Okay, so, this is the first guide I've written for this site, on one of my thus-far favorite champions I've played since joining in late 2009. Needless to say, it's not going to be pretty, or fancy, or any of that jazz. That said, feel free to tell me how to make it pretty and fancy and all that jazz; I will love you forever.

Now, back to the serious talk; this is just the build I run with Fiora, and it's honestly been treating me very well. I've managed to win almost every single game with this build since I finalized it; the one exception to this was the match where our 5th DC'ed ten minutes in, and we still managed to knock out one of their nexus turrets before their minions finally did us in. In short: I like this build, but that doesn't strictly mean you will.

Fiora is an AD carry, and there's a lot of those in the game. Why would you want to play Fiora over any of the other ones?

1) Her skills. Fiora has one of the best skill packages in game; each skill is useful, and each one compliments each other.

2) Her item build can take a lot of variation. Obviously, she's an AD carry; her job is to kill things, and to make sure they die when they are killed. But because she's such a strong champion even without items, you can build her in a variety of different ways, all of which are just as viable as the last.

3) Riposte. The problem with a lot of melee AD carries is that they have issues against range. Thanks to her W (which you should grab right off the bat) Fiora can demand that a ranged champ take their damage back, which gives her better sustain and decent counter-poke. It also works on skills such as Gangplank'sParrrley, which makes it so that scurvy pirate can't force you to back off nearly as easily.

Pros

Amazing sustain
Great chase
Great both solo and in team fights
Great skillset

Cons

Fairly squishy
Shut down by any decent CC
Has difficulty escaping
Takes a little getting used to

Note: I'm still only summoner level 24, so even though these are all wins, my kill/death/assist ratio aren't going to be as stellar as someone with complete Mastery and Rune pages.



This is scrolled down to the bottom, I know, but that's because I wanted to show all PvP matches; I didn't want to include the two AI fights I ran with some newbie friends further up the list.

Pretty straightforward; Quints and Marks of Desolation for a high AD carry, kill things faster. Glyphs of Focus for that 6% cooldown; it's not much, but it's so nice to have your skill that one second sooner than to, say, watch as they escape because your Lunge didn't cool down in time, or to die because you couldn't Parry that last auto-attack. Seals of Fortitude because it gives you early game survivability, and that's extremely important!

I put 1 in utility so that I can use Flash more often; more Flash means better chase and better escapability. I also throw 4 into Defense just because that little bit of survivability will make your sustain significantly stronger. The other 25 I focus into Attack, because the more damage you're dealing, the better you are at your job. Plus, since you'll be starting off with Vampiric Scepter on top of the Vampirism mastery, more damage means faster health regen, and health is good!

Fantastic for those moments when you know you can almost kill them, but not quite - and trust me, early game, there's going to be a lot of those.


It's Flash. Jump over walls, chase down running champs, use in concert with your E for quick escapes... the possibilities are endless.


A viable option in place of Ignite, but I find the former is a stronger choice.


In case you're worried about CC, this is a decent option for you to get up and go. Just be careful; use it too early and you might escape one CC only to be hit with another.


I find Flash and Ignite work best for me, but experiment until you find something that fits your style!

Duelist

An excuse to poke with your Q and E early game. Health regen over 6 seconds; smack a minion, get one stack. Smack a champion, and you can stack it up to four times. This skill gives you the ability to jump in and poke an enemy, then escape with only minor damage. Always make sure you escape, though; that health regen won't do you much good if you die before it can kick in.

Lunge

Imo, one of the best initiate and chase skills in the game. Good range and damage, but more importantly, it puts a stack on your E, and you can use a second lunge for free if you use it within 4 seconds. I max this out first so I can use it more often; you could max out Burst of Speed first, but I honestly find that the chase this skill gives is invaluable for finishing off champs that you can't 'quite' catch up to.

Riposte

I take this skill off the bat for two reasons: One, the extra damage is wonderful, and two, if you end up against a ranged AD champ like Caitlyn, Riposte gives you a decent option to deal with them. Max this out last; as nice as the extra damage and counterattack capabilities are, your q and e are the core of your carrying capabilities.

Burst of Speed

This skill. A 60% AS boost at start, 120% boost when maxed out, AND bonus move speed for each hit, PLUS instant cooldown when you kill a champ, and 50% reduction on assist! It is just 'such' a good skill, and easily her most important. Even so, I choose to max this second on the grounds that faster cooldown on Lunge takes priority: Burst of Speed is amazing, but if they're on the run and your speed boost has worn out, Lunge doesn't require you to smack an enemy to close the gap.

Blade Waltz

Easily one of my favorite Ults in the entire game. Use this in a team fight and watch them drop like flies. Use this for the finishing blow(s) in a tower-dive and laugh your *** off as you kill them while safely ignoring the turret. When you're in a tight spot, pop your E, use your Ult, use Flash as soon as you come out of it and enjoy a fully stacked speed boost while they're busy trying to figure out where the hell you went. This skill has so many uses that I can't even be justifiably mad at it's ridiculously high cooldown.

