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Orianna Build Guide by Therolyk

Orianna, Let's stop the ticking. *Post Jayce Patch*

Orianna, Let's stop the ticking. *Post Jayce Patch*

Updated on July 8, 2012
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Therolyk Build Guide By Therolyk 6,111 Views 4 Comments
6,111 Views 4 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Therolyk Orianna Build Guide By Therolyk Updated on July 8, 2012
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Introduction

Hello there, my name is Therolyk, while I'm no known high ELO player, I would say that I know Orianna better than most League players. I have been maining Orianna since leveling up, and after the initial learning period, I'd say I have an 80-90% win rate with her.

This guide is to help out both Orianna players, and other players understand how to play with an Orianna on their team. She's a somewhat team dependent champion, even more so post Jayce patch, and her playstyle has changed. I'll explain how I've handled the changes and learned to pull the buffs out of this patch, over the nerf to her Q ability.
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Pros / Cons

Pros:


-High mobility with proper use of W.
-Large burst damage with decent sustained damage after.
-Incredible team support for an AP carry.
-Team disrupting ultimate with great damage.
-Very hard to gank.
-Ball can double as a ward/ bush checker.
-Very rare champion to see played, most enemy teams don't know how to play against her.
-Strong mid/ late game.
-very powerful auto-attack for an AP carry, makes last hitting very easy.
-Counters burst damage casters with just minimal build changes.

Cons:


-Weak/ passive early game.
-Very high skill cap.
-Very mana dependent early game (easily fixed with catalyst or blue buff)
-Nerf to the speed on her Q ability really makes positioning her spells difficult.
-Not as universally accepted as a quality AP carry, I've had more than one dodger in the past just because of the Orianna pick.
-Very rare champion to see played, while it helps against enemies, many teammates don't understand how to play with an Orianna as well.
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Runes

Greater Seal of Replenishmentx9
One of Orianna's main downfalls is her high mana costs, especially early game. This is why I choose flat MP5 runes. As your early game is rather passive and you shouldn't be using your abilities too often, these runes should keep your mana close to full for times when you need to blow your mana pool for a kill.

x9

Kind of the standard for AP carries these days, will give you some great added damage on your abilities and also a couple extra points on your passive! Everyone loves stronger auto attacks!

x9

I personally like going with MR blues, as I lane passively, I like to take as little poke as possible. It also helps against many junglers, as most of them have some ability that can be reduced by MR. Early game, they can really make the difference between life and death if you get caught out of place.

x3

You can choose flat ap or ap/ level here. I personally prefer the extra power it gives my shield and damage ability I get early game from the flat ap quints. Orianna is more of a mid/ late game champ at the moment however, so the ap/ level would also do great with her. It's really a preference.
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Masteries

21/0/9



I choose this mastery build because it really gives Orianna the offense she needs, along with some CDR and monster buff duration increase. It's a standard AP carry build. The masteries are going to give you:

-Mana regen
-CDR
-AP
-% damage
-Magic pen
-Shorter CD flash
-ap when ignite is on cd.
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Summoner Spells



Explanation:




Pretty basic pick for most ap carries. It's a great way for finishing off your opponent in early/ mid game, and it's a great way to counter any heal/ sustain champs you're focusing in team fights. Overall great ability, dealing un-resistible damage.


Great way to re-position yourself, escape a gank, chase down a low hp enemy. Great spell to have, almost mandatory on most champions these days.
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Skill Explanation

Passive: Clockwork Windup


Orianna uses her ball as a focus for her spells and attacks. Orianna's ball automatically returns to her if she is too far away from it.

Orianna's autoattacks deal an additional 10-50 plus 20% of her Ability Power in magic damage. Subsequent attacks against the same target within 4 seconds deal an additional 15% magic damage. This bonus stacks up to 2 times.



Explanation:


Many things most Orianna player's don't realize/ utilize is Orianna's Passive, Clockwork Windup. Clockwork Windup works like a 5th ability for Orianna, scaling with AP. The extra damage on her auto attacks makes last hitting easy, functions as a nice poke for easy trading, and is amazing for picking off stragglers in team fights, or getting that last hit on your mid opponent. Keep this ability in mind at all phases of the game.




