Click to open network menu
Join or Log In
Mobafire logo

Join the leading League of Legends community. Create and share Champion Guides and Builds.

Create an MFN Account






Or

Not Updated For Current Season

This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page

x
LeBlanc Build Guide by Shrekt

AP Carry La Rose Noire

AP Carry La Rose Noire

Updated on March 17, 2016
7.9
20
Votes
6
Vote Vote
League of Legends Build Guide Author Shrekt Build Guide By Shrekt 20 6 391,487 Views 34 Comments
20 6 391,487 Views 34 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Shrekt LeBlanc Build Guide By Shrekt Updated on March 17, 2016
x
Did this guide help you? If so please give them a vote or leave a comment. You can even win prizes by doing so!
Vote
Comment

You must be logged in to comment. Please login or register.

I liked this Guide
I didn't like this Guide
Commenting is required to vote!
Would you like to add a comment to your vote?

Your votes and comments encourage our guide authors to continue
creating helpful guides for the League of Legends community.

Spells:

LoL Summoner Spell: Flash

Flash

LoL Summoner Spell: Ignite

Ignite

Threats & Synergies

Threats Synergies
Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny
Show All
None Low Ok Strong Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal Synergies
Synergies
Ideal Strong Ok Low None

Introduction

Hi guys! My name is Shrékt and I play on EUNE. I am currently Plat 1. I main mid (like every first pick) and my favourite champion is LeBlanc (and now Jhin!). I started playing LeBlanc in season 3, before the changes to Mimic and way before the changes to her Sigil of Malice. Boy, was she fun. I've played a huge number of games as LeBlanc and I think I know just about enough about her, and the game, to make a guide about her.

Why am I making this guide? Because I got tired of seeing people Distortion- Mimic into a teamfight (right through the frontline) in hope of killing a squishy, get CC'ed and blown up, and then blame it on lags (yes, that does happen, sadly). Most importantly however, there is nothing that brings joy to my heart and a smile to my face than seeing a well played LeBlanc, whether she's on my team or on the enemy team. As a champion with such a fu*king high skillcap, I do think that anyone who does well with her consistently deserves a huge fu*king round of applause, even if I happen to be on the receiving end.

...

Trust me, even if you don't play LeBlanc yourself, surely you don't want one on your team who has no idea what the hell they are doing. A bad LeBlanc is the last thing you want. Unless you do, please rate and share this guide, so that you don't end up with shi*ty LeBlancs everywhere, because, trust me, it really DOES hurt to see someone Sigil of Malice- Distortion- Mimic instead of Sigil of Malice- Mimic- Distortion. REALLY HURTS.

Before we start, I would like to mention that although this guide is aimed mainly at ranked play, there is absolutely nothing stopping you from using it for normal games, since ranked games are pretty much the same as normal games, but people try harder. I will include a LeBlanc vs LeBlanc match-up just for the sake of people who prefer normals. I would also like to apologise for the walls of text you will see, but LeBlanc has so much depth to her, there is no other way.

Also, please know that this is not a 'light read', and certainly not something you can skim-read during the loading screen. This guide is pretty much everything I know about this champion and as such it's quite extensive in its depth. In fact, I do believe it's about 30+ minutes to read it all. You'll hate me for it, but trust me, you'll love me for it.

Sorry.
Back to Top

About LeBlanc

Well then;

So you've seen others play LeBlanc nearly to perfection and you want to shrek people too? Do you have wet dreams about 100-0'ing anyone in under a second? If so, then you've come to the right place, my friend. In this guide I will show you how I play LeBlanc and hopefully you will be able to incorporate my playstyle in your own games.

So who exactly is LeBlanc? LeBlanc is a mobile anti-carry single target burst assassin mage. Woah, woah, that's a lot of key words, so let's break up each and every one:

Mobile - one of LeBlanc's main advantages over other champions she may face in laning phase is that her mobility is vastly superior to her opponent 90% of the time, with very few exceptions, Kassadin being one of them.

Anti-carry - LeBlanc's main role in the team is to dispose of the enemy carries. In other words, she is, by design, a champion whose sole purpose is to literally delete the enemy carry, e.g. that super-farmed Syndra or that annoying Vayne.

Single Target - pretty self explanatory; LeBlanc's abilities give her the potential do massive damage, but only to 1 champion. She lacks the safe AoE of other mages, which is one of her major drawbacks.

Burst - LeBlanc's combo is inherently very fast due to how her abilities link together. This is what makes her so deadly, she can Distortion over a wall, Sigil of Malice- Mimic- Ethereal Chains someone and they drop dead at her feet. Very few champions can survive a fully built LeBlanc's burst, even fully built tanks on some occasions.

Assassin - simply put, an assassin is a champion who specialises in killing weaker champions, particularly ones who don't have a lot of HP.

Mage - very simple, all of LeBlanc's damage comes from her abilities; she cannot enhance her auto-attacks in any way, shape or form.

(Remember - people HATE YOU, like Teemo. In their eyes, you are satan ( Teemo) and they will do anything it takes to kill you. Use this to your advantage)
Back to Top

More About LeBlanc

Unlike other assassins, LeBlanc cannot rely on her teammates to do the job for her... most of the time. You have to be the Mike Rowe of your team (i.e. do all the dirty work yourself). Despite this, as LeBlanc you never want to be in the position where your life is worth the game. Unfortunately your life often is worth the game, or at least a valuable objective, like an inhibitor. Inevitably, people will try to throw your LP/IP (whatever) away, and you will have to do something about that. Inevitably, your lanes will lose and you will have to take care of that. You will have to babysit your team mates into victory, spoonfeed them kills, leave farm for them, call objectives etc.; the list goes on and on.

More often than not, being a fantastic LeBlanc player (e.g. consistently landing Ethereal Chains etc., i.e. mechanics) just won't cut it. You can be the best LeBlanc player in the world, but that won't win you any game if you are not a good League of Legends player. What I mean by that is that you can know LB in-and-out, but you won't win if you don't know the game in-and-out. Being a great LB player is far more than just LB mechanics, such as controlling the clone or whatever. Often you will be the carry of your team, and even perfect LB mechanics won't savour you. If you can't make crucial decisions such as whether to go for Baron or Dragon etc., you will not win. Of course, sometimes you'll be behind while your team is steamrolling, so you'll get carried. But let's be honest, how often does that happen, especially in solo queue?

Exactly.

Long story short, YOU need to carry. But unlike other assassins, LeBlanc's kit can be, and 90% of the time is, VERY forgiving. But not always. Naturally, your Ethereal Chains keep you away from the rapists on the enemy team, but sometimes: A) that's not enough; B) you miss, C) they have tenacity, or D) they have oranges ( Gangplank; in case you didn't get it). Likewise, Distortion is a dash, and therefore it can be interrupted. Or, if you prefer, you can slam your face on a wall. Whichever suits you.

Carrying as LeBlanc is VERY difficult, I'm not going to lie about that. There are several things you need to keep in mind when you are in such position:

1) Who is on the top of your blacklist. And by that I of course mean your highest priority target. You need to look at everyone's items and make a decision. Poor selection of targets is what loses games most often for LeBlanc. That, and getting caught like a bi*ch, which also will happen. Sometimes, however, you might just wish to blow up the first person that wanders too close to you. That is also fine, but you need to be sure that this decision won't have a negative effect on the teamfight. For example, if their Bard walks too close to you in a teamfight, trying to protect his carry, you can 100-0 him. But you've killed the support, and for 20 or so seconds you're as useful as being AFK. Make smart decisions.

2) Teamfights. I cannot stress this enough, but I will try. Teamfights are the quintessence of this game. All the farming, killing and objective taking in the early and mid game will boil down to 10-15 seconds during which the game is decided. You win or you lose. As LeBlanc, you have the potential to turn teamfights around in your favour, so long as you're doing the right thing. I will go over this later in a separate chapter, but despite being an assassin, your role in the teamfight can vary greatly. As I said, more on that later.

3) Items. If you even want to think about carrying, you must have your core. AHEM; Rabadon's Deathcap, Luden's Tempest and Void Staff (and some comfy shoes too; Sorcerer's Shoes). For clarity's sake, Sorcerer's Shoes are NOT part of the core of this build, but if you followed my proposed item order, you would have finished them even before Rabadon's Deathcap. With these three items you should be at around 300-400 AP and 25% CDR, which is a load of awesome stats. 400 AP should be enough for you to pick off the target you chose, and 25% CDR is more than enough to give you superb mobility and the ability to replicate your 2000 damage combo every 20 seconds.

There is so much more, but listing everything you might need to keep in mind while carrying would take me way too long, and it would be virtually impossible to keep in mind all that you just read while playing. The guide is already enough of a torture to read, let's not make it worse. Please remember that even though I might not have managed to tell you everything, it doesn't mean that you will never be able to carry as LeBlanc, it just comes with practise. Sorry to sound mean, but it's just the way things work. This guide is about 95% of everything I know about LeBlanc, and it's here for anyone, free of charge, so it makes sense for me to tell you to learn through trial and error like I did. That's what normals are for.

*sigh*, sorry.
Back to Top

On Ethereal Chains

Never underestimate your Ethereal Chains. They are the only CC you have (R.I.P Sigil of Silence), but still an invaluable tool in your kit. I would like to say that Ethereal Chains separate the good LeBlancs from the bad ones, but A) that sounds super-cliché, and B) that award goes to Mimic. Nevertheless, landing those chains is extremely important for your success as LB. Without them you probably couldn't get a single kill in laning phase. Firstly your Q-R-W combo will NEVER 100-0 your opponent at level 6, and secondly, who the fu*k cares if you can do the damage when they can just walk away from you? A champion with pure damage is useless if it doesn't have any CC.

I dread the day when LeBlanc's snare will also be removed, since it will "add more counterplay to her".

NEVERTHELESS...

I have recently (as of writing this) played a game which I think I won in 90% thanks to Ethereal Chains. Our Graves was AFK for the first several minutes of the game, so naturally I had to help him out. I don't want to boast, but I think I landed almost ever single chain in that game, and that's probably what won it for me. By consistently landing Ethereal Chains I was able to feed Graves some kills (some 15) and have him carry the game, pin down enemies for my team to help me kill them and pick up some kills along the way, etc.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that Ethereal Chains are absolutely vital to your success, and you should never neglect them. For instance, imagine that you are decently fed (~15 kills) and a teamfight is about to start. Both teams are lingering around the Baron pit, including you and their 9/3 Vayne, who has been farming pretty much the whole game up until now. Naturally, you need to kill her. Never mind Sona, Xerath or Jarvan IV. You must kill that Vayne. Luckily for you she hasn't yet bought any defensive items, putting her at a measly 1500 HP and ~40 MR, while you stand at ~600 AP.

