (attack damage (AD) first), the runes whose official text matches the kit, and picks for each enemy type. A fit, not a strength ranking. No win rates.
Closest stat fit
Editorial estimateCompleted items ranked by how many of the stats Shyvana's kit uses they give. A fit, not a verdict: Riot publishes no builds and no win rates.
Serylda's Grudge3,000- +45 Attack DamageShyvana scales with it
- +35% Armor Penetrationits damage is physical
- +15 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Axiom Arc2,750- +55 Attack DamageShyvana scales with it
- +20 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Bastionbreaker3,000- +55 Attack DamageShyvana scales with it
- +15 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Black Cleaver3,000- +45 Attack DamageShyvana scales with it
- +20 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Chempunk Chainsword3,000- +45 Attack DamageShyvana scales with it
- +15 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
Death's Dance3,300- +60 Attack DamageShyvana scales with it
- +15 Ability Hastecasts abilities often
More items with the same stat 38
Eclipse2,900 gold
Essence Reaver3,050 gold
Hubris2,800 gold
Lord Dominik's Regards3,300 gold
Manamune2,900 gold
Maw of Malmortius3,100 gold
Mortal Reminder3,000 gold
Profane Hydra2,850 gold
Ravenous Hydra3,300 gold
Sundered Sky3,100 gold
Trinity Force3,333 gold
Umbral Glaive2,800 gold
Voltaic Cyclosword3,000 gold
Blade of The Ruined King3,200 gold
Bloodthirster3,400 gold
Edge of Night3,000 gold
Endless Hunger3,100 gold
Experimental Hexplate3,000 gold
Guardian Angel3,200 gold
Guinsoo's Rageblade3,000 gold
Hexoptics C442,800 gold
Hextech Gunblade3,000 gold
Hullbreaker3,000 gold
Immortal Shieldbow3,000 gold
Infinity Edge3,500 gold
Kraken Slayer3,000 gold
Mercurial Scimitar3,200 gold
Overlord's Bloodmail3,300 gold
Serpent's Fang2,500 gold
Spear of Shojin3,100 gold
Statikk Shiv3,000 gold
Stormrazor3,200 gold
Stridebreaker3,300 gold
Terminus3,000 gold
The Collector3,000 gold
Titanic Hydra3,300 gold
Youmuu's Ghostblade2,800 gold
Yun Tal Wildarrows3,000 goldBoots
Rune fits
Editorial estimateRunes whose official text matches the most things Shyvana's kit does. Each line shows the words it rests on.
Stormraider's SurgeSorcery, Keystone · Matches: 2- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Dragon's Descent: "path to flee"
- It heals or restores health in the kit: Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if"
AftershockResolve, Keystone · Matches: 1- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Dragon's Descent: "path to flee"
ConquerorPrecision, Keystone · Matches: 1- It heals or restores health in the kit: Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if"
Font of LifeResolve · Matches: 2- It can immobilize, slow or impair enemies: Dragon's Descent: "path to flee"
- It heals or restores health in the kit: Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if"
Absolute FocusSorcery · Matches: 1- It heals or restores health in the kit: Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if"
Absorb LifePrecision · Matches: 1- It heals or restores health in the kit: Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if"
Against each enemy type
Editorial estimateSituational picks, counted from what the champions of each class do in Riot's Data Dragon. Swap a slot when the enemy team has several of that class.
Tanks
Anti-heal 24 of 45 heal or sustain
Cleanse or tenacity 20 of 45 have two or more hard CC abilities
To cut through them Tanks stack armor and magic resist; these items give armor penetration.
Fighters
Anti-heal 39 of 59 heal or sustain
Armor 37 of 59 deal physical damage only
Assassins
Anti-heal 24 of 46 heal or sustain
Armor 23 of 46 deal physical damage only
Mages
Magic resist 53 of 75 deal magic damage only
Anti-heal 30 of 75 heal or sustain
Marksmen
Armor 14 of 33 deal physical damage only
Supports
Magic resist 36 of 43 deal magic damage only
Anti-heal 19 of 43 heal or sustain
Counted from the official ability text, League of Legends patch 16.21.1. These are counts of champions, not win rates.
Rune trees
Lit runes: their official text matches something Shyvana's kit does (Analysis). Select a rune to read why.
Precision9 lit
Domination5 lit
Sorcery4 lit
Resolve6 lit
Inspiration5 lit
Who counters Shyvana: community consensus
Each pick is listed against Shyvana by at least two independent public counter sites, patch 16.22. The reason is ours, read from the two kits. Not win rates.
