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Recommended Items
Spells:
Flash
Smite
Items
Ability Order
Fury of the North (PASSIVE)
Sejuani Passive Ability
Acknowledgements
Today I want to touch on Sejuani, the Winter’s Wrath, and what she can bring to a team as a jungler, but first, I have a bit of a Public Service Announcement:
The perfect way to play a champion comes from analysis and experience: react to the game in progress. Build items according to who's fed and farmed. Visit a losing lane to even the score, jump on an enemy with escapes on cooldown, protect yourself from counterjungling and invades with wards. Whether you win or lose, do so with a positive attitude, know you will improve after you make a mistake, and focus on what you can do to carry.
Learn. Adapt. Improve. Grow.
This is how you climb!
Playing Sejuani well means figuring out your own path to victory in every game you play. This guide acts as a template, where you can add your own touches to make it more personal, more aligned to your playstyle. I'm sharing my own experience with you, and you may disagree with some of the points I make. Perfectly fitting and natural. I want you to think about your actions and decisions, adapting to the game at hand, maximizing your chances of victory, and playing in a way that fits your own style.
In my experience, Sejuani has difficulty dueling the enemy jungler, especially in the early game. This makes facing champions like Vi, Lee Sin, Udyr, and Shaco incredibly frustrating if you can't rely on your team to help you when the enemy invades.
Sejuani really shines in teamfights. For a better understanding of how she does this, let's go over her kit now.
Frost Armor scales at level 7, level 12, and level 17. The extra armor helps her mitigate damage while she clears the jungle or initiates a gank, and the slow reduction helps her stick to her targets in a skirmish or full-on teamfight.
So long as Sejuani deals damage, Frost Armor will persist. For this reason, it remains important to stick to targets, which, I prefer using the attack-move command (default bindings for it come from pressing A then right-clicking, or you can hold Shift and right-click) when I'm fighting a mobile target, and, I urge you to consider training yourself to use it if you don't already.
Click here for a link to several videos that can teach you how to Attack-Move and Orb Walk. These words basically mean that you're moving between auto-attacks, and, when done correctly, will cancel your auto-attack animation, but not its damage. Practicing this mechanical skill will increase your chances of winning games, as it maximizes your damage output as you chase down or flee from enemies.
Arctic Assault provides Sejuani with a catch, engage, escape, and farming tool.
When Sejuani collides with an enemy champion, the dash ends, and she knocks them airborne. This will cancel any dash they make, so saving it during a gank to negate an enemy champion's escape tool can make the difference, as they will either die or burn a Summoner Spell to escape. Be sure to exploit this weakness!
As an engage tool, Arctic Assault pales in comparison to Glacial Prison, mostly because it has medium range: 650 units, which is the auto-attack range of Caitlyn. For this reason, mobility becomes crucial on Sejuani, as she needs to be in the enemy's face to deal her damage and keep them slowed.
Arctic Assault remains a vital gap-closer, and, once you've picked up your ultimate, you can engage (or counter-engage) from off-screen and outside the Fog of War. Keep in mind that, through the combined power of Flash + Arctic Assault + Glacial Prison, you have the potential to engage from an astonishing 2225 units away!
With this ability, she can dash through most jungle walls. This benefit helps your clear times and chances to escape an enemy, but if you use it for the first part, then it likely won't be up for you to use for the second, so use it wisely! To conserve mana, I don't always use this ability to help me farm my jungle, relying on Flail of the Northern Winds and Permafrost to clear the jungle effectively. Consider doing the same as you gain levels, since this ability should be maxed last.
Please consider leveling this ability to max rank first every time you jungle, despite its small nerf in Patch 5.6. The benefits you get from maxing this ability first outclass the other two abilities you could max by a wide margin. For one, it deals magic damage based on the target's maximum health (this used to mean structures as well, until Patch 5.2). Secondly, the mana cost goes down, helping your jungle sustain.
Lastly, this ability scales well with both ability power and maximum health. For this reason, you should consider grabbing Enchantment: Cinderhulk or Enchantment: Magus, depending on the current status of your game. Personally, I prefer the Cinderhulk enchantment for its superior health and damage in teamfights, but I have been known to get Magus when I'm very far ahead and don't plan on stacking a lot of health.
As a final note: this ability resets your auto-attack, so, try auto-attacking your target right before you activate this ability for maximum damage output. Also, the extra magic damage based on the target's maximum health comes from the auto-attack portion, not the damage-over-time portion, so, for maximum damage output, try to avoid reactivating this ability. If you don't have time to auto-attack (let's say you're fleeing a superior foe), then reactivate this ability for the Frost debuff, so you can activate Permafrost.