Now, this is what I'd expect any decent LB player to do: jump forward, Q-R Vayne for about 70% of her HP and distort back. Okay, fair enough; you've now pretty much took Vayne out of the teamfight-to-come. She is low on HP and must recall to heal up. That's not a bad thing to do, but neither is it the best.

Now suppose that you do the exact same thing, but also throw Ethereal Chains before distorting back. And suppose that you actually aimed them at where she will be while tumbling away from your Sigils, and that her team is even more re*arded than her, so despite the whole of her team being right next to her, there is no one to block the chain.

BOOM!

The chain connects, bringing Vayne down to about -200 HP. In the distance you hear a [Legendary!], and a [+300g] pops up from Vayne's dead body.

You've now LITERALLY took Vayne out of the fight, and your team soon engages on the now outnumbered enemy team, you ace them, take Baron and siege the enemy base with the Baron buff, ace them again and win. An expenditure of 80 extra mana just won you a game. Otherwise, Vayne would recall, heal up and join the teamfight slightly late, but managing to clean it up, acing YOUR team, allowing her to buy a Banshee's Veil and eliminate the possiblity of you 100-0'ing her once-and-for-all, so SHE wins the game.

Of course such a scenario is extremely unlikely to happen, but it wonderfully illustrated the power of Ethereal Chains. Whether it's to pin down an enemy for your team to pick up the kill, pin down an enemy assassin/bruiser to protect your ADC or whatever, they are an important ability that you must learn to use in order to help you win.

I couldn't imagine any other ability in place of Ethereal Chains; it just suits LB so well, it works with the rest of her kit and gives her a ton of choice in her kit. I could, however, imagine them resulting in a stun rather than a snare. I wouldn't mind that.

In fact it would put more emphasis on landing them, since they'd be such a strong ability. A 1.5s stun? yes please! Although now that I think about it, it would be pretty OP if you could chain two 1.5s stuns together. Haha, chain them. Get it? 'cause that ability is called Ethereal Chains. Chains. Haha, haha...

Kill me.
Back to Top

My Playstyle

Please note that the sole purpose of this guide is to show you how I play LeBlanc. This may not be how you play LeBlanc or how anyone else plays LeBlanc. Nevertheless:

My personal playstyle is, as I've noticed, very 'awkward'. I tend to either do really well with her, or I get stomped, which is pretty much how LeBlanc was designed. But there's more to it than that. I've noticed that I absolutely love counterjungling. Wait, what? Counterjungling as a mid laner?

Yes, exactly that. A lot of people, don't expect a mid laner to counterjungle them, simply because a lot of mid laners just sit in their lane and farm all game. But LeBlanc is not like that. Unless you've gone up against Galio or Morgana (God forbid you picked LeBlanc after someone picked Galio or Morgana), farming for 30 minutes is the last thing you want to do, and certainly not something I enjoy doing. At least not on LeBlanc

Nevertheless, counterjungling as LeBlanc can be very beneficial to your team, so long as you're doing it correctly. I will keep saying this throughout the guide: your ability to do well on LeBlanc is dependent on your decision-making.

For instance, if their Lee Sin who is jungling, is re*arded enough to build full damage, it's a good idea to go there and smack him up a few times; make him scared of his own jungle. However, if their Lee Sin is building full tank, then don't waste your time trying to kill him, because it won't happen, and you'll die.

If you are premade with your jungler, communicate with him/her when you'll invade their jungle and proceed to faceroll whoever you find strolling around.

I've noticed that I don't go roaming to bot-lane as much as I probably should, nevertheless I still win games. How? Well if the enemy bot lane is something akin to Corki + Janna, then perhaps going there in attempt to do anything useful is not a good use of my time. This is also where part of the skill of playing LeBlanc comes from (well, any champion, really); knowing your opponent. If I know the enemy champions' skillsets, I can adapt my playstyle accordingly. For example, if you like towerdiving, but the enemy team has a Nasus or a Renekton, think twice.

Most of my roaming goes into the enemy jungle and top lane. I don't like ganking bot lane, and for a good reason; it's not that I don't want my Vayne to get fed and stuff, but I personally have trouble finding luck in a 3v2, a 3v3 should their jungler come, or even a 4v3 if their mid comes as well. Your jungler probably won't be there. Let's be honest, a potential quadra kill, or gromp? Pretty obvious choice.

I don't like going bot simply because there are 2 players that can kill you, as opposed to 1 champ in that top lane. That Nasus isn't going to have fun in that 2v1, is he? On the other hand, a 3v2 is much easier to handle for the enemy bot lane.

I know I'm bound to get raged at for saying this, but I personally think LeBlanc's laning phase is somewhat... meh. It's not extraordinary by any means, aside from her sheer damage, but she has a lot of weaknesses that any good opponent will exploit. Even something as basic as not taking free harass without retaliating, standing behind minions to avoid chains, or (you'd be surprised) BUILDING MAGIC RESIST. Many people that I've faced so far haven't done ANY of these things, which is why they lost.

Mid game has to be my favourite part of the game. This is what I believe to be LeBlanc's strongest phase, and by far. Mid game starts once at least 2 outer turrets have been destroyed, for me at least, or around the 20-25 minute mark, if you prefer. This is where things become fun; no one has any idea what's going on, people facechecking 24/7, etc.

In mid game, I usually have my core ( Rabadon's Deathcap, Luden's Tempest and Void Staff). This is where LeBlanc's dominance peaks. Since mid game is where LeBlanc reaches the peak of her power level, and where your opponents haven't yet started to build defence, LeBlanc's influence on the game is huge.

Needless to say, if you die here, your team is screwed, especially if you've been going bot lane all game and consistently stealing double kills from that Draven of yours. If you are your team's carry, your death is as good as losing 3 inhibitors. In other words, DON'T DIE.

Late game is also a part of the game I enjoy, but not so much on LeBlanc. Don't get me wrong, compared to other assassins, LeBlanc's late game is actually incredibly strong. However, it's not THAT strong. If played perfectly, then yes, it is frightening to play against a fully built LeBlanc. But, be warned that it is incredibly difficult to play her well in the late game. I like to say that the difficulty in playing LeBlanc is directly proportional to the length of the match.

As you probably know, LeBlanc is famous for ending games at 20 minutes. But if LeBlanc has nearly all of her team's kills, it creates a problem, whereby her victory is dependent only on her. Even with 40% CDR, carrying a game as LeBlanc is very, VERY difficult. But, NOT impossible. Should you become your team's last hope in winning, your life will become much, MUCH more precious than anyone else's, yes, even that 11/2 Vayne on the other team. As always; assess your circumstances, adapt accordingly (you will see me say this a lot).
Back to Top

Summoner Spells

- Flash is pretty much mandatory on any champion with a few exceptions like Ghost on Hecarim, but that's it really. Flash gives you the wonderful flexibility, unmatched by any other summoner spell.
Enemy low on HP and Distortion is on cooldown? No problem - Flash in for the kill.
About to get hit by that Super Mega Death Rocket!? No problem - just Flash to the side.
The versatility of this spell is what makes it a must-have in every game. It also has great synergy with your Distortion allowing you to juke the living sh*t out of your enemies and make them rage uncontrollably which is a great motivation for the rest of the game.

- Ignite is mainly used to help secure kills in the lane, as well at outside of it. Not having Ignite can be a huge disadvantage, especially if your enemy has any way of healing themselves, such as Heal or Ravenous Flock or Maximum Dosage. This spell lets you secure first blood easily and allows you do burst down champions such as Swain or Dr. Mundo who would otherwise survive.

- Although I've never actually tried Teleport on LeBlanc, I agree that it could be a very strong choice. However, the lack of Ignite can lose you precious kills that you couldn't get even with Teleport, simply because Teleport ganks are too predictable and Teleport itself takes way too long. I personally don't like it but if you decide to take my LeBlanc top lane, then I suppose you could make a use of it.

[insert any other summoner spell here] - No

- I admire the huge balls you must have for trying jungle LeBlanc. In season 3, maybe. Season 5, no fu*king way. Even champions designed for jungling have a hard time in the jungle. What chance does a fragile LeBlanc stand? You'd pretty much have to have a support babysitting you through the first 20 minutes of the jungle. Just don't do it.
Back to Top

Runes

My preferred runes
After a series of rants about runes, I must say that these are not the correct runes for LeBlanc, you are free to use whichever ones you prefer, usually it's the marks that differ between people. I personally prefer AD marks

Greater Glyph of Scaling Cooldown Reduction - I have been trying these out recently and I must say that I am extremely impressed by how well they are going for me. These make your early game damage very slightly weaker, but the trade-off is absolutely incredible. With 9 of these you will have 15% CDR at level 18, and while you won't often get to level 18 in a game, the ever-increasing CDR that these provide will cover up for your slightly weaker late-game. With these runes, the 5% CDR from masteries and Athene's Unholy Grail you'll be zooming around with 40% CDR. That's a full rotation every 14 seconds. Absolutely fantastic runes, and it amazes me how I haven't came up with this earlier.

Greater Mark of Magic Penetration - I'm back to using these babies as they are very comfortable, and while 8 MPen might not seem like much, it will help a lot, especially if you buy Sorcerer's Shoes early. Ideally though you want to buy Rabadon's Deathcap ASAP, and these runes will provide a bit of cover-up for the missing MPen from Sorcerer's Shoes, since you'll want to sacrifice those to finish that deathcap faster.

Greater Seal of Mana Regeneration - these, paired with your Void Staff will give you a lot of mana regen. Again, difference between life and death in some situations.

Greater Quintessence of Ability Power - no choice here, really. 15 starting AP is a boss.

Other usable runes
These are the runes which I myself don't use, either because I don't like them or because I tried them out and I hated them. You can use them if you like

greater mark of hybrid penetration - after a lot of whining helpful feedback, I've decided to include these as an alternative to AD marks. I still prefer AD marks, personally, but I guess hybrid pen marks are just as good.

Greater Seal of Armor - good to use against AD champions like Talon or Zed, but you are LeBlanc and as such, you shouldn't be dying too often, therefore I find these rather useless. YOU ARE NOT A TANK.

