Leona Build Guide by Nusaik

Introduction

Hello people, welcome to my Leona guide. Leona is a support/tank champion who is naturally tanky (with her W) and provides a lot of CC. In my opinion, she is best played as a support in bottom lane. She could also jungle decently (slow but very strong ganks), but I will not include this in my guide. I think Leona is a very overlooked support right now and she should be played more. She is probably one of the strongest tanks in the game and can be very good at enabling kills early-game.

In my guide I will discuss everything you need to know about Leona: runes, items, masteries, abilities, summoner spells and more. I will also talk about general support strategy, such as warding and laning.

I hope you will like my guide and that it helps you. If you have any questions or suggestions, leave a comment, I will reply ASAP. Please leave a vote too if you can.

Note - read before voting please!

If you're going to vote, please comment and make sure you've read the relevant parts of the guide first. Please don't downvote just because you don't like X item, or X rune. I explain every choice in my guide and give many alternatives. If you don't like something, comment and I will reply and consider changing it.

Change log

06-03-12 Completely redesigned the guide and updated the build.

14-12-12 This guide is now number 1 on MOBAFIRE! Big thanks to everyone who voted and commented. Keep up the suggestions so I can make this guide even better!

12-12-12 This guide is now updated for the preseason 3 patch.

26-10-12 Changed the guide layout to make it look more awesome.

06-08-12 Added the Gameplay and Matchups chapters. Edited the item build to include Warmog's Armor instead of Frozen Heart.

Pros and Cons

Here's a list of pros and cons for Leona. They might help you decide whether or not you should buy her.

---

Pros Very tanky. Tons of CC and utility (stuns, slows, a gap closer and a shield). Can burst an enemy down quickly with the help of her AD carry. She can carry games, even though she is a support.

---

Cons Doesn't offer any form of sustain. Requires a decent enough AD carry to be effective. Depends on you hitting skillshots (mainly her ult). Has to get into melee range most of the time.

Runes

I will now explain my rune choices. The runes I take are pretty standard, but I think a justification is required. I will also show some different rune options you could take.

---

To give you that extra burst damage in lane. All of Leona's damage is magical so these marks will help a lot. In lane, Leona is all about bursting someone down, so the extra damage is really good. Late-game these are also very good because Leona can do a lot of AoE damage in teamfights. Other options: if you want more survivability against heavy poke ADs. when you're up against a lot of magic damage.

---

Must-have for support-tanks. They will really help in lane to negate some of the damage from the enemy AD carry. This means you can play more aggressive with less risk involved. They also help you survive ganks (from an AD jungler). Other options: if you're really confident about your early-game. if you love the gold (not sure if these are good).

---

Usually the best tank glyphs. In lane, you will probable take mostly physical damage, so you can get away without much MR early on. Later in the game you will maybe take more magical than physical damage because noone will focus you (if they're smart). You will still get hit by AoE abilities though, which is mostly magic damage. Other options: when laning against a poke support (like Sona or Lulu).

---

Great support runes. They give you a good amount of gold, which you need because you shouldn't get kills or farm. These quints will basically give you about one free ward every 4 minutes. Other options: also great for more durability. can be good to engage more easily. work well to sustain you in lane. if you're really worried about the enemy's physical damage. if you're really worried about the enemy's magic damage.

Masteries

There are many different possible mastery setups for Leona. Some examples are 1-15-14, 9-9-12, 0-9-21, 1-17-12 and 1-4-25. I personally take 1-15-14 masteries most of the time. As an agressive support, you should focus on defense and utility masteries, but you can very well take some offensive masteries too.

---

1

For improved Exhaust. To make important targets more vulnerable.

---

4

108 health at level 18 isn't bad. It gives you some extra tankiness you'll need.

3

You'll mainly take physical damage early-game.

2

Against enemy supports (mostly magic damage) and roaming APs.

2

Good in tades. If you have more armor, this becomes relatively stronger.

1

More early-game survivability, so you can play more agressive.

1

Good when turret-diving (obviously). You will be tanking most of the time.