Prior to her rework in Patch 4.21, Permafrost was the one-point wonder most players would max last, but now, thanks to a number of factors, this is now the ability I almost always max second, after Flail of the Northern Winds.
Let us go over those factors now: first, the percent of target's maximum health magic damage portion of the old Arctic Assault moved to Flail of the Northern Winds; second, the mana cost of Arctic Assault goes up with level, where Permafrost stays the same as you level it; third, Permafrost's cooldown goes from 10 seconds to 6 seconds, all while increasing its damage and percent slow effect! Surely, Arctic Assault is the new one-point wonder, while Permafrost scales so well with leveling.
You can't activate this ability if no nearby enemies are under the effect of the Frost debuff, so it should rarely go on cooldown accidentally. When activated it affects all targets affected by the Frost debuff, which makes it a potent follow-up to a well-aimed Glacial Prison. Again, this ability makes Liandry's Torment an enticing damage item, since it deals double damage to movement-impaired targets.
The Winter's Wrath receives a huge power spike after she gets a point into her ultimate, Glacial Prison. For one, the range on her threat of engagement becomes much longer, out to 2225 units when she has Flash, Arctic Assault and Glacial Prison off cooldown!
Her ultimate explodes on contact with an enemy champion, or at maximum range. When it strikes an enemy champion, it freezes that champion and all enemies around it, stunning them for 1.25 seconds at first rank, 1.5 seconds at second rank, and 1.75 seconds at maximum rank. If the bola reaches 1175 units, it explodes and slows enemies in the area by 30% instead, changed in Patch 5.6. This, again, makes Liandry's Torment a very lovely damage item for Sejuani, but you likely won't build it every game.
For the most effective use of the Permafrost slow, it is best to activate Permafrost just as the stun wears off from Glacial Prison, as the slow has no effect while the enemy can't do anything due to the stun. This should allow you time to get into position to either harrier their carries or peel for your own, depending on where you are in the game. As a general rule, I like to peel for fed carries when my team is ahead, and I will try to catch the enemy team with Glacial Prison when we're behind. It also makes a great way to reset a fight!
With the right team composition, it is entirely possible to burst the enemy team down before they have a chance to fight back, in what players call a "Wombo Combo." Notable mentions in this technique include Annie, Brand, Fiddlesticks, Graves, Jinx, Katarina, Leona, Malphite, Miss Fortune, Orianna, Rumble, Ryze, Swain, Twitch, Vladimir, Vel'Koz, Yasuo, Ziggs and Zyra.
OPTIMAL LEVELING SEQUENCE
I prefer this leveling sequence in a majority of my games:
>
|
>
|
>
|
You might want to deviate from this, so long as you have reason to. For example, if you have Yasuo as your ally, you might consider leveling Arctic Assault second, since it knocks enemies Airborne, which then translates to having it up sooner, which could turn the tide of a teamfight, winning you the game.
Now that we covered her kit, let's move on to how to optimize her start at champion select.
Runes
These runes are for three things: gank pressure, damage mitigation to prevent death, and a mid-game power spike. It's about using the best runes in slot.
Greater Quintessences of Armor are the best of all runes for flat armor, granting +12.88 armor. Remember, in Patch 4.5, when they nerfed Flat Armor Seals, all champions gained +4 base armor. However, having 3 Flat Armor Quints means you won't have Movement Speed Quints, which then means you'll need to buy and upgrade your boots early for strong gank pressure.
I use Marks of Magic Penetration to increase damage dealt against enemy champions, as nine of these Marks penetrate 7.93 magic resist. As monsters do not have Magic Resist to penetrate, these runes do not help your clear times. I also suggest trying Flat Armor Marks, as they will increase your Armor by +8.19 armor.
My personal favorite to run on Sejuani right now are the Percent Max Health Seals. When combined with Enchantment: Cinderhulk, these runes provide the biggest mid-game spike in power. That said, they are weaker than Flat Health Seals in the early game (you'll have a starting health of 730 to 684 health in the early game, a difference of 46), and they're weaker than Scaling Health Seals in the late game, but this depends on the build. With the example final build above, I had 5050 health with the Percent Health Seals, compared to 5117 health with the Scaling Health Seals, a difference of 67 health. I've done the mathematics to see if Percent Health Seals are stronger than Scaling Health Seals with certain item builds, and have found you would need more than 3172 health from your final build! Note that this includes the Enchantment: Cinderhulk bonus Health and Health Multiplier. Here's the proof:
Since their buff in Patch 4.5, Flat Health Seals are the superior option if you think you will have the most trouble in the early game. Having +72 Health will help push you past your weaker early game phase, as well as survive in the jungle and prevent your death during ganks. You could also try Scaling Health Seals, which will grant you +1.33 Health per level, or +11.97 Health at level 1, matching the Flat Health Seals around level 6 at +71.82 Health, and scaling to +216 Health at level 18.
