Lux Build Guide by Shadowscythe159

~Introduction~

Hello all! My name is Shadowscythe159, to keep it short, I'm just known as Shadow. And I thank you for taking a few minutes out of your precious time to look at my guide on how I play Lux.

This is, indeed, my first guide on Mobafire, and if not for the majestic lightbringer, Lux, I wouldn't be making one at all. I won't say Lux was my first champion, nor will she be my last. However, for now, and probably for a long while, she will be my main and favorite.

In no way do I think my play style with Lux is the best, I just know it works splendidly for me, and has made many people scream "ASDFGHJK LUX OP". So, after much time of playing with the The Lady of Luminosity, Lux, I feel I can give some people out there a few tips on playing her like I do, and who knows, maybe even get a few people to play her. ;D


Please do not downvote my guide because you have a Lux guide yourself, or because you don't like how I build Lux. :< Again, this is only how I build her, and I do not think in any way that this is the best way to build her. If you do feel that my guide should be down voted, please comment and let me know why. I want to make it better, and adding to that, please let me know how you think I can make this guide better!

~Sparkling Pros / Mopey Cons~

Pro's + Harassment Queen + Great Range + Unbelievable Escaping Ability + Mid-Late Game Nuke + Perfect AP Mid

SPACE

Con's - Squuuuuish - Mana Hungry at first - Focused hard late game

SPACE

~Masteries~

Masteries, to me, are really dependent on the player. I prefer the Utility tree for my Lux because I like to assist in ganks whenever possible. Going into the utlity tree gives me the extra EXP I need, so when I do go for ganks I don't fall behind in levels, and I also gain more experience per assist I get, which usually ends up being a lot.

The extra mana, mana regen, movement speed, and Summoner Spells Cooldown is just icing on top of the already sweet cake. In my build, I rush an Archangel's staff, because in all honesty, it isn't a bad item. I'll go into more details with it later in the guide, but for now, just know you'll need all the mana you can get for that little AP boost.

I find myself taking Summoner's Insight because both of our Summoner Spells use it. Clairvoyance will last an extra couple of seconds, which is a bit more necessary than many might think, and Clarity will restore a good 20% more mana. Meaning in early game you can go from about 0 Mana to somewhere between 80% to 90%.

Now, to explain the holy grail of the Utility Tree. Mastermind. Mastermind will lower your summoner spell cooldowns by 15%. Not very much, but I can't even begin to explain how many times that 15% has saved my life. Clairvoyance's cooldown gets knocked down to 60 Seconds. Not bad, you get a free look at any place on the map for 6 seconds every minute. As for Clarity, it gets knocked down to 153 seconds. Which isn't as bad as 180, but it is still up there.

I then put 9 points into the offensive tree, putting 4 into the usual Mental Force and 4 more into Sorcery , followed by 1 point into Arcane Knowledge


I may take my points into the Utility tree, but I have played Lux with the offensive tree. You can secure (and steal) more kills that way, but in my opinion, I don't think Lux needs all the extra damage or AP boosts that it offers.

~Runes~

I get called out often for having a weird build and setup for my Lady of Luminosity. Not very many out there will often forgo the defensive runes and offensive runes for Utility ones. It's odd, and a bit costly since not many buy them, but I work how I work, so trust me for the next five minutes or so. I promise most of my odd thought processes will be brought to light, and all will be explained.

So, let's start this:



So, for marks we grab the usual Greater Mark of Desolation for that extra little bit of Magic Pen that is undeniably useful for harassers in early game. Nothing unusual here- Yet.



So, this is where things deviate a little. I don't grab the usual Armor runes for my Lux because, in all honesty, if you play her right, you won't be getting hit much anyways. She has more than enough escaping ability with my build plus what comes from her own amazing abilities to survive nearly any AD champions wrath.

These runes are essential for that lane sustain that you'll need so you don't run out of mana too fast. Two of the are flat mana regen- more for early game. The rest will help out more along the way, but they are always there, and every little bit helps.



Now, to explain my choices of Glyphs. I take the Glyph of Force to give us that little boost in AP that we will need since we will not be rushing something like Rabadon's or Rod of Ages. It'll make harassing a lot better, even if it is just a couple more points of damage.

After that, we take a couple runes for Cooldown reduction. Now, if all goes well, after purchasing your Frozen Heart You should have about a 26 Second cooldown on your Ult. So, you'll be firing your laser every time you get into a fight. Even if it isn't a full nuke with just your Archangel's staff and the Frozen Heart, it'll make a HUGE difference in team fights.



I have some weird choices for Quintessences. The Swiftness, to yet again add on to your speed, because, and I am being blunt here, Lux is a slow. Stupidly slow. So, we're fixing that. The two quintessences of swiftness, combined with masteries, AND Boots of swiftness will give her enough escaping ability to get away from a Master Yi with a Phantom Dancer using Highlander.

The Quintessence of Focus comes into play with the Frozen Heart. With all these things to reduce your cooldown you won't have to go for a second item with Cool Down Reduction, freeing up your item space a little.

