How to win the jungle race as Xin Zhao against Naafiri · Matchup data reviewed on patch 26.15
Read from Xin Zhao's seat: the race windows this plan plays for against Naafiri.
| Stage | Read | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Level 1 Clear | Xin Zhao Favoured | Three Talon Strike's knock-up plus passive healing wins the first buff-pit duel. The margin is thin: packmates plus the Darkin Daggers bleed win the level-1 numbers game, and one slow camp on your side hands the window straight back, so keep the trade short. Clear the packmates first — her damage collapses once the hounds are down. |
| Level 2 Skirmish | Xin Zhao Dominant | Wind Becomes Lightning (W) challenge poke starts trades you finish for free. The Hounds' Pursuit dash trade chunks anyone contesting their second buff, and with one camp still up on both sides that is not an answer. Take the level-2 skirmish and make Naafiri path away from the camps you want. |
| Level 3 Route | Xin Zhao Favoured | The full knock-up combo with W slow is among the top three level-3 duels, but the full pack with W dash and Q reset bleed is a real early kill threat. You still win the straight exchange at the opening scuttle; keep it short, keep it decisive, and keep the scuttle line yours. |
| Levels 4-5 Macro | Xin Zhao Favoured — Take Duels | Through levels 4-5 you remain the stronger duelist — keep taking short, decisive trades vs Naafiri, but only with the HP and cooldown lead. |
| Level 6 Breakpoint | Crescent Guard Favoured | Crescent Guard makes the 1v1 literal — outside help is deleted from your duel. The empowered pack dive shields her engage and swarms your counter-trade — respect that one window, but the six-spike comparison favors you: take the post-6 duel whenever HP bars start even. |
| First Item Spike | Sundered Sky / Eclipse Spike | Completing your core item triggers a massive damage, health, and sustain multiplier that completely overpowers traditional brawlers or isolated targets. Naafiri's first item is where the dagger bleed plus the pack becomes a full health bar rather than a heavy trade. |
| 2+ Items Scaling | Respect Naafiri Late — End Early | Naafiri out-stats you from two items on — stop taking straight 1v1s, close through objectives and picks, and keep the game on a clock. |
Start your clear at the Red Buff camp utilizing your Q resets and passive to maximize early clear speed and health. Naafiri clears fast because the packmates fight the camp with her, and she reaches three with the pack still up.
Ranked by the race windows in Xin Zhao's plans — the jungle race carries no win-rate sample.
The full Xin Zhao vs Naafiri report continues with scuttle & dragon rules, invade windows and safety boundaries, the top-side objective fight, macro rotations and the win condition — plus the live enemy-jungle tracker that shows their start, clear and gank timers in game.
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Xin Zhao's race plan controls 6 of the 7 windows — Xin Zhao holds the tempo advantage in this jungle matchup.
Not exactly — Xin Zhao's race plan controls 6 of the 7 windows, so Naafiri is playing catch-up and has to lean on the map.
Playing the other side? Naafiri vs Xin Zhao guide →
All Xin Zhao jungle matchups →
More Xin Zhao jungle matchups: vs Maokai · vs Master Yi · vs Morgana · vs Nidalee · vs Nocturne · vs Nunu & Willump