Lux Build Guide : Lux: The Final Spark. A Comprehensive Guide.

1.1: Introduction: What this guide is all about!

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Great. I'm out of Bandwidth again. LOL.

Hi everyone. I'm Retribution, and welcome to my first guide on Mobafire!

Background story: My summoner name is HeroicStar, and I play on the NA server. I have played hundreds of games as , and she has been my main ever since I bought her back at level 15. When I finally hit level 30, I did the stupid thing that everyone seems to do: Play ranked immediately. Since my skill level wasn't that great at the time, I instantly flushed my elo "down the drain". I reverted back to playing Normal games, where I got to learn how to play a few champions in depth, including . After that, I climbed from ~800 up to 1400 playing almost entirely . That was back in Season 2. Even now, is still one of my two comfort picks for mid lane, the other being . I have recently reached Gold rating, and a lot of that progress is thanks to my mid lane champions, especially the aforementioned champions. Alright, there's my personal history. Now onto the guide.

Don't just use the cheat sheet and expect to do well! Inside the guide are my explanations, my thoughts, and everything I can think of about Lux, as well as MY way to play this champion. If you disagree with me for any particular reason, feel free to let me know! I'm always looking for ways to improve my guide.

is a champion that is skill-shot based. Right now, I consider her a well-balanced champion. While she doesn't counter many people, she doesn't get countered easily either. Because of this, is a great choice against just about any mid lane champion. I seldom lose my lane when playing , simply because I am experienced playing this champion. She has a slow and a snare to use, as well as her uber-range laser beam! Lux might not have the mobility of , nor the tankiness of , but she is a viable choice for both normal and competitive play, as either an AP Carry or a support.

I have tried to make this guide easy to read, but for those of you that don't like reading, I apologize for the huge blocks of text. For ease of reading, I have sorted the entire guide into 5 main sections, and sub sections for each individual topic. If you have time, go through it! In some sections, I have also included a TL-DR, but I really suggest you read the excruciatingly long blocks of text if you have time, those would benefit you a LOT more. :)

If you liked this guide, tell me why you like it; if you put a thumbs-down, tell me what I can do to improve!

My Season-3 Ranked stats with so far.

Disclaimer: By no means do I consider myself a "pro" player, and I don't want anyone else to make that assumption either. If you took the time to look at my profile, my Ranked rating is only Silver. I'm hoping for readers to judge my guide based on its content, not based on the rating of the writer. I've put in my utmost effort into putting in details, and the information are accurate to the best of my knowledge. I'm not saying that the information would be 100% true, but they should be mostly accurate.

1.2: The Correct Cheat sheet.

*(Masteries), (Runes), (Items).*

At level 18 with a full build, you should have the following stats:

Health
HP5
Mana
MP5
Armor
MR
Speed

1767
14.4
1150
15.8
80
30
330

(+0)
(+0)
(+0)
(+3)
(+0)
(+0)
(+0)

(+0)
(+0)
(+0)
(+3.69)
(+0)
(+0)
(+0)

(+300)
(+0)
(+0)
(+27)
(+0)
(+40)
(+45)

2067
14.4
1150
49.49
80
70
375

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AD
AS
AP
MPen
%MPen
CDR

109.4
0.77
0
0
0
0

(+0)
(+0)
(+42.5)
(+0)
(+8%)
(+4%)

(+0)
(+0)
(+42.4)
(+7.83)
(+0)
(+0)

(+0)
(+0)
(+481)
(+30)
(+35%)
(+40%)

109.4
0.77
565.9
37.83
40% Cap
40% Cap

1.3: Guide in Short.

This section is an abbreviation of my AP Lux guide, useful for if you're in champion select, and you decide to play Lux, because either your champion of choice was banned, taken, or countered, and you only have 30 seconds left. Included are sample rune sets, mastery trees, skill setups, and item sets. Since supports always build situationally, I will not include that section here, since you'd rarely get the same item sets. This is the essentials of the guide in terms of setup, but general gameplay is too complicated to comprehend in 30 seconds.

Runes

Masteries

>> >> >>

+
+
->
+
+

1.4: Abbreviations used in the guide.

*Skip this section if you know what I am talking about!*

AD: Attack damage. The amount of damage your auto attacks will do, before applying armor.
AoE: Area of Effect. I use this term to describe spells that can hit multiple targets.
AP: Ability Power. A champion stat that scales with abilities to allow them to deal extra damage. This is one of the most important stats for Lux, because all of her abilities scale on AP.
AP/lvl: Ability Power per Level. The amount of Ability Power the rune will give you, which increases based on your champion level.
AS: Attack speed. The amount of auto attacks you can use in 1 second.
cc: Crowd control. Effects, such as stuns, slows, and silences, which can disrupt you from doing things like moving, casting spells, and more.
CS: Creep score. The amount of minions you have last-hitted.
DoT: Damage over Time. Abilities that give damage over a certain period of time, such as Noxious Blast, Toxic Shot, or Blaze.
GP10: Gold generated per 10 seconds. The amount of bonus gold certain items ( Kage's Lucky Pick, Philosopher's Stone, etc) gives you over time.
Mana Regen: Mana Regeneration. A champion stat that shows how much Mana is restored every 5 seconds.
MP: Magic Penetration. Flat Magic Penetration (From our runes and boots) ignore a certain amount of the target's MR, while Percentage-Based Magic Penetration (From our Void Staff) ignores a certain percentage of the target's MR.
MS: Movement Speed. A champion stat that affects the speed in which our champion walks. (Runs, whatever you want to call it)
MR: Magic Resist. A champion stat that affects the amount of magic damage taken from spells. The more Magic Resist one has, the less damage they will take.
OP: Over-powered. Self-explanatory.
UP: Under-powered. See previous answer.

1.5: Pros and Cons.

Pros

+Easy to learn!
+AoE spells!
+Great burst damage!
+3000 range on ultimate!
+2 spells give vision!
+Underestimated shield!
+Great for smartcasting!
+Amazing late game poke!
+No effective counter!
+Best laugh ingame!
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Cons

-Skill-shot oriented, harder to master.
-Long cooldowns.
-Lack of escape tactics.
-Needs positioning.
-Mana-hungry.
-Squishy.
-Slightly weaker late-game.
-Doesn't have a heal (Support)

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is a champion that is easy to learn, but hard to master. While her skill set isn't too hard to get used to, being able to use it effectively is different. It's like how the usage of determines the difference between the "good" and the "great" players.
is among the top tier of AP mid champions, due to the fact that she out-ranges almost everyone else, has a form of built-in survivability, as well as her exceptional damage output. She is also one of the safest picks for Mid lane, along with and , because there are no champions that counters her 100%. While some lanes can be a bit difficult, assuming both players are of around equal skill level, will never lose a lane.
, however, is a natural support. Not "support", as in keeping your AD carry alive, but "support", as in working together with your teammates to win a fight late-game. Despite your exceptional damage output, you can NOT burst down more than 2 targets at the same time. With all your spells on cooldown, you're extremely vulnerable. This is where teamwork comes into play. A good way to describe this would be: Your team's tank is doing their job at the front lines, and you support them by throwing out s and s. You're supporting the tank, so he won't be taking too much damage, and he's supporting you by tanking damage, so the enemies would not jump on you. That's just an example; should be having this kind of symbiotic relation with just about every member of the team. It's almost impossible to do well as if you cannot work with your team, or vice versa.

1.6: Learning to Smart-Cast.

Lux is made for smart spell casting. What this function does is that spells would be used the same way as Karthus's Lay Waste, where you hover your mouse cursor at your target, as opposed to the traditional "move and click". This is especially useful for skill shots, as the shot will fire towards where your mouse is pointing. It's a lot faster than clicking. Seeing as how you have essentially a 1 second time frame in which to pull off your combo, learning to use this function is essential.

Let's see an example.

Typical burst combo: Light Binding > Lucent Singularity (Don't explode) > Final Spark > Explode Lucent Singularity.

Without smart spell casting, this is what you do: Q, click, E, click, R, click, etc.

WITH smart spell casting: -Hover your mouse over your target- Q-E-R-E.

This concept does take practice to get used to, but you'd thank me when you learn how to use Smart Spellcasting. Try it out! Use the same combo, and compare the amount of time it takes you. Use a stopwatch or something, IDK.

For those of you that don't know how to set it, you can arrange your key configs in-game. When you are inside a game, pressing ESC will make this window pop up. There are options on it, like Video and Sound. Find the Key Configs page, and make your changes there.

1.7: Lux's skillset.

