To run the Water Monkey King (Shi Hou) as an opening burst threat in Summoners War World Arena (RTA), build him with near-capped Critical Rate (85%–100%), elevated Attack, and high Speed. Prioritizing consistent critical hits turns his third skill, All Out Charge, into an immediate single-target execution tool that steals Attack Bar across four hits while granting him two turns of Invincibility and Immunity.
Rune Sets and Primary Stats
Equip Shi Hou with either Swift / Will to contest turn one against fragile damage dealers, or Violent / Will alongside Attack Bar boosters to chain All Out Charge directly into his second skill, Monkey Wand.
| Rune Slot | Primary Stat | Key Substats |
|---|---|---|
| Slot 2 | Speed | Critical Rate, Attack %, Critical Damage, HP % |
| Slot 4 | Critical Rate or Critical Damage | Speed, Attack %, Critical Rate (if Critical Damage slot 4), Accuracy |
| Slot 6 | Attack % or HP % | Speed, Critical Rate, Critical Damage, Accuracy |
Stat Benchmarks
- Critical Rate (85%–100%): Keep Critical Rate near cap so all four hits of All Out Charge crit consistently against non-Wind targets.
- Speed (+140 to +180): Speed-tune Shi Hou to move directly after your team's primary buff stripper, or fast enough to act as an independent initiator against standard bruiser setups.
- Attack & Critical Damage (+1,100 to +1,400 Attack, 130%–160% Critical Damage): If you use a Slot 4 Critical Rate rune to guarantee reliability, offset the damage loss with Attack % substats and artifact rolls.
Artifact Stat Priorities
Shi Hou's multi-hit profile on both All Out Charge (four single-target strikes) and Monkey Wand (all-enemy strike) benefits heavily from flat additive damage rolls and specific offensive modifiers:
- Damage Dealt on Fire: Lowers the one-shot threshold against high-priority Fire threats such as Masha, Sekhmet, and Douglas.
- Additional Damage by Speed / Attack: Adds flat true damage to every individual hit, helping bypass high-defense targets.
- Skill 3 Critical Damage: Amplifies the single-target execution ceiling of All Out Charge.
- Accuracy on Skill 2: Improves the strip and Attack Bar absorption rate of Monkey Wand without requiring an Accuracy slot 6 rune.
Draft Strategy and Counters
Shi Hou fits best into speed-contest, fast-tempo cleave, and aggressive control teams.
- Synergies: Pair him with Speed leads (Oliver, Vanessa, Seara) to win first turn, and area strippers (Moore, Chiwu, Eshir) to clear Will runes before he attacks.
- Target Selection: Open with All Out Charge against the enemy's main damage dealer or speed contest threat. Even if the target survives, the four-hit Attack Bar steal delays their response while Shi Hou remains protected behind Invincibility.
- Matchups to Avoid: Do not draft this offensive setup into heavy Wind compositions (such as Dominic, Oliver, or Xing Zhe), which trigger elemental glancing. Avoid picking him directly into Leo, passive damage-mitigation passives, or buff strippers like Cheongpung and Giana who can immediately remove his Invincibility and expose his lower defensive pool.
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Emily Johnson
Emily writes practical mobile strategy guides with a focus on resource planning, base progression, and the early decisions that shape a long-term account.
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Player Comments
118 players commented on this guide.
The explanation is clear, especially for beginners.
Nice guide. I am checking the other Summoners War articles next.
This saved me time in the early game.
This helped me understand strategy much better.