Greater Seal of Health - again, you are LeBlanc, you shouldn't die, you shouldn't use these. Mana regen, in my opinion, is a lot more beneficial than 100+ HP. Oh well...
Back to Top

Masteries

Firstly, we will be going 12/18/0 no matter what. The resolve tree in my opinion provides no bonuses useful enough to dump valuable points into. So...

Ferocity

Sorcery - Not really much to explain here, this mastery simply gives more of what gives enemy ADCs nightmares; burst.

Double Edged Sword - A pretty tough choice here, to be honest. Feast might seem like a nice bonus; some sustain sounds nice, but it's only 20 health every 25 seconds. Expose Weakness is probably the worst one here. Useful for a support, I guess, but you're anything but. You're an assassin, and therefore you will probably work alone most of the time, so this mastery will be wasted. Therefore the only option left is to take Double Edged Sword .

Natural Talent - Lifesteal is the last stat LeBlanc needs, and spellvamp won't do you much good either. You don't need sustain, because you're an assassin, not a duelist. Your job is to kill someone before they can even react let alone aim and fire off abilities at you. You shouldn't be taking all that much damage, especially late game, and let's be honest, late game almost anything will one shot you, so spellvamp won't really remedy that, will it? Of course not. Natural Talent , however, gives some nice bonus AD and AP. AD will give your autoattacks a little more damage, which could secure you a kill. Think of all those times someone got away at something like 5 HP. Not anymore they won't. 15 AP might not seem like much, but it will stack with other bonuses like that from Rabadon's Deathcap. Overall, again more damage.

Cunning

Wanderer - Pretty useful for roaming, getting back to lane faster etc. A lot more useful than 5 bonus damage against minions.

Assassin - As explained before, you're an assassin, and so you work alone most of the time. This mastery is pretty much the exact opposite of Expose Weakness , and is what you will want to take. Other than that, I do have to say that this is probably the toughest choice to make from all the masteries. Both increased duration of buffs and more powerful potions cookies sound like great alternatives to Assassin . I suppose depending on whether you have a poke-type champion in lane (the likes of Lux, Brand etc.) cookies might be better to take for extra sustain against that poke. Meanwhile, 15% isn't that much at all, and will only increase the duration of the buffs by maybe a few dozen seconds. Not that impressive.

Merciless - Again, pretty standard. More damage against low health targets makes assassinations a lot easier and cleaner.

Dangerous Game - Again, you're not a support, so Bandit won't be the choice to make. Meanwhile, the 5% of missing health and mana can and will save your life many times. Very useful for clutch "duels" and outplays. The health restored will often save you from an [ignite] or whatever.

Precision - Another very difficult choice. I have tried 45% CDR on LeBlanc and it is insanely fun. Mimic on 13 second cool-down! However, in order to get the 45%, you will have to buy Ionian Boots of Lucidity instead of Sorcerer's Shoes, and that combined with taking Intelligence as opposed to Precision in itself will cost you a lot of damage in the magic penetration you will be missing. Overall it seems that more MPen is simply the way to go, but having 45% CDR is very, very amusing. Up to you, really.

Thunderlord's Decree - This mastery works exceptionally well with LeBlanc's kit, because Sigil of Malice's double effect means that it procs two ticks for Thunderlord's Decree . This means that a simple Q-W or Q-R will pop it, which makes for all the more powerful lane harass. It goes without saying that even though this doesn't scale with AP all that amazingly, late game this can amount to ~200-250 extra damage in your combo. It scales a lot better with levels, giving you an extra incentive to stay higher-leveled than your opponents. Very satisfying to use. Windspeaker's Blessing is a definite no-no; you have no shields/heals (can't believe I'm actually writing this, but for fear of seeing someone run this mastery I had to put it in the guide). Stormraider's Surge also looks pretty nice; removing 30% of someone's health bar shouldn't be a problem for you, even at level 2. The problem is that movement speed isn't a very good stat for LeBlanc, because you can always use your Distortion to blink back to where you were. This mastery is amazing on champions like Talon, but on LeBlanc not so much.
Back to Top

Abilities

- arguably the most underestimated passive in the game. Unbelievable potential, but it's hardly ever used. I admit, I don't use it too often myself, since I can prevent myself from dropping below 40% HP most of the time. Remember, you are LeBlanc; you shouldn't be taking any more damage than you absolutely must, therefore this passive is somewhat obsolete. However, if you are brought below 40%, this thing can save your life (or end it), depending on how you use it.

With the not-so-recent LeBlanc changes, the clone now moves by itself. This can be both helpful, and not helpful. The clone's mechanics are somewhat odd for a champion-type pet, but they are worth mentioning:

- The clone spawns when you are brought below 40% of your max HP and lasts 8 seconds.
- It can be controlled to move or attack by holding the 'alt' key while right clicking
- It has a leash range of about 1125 (from leagueoflegends.wikia.com)
- Its attacks apply on-hit effects
- Its attacks deal no damage
- It appears exactly as the real LeBlanc does (only to enemies, the clone is different coloured for you and your team)
- It is spawned immediately upon taking damage below 40% and remains stealthed with the real LeBlanc for 1 second (they become visible simultaneously)

That's a lot to remember, but it will come extremely easily once you play around with it a little bit. It has so many potential uses, it's unbelievable. You can use it to:

- Bait an enemy into a brush-ful of team mates.
- Block champion-targeted abilities such as Ace in the Hole or Super Mega Death Rocket!
- Create a distraction for the real LeBlanc to assassinate a target
And many more...

Now, it goes without saying that you should not be sitting around at 41% HP and waiting to get hit by something just to use your clone. Wiser enemies will not fall for the clone as it can give away the real LeBlanc very easily:

- The clone does not posses items, therefore any visual effects such as those from Sunfire Aegis and Guardian Angel will not show on the clone
- Blue and Red buff do not show up on the clone
- Any visual effects from enemy abilities such as Ignite or Illumination will not show up on the clone if those abilities triggered Mirror Image
- Any leashes such as Death Sentence and Decrepify will not show up on the clone if those abilities triggered Mirror Image

With that being said, there are a lot of things that can give away the real LeBlanc, sometimes things outside your control, such as whether you have a buff on you when the Mirror Image triggers. Nevertheless, you should try to use it as often as you can, as it is good practise and it WILL save your life many times.

- probably LeBlanc's most often Mimicked ability. It is a targeted nuke which deals moderate damage and marks your target for 3.5s. It's not the damage that is important, it's the secondary effect; if your target takes damage from any other of your abilities, the mark detonates and does extra damage. The activation damage is equal to the primary damage. This is the skill you will be maxing every game. Combining Sigil of Malice with Mimic into a quick combo gives you strong damage potential in lane and allows fast and easy trades. Note that both the regular Sigil of Malice and the Mimicked version can trigger each other's secondary effects, which allows for some interesting combinations, given enough CDR.

- another ability with a double effect, most commonly used for triggering the Sigil of Malice's secondary damage, waveclearing, escaping and engaging targets. It does quite heavy AoE damage within a small radius, but that's not the big deal. The most interesting part of Distortion is that it leaves a mark on the ground after use. This mark remains for 4 seconds. LeBlanc can reactivate Distortion to blink back to the pad, regardless of the distance between her and the pad. Note that you cannot reactivate Distortion if you are: snared, stunned, knocked up, silenced, surpressed etc. Use this ability wisely, sometimes it's better not to use this as a follow-up to Sigil of Malice if you're expecting a gank. Note that Distortion's primary effect is a dash, which means it can be interrupted by abilities such as Vault Breaker if they strike you mid-dash. Distortion's secondary effect is a blink, and as such it cannot be interrupted. Take particular care when dashing near champions such as Vi that can interrupt your dash and ruin your escape.

- this is what makes or brakes a LeBlanc (well, that and Mimic). Like Sigil of Malice, this has 2 parts. Primary - LeBlanc launches a projectile which latches onto the first enemy it hits (can hit minions) and creates a tether for 1.5s. If the target remains in tether range (1000 units!) for the duration of the tether, they are rooted for 1.5s and take additional damage, equal to the primary damage. What is so interesting about this ability is that both instances of its damage can trigger both Sigil of Malice and its Mimicked version. This opens you up to some very interesting combos, so think twice before using this ability, and decide whether you will throw anything inside the 1.5s.

- this is LeBlanc's iconic ability, and this is what makes her such a unique champion. The ability to recast your previously cast ability is what sets her apart from other one-trick-pony assassins à la Talon or Katarina. This is the ability that gives LeBlanc so much flexibility in her kit and allows her to adapt to any situation.
Need to burst down that Caitlyn? No problem - just Mimic your Sigil of Malice and she's dead.
Need to escape from a gank? No problem - just Mimic your Distortion and gtfo of there.
Need to pin down that annoying Darius? No problem - just Mimic your Ethereal Chains and he ain't going nowhere near your Jinx.

See? It's such a simple concept, but it's the execution that matters. *sigh*, once again: assess circumstances, adapt accordingly - Mimic is the ability that makes this possible.

(Note: Sigil of Malice and its Mimicked version can both trigger each other's secondary effects. Distortion and its Mimicked version leave individual pads and LeBlanc can reactivate the corresponding ability to blink back to either one. Ethereal Chains and its Mimicked version's slow AND snares do NOT stack, but rather the duration of the effect will be refreshed)
Back to Top

Ability Order

Always max Sigil of Malice first. It gives the best and most reliable damage source of all your basic abilities. It allows you to harass your opponent easily, it's not a skillshot and it doesn't eat through your mana THAT fast.

Next, max Distortion, because it does its damage instantly when hit, unlike Ethereal Chains which you have to hold for 1.5s. Maxing Distortion also reduces its cooldown which could be the difference between life and death.

Finally, max chains last because there's nothing else to level up.

Always, ALWAYS put points into your ultimate, Mimic when you can. The power spikes you get from levelling it are insane. If you miss-click and put a point into something else than your ult it's not the end of the world, but you'll be quite behind in damage for a whole level, so just be careful with it.
Back to Top

Items

For LeBlanc's items, focus on AP, CDR and mana regen. With this build, LeBlanc remains a massive threat, thanks to the 35% CDR.

- Sorcerer's Shoes are your best boots for the simple reason that they give you more damage. One could argue that Mobility Boots could be better for her, as they would give her more roaming power, but how are you going to kill someone without penetration? Mercury's Treads could also be a viable option if the enemy team has a lot of CC, but most CC in this game are skillshots, and you are LeBlanc; you don't get hit by skillshots, especially not that Enchanted Crystal Arrow or Solar Flare.

- if you are using the scaling CDR glyphs you will not need those. If you're using different glyphs then you can switch to these boots later in the game to still have 40% CDR.