1

This will help against poke and in fights. It gives you a great amount of virtual armor.

3

Tenacity is always great on tanks as it helps you initiate.

---

1

For lower Flash cooldown. Good Hands and Improved Recall are useless.

3

This will gives you enough mana regen for the entire game. You can also choose Wanderer if you are roaming a lot.

2

Really good mastery. Your Flash and Exhaust are really important.

2

Extremely important for any support. You will have a lot of activation items.

4

More gold income. You need it as support.

Items

I focus on building tankiness and support items to help the team. If the game goes on long enough and you get 5 full items, you'll have to decide if you can keep warding with Ruby Sightstone or if you need more wards. If you need more wards you should sell your Ruby Sightstone and leave a spot open for wards. Your role will always be jumping into the enemy team, so you'll need to be able to survive long enough to do everything you can. It doesn't matter too much if you die, just don't die too quickly. Other than tankiness, items with auras and actives will really help your team. As a support, you won't get that much gold (and you will spend a lot on wards), so you won't be able to buy a lot of items. Support gold has improved a lot with the preseason 3 patch though.

Start

Start 1 This is what I usually start with. Rejuvenation Bead builds into Philosopher's Stone and gives helpful sustain. Leona doesn't need mana regen at all in most situations, so a Faerie Charm isn't really a useful start item. 3 wards is usually enough for a while. You can also get a Vision Ward instead of 1 Sight Ward and 2 Health Potions. The Health Potions will give some extra regen when you need it.

---

Start 2 This full consumables start is very good if you want to play really aggressive. Vision Wards will help you set up ganks with your jungler and prevent the enemy jungler from ganking you. Even if your jungler doesn't gank, the lack of vision for your enemies forces them to play really defensive and stay near their turret.

Early

Sightstone A great item to help you ward. It saves you money when you use it enough. It also gives some extra health, which is always good. It takes a while for it to become cost-efficient though, so it's not always a good buy if you're expecting a short game. Also, don't fully rely on this item for wards. You should always keep buying extra Sight Wards and Vision Wards.

---

Philosopher's Stone A good source of gold income and sustain for the laning phase. This is a core item to get early for most supports. The sooner you get it, the sooner you will start gaining gold from it. I try to keep it for as long as I can, so I keep getting gold for it. You should upgrade it if your team needs a Shurelya's Reverie, or if your inventory is full.

---

Kindlegem A pretty good item for health and CDR. It really helps Leona get tanky early and stun more. The CDR is really useful because it can allow you to get more stuns off in one engagement. Leona isn't really limited by mana, so spamming abilities doesn't really hurt your sustain.

---

Boots of Speed Not much to explain here. The extra MS helps you chase and get away from ganks more easily. Pick up boots when you can, but there's no need to rush them. Other items are more important.

---

Emblem of Valor In lane, armor is usually really good to get. You'll most likely take more physical damage from the enemy AD carry in fights. Some extra health regen also helps.

Core

Mercury's Treads The best boots in the game and great for tanks. They will make you more tanky and lower the duration of CC. This will make it easier for you to CC enemies uninterrupted.

---

Aegis of the Legion Good to help out your team. The aura will make your entire team tankier. The other stats will help you survive.

---

Shurelya's Reverie A must-have support item. The stats on it are good (mainly the health and CDR), but the main reason to buy this item is the active. It gives all nearby allies 40% extra movement speed for 3 seconds. This allows you to engage, chase and flee with ease.

---

Runic Bulwark The upgrade for Aegis of the Legion. It has an even stronger aura with a lot of MR. Get this later in the game, or if the enemy team has a lot of magic damage.

---

Ruby Sightstone The upgrade for Sightstone. It gives you 1 extra ward to place and 1 extra ward in your supply. It also gives some extra health. Get this item when you need it. As I've said before, you should still keep buying wards every once in a while. 3 wards is not always enough.

