Genji Abilities and Strategy

• Set up ganks using the terrain to your advantage. Both Swift Strike and Cyber Agility can be cast to cross Walls and other impassable terrain.
• Choose your targets wisely when playing Genji. Focus on executing low health targets using Swift Strike to immediately gain a cooldown reset and Mana refund for this ability.
• Deflect can be used to protect Genji against Structure damage while diving deep.
• Genji is surprisingly Mana-hungry. Try to avoid committing to a team fight while below 25% of your total Mana.
• If used from point blank range, all three Shuriken projectiles hit the same target. However, doing so also exposes Genji to enemy counter attacks more.

Shuriken (Q) Genji

• Mana: 20
• Charges: 3
• Recharge Time: 12 seconds

Throw 3 Shuriken in a spread pattern, each dealing 65 (+4% per level) damage to the first enemy hit.

Stores up to 3 charges. Shuriken's cooldown replenishes all charges at the same time.

Shuriken is Genji's primary source of ranged poke damage. The Ability can sometimes be hard to aim, which is why newer players, in particular, may want to change the Quick Cast configuration for this Ability from "On" to "On Release" (under Settings > Hotkeys > Quick Cast Setting). Shuriken's damage can be amplified if Genji fires it from very close range, as it causes all three projectiles to hit the same target.

Deflect (W) Genji

• Mana: 70
• Cooldown: 16 seconds

Channel for 1.25 seconds, becoming Protected and blocking damage. Any damage blocked while channeling causes Genji to throw a Kunai toward the nearest enemy, prioritizing Heroes and dealing 55 (+4% per level) damage.

Deflect protects Genji against enemy damage. It also reflects incoming damage to the nearest enemy Hero, which makes it a formidable defense tool against fast Basic Attacks and Abilities, such as Disintegrate. Keep in mind that Deflect's damage retaliation can also be used against non-Heroic sources, such as Bosses, Mercenaries, or Minions.

Swift Strike (E) Genji

• Mana: 75
• Cooldown: 12 seconds

Dash forward, dealing 190 (+4% per level) damage to all enemies in a line. Enemy Heroes that die within 1.5 seconds of being hit with Swift Strike cause the cooldown and mana cost to be refunded.

Swift Strike can be considered Genji's most impactful Ability during team fights. Its cooldown reset and Mana refund mechanics allow Genji to quickly dash in and out in order to secure Hero takedowns. In order to enable these flashy plays it is crucial to time Swift Strike precisely. Do not use it on full Health targets; instead, wait for your target to drop in Health and for you to be certain that your team's damage is going to be enough to guarantee a takedown.

However, Swift Strike is also an important escape mechanism that allows Genji to escape dangerous situations. It can be used to dash through Structures and other impassable terrain to quickly leave chasing enemies behind.

In this section we discuss how this Heroic Ability works and give some tips on how to use it. If you are looking for a detailed explanation on when and why you should pick it, check out the dedicated section in the Talent Build page.

Dragonblade (R) Genji

• Heroic
• Mana: 75
• Cooldown: 100 seconds

Unleash the Dragonblade for 8 seconds. While active, Dragonblade can be reactivated to lunge forward and slash in a huge arc, dealing 240 (+4% per level) damage.

Dragonblade turns Genji into a highly mobile and lethal Melee Assassin. Keep in mind that Shuriken cannot be used while Dragonblade is active. It is usually a good idea to activate Dragonblade as soon as you spot a severely wounded enemy Hero at the brink of death. However, it is of utmost importance to carefully check on the enemy team's crowd control Abilities before activating Dragonblade. There is nothing more frustrating than getting Stunned, Rooted, or Silenced while Genji's Heroic Ability is active.

In this section we discuss how this Heroic Ability works and give some tips on how to use it. If you are looking for a detailed explanation on when and why you should pick it, check out the dedicated section in the Talent Build page.

X-Strike (R) Genji

• Heroic
• Mana: 70
• Cooldown: 60 seconds

Perform two slashes dealing 145 (+4% per level) damage. The slashes detonate after 1.25 seconds causing an additional 290 (+4% per level) damage to enemies in their area.

X-Strike is a useful gap-closing Heroic Ability with a strong damage component. While it may be harder to execute than Dragonblade, X-Strike can act as an escape mechanism that allows Genji to dodge incoming burst damage and crowd control only to strike back a few moments later. Keep in mind that X-Strike can be used to cover short distances in order to jump over impassable terrain for instance.

Cyber Agility (D) Genji

• Cooldown: 20 seconds

Activate to jump to the target area.

Cyber Agility fulfills a similar role as Swift Strike. It can be used offensively to chase down retreating foes or defensively to get Genji out of harm's way. As a rule of thumb, it is usually better to use Cyber Agility instead of Swift Strike to dodge incoming Abilities and crowd control effects.