~Items~

I start off with Boots of Speed and three health potions for lane sustain. Your eyes do not deceive you. I don't take ANY mana pots. Know why? With Clarity in your arsenal, you don't need them. The boots of speed will help you dodge any skill shots that come your way, and since you'll probably be midding if you're following my guide, you'll have a lot to dodge. I then rush Boots of Swiftness and Tear of the Goddess. You'll need all of the extra speed you can get, and Boots of Swiftness will give you that speed you need to dodge any skill shots and quickly run away from a fight gone awry.

Why not take Sorcerer's Shoes? Because you don't NEED the extra magic pen. You're going to be harassing early game. Not going in for kills (unless you know you can get them). And you CANNOT pass up the extra speed Swiftness gives you because it WILL help you survive.

Now, Tear of the Goddess is one of the most important early game items. It gives your more mana regen, so you don't have to rely on your Clarity as much, and you gain mana every time you use an ability, which will add up very quickly. It gives you so much lane sustain that your enemy will be saying "WHY HASN'T SHE GONE BACK YET?"

That lane sustain is key for a harasser like Lux. You should be able to harass long enough and hard enough to quickly gain up the gold for the rest of your Archangel's Staff. Once you make that purchase, congratz. Most, if not all, of your mana problems have vanished.

After that purchase, you're going to need some Cool Down Reduction, probably some more armor, and more mana wouldn't hurt, right? I mean, it does give you AP too. So, you make your way to the Frozen Heart by purchasing Glacial Shroud. After you purchase your Frozen Heart You should have a 26 second cooldown for your Ult, which will make your enemies cry every time they fight you.

After I buy my Frozen Heart I look and see how the game is going. Are we winning? What is my team lacking? Damage? Magic Resist?

By this point, if you need more damage, sure, go for your Rabadon's Deathcap. Your AP and damage will skyrocket.

Do you need some Magic Resist? Go ahead and buy that Abyssal Mask. That'll be a good double bonus for you, AP and resistance.

Do you need Magic Pen because the enemies realized you're a threat and built a lot of Magic Resist? Spring for that Void Staff, You'll be happy you did.

In my opinion, everything after Frozen Heart is completely situational. I mean, if you're getting focused down hard enough, go ahead and buy a Zhonya's Hourglass or if you want to be even more annoying a Guardian Angel. The possibilities are endless with Lux. Because after you buy that Archangel's Staff and Frozen Heart, you have all the harass potential you need, and even more lane sustain than you could hope for.

~Skill Sequence~

At level 2 you want to grab your Light Binding ability. This will snare any two targets it hits. It is what will stop any enemy with a gap closer that feels like they want to take you on. When they walk/leap/run/ highland towards you, throw your snare their way and get some distance between the two of you. It is a skill shot, one that hits minions, so you'll have to be careful about that. And always try and predict where your enemy / chaser is going before you throw your Light Binding at them. It is a skill shot that will take some getting used to, but it is a very necessary part to playing Lux. This will be the second skill you max out.





At level 4 you want to grab your shield ability Prismatic Barrier. I max it out last but I get it early because even at a low level, it can deflect some pretty good damage. And one of the best things about it: If an enemy decides to try and finish you off with Ignite, throw your Prismatic Barrier out. You have then successfully killed their entire ignite while taking very little damage for it.



Lucent Singularity is your big harassment ability here. You want to grab it first because of it's many uses. First of all, it acts as a ward which is fantastic to have as a first skill. It also acts as a slow which will stop any early attempts to kill you, and best of all it deals AOE damage! :D
You'll definitely want to max this one out first. It comes in handy when in team fights because of the AOE damage and slow, and it has some pretty great range on it too so feel free to try and throw it behind an enemy if you have the chance. Out of reflex they might try and back away from you and into it.

This is the spell you'll be spamming for the entirety of early game. It has many uses and it does a pretty good amount of damage when used with your passive: Illumination. All enemies caught in the explosion of your Lucent Singularity will be afflicted with Illumination which makes farming a breeze too. You just have to be wary of your mana, but that is what Clarity is for.




Of course at levels 6, 11, and 16 you want to level up your ultimate finales funkeln Or, in English: Final Sparkle. This ability makes Lux, Lux. It has a ridiculous range, great power, and finally, the last ending touch to your nuke.

~Summoner Spells~

Clarity. This is the main thing I get yelled at for. To me, and my way of playing Lux, it is NOT a useless spell. It gives me all the lane sustain I need in early game. I don't have to go back to the base because I ran out of mana. I just simply manage out my mana, harass when I can, and wait for Clarity to come back. After it comes back, I'm right back in the fight for mid lane. It hasn't honestly kept me sustained long enough in a lane to buy a Archangel's staff flat out on my first trip back.

Don't knock it before you try it, because with Lux, this thing makes mer a fantastic mid-laner.

