Honor of Kings is a quick 5v5 multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by Tencent Games. Originally launched in China, it has since grown into the world’s most-played mobile game. The game needs teamwork, map control, and skill. You'll get to select from a large and diverse roster of heroes drawn from Chinese mythology and historical figures.
As you play and explore different heroes, you must choose Honor of Kings top up from LootBar to unlock skins and other visual upgrades. Each hero belongs to a class - tank, assassin, mage, marksman, or support. Matches typically last 15-20 minutes, giving you a comparatively short but still very competitive experience.
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Mai Shiranui
Mai Shiranui is a crossover hero in Honor of Kings. As a top lane mage-assassin hybrid, she has both the long-range poke with burst magic damage and good mobility. She was once the only heir to the Shiranui school, which was founded by her grandfather, Hanzo Shiranui. The Shiranui School is one of the oldest ninjutsu schools in Kyokutou.
Unlike most top lane heroes who rely on being tough or dealing steady damage over time, Mai plays very differently. She’s all about quick movements, sharp timing, and smart positioning. Instead of standing her ground and trading hits, she picks the perfect moment to strike, deals a burst of damage, and then gets out safely. Playing her needs practice-you need to understand when to go in and when to hold back. If you enjoy fast-paced gameplay, Mai can be one of the most fun and satisfying heroes to master.
Equipment
A well-balanced item build is good for Mai. Here’s a good build which takes care of both burst damage and magic penetration:
- Boots of Resistance – For reducing control effects against junglers with crowd control.
- Scepter of Reverberation – Boosts magic damage and adds AoE burst on hits for waveclear and teamfights.
- Void Staff – Magic penetration to deal with high MR targets.
- Bloodweeper – Grants spell vamp and improves her duel power.
- Insatiable Tome – Adds high AP and cooldown reduction with her short combos.
- Tome of Wisdom – Late-game power spike item that improves survivability and burst.
Skills
►Passive – Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi
- Every time Mai hits an enemy with a skill, she gains one stack of Flame Dance.
- At four stacks, her next basic attack deals extra magic damage and slows the enemy.
- This passive helps her chase enemies or finish them off after a combo.
►1st Skill – Kachousen
- Mai throws a fan straight ahead, damaging all enemies it hits.
- This is her main poke skill and is useful for farming or harassing in lane.
- It also adds a stack to her passive.
►2nd Skill – Ryu Enbu
- Mai dashes forward and performs a spinning flame kick, damaging enemies around her.
- It’s great for closing the gap, escaping danger, or repositioning in a fight.
- This skill is often used to start combos or quickly follow up on an enemy.
►Ultimate – Chou Hissatsu Shinobi Bachi
- Mai leaps to a target area and creates a fiery explosion, dealing heavy magic damage.
- Best used to finish off enemies, dive into team fights, or catch opponents off guard.
- It can turn the tide of a fight if timed correctly.
Arcana
Arcana functions like pre-game enhancements that offer permanent stat boosts which you can choose. As a mage-assassin hybrid, Mai needs mobility, cooldown reduction, and explosive magic damage. This is only an example of a good setup, but you have the choice to pick the arcanes to match with how you play-
►Red Arcana: Nightmare ×10
This gives Mai +4.2% magic attack and +2.4% pierce. This lets Mai punch through the base magic of most enemy top laners. Since her main poke (Kachousen) and burst combo rely on raw damage, Nightmare boosts her lane dominance and helps her zone melee opponents who try to close the gap. It also ensures that she remains threatening even against tankier targets.
►Green Arcana: Tribute ×10
Tribute is what Mai needs: dealing quick bursts of damage and staying active in lane with frequent spell casts. The +24 Magic Attack provides a strong early-game boost to all of Mai’s damage, from her fan projectile (1st skill) to her spinning dash (2nd skill) and explosive ultimate. This lets her threaten enemies with poke damage right from level 1, helping her control the pace of trades and zone out melee top laners. Since she’s more fragile than typical top lane bruisers or tanks, dealing higher damage from a distance is her main way to win and force enemies to play defensively.
►Blue Arcana: Hunt ×10
Granting +1% movement speed and +1.6% attack speed per rune. Hunt greatly improves Mai’s mobility and kiting ability. Though her auto-attacks aren’t her main source of damage, the extra attack speed with her passive allows smoother work. Meanwhile, the movement speed is good for dodging skill shots and quickly rotating to help mid or jungle when needed.
Skins
Mai’s skins "Feline Whisperer, Scarlet Moon" and "Hanafuda Battle" don’t impact stats but can affect visuals. Some pro players use skins with brighter particle effects for easier animation tracking, which helps with timing skill shots and identifying animation wind-ups. You can buy HOK Tokens to unlock these skins. These will also be a psychological trick which makes you look more experienced.
Conclusion
Mai Shiranui plays very differently from most others. Instead of being slow and tough, she uses her long-range moves, quick damage, and fast movement to beat her enemies. She will be a bit difficult due to her low health and need for good timing. But if you can use her well, she will definitely win you games. If you like heroes that use magic from a distance and move quickly, Mai is the hero for you.
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