- It recently occurred to me that this item replenishes 30% of your maximum mana on kill or assist. I still remember when it was 8%. I have no idea when this item got buffed so damn hard, but I think this trait alone makes it superior to Morellonomicon. It gives the same CDR, which is essentially what we're looking for in this item, but it gives oh so much more mana regeneration. Therefore, I think it is better than Morellonomicon.

- Aaaahhh. Beautiful, beautiful indeed; a truly amazing item. Alright, so this is now your third core item, instead of Rylai's Crystal Scepter. Although Luden's Tempest doesn't quite reach the damage of DFG, the advantage of Luden's Tempest is mainly that you don't have to remember to use it. Also it has a very short cooldown. Remember that not only does Luden's Tempest charge when you walk, but also when you jump with Distortion and return it, since it's distance TRAVELLED not WALKED. This makes it incredibly important for LeBlanc, because you can charge it up so quickly, and most people don't expect Luden's Tempest to be charged so fast.

- Damage. Damage, damage, damage. Tons of motherfu*king damage. HOLY SH*T, SO MUCH DAMAGE, OH MY GOD! Buy if you want to win, don't buy if you like seeing 'Defeat' and/or are a p*ssy.

- this item is NOT situational, your opponents WILL build magic resist (sooner or later anyway), and if you want to stay relevant late game, you need this. There's not much I can say about this, it simply skyrockets your damage. (Hint: if you've finished your core build, and your enemies haven't built MR yet, buy Zhonya's Hourglass before Void Staff. If they have built MR, Void Staff comes before Zhonya's Hourglass).

- this is the best defensive item you can buy. Full fu*king stop. Enemy Zed is well farmed and can 1 shot you? NOPE - buy this thing and laugh at him as you Zhonya's Hourglass his Death Mark. This can also be used to bait out and dodge powerful ultimates like Trueshot Barrage or Unleashed Power as it makes you untargetable. Keep in mind the situation you are in; it's a terrible idea to use this when your enemies are chasing you, as it will give them 2.5s to prepare their CC to kill you as soon as you leave stasis. Use with consideration.

Items listed below are either: a) situational, or b) FU*K NO, and they are not in the core build for various reasons:

- no. NO GOD PLEASE NO. NO. NO. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. *sigh*, alright, I will talk about this 'thing'. LeBlanc is all about dominating the early game and ending the game quickly before your opponents can farm back up, outscale you and win. This item is the exact opposite of your goal; it's meant for champions who are late game powerhouses such as Ryze. The process of stacking takes a long time, even on Ryze, let alone on LeBlanc. Your cooldowns are too high to have this finished before 40 minutes. You don't need the 1000 mana, neither do you need the shield from it.

- I actually used to buy this item every game. 30 MPen FTW. But then I realised, WTF am I going to do with this? Selling it would make it a waste of money in the first place since you don't get the original price back. Upgrading this is... eugh... NOT a good idea. Here's why. Liandry's Torment is an item designed for DPS magi such as Swain, Cassiopeia etc. You are not a DPS mage, you are a burst mage. Maybe if Liandry's Torment gave more MPen than Haunting Guise it could be okay for LeBlanc. But it doesn't, and so, don't buy it.

- this item does two things I hate: it gives too little AP, and it provides a defensive stat. I'm not a huge fan of building defence on LeBlanc, and so, this item is not needed. While it does give some considerable MR, like I said, you shouldn't be getting hit too much (unless you're against Ryze, in which case R.I.P.), hence no need for defence. 20 MR reduction can benefit your whole team, but it actually doesn't give you as much damage as you might think. ( Void Staff > Abyssal Mask) Note: this is actually an OK item if you're against a heavy-AP team. Other than that, however, I'd stay away from it.

- If you are even considering this on LeBlanc, then perhaps she's not the champion for you. Okay, let's look at its stats and see what's wrong with it on her: 450 HP - no need for it. 450 mana - even less need for it; you have enough mana to do your job, and enough regen from Athene's Unholy Grail. 60 AP - too little. Most importantly, this is a stacking item. It takes 10 minutes for it to reach its maximum stats. Even then, it only gives 650 HP, 650 mana and 80 AP. Again, no need for HP, no need for mana, too little AP. It therefore goes without saying that this is a nono-type item if you're like me and try super hard in every game (including normals). If you just want to fu*k around, or you watch a little too much of SivHD, you can try building 6 of those. Huehuehue.

- a pretty interesting item, to be honest. It looks pretty good on paper: 80 AP - meh, but oh well. 250 mana - not exactly amazing. 5% movement speed - not necessary either, since you have Distortion AND Mimic. But it's the passive that is so interesting - 75% of base AD + 50% of AP in bonus magic damage on next autoattack. This item could make LeBlanc a splitpushing beast: With full build, the passive could do around 350 bonus damage (a very rough estimate), and if someone comes to try to stop you, you can kill them, and continue pushing. However, I just don't think it would be good for the way I play LeBlanc. I'm not a fan of splitpushing, and your job in the mid/late game is very different to splitpushing. Also, in the late game it can be very risky to stick around for autoattacks when you need to 100-0 someone.

- HAHAHA, no. 80 AP - meh. 10% CDR - bleh. 20% spellvamp - WTF, NO, PLEASE. You are an assassin, your job is to jump in, do damage and gtfo. You are not a fighter, you don't need sustain, and therefore you don't need this item. Just buy a potion or learn to dodge sh*t.

- a very situational item, I would only buy it if the enemy team has strong initiating abilities like Rocket Grab, Enchanted Crystal Arrow or Solar Flare. But then again, these are all skillshots, and we know what LeBlanc thinks of skillshots: NOPE, Distortion BI*CH. Note: sometimes this may be necessary for you to be able to safely jump in and kill someone, but only if the enemy team has, like, 6 Nautilus'...

- another super-situational item. If your life is worth more than Bill Gates' bank account, this is what you need. Good against champions with suppressions ( Warwick, Malzahar, Skarner and Urgot), and Zed, although there is a better item for LeBlanc to counter Zed: Zhonya's Hourglass. The item that builds out of Quicksilver Sash is the Mercurial Scimitar and it is completely useless for LeBlanc. 80 AD? No thank you. I think I'd rather lose the game than be seen walking around with a Mercurial Scimitar. I would resort to not being an idiot and not getting caught.
Back to Top

Item Order

Start off with a Doran's Ring and 2 Health Potions plus Stealth Ward. Fairly straightforward, no issues here.

On your first back, you should look to buy the most expensive item you can. If you happen to be able to afford a Needlessly Large Rod on your first recall; don't think twice. Sometimes, however, you happen to have only JUST enough money to buy a certain item. For example, you recall and you have exactly 1100 gold. Now, you could just buy Sorcerer's Shoes and waltz back into lane, but that would be stupid. Consider your opponent and how they have been playing until you recalled. If your enemy is someone such as Katarina, then it would not really be helpful to run faster, would it? (Ahem, 0 skillshots, requires 0 skill) Nope. Instead, it would be better to buy a Fiendish Codex, a few Health Potions and maybe a ward. Even if you're not in danger of being ganked, it's still a good idea to place a ward in the small bush near baron/dragon pit to help your jungler out. To summarise, judge your lane situation and opponent, and make the best decision.

From here, it all depends on whether you're doing great, or not so great. If you're getting fed, you should rush Rabadon's Deathcap -> Luden's Tempest. Damage, damage, FU*KING DAMAGE. If you are losing, then you should focus on getting as much damage as you can, as this will help you get kills and bring you back into the game. If you are behind, buying CDR it pointless since you do no damage anyway, because you'll be behind in levels and have less base damage. Instead, rush big damage items to get back up and only then get the CDR. It's better for you to blow someone up and then be useless for 30 seconds, than for you to be useless the whole time.

In general, however, the item order looks like this:

Rabadon's Deathcap -> Luden's Tempest -> Sorcerer's Shoes -> Void Staff -> Athene's Unholy Grail -> Zhonya's Hourglass
Back to Top

Mejai's Soulstealer

Oh boy, this item. It probably deserves an entire guide of its own, but I'm afraid I have more interesting things to talk about... Uhh, nope, read on.

I haven't bought this on LB for SUCH a long time, and for a good reason. To be honest, I suck at LB, and despite always telling you that LB should never die, because Distortion, Ethereal Chains etc., I die all the time. I can never learn to stop myself from just going ape-sh*t into the enemy team and hoping for at least one kill, let alone a pentakill.

On a more serious note, the reason why I don't buy this item (at least not on LB), is because:

a) She is WAYYYYYYYYYYY too squishy to run around with stacks on this thing and think that no one will try to touch her just because she can 100-0 the tank with just Q-R. Remember, people hate you (not like Teemo-hate hate, but still pretty hate) and they will not hesitate to blow all of their team's summoner's just to get rid of at least a few stacks. This item essentially places a huge flashing red exclamation mark (think Rengar's ult), and gives every enemy player an arrow that appears above their own heads which points to your exact location and bends timespace around you such that every skillshot hits you, even if they'd miss completely. Yeah, it's pretty much that. It takes no genius to press Tab and see the enemy LB running around with this thing.

b)I can never reach late game while maintaining more than 10 stacks. Don't know about you, but that's just me. Read on.

If you like to live dangerously, which I'm not a huge fan of, then go ahead and get this. After all this game, like any other, is meant to be fun, right? Right! But unlike some (or rather most) people, I like to win, and winning while carrying 20 stacks and not being a fu*king Janna is pretty much impossibru.

Long story short; get this if you are absolutely stomping the enemy team. And by 'you' I of course mean your entire team; if you are the only decently fed person on your team (when all the other lanes didn't do so well) and you buy Mejai's Soulstealer, you're going to have a bad day. If you've played LeBlanc for long enough, you'd have encountered something which I like to call 'LeBlanc syndrome'.

Let's assume that you are 6/0 at 13 minutes, i.e. you're in a very strong position. At the same time, your Ashe is 0/3, your Leona is 1/4, your Nasus is 2/5 and your Lee Sin is 1/3. This is extremely unfortunate, but it does happen, and unfortunately for you, suffering from the LeBlanc syndrome, you can't do anything. When you possess >50% of your team's kills, it forces you into a terrible situation. You end up being the only one on your team with any damage whatsoever, which means that you keep taking the kills, intentionally or unintentionally, which deprives your team of gold. Meanwhile, they die as you kill the enemy, so your team ends up farther and farther behind, and you comprise the overwhelming majority of your team's damage. But you are not the ADC, and you are not the APC, you're an assassin. Even with 40% CDR (which you don't get with this build) you couldn't do a lot to win. It would become more and more difficult for you to leave kills for your allies, which means that they'd just be useless, and you cannot 1v5.