Early Game Items

Mercury Treads

Because you're going to be hitting like a ton of bricks, and the enemy CC isn't going to like that. Snares and Stuns are the greatest threat to Fiora, since her Q and her R both require her to be able to move in order to activate, so the faster you can shake it off, the better! If the enemy team isn't stacking much CC, you can consider Ionian Boots of Lucidity for the CDR, or Ninja Tabi for the Defense and Damage Reduction

Wriggles Lantern

Damage, Lifesteal, Armor, AND a free ward every three minutes, all for the low cost of 1600? Oh hell yes! Plus, the passive makes for some great farming capabilities. Wriggles Lantern: What's not to love?
NOTE: If you don't win or the enemy team hasn't surrendered by the time you get to late game, don't feel bad about selling this for your final item!

Mid-Game Items

The Black Cleaver

Black Cleaver? As your third item?! *gasp!*
Well, yes. With Fiora, it's important to have AS, but you need AD too, and the Black Cleaver is a delightful mix of both. Plus, thanks to Fiora's E, the passive on this item stacks gloriously fast.

Phantom Dancer

Because you need AS and movement speed, goddammit, and this gives you both! The critical chance is nice too, but for the mid-game it really isn't as important. Once you have your Black Cleaver and this, and you've maxed out your E, you can officially start going to town on anybody unfortunate enough to get close to you. With this item, once you've hit level 10 you'll be hitting the AS cap every time you pop your E. All that's left now is damage!
NOTE: You can exchange this for a Madred's Bloodrazor if the enemy team has a couple of tanky champs that just refuse to die.

The Bloodthirster

You're an AD carry; if you're not picking this up, you are just wrong. The sheer damage output of this item alone makes it worthwhile, but the Lifesteal makes it invaluable. Fully stacked, it gives 100 AD and 25% Lifesteal; combined with your Wriggle's Lantern, that's a full 40% Lifesteal per hit, which makes you almost unkillable in a 1v1. Expect your ult to heal you for roughly 75% of your health whenever you use it at this point.

Late Game Items

By this point in the game, the item build is basically up to whatever the player feels necessary; these last two are just the ones I usually end up with.

Infinity Edge

80 AD is the single best standalone AD boost in the game, (Bloodthirster is better fully stacked, but that vanishes when you die, sadly) but what we're after is the 250% Critical damage. Adding the 25% Crit Chance this gives to the 30% from your Phantom Dancer, that lands you at a 55% crit strike chance, so roughly half your attacks will be dealing 250% damage. What's not to love?

Frozen Mallet

Because survivability is nice and because sometimes you just need that little bit of extra time to kill someone. This item is easily replaceable, but it's the one that I find best suits the remainder of the build.

Final Build

It's important to keep in mind that this build does change dependent on what you and your team needs, and always, always remember that the Frozen Mallet is easily replaceable by any other item you might prefer! Also, it's important to remember to buy health potions whenever you think you need them and can afford them!

Other Options

Ninja Tabi

Probably your best option if you don't want the Merc's Treads. If you aren't going to go with Tenacity and MR, you should probably focus on taking as little damage as possible.

Berserker's Greaves

If you really want that AS early game, you can grab these; just keep in mind they'll be useless once you hit mid-game.

Ionian Boots of Lucidity

For when the enemy team doesn't have much CC and you want the CDR. A very viable option in place of Mercury's Treads

Madred's Bloodrazor

Because they have a tank that just doesn't want to die. Use this in place of the Phantom Dancer if their tank is giving your team a lot of trouble.

Wit's End

Great for those AP-heavy teams. AS, extra damage, and Magic Resist that stacks per hit. Fantastic for those squishy burst champs.

Last Whisper

This is a great item for those high armor champs, but with your runes and Black Cleaver, you really shouldn't need it. If you absolutely must, though, the option is there.


Stinger
Good for when you need both CDR and AS, but sadly it only builds into Nashor's Tooth, which just isn't worth building unless you want your W to deal a little more damage. There are better options.


Youmuu's Ghostblade
With AD, Armor pen, CDR, and Crit chance, this isn't a bad item by any means, but there are items that are just so much better for her. I'd only suggest getting this if you really, REALLY need the CDR.


Sword of the Occult
Not a bad item, but I can't justify getting it unless if you're 100% certain you're going to sweep this match. For those matches when you're completely sure that you're not going to die.

Boots of Mobility

Gank boots. You could if you wanted to, but it's probably not worth sacrificing the Tenacity for.

Trinity Force

This is a pretty good item in general, but better for those champions that need both AP and AD options. I can't say it's bad, but there are better items for Fiora.


Atma's Impaler
Because you're an idiot. Even if you have a Frozen Mallet and taking the extra Armor into account, Fiora simply does not have the health to justify getting this item. Seriously, I've seen someone try. It was a mess.
"But what if you got a Warmog's Armor? Would it be worth it then?"
I am THIS CLOSE to throttling you!