Udyr
Counters youUdyr wins the early duels with Wilding Claw and the Iron Mantle shield, and the Blazing Stampede stun stops her from running.
Sylas
Counters youSylas heals off Kingslayer in every skirmish, and Hijack can steal Dragon's Descent for his own engage.
Bel'Veth
Counters youBel'Veth out-clears and out-skirmishes her with the Void Surge dashes, and Endless Banquet makes her stronger in long fights.
Nunu & Willump
Counters youConsume gives Nunu a fast, safe clear, and Biggest Snowball Ever! ganks the lanes before Shyvana reaches her power spike.
Gwen
Counters youGwen's max-health damage from A Thousand Cuts cuts through Shyvana's tankiness, and Skip 'n Slash keeps her in the duel.
Sources: counterstats.net, lolalytics.com, op.gg. Reviewed .
Matchups by class
Shyvana against each class of champion, counted from the official ability text. Choose a class or a lane to narrow it down.
Against all 172 champions: 103 ahead, 52 even, 17 behind. Each class is read against that, so check the best and toughest tags too.
Against Tanks
EvenToughest class
5 ahead · 29 even · 11 behind of 45
- Your hard crowd control stops their dashes.
- Their true or percent-health damage ignores your resistances.
What to do: Neither side has a clear edge over tanks. Execution and the team around you decide it.
Against Fighters
Even21 ahead · 26 even · 12 behind of 59
- Your hard crowd control stops their dashes.
- Their true or percent-health damage ignores your resistances.
What to do: Neither side has a clear edge over fighters. Execution and the team around you decide it.
Against Assassins
StrongBest class
38 ahead · 6 even · 2 behind of 46
- Your hard crowd control stops their dashes.
- You clear waves faster and can push the lane.
What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several assassins. Play for the fights where your edge shows.
Against Mages
Strong56 ahead · 15 even · 4 behind of 75
- You can lock down squishy targets that have few escapes.
- Your healing or shields outlast their poke.
What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several mages. Play for the fights where your edge shows.
Against Marksmen
Strong27 ahead · 3 even · 3 behind of 33
- You have early pressure while they need time to scale.
- Your healing or shields outlast their poke.
What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several marksmen. Play for the fights where your edge shows.
Against Supports
Strong29 ahead · 13 even · 1 behind of 43
- You can lock down squishy targets that have few escapes.
- Your healing or shields outlast their poke.
What to do: A good pick when the enemy has several supports. Play for the fights where your edge shows.
Source: Nexus Lab rules over the official ability text, League of Legends patch 16.21.1. Each champion of the class is compared with Shyvana one by one; the counts come from those rules, not from match results, so they are not win rates. Strong, even and weak compare the number of champions ahead and behind. Lanes are the lanes each class usually plays (Riot ships no lane data per champion), not play rates.
Building against Shyvana
Analysis: answers to what Shyvana's own kit does.
Shyvana heals or has life steal in the kit, so anti-heal is worth a slot. Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if"
Shyvana deals physical damage only, so armor pays off. Fighter role
Picks that can punish Shyvana
Analysis: rules over Riot's ability text.
Sett
Counters youSett deals true damage (Haymaker: "dealing true damage in the"), which ignores the resistances that Shyvana relies on (Fighter role).
1 more reason
Sett has burst or execute damage (Pit Grit: "of his missing health") that can kill before Shyvana's healing (Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if") matters.
Dr. Mundo
Counters youDr. Mundo deals damage based on the target's health (Infected Bonesaw: "based on their current health and slowing"), which scales against a tough champion like Shyvana (Fighter role).
1 more reason
Dr. Mundo has burst or execute damage (Blunt Force Trauma: "on his missing Health") that can kill before Shyvana's healing (Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if") matters.
Watch out: Shyvana clears waves more easily (Inferno Aegis: "the explosion will heal") and can push the lane against Dr. Mundo.
Kog'Maw
Counters youKog'Maw deals true damage (Icathian Surprise: "dealing true damage to surrounding"), which ignores the resistances that Shyvana relies on (Fighter role).
2 more reasons
Kog'Maw has burst or execute damage (Living Artillery: "significantly on low health enemies") that can kill before Shyvana's healing (Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if") matters.
Kog'Maw is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Shyvana, a melee champion (Fighter role).
Watch out: Shyvana can outlast poke with healing or shields (Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if") against Kog'Maw's ranged skillshots (Caustic Spittle: "Kog'Maw launches a corrosive").
Olaf
Counters youOlaf deals true damage (Reckless Swing: "it deals true damage to his"), which ignores the resistances that Shyvana relies on (Fighter role).
