Sustained Fighter who stacks Sha Residue for lost-HP damage and self-heal.
Yu Zhong is an EXP lane Fighter who applies Sha Residue with every hit of physical damage, then detonates the stacks for damage that scales with the target's lost HP, self-healing, and a Movement Speed burst. Dragon Tail and Soul Grip both apply stacks and control space, while Black Dragon Form turns him into an unstoppable, obstacle-ignoring dragon that threatens a kill without needing his skills.
The kit rewards aggressive stack-building and reading when to detonate Sha Residue, without requiring precise cancel timing or skillshot combos.
Max Dragon Tail first for damage and stacking, level Soul Grip second for the slow and enhanced attack, and take Black Dragon Form at 4, 8 and 12.
Yu Zhong applies Sha Residue to enemy heroes every time he deals Physical damage to them. Sha Residue erupts reaching 5 stacks a and begins consuming 1 stack every 0.5 seconds. Each stack consumed deals 30 (+20% Extra Physical Attack) (+target's 2% Lost HP) Physical Damage, restores 6% of Yu Zhong's lost HP and increased his Movement Speed by 30% for 2 seconds.
Always active — no cooldown
Yu Zhong infuses his power into his cloak and turns it into a weapon, which starts to attack nearby enemies after a short delay. The inner area of the cloak deals 220–400 (+100% Extra Physical Attack) Physical Damage, whereas the sharpened edge deals 275% damage and applies 2 stacks of Sha Residue.
Yu Zhong unleashes the Dragon Soul, dealing 150–300 (+120% Extra Physical Attack) Physical Damage to all enemies in front and slowing them by 60% for 1 second. Upon target hit, Yu Zhong's next Basic Attack will be enhanced for 5 seconds, dealing 108–216 (+100% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage and (+100% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage behind the target.
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After channeling for 0.7 seconds, Yu Zhong transforms into the Black Dragon Form. For up to 7 seconds, he cannot use skills but can move freely and will knock back enemy heroes in this path while dealing gains 180–310 (+80% Total Physical Attack) Physical Damage. He also gains 600–1000 (+200% Extra Physical Attack) Max HP, becomes immune to control effects, and ignores obstacles in this form.
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Signature combo
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
7,250g total
Default pick into a mixed enemy team for lane trades and extended skirmishes.
Battle spell
Flicker120s CDThe 'Flicker combo' — blinking in right as a hook or stun lands, or blinking out the instant an enemy ultimate is cast — is the single most common high-elo outplay moment in the game.
Swap in when needed
Immortality — A second life when he's the primary engage in a teamfight.
Wind of Nature — Against physical burst that kills him before Sha Residue can stack.
Dominance Ice — 40 Physical Defense and Lifebane's anti-heal versus attack-speed carries trading with him outside melee range.
7,120g total
When the enemy stacks physical defense and Sha Residue's detonation needs backup penetration to land.
Battle spell
Flicker120s CDThe 'Flicker combo' — blinking in right as a hook or stun lands, or blinking out the instant an enemy ultimate is cast — is the single most common high-elo outplay moment in the game.
Swap in when needed
Sea Halberd — Against enemy lifesteal or healers racing his own sustain.
Blade Armor — Versus crit-reliant Marksmen punishing his melee engages.
Queen's Wings — Extra effective HP for longer fights where Sha Residue matters most.
The heroes that make this matchup hard, and the mechanic that does it.
MashaFighter · TankHardMasha's max-HP-scaling basic attacks and three HP bars let her out-trade Yu Zhong in the exact sustained melee fight his kit wants, since neither can burst the other down quickly.
CiciFighterHardCici's constant repositioning and lifesteal let her kite Yu Zhong's melee engages while outlasting his stack-building damage.
LunoxMageHardLunox's Chaos-form burst deals a magic nuke Yu Zhong has no defensive answer for, since his kit is entirely built around physical trades.
KarrieMarksmanHardLightwheel Mark's max-HP true damage and Phantom Step's dashes let Karrie kite Yu Zhong while ignoring the physical defense he stacks.
WanwanMarksmanSoftWanwan's Tiger Pace dash keeps her mobile enough to deny Yu Zhong the sustained melee contact Sha Residue needs to stack.
EdithTank · MarksmanSoftEdith's mech form tanks Dragon Tail and Soul Grip while her ranged Basic Attacks poke Yu Zhong down before he closes distance.
FaramisSupport · MageSoftFaramis's ultimate resurrects allies Yu Zhong's Sha Residue burst just killed, undercutting the value of a won extended trade.
DiggieSupportSoftDiggie's Time Journey clears Soul Grip's slow and any Black Dragon Form knockback off his whole team at once, so the sustained contact Sha Residue needs never happens.Dominance IceLifebane cuts the Sha Residue healing that keeps him in the fight, and 40 Physical Defense blunts the detonation.Sea HalberdCuts the healing he gets from detonating Sha Residue stacks, undercutting his core sustain.Wind of NatureGrants brief physical damage immunity to dodge his Black Dragon Form engage.Heroes whose own counter list names Yu Zhong — the same matchup, read from the other side.
Duo partners whose kit completes this one.
SunFighterSun's clones bait out enemy CC meant for Yu Zhong, letting him close distance safely and start stacking Sha Residue.
AulusFighterAulus's Charge purges slows and tanks the frontline, buying Yu Zhong time to build stacks on the same target.
FreyaFighterFreya's gap-closers and CC chain a target in melee range long enough for Yu Zhong's Sha Residue to reach detonation.
AlphaFighterSpear of Alpha stuns a fleeing target and carries them back into range for Yu Zhong to keep applying Sha Residue stacks.
FlorynSupportFloryn's repeated Sow heals and Bloom's global top-up let Yu Zhong stay in extended fights longer, where his own sustain compounds with hers.
AngelaSupportAngela's possession keeps Yu Zhong topped up and protected through a Black Dragon Form engage.DiggieSupportDiggie's Time Journey clears the CC off Yu Zhong the moment he dives in, giving him a free window to stay in contact and stack Sha Residue.
Popol and KupaMarksmanBite 'em, Kupa! sends Kupa in to lock onto a target, and in Alpha Wolf Form it stuns them outright, giving Yu Zhong the sustained contact window Sha Residue needs.Fight in extended skirmishes rather than quick trades — Sha Residue rewards sustained contact
Use Black Dragon Form to close distance through terrain and control effects, not just as raw damage
Land Soul Grip's slow before Dragon Tail so the sharpened edge lands more reliably for extra stacks
Time Sha Residue's detonation to trigger during an exchange, not before it, to maximize the self-heal
Yu Zhong is moderate difficulty — his combo rewards aggression and staying in fights rather than precise timing, making him approachable for newer Fighter players.
A physical sustain build with Endless Battle, Blade of the Heptaseas, and Queen's Wings covers most games, giving lifesteal and durability to keep stacking Sha Residue in extended fights.
Ranged kiting heroes like Karrie and Edith counter Yu Zhong by denying the sustained melee contact his Sha Residue stacks need to reach detonation.
Yu Zhong is an EXP lane Fighter who solos the top lane for levels, then uses Black Dragon Form to roam and force extended skirmishes.