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Illumination is Lux's passive. Much like 's passive, 's abilities mark their target, so that her auto attacks would deal extra damage. also detonates Illumination, but her other spells do not. This spell makes a good harasser early game, but due to the spell not scaling, it isn't as good late game. However, it is a good idea to get this mark on your opponents before using , regardless of the phase of the game.
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Note the enemy Cho'Gath with the Illumination mark.
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Light Binding is Lux's Q skill. This is a skill-shot type ability that damages and ensnares the first TWO targets hit, with the second receiving half of the effects. Therefore, it is alright to use the skill to hit a target behind a minion. Besides, 1 second is enough time for you to release various combos. Usually, you will want to start your combos with . However, it has a long cooldown, so only use it if you are absolutely sure it is safe to do so. It's good for last-hitting minions if there are multiple low-health creeps, but make sure the enemy doesn't engage on you while the spell is on cooldown. Only use it on the enemy champion if you think you can kill them, make them leave lane, their engage spell is on cooldown, and/or the enemy's jungler is not close by. Using it for harassing is strong, but dangerous! Be cautions when attempting to do so.
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Notice the range on this spell. It can also pass through one enemy unit.
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Lux's W skill is a skill-shot type shield that acts like , because it returns to you after it hits maximum range. is best used in teamfights, where your teammates would be able to take more damage, giving your team a distinct advantage. The shield is deceptively powerful, and it can easily grant your teammates thousands more in "effective health" if you can hit multiple targets. This skill can also help you survive DoTs and delayed attacks. We all have that moment where we make that amazing escape, only to have the enemy press R. = =
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Remember, this returns to you after hitting max range. It seems the indicator is faulty. The actual projectile achieves a longer range, whereas the width seems to be a lot narrower. Let's say there was a champion standing at where the minions are. I can probably shield that champion.
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Lux's E skill is Lucent Singularity, a delayed AoE damage. For those players out there, it's the same as , except it slows your enemies while they are in the area. This also provides vision, while it's travelling, as well as while the AoE is active! After you throw down the orb, it has up to 5 seconds of delay before it detonates itself. For harassing, you want to explode it quickly, by pressing E again, because any enemy with some sense would know to stay out of it. Try throwing it behind the enemy, because most enemies would walk away to avoid getting hit. The AoE properties of this spell also makes for good farming, but do so at your own discretion, as the mana cost of this spell is a bit high. For those of you that understand the concept of "Orb-Walking", you can try: Lay a under your opponent, fire an auto attack while they are in range, explode the after you fire your auto attack, but before it hits. This is far more reliable for harassing, as your opponents would likely back off if they are marked.
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As you can see, the range of Lucent Singularity is quite high. The detonation radius is not small, and is in fact slightly bigger than the visual effects imply.
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Lux's ultimate ability is Final Spark. This is the spell that defines Lux, as defines . It is basically a laser beam (Lasers FTW!) that shoots in a straight line for up to 3000 range. In other words, it's approximately the distance from the entrance to your base to your mid lane outer turret. It has a relatively short cooldown, so by lategame, don't be afraid to use it often! Your laser also provides you with vision of the area you are casting upon, so it's pretty much a that deals insane damage! There is a 0.5 second delay while it casts, but the damage is instant, unlike where you have to wait for the projectile to hit. You can use this spell to finish off that fleeing target, or use it to steal buffs. However, remember, NEVER KILL STEAL WITH YOUR ULTIMATE!
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Final Spark has a huge range, however, it is NOT global. As shown in the minimap, the radius is around the size of a max-rank Paranoia, for all you Nocturne players out there. Aiming it requires practice, as the actual projectile seems to be slightly narrower than indicated.
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*Ignore the interface. I was on another account, so I wasn't using runes. :P

2.1: Standard Runes.

Runes

This is my current rune setup. The give MP, which increases our damage done by spells, by ignoring some of the target's MR. Along with our Sorcerors shoes, this will allow our abilities to deal their full damage early game. Our gives us some Mana Regen, which is very useful towards controlling the amount of mana consumed through the use of abilities. When paired with our Doran's Ring, you should have no troubles regarding mana during the laning phase. provide us with some much needed AP, and along with you'll be dishing out some nice damage early game!

2.2: Viable Runes.

Runes

*These are some runes that could be viable, although I prefer to use my standard set.*

and are very similar. One is flat AP, while the other gives AP/lvl. The choice behind these two are up to the player, as I consider these two types interchangeable. While the flat AP Glyphs give you more damage early on, the AP/lvl Glyphs catch up in about 7 or 8 levels. By late game, the AP/lvl Glyphs will give much more AP than the flat AP Glyphs will. We have the same reasonings behind and .

is an exceptional pick for an AP mid lane, since you would likely be against someone dealing magic damage. This allows your laning phase to be even safer, and you won't be sacrificing too much damage, due to the buff to AP in the Mastery trees.

gives us a decent amount of MS bonus, which is quite nice, no matter who the champion is. Lux is a champion with 315 base speed, and we can achieve 400 with this build easily. If you do not care for the 15 AP the will give you, these Quints might work for you! Also OP on AD Carries.

Avoid the other runes.

2.3: Essential Masteries.

Masteries

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On , I like to run 21/0/9 masteries, where I prioritize damage, as well as increase our mana supplies.
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OFFENSE.
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Masteries

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First off, I like to get , because we get a stat bonus while summoner is on cooldown. Especially with the increased cooldown now, the benefits of this mastery only increases.

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This mastery is especially nice for farming minions. The extra damage can help out a lot early game. I use this over , but it's up to you as a player to choose which one to use.

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I like to max this out, because the 4% CDR is actually quite a lot. Upgrading this will also grant us access to the next tier of masteries.

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Basically, we gain 1 AP every level. I like how it got moved up. Anyways, maxing this out will give us 18 AP at lv18, as well as access to spec into .

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The MPen stats got nerfed by 2%. However, 8% is still a respectable amount, especially with the percentages counting before the flat rates, which works to our favor.

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This one got buffed. It grants us a good 6 AP when maxed, and is a respectable amount from the mastery tree.

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This mastery deals bonus damage on every auto attack. This stacks with our mark, and also makes farming a lot easier.

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A good 5% bonus to our AP. This grants us a decent amount of damage when we have our build maxed out. Along with , we would be getting a good 30% bonus AP.

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The damage increase was reduced, but the threshold in which the effect takes place broadens. It's still an asset to you when farming, or picking off that stray enemy.

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UTILITY.
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Masteries

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This mastery still grants us a reduced cooldown on summoner . Especially with the increased cooldowns, this will help out a lot.

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The 3 bonus MP5 allows us to be able to control our mana usage a lot easier. With this and , you should have no trouble regarding early game mana.

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This mastery basically lets us teleport home faster. It's great for the laning phase, so you can miss out on fewer CS. Also, it can be helpful for escaping bad situations if you are REALLY over extended.

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This spell grants us a good 10% decrease on Summoner spell cooldowns. is perhaps the biggest benefit with this: it has a 300 second base cooldown now. This, along with will remove a good 35% of the cooldown, bringing it down to around 200 seconds. It's always nice to have an alternate escape method.

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This allows us to keep our Blue buff for 30 seconds longer than without. 30 seconds is a considerable amount of time, and when you have the blue buff you can basically spam your spells. Neat, huh?

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OMG WTF WHY YOU NO USE HAVOC???
It's not worth it. The 2% damage increase is pretty trivial, compared to the other things you can do with the three points. Before the patch, it was a 3% bonus, and I already thought it was irrelevant. Now it gets nerfed more? Don't bother. will give you far better benefits.

If you insist on seeing numbers here:
Let's say you deal 1000 damage. The bonus damage here would only be 20. That's like half your auto attack damage, or possibly even less. This also stacks with resists and the such, so the bonus damage really makes about no difference at all.
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What happened to Brute Force ?
With the new masteries, isn't viable on anymore. True, it takes less points to max, and it still gives us 3 AD. However, got buffed, and we also get this nice addition called , where we deal bonus damage on our auto attacks. It only takes 60 AP to balance out, which is an amount you can easily acquire within the first 10 minutes of the game. Also, the bonus damage is magic, so you don't have to worry as much about resists, since you would have MPen of your own.
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No Expanded Mind ?
Since the changes to the Masteries, is no longer as viable as . The mana bonus was reduced, and Summoner spell cooldowns generally increased, amplifying the need to use instead of . The 180 bonus mana is quite trivial, and really only gives enough at lv18 for an extra cast.

2.4: Summoner spell choices.

is my favorite summoner spell of all-time. This can be used for multiple purposes, such as running away, getting in that last hit, or dodging that . I take this on Lux all the time. Due to the increased cooldowns as of the S3 patch, is my favorite boot upgrade as of right now. The cooldown reduction effect can actually make it so we have a smaller cooldown than we had before the patch.

is pretty much a standard pick for any AP Carry. The damage adds to your burst, and allows for kill-securing if in the case your target is left with a sliver in health. Oh, and of course, the 5 AP bonus from is nice too. The cooldown on this has increased, but that's actually beneficial IMO. I mean, you aren't likely to use as soon as it comes up. The increased cooldown essentially increases our stat bonus period by a whole 30 seconds. Most of the time, you will want with you, but there are cases when this can be substituted. I have listed some viable choices below.

Decent alternatives.

is a summoner spell useful for a variety of purposes, from defending a tower, returning to lane quickly, or ganking. I suggest this if you're going for a passive farm lane, since this allows you greater mobility, while sacrificing early kill potential. It's useful against enemies that you know you won't be able to kill easily, such as and . is typically used to finish off a low health enemy, which is something you WON'T be doing against someone you can't kill.

slows and weakens a target champion for a short period of time. On support , it's quite amazing. You can use this to catch up to a fleeing enemy, as well as use it to save your ally when he's in trouble. I've never tried it on AP , but landing this once you unlock level 6 will almost always guarantee you a kill. Also, using this before your opponent decides to go all-in on you will help you survive.

increases your speed for some amount of time. While this can be a viable choice, I find to provide more utility. If you are not used to , however, will be your best bet. Of course, never get this if your opposing team has a mobile champion like .

is that ARAM mastery that everyone gets. It's available on all maps now, but with reduced effects. The duration is very short, at two seconds, but the effects scale quite well into late-game, and it helps to shield the opponent's burst in lane, so this is definitely a viable choice.

is a very situational pick, and should only be picked when your opponent has long-duration hard CC, such as 's . By the way, also gets rid of and . :D

Please, don't try to take anything else. >.>

2.5: Suggested skill sequence.

Ability Sequence
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18

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At level 1, leveling first gives your team amazing utility. If your team ever decides to invade the enemy jungle, having this for CC is an absolute must. At level 1, if you can snare your target, and they don't have , there's First Blood, right there. Also, if you are getting invaded, the 2 seconds snare will be enough for your teammates to get away, or follow up on the snared target. An alternative would be to get first, but that is not optimal. While it provides vision, you don't gain enough utility from the spell. It's useful if you don't have the area warded, though, which is something you usually see in non-competitive play. Getting E first also gives you better harassing potential, but is great if your jungler decides to come for a level 2 gank. I suggest you start except against specific opponents that you need to start harassing really early on, before they become a threat, such as or . Always, always, always max first, regardless of situation.