Options

Locket of the Iron Solari A good and pretty cheap item. It works well against AoE damage. All the stats are great for Leona and it's an efficient item. It also fits nicely with Leona's outfit :)

---

Randuin's Omen This will counter the enemy AD even more. This item is similar to both Shurelya's Reverie and Frozen Heart. The active will slow nearby enemies, serving the same purpose at Shurelya's Reverie's active. The aura and active both slow enemy AS, serving the same purpose as Frozen Heart. It also has high stats (armor and health), to help you survive even more.

---

Twin Shadows A great item for initiating teamfights or chasing. It helps you catch people and force fights. It gives you good vision and is a great scouting tool. It also gives some AP, which is kinda nice and MR.

---

Zeke's Herald A great item in many situations. You should obviously buy it if your team has a lot of AS-reliant champions. For example an AD carry, Jax top and Skarner jungle. It also greatly helps your AD carry snowball if he is decently farmed/fed.

---

Frozen Heart A great support item. It basically reduces the enemy's physical damage by 20% (abilities not included). It also gives a ton of armor, making you a turret-diving monster. On top of that, 20% more CDR will give you the ability to CC more people in a fight. The mana will erase any mana problems you might have. Buy this item if noone else on your team is going to.

---

Mikael's Crucible The active is amazing, but you don't really need the stats. If enemies are constantly jumping your carries, this might save them and win you fights.

---

Banner of Command Insanely strong against splitpush comps. If the enemy team just keeps pushing down turrets before you can react, this will counter that. You can also use it to get Baron by promoting a minion in botlane.

---

Sunfire Cape Great item for a large amount of extra health and armor. It's not a support item but still a good buy. The passive damage is also very good because you will be in the middle of the enemy team a lot of the time in teamfights. You also most likely have magic pen marks, which will increase the damage.

---

Warmog's Armor This is not really a support item, but it will make you immortal. You already have a lot of armor and MR from Eclipse and other items so you just need more health. This is a great tank item and allows you to engage without the risk of instantly dying.

Enchantments

Enchantment: Captain The best choice for Leona when teamfighting. It allows your teammates to follow up quickly when you initiate, since they will all be running towards you. Also, if you need to save teammates, they can escape more easily with the extra speed. The bonus movement speed to minions helps when pushing.

---

Enchantment: Homeguard A must-buy if the enemy team is pushing past your inner turrets. They are still good in any other situation, but they're most useful for defending your base. You can make plays with them and catch people off-guard to try and make a comeback.

---

Enchantment: Alacrity They work well on anyone. The little bit of extra MS helps when chasing or fleeing. It's not that significant, but it's reliable.

Abilities

Leona's abilities are very strong and can decide fights when used correctly. If you don't know how to use them, they won't be very helpful though. Her kit requires you to land your skillshot E and R and high value targets like the AD and AP carries. Once you master her abilities, you can lead your team to victory.

Ability explanations

Sunlight Leona's passive. It is what gives her incredible burst. There is not really a way to adapt your playstyle to this passive. Just try to have your AD carry hit your target once every time you hit it with an ability. If you time this really well, you can trigger the passive 3 times in one combo (4 times after level 6). This will increase your burst damage and enables you to kill enemies in a few seconds with the right AD carry.

---

Shield of Daybreak A pretty simple ability. Once activated, your next basic attack will deal additional magic damage and stun the target for 1.25 seconds. Using this ability resets your attack timer, allowing you to attack 2 times very quickly. This can be useful for taking out wards instantly when placed (2 hits from you, 1 hit from your AD carry). This ability is easy to use, just make sure you use it on the right target (you can use Zenith Blade to jump to them).

---

Eclipse A really good shield. After 3 seconds, it explodes, damaging nearby enemies. If the explosion hits an enemy, you will keep the shield for 3 more seconds. This ability scales really well and should be leveled first. The damage of the explosion, together with Leona's passive, can chunk a lot of enemies pretty hard.

---

Zenith Blade This is what makes Leona so deadly. It's a line skillshot. If it hits an enemy champion, Leona jumps to that champion. If multiple enemy champions are hit, Leona jumps to the last champion hit. The champion she jumps to is snared for 0.5 seconds. Use this to jump to targets and stun them with your Q.