Apologies for going a bit off-point here, but I'm trying to emphasize the importance of this chapter. If your whole team is winning, then this is a fantastic item to buy as it will only compound your lead. However, if you happen to be the only one who is doing decently well, and your teammates are not so hot, then this is a worse purchase than a fu*king Ohmwrecker (who buys this anyway? wtf riot).

To summarise once again, if your team is:

WINNING - proceed to buy Mejai's Soulstealer and faceroll your opponents.

LOSING - stay away from this as much as you can; this is a big nono.

Note: regardless of how well your team is doing, please do not buy this in ranked. While it might seem beneficial to buy this to be able to 100-0 anyone (literally ANYONE), it forces people to focus you, which doesn't help when you're trying to 100-0 someone. Moreover losing 10 stacks (almost 100 AP) has a tremendous effect on your damage, so if you're relying on this item in your build, you might become useless as you lose your stacks and therefore your ability to delete someone.
Back to Top

Combos

Aah, combos; the quintessence of LeBlanc. This is where the fun really begins; there's no better feeling than bringing down a tank (hear that Jarvan IV?, TANK) in a single combo. Pressing three buttons and killing the ADC (sometimes even two). Obviously you have to be fed for that to be possible, and that's the tricky part. Any re*ard can press Q-R-W and delete someone, but it takes skill to get yourself to that point; you're not going to be Q-R-W'ing people at level 6. Heck, not even at 18 if you don't have items.

There are a couple of types of combos I will show you, and a special spot reserved for my favourite <3.

Laning Phase Combos

These combos will be the ones you will be using in laning phase:

Pre-6:

AA-
This is your level 1 combo. Okay, it's not exactly a combo, but it's your main harass combination. You will use this to bring your enemy down to about 1/2 HP before you hit level 2. Note that it is important that you autoattack before you shoot off a Sigil of Malice, as your Sigil of Malice has longer range than your autoattack. Take care with minion aggro when you autoattack.


- - -AA
This is your level 2 combo, and the first power spike you get. Assuming you've successfully brought your enemy down to 1/2 HP by this point, as soon as you hit level 2, you do this combo and you get your first kill. Remember, it takes 7 minions to reach level two; that is the first wave of 6, plus the first melee creep. The first blood will bring you to level 3 while your enemy is still level 1. After the first kill, make sure to push the wave and go back, unless you haven't lost a lot of health and still have Health Potions left, in which case you can stay as you will have a level advantage.


- - -AA-AA
This is your level 3 combo. Very similar to the level 2 combo, except that now you have Ethereal Chains. Hitting these will allow you to slap in a few more autoattacks for more damage. After the chains shut, return with Distortion and proceed to last-hit.


Post-6:

- - -AA-AA- ( Ethereal Chains)- -AA-AA-( )
This is your level 6 kill combo, and one of my favourites. It starts just like the level 3 combo. This is an example of what I like to call 'combo stretching'. The concept is very simple; you space out your abilities instead of using them all at once. Firstly, this is important because at level 6 you simply don't have the raw damage to 100-0 someone with just Q-R-W-E. You must autoattack. Secondly, this combo Mimics Ethereal Chains. Mimicking Ethereal Chains gives you more time to squeeze in some more autoattacks. It goes like this; do your level 3 combo, Q-W-E (+AA). Then, about 0.5s before the snare ends, throw your Mimicked chains, and a Sigil of Malice between them. This will be your burst which people won't expect; it triggers both damage parts of Mimic. Use Ignite if needed, although after so much damage it shouldn't be necessary.


- -
This is simply a harass combo; it won't get you kills unless your enemy is hanging around at <400 HP. Distort forward (even better if you hit them with it), Q-R quickly, throw in an autoattack and return. Nice and safe damage.


Mid Game Combos

- -
A.k.a 'the facecheck combo'. Very simple; you stand in a brush (make sure you used Sweeping Lens on it, so you don't end up wasting your time. Will explain later), wait for someone to walk up to you, and then combo them. If two enemies are approaching, e.g. the enemy bot lane, you can substitute Distortion with Ethereal Chains only to activate Mimic Sigil of Malice's secondary damage and still have Distortion to get away from the support. This combo is best done around the dragon/baron pit, since you can save Distortion to dash over the wall, in case the jungler shows up to shove their di*k down your throat. You don't want that.


- -
This is a rather unusual combo, but you will have to use it sooner or later. This one is aimed at catching out an enemy and pinning them down for your team. As such, don't ever do this if you're alone, since you won't be able to Mimic your Distortion to get away if others show up. This will be your main combo if you are behind, as it will allow you to feed off of assists, while still helping out your team. Don't use this against enemies with tenacity, i.e. Mercury's Treads or equivalent; it will be a waste of your precious CC. Most commonly used on the bruisers, but if you can catch the enemy carry, even better.


-
Very simple, this is your 'GTFO of there combo'. Got yourself in a heap of sh*t? No problem, double-dash away. Another use for this combo is to bring the enemy to your team. This works sometimes, and only on specific abilities such as Resonating Strike and Cease and Desist. Mandatory if you get hit by Chum the Waters. RUN BI*CH!.


Late Game Combos

- - - (if needed )- (return)

This is an awesome late game combo and it works wonders when you're fully built. Simply jump forward with Distortion, then Q-R and return. Congratulations, you've just taken out ~70% of your target's HP! Be warned that this only works on squishies like Jinx or Xerath. Don't do this on a tank because a) you'll do nothing to them b) you'll look like an idiot. Also don't do this if the enemy has Banshee's Veil up. Sometimes this will literally 2 shot the squishy if you are super fed or if they are super behind or both. I'd always also throw Ethereal Chains just for safety. Yours... not theirs, lol.


My favourite combo

- - - - (return)

This is by far my favourite combo and one I use most often. While it's not the safest combo, it's quite reliable, assuming you hit the chains in the first place. It's FAST, EFFECTIVE AND FUN.
Back to Top

Laning Phase

Although as I said, I don't think laning phase is where LeBlanc really shines, it is the most important part of the game for you, as LeBlanc. Now, that she doesn't have the silence she used to have, winning laning phase can be very difficult, but there are a couple of tricks you can use to help you win it. However, even though your kit DOES give you a certain advantage against the vast majority of your match-ups, that does not mean that you will always win laning phase. Personally, I've always believed that most, if not all of LeBlanc's match-ups (except Lux, that bi*ch is so easy) are purely skill-based, although you do have the upper hand most of the time.

Laning phase is pretty much your only chance to win the game, and how well (or bad) you do in it will determine whether you will be able to carry easily, or whether you'll have to pull off some insane 420 blaze-it MLG get rekt m8 360 no-scopes. If you screw up here, getting back is nearly impossible, due to the nature of assassins. Being the assassin she is, LeBlanc is very snowbally and you will need to abuse that as much as you can.

So, to help you with laning phase as LeBlanc, here are some useful tips and tricks you can use/abuse to help you:

1) Since you are in a solo lane, it will take 7 creeps' deaths for you to reach level 2. Note that you do not have to last-hit them to get this experience, simply standing near them is enough to get it (doesn't mean you don't have to last-hit). When at the brink of reaching lvl 2, position yourself in an advantageous position to secure your dominance as you hit 2.

2) Try to harass your opponent down to about 50% HP before you hit level 2. Ideally, you should throw your Sigil of Malice on your enemy just before the 7th minion dies, so that you hit level 2, level up Distortion and Distortion into your enemy, WHILE the mark is still on them. This will catch most people off guard and allow you an easy first blood with Ignite 90% of the time.

3. Try to visit the enemy jungle from time to time, especially if the enemy jungler is innately squishy in the early game, for example Master Yi or Elise. This works especially well after you hit 6, since junglers don't usually expect a MID-LANER to counterjungle them. For example, if the enemy jungler started at red buff, it means that it will respawn at ~7 minutes, so go there at 7 minutes and kill them.

4. Do NOT roam during laning phase; the early experience is WAY too valuable for you to risk losing to an unsuccessful roam. You are a champion that scales extremely well with levels, therefore you should stay in your lane and get the exp. You should roam during mid game, not laning phase.

Now, I'm not going to run around screaming "DO ALL OF THIS EVERY SINGLE GAME!", but doing these things can greatly increase your chance of dominating the early game, which is when you have the largest advantage over your enemy, since most of your opponents are AoE magi like Orianna or Syndra who scale incredibly well into late game, while you do not. Use this time to gain as much of an advantage through any means possible, and crush your opponent into oblivion.

Please note that these strategies don't always work, and any non-braindead enemy will quickly learn on their mistake; if that Rengar got sniped off by you while doing wraiths on low HP, he's not very likely to do it again. Nevertheless, you should always see if your opponent DOES act on their mistakes, if he does, then try a different strategy. If he doesn't, continue to wipe the floor with his face.

P.S: The reason why you do NOT roam during laning phase is, as I previously mentioned, that the experience from creeps in your lane if far, far more valuable than 300 gold you have a chance of getting.

People in Diamond are not as re*arded as they seem, and they will ward their lane, especially bot lane, which is where I see a lot of LeBlancs go in the early game. Going there is simply a waste of your very valuable time and loss of even more valuable experience. Mid-game is a lot more suitable period for roaming, since this is when the least wards are placed, and people often isolate themselves from their team, because bot lane farm > objective. If you see that Riven trying to farm up in the bot lane, go there and help her out. (KILL THE NOOB).

Also, while you do all of this, remember to autoattack your opponent. A LOT. Your autoattacks are completely free. Free damage? Wow, so OP, rito nerf please. Yes, they are FREE. But make sure not to overdo it; minions hurt a lot early game, and they can lose you the trade even if the enemy didn't even touch you, the minions will do the dirty job for him.

(I might have forgot to include some of the ones I know, as soon as I remember them, I will add them)
Back to Top

Mid-Game

Mid-game is my favourite part of the game (especially as LeBlanc), because this is where I think she is at her strongest; she has her core items, which means she has almost all of her damage already, and her enemies have yet to start building defence.