1 more reason
Olaf has burst or execute damage (Berserker Rage: "on his missing Health") that can kill before Shyvana's healing (Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if") matters.
Watch out: Shyvana clears waves more easily (Inferno Aegis: "the explosion will heal") and can push the lane against Olaf.
Twitch
Counters youTwitch deals true damage (Deadly Venom: "dealing true damage each second"), which ignores the resistances that Shyvana relies on (Fighter role).
2 more reasons
Twitch has burst or execute damage (Assassin role) that can kill before Shyvana's healing (Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if") matters.
Twitch is ranged (Marksman role) and can poke Shyvana, a melee champion (Fighter role).
Watch out: Shyvana can outlast poke with healing or shields (Inferno Aegis: "explosion will heal her if") against Twitch's ranged skillshots (Venom Cask: "Twitch hurls a cask").
Aatrox
Counters youAatrox deals damage based on the target's health (Deathbringer Stance: "on the target's max health"), which scales against a tough champion like Shyvana (Fighter role).
Who Shyvana is good against
The same rules, read the other way.
Lucian
You pressureShyvana has hard CC (Dragon's Descent: "path to flee") that can stop Lucian's dashes (Relentless Pursuit: "Lucian quickly dashes a short").
Graves
You pressureShyvana has hard CC (Dragon's Descent: "path to flee") to catch Graves, a squishy champion with few escapes (Marksman role).
Kassadin
You pressureShyvana has hard CC (Dragon's Descent: "path to flee") that can stop Kassadin's dashes (Riftwalk: "Kassadin teleports to a").
Quinn
You pressureShyvana has hard CC (Dragon's Descent: "path to flee") that can stop Quinn's dashes (Vault: "Quinn dashes to an").
Zyra
You pressureShyvana has hard CC (Dragon's Descent: "path to flee") to catch Zyra, a squishy champion with few escapes (Mage role).
Counter picks under the consensus list are Analysis: rules over Riot's ability text, each with the words it rests on. They are not win rates.
Official story
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Champion video guide
Video by 3 Minute League of Legends · Watch on YouTube The player loads from YouTube (privacy-enhanced mode) only after you press play.
Measured numbers
Numbers published or counted by a named source. Each row names the source and the patch.
| Stat | Level 1 | Per level | Level 18 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health | 625 | +95 | 2240 |
| Mana | 100 | - | 100 |
| Armor | 35 | +4 | 103 |
| Magic resist | 32 | +2.05 | 66.85 |
| Attack damage | 62 | - | 62 |
| Attack speed | 0.638 | +2% | 0.855 |
| Attack range | 150 | - | 150 |
| Move speed | 350 | - | 350 |
| Health regen per 5 seconds | 7 | +0.65 | 18.05 |
Riot data Riot's Data Dragon, patch 16.21.1. Level 18 is calculated from Riot's growth formula on the same numbers.
Editorial estimates
Our reading of the data. These are not measured rates and they change when the rules or the data change.
- Counter picks
- 6 Editorial estimateNexus Lab rules over Riot's ability text, patch 16.21.1
- Good against
- 5 Editorial estimateNexus Lab rules over Riot's ability text, patch 16.21.1
- Typical lanes
- Top, Jungle Editorial estimateLanes of the class; Riot ships no lane data per champion
- Best class (relative)
- Assassins Editorial estimateWins minus losses over the class, compared with the other classes; counts of champions, patch 16.21.1
- Toughest class (relative)
- Tanks Editorial estimateWins minus losses over the class, compared with the other classes; counts of champions, patch 16.21.1
What no source gives us
- Win rate, pick rate and ban rate. Riot publishes none we may print (the Riot API cards are switched off) and no third-party statistics site is read, so none is shown.
- Popular builds. Riot publishes no builds: the items and runes in Build & Runes are a fit to the kit, not a popularity ranking.
Sources
- Riot Games Data DragonOpen
Names, ratings, base stats, ability text, cooldowns, costs, range, items, runes and art.
Patch 16.21.1, file generated 2026-10-26 - Riot ability preview clips
Played from Riot's own server when you press play; never copied here.
Each clip checked with a request before it is offered - League of Legends WikiOpen
Release dates and skin prices in RP (CC BY-SA).
Committed data, see the skins page - Nexus Lab rules
Counters, matchups by class, item and rune fit: rules over Riot's ability text, each with the words it rests on.
Patch 16.21.1 - Riot UniverseOpen
The official story of Shyvana (a link, nothing copied).