---

Solar Flare Leona's ultimate. An amazing ability if you use it well. It can stun or slow enemies from a distance and deals decent damage. The best thing is, it has a low cooldown (only 60 base cooldown at rank 3). It can really turn the tides of a fight. Don't use it too soon. Just be patient and wait for a good opportunity to use it. Try to hit as many people as possible. You can also use it to save allies or initiate if there's a good opportunity.

Ability sequence

> > >
There really is only one way to level your abilities. The CC on your abilities doesn't go up with ranks. The only thing you have to look at is the damage and shield power. Eclipse scales best with ranks so I max it first. Next is Zenith Blade, it's damage is AoE and goes up more with ranks. Last is Shield of Daybreak. Of course, I rank Solar Flare every time it is available, at level 6, 11 and 16. At level 1, I usually take a point in Shield of Daybreak to stun enemies in possible invades. You can also take Eclipse if you want to do the golems (blue side) or wolves (purple side) with your AD carry, or Zenith Blade to jump and immobilize enemies in level 1 fights.

Combos

You should always use your abilities in the order that's best for the situation, but there is one combo that works well in lane: W-E-Q. Activate your shield, jump to the enemy AD carry and stun him. If your AD carry reacts well, this can get you a kill (or an assist as I should say) or force the enemy out of lane. Use Exhaust and your ult when necessary.

Summoner spells

My choice

Flash The best summoner spell period. Use it to engage, chase, escape, steal baron, dodge, reposition... Anything. It works well in combination with Zenith Blade to instanly cover a huge distance towards someone. You can also just use it to get in range for your ult if enemies are suddenly grouped up.

---

Exhaust Pretty much the best support spell for Leona. This adds even more CC to your combo and will prevent anyone from escaping. It also reduces damage from enemies. Use it on the AD carry in a teamfight to reduce their damage significantly.

Other viable choices

Clairvoyance In my opinion still a great support spell, just not used much lately. It helps secure objectives and generally provides safety. If you use it well it can set up invades or skirmishes.

---

Ignite Seems like a troll spell to take on a support, because it's usually meant to take kills. I've seen it quite a lot in pro level games and it can be good. It's just some extra damage and the healing reduction works well against healing supports.

---

Heal Since the preseason 3 patch, this has become more of a support spell. It heals nearby allies for the same amount it heals yourself. This means it doesn't matter who on your team takes it, but it fits the support well.

Gameplay

Now that you know how Leona works, you need to know how to play her. I've already talked about this a little in other sections, but not enough. What are your goals? Where should you be? What should you do? I've split this chapter in three sections: early-game, mid-game and late-game. These are the three general phases of a game. Each requires you to do different things for your team.

Early-game

Also known as the laning phase. This phase usually ends when one or more outer turrets get destroyed and people start roaming a little. Your main goal here is to protect your AD carry. Do everything you can to help him get ahead of the other AD carry. Ward your lane (see Warding chapter) to prevent ganks from the enemy jungler (or midlaner), so you can push safely if you want to. Also keep dragon warded. You should generally stay near your lane, unless you think you can help somewhere else without hurting your AD carry. For example, you can help securing Dragon by warding and attacking it, you can help out your team if there's a fight somewhere near you in the jungle or you can just roam the jungle a bit and ward other places. In lane, Leona is a very aggressive support. At level 3, when you have all of your basic abilities, you can jump the enemy with your W-E-Q combo. Hide in the brush until you see an opportunity and then jump in. If your AD carry reacts, this can mean a quick kill for him. Try to zone your enemies by moving around and camping the brushes. This will deny farm and help your AD carry farm safely. If you're behind and you don't think you can win 2v2, just play defensive. Use all your CC to prevent fights. Get rid of enemy wards so your jungler can gank, this can help you regain the advantage. At level 6, you become even more deadly and you can get most AD carries down in one combo (with the help of a teammate ofcourse). How to play depends on the matchup, I will discuss this in the Matchups chapter.