You'll notice that on 90% of non-tank champions, everyone will build damage items first, and only then defence. For example, you don't usually see a Renekton building Randuin's Omen and Spirit Visage as his first items, because they would give him zero lane dominance. Instead, he'd build a Black Cleaver or a Ravenous Hydra to allow him to do enough damage to actually be worth peeling off the ADC. Anyway:

Mid-game is the period of the game after laning phase (also called the early game), and before the late game. Mid-game usually 'starts' at about 20 minutes, and lasts until 35-40 minutes, when Baron Nashor becomes the main objective. Mid-game is a very chaotic period of the game; there are less wards on the map (on average), and people tend to play much less cautiously than they do in laning phase or in late game. I'm not exactly sure WHY that happens, but it does, and you must abuse it.

Less Stealth Wards and Vision Wards means more facechecking and therefore more opportunities for free kills, which will set you up well for a late game in which LeBlanc is otherwise terrible. Needless to say, this does not mean that you don't need wards yourself; your enemies will probably expect you to wait around in bushes, and instead of facechecking, they will camp for you.

Although there is less overall vision on the map for both sides during this period, whatever wards are placed are usually placed around Dragon and/or Baron. The jungle is the least warded area, therefore it makes sense for you to camp there, rather than around the Dragon pit.

Now, camping in bushes can be a very easy way to get a few kills, especially if you didn't do so well in laning phase.
BUT
You do not want to spend more than 10-15 seconds in one brush, that is my rule. Although I do tend to break it (surprisingly often) and sit around in a brush, waiting for anyone to come by. The last thing you want as LeBlanc (especially if you did miss a few kills in the early game) is to waste your precious time; mid-game is a time when everyone is trying to collect the last bits of farm to finish their big damage items, then group and fight. Your job here is to, firstly, make sure that doesn't happen, but also to pick off people who wander around without sight.

Now, you might wonder "I rekt someone who facechecked me, what now, uncle Shrékt?".

If you do find some re*ard and kill him, this is the time for a teamfight. Now, yes, I did say that as LeBlanc you should avoid teamfights as much as that is humanly possible. However, by picking off that re*ard, you've now created a 5v4 situation in your team's favour.

Death timers in mid-game aren't particularly punishing, and the guy you sniped off will be back with their team in about 30-40 seconds. This is your time to initiate a teamfight, ace them, and get some objectives. Oh, and when I say "your time to initiate", I don't mean you as in LeBlanc, I mean your team. You are NOT the initiator, and should never have to do that.

Finally, one last thing to remember; assess situation, adapt accordingly: if you're not sure whether you can 100-0 the person who is about to enter your brush, DON'T TRY IT. Just leave. You should never fight a facechecker, even though you have the element of surprise, their team mates can be just around the corner. If someone facechecks, you should be able to 100-0 them. If not, don't attempt it. Should you ignore my warning and attempt a 100-0 on someone, and then fail, they will turn on you. Then, you won't have any spells off CD, and therefore no escape = death. DON'T. DO. IT. Please.

Likewise, if more than one people are approaching your brush at the same time, but you are certain you can 100-0 one of them, don't. Get the fu*k out of there. Again, your life is too precious to trade it for anyone else's. On the other hand, if the facechecker is worth more than you, i.e. they'd give you 500g but you'd give them only 300g, then go ahead and kill them. Even if you die, it will be #worth because you got more gold, and the ADC is probably more valuable than you.
Back to Top

Late Game

Late game is the period of the game where most of the turrets have been destroyed, everyone is approaching full builds, and Baron Nashor becomes the main objective. Since everyone is almost fully built by this time, naturally that means that you become less and less relevant as the game goes on even longer. AHEM Void Staff. Should you ever get to late game on LeBlanc, you're screwed. R.I.P. We will remember

...

Just kidding.

LeBlanc's late game is actually incredibly strong, as for a single target assassin, like Lee Sin, BUT you have to know what you're doing. The late game does not forgive any mistakes; get caught, get rekt, lose. One mistake here is more than enough to throw the game away. Even the smallest misjudgement of your damage, or something as silly as Mimicking the wrong ability can get you killed. In late game, you need to constantly be on your tip-toes.

Sadly, there aren't very many things I can tell you to do/not do here. Your decisions in late game should be informed by the situation your team and the enemy team are in, who has the advantage over the other? On top of your mechanical LeBlanc skill, your decision making and shot-calling also need to be on-point. Remember, your mistakes here cost you a lot more than they do earlier in the game. You need to make sure that you don't miss opportunities that will present themselves to you, such as the enemy ADC facechecking your brush, etc.

All of the things I could describe and explain here will come naturally as you play more and more games. Part of the skill to play LeBlanc (in fact the majority of it), comes from simply knowing the ins and outs of the game. LeBlanc is not so much about mechanical skill, as is Orianna or Syndra, but more about decisions and micro-management. Don't get me wrong, LeBlanc too is a mechanically-demanding champion, but that's only half of the success. The other half is, as I said, your decision-making, mostly about the use of Mimic.

I apologise for not ruling out every single thing LeBlanc can do in the late game to win, but like I mentioned, it will come to you as you play her more. Sure, I could spoonfeed you everything you need to know, but where's the fun in that? Learn from your own mistakes, like I did. Sorry.
Back to Top

Warding

Wards are the key to victory, but you know that. Everyone knows that. Sadly, not everyone remembers to use wards, and sometimes people just forget to ward, but that's okay. However, playing without sight or vision is very dangerous. Anyway, maybe your enemies are too dumb to place a Stealth Ward somewhere, but that doesn't mean you don't have to use them either. The more wards your team has, the more control over the map you have, especially on objectives like Dragon or Baron.

Early Game, a.k.a. the Laning Phase

In the early game, you should place your wards depending on the enemy jungler. If their jungler is someone who isn't very good at ganking early, such as Warwick or Master Yi, then you shouldn't even bother with wards, anyway. You could, however, place a Stealth Ward or use your Stealth Ward at their Wraith camp, and when you see them do it, go there and be a gentleman (KILL).

If their jungler IS good at early ganks, the likes of Rammus, Nautilus, Lee Sin, whatever, you should place your wards to prevent them. Getting camped by the jungler significantly cripples your early aggression and therefore makes it almost impossible for you to win your lane in the conventional way (i.e. by repeatedly killing smashing your opponent with a fu*king sledgehammer), and being 0/3 LeBlanc with 80 farm at 17 minutes is the last thing you want, and definitely not something your team would like to see, especially when they're losing too.

In other words, don't get ganked -> win lane -> get your team fed -> they carry you. Or, if they're absolutely re*arded, you carry them. As you like it.

Now, there is one important thing you must keep in mind. WHERE you ward is more important than even warding in the first place, in the case of some junglers. For example, against a Lee Sin, you can keep your wards in the two brushes on the side of your lane, that will be enough. However, if their jungler is, I don't know, a FU*KING PONY ( Hecarim), this ward placement is as good as warding your turret. This is where knowing your enemies and their abilities can help tremendously. Knowing that Rammus can fly into your lane at 700 MS will allow you to ward a lot deeper than usual. If you ward too close to your lane, it might be too late before he whacks you in the face.

Of course, you could argue: "But uncle Shrékt, I am LeBlanc, right? I don't need to ward because I got this - Distortion. Isn't this enough to escape?". Good point, and the answer is both yes and no. Let's say you got ganked by a Nautilus, and he Depth Charged you. You can't escape from that even if you Distortion and then Mimic that; it will still knock you up, after which your opponent can collapse in on you and destroy you. In this situation, having a ward would allow you to see Nautilus coming in and Distortion away before he even uses Depth Charge.

Mid-Game, a.k.a. the 'where the fu*k am I?' phase

Alright, I did mention this before, but I'll say it again; mid-game tends to be the period of the game where there are the least wards placed on the map. For both teams that is. Therefore, your opponent doesn't have a lot of wards, but neither do you. Now, it is a lot more important that your enemy doesn't have sight, than you not having it.

Why? Because if they have sight, then they won't have to facecheck, and they will see you 'hide' in the brush, foolishly waiting for some re*ard to sacrifice themselves for you, call over their team and ******** you. IN THE A*S. However, even if you don't have wards, that's not too much of a deal, because, unless your enemies have a lot of hard CC, you shouldn't have to worry about facechecking brushes yourself, since you can dash away.

Mid-game marks a point of change for LeBlanc. This is where you should change your trinket from the Stealth Ward to the Sweeping Lens. This is significant because:

a) You no longer have your free ward
b) You will no longer be buying Stealth Wards as well

"But uncle Shrékt, you said 'Wards are the key to victory'!"

*sigh*, yes I did. But you must understand that it is far more dangerous for your enemy to not have sight than it is for you to not have it. If you don't believe me, go ahead, play a few games without the Sweeping Lens and you will see what happens. Sure, you can see them, but more importantly, and far worse for you, they can see you. As an assassin who is supposed to strike when the enemy least expects it, you need to remain unseen.

"Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected" - Sun Tzu.

However, if you are seen preparing an ambush, then... well, it's not exactly an ambush, is it? No; it's more along the lines of: 'I'm a re*ard who hasn't listened to uncle Shrékt and hasn't bought a Sweeping Lens, and now I'm sitting here, thinking they don't see me'. Just buy the Sweeping Lens and sweep the brush.

Late Game

Late game, you should leave warding to your support. And yes, I know you might think 'Supports aren't the only ones who need to ward'. Yes, they aren't, but in the early/mid game, NOT the late game. In late game, they are. Let's see: your top laner probably has full build by now, your jungler is finishing his Warmog's Armor, your marksman is fully built now, and you have just completed Zhonya's Hourglass. What now? All 4 of you have your inventories full... SUPPORT?! WARD PLS.

If your support is absolutely re*arded, you should tell them where to ward. Normally, you want to have Baron Nashor warded at all times, and make sure your support wards the area which you (as a team) are pressuring, i.e. if you are planning to push down the top lane turrets, then you should have that side of the map warded.

Note: To be crystal clear; you do not place wards in the late game - your support does. Unless you're planning to place a ward with the Sweeping Lens in which case GOOD LUCK. It might seem a bit mean to your support, but hey, I've never seen Vayne sell her BotRK to buy a pink ward.

(Oh yes, please don't be re*arded; place your wards according to which side you're on)
Back to Top

Teamfights

Teamfights is where I see a lot of LeBlanc players go horribly wrong, and turn from (insert triple-digit number of kills here)/0 to {the same number of kills)/1 and lose the game. No matter how well you did in the early game, how hard you stomped that Xerath, and how hard you counterjungled the fu*k out of their Master Yi, it will probably be irrelevant in teamfights, especially late game ones. This is where your positioning and decision-making both need to be on-point. If you die in a teamfight, God forbid in one at 40 minutes, your team will be screwed, especially if you have a half or more of their kills.

