When I first saw Leona played, I saw extreme potential. I was first and foremost awed by the undenyable strength of her shield ability. When activated, it seemed she could dive in for a kill with 2 bars of health, and walk out under significant focus.

Buying her a short time afterwards, I've put a lot of thought into her, mostly, her items.

Leona has surprise burst, 2 stun abilities, insane survivability, skillshots that are deadly if used correctly, and can be crazy annoying if played properly. My hope in this build, is filling in that last grey area to aid in your playing this champion to her full potential.

Pros
Can be nigh indestructable
Long range AOE stun
Surprising burst early to mid game
Auto-Attack refreshing stun ability
Lux-like passive that supports laning
Built for AOE Buff/Debuffing items

Cons
Lack of damage late game, unless built AP
Skillshot oriented
Slow

- Gets you into or out of sticky situations. Helps you run someone down to initiate with your stuns with your teammates catching up swiftly. Also gets out out of the thick of it

- allows for a surprise E initiate. Flash, line up the shot and pop it to burst onto a relatively low squishy for a kill in the laning phase. Can also be used if you attempt a gank using the same strat.

- also a good choice. On initiating, you will likely be met with stuns, possibly silences. A cleanse will break you free, allowing you to rotate your own stuns onto the enemy team. Cleanse can really surprise a lot of champions who rely on their CC to keep aggressors in check.

The only item I would suggest getting 10 times out of 10 with leona is . That being said, I would probably suggest not building it first. Your item build should be based on the size up of your enemy team. If none of them go AD or auto attack oriented builds for instance, DON'T buy or . This build is moreso an idea to base your build off of, moreso than a build set in stone. In my opinion though, that is what every guide on mobafire is... Something to base your own personal build off of.

In a -regular- game, you will have opponents who base their damage output off of auto attacks. In this case, starting with a to eventually build into a will give you some decent lane staying power, moreso when you get the full .

will keep you popping around in teamfights doing damage, preventing enemies from ccing you for very long. Get these after the so that you don't fall behind in the speed department.

A will supply you with a decent little chunk of change, and in my opinion, unless you feel you really need it, hold off on building the full once you've got this gold producer. Buying something that'll help you out economically and then just immediately throwing it away to make something better is a little wasteful.

All of your items should revolve around the fact that Eclipse will make you extremely resilient. Items you take should assist your team, and also debuff the opponents. Combined with the fact you take , you will be a problem that they cannot focus down in teamfights, and will severely hinder their fighting ability.

I suggest getting because it boosts ally AD, which synergizes well with your passive for decent damage output. The added resists it gives your team as well will boost the survivability of your crew.

Buff/Debuff items you get after this should revolve around your team composition.

You can get a if your allies are primarily auto-attackers, and your opponents get decent armor.

If your allies are primarily AP burst, you can get yourself a . This item will boost allied AP, and give spell vamp as well, which combines nicely with your whole skillset. Also, to add to the pain, an will make your opponents more vulnerable to that AP burst.

When dealing with a team largely revolving around auto-attackers, get yourself a . This item will significantly neutralize the damage output of most auto-attacking carries. When their damage output is halved, you will become more and more of a problem that their team won't be able to deal with.

I think I've mentioned a great deal of the AOE buff/debuff equipments, if not all of them. Look at your opposition, and tailor your build to best counter what the opposing team is doing.

Your Zenith Blade is your initiate, and should be used to burst around the fight whenever it's up, or saved to lunge onto a runner if you assume the fight will go that well.

A combination of Zenith Blade and Shield of Daybreak will enable you to lunge at someone, then stun them if they burst in on your squishier teammates.

Use Eclipse as you move in to charge. Should your opponents fall back, be careful not to over extend. If you plan to initiate, pop Eclipse, then follow up with Zenith Blade. Mastering this skillshot takes a bit of time, but it can devastate once you get up close and your Eclipse pops. If your opponents are slippery, yet a proper engage would be devastating, don't be afraid to use Solar Flare from range. Once they're stunned/slowed, close in the gap and chew them up with your Eclipse/ Zenith Blade/ Shield of Daybreak combo.

To maximize damage, it's important to observe who your AD carries are focusing. Land a slower rotation of your spells on that target, to make sure every tick of your passive is being used to its full potential.

As you become more and more equipped, you -should- become less and less focused. At this stage of the game, skill and tactics come into play. If you are the last one left alive, your equipment won't save you for long. It will be your priority to target over-extenders, enemy carries making a dash for your squishies, etc. If you fail at your attempts to land your skill shots and stuns, it will be the deciding factor in a lot of fights.

Late game, you will have your 2 stuns, survivability, and equipment. The equipment itself should be a massive deterrent to your opponents, and your spells will still do significant damage to enemies who don't build any defensive equipment or health. Bear this in mind, but don't overextend in an attempt to get a kill. Stick with your team, as this build demands that you watch over you and your's.

Also, in your combo of engaging, always pop Eclipse as you advance, prior to Zenith Blade. Your timing can land the AOE burst nicely if you do it right, and not having that Eclipse up will get you killed fast if you run headlong into a ward, or are hit with a long ranged silence/stun, especially in laning when you don't have all your equipment. Don't be afraid to spam Zenith Blade when your team moves through the jungle, just as long as you're not in a small group while all your opponents are mia.

In all honesty, I have yet to read another leona build out there. There very well may be some that do the exact same thing I've done here. But here is what this one offers you.

Supreme support. Your character will make your allies gods and your enemies cripples. Your survivability is dangerous, and your 2 stuns don't need any more to make them more pimp.

The problem with this build is that it will require very good damage outputters on your team. You will do next to nothing late game despite hindering the other team's performance and buffing your's. A premade team may be the way to go, or assuring that your allies are strong damagers before entering a match.

I love leona, and have had great success with this build. As with my previous build, I have no screenshot to show you the game stats I've won in the past with her, but perhaps using this guide you can make your own.

Good luck out there summoners.