Mid-game

A few turrets may have gone down by now and people start to roam. If there's still no turret down in your lane, just keep laning. If the enemy botlane starts roaming, you can take their turret or go after them to help your team. You can leave your AD carry behind to farm if you think it's safe. Your main goals now are warding, securing objectives (mainly Dragon or enemy buffs) and fighting in skirmishes. Go where you think you are needed. If some of your allies are invading, go with them and ward a little. If the enemy is 4-man pushing a turret, help your team protect it. When you are grouped up, you take on the role of a tank. Try to initiate a teamfight with your E or ult. Whatever you do, try to ward as much as possible. Take Vision Wards or Oracle's Elixir for more map control.

Late-game

By now, more turrets may have gone down and the map is a bit more open. Your goals are essentially the same as in mid-game, but you should play differently. Most of the time, you'll want to be grouped up with all 5 members of your team, so noone can get outnumbered or ganked. Roam with your team, ward, take turrets, Baron, Dragon... Apart from the fact that you have to keep warding, your playstyle isn't that different from others. In teamfights, you're still a tank and you have to be as annoying as possible. Protect your team while they deal damage. If you're outnumbered (because someone is dead or splitpushing), play defensive and stay near a turret. Don't engage unless you're absolutely sure you can win 4v5 (which is not very often). Win teamfights with your team and take down Baron. Keep this up and push to victory.

Warding

Green - Lane-safety wards.
Aqua - General map vision wards.
Yellow - Dragon/Baron control wards.
Red - Counter-jungle wards.
Blue - Buff-defense wards.
Purple - Late-game wards.

---

Warding is a very crucial part of being a support. Above is a map with the most important ward locations. This map assumes you're on the blue side. If you're on the purple side, you should swap the red and blue dots. There are a lot of other places you can ward, but they are more situational. So when and where should you ward?

At the start of the game, you might want to place a ward somewhere in the enemy jungle to catch their jungler. Do this if you have a jungler and mid with good map-awareness and cooperation. It will maybe allow you to kill the enemy jungler for first blood (and hurt his jungle really bad). At the very least it will give you information about his location, which might allow for counter-jungling or agression in lanes.

In the laning phase, you should keep your lane warded against ganks constantly, no matter how many wards it takes. The new Sightstone will help you with this. If you're really ahead you might get away with not warding, but don't expect that. Use the green dots on the map above. It depends on the side you're on. On the blue side, you might have to ward the tri-bush and somewhere near dragon to always see ganks coming. On the purple side, one ward is enough to keep you safe. When you or your AD carry are getting zoned by the enemy support sitting in a lane bush, you might want to ward there to push him out of it. This also prevents so-called 'ninja-ganks' from junglers (they sneak into a lane bush when the lane is pushed towards you and then come out when it's pushed back). You should also keep dragon warded as much as possible (your jungler should ward it too). It's good to have a Vision Ward to get rid of enemy wards if you know where they are. This will allow your jungler to gank. If you're confident you won't die, and you think it's worth it, buy an Oracle's Elixir. Generally I buy 2-3 wards on every recall. This is usually enough.

Later on, or if needed sooner, you can roam a little, warding places in the jungle or near other lanes. Use the blue dots on the map if your jungler is getting countered a lot. These are more important if one or more of your turrets is down. Use the red dots if you want to invade and counter-jungle. Use the aqua dots for general map vision. The yellow dots should be pink-warded as much as possible, because Baron and Dragon are very important objectives to control.

Mid-game you can pretty much go anywhere. Try to roam with your entire team, taking out enemy wards and placing your wards everywhere. This will give your team a lot of map control and will enable safer pushing and jungling. It can also set you up for a Baron or Dragon attempt or a good teamfight.

The purple dots on the map are helpful when you're pushing hard or the enemy is pushing hard. They will tell you in advance where your enemies are going, so you can react.

There isn't much more I can tell you about warding. You really have to play many games as support to learn everything about it. Just try to follow these instructions and see how far you can get. Other things you will learn by playing.

Matchups

In this chapter I will talk about Leona's chances against enemy supports or AD carries and her synergy with allied AD carries. I will give each matchup a rating based on difficulty or strength. Just because a matchup is rated as difficult or easy, doesn't mean it's actually difficult or easy. It just means you will generally be at a disadvantage.

