Leona Build Guide by Meji
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| Health | 3266 |
| Health Regen | 56.3 |
| Mana | 955 |
| Mana Regen | 29.6 |
| Armor | 143.4 |
| Magic Resist | 195.55 |
| Dodge | 0 |
| Tenacity | 35 |
| Movement Speed | 405 |
| Gold Bonus | 10 |
| Attack Damage | 109 |
| Attack Speed | 0.933 |
| Crit Chance | 0%S |
| Crit Damage | 0% |
| Ability Power | 0 |
| Life Steal | 0% |
| Spell Vamp | 0 |
| Armor Penetration | 0 |
| Magic Penetration | 0 |
| Cooldown Reduction | 0% |
Recommended Runes
Purchase Order
Ability Sequence + Notes





Masteries
Introduction
Hey guys and girls, and welcome to my guide on Leona, the Radiant Dawn. If you're looking to build either a Pure Tank or Offensive Tank you've selected the right champion, as she excels in both roles - and looking sexy doing it! The aim of this guide is to provide insight on my personal experience as Leona and hopefully help you out on how she plays and functions. Although this guide will help you, I cannot promise you will become a great Leona player just by following builds etc. But remember, practice makes perfect.
Full Tank or Offensive Tank?
UPDATE: Season 3
Season 3! So many changes! The current gameplay for Leona has totally changed with heaps more items to customise. Leona still shines best as a Support Tank/Full Tank. Items with auras are still the way to go over damage items also.
Season 2 (Outdated)
With the release of Season 2 Masteries, I feel Leona will shine greater as a Full Tank. The Offensive Tank is still a strong build, but I have moved away from Build 3 completely. I will leave the page up for ideas for people to play around with my version of the Offensive Tank.
If you are playing a game and your entire team consists of squishy carries, your team has bad communication or your team is losing teamfights in general, you will need to build Full Tank to absorb all the damage and protect your team.
If your team consists of a few tanky champions, the Offensive Tank is still viable. I still feel the Full Tank will assist your team more efficiently.
Remember communication is key, get a feel for the match before you commit to a build (Because the core build for both Full Tank and Offensive Tank are the same). Also don't be afraid to sell items and go from Offensive Tank to Full Tank if needed.
Runes
Full Tank:
| Runes | |||||||||||||||
Greater Mark of Armor 9 |
Greater Seal of Armor 1 |
Greater Seal of Gold 8 |
Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist 9 |
Greater Quintessence of Gold 3 |
|||||||||||
These runes are your bread and butter of bottom lane. Since you are trading/poking your enemies, these will keep the damage to a minimal.
Extra early game tankiness, since the majority of damage is from pokes and harrassment (Which are healed by your
Early game you really shine with
If you are confident with Leona, running 3 x
A safer route (What I generally prefer personally) is to run 3 x
Off Tank:
| Runes | |||||||||||||||
Greater Mark of Magic Penetration 9 |
Greater Seal of Armor 9 |
Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist 9 |
Greater Quintessence of Health Regeneration 3 |
||||||||||||
Keep in mind that running an Off Tank just isn't as effective anymore in Season 3 with the new items. I'll keep this section here for ideas for customising builds.
These runes will go quite nicely with your 8% Magic Penetration from
Extra early game tankiness, since the majority of damage is from pokes and harrassment (Which are healed by your
Early game you really shine with
These will synergize well with your
Remember you are gaining a bit of movespeed from your
Other Runes
By all means this is just my recommendation and personal experience. You could even go as far as replacing the armour penetration marks and go for more armour/magic resists. At the end of the day, go with what works for you and your play style.
I have tested out the
To counter the lower armour rating, you might even want to run defensive marks.
Masteries
TO BE UPDATED FROM SEASON 2
9 Offense / 21 Defence
SPACEPros
- High sustain.
- Early tank capabilities and scales well entire game.
- 12.1% Cooldown reduction at level 18 from just masteries.
SPACECons
- Lower movespeed if less than 70% HP.
Best used for either full tank or offensive tank. This maximises cooldown reduction and defensive capabilities.
1 Offensive / 21 Defence / 8 Utility
SPACEPros
- High sustain.
- Fastest movespeed masteries.
- Revive faster if you die.
SPACECons
- Lower cooldown reduction (8.1%) at level 18.
- Less damage from all skills.
Another viable setup. Sacrifices some damage and cooldown reduction for increased movespeed and revive time.
At the end of the day, whether you choose to play off tank or full tank both Mastery Trees in my opinion will provide Leona with everything she requires. Just be mindful to have the rune pages setup properly.