For example, if your team's score is 32/25 and you have 14 kills, you cannot die (obviously). You're like a Vayne, but oh so much more dangerous. Vayne can just get CC'ed and die immediately (well, so can you), but you have better equipment to dodge any sh*t coming your way, so death shouldn't be of any interest to you.

Teamfights are the ultimate test of your LeBlanc skills (AHEM, assess situation, adapt accordingly). A popular belief is that LeBlanc's only target in teamfights is the ADC, or, the marksman. But this is where your situation-assessing skill comes into play once again.

For example, if the enemy Riven is 6/0 and the enemy Vayne is 0/4, it would be obvious that you should go for the Riven in a teamfight, right? Well, sometimes yes. Now let's assume that that Riven, who is indeed 6/0, has been roflstomping ONLY your top laner, who is subsequently 0/6. But Riven has 89 farm at 20 minutes, whereas that Vayne has 194 cs at 20 minutes. See how things have changed now? If you judge your enemies' strength and carrying potential solely by their KDA, then you're bound to lose games.

Instead, focus on their items. If that Riven only has Ionian Boots of Lucidity and a Ravenous Hydra, and that Vayne has Berserker's Greaves, Blade of the Ruined King and a Phantom Dancer, Riven should not be such a threat, and Vayne can rip through your team easily. If Riven had more farm, say 167 at 20 minutes, she could also have a Last Whisper and a The Brutalizer on top of her other items. THIS would make HER the threat, not that Vayne. See how LeBlanc's priorities change? Good; you'll be in that situation a LOT.
Back to Top

Match-ups

Before I start whining at all those OP champions (which most of them aren't... Yasuo), let me explain the most important thing you need to keep in mind whenever you play. Your kit does give you the upper hand in the majority of your match-ups, but that never guarantees victory over your enemy (not in laning phase). Anything can happen during laning phase, but it's your responsibility to make sure that you win.

Also, it's worth mentioning that all of LeBlanc's match-ups are almost completely skill based (except vs. Galio and Morgana; you just can't beat them two), and often turn out incredibly one-sided. What I mean by that, is that you either win (and win hard), or you lose (and lose hard). AHEM: "Get fed or get fu*ked" - r3negade37.

- Ahri can prove quite a challenge in lane. She has just as much burst as you do, if not more, but her Charm is WAY more dangerous than your Ethereal Chains, but she won't be maxing this unless she's stupid. No, Ahri will max her Orb of Deception and buy a lot of AP early to push your wave quickly and go roam. You can deny her the opportunity by killing her, but this can be tricky. If you're stupid, and if she has a good reaction time, she will charm you mid- Distortion, giving you a free field trip to the fountain. To avoid that, don't simply Distortion onto her face, but rather try to be creative in the ways that you approach her. Try Distortion to her side and following with Ethereal Chains- Sigil of Malice- Mimic; wait for the Ethereal Chains to shut and Distortion back. Her Spirit Rush can make landing Ethereal Chains very difficult, so take care with that. Pre-6, she is very prone to ganks, so ask your jungler to at least come in and waste her Flash. Post-6, you can try to bait her Spirit Rush by 'fake-engaging'. Mimic's cooldown is significantly shorter than that of Spirit Rush at all stages of the game. Note: due to the LCS, people who always copy the pro players which results in Mercury's Treads, Athene's Unholy Grail and Abyssal Mask on Ahri. Yes, ALL of those 3. Yeah, have fun.

- pre-6 she is almost worthless, so make sure to abuse her weak period, because, trust me, it doesn't last long. Post-6 she will try to trade with you, and throw her Twilight Shroud to prevent your counterattack. Buying a Vision Ward can help a ton. She loves roaming as much as you do, but she can't push for her life. Make sure to get the best of this lane, because it can become a nightmare if she gets a single kill as she snowballs extremely hard. In the late game she will probably be fairly tanky with Abyssal Mask and Rylai's Crystal Scepter, so focus your attention on someone else, unless she has become a problem.

- Annie can be very easy to beat, or very difficult; it all depends on how she utilises her passive, Pyromania. She will try to Disintegrate low health minions to build up her Pyromania stacks up to 4, at which point she gets a free stun on her next ability. Wait for her to use Disintegrate on a minion, and go in to trade. Repeat a couple of times, and eventually, go in for the kill. If you see she buys a catalyst the protector, it means she will buy the Rod of Ages, which means she will probably become too tanky for you to kill her, at least in laning phase. If this is what she builds, forget about killing HER, and proceed to faceroll the rest of her team. Her stun also makes junglers absolutely love ganking for her, so watch out for that. NOPE NOPE NOPE. Have fun feeding this little bi*ch, because I've never won against an Annie, no matter how stupid she is. It really takes no skill to play her and that's what will fu*k you over when playing against her; you cannot outplay her. Aside from dodging Summon: Tibbers, of course. But then again, Annie players are little fu*ks who will not be dumb enough to try to Tibbers you, so they'll just stun you with Disintegrate (not a skillshot), then Incinerate and THEN shove a fiery Tibbers up your a*shole. Since she's often picked as support as well, you can never know whether she's going to go mid or support. If she goes mid then you should swap with your toplaner, even if that means you're going against Nasus or something; it's WAY, WAY better for your team (and therefore your LP) that Annie doesn't get fed, than you not getting fed. Ahem... I don't know what came on to me. Just ban her...

- Azir can give you a lot of trouble with his Arise! and Conquering Sands. His zone potential and poke power in lane is horrendous, but he is squishy, unless he buys a Rod of Ages. His sand soldiers can hit you even if you hide behind minions; jerky movements will make it more difficult to hit Conquering Sands. He can escape your engage with his Shifting Sands, but it has a fairly long cooldown. His Emperor's Divide can quickly stop your Distortion and protect him from ganks easily. Try to engage him after he's used his Conquering Sands, as he will have no way of moving his soldiers to himself for a few seconds. Like with Annie, if he builds a Rod of Ages, he will become too tanky for you, so go faceroll others instead.

- although rarely seen, Brand can ruin your game with ease. He has good pushing power with his Pillar of Flame- Conflagration combo, and his trades are very strong thanks to his passive, Blaze. However, his two hardest-hitting abilities, Sear and Pillar of Flame are fairly easy to dodge. Take particular care to dodge Sear if you are ablaze, as it will stun you for 1.75s. If he triggers your Mirror Image with his Pyroclasm, immediately send your clone away from yourself, as it will bounce between you and it and kill you.

- Cassiopeia is a very difficult champion to beat if she has any clue whatsoever. She can push easily with Noxious Blast and Miasma and has amazing DPS with her Twin Fang spam. Try to work out whether she is maxing Noxious Blast or Twin Fang and adapt your playstyle to it; if she maxes Noxious Blast, she will shove you 24/7, if she maxes Twin Fang, she will try to kill you. Keep in mind that she can only spam Twin Fang if you are poisoned, not only by her; Teemo and Singed's poisons will also let her refresh her Twin Fang cooldown. Take care when engaging her, as she can stun you with Petrifying Gaze if you are facing her when it hits you, but it has a fairly long cast time so you can try to bait it. Ask for ganks, as this will be a difficult lane if she's not re*arded.

- God, I hate that fish so much. He counters you, because he can Playful / Trickster your whole combo, then turn on you and wipe the floor with your face. His Seastone Trident will apply Grevious Wounds, so save potions until after the effect ends. He will likely try to all-in you at level 3, so throw Ethereal Chains on him and kite him around. He practically cannot be ganked, for Playful / Trickster makes for an amazing escape from almost any situation (unless you hit Ethereal Chains before he uses it). If you manage to latch your Ethereal Chains on him, the tether will not be broken if he uses Playful / Trickster; follow him and then Sigil of Malice- Mimic- Distortion on his face to show him who is the boss. He's very squishy.

- this MR stacking piece of sh*t will turn your life into a nightmare. He's very difficult to kill thanks to his Bulwark which will heal him if he takes damage. He is a great pusher too, so have fun last-hitting at your tower. The only thing I suggest in this awful match-up is to look for kills elsewhere, or (if you have an AD top laner like Riven) to swap with your top lane. Otherwise, there is very little you can do in terms of killing him.

- another tough lane. Engaging him is very dangerous because he will just sit inside the range of his H-28G Evolution Turrets, and they will melt through your HP quite fast if you get in their range, and they push even faster. Don't bother asking your jungler for help, because if he already has Zhonya's Hourglass, he can bait both of you into his turrets, Zhonya's Hourglass and laugh as his turrets obliterate you. EASY DOUBLE KILL FTW. Try getting fed elsewhere, he has very few good counters, but then again, you're not Syndra.

- rarely played, but shouldn't be underestimated; he has amazing farming potential and can push super quickly. He doesn't even have to leave his lane to roam, he can simply Requiem and get kills, all while efficiently farming. You can't interrupt Requiem (not anymore; RIP Sigil of Silence). He WILL eventually outfarm and outscale you very quickly, how hard you win lane will determine how much time you have before he starts to melt everything, so make sure to ask your jungler for help, because he can't escape ganks for his life, save Flashing every 5 minutes. Make sure to stomp him really hard, or otherwise he will have a lot more fun than you ever could in this match-up.

- what a bi*ch. She has as much burst as you do, she roams like a fu*king boss and snowballs even harder than you. Her passive, Voracity, gives her amazing teamfight potential, and she can quickly clean up teamfights if she gets the resets. To prevent this, encourage your team to build a lot of HP, no matter what role they play. You need to be in charge of your team (especially in ranked), because people (especially in soloQ) are completely re*arded and will never realise that HP stacking counters Katarina. She's quite weak pre-6, though, and she is melee, so make sure to slap her around real good before then. Certain junglers like Nautilus are very strong against her, both in ganking and in interrupting her Death Lotus, which you can't (anymore), so if she first-picks, make sure you have a lot of cc on your team. Or just ban her...

- Huehuehue, mirror lanes are so fun, aren't they? Here, it all boils down to: a) who is faster, b) who roams more, and c) who read which guide. If she read this guide too, then prepare to face the most difficult lane ever. You must not let her get fed, even if it means not getting fed yourself; do whatever it takes to prevent her from getting too many kills. Inevitably, though, she WILL get some, but it's your responsibility to make sure she isn't already fed when mid/late game starts. You should be able to farm up some items and be more useful than her in late game. Having a better skin also helps (Remember: Ravenborn > Mistletoe > Prestigious > Classic > Wicked).