Enemy support

Soraka - 1/5 Burst naturally counters sustain. Leona is the support with the most burst and Soraka is the support with the highest sustain. Just keep jumping in. Soraka can only try to silence you and throw some bananas. Her heal cooldown is too high to keep up with the damage you deal.

---

Sona - 1/5 She is just food for Leona. She is as tanky as a minion early on. Normally you would want to jump the enemy AD carry, but jumping Sona is fine too. You can one-shot her at level 3. She can't do much in 2v2 fights until she is level 6. Just play agressive and she won't be able to heal enough. Also keep the brush warded so she can't poke you from there. At level 6 you have to play a little bit more careful and keep her ult in mind.

---

Nunu - 2/5 Nunu can't do much to protect his AD carry from you. He can only slow you, which doesn't help a lot. You also have two stuns to interrupt his ult. Keep the lane brushes warded so he can't throw snowballs on you easily. Don't focus him in a 2v2 fight, he will just use Consume to get health back, but he doesn't offer sustain to his lane partner. His bloodboil can be annoying because it gives his AD carry MS and AS, allowing them to dodge your abilities and poke more easily.

---

Nami - 2/5 Pretty easy to play against. She does have CC, but it's very unreliable. Her heal and poke potential isn't that high, because her damage isn't that high. At level 6 her ult can be a problem but you will still beat her in a straight up fight. Just try not to get poked a lot and burst someone down in one combo so she can't keep healing.

---

Blitzcrank - 3/5 This is pretty much an even matchup. It depends on who can land their skillshots and position better. Leona has more burst damage but she has to jump in, while Blitz can pull your AD carry towards him. Always stay between Blitzcrank and your AD carry. If he pulls you, you can easily jump his AD carry. Just try not to get pulled into the turret and be careful.

---

Thresh - 3/5 Really similar to Blitz. He has a lot of CC to protect his carry. His ranged auto-attacks provide very strong harass. When it comes to a 2v2 fight, Leona will probably win (depends on the AD carries ofcourse) because she has more damage. His ult is really strong so be careful after level 6. Don't play overly aggressive or you will be an easy target for ganks which Thresh can assist really well with his lantern and CC.

---

Lulu - 4/5 She has incredibly annoying poke. You have no sustain or shields so she can pretty much poke all the time as long as she stays at a safe distance. Her ult and shield are really strong against your burst and they will protect her teammates really well. Try to not get poked or baited. Ward the brushes and keep moving around. At level 6, be aware of her ult. As long as she has it, it's really hard to get a kill.

---

Taric - 4/5 A difficult matchup for Leona. He is simply a really strong support. Taric provides a lot of tankiness for his AD carry, countering your burst. His stun can also be used to disengage fights. He can partially heal back your damage too, so exchanges will usually be in his favor. Try to either play passively and let your AD carry farm, or play really aggressively so he can't heal back enough.

---

Alistar - 5/5 One of the strongest picks against Leona. He can knock you around to protect his AD carry so you can't get close. It's also really dangerous to jump in when he is near. He could potentially knock you up and then into their turret. He basically makes it impossible for you to jump in. He also has sustain you don't have.

---

Janna - 5/5 Her abilities really counter your burst. If she reacts quick, she can tornado you when you jump her, stopping you instantly. Her shield can protect her teammates and her ultimate is a really strong disengage tool which can put you in a bad spot.

Enemy AD carry

Kog'Maw - 1/5 The easiest AD carry to play against. He has nothing to get away from you and is really squishy. He also has no real poke before level 6. You can shut him down pretty hard if you play aggressive. Not much else to say here.

---

Varus - 1/5 He's got some pretty good poke, but if you can get on him it's over. He has no escapes or extra tankiness. In most cases he will take a lot of damage (or use Flash/ Cleanse) when you jump him. Landing your skillshots will be easy if he gets too close, because he has no way to dodge them. Try not to get poked down. Play aggressive as soon as you hit level 3. At level 6, you can just ult him, which will get him killed or make him use his Flash if you aim well (and your AD carry responds).