At level 2, it's best get the other damaging spell that we did not get at level 1. By now, we have both as well as . If you are harassing enough, these 2 spells will be enough to net you that First blood. Against opponents that harass hard starting from level 1, a point in at level 2 is a good idea. For example, if you have that early point against a , the shield completely negates a level 1 , which makes it practically impossible for her to kill you pre-6. Why? is heavily reliant on early aggression to get a kill at around level 4/5. If she can't get you to half health before then, there's no way she can kill you without jungler assistance -- something you'll be able to avoid with the early .

After is maxed, we want to proceed to max out . Why not ? You "only" have 3 damaging abilities, so if you level up the shield before your snare, your damage won't be optimal. Because you rely on combos, maxing out damaging abilities first is a must. Someone like can get away with maxing before , because essentially 1 shots AP carries anyway. You don't have that, and you need your entire combo (or at least 2 skills) to burst.
Of course, level up whenever you can.

In general, you want to prioritize , and then . A point in at level 1 is suited for serious aggression against your enemy mid, while is the "safe" pick, useful for invasions and safety in lane. should be leveled accordingly. Usually get a point at level 4. If you are taking serious harass, consider getting it at level 3. This also applies to , as he needs level 3 for his full combo. Getting it at level 2 is vital against someone like who has the potential to burst you down pre-6.

3.1: Items overview: The different builds.

Build 1: Morello's/CDR Build, standard S3.

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This build is a standard build for the S3 metagame, but is somewhat difficult to use, compared to the other builds. To be able to use this build effectively, one must understand the concept of positioning well, as you have no defense besides your spells. This build is designed towards maximum damage output and poke, as you can easily achieve max CDR by 25-30 minutes, but provides no defense. I suggest you gain good experience playing before you attempt this build. Again, you can swap around the first items.
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Build 2: Seraph's Build.

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This build requires more practice to get used to. You lose out on early game damage because you delay on your major damage items, and you have to spend the time to charge up . However, once you upgrade it to , begin to unleash your wrath on the enemy team. A huge amount of CDR is gained through this build, and your late game damage is the highest among the various builds. However, you gain no defensive options besides 's mana shield. I suggest this build to players that are patient, able to farm effectively, and somewhat more experienced with . The sequence with and can be adjusted.
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The S2 build.

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This build provides the highest amount of early-mid game damage. With this set up, you also gain a defense mechanism, . This build is the most "noob-friendly" out of the builds, IMO, and experienced players will also have good success with this build. This provides good balance between offense and defense, and grants a good amount of resists. However, the lack of CDR is rather detrimental.
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Alternate Build: In attempt to catching up.

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When I am behind in lane, I usually try to go for this build. The GP10 will assist you in catching up with gold deficits, and the defense/CDR from will ensure that you "remain" in the game. Unless the opponent's team has someone like who can just sneak up and kill you, try . 's range ensures that she can gain assists from a range. For more information, refer to Section 3.6: The Viability of Mejai's Soulstealer.

3.2: Starting item(s).

This is the cheapest non-consumable item that you can buy at level 1. It builds into a , and allows you to purchase extra potions, as well as a for laning. Also, you benefit from the MP5 effects, which will make your skills more manageable in the laning phase.

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Even after the nerf to Move speed, is still a great pick as a starting item. With this item, you can buy up to 3 potions, which will provide a good amount of sustain in lane. Also, the bonus move speed will allow you to dodge enemy skill shots easier. I recommend getting this set if you are against an enemy that uses ranged skill-shots or AoE spells to harass, such as , , and .

Even though something like is now far more viable on some mid lane champions, is still an overall better idea.

3.3: Some choices for boots.

IMO, the best tier-2 shoes for are the . The 20 MPen, along with our +8 from runes, will allow us to deal our full damage against just about all targets, as most champions have a constant base MR of 30. By late game, these shoes, with other MPen items, will allow you to ignore a big chunk of the target's MR as well. Especially with the nerf to MPen stats, these boots are vital.

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Many Lux players like these boots better than . has noticeably longer cooldowns on her abilities than other mages. The CDR boots helps to negate that problem. Thus, Lux is able to cast abilities more often. However, there's no point. Our build itself already grants 40% CDR, which is the cap, and we need MPen in order to deal damage. Instead of wasting money here, stick with .

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I don't actually think these boots are *that* great on , despite it being such a good item overall. With 's range, you should not be getting hit by the enemy. You can fire off your entire burst combo without enemies even getting close enough to touch you, with a few exceptions. Also, with the mobility you gain from boots, you should be able to dodge skill shots easily. Thus, sticking with is the best idea.

3.4: Boot enchantments.

*After the S3 updates, boots will give a flat 25/45 bonus. Champions do have a higher base speed, however.*
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This upgrade grants us a decent amount of extra speed, allowing us to hit 400 with this enhancement. This is one of the cheapest upgrades, and is actually a decent pick, in my opinion. While not necessary for the laning phase, 385 speed will not be enough for you to outrun the rest of the enemy team.

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This upgrade gives nearby allies a bonus speed when they are moving towards you. It's a single direction thing, like 's . This isn't that good of a choice on , since you aren't the one initiating fights, and will in fact be on the edge of a team fight. It could save a teammate, though, if you're running to help them.

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This upgrade gives us a reduced cooldown on the mobility summoner spells. If you find that you are prone to being caught in a bad situation, grab this. The base cooldown on is somewhere around 300 seconds now, and getting this will reduce over a minute of the cooldown. This is my personal favorite, since I find having a last-resort escape method in quite useful.

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This gives us a speed boost whenever we hit a target with a single-target attack or spell. This really isn't good on , since all of your spells are AoE. I would only consider this on champions that rely on auto attacks.

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This allows you to recover full health instantly at the fountain, as well as a huge speed buff. It's an amazing time-saving tool, allowing you to get back to lane up to 10 seconds faster, depending on the amount of missing health you have. While that might not seem like a lot, you might get a couple more CS from this. Also, if your base is getting pushed, it does what its name implies: It helps you "guard" your "home". xD

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*In conclusion, I don't think and are good ideas for . Any one of the other three will do fine, and the choice is purely up to personal preference.

3.5: Standard items.

This item should be bought as soon as possible. It gives good defense against AP mid champions, as well as grant you the ability to effectively farm using skills. With this, your mana supply is greatly increased, allowing you to harass and farm far more freely. Buy this before upgrading boots, and upgrade this into afterwards.

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Dayum, it got nerfed. However, it's also cheaper to buy, which is actually quite nice. You still get a significant amount of AP at 120, and you still gain a 25% bonus, which stacks with the 5% from . You would generally want this as your first item after boots. It's best to start with , but could be an option if you're having trouble gaining gold.

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Even though this item got nerfed of its AP, it's still a great choice for a mana-hungry champion like . Buying this as a first item doesn't work anymore however, as you would be lacking damage. An early doesn't hurt though, and is great for passive laning. Usually buy this as your 3rd or 4th full item, unless you are taking heavy AP damage.

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This item is a lot better than S2 . Building out of an early , we get a good amount of CDR, AP, and Mana regen. The mana regen from this item is HUGE. Also, the CDR ensures that we serve our role as a long-distance poker pre-fight. If you choose to build this early, I suggest an early , and buy immediately after, so you hit the max CDR cap ASAP.

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This item is a great choice on . While the AP isn't too high compared to other items, the cost is quite cheap, and it gives a massive 35% MPen boost. This would actually benefit us more now, because percentage-based MPen is now calculated before Flat MPen. If you find that you aren't taking much damage, either from good positioning or lack of damage from the enemy, this would be a good 2nd full item.

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This item gives us a huge 100 AP bonus, a good amount of armor, as well as the Stasis active. The armor bonus is great for surviving against the enemy team, and the active can save you from DoT or delayed spells, such as . I usually like to get this after , unless I'm taking heavy AD damage, in which case I would purchase this right after .

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While this item doesn't grant so much AP, it gives a great amount of MPen, a bit of health, as well as a burning passive. This item grants amazing poking potential, and works great with our early CDR items, and . The MPen works together with our , and ignores a huge chunk of the enemies' resists. While you can't expect this to finish off your opponent if they're left with a sliver of health after your combo, the damage from this item is not to be underestimated, especially when used for poke.

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After recent experimentation, I've found that it isn't actually *that* hard to charge up a , and your late game damage output is increased by a huge amount on purchasing this item. You'd have to begin charging up a Tear really early, and you would lose out on early game damage, but you can easily charge it up by around 25-30 minutes, and once you upgrade it, you'd have at least 500 AP. Once fully charged, this upgrades into , which grants a free mana shield.

3.6: The Viability of Mejai's Soulstealer.

Mejai's Soulstealer is a stacking item, much like Sword of the Occult. You earn stacks for kills and assists, and you lose stacks when dying. Each stack of Mejai's will give you 8 AP. That might not seem like much, but at full stacks, you get 160 AP (a huge amount), AS WELL AS 15% CDR! It seems like such a great item, doesn't it?

Remember, this item is "A blessing that comes with a curse". Once you get some stacks on this item, the enemy will want to shut you down, and you will end up losing AP. Therefore, this item is not usually a viable choice on champions like Katarina, who would have to be in the middle of the fight, or Karthus, who often acts like a martyr.

*Why on Lux?*

Lux's skills have enormous range, almost as much as Xerath in Locus of Power does. You also have the capability to release your entire burst combo from that distance. Therefore, you should stay at the very edge of fights, where you should be away from danger. Thus, you can easily get assists and kills (Especially with Final Spark), and shouldn't die as often as those that get close to the center of the fight. The danger of losing AP isn't so prominent on Lux as it is on some other AP Carry.

With Mejai's Soulstealer, you would be able to snowball well. However, you should only get it if you are confident that you would not die, and continue earning kills and assists. Once you've managed to learn how to position yourself, Mejai's Soulstealer becomes a deadly weapon. With that said, it's a great idea regardless of situation. If you're already doing well in lane, good for you, now you can get even further ahead. Another good time to get this item would be when you lost a lane. You might ask, why? Depending on how far you're behind, the stacks from this item may be THE ONLY REASON YOU'RE STILL IN THE GAME. As Lux is easily able to gain kills and assists with her enormous range, getting this item when you're behind will ensure that you catch up in damage.