Q: Command: Attack


Orianna commands her ball to shoot toward a target location, dealing 60/100/140/180/220 (+60% of ability power) magic damage to targets along the way. However, it deals 10% less damage for each unit it hits (Minimum 40%).

Her ball remains behind at the target location afterwards.

Cooldown 6/5.5/5/4.5/4 seconds

Cost 50/55/60/65/70 mana

Range 825



Explanation:


This ability is what all of Orianna's other abilities are based around, positioning your ball. Many players used this ability as a high damage poke, however, this is no longer viable. In my opinion, it was never designed to be a primary damage ability, and with the Jayce patch changes, it's now more useful in positioning the ball, where as your damage comes from your other abilities.




W: Command: Dissonance


Orianna commands her ball to release an electric pulse, dealing 70/115/160/205/250 (+70% of ability power) magic damage to nearby enemies.

The pulse leaves behind an energy field for 3 seconds, lowering enemy Movement Speed by 20/25/30/35/40% and increasing ally Movement Speed by 20/25/30/35/40% for 2 seconds. This effect diminishes over time.

Cooldown 9 seconds

Cost 70/80/90/100/110 mana

Range 1200



Explanation:



This is your nuke ability as Orianna, with a new buffed ratio of 70% ap damage + the base 250, you can wreak havoc on an enemy team when combining this with Orianna's ultimate if played right. However, this ability is not only a nuke, but an amazing support ability for your team. Using Command: Dissonance deals damage to everything within a short distance of the ball, whever it is, but also leaves a circle on the ground which greatly slows down enemies, or speeds up allies. It can be used in conjunction with Command: Protect (E) to speed an ally to safety while leaving the enemies slowed, put on a ally or yourself to chase down an enemy, or just be a great re-position tool in general.





E: Command: Protect


Passive: The ball adds 10/15/20/25/30 Armor and Magic Resist to the allied champion it is attached to.

Active: Orianna commands her ball to travel to and attach onto an allied champion, shielding them for 4 seconds from the next 80/120/160/200/240 (+40% of ability power) damage. Enemies the ball passes through along the way are damaged for 75% of the shield value: 60/90/120/150/180 (+45% of ability power).

Cooldown 7 seconds

Cost 60 mana

Range 700



Explanation:


In my opinion, this is Orianna's strongest ability. I can't tell you how many times I've saved myself, or an ally with this ability, and how useful it is for positioning your combo. Command: Protect, for me, is the best way to position your full combo into the center of a teamfight while remaining completely safe yourself. With the nerf to the missile speed on Command: Attack, this ability really shines! When my bruiser/ tank initiates a fight, I cast Command: Protect on him, outside the obvious benefits of the armor, mr, and shield you're giving him, he's now put the focus for your full combo directly in the middle of the enemy team. In the Jayce patch, this ability was granted an impressive range, making it so you can be completely out of the fight, and still wreaking havoc and protecting your team mates. Under estimated ability, but one of the strongest in her kit.





R: Command: Shockwave


Orianna commands her ball to unleash a shockwave after a brief delay, dealing 150/225/300 (+70% of ability power) magic damage to nearby enemies and flinging them into the air a set distance in the direction of the ball.

Cooldown 120/105/90 seconds

Cost 100/125/150 mana

Range 1200



Explanation:


Ahh Shockwave, how I love thee. Orianna's ultimate is known as one of the more powerful CC abilities in the game, if used right that is. Combined with impressive damage, the ability creates a vortex, sucking in all enemy champions around the ball, directly to the center. Essentially, it's a mini stun that can catch and entire team and nuke it down, and compact them in a nice, small pack for some quality aoe nukage! Combined with Command: Dissonance, this is a double nuke on anyone caught in it. Endgame, you're looking at a 1000-1200 damage nuke to multiple opponents with a disruption! Talk about awesomeness?