Clairvoyance This is mostly to dodge those ganks and to help teammates. I first use it to see what all items my enemies picked up from the start and see who is going where. After that, It is already back and ready to be used when blue buff spawns, so I set it up on the other team's blue buff so my team can gank whoever tries going for it. For mid game it is still useful because you can use it to scout out the bushes on both sides of mid lane when someone calls mia and you feel like you're going to get ganked. Lux doesn't have to face check a bush at all because with her Lucent Singularity and Clairvoyance she has two quick wards she can throw up to see if you will be ganked from either side.

~Early Game with The Queen of Harassment~

At the very start of the game, you want to throw your Clairvoyance up on the enemies spawn. This way you'll know exactly what they all start with and have a general idea as to where they are all going. After that pick up your Boots of Speed and 3 Health Potion and put a point into your Lucent Singularity before heading out to mid lane. Stay at the turret and when the timer hits 1:50 throw your Clairvoyance on the enemy team's blue buff. This is just for your jungler and teammates to know. If you're well coordinated that should be enough incentive for your teammates to gank blue.

After that stick to your minions, and when you see the enemy champion harass the hell out of him. You should be able to out-range them with Lucent Singularity because that ability has an incredible range, and don't forget to auto-attack after hitting them with it.

Your mid-lane enemy will quickly get annoyed with your antics, and might try being aggressive towards you to scare you off. Put a point into your Light Binding at level 2 and when they make that move toward you follow this order: Light Binding>> Lucent Singularity>>Auto-Attack>> Lucent Singularity>>Auto-attack>>Run Back.

You'll throw Lucent Singularity out as soon as you snare them, but don't make it explode just yet. Hit them with that auto-attack first, then blow it up, then auto attack again. That is how you deal the most damage out of your early game combo. This will ensure that you harass them back away from you, and may even make them call back. This is what makes Lux such a great harasser. They have to sit there and take everything you throw at them when you snare them. Don't go in for kills in early game, just know that you're trying to make them back away until you hit level 6. Until then, harass your enemy champion, and farm with Lucent Singularity then auto-attack minions.

After you hit level 6 is when you can start dominating your lane. When that enemy champ thinks they can take you on follow this order: Light Binding>> Lucent Singularity>>Auto-attack>> finales funkeln>>Auto-attack>> Lucent Singularity>>Auto-attack.

That combo is what lets Lux nuke enemies. It is a great asset when you're 1v1'ing any enemy champion and can deal more than enough damage to kill squishies and make the tougher champs retreat. The only thing you have to really be aware of is if that champion, once free of your snare, can really jump at you and burst you. If he can, don't be risky with the auto attack combo.

~Mid - Late Game~

It's mid game now, chances are you've gotten enough gold to get two of your core items, and if so, you should be good. Your harassment by now has undoubtedly drawn attention and you're starting to get focused more. It takes them a while, but your enemies will realize that you aren't some underrated champ anymore. Your CC and damage will cause more distress than a Tank's.

So, you're going to need some defense on you. Frozen Heart will take care of any of those pesky AD carries that are based off auto-attack and give you some pretty nifty Cool down reduction too. It's a pretty essential item for this build. After getting your Frozen Heart you should pretty much be able to spam your finales funkeln to the point where your enemies will say ":o What's the CD on your ult?" ( <- True question)

Then, if you're finding that the AP enemies are harassing you more than the AD carries are, grab an Abyssal Mask or a Guardian Angel if you're feeling that good. Either way you'll gain some great advantage with those two items.

You should be able to pull off your combo a lot by this point and bringing their carries down to below 30% health so your other teammates can rush in for the feeding frenzy. However, a lot of team fights are starting to break out. You can't use your combo on all of them.

If you've gotten your Ult's cooldown to 26 seconds by this point, feel free to blast that Ult off at the start of the team fight. Chances are it'll be back by the end of it. So you can pick off any run-away stragglers that think they're going to make it back to their nice comfy base. And if you don't know which path you think they're going to take back, throw out your Clairvoyance. Trust me, the second they see that eye in the sky they'll say "What the Fu-" But it'll be too late....

Remember though, Kill Stealing isn't smiled upon in any game, however, Kill SECURING is always welcomed. If a teammate looks like they might die trying to get that kill, help them out and apologize after, just to be kind. But please, please don't be that douche that just does it for fun. :/ Nobody enjoys those. You'll make Shadow cry. And with every kill steal, a kitten dies. ;~;

~What about the other items?~

As I stated before, The core build, being Boots of Swiftness, Archangel's Staff, and Frozen Heart is my preference. After that core build ALL other items are situational. I just put some good suggestions at the end of my build because that is what I will usually go for.

To be a good player you have to learn to understand yours and your team's situation and be able to form to it. You can't just follow a guide word for word or picture for picture as some do. That won't help anyone out. Form to your team's needs while keeping yourself in mind. You can't build Lux as a tank just because your team needs one. No, use some common sense, and let my guide be a suggestion. :)

~Da End~

I'd like to thank JhoiJhoi for all the help. The guide on starting a guide was my entire resource. It helped me start this in so many ways, and I can't express how thankful I am. Go and + rep her because she deserves it all. I can't imagine how many people she's helped by making that one guide.