Xin Zhao thrives on early river fights and should leverage his strong level 3 to contest Scuttle and invade when nearby lanes have priority.
Prioritize forcing fights before Rammus reaches his armor scaling and item spikes, using Xin Zhao's superior dueling and objective control to snowball early leads.
Jungle Plan
Prioritize pathing toward river and lanes with strong priority to secure Scuttle and set up early ganks.
Invade Rammus early when he commits to slower clears or overextends, using (E) to stick and (Q) knockup to win duels.
Use (R) during objective fights to zone out Rammus and his team, securing dragon or Rift Herald with lane priority and vision control.
Danger windows
Avoid fighting Rammus when he has his (Q) rolling engage and (E) taunt up, especially if lanes lack priority to assist.
Be cautious in isolated river skirmishes without vision or lane support, as Rammus's engage can trap Xin Zhao.
Respect moments when Rammus approaches objectives with lane priority, as forced smite fights can be risky without proper setup.
Early game
Start with a path that leads quickly to the first Scuttle crab to contest or secure it before Rammus arrives.
Use level 3 power spike to invade or counter-invade if lanes can assist, punishing Rammus's slower clear and lower invade resistance.
Avoid extended fights if collapsed on by multiple enemy lanes, focusing instead on river control and timely counter-ganks.
Power spikes
Level 3 unlocks Xin Zhao's full kit, enabling strong river fights and punishes on Rammus before he can scale armor and resistances.
Level 6 (R) grants zone control that isolates Rammus in objective skirmishes, increasing Xin Zhao's teamfight impact.
First fighter item completion boosts Xin Zhao's dueling power, allowing him to pressure Rammus in jungle and force objectives.
Win conditions
Convert early river control and strong level 3 dueling into securing first dragon and Rift Herald with lane priority.
Use (E) and (Q) to execute timely ganks on overextended lanes, snowballing Xin Zhao's lead and denying Rammus farm.
Maintain vision and track Rammus's pathing to counter-invade and deny his scaling, leveraging Xin Zhao's early skirmishing strength to close out the mid-game.
Tip: For Xin Zhao vs Rammus, read overview, trading pattern, and danger windows first for a fast Jungle lane check.