---

Draven - 2/5 He also lacks an escape mechanism but he is crazy strong early-game and has a movement speed boost. This makes him harder to fight.

---

Ashe - 2/5 Again, no built-in escapes. Once she gets jumped, it's difficult for her to get away. She does have good poke and the ability to kite. She can peel for herself too with her ult if she needs to, which can save her. Try to stay behind minions against her.

---

Miss Fortune - 3/5 She has good poke and some extra mobility. She can wear you down before you can play aggressive. At level 6, you have to watch out for her high ult damage. She has no dashes or blinks though, so you can jump her fairly easy. Try not to get poked before you are at least level 3. Tell your AD carry to play careful too. At level 3, you can win fights if you jump her.

---

Tristana - 3/5 She is a little weak early-game, but her jump is really annoying for Leona. She can escape pretty much anything with it. Her ult is also a really strong disengage tool. Try to be aggressive as much as possible early. Her jump has a long cooldown, so try to engage when she doesn't have it.

---

Graves - 3/5 His extra tankiness with his passive is very good against burst. He can also use his dash to stay safe and has some poke. You will have to time your abilities well if you want to catch him. Watch out for his burst. Depending on his support, he can deal some scary damage really quickly.

---

Corki - 4/5 He has a really strong escape and good poke. He can get to safety easily and zone you. His main weaknesses are his mana-costs and long cooldown. If he uses his abilities too much, he will go oom in no-time. Try to be aggressive when he can't use his abilities. Once his jump is on cooldown, he has no escapes.

---

Ezreal - 4/5 Also very strong poke and an instant escape. He can kite really well and just be annoying throughout the game. He is very hard to lock down. He also has good burst to counter your's. Just try to stay healthy by dodging skill-shots and staying behind minions. Once he uses Arcane Shift, try to jump him before he get it back.

---

Caitlyn - 5/5 Insane poke and disengage tools. Her long range allows her to farm from a safe distance. She can put down traps to zone you and protect herself. Overall, she can force you to play defensive really easily, which is absolutely not what you want as Leona. The key to doing well in this matchup is trying really hard to avoid taking damage. If she gets you low, there's nothing you can do. With a good AD carry, you can burst her down.

---

Kennen - 5/5 I know he's not played as an AD carry very often, but he is very strong against Leona. His poke is very strong and he can defend himself really well with Lightning Rush and stuns for disengage. He can force you to be careful with Thundering Shuriken. At level 6, his ult can stun-lock you and your AD carry to counter your engage. His weakness is his dueling. When you do catch him, he will lost the trade.

---

Vayne - 5/5 She has huge mobility and disengage tools. Her Tumble has a very low cooldown and she can defend herself really well with Condemn. Silver Bolts can really hurt you too. She is a very strong kiter and duelist. Her damage is pretty low early-game though, which can leave her vulnerable in 2v2 fights.

Lane partners

Graves - 5/5 He probably has the best synergy with Leona. The burst this lane can pull off is insane. You dash in and CC-lock someone, then Graves dashes in and procs your passive with Q (and R maybe) and one or two auto-attacks. It's very important to know the combo and use it! Play aggressive and look for kills, otherwise you will be at a disadvantage. Don't be afraid to go in. Since you will play aggressive, you must always remember to ward or you will die.

---

Ezreal - 5/5 His follow-up burst is very strong. If you stun someone, He is guaranteed to hit his Q (maybe 2) and W, unless the enemy uses Cleanse/ Flash. He can use E to jump in and for some extra damage to proc your passive. Once you both get to level 6, you get a huge power spike and you can pretty much one-shot anyone if all your abilities hit.

---

Jayce - 5/5 No he's not really an AD carry, but I have to mention him here. Among all possible AD carries, he has by far the highest burst damage (at least before level 6). He can follow up without a problem and put out huge damage while he is pretty safe with his mobility and disengage tools if things go wrong. With this combo you can one-shot someone as soon as when you reach level 3. He might not seem like the best AD carry, but this lane absolutely works. I've played it a lot myself (as Leona and Jayce).