Outside of the teamfight nuke, this ability is great for pulling people off yourself or a teammate when running for your lives, and a great way to pull someone back into a fight if they break out and attempt to get away. It has many uses you'll discover as you play Orianna.
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Skill Sequence

I've had questions on my skill build today, and after testing a few different things out, I've found out that the best way to go is passive early, complete terror mid/ late. With this, the skill build I posted isn't absolute, and can be tweaked. I recommend starting with your E, and just focusing on last hitting, and protecting yourself against any poke. Keep it passive, throw some auto attacks at your opponent as you can safely, and you'll end up wearing their mana down and some of their hp.

I recommend 2-3 points in your E before you begin dumping points into your nuke, W. One point in your Q early on is necessary, and if going for an invade, pick this up before E as an easy way to check brush. The two first points are completely interchangeable with minimal effect on your gameplay. As with most champs, level your ult at 6,11,and 16, and maxing your W first will give you the best results.
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Items

Starting Items:



+ x3

OR



If you're against a mid opponent that you know you'll have to dodge skill shots (tf, gragas), or a high burst assassin type champion (LB, Ahri), boots and potions are the way to go. If you get an opponent that wont do too much poke or burst early on (Karth, Kass, Annie), Doran's ring is going to give you some extra hp, ap, and mana to keep you in lane longer. Really judge it off your opponent and what you think is going to give you a better chance against them.

Early to Mid game items:



catalyst the protector

Orianna is known for mana issues, this will keep you in lane for a long time with the mana and heal on level.

OR

Sorc shoes are the most common pick here, but there are situations where you might be finding yourself needing a little more resist over you opponent, or you have one of those really nasty teams with massive hard CC. judge it for yourself, but neither item will be a bad pick.



You already got the Catalyst, now let's upgrade into an item that will make you very powerful mid game, Rod of Ages. This will give you a large chunk of mana, hp, and ability power. Picking this item up as your first big build item will really help you in and out of lane.

Late game items:





These are you big damage items. I recommend Rabadon's before void staff. The Rabadon's will bring you to about 400 ap, and if played right, you should have this item at around the 25 minute mark. Soon after, pick up a void staff to shred through the enemies magic resist and you'll notice your nukes gain substantial power. These items are what I consider core items for just about all AP casters in the game at the moment, you wont go wrong with them.

Picks for your last two slots:





Any of these items are great for Orianna. For my last two slots I prefer to build some form of tank items to go with my decent health pool Rod of Ages has provided me. If you want to add some damage with the tank stats, Zhonya's or Abyssal Scepter will be your best choices. Zhonya's is an especially awesome item if you're being focused, as you can go invulnerable for two seconds in the middle of a fight.

Morello's evil tome is a great item to choose if you're facing a high self healing target that you're trying to take out, the on-use effect on it is enough to stop all that healing if your ignite is on cd, or you decided not to pick ignite. The item also gives some nice mana regen, cooldown reduction, and AP.

Frozen Heart/ Banshee's Veil are some great tank items for Orianna, that don't just provide tank stats, but some bonuses. Frozen heart is great if you're against an AD heavy team, or find yourself being targeted by an annoying vayne/ tristana that flew past your team. Not only will it cut the damage they do by quite a bit, but the 500 mana and cdr you gain from the item is great! Alternatively, if the team has a Leblanc that always seems to assassinate you out of no where, Banshee's veil is a quick way to shut her down, while giving some overall hp, mana, and magic resist.

There are many other tank items you can pick from, but these are what I consider the best for Orianna.
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Early game

Orianna's early game is very passive with the changes made to her in the Jayce patch. My recommendation is to throw a few points in your E before dumping points into your W for a nuke, and just let your passive do the last hitting for you. Shield any poke your opponent tries to dish out, stay at a safe distance with the lane pushed closer to your tower (last hitting at tower if needed, very easy with your passive), just chill, poke at your opponent with an auto attack or two, and wait for your jungler to gank. You're going to be beyond safe from ganks doing this, and you should maintain a high mana pool, high cs, and slowly wear your opponent down.

If your jungler comes for early ganks, shield him with your E, than follow up with a W, preferably when he/ she is in range of your target, or to speed him/her into range. Follow up with auto attacks, additional W's, and if you're in range, use your Q to land your ball infront your target for some extra damage, and return it quickly to your pursuing jungler with E for another burst. Early game heavily relies on your junlger for kills, so while you wont score massive kills, focus on farming and denying the enemy mid any kills as well.