Summoner Spells
Recommended:
I generally use
FlashA fantastic spell to have on Leona, this can be used to initiate team fights or escape. I prefer this spell over
GhostProvides movement speed, which can be used to initiate or escape. Stacks quite well with your
IgniteI got killed by a tank?! This is the reaction you will get if used right. Early game combo +
ExhaustGreat to disable the other team's most dangerous player. Again being in the middle of the enemy ranks allows you to easily
TeleportA great spell to have if no one on your team is using it. Allows you to defend towers, since you're able to hold yourself against 2 enemies with all your CC. Can also be used to help team mates gank (teleporting to wards), or when you are solo laning allow you to get back into battle without much downtime.
Viable:
CleanseIf the enemy team has plenty of CC this spell might be useful (Although you are supposed to tank all their CC). Generally you have no idea what you're up against so this is a blind pick. Still a useful spell as it can be used to save yourself and in most cases allows you to protect your allies.
ClarityWhile laning you shouldn't be using your abilities left, right and centre. By the time you return to town you will have a Philosopher Stone to regen both HP and Mana. I suppose if you're laning with a support class you can provide yourself and your ally mana to lane longer.
HealNot a bad spell if you want to be able to protect your allies (Or tower dive/ heal bait). Usefulness does drop end game though.
ClairvoyanceIs actually great on Leona, you're pretty much playing a Support Role until you start transitioning into a tank. Never underestimate this skill as it can be used to let your jungler escape or secure a kill. Having said that, probably more suitable on your Support if you have one.
Skills, Skill Sequence and Skill Usage
Skills:
Leona's skills aren't the hardest to learn, but will take some getting used to. Practice is also required (as with most champions) to be useful to your team.
Magic Damage: 20/35/50/65/80/95/110/125/140Affected by allies' Magic Penetration
SPACE
Magic Damage: 40/70/100/130/160 (+0.3)Cost: 45/50/55/60/65 Mana
Range: 100
SPACE
Armour and Magic Resistance: 30/40/50/60/70Magic Damage: 60/110/160/210/260 (+0.4)
Cost: 60/60/60/60/60 Mana
Range: 450
SPACE
Magic Damage: 60/100/140/180/220 (+0.4)Cost: 60/65/70/75/80 Mana
Range: 700
SPACE
Magic Damage: 150/250/350 (+0.8)Cost: 100/150/200 Mana
Range: 1200
Skill Sequence:
I like to max
Zenith Blade VS Shield of Daybreak
You could level them side by side as well, as long as
Skill Usage:
Initiates:
Before you decide to initiate always start with
Feints:
Most people will back off as soon as you activate
Saving/Protecting Allies:
If you or your ally have underestimated damage and the enemy champion decides to counter attack and chase, your priority is to make sure you protect your ally, allowing them to escape back into tower range. Never abandon an ally unless you have absolutely no chance to save them (ie Ganks). Your
Your Ultimate:
Do not start off with this unless you have communicated with your team mates (and that they jump in instantly when you have used it). The damage from
A great defensive way to use this is, if you are losing your tower (Because it's unguarded etc) is to walk from behind the tower and firing it directly onto enemy champions (You are out of their vision range for most of the part). Most of the time they are so focused on the tower and because your range is quite large will not see it coming. Many times I have come from behind my tower, fired my Ultimate which causes them to be stunned,
Things to remember:
Latency:
Get used to where you need to shoot
Baits:
Don't fall for enemies who are baiting your Ultimate(You shouldn't be starting with it anyway). Even if you feel you are going to hit, don't. Wait until the fight is engaged (initiate when it is safe to do so), and then use it. You would rather 3 players hit by it than just 1.
Save Skills:
Don't go spamming
If you're the type of person to panic during a fight and blow all your skills, ultimate and actives... take a deep breath and approach the situation calmly. You don't win battles by wasting all your CC's in the first 3 seconds of your team fight. Learn who you need to use them on, and use them wisely.
Items
TO BE UPDATED FROM SEASON 2
There are plenty of ways you can build Leona. I generally like to build up to her core and then branching off to either Full Tank or Off Tank depending on how your team is setup, how well your team is doing etc.
Core Build:
These 3 items are the absolute core of her build and should be built first up. In my opinion these three items allow her to lane extremely well, tank and support her laning partner. I will explain why I have chosen these down below.
Start with a
If you are wanting to play a safe lane start with 3 x
Once you hit 1540 gold during early laning phase you should be able to head back to town and build up to a
The reason why you would aim for these items is health / mana regeneration, extra HP for early game tanking as well as mobility. They also build up to your main items further into the game.
ALWAYS return to lane with at least a
Which item should I build first?
Personally I like to build a
The next item I like to build is the
Lastly moving onto the
If you're building full tank, you might want to skip over the
Another good option is to build the
On a tank you might want more tenacity... which might just be enough to save an ally during a team fight. CDR is also important but you decide whether you want more magic resistace + tenacity or more CDR (Which can be gotten down the track with
If you're using the defence and utility tree, you might be able to grab a
Remember with the
Let me explain a few things about which item you take.
Personally I will build
A few things you can get the enemy to do is to hit you if your team is fleeing a losing battle.