I have lost count of how many comebacks I have had where the situation seemed hopeless, but the stacks from Mejai's Soulstealer managed to let me catch up, and eventually snowballing to victory. If, say, your score by the end of the laning phase was something like 2/4 or something, this item can very well help you get back on track. It's especially efficient if one of your teammates are somewhat fed. You can essentially "get fed off assists".

During this game, I did not do that well during the laning phase (bad game), and ended that with a score of 2/4. However, buying this item ensured that I got fed off assists from kills made by my allied Corki, who was doing well bottom lane. I was able to achieve 20 stacks on Mejai's Soulstealer, and proceeded to earn the most kills on my team.

As per common belief, Mejai's Soulstealer is an unreliable item. However, there are times when you actually need to rely on the stacks, betting that you would be able to earn and keep them. If you are someone who has a good sense of positioning, and is experienced with Lux, you will usually win that gamble. However, if you're buying this item because you're doing well, you should sell it immediately if you find that you are getting focused down and "assassinated", or if you fail to gain stacks. It takes the target off your head, and ensures that you do not end up falling behind.

On the other hand, this item is vital to one who lost during a laning phase. You are already far enough behind, and Mejai's Soulstealer will be the only thing that keeps you in the game. As opposed to most players, I encourage purchasing Mejai's Soulstealer on Lux IF YOU ARE EXPERIENCED WITH HER, ESPECIALLY when you are doing poorly. It's best if you have another teammate who is doing somewhat well, as you can get "fed" off assists easily.

If a poor laning phase ever happens to you, consider my advice on Mejai's Soulstealer. It may very well lead to a come back. It has for me, countless times.

3.7: Rod of Ages. Why doesn't it work?

= NO.

Rod of Ages is a standard pick for just about any AP Carry, and one of the most widely used AP items. This item is viable on the majority of champions that scale on AP. However, I consider this item to be of little use on Lux, as well as most other AP Champions.

But, why?

1. It takes time to charge up.

When you first buy the item, you only have a measly 60 AP. The other 20 takes 10 minutes to charge up, which is a rather long time. In that case, you'll always be forced to buy this as your first full item if you are going to get it at all. However, that simply doesn't work with Lux. As Lux is a burst mage who excels early-mid game, you should be going for damage. Rod of Ages's 60 AP doesn't help with that. Buying this item as your first full item essentially takes away any threat you have on the enemy team until at least the 30 minute mark. However, going for another item first will render the item useless. Since it takes time to stack up, there is really no point purchasing the item 45 minutes into the game.
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2. You don't need the health.

Once you play a few games, you'll realize just how vulnerable Lux is as a champion. She has no real escape methods, and all she has is Light Binding. Building health is a huge waste of gold, since that extra health would not help you in a bad situation. It would maybe prolong your life by about .5 seconds, but that's pretty pointless. As explained previously, the AP it gives is very trivial, as well. While the mana could come in handy, it doesn't make Rod of Ages viable on Lux.
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3. You can't snowball with this item.

Lux has a very high amount of burst as a champion, and she is capable of insta-gibbing most enemies. With that said, she is a champion that relies heavily on early snowball. If you can't get kills as Lux early-mid game, you'll just be a liability for your team by late game. You need those early kills in order to progress into late game. The easiest way of doing that is to build damage. Again, Rod of Ages does not help at all in that aspect. Since it takes time to charge up, it essentially makes you useless until you buy another item. By then, too much time will have passed. As Lux, your primary goal in a team fight is to find one of the opponent's carries, and burst them down, turning the fight into a 4v5. Regardless what phase the game is in, you always want to have enough damage to burst down the opponent's AD carry. If you build Rod of Ages, that's practically impossible.
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4. The sheer cost of this item.

This item costs around 3k gold, which is on par with most other viable AP items. However, the AP it gives is very low, and the stats don't benefit you much. Athene's Unholy Grail, on the other hand, is vital, because it helps to control that minimal mana supply that Lux has. As a burst mage, you want to build as much damage, as soon as possible. Instead of investing into Rod of Ages, you can take the same amount of gold and get a Rabadon's Deathcap. (Well, a few hundred difference, but you get my point.) Purchasing Rabadon's Deathcap grants you almost 3x the AP you would get from buying Rod of Ages first.
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Conclusion?

Rod of Ages simply doesn't give Lux enough benefits to make the item viable. As Lux is so vulnerable, the health is essentially wasted. The amount of AP the item grants is too trivial to start with, and will not allow you to snowball into mid-late game. Also, the amount of gold you spend on this item is approximately the same amount of gold you need to get Rabadon's Deathcap, which can give you almost 3x the AP.

The only case in which you should even CONSIDER getting Rod of Ages is when you're against some (strong) AD mid champion like Zed or Kha'Zix who can pretty much instantly kill you the moment they get the opportunity. This is assuming you can keep a decent amount of CS even when being countered. It doesn't give you any damage, but the health will be your only defense other than Seeker's Armguard.

TLDR? Don't buy Rod of Ages on Lux.

3.8: Not the best choices.

The aura range is, well, "abysmal". The range is now only 600. This means that you will no longer be able to safely utilize the aura effect, which reduces enemies' MR. However, as it grants a decent amount of MR, which helps towards late game survivability, this is a strong pick for a last item.

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Unfortunately, got nerfed in the S3 updates. The MR was removed, and the passive now does less damage than before if you have over 200 AP, which only requires . However, the bonus damage on-hit is now scaling off Magic damage, meaning it would apply to MPen stats. In that sense, it is still a decent item to get on , and it does still synergize with quite well. However, it is a bit dangerous, as it requires you to get into auto attack range.

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Will of the Ancients grants a reasonable amount of AP and spell vamp, as well as an Aura effect that improves our teammates' AP. It's good on Support , but it's a bit of a waste on AP . You have huge cooldowns, and your spells are all AoE, so you won't be healing much through the spell-vamp. The aura does stack for those in possession of the item, but that isn't a valid reason to attempt this item.

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Rylai's is a good item, don't get me wrong. It's just that we don't really need it on Lux. is such a squishy champion, the health won't matter much. We also waste the Unique passive from the item, too. Her Q is a snare, her W doesn't damage, and her E already has a slow. Therefore, only would be affected, but the range is huge, you'd have a hard time catching up anyway. While the AP could be nice, other items will work better.

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The new gives a huge amount of AP, as well as the active that amplifies the magic damage the unit takes. This would be a great idea if you have another AP DPS champion, but otherwise it would be useless. Due to 's range and vulnerability, it's not a good idea to get in range before you release your combo. In that sense, this item does not work too well on .

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While Nashor's tooth provides nice AP and a massive amount of CDR, you do not need the AS, thus the item is useless, compared to other, more viable picks. Really, the only champion this item might work on is .

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Hextech Gunblade is a great hybrid item, but it is not suitable for Lux. The AP is not ideal, compared to other items of similar cost. You won't be needing the active, either. Spell vamp and lifesteal is a waste, too. The AD could stack with , but it's really not viable. IMO, the only champions this might work on are , , and AP .

4.1: Common Laning opponents, overview.

The difficulty scores that I have included are quite vague, and are based on my own personal experiences. Different players have different skill levels. Opponents that I find difficult might be easy for someone else. The strategies that I have included are what I find to be effective; if you as a reader disagree with me, let me know! It'd be great to improve my guide.

Lux is an amazing choice for soloing mid lane. She has good burst, nice survivability, as well as the ability to do well against almost every champion. An especially nice pick if you're picking early, since only a select few champions actually counter her; if you do get countered, you do still have the choice of supporting. While Lux does not counter any champion in particular, she doesn't get countered easily either, due to her utility and her range.

General summaries, (TLDR).Pre-6/Post-6/Late-Game Threat
Don't get Charmed. Easy/Hard/Medium
Hyper aggression pre-6. Easy/Medium-Hard/Medium-High
Don't get egg-baited. Easy/Medium/Medium-High
Your range 2x hers. Watch for stuns. Medium/Medium/High
Blaze could be a threat. Medium/Medium/Medium
Dodge that poison. Medium/Medium/Medium
Don't let him get fat. Easy/Medium/Medium-High
Keep your distance, Light Binding after she jumps on you. Easy/Medium/Medium-High
Abuse your range, dodge the stunEasy/Easy/High
Early Vision Ward helps a lot. Easy/Medium/Medium
Dodge the harass and use that range. Easy/Medium/Medium
Again, abuse that range of yours. Ward side bushes. Easy/Medium/Medium-High
DoT, avoid, and this annoying shark. Medium/Hard/Medium
Dodge his harass, auto attacks FTW. Medium/Hard/High
Better cc, as well as higher damage and ratios. Medium/Medium/Medium
No threat here, just don't get stunned. Easy/Easy/Low
Dodge Lay Waste, watch out for Requiem. Easy/Easy/High
No chance after he unlocks Riftwalk. Medium/Hard/Medium
Shunpo = Get out of jail free. Huge burst as well. Medium/Hard/Medium
Stay behind creeps, abuse your range. Easy/Medium/Medium
Be wary post-6, Living Artillery hurts. Easy/Medium/Medium
Massive burst damage. Medium/Hard/Low
Have fun mirror laning. Medium/Medium/Average
Keep your distance from near-death minions. Abuse your range (again). Easy/Medium/Medium
Alpha Strike is painful. Medium/Medium/High
Auto attacks to whittle down Iron Man. Medium/Medium/Medium
Your skills are more reliable, just stay out of range, dodge Dark Binding. Easy/Medium/Medium-high
Stay behind your minions, no threat there. Easy/Medium/Medium
Pay attention to the ball, move around frequently. Easy/Medium/Medium
Zone him, stay at range. Easy/Easy/High
Ranged harass for zone and damage. Easy/Easy/Medium
Avoid Nevermove, and harass from a range. Use the pre-6 period. Easy/Medium/Medium
Watch out for lv6 burst. Dodge the stun. Easy-Average/Medium-Hard/Medium-High
Shut him down before he hits level 3. Easy > Hard/Hard/Medium-high
Abuse your range, Vision Ward to clear Noxious Traps. Easy/Easy/Medium
Harass from a range, early Prismatic Barrier. Medium/Medium/Medium
Call MIAs, dodge Wild Cards. Teleport recommended. Easy/Annoying/Low
Zone him, stay at range, don't let him farm Baleful Strike. Easy/Medium/Apocalyptic
Use the range, and avoid Death Ray. Easy/Medium/Medium
Bait out a Sanguine Pool before Light Binding. Easy/Medium/Medium-High
Move around a lot, don't get stunned. Easy/Medium/Medium-High
Watch out for that poke. Medium/Medium/Medium
Keep your distance, Time Bomb hurts. Easy/Medium/Low
Keep away from the plants, watch out for Rise of the Thorns. Easy/Medium/Medium-High
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Easy: These opponents pose little threat to you, and you should be able to lane against them without too much trouble.
Medium: These opponents can deal a significant amount of damage to you, or is difficult to kill. You should ask for jungler assistance.
Hard: These opponents are bigger threats. Unless you're very experienced or your opponent isn't that skilled, playing against this champion will be difficult. However, with enough experience, one can overcome them.

