Shi

Shi is a Mage hero in Honor of Kings.

Background[]

Shi, a girl from the Southlands, has had to struggle for her livelihood since she was young. One day, while escaping from debtors, she accidentally stumbled into an abandoned shrine and gained a mysterious power from the southern continent. This power helped her resolve many troubles in the following years, but also attracted some who coveted it. They disguised themselves as debtors and trapped her with a cleverly designed ambush. With Zhuangzi's help, Shi escaped to her new home at the Jixia Academy where she could train her new powers and prepare for the rewarding Dream Trial...

Lore[]

The Southlands, also known as the Desolate Lands, is hardly a childhood paradise. Shi learned various survival tricks from a young age. Her first attempt to trade treasure she found resulted in her incurring a huge debt. While fleeing her pursuers, she stumbled into an ancient shrine dedicated to a goddess. There, she found a magical silk ribbon.

Originating from the distant and mysterious southern continent, this ribbon was closely related to her clan. Its power protected her many times over the following years, but it also attracted some who coveted it. Disguising themselves as debtors, they pursued her relentlessly and meticulously lured her into a trap. Unaware of what was truly happening, Shi was saved by Zhuangzi and took refuge in Jixia, where she assumed a new identity. She studied sorcery and participated in various tournaments, hoping to clear her debts so that she could wander the world like her teacher Zhuangzi.

Despite what she learned from her hardships in the Southlands, Shi had never understood what true "treasure" was. That was, until she faced the challenges alongside the Team of Stars in the Dream Trial. Through her teammates' choices, she finally grasped the real meaning of treasure. This signified the start of a new life for this treasure hunter.

The Desolate Lands[]

Brute force or sharp wit. In the Southlands, you must always have one or the other.

Yiguang knew this from a young age. Lacking the strength to wield heavy weaponry, she devised clever tricks to survive. She had the ability to quickly integrate into communities for mutual support, find valuable treasures in secluded ruins, or barter in the black market to fill her belly for the day.

Her first trade involved a small mechcraft puppet she found. After the trade, the puppet's cannon misfired, and it ended up burning down a large section of the black market. Yiguang had earned her first silver coin, but the debt she incurred far exceeded its value. Fleeing in panic, she stumbled into an abandoned shrine and discovered a silk ribbon, woven with sorcery.

This ribbon was infused with power from the mysterious southern continent. Many explorers had searched their whole lives for it, but it had chosen this girl in these abandoned ruins in the Southlands. She knew not what it was, but the ribbon became her most precious possession. The ribbon could fly in the direction Yiguang pointed, binding everything in its path, including troublesome debtors.

Over the following years, Yiguang diligently sought valuable items, not just to survive, but also to pay off what seemed like a never-ending debt. Life was harsh, but taught her many tricks. She learned to accurately judge the value of treasure. She earned the trust of buyers at the black market with her innocent smile, and would occasionally even look after the younger children.

However, her "debtors" continued to haunt her. Strange glances seemed to track her every move. It was as if they were constantly keeping a close watch on her in case she decided to abscond.

Yiguang developed a keen sense of vigilance and used her magical ribbon to escape trouble numerous times.

But her tricks weren't enough to ward off the power that tracked her, and she eventually fell into a well-planned trap. Fortunately, her luck didn't abandon her. A wandering sage saved her at the critical moment, and she escaped under a dome of blue energy.

Surprised by the power of the sage's sorcery, she followed him to the Jixia Academy.

Talent or personality. To stay at Jixia, you need one or the other.

Yiguang didn't know which she had. She studied sorcery tirelessly at the school, and set her sights on various prize tournaments. She hoped to one day roam Primaera like her savior, solving all kinds of problems for others.

She also intended to repay her debt, but concealed her identity to avoid being pursued. Henceforth, she adopted a new name, inspired by her clan as a reminder never to forget her origins.

From that moment, Yiguang ceased to exist.

Only Shi remained.

A Nobody[]

Cold rain washed over a vast sky dotted with icy stars. Starlight traversed the dark valley, slipped into the long-abandoned shrine, and finally came to rest on the dust-covered goddess statue.

The unknown goddess held a lotus in her hands, with a tattered ribbon wound around her arm. The air was still, but the ribbon fluttered.

A rain-soaked girl put down the small puppet she carried and shivered as she unwound the ribbon. Her wet hair clung to her back like snakes. A sharp chill seeped from her skin into her heart like venom. Her teeth chattered from the cold. She must have been hallucinating, as she saw the goddess smile at her.

"I'm just borrowing it for one night," she muttered as she curled up under the goddess statue, wrapping herself in the ribbon until the much-needed warmth enveloped her.

She dreamt a long dream.

In it, she was not an orphan from the Southlands. She was not starving, or freezing, or fleeing debtors on a rainy night.

She grew up in an ancient, peaceful village, surrounded by family and friends. On summer nights, she would gather lotuses from the stream outside the village, as fish played among the leaves. Her blurry-faced mother tied a ribbon around her wrist. The ribbon would fly in any direction she pointed, entangling everything in sight. This caused some fish to leap up, while others sank into the lake. She ran joyfully through the soft mud by the stream, as the mist stirred up by the ribbon spread across the water's surface.

"Yiguang."

Someone called her from behind. But fog obscured the path back. There was nothing there.

"Yiguang, there's no need to look back. Just walk your own path."

With the first ray of sunlight, the girl awoke. The puppet was gone, and a lone silver coin sat on the ground in its place.

The goddess statue cradled a lotus flower, displaying a gentle expression that seemed familiar but hard to recall. The ribbon seemed to have shrunk around the girl's wrist. It was still warm. Yiguang stared at it for a long time.

"I want to borrow it a bit longer," she said.

She tightened the ribbon around her wrist and left the valley without looking back.

Skills[]

Maiden's Trick

Type: Passive

The farther away the enemy is, the more damage skills deal.

Silk Imprint

Type: Skill 1

Throws her artifact, damaging enemies and pulling them toward it. Can be used again to pull the enemy in the target direction.

Silky Beauty

Type: Skill 2

Releases an energy orb that continuously deals damage to enemies within range for a short time, and then explodes to deal additional damage. Enemies are slowed the first time the orb hits them.

Sole Focus

Type: Ultimate

Resets Skill 2's cooldown and enhances herself. While enhanced, gains Movement Speed and reduces Skill 2's cooldown by half. Skill 1 can pull the enemy twice.

Skins[]

Strategies[]

Know a nice synergy? Recommended items? Loadouts? Click here to add your strategy!

Shi's most common skill combo is 2-1-Ult-1-1
Use her Skill 2 to slow enemies before dealing damage with Skill 1, then follow up with her Ultimate and the second phase of her Skill 1. This combo allows her to control the enemy's movement twice in a row.
Always try to cast as many Skill 2 as possible during the Ultimate phrase, do not worry if they are off target - they would always float towards the opponent by themselves.
Always watch your back and flanks from Assassins or fighters.

Trivia[]

Shi is based on historical woman name Shi Xi one of Four Beauties. Her skillset based on her historic too.
Everyone thought that Xi Shi and Yao are lover, but this is just fan-couple and not confirmed or canon by Tencent.
Xi Shi used to have different Entrance Animation that her looks more energy but this was later scrapped.
Xi Shi, Princess Frost, Diaochan, and Yuhuan used to have Four Beauties skin concept but this was later cancelled for unknown reason.
Shi is the one and only hero who has ability that allows her Hypnotize enemy.