Personally I prefer to go with
Finishing Off The Build:
More Health? More Damage? More Armour? More Resistances?
This is where some creative thinking comes into play. How well are you doing? How good is your team performing? How squishy / durable is your team? How many AD / AP on the enemy team? All these should be considerations on how you finish off Leona's build.
All the items below can be considered in the build, since you are pretty well rounded now.
Life:
Adds 1270HP (When stacked) and HP regeneration. Why not increase your already high armour and magic resistance and become almost 'immortal' with all this HP! Works really well when combined with
Adds 700HP with the ability to slow down your opponents' movement speed. Personally I like the
Adds 500HP and 80 AP with the ability to slow enemy movement speeds. For the same reason as the
Adds 450HP and 45 armour. Another great item if you're lacking in the armour department and want some HP too. You can use this item to even chase down people and passively kill them. You will gain a lot of assists with this item if you're in the middle of the enemy team as they die.
Adds 375HP, 375 Mana and 50 magic resistance. Not a bad item to tidy up a build to really tank magical damage. Again a total waste (except for the ability to block a single skill) if the enemy isn't packing huge amounts of AP.
Adds 330HP, 30HP/5 seconds and 15 Mana/5 seconds. Not that much HP, and basically it's something to upgrade your
Not a fan of items that stack for bonuses, but if you are able to gain assists (and you should if you're at every team fight) and/or not die, then the bonus of 15% reduced damage is awesome. Risky, so only use if you are doing extremely well.Armour:
Only ever get this if the enemy team has 3-4 AD carries. It provides 100 armour and returns 30% damage if Leona receives standard attacks (auto attacks).
This is going way overboard with armour if you already have a
This item provides decent armour and magic resist but you should have enough tank items to not die. With this item not many people will want to focus you (which is what you want on a tank), best used on your squishy carries as they can lifesteal it back up.
Adds 45 armour and 18% critical strike chance. It increases attack damage by 1.5% of your HP. A wonderful item to complete your build if you have
Adds 100AP and 50 armour. It also has an active of completely shielding Leona for 2 seconds, but you cannot move or use skills during it. I suppose if you want more AP for damage (I don't know why you would on a tank with AP scalings that are as bad as Leona's.. ), then this is the item for you. 50 armour is nice but again there are plenty of better items than this one.
Adds 270HP, 18 armour, 24 magic resistance and an aura that provides your team with 12 armour, 15 magic resist and 8 damage. The aura is quite good if you can get it early game. Overally it is a cheap item for what it provides.Magic Resistance:
Adds 70AP and 57 magic resistance with an aura that decreases 20 magic resist for nearby enemy champions. A decent item for support whilst providing a fair amount of magic resistance. I suppose this might work better if your team is more AP based.
Adds 56 magic resistance and a free
Adds 30 magic resistance, 250HP, 10% CDR and 15% more regeneration and healing effects. Another decent item because of your regen masteries and runes, but even better if you have a healing support on your team. Cheap item as well.Offense:
Most of the better offensive items are already listed above. They include
Provides more damage on top of the
250HP, 15% CDR and an aura that provides 20% Attack Speed and 12% Life Steal. A decent item if your team is more AD than AP. I wouldn't get this item unless you have 3 AD champions on your team.Combo Suggestions:
SORS
Attack Damage Carries will do almost no damage
Ability Power Carries will do almost no damage
Enemies will have a hard time escaping
Item Summary:
All the items listed above will all be situational. Build Leona how you feel fit, remembering to take into account of how the game is going. The last 2 items must complement your build, assist your team mates and cause as much trouble to the other team as possible.
Farming
Creep Farming:
Leona's ability to farm is weak compared to most champions. Her ability to creep kill only starts to pick up mid game where her
Early Game:
Focus on last hitting (If in a duo lane, only on the creeps your ally misses), and pushing enemies away to allow your laning partner to last hit without being harrassed.
Mid Game:
Level 10 onwards is where you should start picking up creep waves a lot better with
End Game:
The only farming you will be doing is clearing tower waves or pushing.
Farming Summary:
Even though Leona's ability to kill creeps is low at the start, during mid to end game it is not uncommon for her to catch up as she wipes through waves with her abilities. Remember, farm sensibly and protect team mates.
Hall of Fame
I don't claim to be the best player, but at the same time I don't feel I am the worst Leona player. We all have our good days and bad days. Here are a few screenshots of how I went while testing out builds.
If this guide has helped you and you would like to be included in this little Hall of Fame, please send me a PM. I'll gladly post up your screenshots!
Summary
I will constantly add more and more details on skills, items and play styles as the days/weeks/months go by to help out as much as I can as Leona will change with future patches. By all means, constructive feedback will be highly appreciated but down right trolling and flaming for no cause will be ignored. I hope this has helped out with your Leona play style, whether you have played her since day one or just started! Good luck...!
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