Due to her lack of CC, Fiora doesn't have a whole lot of damage early game, so don't try to engage with her. Until you reach level 6, your goal is simply to farm, farm, farm! The more minion kills you get, the more gold you make; the more gold you make, the faster you can start your build. Use your W to keep enemy champs from harassing you too much, and don't be afraid to take a little damage; you'll gain it back via your passive and your Vampiric Scepter. Don't take risks, of course; survival is more important than farming 100% of the time.

Once you hit level 3, you can start doing a few pokes of your own. Use your Q to get in close, and immediately pop your E. If they start to run away, your passive movement boost should help you keep up, and you can hit them with Q one more time. Don't bother to chase them into their turret; your goal right now isn't to kill, but to harass. If you manage to grab a kill, good for you, but it's not worth dying for. Ask for ganks frequently, even if you aren't sure you need them; better to call for a gank and not need it than let an easy kill slip away. As before, though, your main goal is to farm as much as you can; the faster you get your build up, the better.

Once you've hit 6, you're ready to snag your first kill (assuming you haven't already). You and your opponent have likely been poking at each other since the start of the match, and chances are they're sitting at about 50% health, probably less. This time, it doesn't matter if they're under the turret; approach with Q, pop your E, and hit them with your Ult. During your Ult, Ignite the enemy champ. Since Fiora is untargetable during her Ult, the tower won't be able to focus you until the end of it, by which point most champs will either be dead or almost dead. If the latter, use your Q to get that last bit of poke, maybe one more auto-attack, and gtfo from under that tower. If you haven't already, you've just earned your first kill.

By this point, you should be decently well fed. Team fights are probably breaking out here and there; remember, you're a Carry, which means you are SQUISHY. Unless if you're absolutely certain you can snag a free kill and walk out alive, let someone else initiate. Your main goal in the team fights is to A) knock out the enemy Carry via generous use of your Q and E, and B) get out alive. If things start looking bad (Your team is losing, your being focused, your health is low, etc.) pop your E and use your Ult on the enemy champ nearest a viable means of escape. Worst case scenario, you can Flash away and use your bonus movement speed to run. Best case scenario, you can chase down the straggling enemy champs.

In between team fights, now is a good time to jungle; don't take risks, of course, but try to snag Blue, and grabbing Red isn't a bad plan either. Around level 11, assuming you've gotten to the point where you have your Cleaver and Zeal, you can solo Dragon. If the opportunity is there and you're certain you can knock him out without interruptions, do it; Dragon drops more gold than a tower, and the benefits hit your entire team. As always, don't take risks, but if you can get it done your team will thank you or it.

One last thing to keep in mind; the flat AS bonus your E gives you makes Fiora fantastic at pushing lanes, given the chance. If you see the enemy champs are preoccupied with your teammates but the fights are just little pokes back and forth, or most of them are dead, don't be afraid to rush your minions up to a tower and knock that thing down!

By this point, you should have finished your Phantom Dancer and are in the process of making your late game items; team fights are breaking out left and right, and chances are half of the towers on the map are gone. At this point in the game, your goal isn't to farm, or to kill; your goal is to get something done. Knock down that last tower, snag Baron, whatever the case may be, you want to make sure that after you've knocked out a few of the enemy team members, you get something done. In short? Your goal is to win.

As Fiora, you're going to be knee deep in the battle. Your team is going to be following you, and it's your job to get in there, deal a lot of damage, and make sure your team WINS. Survival is no longer your main objective; if you have to sacrifice yourself to deal enough damage so that your death means four of them die, you make that sacrifice. Getting out alive is nice, of course, but in the grand scheme of things, your priority at this point is to make sure your team always has the advantage.

Also keep in mind that by this point, if the enemy team still has towers up, Fiora alone is just as good as a whole team when it comes to taking them; if the enemy team has been swept or there's a stalemate going on at one of their towers, Fiora can singlehandedly knock down a tower while the enemy team is focused on saving the one your teammates are at. It's a risky move, as you'll be singling yourself out for the enemy team to target, but if you think you can get it done then it's probably worth doing. As always, don't be afraid to pop your E when hitting a tower; the seconds it shaves off from knocking it down can be the difference between life and death.

This is just a basic guide on how I build and play Fiora; you can use the complete guide, you can use it as a base, or you can throw it out the window if you don't think it's worth consideration, so don't feel like I'm trying to shove it down your throat~ Everybody plays a little differently, so while this guide may work for some people, it might not work for others. It all comes down to what you want from your Fiora!

I hope you find this guide useful in your experimentations with Fiora, and wish all of you the best in your future games! And remember: with Fiora, it is your duty to make sure that people die when they are killed!

I'll be updating this guide as I continue experimenting with builds for Fiora, and probably if I feel like taking the time to do it I'll pretty it up a bit. Until then, you'll just have to deal with my boring old text! Muahaha!

If readers find the guide is too long, I'll look into condensing it.