- another rarely seen champion, but don't be fooled; she can shield your harass with ease thanks to Prismatic Barrier, her poke with Lucent Singularity is quite strong and her burst is exceptional for a support mage. Her Prismatic Barrier shields her and her team mates twice, and her Light Binding snares two targets. If you are in a position where you cannot dodge the binding, try to intercede the binding with your clone (if it's triggered); if you are the secondary target of Light Binding, you only take half damage and are snared for 1 second, instead of 2. Nevertheless, you should avoid getting snared at all, because her combo is very fast and hits super hard. Always try to save your Distortion to dodge her Final Spark, especially if you have Illumination on you. Otherwise, she is extremely squishy and is a walking bag of 300 gold if even slightly behind. Also, try to follow her if she leaves lane to snipe your team mate with Final Spark; if you catch her off-guard, killing her is a piece of cake.

- HAHAHAHA, nope. She has everything she needs to counter you; strong cc ( Dark Binding and Soul Shackles), sustain from her passive, Soul Siphon, strong pushing power in Tormented Shadow and her Black Shield which blocks your magic damage and CC. Winning against her is close to impossible, and unlike other pushers, Morgana doesn't give a flying fu*k about junglers. LOL Black Shield LOL. Nowadays, however, she is most often played as support, so you shouldn't worry too much about getting her in mid lane. If you do, you can always lane swap. If she's support, don't bother roaming bot, because you'll most likely get snared for years and die. Instead try to focus on the enemy jungler and/or top laner.

- A fairly easy lane, Nidalee is EXTREMELY SQUISHY. Probably the easiest lane for LeBlanc. Stand behind your minions to avoid getting hit by her spears; this will be the only way she can ever hope to apply her passive on you. If somehow you get hit by a spear, she will be able to Pounce to you from a distance similar to the range of Distortion, and then execute you with Takedown. When she Pounces in, simply Distortion away, throw Ethereal Chains- Sigil of Malice- Mimic, Ignite her before she heals herself and BAM! she's dead. Once you're fed enough, you won't have to Ignite her. Simple, easy lane.

- probably my favourite match-up, save for another LeBlanc. Orianna's kit is centred around her manoeuvring the Ball. She can push quite comfortably and unlike you, can last hit under tower thanks to her passive, Clockwork Windup, which also makes auto-attack trades against Orianna a waste of potions, because she will always win. Her Command: Protect gives her a shield when used, and bonus MR and armour if she has the ball of her. Try to wait until she uses Command: Attack on your minions, and then engage; she won't have the bonus MR. Her harass is exceptional, but she is as soft as talc if you manage to close the gap. If she's any good, she will never let you do that. Late game, she wrecks everything, and she will probably build a Rylai's Crystal Scepter JUST for you.

- another very difficult lane, Syndra has just as crazy of a burst as you thanks to Unleashed Power. She has strong waveclear with Dark Sphere- Scatter the Weak combo, she snowballs really hard, and her lategame is far superior to yours, with her super low cooldowns. Your best bet is careful engagements, as with Ahri; if you just Distortion on her face, she will stun you and Unleashed Power you with 2 spheres plus the 3 around her for an insta-death. Try to find openings if she happens to use Scatter the Weak on minions. If you're fast enough, can 100-0 her before she can 100-0 you. Actually, not such a difficult lane. Her damage is still just as ridiculous, but her stun is considerably more difficult to land as of a certain patch. Treat her like Ahri; NEVER jump straight into her. Do your combo quickly and return. An early Zhonya's Hourglass can save your a*s against her Unleashed Power. Don't hesitate to use Mimic to Distortion away from her Scatter the Weak (her stun) if you have to. Make sure you poop on her in laning phase, because she will quickly catch up to you and become a monster.

- Kind of a 50/50 for you. Can either be extremely easy, or the exact opposite. First of all, when engaging Xerath, treat him like Ahri. If you just Distortion into him straight-on, he will stun you, throw his whole combo and win the trade. To avoid this, firstly don't Distortion straight into him, but try dashing at him from (or to) his side, then just E-Q-R and Ignite if needed, and don't forget about autoattacks. He will try to push the wave as fast as he can, so make sure to punish him for it; since he will use everything on the minions, it's a perfect time to kill him. Also, when running away, always save Distortion to dodge his Rite of the Arcane. Otherwise a fairly easy lane, you should be able to get fed quite easily. Late game he is a top-priority target. It will usually be worth sacrificing your own life for his.

- the drunk samurai is actually a lot more dangerous than he looks. Statikk Shiv and Infinity Edge is all she needs to 3-shot you, and he can get there very quickly. His passive hives him a shield which charges when he runs around, and the shield activates when he takes damage, but it lasts very short; try to trigger his shield with an auto-attack, wait until it runs out, and then engage. His Wind Wall can completely disintegrate your whole combo, and landing Ethereal Chains can be extremely difficult. Try to bait Wind Wall by throwing an auto-attack or a Sigil of Malice, then wait until it dissipates, and engage. Take care in this match-up and prevent your deaths to him at all cost. Post-6, make sure to avoid getting hit by Steel Tempest tornadoes, as it will open him up for a Last Breath, and subsequently your demise.

- not as difficult of a match-up as you might expect, but then it all comes down to how good (or how bad) Zed is. Take care not to get hit by Razor Shurikens as they will chunk your HP quite a lot, especially if you're their first target. Death Mark is quite easy to bait out if you have Distortion, but don't go anywhere near him if it's on cooldown. Keep in mind that he will follow you if you Distortion mid- Death Mark, so you can drag him into your team, but be careful as he can blink back with it. Quicksilver Sash, although not an item I particularly like buying, can be a worthwhile investment, but Zhonya's Hourglass is a lot better, but don't rush the Zhonya's Hourglass. He will probably buy the Hexdrinker, in which case he could try to bait you to all-in him. Be smarter, and don't take the bait; go somewhere else, and rape stuff there. He can push waves quickly and the roam around as well, so make sure that doesn't happen or you're in for a surr@20. In this match-up it is a lot more important not to let him outplay you. Maxing Distortion and shoving the wave can be a worthwhile strategy. When he gets the Hexdrinker, you're screwed, so just go somewhere else.

- Another fairly 50/50 lane, except slightly more in Ziggs' favour. He will come into lane with his passive which can do quite a lot of damage, so let him waste it on a minion before going in for poke, otherwise you might lose the trade. He will likely spam his Bouncing Bomb to poke you down and push the lane at the same time. To avoid this, don't stand inside your minion wave, because then he'll hit you and push the wave at the same time. Instead, stay to the side of your minions, forcing him to choose between either trying to hit you (and missing, hopefully), or pushing the lane. He will often take Heal, so be careful not to get baited by it, and make sure that you ignite him early in your combo to reduce the healing. He's fairly squishy, so this lane shouldn't be a problem, but his amazing farming capabilities mean that he will quickly farm back up and become a winning machine. Priority target late game, but watch out for the Zhonya's Hourglass baits. Overall not so difficult, but play cautiously.
Back to Top

A Memorial of a Dear Friend

Riot Games, we trusted you, we had faith in you, and you do this. Why? Why? Whyyyyyyyyyyy?

- Rest in Pepperonis, you will be missed my dear friend. As of 5.2, this item has been deleted from the game.

Let us take a moment of silence to honour the great deeds of the Deathfire Grasp...

Deathfire Grasp, you have done us well. Rest in peace.

.
.
.

Back to Top

If You Need Help

Since I've decided to create this guide with the intention of teaching people how to play my favourite champion, that is LeBlanc in case you missed it, I think it would be nice of me to open myself to your questions. If you need any specific directions in your LeBlanc play, I am available. By that I do not mean that you should criticise my guide, since you have the comment section below for that. What I do mean is that I can do things like analysing your replays, answering more precise questions, skype calls etc.

While I'm still slightly regretful of it, I'll leave my email address below if you'd like to send me a replay or a question or whatever. Please know that I will be very serious and ruthless.

My email address: crashybashy2@gmail.com (yes, I love Crash Bandicoot)
Back to Top

Summary

If you got this far, then I congratulate you.

This marks the end of my guide (and your torture). I once again apologise for the walls of text, but that was the only way I could convey my knowledge to you. I will try to update this as often as I can, should LeBlanc receive any more changes, and read your guys' comments to see how I can improve my guide.

If you have any questions about things I might have forgotten to include, things you would like to see, or just questions in general, don't hesitate to PM me on Mobafire. (I don't quite know how everything works here, but I'll figure it out).

Thank you for reading, and have fun wrecking nabz,
Shrékt (EUNE)
Back to Top

Update Log

30/10/2014 - Added |Laning Phase| chapter.

31/10/2014 - Corrected some mistakes in a few chapters.

02/11/2014 - Added |Mid-game| chapter and an intro in |Match-up| chapter.

03/11/2014 - Added |Item Order| chapter and situational items in the Items chapter.

04/11/2014 - Added some alternatives for |Runes|, corrected a couple of grammar mistakes and added lots of pretty COLOURS.

05/11/2014 - Corrected more grammar mistakes and added |Late Game| chapter.

11/11/2014 - Added |Warding| chapter.

16/11/2014 - Added |More About LeBlanc| chapter.

22/11/2014 - Added |Combos| chapter.

19/01/2015 - A massive overhaul of the guide; removed all remarks of Athene's Unholy Grail and Deathfire Grasp, updated the core build and revisited the |Items| chapter. Also got rid of |Item Order| chapter and added |Mejai's Soulstealer| and |A Memorial of a Dear Friend| chapters. Rest in Peace Deathfire Grasp.

15/04/2015 - Another massive revamp; updated the core build, revised the |Items| chapter. |Item Order| made a spectacular return with Luden's Tempest. Fixed more spelling and grammar mistakes (somehow every time I re-read the guide I find them) and responded to several comments with useful feedback. Also changed a few things in the |Match-ups| section.

27/05/2015 - Cleaned up some sh*t, added a few more match-ups, rearranged the chapter order etc. Just cleaning up. Still got some work to do, but I'm currently a bit busy with the life which I definitely have.

21/06/2015 - Added |On Ethereal Chains| chapter and, as always, cleaned up some minor mistakes and updated masteries. I'm also hoping to record short video tutorials for this guide, as well as whole games and upload them here or on YouTube, so stay tuned!

17/03/2016 - It's been a long time! Anyway, only minor changes here and there. Most importantly, an overhaul of |Masteries| for season 6.
Download the Porofessor App for Windows

League of Legends Champions:

Teamfight Tactics Guide