I now prefer to mix my Flat and Scaling Magic Resist Glyphs, . I've seen people mix Flat and Scaling Magic Resist Glyphs, and I think this might be the best option mathematically: 3 Flat and 6 Scaling, for 4.96 magic resist at level 1, 12.64 magic resist at level 9, and a total of 21.28 magic resist at level 18. Remember, Scaling Magic Resist Glyphs beat their Flat counterparts at level 9: 1.44 to 1.34, comparatively.
Masteries
First, I will show you what I reset my mastery page to after every game. Then, I will discuss other viable masteries, and what makes them viable. A Mastery page, unlike a Rune page, can change during this phase of the game (champion select), so, it's important to use the best masteries for the game at hand!
Defense Tree: 16 Points
I take
Recovery
,
Tough Skin
,
Veteran's Scars
,
Bladed Armor
,
Oppression
,
Juggernaut
,
Hardiness
, and
Resistance
in my default page. These masteries help make her weaker laning phase more bearable.The noteworthy masteries here are Tough Skin , which reduces damage taken by jungle monsters; Oppression , which reduces damage from enemies who are movement-impaired, which they should be, if you're doing your job correctly; and finally, Juggernaut , with some percent maximum health for all-game scaling! |
Utility Tree: 14 Points
I take Fleet of Foot,
Scout
,
Summoner's Insight
,
Alchemist
,
Runic Affinity
,
Vampirism
,
Culinary Master
, and
Wealth
for a majority of reasons, all leading up to the extra potion from
Wealth
.Noteworthy masteries here are Scout , as it means you can use your trinkets safely, with little risk of getting caught by the enemy; Summoner's Insight , which reduces the cooldown of your Summoner Spells by 10%, which might not seem like a lot, but it takes 30 seconds off the cooldown for Flash; Culinary Master , which grants superior jungle sustain by upgrading every Health Potion into a Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation; and finally, Wealth which grants you an extra potion that means you can full clear and gank on your first try. |
Offense Masteries
Double-Edged Sword
: Deal 2% more damage, take 1% more damage. Good as AP-Offtank.Expose Weakness : Great for your AoE teamfight presence. Helps you deal damage through your allies. Arcane Mastery: Grants +6 AP, plus 0.89 AP per Level from the Mental Force requirement. Spell Weaving : Increases spell damage as you auto-attack, stacking from 1% up to 3%. Since Flail of the Northern Winds resets your auto-attack, this could be good on her. |
Defense & Utility Masteries
Swiftness
: Reduces a slow's effectiveness by 10%. Good against peel-heavy teams.Reinforced Armor : Reduces Critical Strike damage by 10%. Good against crit-heavy builds, like Gangplank, Jax, Master Yi, Tryndamere, Yasuo, and any marksman who builds Infinity Edge or Phantom Dancer. Evasive : Reduces AoE magic damage taken by 4%. Good against heavy AP champions, like Amumu, Brand, Cassiopeia, Fiddlesticks, Galio, Katarina, Karthus, Kennen, Orianna, Rumble, Vladimir, and Zyra. Legendary Guardian : For 4 points, you get 4 Armor and 2 Magic Resist for every nearby enemy champion. If you'd prefer more tankiness during the Teamfight Phase over ganking immediately after Red buff, consider taking this over Wealth and Vampirism . Tenacious : Extra 15% Tenacity, which is reduction to crowd control effects. Great against CC-heavy teams, but you'll have to take a point out of Runic Affinity or Culinary Master to get it. Strength of Spirit : Early game mana regeneration. Extra health regeneration, but only if you plan on building items that lengthen your mana bar. |
Summoner Spells
I urge you to take one of these. While I do acknowledge how Sejuani has a couple of abilities that will allow her to escape a bad fight, not having either Flash or Ghost against an enemy who has one of these Summoner Spells can mean a free kill for them as they exploit your weakness. I, for one, would rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it!
Since the changes to the Season 5 jungle, a jungler who doesn't run Smite will not have access to the jungler items ( Hunter's Machete, Poacher's Knife, Ranger's Trailblazer, Skirmisher's Sabre, and Stalker's Blade), which also means you won't get the extra 15 - 30 gold for killing large monsters in the jungle. You will starve yourself of gold! Plus, Smite means you can contest monster objectives, like Dragon and Baron Nashor , with ease.
