7/19/2011: Added to Mobafire!
7/20/2011: Expanding all sections fixing writing errors and expanding acronyms. Plans for adding more builds are underway
Added a Video

Hello everyone and welcomes to wHoHo's Soraka guide. Be warned this is not a cookie cutter guide, this is a general outline of how to play Soraka in higher ELO, with main focus on premade 5v5s. This is my play style, and in my opinion one of the best support/healer in the game.

Soraka can make and break games so please look at the following scenarios:

#1) Soraka who hoards blue buff and kill steals will lose the game for her team (and will most likely be feeding as well).

#2) Soraka who does not need blue buff, does not take last hits (unless necessary and a lane is being pushed and she is by herself), has less than three kills (mistaken Starcall, Infuse to get the kill, or someone tower dove), less than three deaths, and around 10-30 assists.

This guide will try to make you be the later Soraka, but remember that Soraka cannot carry games, she needs a smart team to be effective.

One cannot read this guide and be the best Soraka ever, it takes practice, many losses, and a great team.

Greater Mark of Insight: why magic pen!?!?!??! your support, wtf ZOMFG UR N00B. Well lets think for a second, Soraka will typically take a bottom lane and in that bottom lane you may or may not be in constant harass by a AP character, well silencing will hurt the harass and damage them in the process so with your heals you will typically end up on the top.

Greater Seal of Vitality: Well any good support needs health and with scaling at lvl 6 you are equal to flats, so in my opinion its better for the mid-late game were Soraka can change games.

Greater Glyph of Celerity: Same reasoning as before, and with getting the boots and Reverie I suggested you will have max CDR without blue-buff, which should be reserved for the AP Carry.

Greater Quintessence of Avarice: Okay this is where most people will go WTF. I’m going to explain my reasoning, one you will typically be put in bottom lane to "babysit" an AD carry and what do AD Carries need the most? Last hits. A Soraka taking them is very bad. With these Quits and Gold per 5 items you will make more money than simply farming and once team fights and ganking starts your ASTRAL BLESSING, INFUSE, STARCALL, and WISH will give you all the assist gold you will need.

Standard Support with gold per 5 and improved summoner spells you chose to take.

The point in increased buffs can be placed into another one that you prefer, but in my experience having long buffs helps when your team insists that you have blue, or that you steal the enemies.

Can go 9-21-0 or 0-9-21 if needed based on play style.

This is the general build I stick to with tweaks based on the enemies team IE: getting Heart of Gold before Kage's Pick if you are being harassed and having to back; Ward Dragon or the bushes when you each level four, which is when ganking typically happens. Do not get Mejia’s if you are sure you cannot survive team fights, later when you get better, this should not be a problem.

Sixth Item is up to you, chose what is needed, Guardian Angel, Frozen Heart, Will of The Ancients, Quick Silver Sash, or Banshees Veil

Do not forget to ward and get Elixirs

You or the tank should be the one to get this item, make sure to ward as well and check for wards all of the time.

This is very general take on Soraka abilities, you may have to take Starcall at two or four if needed and they are harassing/pushing, only use to stop pushes at your tower but for god’s sake do not kill any of the creeps unless you are by yourself, they are meant for your lane partner.

Clairvoyance andFlash.


Learning to use Clairvoyance is vital to a game with map awareness, use to check buffs, baron, dragon, jungle, possible ganks, etc. Flash for escaping


Alternatives:
Revive if you know that you will die instantly, and to get back into a team fight for heals, if taken I suggest putting the mastery point in it.

Ghost can work but flashing I think is much better.

Solo:
I highly suggest not going Soraka because you will end up with a bad team that does not work together and ends up feeding.
As Darkskar1 once said about ranked solo queue “Your team sucks, the other rocks.”
If you’re looking for a Support Player for solo queue to boost you out of ELO Hell, I suggest a roaming character, IE: Taric, Alistar, Twitch; or Janna because her AP ratios work well for damage.

Premade 5v5s.
This. Is. Where. Soraka. Was. Meant. To. Be.
You need a full 5v5 to utilize Soraka properly, because of the fact that a good Soraka can support/heal her team while they keep enemies off her, or while they tower dive or take huge amounts of agro/damage. I suggest finding a good team and working with them using Skype or Ventrillo or Teamspeak, and to play from there.

THE ONLY WAY TO BECOME THE RAINBOW UNICORN HEALER OF AMAZINGNESS AND AWESOME HEALERNESS IS TO DO FULL PREMADE!

Dont do it, you have gold per 5/10 for a reason

STARCALL: Reduces Magic Resist, spam in team fights.

ASTRAL BLESSING, gives an armor bonus. Learn to heal at the right time, for example not at low hp but at the start of a fight for the bonus to reduce damage dealt (read first and second comment for explanation)

INFUSE: Use to give yourself and lanner mana, always have enough mana to Ultimate or have this not on CD so you will have enough. Can be used to Silence vital AP champs, IE: Annie/Karthus/Anivia

ULTIMATE OF OMFG GLOBAL HEALS OP(aka: WISH): Used to heal everyone, one must learn to it to save one person, or to heal the entire team in a fight.

Consecration (passive), more magic resist it is nice and helps with early game harass, and heavy AP characters

This is how and ideal team should look during the initiation to a team fight:

You AP Carry
AD Carry
Tank Off-Tank

This lets you heal everyone and have a large wall of people to stop and type of charge at you.

Play Video Ranked game I did a little while back 8-20-2011

Hopefully this help you learn a little more about Soraka and how to use her: D don’t be stupid is the biggest rules so listen to it.

Side note:
Make your comments and rage I do not really care, this works for me and I win 9/10 games with Soraka so yea...

Sorry about the typos, I am just lazy; I might fix later but probably not.

Enjoy.