Overview
Sun is a high-speed Fighter known as the Monkey King who specializes in summoning clones to overwhelm opponents. His primary strength lies in split-pushing and destroying turrets faster than almost any other hero in the game. By using his clones, he can solo the Lord or Turtle with ease while his passive ability shreds through the Physical Defense of even the tankiest enemies. While he is a nightmare in 1v1 duels and objective taking, he struggles against heroes with high AoE damage who can wipe out his clones quickly. He is most effective when built with Attack Speed items like Corrosion Scythe and Demon Hunter Sword to maximize his clones' damage output.
Strengths
Sun's greatest strength is his unmatched ability to dominate the map through split-pushing and objective control. He can destroy turrets in seconds and solo the Lord or Turtle earlier than most heroes because his clones effectively triple his damage output while absorbing incoming hits. His passive ability is a massive threat to durable targets as it shreds up to 40% of an enemy's Physical Defense, allowing him to melt tanks with ease. Beyond raw power, Sun excels at deception and survival; his second skill grants invisibility and a blink that can dodge high-damage ultimates or confuse enemies during a chaotic teamfight. This combination of high sustained damage, armor reduction, and mobility makes him a premier duelist who thrives by forcing the enemy team to constantly react to his pressure on the lanes.
Weaknesses
Sun's biggest weakness is his extreme vulnerability to Area of Effect (AoE) damage, as heroes like Terizla or X.Borg can wipe out his clones instantly, leaving him powerless and without his primary source of damage and sustain. He is also highly dependent on items and gold, making him a liability in the early game if he gets bullied out of his lane or falls behind in farm. Because his clones act as units, they can accidentally provide the enemy with extra gold, experience, or "free" stacks for heroes like Aldous or Cecilion. Furthermore, he lacks hard crowd control or reliable burst, meaning high-mobility heroes can often just dash away from him, and he can be easily kited if he misses his initial slow. Finally, his dependence on basic attacks makes him completely countered by Physical Defense items with cold-attack passives or heroes that can inflict the Blind status, which prevents his clones from landing their hits.
Super Shredded Build
This specialized six-item strategy focuses on slot efficiency and maximum damage scaling by replacing traditional footwear with high-impact offensive gear. By utilizing the extra equipment slot for a major power spike like Great Dragon Spear or Berserker's Fury, Sun achieves a level of DPS and objective-shredding power that standard builds cannot match. The build remains highly mobile because it swaps flat movement speed for percentage-based speed passives found in Windtalker and the Great Dragon Spear proc. When combined with your Quantum Charge talent, these items provide explosive bursts of speed every time you attack or cast your Ultimate, allowing you to chase or kite effectively during combat. Since Corrosion Scythe simultaneously slows your target by up to 40%, you create a "speed gap" that keeps enemies trapped within reach of your clones. From a tactical perspective, this setup perfectly exploits the Bargain Hunter and Fatal talents. Because Sun's clones inherit his full attributes, giving them both Critical Damage and the percentage-based shred from Demon Hunter Sword makes them a nightmare for every hero class. You essentially trade early-game walking speed for the ability to "one-shot" backline heroes and melt the Lord in seconds once your full inventory is complete.
Hit and Run
This specific setup transforms Sun into a high-mobility predator by prioritizing early-game scaling and burst potential over raw durability. The Assassin Emblem is the core of this strategy because it provides high Adaptive Penetration and Movement Speed, allowing your clones to pierce through enemy defenses immediately without waiting for your passive to stack. By selecting Fatal, you lean into a high-risk, high-reward playstyle where your clones' basic attacks can trigger critical hits to delete squishy heroes in seconds. Bargain Hunter is arguably the most critical piece of this puzzle, as it discounts all equipment to 95% of its cost, enabling you to finish expensive core items like Corrosion Scythe much faster than your lane opponent to secure a gold lead. Finally, Quantum Charge provides the necessary utility for a "hit-and-run" approach, granting you a 30% speed boost and HP recovery every few seconds. This allows you to dash in, deal massive burst damage, and then use the extra speed to kite enemies or retreat safely before they can retaliate. Would you like the Critical item build that perfectly matches this specific talent setup?
Battle Spell
Petrify is a top-tier choice for Sun players who focus on team fighting and dueling rather than just split-pushing. Since Sun lacks hard crowd control, enemies can often dash away before his clones finish them off; Petrify fixes this by freezing them in place for 0.8 seconds and slowing them afterward. This window is crucial because it allows Sun and his clones to land multiple hits, quickly stacking his passive to shred 40% of the enemy's defense. It is particularly deadly when combined with his 3rd skill (Instantaneous Move), as you can dash onto a squishy target and immediately trigger Petrify to ensure they can't escape the incoming burst. While Arrival is better for map pressure, Petrify makes Sun a much more dangerous 1v1 threat and helps him shut down high-mobility heroes like Lancelot or Benedetta.
Late-game Hyper Carry
To master Sun with this high-damage setup, you must play like a ghost until you finish your first two items. Since you aren't using traditional footwear, use your 2nd skill (Swift Exchange) to move between jungle camps or lanes, as the invisibility and blink help compensate for your lower base walking speed. During the laning phase, avoid direct trades and instead throw your 1st skill (Endless Variety) at minions from a distance to poke the enemy and heal via the HP regen from your Quantum Charge talent. When you are ready to engage, the most effective combo is Skill 1 -> Ultimate -> Skill 3 -> Petrify. By throwing the first clone before using your Ultimate, you ensure the enemy is slowed and surrounded by three clones instantly. Casting your Ultimate triggers the Great Dragon Spear and Quantum Charge speed bursts simultaneously, allowing you to stick to your target or quickly reposition if they try to dash away. For objective control, Sun can solo the Lord or Turtle extremely early by letting his clones tank the hits while he stands behind the boss to deal damage. If a teamfight breaks out on the other side of the map, don't feel forced to join; your greatest strength is split-pushing. With this six-item build, you can destroy a full-HP turret in roughly three seconds, often forcing the entire enemy team to retreat just to stop you from ending the game. Finally, always keep an eye on the enemy's AoE cooldowns. If you see a hero like Terizla or Tigreal use their ultimate, that is your window to dive in and unleash your clones without fear of them being wiped out instantly.
Best With Atlas
Atlas work exceptionally well with Sun due to his massive AoE Sets. When a tank groups the entire enemy team together with a well-timed Ultimate, Sun can follow up with his 3rd skill dash and Petrify. This allows all three of Sun's clones to hit multiple enemies at once, stacking his armor-shredding passive on the entire team simultaneously and turning a standard teamfight into a complete wipeout in seconds.
Watch Out For Ruby
Ruby is Sun's biggest nightmare because his clones act as "free lifesteal" for her. Every time Sun summons a doppelganger, he provides Ruby with more targets to hit with her AoE skills, allowing her to regenerate massive amounts of HP. She can keep the real Sun permanently stunned and pulled in while staying at full health by damaging his clones.