Picking Sejuani
She does amazing Area-of-Effect magic damage, and has the ability to lock down targets with lots of crowd control. She loves Liandry's Torment, either on herself or her teammates, because the enemy team should be movement-impaired when she's doing her job. Consider picking her if your team requires an AP-Offtank or an AP-tank/peeler!
Now that we've loaded into Summoner's Rift, let's go over the first stage of the game: the laning phase.
Farming the Season 5 Jungle
As you can read from the mouseover text, Smite is a Summoner Spell that deals true damage to minions and monsters based on your champion's level, and using it on a jungle camp grants you a buff based on the camp. It also holds up to 2 charges, gaining a charge every 75 seconds (68 seconds with 3 points in Summoner's Insight ), with a 15 second cooldown between them. You begin to gain a new charge at 1:40, which means, at the very latest, you'll have Smite up at 2:55, 4:10, 5:25, 7:40, 8:55, 10:10, 11:25, 13:40, 14:55, and so on. You can plan your route accordingly.
Taking Smite as a Summoner Spell allows you to purchase Hunter's Machete and all the items that build from it. Let's go over those now:
There are several factors that should go into picking which upgrade to Hunter's Machete you get. Consider upgrading it early, because it provides an extra 15 gold per large monster kill. I'm not going to sit here and proclaim you should buy the same upgrade every game: rather, build according to what you need to do to carry. Factor in your play-style, if you're behind or ahead, what your other team members contribute to fights, and what you need from your Smite spell to win the game. Remember, each item upgrade to Hunter's Machete also changes how Smite works:
Great item if you prefer to live in the enemy's jungle, as using Smite in the enemy jungle grants additional bonuses. I prefer to avoid the enemy jungle, because counter-jungling doesn't fit my style. For this reason, I never purchase this item. |
I strongly prefer this item, as it covers up your weakness in early game clears. That said, unlike the next two items, Smite can't be used against champions. As such, this item focuses more on farming than ganking. |
Definitely helps cover up your weakness in dueling enemy champions, especially ones who rely on stealth mechanics to survive. Consider purchasing this item if you want to camp the enemy Twitch, or fight back against an invading Shaco! |
Since the change to this item in Patch 5.1, it now steals 20% movement speed from the targeted enemy champion. Great item to reduce the enemy's ability to kite you, so, consider getting it against extremely mobile threats. Vayne and Ahri come to mind here. |
Given that we accept our role on the team as an AP-(off)tank, this gives us two optimal enchantments for our Hunter's Machete upgrade. That said, I would consider building some other mid-tier items before you add your enchantment. For example, I prefer to pick up a Bami's Cinder before I enchant my jungler item, as it builds into one of the enchantments, provides extra health, and grants us extra AoE magic damage around us through the Immolate passive. Special Note: the passives of Bami's Cinder, Enchantment: Cinderhulk, and Sunfire Aegis are UNIQUE and do not stack!
All around great item, since you stack health as Sejuani. I strongly urge you to purchase this item, as it provides more damage in teamfights than Sunfire Aegis, but has to ramp up first. I almost always get this item. |
Enchantment: Magus
Magus Enchantment |
I adore this item for many reasons, yet prefer to pick it up when I'm ahead of the enemy jungler and don't plan on stacking a lot of health. The added damage -- especially to the percent maximum health portion on Flail of the Northern Winds -- helps, but the icing on the cake comes in the form of 20% cooldown reduction. Remember, this is half of the maximum CDR a champion can have! |
Before moving on to the more exciting parts of being a jungler, I would like to talk about the monster-specific Smite buffs that will help you clear your jungle happily and healthily, especially on your first clear. Let's first match each buff to its jungle monster:
Gromp |
Using Smite on Gromp gives you Gift of the Toadstool for 90 seconds, which deals magic damage to enemies who attack you equal to 10 + 10% of your bonus health over 3 seconds. In a majority of my games, I will begin at this camp, casting Smite on it, then take my Blue buff. |
Greater Murk Wolf |
Casting Smite on the Greater Murk Wolf creates a spirit that will rest at the crossroads near Blue buff brush for 90 seconds, until an enemy champion wanders nearby, whereupon the spirit will chase them until they leave or it expires. Great camp to Smite if you're worried about invades, as you can keep a Vision Ward in the banana bush behind Red buff to keep vision of most of your jungle! |
Ancient Krug |
Using Smite on the Ancient Krug gives you Gift of Heavy Hands for 90 seconds, which counts your auto-attacks against minions and monsters, causing you to stun one on your 6th attack against it (you get one free stun immediately after casting Smite on the Ancient Krug). Remember that Flail of the Northern Winds resets your auto-attack animation! In addition to this effect, you can expend this gift early by auto-attacking a turret, which does a large amount of true damage to the structure. |