*AD Casters section is still a WIP.

4.2: Common laning opponents, strategies.

While laning, you want to avoid Ahri's harasses. Her deals true damage on the return, so try to avoid it if possible.! If she tries to use , use your to negate the damage, NOT back off! You'll be losing precious cs, and your shield would negate most (if not all) of the damage anyway. ALWAYS dodge Ahri's . If it lands, she can nuke you down from half health with ease. After 6, make sure you are not low on health, as she might want to you. When she tries to tower dive, snare her!

Summary: Make sure you dodge her skillshots. You can either shut her down before you get 6, or start roaming. She has amazing burst and mobility once she unlocks . Be sure to avoid all skillshots.
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Pre-6, is extremely vulnerable, so play aggressively. If you are hit by , avoid getting within range of her . However, if she tries to zone you, feel free to bind her and inflict some serious damage. Even if she gets to level 6, you still have an ~25 second time frame during which she still has low kill pressure on you. If she has two or more charges of her ultimate, play passively, and don't push your lane past the river. If you don't push too far, isn't much of a threat.

Summary: Akali is vulnerable early on, so harass her hard. Play aggressively, and try to make her back off. Your main goal in this lane is to hit level 6 before she does, and/or kill her before she gets two charges of .
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Anivia's is quite slow, so it should be easy to avoid. You would want to farm up, and dodge her projectiles. If you are hit by the ice, will hurt. After Anivia reaches 6, her + combo will be devastating. Try to keep your distance, but harass her back when you get the chance. Of course, keep farming! Anivia's passive is . Don't get egg-baited! You out-range her. If you can dodge the skill shots, and harass enough, you should have no trouble.

Summary: Dodge Anivia's skillshots, and play aggressively against her so that she uses up her . Try not to use when her is ready! Once hits 6, you would want to keep your distance. She can actually cast before and still get the double damage proc if she is fast enough.
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Annie has amazing single-target burst damage. Keep that in mind when you are laning against her. She will likely use her Q to farm, and her auto attacks outrange yours. Thus, you want to harass her and attempt to deny her farm. When her is ready, make sure she doesn't hit you with spells! 's range is longer than your auto attack range, so be careful about using auto attacks on . Once she hits level 6, any time she has over 2 stacks of , she would have the potential to stun you within the next combo. Keep your distance! aura actually hurts a lot, too.

Summary: This is going to be a difficult lane. While she has less range, she has a passive stun, as well as a summon. Ask your jungler for help, and be wary when is charged.
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Brand is a tough opponent to lane against, especially because of his passive. If you have been marked with , you will take a lot of damage over time. Also, stay behind your minions! If he hits you with while you are burning, you will be stunned. Stay away from minions affected by Blaze, because Brand may use to damage nearby units. Once he hits 6, always be sure you have at least 3 minions around you at all times. His bounces, but doesn't prioritize champions, unless the target is burning. Take advantage of that!

Summary: Use your range to harass Brand, and avoid his spells if possible. Stay behind minions, but don't get too close to them either. Zone him with . Don't get stunned by , or he can burst you down easily.
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Cassiopeia does an awful lot of DoT damage. Her has a short cooldown, and is similar to 's . is an AoE poison that EXPANDS. Stay clear of the cloud; if you make contact, you will be slowed. (And poisoned, obviously :P) If you are poisoned (which you should not be), stay well clear from . Her Twin Fangs cooldown refreshes if the target is poisoned. If you think she is about to use , turn away, if possible. A slow is not as bad as a stun. basically "out-classes" , and if you can avoid her harass you should have no trouble whatsoever.

Cassiopeia is an enemy with AoE and DoT spells. Take this in mind as you lane against her. I suggest a point in at level 3 only if the enemy harasses you a lot. Personally, I find a comparably easy opponent to lane against.
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AP is a difficult opponent to lane against. He has tankiness, an abundance of cc, as well as built in sustainability through . is a delayed AoE knock-up effect, scaling off 100% of his AP. is a silencing skill, produces, well, spikes whenever he attacks. Try not to let him stack . Once he gets enough stacks, he will be virtually unkillable.

Summary: When against , you want to keep your distance at all times. His spells have CC effects, and has higher damage than your own! You may want your jungler to help you with this lane, and shut him down before he gets stacked.
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When laning against Diana, try to dodge her , an arc that fires out from her right side. If you get too close, she may draw you in using , and you will be slowed. is a shield, much like because it refreses itself. Once Diana gets to level 6, her gap-closing ability becomes devastating. Avoid whenever possible, because she may follow up with . The cooldown refreshes if you have been marked. The range of is around the range of 1 1/2 es. (It got nerfed, yay.)

Summary: Be aggressive pre-6! Dodge by moving to her left (Your right, whatever). If she es to you, SAVE YOUR SNARE until AFTER she uses . If you snare before she uses it, she can simply pull you back, and the would be pretty much useless. This lane will be easy if you can dodge her Qs.
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The once broken champion has once again fallen into disuse. Anyways, has minimal range, but can allow her to close gaps rapidly. is spammable, and deals quite a lot of damage if used in succession. has high ratios , and slows, shields , and damages you based on your health. Her stealth isn't much of a threat now, since her reveal range is longer than all of her spells.

Summary: is a stealthy champion, and is good at killing targets rapidly. I suggest keeping your distance, and constantly keeping your lane warded with a . Make sure you make those MIA calls.
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Although usually played as an AD Carry, he is a viable AP mid choice. Since his skills are all skill-shot based, you will want to move around a lot. Be sure to avoid , because it hurts quite a lot when he's leveled it a bit. He has a built-in flash with , but it does quite a bit of damage. Once you reach 6, be wary when you have under 1/3 health. If used correctly, will finish you. Other than that, Ezreal is a comparably easier opponent to lane against.

Summary: Since 's spells are all skill-shots, you should try to avoid them. If you see him cast towards another lane, warn your teammates with pings and stuff. You don't want him to get fed, and you don't want your teammates to suffer unnecessary deaths.
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Fiddlesticks is an underplayed champion, but a nuisance to lane against. He has incredible sustain using , so try not to harass him too much: You will just be wasting mana. If he uses on you, he could follow with . This can deal quite a lot of damage! Like you, is mana hungry, thus he probably won't do that too often. silences you and bounces between targets, and is just annoying. It doesn't do that much damage early unless he maxes it first. deals very high damage; when paired with and he could kill you from full health. However, he remains stationary when casting , which gives you a perfect opportunity to burst him.

Summary: Fiddlesticks has high damage and good sustain in lane, so you probably will need your jungler to help you. When he s, that is your cue to attack. After 6, be very careful, as he can cast from literally anywhere, and you can't really ward against him.
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Fizz is one of the few champions that counters in lane. (He counters most people, too) When laning against Fizz, try to keep your distance. His is powerful harass, especially when paired with . Often, you'd be unable to hit him because he uses . Your best bet at harassing is to use against him. Don't use until after you see him use E. That skill has a rather long cooldown. is a skill-shot based ability, so you can probably avoid it by side-stepping. If you are hit, he can quickly follow up with .

Summary: Against Fizz, you would want to zone him with . Aggression is the key to winning this lane -- shouldn't be able to farm at all. When you are low on health, his can deal some serious damage. Dodge !! You will need your jungler to help you with this one. Try to bait out before your jungler ganks.
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Galio counters just about all AP mids with his passive, . This will be a hard lane, so you would want to get help. Try to roam, too! You can't get fed against , unless your opponent is just bad. His + combo can take away 1/3-1/2 of your health, be wary of that! Do not tower-dive him if you can help it. You would die to . heals Galio whenever he gets damaged, so avoid attacking him while he is shielded!

Summary: Galio is a hard lane for just about any AP Caster. Stay away from his , and do not get caught in his , ESPECIALLY UNDER HIS TOWER. You will need to roam to get kills.
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His acts very similar to our , but does more damage. His is like 's , you will be slowed and damaged if you are hit. knocks you away from the center point of the explosion. It also has a 100% AP Scaling! By mid-game, you will want to dodge his abilities. Between the high base damage, your squishiness, and his AP Ratios, one of his spells would likely take away more than 1/3 of your health!