---

Vayne - 5/5 The synergy here is based on chain-CC, burst and all-in potential. Zenith Blade, Shield of Daybreak and Condemn can lock someone in place for a full 3.25 seconds! This requires good coordination, but once you pull it off, you will be almost guaranteed a kill or some summoner spells. After level 6, you can just straight up fight 2v2. Vayne will out-damage almost anyone at this point, especially if you lock them down.

---

Ashe - 4/5 This lane's power lies almost completely in its level 6 strength. An enemy that doesn't bring Cleanse against this lane is a dead enemy. If you both hit all your abilities, you can lock someone down for around 5.5 seconds! Plently of time to kill them. Before level 6, it's usually best to play save, but when you see a good opportunity, you can jump in. Ashe has some pretty good burst with her Volley, but can't always follow up easily.

---

Miss Fortune - 4/5 Miss Fortune is a very strong AD carry in lane. She has both burst and poke, and can play aggressive against pretty much anyone. When you jump in, she can proc your passives easily from range with Double Up and Make it Rain. Once you get to level 6, her burst is insane and will force enemies to play defensive.

---

Tristana - 4/5 Her burst damage isn't extremely high, but she can definitely deal some serious damage. Her strength is that she can jump in, get a kill and then jump out, which makes her a bit less vulnerable to counter-ganks. With Tristana you have the option to go for kills, but you can also play safe and let Leona be a body-guard.

---

Sivir - 3/5 She is deemed underpowered by some, but with Leona, she can definately be very scary. She has long range poke/burst, which allows her to proc your passive from a safe distance, while dealing a good amount of damage. On top of that, she has her Spell Shield to protect her from damage or CC.

---

Corki - 3/5 He has great burst, but his problem is his mana. With both your combos, you can one-shot enemies, but when you don't get a kill or a big advantage, Corki will be left without mana really quickly. Also, his Valkyrie has a huge cooldown, meaning he can't always use it safely. Apart from these things, he's still a really good lane partner.

---

Quinn - 3/5 She has good burst, especially after level 6 with her ult. With her blind she prevents counter-damage from your enemies. Her problem is her short range. When you engage, it doesn't always mean she is in range for her abilities or auto-attacks.

---

Caitlyn - 3/5 If played properly, she can work well with Leona. Her Piltover Peacemaker combined with a well-placed Yordle Snap Trap can provide great burst damage and CC. Her problem is that she can't fight for a long time or she will probably get outdamaged. Caitlyn players usually play to push and poke, which makes it impossible for you to do much. However, in this case your presence will still matter as it will deter enemies from fighting.

---

Draven - 3/5 His brutal early-game power makes him strong in lane with pretty much any support. With Leona, you can accentuate this power by being another threat enemies don't want to get close to. When you catch someone, Draven can follow with continuous damage and more burst after level 6. A key point in this lane is level 2. Try to get exp from golems or wolves to be level 2 sooner. If you fight at level 2 against level 1 enemies, you will absolutely crush them.

---

Varus - 3/5 His burst damage isn't the best, but he definately has some. At level 6, you have a ton off CC which can easily set up a kill. Just let him poke and go in when you see an opportunity. Fight when you have the advantage, for example when your enemies are low because of Varus' poke.

---

Kog'Maw - 1/5 Pretty much the only AD carry that has (almost) no synergy with Leona. With Kog'Maw, you want to play safe in lane and farm. He has no burst damage or follow-up abilities. Kog'Maw is usually paired with a support that can heal, buff and/or protect him well. Anything that helps him get through the laning-phase. Leona can protect him, but without fighting potential, she is forced to play passive.

Conclusion

I think Leona should be played more often and I hope this guide inspired you to play her. She is really underrated in my opinion but very fun to play and really strong. She is pretty easy to play but to use her to her full potential, you need a lot of practice. She can carry pretty well for a support/tank.

Thanks everyone for reading my guide. I hope you liked it! Please leave a comment/rating. I will reply to anything worthy of a reply and I will take the feedback seriously.