Red Brambleback |
Using Smite on the Red Brambleback returns 20% of your maximum health instantly. During my first clear, I use this to my advantage, as it makes me immediately ready to gank a lane at nearly full health. That said, there are much better options for Smite later in the game. |
Blue Sentinel |
Casting Smite on the Blue Sentinel returns 25% of your maximum mana over 2 seconds. I find this especially useful when I give my Blue buff over to my mid-laner, as it gives me the power to continue jungling with the need for the buff. However, there are better uses for Smite later in the game. |
During my average first clear of the jungle, I start with Gromp, casting Smite to get the Gift of the Toadstool. Help from teammates is appreciated but not necessary. After Gromp, I tackle the Blue Sentinel, then go straight for the Red Brambleback, casting Smite on it for the instant health return. At this point, I try to gank a lane I'm near, as I've just hit level 3, have both buffs, nearly full health, and am ready for trouble. Depending on the outcome of the gank, I either return to base or gank another lane, as early game pressure, mixed with smart decisions, should keep your team's morale high. Just to have it in an easy-to-read list, here's my ideal clear route:
- Gromp ( Smite for Gift of the Toadstool)
- Blue Sentinel
- Red Brambleback ( Smite for maximum health return)
- Gank nearby lane (Middle or Bottom lane for Blue side, Top or Middle lane for Purple side)
- Krugs ( Smite Ancient Krug for Gift of Heavy Hands)
- Raptors
- Wolves ( Smite the Greater Murk Wolf for the River Spirit buff)
- Gromp (You might go back to base before doing this camp, waiting for Smite to come back up)
- Base for items and healing
Now that we've figured out how to farm our jungle optimally, let's move on to the most strategic part of the game: applying pressure!
Applying Pressure
For example, you ganked the enemy LeBlanc at level 3, but she managed to escape: she burned Flash in the process, all her cooldowns are down, she has little health left, and she looks so inviting as she recalls under her turret. Should you dive her for the kill? Short answer: probably not. This is an example of a high-risk, low-reward play! You have double buffs, and, if you die without killing her, she gets them, gaining a huge advantage over your mid-laner. Her Flash is down, and she must either recall -- missing experience and farm gold, a disadvantage your mid-laner can exploit-- or stay and risk dying when your minions push to her turret. It sure would be cool to get that kill under turret, but, it's not a good move. Take what the enemy team gives you.
An example of a low-risk, high-reward play comes when your laner gets the enemy laner to blow a Flash or Ghost in a duel. Ganking this lane looks like a great idea, as the chances of securing a kill are better, now that the escape is on cooldown. Come in after the minions have engaged each other to avoid taking unnecessary damage, land your skills, and use your superior numbers to your advantage to secure a kill. The worst outcome of this scenario is a double kill for the enemy laner, but would take you or your ally to make a high-risk, low-reward play to get there. Simply put: try to avoid diving too far under turret, and take what the enemy team gives you!
Now that we've talked about how to assess risk versus reward, let's talk about the monster-specific buffs for ganking that the jungle has to offer:
Crimson Raptor |
Using Smite on the Crimson Raptor gives you the Razor Sharp buff for 90 seconds, which grants you True Sight for 10 seconds the next time you're in the vision range of an enemy Stealth Ward. Killing the ward grants you gold, obviously, but also means you can come back to the lane later for a gank that has a higher chance of securing a kill. |
Rift Scuttler |
Killing the Rift Scuttler -- which counts as a large monster, by the way -- creates a shrine just outside of the pit of Baron Nashor or Dragon , depending on which side of the map you're on. This shrine lasts for 75 seconds, granting vision of and a movement speed boost inside the area to the team that secured the killing blow. This makes contesting these objectives easier. REMEMBER: This creature grants no bonuses when smitten! |
Now that we know about monster-specific Smite buffs for ganking, let's go over how to actually gank a lane!
Ideally, your first gank in a game should come when you have all of your pre-6 abilities, double buffs, and enough health to survive if the enemy turns on you. Dying on your first gank can weaken the morale of your teammates, so play smart and take what the enemy gives you. I prefer to gank the lane that is most pushed to my allied turret, as the enemy will have a long way to retreat to safety. If I can't do that, then I try to gank the lane that will have the most early game impact. This usually means ganking mid, as they can roam to either lane with me for a two-person gank on the unsuspecting lane. Barring that, I will gank a lane that needs my help the most, such as a Jax lane, since he can carry if he snowballs out of control.