Summary: When against Gragas, you want to avoid all of his abilities. Try to keep at least 1/3 of your mana, because you'd be too vulnerable if you go anywhere under. He has that restores his mana! When escaping, be sure to avoid being knocked backwards by . Use any means to avoid it.
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He is actually quite easy for Lux to lane against. He doesn't have as much range as you, and lacks the utility as well. can be avoided by staying behind some minions; it no longer prioritizes champions. Stay away from , you'd be surprised how much damage it can do. is a very slow projectile, so you should be able to avoid it easily. When he uses , be careful. He can now fire 5 rockets, his E becomes faster, and his turrets will slow you.

Summary: When laning against , make sure you always stay behind your minions. His is easy to dodge, so he shouldn't be much of a threat to you. Harass him from a distance with . Roaming is virtually impossible here, as he can push your lane very quickly.
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Karthus is very weak during the laning phase. However, he can farm really well with and . Therefore, you will want to play very aggressively against , making him stay back, and try to delay him from reaching level 6. slows you and reduces your armor and MR significantly, so avoid it if you can. ing over it works. When you see casting , you have 2 choices: Protect yourself with , or destroy him instantly with your combo.

Summary: Against Karthus, play aggressively, and force him to lose farm and exp. Although his does low damage, it has almost no cooldown. It gets annoying. After you die, make sure you stay away from him! Another note. Do NOT kill him when you are low on health. He will finish you with , and there is no interrupting him when is active.
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Against him, you need to be careful. Harass him hard pre-6, but try to stay out of range of . Once he reaches 6, he can easily kill you when you have less than 1/2 health. He also becomes impossibly hard to gank, because he now has . slows you down significantly, and also deals quite a lot of damage. You WILL need to roam, to get kills, as well as protecting yourself from dying to .

Summary: Generally speaking, you can't kill him once he unlocks . Therefore, you want to zone him, harass him, and/or slay him before he does so. Avoid his s, because they silence you and deal quite a lot of damage.
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Against a , you want to keep your distance and farm. apply a mark, like 's Q does. deals damage around her, and is basically a targeted . Do not give her the chance to close in on you, as you do not have many escape tactics. When she casts , shield yourself and get out of range. Your cc will not be able to interrupt her channel!

Summary: Against Katarina, you want to keep her away from your minions, all while staying a fair distance away from her. Never, EVER, give her the chance to get close to you. Harass her, and shoot her down from a distance with .
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Kennen's skills cost "Energy" (Like , , and ). Therefore, you do not want to deplete your own mana supplies when laning against him. If he applies on you, you may get stunned if he follows up. You should always stay behind your minions. That way, he can't land his on you, and you won't be using unless you're going for the kill anyway. will hit 3 times and stun you, so be careful of that!

Summary: Staying behind minions, as well as out of auto attack range, will protect you from any harass Kennen might bring to you. You will want to burst him down, as opposed to lengthened harassing, because he will likely away if he is low on health. He's fast.
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His has short range, and does around the same damage as . deals damage makes his auto attacks act like , but isn't quite a threat until late-game. deals significant damage in the laning phase, but is a slow projectile. gets really annoying, and has a long range, with a delay comparable to . is possibly the most annoying passive in the game, make sure you run away when you kill him!

Summary:He has a lot of harass early with , but isn't really a threat until late-game, when has built up. Therefore, you will want to shut him down hard early, like what an AD carry would do to .
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Leblancs are generally aggressive. Remember that. Her along with will be powerful harass, and her will snare you if you stay in her range. There really isn't much you can do all game. She beats you in mobility and damage early game. Once she unlocks at level 6, she will be able to burst you down from 3/4 health (Possibly more), even if you are tower hugging.

Summary: Leblanc squishes Lux like a bug. All there is to it. Do your best to harass with , and get a point in as early as level 2. If she tries to tower dive you, save a to snare her.
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When mirror laning, it all comes down to skill. As you would to any opponent, harass using . When she attempts to hit you with spells, side step. Side stepping is more efficient than walking backwards. Never, EVER get hit by the opponent's . You should know how much one combo from can do.

Summary: Remember, mirror laning is hard, regardless of champion. Reasoning? Your opponent is as broken as you are. Don't make stupid mistakes if possible.
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Malzahar's is a delayed silence. is an area that deals damage equivalent to a % of your max health, while is a DoT spell that passes on if the original target dies in its duration. is a ranged suppress, with an even longer duration than 's . Against Malzahar, you want to harass him with your range, and stay away from your own minions (To decrease the chance of you getting .)

Summary: When laning against Malzahar, be sure you do not push your lane, especially after he reaches level 6. When you are hit with , you are extremely vulnerable to jungler ganks. Try keeping s in the brush on one side of the river, and stay on that side.
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Although not usually seen, AP Yi is a fearsome opponent. His scales off 100% of his AP, even more than any of our own skills do. If he is hurt, can heal a huge chunk of his health back. By late game, he can easily heal back all his health. You do not have the cc to interrupt his , and he can't be targeted while casting . In a teamfight, he can easily get multi-kills with active, as he can just constantly spam s if he kills a champion.

Summary: It's tough to kill him, because any player with some sense (Some people lack this ._.) would just begin the moment he gets lower on health. Maybe get someone with hard cc (Stuns, knockups, etc) to help you get kills? He will roam a lot once he hits 6, and you will not be able to catch up. Just push the lane if he decides to leave. Also, if possible, try to kill him before he starts snowballing.
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A good Mordekaiser would keep his shield up all the time, thus making it far harder for you to harass. will do quite a bit of damage to you, so you may want to keep your distance. Mordekaisers in general will have a high CS, so you want to get your own CS score up as well. drains your health, and turns you into a ghost if you die. can effectively remove a portion of the DoT damage.

Summary: There really isn't any point in hitting him while his passive shield is charged. Save your mana, and avoid his attacks. At the same time, farm up. If you find you are doing minimal damage against him, start roaming, and help out your other lanes. If you can deal damage, chances are your opponent isn't good. Then, nothing to worry about, just treat him as a tanky AP Carry.
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Morgana's skills work in similar ways to ours, but our skills are, uh, "safer" to cast. only hits one target, is an AoE effect that takes time to do damage, and she needs to be in the middle of a fight to effectively cast . However, her will block disables, so you won't be able to snare her or slow her while the shield is active.

Despite listing her in the "Tough opponents" section, picking against is actually a good idea if you're practiced. You have more utility than does, as well as more reliable sources of damage. While she has better crowd control, a well-played can easily shut a down. Just watch out for and , both of which are not that hard to avoid if you abuse your range.
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Nidalee's spears hurt. Perhaps not so much early, but after level 5 it will. You want to stay behind your minions at ALL TIMES. Despite her heal with , we can still harass her effectively, because most Nidalees will level up first. is a trap that acts similar to 's without the snare. She is quite mobile when she unlocks , but still shouldn't be that hard to hit.

Summary: Harass her hard, while staying away from her spears. Remain behind your minions! Don't get caught in her traps, since the damage is actually quite high, as opposed to common belief.
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Orianna's abilities revolve around her "ball". Therefore, staying away from it is always a good plan. She controls it using , and can recall it using . is an AoE slow, similar to our . will knock you back, from the outside of the area towards the center. Fortunately, is a champion of a higher skill cap, meaning that it's rare that you would find good players. However, the lane can be extremely challenging if your opponent is competent. I suggest farming with skills and erratic movement.

Summary: All of 's skills involve her "ball". Therefore, we want to harass her, while staying away from the ball. When fleeing, be wary of the position of her ball, and avoid her from knocking you back, if possible.
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His abilities scale off not just his AP, but his maximum mana. , paired with his already-short cooldown on , will allow him to burst down any target quickly. is a targeted snaring spell with 625 range, further than your auto attacks reach. Many Ryze players would choose to build for the mana bonus, so he will likely use his abilities to farm.

Summary: When laning against Ryze, you do want to keep your distance. His spells have greater range than your auto attacks, and he can burst you down quickly if you are snared. Try to harass him out of lane (Or kill him), so he can lose some CS. As with most other opponents, abuse your range. Never try to 1v1 him, starting from mid-game.
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With , he can get tanky pretty quickly, and gives him amazing sustainability in lane. can absorb a lot of damage, and stuns. And does a lot of damage. Ouch. You usually want to harass him from a distance, as he is more of a melee champion. In fact, out-ranges him.

Summary: As long as you can keep your distance, can't hurt you. takes away his health with every attack, so if he gets careless with it, finish him. Do not give him the chance to and stun you!
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Swain has an arsenal of cc: a snare, a slow, and a mark that amplifies the damage you take. Not to mention , which heals him for a portion of the damage he deals. Keeping your distance is a good idea, and do everything you can to avoid getting caught by . His other spells all have relatively short range, so try remaining a fair distance away from Swain. Use your range to avoid his harass damage. You do not have the sustainability that he has!

Summary: Keep a fair distance away from , and you should have no trouble. His is a delayed spell, so you should have enough time to react and step out of the area. If you're going in for the kill, him to stop his attempts on recovering with .
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Syndra's skill set mainly revolves around her s, like the way relies on "The Ball". Her cast is slow, and you should have enough time to dodge it. allows her to manipulate things, and will slow you. stuns. uses all her s, and does a massive amount of damage, depending on how many spheres are in use.

Summary: is underplayed, but can be troublesome. You don't want to get below half health after she hits 6, as she can easily burst you down with . Don't get in the way of . If a thrown from that hits, you will be stunned, allowing for an easy kill.
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Although not scaling on AP, Talon is a viable choice for mid lane, and counters almost any AP Caster. His is a small fan-shaped AoE effect that damages twice, and slows you. is essentially a that silences you. makes you "bleed" over time, like 's passive. As he scales off AD, getting armor early is definitely a good idea. Having Armor seals against him is vital.