If your opponent goes back and your mana pool is at a comfortable level, push the lane and head top/ bot to apply some pressure, Orianna is great at ganking with her massive utility. Remember to open with either Q or E, whichever is a more appropriate position for your ball and watch the opponents fall. Keep your auto attacks up between spells and movement as well.
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Mid/ late game

After you pick up your Rod of Ages, you're ready to turn into the terror that Orianna can be! If you're still in laning phase, poke at your opponent with a q>w>e combo, making sure to throw the ball behind your opponent so you have a good chance of hitting them with the return damage of your E. When you're ready to go in for the kill (opponent is at 50% hp or so), toss the ball in, R> W > Q/ Ignite/ Auto attack (if they don't die to the R> W Combo, they should be just a poke away from death, use Q to quickly take them out if it's off CD, if not, ignite or auto attack to finish them off.

Even without your ult, you're a terror when it comes to pressuring lanes. You can turn an enemy chasing your AD carry down in bot lane into the one being chased. If you see something happening in either lane, get over there! Toss your shield in on your carry, Q your ball over to the enemy, W their health away, and watch the fight change in your advantage.

To play Orianna correctly, especially in mid/ late game, you're going to have to be able to use both her support and utility AND her massive damage all at once. If you come from playing more Assassin or pure damage casters like Ahri, Veigar, etc. You're going to be confused playing Orianna. You're not going to have as high of a kill score in many, but you'll make up for it in assists. A typical great game as Orianna will leave you at around 7-10 kills, 1-3 deaths, 15-20 assists. You really need to utilize all the things she can do, and don't tunnel vision into "omg, I have to get a kill now!" they will come, and played right, your team will win and praise you for being a great Orianna.
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Team Work

Orianna, more than many AP carries, is a true team fighter. Her abilities are all revolving around her team mates. In a team fight as Orianna, your goal is to disrupt the entire enemy team while dealing massive damage. Paired with a good bruiser or tank, you make a great initiator. Simply attach your ball to said bruiser, watch them kamikaze into the enemy team, and wait for the best chance to catch as many of the enemy team as you can in your ult all from a safe distance.

A big advantage to Orianna is the range of which she can fight from, with some decent bruisers, you should never be in any danger, standing in the back, maneuvering your ball from teammate to teammate and using your nukes/ shields to make sure everything drops. Save your flash for an escape if needed, and if someone manages to get to you, simply shield yourself, w to speed yourself up, and re-position yourself, leaving the enemy stranded in your slow. If you see a weak straggler break out of the team fight, use your auto attack to pick them off. Depending on which direction their running, your ball may or may not be able to catch them. if you're confident you can catch them with a Q, go for it, but your strong auto attack is normally more reliable at picking low hp enemies off from a distance.
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Playing with an Orianna on your team

Honestly, one of the hardest things about playing Orianna, is teaching your team to play with you, and not against you. With the changes made to Orianna in the Jayce patch, it's more important than ever for your teammates to know how you work and how they're an active part of your combos. A few tips to playing with an Orianna on your team!

Bruisers/ Tanks:


-If you see the ball is circling you and you have a buff from Orianna, that means you're currently the beacon of her spells, and you have increased magic resist/ armor.

-If you possess the ball, stay in melee range of whoever you're fighting if you're not next to death, Orianna will take care of the rest and keep you safe with shields.

-If you're trying to initiate a team fight, communicate with Orianna, check if she has her ult. If so, go in when she attaches the ball to you and try to get within a couple characters widths of as many enemies as you can, you'll see them melt quickly.

General tips:



-If you're in danger, stay within a moderate range of Orianna, a good one will get you out of there 90% of the time and to safety. Even if you see her across a wall from you, she can keep you going thru the wall easily, running along side you.

-If running through the jungle with Orianna, let her check the bushes ahead of you, face checking kills!

-Bring an extra can of oil in case she freezes up in the middle of a fight. Rust happens.
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Summary

Thanks for taking the time to read my guide, I hope it helps out all the struggling Orianna players out there! If I missed anything, you see something incorrect, or have any other suggestions/ comments, please let me know! Enjoy the Lady of Clockwork as much as I do!
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