One thing you can do to help communicate your desire to gank a lane comes from pinging. Using an "on my way" ping to signify your presence in an ally's lane will help coordinate your efforts, hopefully securing a kill. Try to ping when you're in range to aid your ally, though, as some people think a ping means that they should immediately dive the enemy champion! The default key binding for pings is the G key, then you press and hold the left mouse button down. This will bring up a menu of four pings you can use: up for Danger, left for Enemy Missing, right for On My Way, and down for Assist Me.
Another thing to consider is minion and turret aggro. Be mindful of both of these during the early phases of the game, as they do a lot of damage in fights, yet can go unnoticed. You should try to avoid diving turrets at this stage in the game, yet, balance that with the notion that you don't know your limits with Sejuani yet. You may believe you can't do something in theory, but it's better to know in practice. Mapping your limits will help you gain confidence in your play with a champion, which increases your level of comfort with him or her. This means you'll maintain a positive attitude, which will help you win and carry games.
As you can see, there are a lot of factors to consider when ganking. The easier you can make your job for yourself -- through ganking a lane with escapes down, low health, aggressively pushed to your turret, and so on -- the better quality of life you'll have. Also, it isn't the end of the world if you gank a lane and the enemy blows an escape that has a long cooldown, especially a Summoner Spell. You can fake them out by moving into the Fog of War, waiting a second or two, then trying another gank. Honestly, the Art of Ganking won't come from text, but experience. Practice makes perfect!
Itemization
A lot of people suggest rushing a complete item first, while others claim getting a bunch of mid-tier items is better. So long as you continue to plan ahead and react to the game at hand, you should win. For example, I wouldn't want to build Abyssal Mask on Sejuani if I'm behind and against a team that's 80% physical damage, because building health and armor makes more sense in this game.
Furthermore, on deciding between Frozen Heart or Randuin's Omen, for example, we should consider the following: does the enemy team rely heavily on auto-attacks or spells for their physical damage? Do they have assassins that'll dive the carries? If the enemy team relies heavily on auto-attacks, consider getting Frozen Heart for its unique passive aura that slows the attack speed of nearby enemies by 15%. If they have assassins that'll dive your carries, or if they rely more on spells to do damage, consider picking up a Randuin's Omen. The most crippling thing you can do every game comes from building blindly: that is, building the same items every game. Just don't do it!
Now that we've covered how to react to a game at hand, I'd like to go over the list of items I posted above as items you'll want to build during this phase. I will weigh the pros and cons of each, including what stats they give, what stats they lack, and what compositions they shine against. The list of items will be in order according to cost, from least to most expensive!
Item Sequence
I covered Ranger's Trailblazer, Skirmisher's Sabre, and Stalker's Blade earlier in this section.
450 gold to upgrade 750 total gold |
A simple upgrade from Cloth Armor that grants 40 armor. Great against AD-heavy teams. Plan to build this item into Guardian Angel, Sunfire Aegis, or Thornmail. |
385 gold to upgrade 820 total gold |
A great item for extra ability power and cooldown reduction. Builds into either Banner of Command or Enchantment: Magus. |
350 gold to upgrade 850 total gold |
A simple upgrade from Null-Magic Mantle that grants 45 magic resist. Great against AP-heavy teams. Plan to build this item into Abyssal Mask, Guardian Angel, or Zz'Rot Portal. None of these items give you bonus health. |
450 gold to upgrade 850 total gold |
A simple upgrade from Ruby Crystal that grants bonus health and cooldown reduction. Great against burst-heavy teams. Plan to build this item into Ohmwrecker, Spirit Visage, or Locket of the Iron Solari. |
250 gold to upgrade 950 total gold |
A great item for extra armor, cooldown reduction, and mana. Builds into Frozen Heart, which is great for teamfights against champions reliant on attack speed. Does not grant bonus health, however. |
520 gold to upgrade 1000 total gold |
Grants extra armor and health regeneration. Great for besieging turrets, thanks to the Point Runner passive,. Plan to build this item into Ohmwrecker or Zz'Rot Portal, which are great besieging items. |
600 gold to upgrade 1000 total gold |
A simple upgrade from Ruby Crystal that grants bonus health and the Immolate passive, which does magic damage over time in an area around you. Great item to rush immediately, as it helps clears and builds into Sunfire Aegis and Enchantment: Cinderhulk. |
600 gold to upgrade 1000 total gold |
A simple upgrade from Ruby Crystal that gives extra health. Great against burst-heavy teams, and builds into a great late-game peel item, Randuin's Omen. |
450 gold to upgrade 1050 total gold |
Builds out of Cloth Armor, granting bonus armor and the unique Cold Steel passive, slowing the attack speeds of enemies who attack you. Great against AD/AS-heavy teams. Plan to build this item into Frozen Heart or Randuin's Omen. |
150 gold to upgrade 1150 total gold |
A superb upgrade to your jungle item that uses Bami's Cinder in its build path. When given time to ramp up, it deals more AoE magic damage than Sunfire Aegis, a point I had neglected to take into account. I get this item almost always! |
300 gold to upgrade 1200 total gold |
Perfect mid-tier item for fighting off poke-heavy teams, as it grants bonus health, magic resist, and a passive that increases your health regeneration when you take damage from an enemy champion. |
Enchantment: Magus
Enchantment: Magus |
680 gold to upgrade 1500 total gold |
Decent upgrade to your jungle item that uses Fiendish Codex in its build path, granting 80 additional ability power, and 20% cooldown reduction, the most you can get from one item, and half of the maximum a champion can have. I get this item when I'm really far ahead. |
820 gold to upgrade 1900 total gold |
Great item against teams that either try to poke you down, or have a lot of AoE magic damage, as it grants extra magic resist and health regeneration to nearby allies in an aura. Also grants you additional health and magic resist. Builds into Banner of Command and Locket of the Iron Solari. |
Now that we've gone over how to itemize in the laning phase, let's talk about common pitfalls, and how to avoid them.