Summary: Against Talon, you will want to be careful. His attacks deal high damage, and also has access to DoT damage. When harassing, throw your E ahead of them, as opposed to behind them. What I find in personal experience is that a lot of players will move forward to harass you, all while dodging AoE effects. (Probably not true for all players, you will have to look at the situation) An early is a good idea. Also, you need armor seals!
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Teemo's attacks, as well as skills, all have short range. Therefore, be aggressive, and abuse your range. Don't let him pressure you with ! It has an 80% AP Ratio, as well as a blinding effect which makes it harder for you to farm. He is a hard target to hit, due to his effect(s). After he unlocks E, his attacks will poison you, and the DoT damage is quite significant. And remember, try not to step in his . They hurt.

Summary: Against Teemo, you will want to stay out of his range. Harass him hard, and make him back off. Early points in is recommended, as you will be taking quite a lot of damage if he can get to you. A in the middle of your lane to clear out his could be a good idea.
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Although usually seen as an AD Carry in the bot lane, the burst potential of AP Tristana is not to be underestimated. Her DoT damage with is devastating early, and she essentially has 2 es with . The passive of allows her to farm easily, and her has double the AP Ratio of ! Despite all this, she is a very squishy champion.

Summary: Tristana has huge AP Ratios, and can deal some serious burst damage. Try to stay out of range of her , and do your best to avoid harass. If you are low on health, she can easily jump to you and finish you off.
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His are easy to dodge, but they have huge range. The further away you are, the easier it is to dodge. can either slow, stun, or restore his mana. This allows him to be aggressive in lane without worrying too much about mana. When he unlocks , he can easily gank the side lanes, or escape from a bad situation.

Summary: Against Twisted Fate, you want to stay out of his range, abuse your own range, and dodge his . He is heavily reliant on his auto attacks, so keeping your distance is a good idea. Whenever he is not in lane, make sure you call those MIAs.
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Veigar has amazing burst potential, but he lacks range. He essentially has a built-in that increases his AP whenever he kills a target with . is a stun in the shape of a circle. The duration is quite long! His scales off 100% of his AP, but has a casting delay. scales off his own AP, as well as 80% of your own AP. The base damage isn't that low either.

Summary: Against Veigar, always keep your distance. Play aggressively, and deny him last hits with . DO NOT GET CAUGHT BY HIS STUN! If you are trapped in the area, either out, , and/or avoid touching the wall. Once he unlocks his ultimate, he can easily burst you down in 1 combo. Try to end the game ASAP. By late game, he will be able to one-shot you with a single .
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Despite being underplayed, Viktor is quite a competent opponent. His damages you and shields himself. deals damage in a line, and slows/stuns you if you remain in the area. His ultimate, deals quite a lot of damage, silences you, and follows you around, continuing dealing damage. He starts off with , which gives him an edge in early AP.

Summary: Against Viktor, keep your distance. Harass him from afar, and avoid getting hit by . If you are caught by , you will want to get away from it, because it hurts.
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Vladimir is only constrained by cooldowns, and he has built-in spell-vamp effects. grants him AP for gaining bonus health, and vice versa. This allows him to build tanky, and play aggressively in lane. is his usual harassing spell, but it has short cast range. grants him invincibility for two seconds, and deals damage to all targets around him. is a delayed spell, so you will have enough time to react and cast .

Summary: Vladimir has built-in spell vamp, passive tankiness, invincibility, and is only constrained by cooldowns. His shortcoming is his short range. use your own range to harass him from a distance, and shut him down early on.
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Xerath is just about the only champion that out-ranges . His deals significant damage, as well as a base range approximate to our own. will stun you the next time he damages you, and is an AoE spell that can be cast thrice in rapid succession. His grants his spells a whole 400 extra range, and quite a lot of Magic Pen, while being rendered immobile.

Summary: When against , try to stay at the end of your range. Harass him, and dodge his s. When he casts , that is your chance to burst him down. Just make sure you dodge his spells in the process.
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Ziggs has a LOT of annoying poke damage. His s have short cooldown, and a deceptively high range, due to it "bouncing". can deal a lot of damage if you trigger several bombs, and it will slow you. knocks you back, but is easier to avoid. When low on health, be sure to dodge , a huge AoE spell that deals devastating damage.

Summary: Ziggs has huge harass damage, and a decent share of cc. Try staying behind your minions, so his bombs would detonate on them instead of bouncing. Do your best to dodge , or at least get away from the blast center.
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The majority of Zyra's damage is based around her plants. is a delayed AoE effect, similar to . plants a seed, which acts as a small , and can be turned into plants by Zyra's other spells. They can be removed by stepping on them. is a snaring effect that has approximately the same range as , but can hit several targets. Avoid being in , as you will get knocked up when the effect ends.

Summary: Zyra is, IMO, one of the easiest opponents to lane against. You can harass her well from a distance, and she can't do much to you. If she attempts to cast her ultimate on you, Get out of the area, as you will be knocked up. Avoid killing her when you are on low health, as she can still finish you off with .

5.1: Standard combo sets.

Like on many other champions, effective usage of combos can define the difference between a mediocre Lux, a good Lux, and a great Lux.

*The calculations are assuming you are following the cheat sheet mastery/rune builds!*

For early harassing. Lucent Singularity >>> Illumination.

At early levels, this combo can take away a whole bar of your opponent's health. Exploding the orb marks them and damages them, while the auto attack detonates the mark, for even more damage.

Let's look at some calculations!

At level 1, you should have 16.38 AP from runes, 7 from masteries, and 1.169 from Archmage . That gives us a total of around 25 AP.

Level 1 of Lucent Singularity would do 60 + 60% of AP, or 60 + 15 damage. (75)
Her auto attacks would deal 53 (AD at level 1) + 20 (Illumination). (73)
Now, let's add that together. With this combo, we'd be doing 148 damage before reductions. Quite a lot for level 1, isn't it?
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For early kills. >>> (Don't explode) >>> >>> Explode >>> .

With this combo, we are dealing damage to our utmost potential (At least at this level). Why is this combo so deadly? Let's look at some calculations. (Again)

Assuming you are at level 5. (Level before unlocking ultimate)
22.5 AP from runes, 11 AP from masteries, and 1.7 AP from , for around 35 AP.

At level 5, you should have 1 point in and 3 points in .

would deal 60 + 70% of AP, or 60 + 25 damage. (85)
would deal 150 + 60% of AP, or 150 + 21 damage. (171)
We will have 70 AD at level 5, and deals 60 damage at level 5. Apply this damage twice. (260)

Add all that together, that would deal 516 damage. Add on the 150 from Ignite, that gives us a total of 666, before reductions. Consider this. The base health of Lux at level 5 is only 740. This entire combo will take most of the target's health away! Of course, while dealing this combo, make sure you are not ganked by the enemy, and do not take turret aggro, whatever you do.
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Killing enemies once you have your ultimate. >>> (Don't explode) >>> () >>> Explode >>>

Once you unlock your ultimate at level 6, your damage becomes quite fearsome, and you can easily burst down any target under 2/3 health. When firing this, be sure not to hesitate. The snare of 2 seconds is not all that long. If you're against someone like , the opponent can easily dodge if you hesitate.

At level 6, you should have:
24 AP from runes, 12 AP from masteries, and 1.8 AP from , for a total of around 38 AP.

At this point, you should have 1 point in , 3 in , and 1 in .

will deal 60 + 70% of AP, or 60 + 27 damage. (87)
will deal 150 + 60% of AP, or 150 + 23 damage. (173)
will deal 300 + 75% of AP, or 300 + 29 damage. (329)
deals 70 damage at level 6.

Add all that together, we get 659 before reductions. Add in another auto attack after the combo (To use that last mark), we get another 140 damage on top of that. Finish off the target with , for another 170 damage. With that, we can easily achieve 1000 damage. Don't forget, we have the mastery as well, and you're welcome to add in auto attacks if you get in range.
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Killing targets lategame! For this, we would use the same combo as our previous combo. This is just to show just how much damage Lux can do with all her items.

You will have 566 AP at full build.

At level 5, will deal 260 + 70% of AP, or 260 + 396 damage. (656)
At level 5, will deal 240 + 60% of AP, or 240 + 340 damage. (580)
At level 3, will deal 500 + 75% of AP, or 500 + 425 damage. (925)
deals 190 damage at max level.
Add on , that will be another 410 damage.

Add it all up, we'd get 2351 damage, before reductions. Her late game is no longer about burst, but more poke. However, with the MPen from this build, you will likely be able to 1 combo the enemy's AD carry.

In conclusion, with this damage, can easily burst down the opponents' carries in 1 combo. In a team fight, has 2 roles: The first is to take an enemy out as soon as possible through her burst combo. The second is to support your teammates with while your combo is on cooldown.

5.2: Teamwork: A vital strategy.

In the Pros and Cons section, I mentioned that it is extremely difficult to succeed as Lux if you cannot work with your team, or vice versa. But, why?
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Lux's role within a team is quite unique, and one that absolutely requires teamwork. She is a burst mage in that she can effectively insta-burst an enemy in 1 combo, as well as being a support with Prismatic Barrier.

Lux has far longer cooldowns than typical mid champions like Ahri, and is extremely vulnerable when all her abilities are on cooldown. That happens quite frequently in a fight, as you would likely be aiming to burst down the enemy AD carry before they do too much damage. And then...10 seconds without any ability other than Prismatic Barrier. Right there. If the enemy jumps on you then, you're done for. Your only form of escape besides summoner Flash is by hitting the opponent with Light Binding. However, it'll be on cooldown from your burst combo. Unlike LeBlanc, Lux doesn't have many options when it comes to escaping.

This is precisely when your team comes into play. As Lux, you best contribute by instantly killing the enemy carry, and supporting your team through the rest of the fight by using Prismatic Barrier. By then, you have no available abilities. You need your team to cover you while your spells are on cooldown. Also, your team needs to know when to engage. If your team doesn't engage when you've taken an opponent out of the fight (either killed or forced to recall), you're not likely to get another chance like that. If your enemies are smart, they would engage on your team when they know all your abilities are on cooldown.