Troubleshooting
First and foremost, as you clear camps, keep an eye on the mini-map. Mind roamers, and help your allies by pinging, as they might focus too much on last-hitting minions to notice. Do not spam pings! If you see a teammate in trouble on the mini-map, begin to go to his or her aid if you think you can turn the tide.
The moment you run into the enemy jungler, ping him or her, and assume the enemy jungler has already pinged you. This will alert your allies to your current struggle, and they will most likely come to your aid. The incentive for them to come is a free kill AND the buffs the enemy jungler has, and who doesn't want double buffs?
Your first set of double buffs is important. If you die in a gank and give them over to your opponent, then you single-handedly lost that lane for your ally. You'll need to make up for that mistake elsewhere, but the best way is to avoid making this mistake altogether.
A lane will tell you when they're struggling. Try to aid them immediately. Do not encourage toxic behavior by arguing with them, as typing can get one of you killed, and then it becomes more about winning the argument and less about winning the game.
I will add more as I discover them. For now, let's move onto the final phase of the game: the teamfight phase.
Objective and Vision Control
Case in point: this game back in Season 3.
Ward placement can be tricky to anyone who doesn't think about it, but it remains a useful skill that, when done well, can and will lead to more victories. Placing an optimal ward means getting the most vision you can, often putting them just inside Brush to keep line of sight on enemies who attempt to hide or juke into them. As I plan to create a guide simply around vision control, I won't go into much more detail than that.
Controlling an objective usually means controlling the vision around it. Taking the Rift Scuttler before you attempt Dragon or Baron Nashor is smart, but not the only thing you can do. For instance, I prefer the Greater Vision Totem for jungling, as it gives me a free Vision Ward to throw down once every two minutes, perfect to keep the pit clear of enemy wards as we take Baron Nashor or Dragon .
However, a lot of players prefer the Oracle's Lens, which I find works well in a game where my team is behind, as it clears out the vision the enemy team has in my own jungle, sweeping its Brush and keeping my jungle safe for myself and my allies.
Sometimes, when nobody has purchased Sightstone on my team, I will pick up the Greater Stealth Totem to help with vision control. While not nearly as effective as a Sightstone, it'll work in a pinch, as it generates a charge and comes off cooldown every 60 seconds, and its wards last for 180 seconds.
Lacking vision of an objective means the enemy team can sneak it or, worse, bait it. This includes using their own trinkets to clear your wards of the area, then taking the objective, or lying in wait inside one of the nearby Brush, waiting for your team to come contest or re-ward the area. Having a Farsight Orb on your team can help prevent an ace that comes from an objective bait, as can taking the Rift Scuttler, but only so far. You'll need to get vision of the area soon, but, proceed with caution.
Now that we've learned about vision control, let's look at what items we'll need to complete to close the game.
Itemization
It remains important that you keep an eye on what the enemy team builds, too. This will influence your item building choices. If the enemy marksman has yet to build any lifesteal, then consider picking up a Thornmail, for example. Keep an eye on not just the Kill:Death:Assist ratio of enemy champions, but also how much their creep score is! It is entirely possible to have a low K:D:A, but still do one's job through building optimally after farming well.
Without further ado, the items I listed in the Teamfight Phase above, again from least to most expensive:
Item Sequence
250 gold to upgrade 250 total gold |
Consider picking this trinket if no-one on your team built Sightstone. Allows you to place a free Stealth Ward every 60 seconds. The Ward lasts 180 seconds. |
250 gold to upgrade 250 total gold |
I prefer this trinket when I'm ahead, because it allows me to secure Baron Nashor and Dragon easily with the free Vision Ward. |
250 gold to upgrade 250 total gold |
I get this trinket upgrade when I'm behind, as it allows me to easily sweep the wards that the enemy team might have in my jungle, which they mean to get picks on my team with. |
575 gold to upgrade 1485 total gold |
A great damage item to pick up as a last item, it builds into Liandry's Torment, hands-down the best damage item for Sejuani to pick up in the late game. Makes the Wombo Combo of Glacial Prison and Permafrost much stronger! I get this item when I'm ahead, or when I can't trust my allies to do damage in a fight. |
730 gold to upgrade 2440 total gold |
This item works well in tandem with Sunfire Aegis, Enchantment: Cinderhulk, and other AoE magic damage dealers on your team. Works well against magic damage dealers as well, since it grants a good amount of magic resist. |
300 gold to upgrade 2500 total gold |
A great item on Sejuani, as it provides a lot of bonus health, and what is essentially a Perseverance passive. Builds from Giant's Belt and Crystalline Bracer. |
600 gold to upgrade 2600 total gold |
Great item for extra armor, cooldown reduction, and mana. The unique aura slows attack speed in around you, so great against AS-heavy teams. Does not provide extra health, though. |
750 gold to upgrade 2600 total gold |
Perfect item for diving turrets, as the unique active shuts down an enemy turret for 3 seconds (on a 120 second cooldown)! Provides armor, cooldown reduction, health, and extra movement speed around turrets as well. |
700 gold to upgrade 2750 total gold |
Extra cooldown reduction, health, magic resist, health regeneration, and a unique passive that increases self-healing and regeneration by 20%. Great in tandem with Warmog's Armor. |
1150 gold to upgrade 2750 total gold |
A better build for your Spectre's Cowl if you don't need cooldown reduction. Provides more health than Spirit Visage, and its unique passive is a spell shield that blocks the next enemy ability, recharging after taking no damage from enemy champions for 40 seconds. |
50 gold to upgrade 2800 total gold |
Perfect teamfight item against a team that deals a lot of burst magic damage, as its unique active grants a shield based on character level to yourself and your nearby teammates. Builds from Aegis of the Legion. |
950 gold to upgrade 2800 total gold |
Great item for besieging turrets, especially against a team that deals equal amounts of magic and physical damage. Its unique active creates a destroyable portal that spits out uncontrollable Voidspawn every 4 seconds to attack nearby enemy structures. The first and every fourth Voidspawn gain extra damage scaling from your resistances. |
1200 gold to upgrade 2800 total gold |
Great against teams with assassins who mix their damage, or have a Wombo Combo of their own, as this item will revive your champion on death with 30% of your maximum health and mana once every 5 minutes. Also provides armor and magic resist, since it builds from Chain Vest and Negatron Cloak. |
800 gold to upgrade 2850 total gold |
Superb late-game teamfight item, as its unique active slows enemies around you by an amount that scales from your resistances. The extra armor, attack speed slow when struck, and health are great too. |
980 gold to upgrade 2900 total gold |
Here it is: the one damage item I won't shut up about. It's got ability power, health, magic penetration, and a unique passive that causes the enemy to burn damage equal to their current health when they take spell damage from you, doubling this burn damage if their movement is impaired! I don't see why you wouldn't want this item on Sejuani! |
280 gold to upgrade 3000 total gold |
If the enemy team has weak physical damage but great magic damage wave-clear, consider building this item from Aegis of the Legion. It's got everything from Aegis of the Legion, plus ability power and cooldown reduction, and the ability to promote a minion, increasing its power and making it immune to magic damage. |
Now that you're aware of your itemization options, let's go over your role in teamfights.
The Art of Teamfighting
Say you're behind and a high-priority target, like a fed marksman, steps too far forward to harass, and the enemy team collapses to protect them. Since they're grouped up, and there's a high-priority target out of position, and if your team is in position to follow-up, you should hit them with your Glacial Prison, charge in with Arctic Assault, hit as many of them as you can with Flail of the Northern Winds and Permafrost, and hope your team follows up. You should easily win this fight and push down objectives.
If you're ahead, you'll want to siege objectives and wait for the enemy to make a mistake. When the enemy team dives you in desperation, jump on them, peeling for your fed carries. Your gold and item advantage should carry the fight. Try to have faith in your carries to carry: whether you can or cannot, build accordingly!
I'll try to add more as I think of them. For now, I believe this is the end!
Thanks again for reading this, and I wish you the best on the Fields of Justice!
∞ Gizladlo on Monday, March 30th, 2015 CE
- Nothing currently. Help me fill this up with your suggestions?
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