How to work with your team! (This applies to all situations, not just when you're playing Lux)

First and foremost, AVOID RAGING. It is statistically proven that a player that rages at their teammates lose far more games. Why would that be, though? If you start cursing at an ally, they lose respect for you. If they don't respect you, you two are not likely to have good teamwork. Remember, League is a TEAM GAME. Avoid raging if at all possible. At least during the game. Some common examples include:

*What if one of your allies are being negative to another?*

Try to resolve their conflict, if possible. Sometimes it's as simple as "cut it out". Other times, you have to be the "mediator" between the two sides. Try to calm the ally in question without angering the other. Let's say that a support is mad at their AD carry for feeding 2/4. You ask the AD carry to be more careful, and farm up. You tell the support, "It doesn't matter that they're doing poorly, everyone has bad games. Let them catch up," or something like that. In this case, your objective is to stop the ally from harassing others. If that can happen, the morale of your team will go up, which greatly improves your chance of victory.

*What if an ally is harassing YOU?*

First, look at what they're harassing you about. If you maybe aren't doing so well, don't worry. It's just a game, and you can always catch up. Sometimes, your ally might be giving you advice along with the negativity, try to take the advice and not let the words get into your head. If they're really starting to get on your nerve, there is this convenient function called "Ignore". Go to your scoreboard, and press that speech bubble thingy beside the ally that's annoying you. Then, you won't hear from them for the rest of the game. For me, I would try to avoid ignoring someone during the game, as that would hinder your ability to work with your allies; instead, I don't pay attention to the verbal harassment, and focus on gameplay. However, there are the really bad ones. In that case, ignoring them would prove better than continuously listening to their toxic.

Secondly, "read" your teammate's playstyle. Judging from their behavior during the game, you can often times tell whether they are an aggressive player, a passive player, or somewhere in between. Once you know that, you can adjust your gameplay based on them. Being flexible is vital if you want to work well with a teammate. If they're overly aggressive, you want to get a bit aggressive too. Hopefully you get them to wait until you've bursted down a carry before they engage, but you want to follow them and provide utility and shields. On the other hand, let's say you have a passive team. is an amazing "poke" champion due to her long range, and her short-cooldown . In this case, you don't want to be aggressive either. Still aim to burst down your opponent's carry, but don't get too reckless.

Finally, you need good positioning of your own. Positioning is a skill vital to doing well in the game, which involves understanding how champions work and the mechanics of the game. With the massive range has, you would want to stay far enough from the enemy so that you can avoid their attacks, but close enough so that you can damage your enemies. Team fights are chaotic. However, you would need to pay attention to your surrounding, both your opponents and your allies. Watch how they are positioned, and adjust your location accordingly. As a general rule, you want to be on the very back of your own team, and keep the tank(s) between you and the enemy. Avoid all skill shots that are coming your way, if possible.

Over the past few months, I've gained enough recognition to earn the Green ribbon for being a "Great teammate". These are some of the things that I typically try to do to be able to work well with most players: Keep a cool head, analyze the situations, and act accordingly.

5.3: Your laning objectives.

The laning phase is the time where you can farm, and try to beat your opponent in lane.

Laning is vital to your success in games. If one has a bad early-game, chances are they'd do bad in the game. Sometimes, they get countered, sometimes they just don't know what to do against their enemy. That's why Lux is such a viable pick in Ranked. Only a select few champions actually counter Lux, the others are all dependent on their skill. Also, Lux is able to beat almost any mid lane champion through the same strategy: harassing from a long range. Here, I will explain the important objectives that you want to achieve in the laning phase.

First thing: Farm! Farming is the most important objective in the laning phase. Your objective is to get as much CS as possible. Kills are good to get, but farm is still more important! I mean, 300 gold only takes about 15 minions to acquire. Lux is one of the easier champions to last hit with. From my experience, her auto attack animations are crisp, much like Ahri. Her auto attack range of 550 also out-ranges a few opponents, like Swain. With enough Mana Regen, you can easily use your spells to farm. Lucent Singularity is a big AoE circle, Light Binding hits 2 targets in a line, and you can even use Final Spark to clear huge groups of minions. (Do so at your own discretion.)

Your second most important objective is to deny your opponent's farm! The best way to do so is by harassing. Using your E, you can effectively zone your opponent into missing a few last hits. Remember, the more farm you have over your opponent, the better! If possible, you want to implement the "fear" factor on your opponent, so that they are afraid to get close to you, and thus missing valuable farm. Even better, harass them enough to they recall. This will give you an advantage in gold, experience, and push! Ultimately, you'd want to destroy your opponent's outer turret, but you usually don't want to push too much! If you push any further than the halfway point, you're in danger of being ganked! Remember, you are Lux! You do not have many escape tactics! Buying sight wards are also important to avoiding ganks.

Our third most important objective is to get fed, through kills. You can get your jungler to help you! Or, if you see the opportunity, go in for the kill! Try not to miss too much CS though, that's still more important. Usually, you can kill your enemy with your combo if they have any less than 3/4 health. After level 6, you gain the ability to burst your opponent down in less than a second. Bind them with Light Binding, throw down your Lucent Singularity behind them (DON'T EXPLODE IT), and shoot them down with Final Spark! If they are still alive, Ignite them and detonate your E. Oh, and auto attacks to activate Illumination.
Alternatively, you can keep your opponent's health low through Lucent Singularity, and fire off Final Spark from a range once they reach a certain point. The ultimate will usually take off 1/3 to 1/2 of the target's health, provided that they have Illumination on them. Catching your opponent with Light Binding isn't always possible, so this is another great alternative method to earn kills. I've actually switched over from the "Combo" playstyle on Lux, simply because this method is, overall, safer. I mean, you have no escape besides Light Binding, so if you miss it on your opponent, watch out.

5.4: Team fights.

By late game, one team fight can determine the outcome of the game. As a carry, you should be staying at the very back, throwing in spells to damage your opponents. Use Lucent Singularity to damage targets in an area, and throw in Prismatic Barrier to help absorb some damage for your other teammates. Light Binding for further damage, for kill securing, and for peeling enemies. Use Final Spark when you can hit the most enemies. I can't emphasize this enough: YOU DO NOT NEED TO GET A KILL WITH YOUR LASER.

Lux's spell ranges are around 1000, which should give you enough room to cast spells safely. You are NOT Morgana! You do not need to be in the middle of the fight! You don't have the tankiness of Mordekaiser, nor the invincibility of Vladimir when he's in his pool of blood. In other words, you get caught in a fight, you die. You don't want that to happen. At least, I hope you don't. ._. If you find you're getting caught out of position, then you aren't playing Lux effectively. Stay at a range where you are exposed to virtually no risk, yet is able to damage opponents through your abilities.

A fully levelled Prismatic Barrier will absorb 180 + 35% of AP in damage, and it refreshes when it returns to Lux. That essentially gives EACH teammate several hundred more "effective health" to keep. Hit as many targets as you can with that, and it should provide a significant advantage for your team.

5.5: Stealing buffs.

Here it is. Your team lost the team fight, you are the only person alive on your team, and the enemy team is going for the Baron buff.

Lux's Final Spark makes her one of the safest champions for buff stealing in game. Our laser deals reliable damage, provides vision along the path, as well as a 3000 range. Sitting right across the wall from Baron is pretty dangerous, but her ultimate allows her to steal from the other side of blue buff! (Red buff if you are on purple side). Also far easier to use than Trueshot Barrage or Whirling Death, since the damage is instant after the casting delay.

Because of the 0.5 second casting delay, you will want to start casting your ultimate early. Depending on the damage the enemy is doing, you may want to start casting when the target has 600, or even 1000 or 1500 if they have the whole team there. Vision of the target is absolutely necessary. There's no way you can cast safely if you don't know what's going on, and casting Lucent Singularity for vision is not nearly as safe. Many junglers, especially those of lower elo, will not last hit with Smite. Use this to your advantage!

This takes some practice to get used to, but if done correctly, it can change the course of the game!

Oh, and I find stealing Dragon is really fun, too. ;)

Supporting as Lux: Overview.

Supporting as Lux is a great choice for just about any team composition. While she does not have the tankiness of Alistar, nor the healing abilities of Soraka and Taric, she does have a shield, in the form of Prismatic Barrier. (A deceptively powerful shield!) Lux also has a good amount of C

Lux Build Guide by Retribution

Lux: The Final Spark. A Comprehensive Guide.

AP Lux

Support Lux

Champion Build: Lux

Recommended Runes + Notes

Start with + Notes

Early game goals + Notes

Afterwards + Notes

Build towards + Notes

Typical finished build

Ability Sequence + Notes

Masteries + Notes

Offense: 21

Defense: 0

Utility: 9

AP Lux

Support Lux

Champion Build: Lux

Recommended Runes

Begin with + Notes

On first recall + Notes

Early game core set + Notes

Follow with + Notes

Finish up with + Notes

Ability Sequence

Masteries + Notes

Offense: 21

Defense: 0

Utility: 9

AP Lux

Support Lux

Champion Build: Lux

Recommended Runes + Notes

Begin with

And buy ASAP

If you are still vulnerable + Notes

If you are reasonably safe + Notes

Ability Sequence + Notes

Masteries + Notes

Offense: 21

Defense: 0

Utility: 9

AP Lux

Support Lux

Champion Build: Lux

Recommended Runes + Notes

Begin with + Notes

And rush + Notes

Proceed + Notes

Consider + Notes

Ability Sequence + Notes

Masteries + Notes

Offense: 21

Defense: 0

Utility: 9

AP Lux

Support Lux

Champion Build: Lux

Recommended Runes + Notes

Begin with + Notes

And buy these items. + Notes

Upgrade items into + Notes

Then Choose two of

Boots can be

With one of these enchantments

So it looks similar to this

Ability Sequence + Notes

Masteries + Notes

Offense: 0

Defense: 13

Utility: 17

AP Lux

Support Lux

Champion Build: Lux

Recommended Runes + Notes

Start off with + Notes

Then buy + Notes

And possibly + Notes

Upgrade your boots + Notes