I can tell you a generic build that works in quite a few situations but I recommend sticking to it in every game. Going the same exact build in each and every game is a very common yet HUGE mistake as itemization is one of the core ways of countering opponents. Such as when you are facing a Zed, you should not be going full damage as you have no real way of defending against is burst with his ultimate with how immobile you are. It's practically giving him free kills if you go full damage in that scenario. Even if you have the lead and are snowballing on him, he will eventually be able to buy an item or two and gain the oppurtunity to kill you and gain a shut down to further close the gap you created, yet win regardless thanks to his advantage on your champion.

But regards to you question, my general order is something like this:

Vs ranged: Core upgrade 1 > Rylai > Upgrade 2 > Lich & Boots > Zhonya & Upgrade 3 > Void Staff

Vs melee: Upgrade 1 > Lich > Zhonya & Boots > Rylai & Upgrade 2 > Void

Vs Instant burst: Upgrade 1 > Zhonya > Rylai > Boots > Upgrade 2 & 3 > Lich > Liandry/Void

However, if the enemy team has a healer support for example, a morellonomicon can be a better choice compared to some of the items above. Sometimes, it is not even that of a great idea to focus on Lich Bane regardless of how good an item it is because the enemy team could be full of champions with good initiates and kill potential. Therefore your build must always be adaptive and never a stable path especially in mid lane. Although bot laners and junglers can go somewhat the same path, highly competitive 1v1 lanes being mid and top MUST aim to counter their opponent to avoid the chance of feeding the enemy to their fullest.

Hope this helped in terms of giving a good idea on an ideal build while keeping a good adaptability in mind! Some items may seem like must haves because I included them in the 3 generic paths, but all are changeable as every game has the potential of having a better choice.

Good luck!

I try my best to keep my guides up to date as much as possible although this summer has been very busy for me with almost no chance to even play the game itself :P

Glad you found the guide helpful! And yes, you are right! Sometimes I forget to adjust the very top page of this guide, getting lost with all the information below =P

Hey there! You are definitely on point when noticing Viktor's build path changes for every game. This is due to the difference in your lane opponent as well as team synergies of both teams. I will first answer your question with the runes. Inspiration is a very good line, especially with Kleptomancy as Viktor requires 2-3 items before he can start dealing damage. Hence, the sooner the better. The gold gains from this rune as well as the saved cost of boots has a great long run benefit. However, you must be careful of who you pick this rune against. As you will likely be trying to do a Q + AA combo for the klepto proc, you risk losing trades or being engaged every time. There are easy targets as well as targets you should never be that close to.

However, in most situations, I would say go Kleptomancy as it will allow you to rush your first upgrade. The first upgrade no matter what happens, should be your first buy. I usually save money even if I have 1k if I end up in base early on. The usually level 7 wave clear from double lazer is just too good to leave, as it will also become your money bank for later items. Apart from klepto, comet would be my second choice whereas electrocute would be third. Comet for safer matchups and electrocute for confident matchups where you know you can stomp the enemy. Conversely, I do not support Aery or spell book choices much as I find the other options more suitable. Viktor can be like Vladimir at times, where Ghost is also an amazing summoner yet the klepto early item build advantage is something I can never drop.

Moving onto items, the idea is quite similar to the runes. They will require you to analyse your matchup as well as the teams. If you feel like you need to be safe in this game, I would recommend going Rylai's Crystal Scepter first, as it provides both defence and damage along with an incredible passive. Although it is not the most damage based item while Viktor tends to stand out more as a glass-cannon mage, the passive usually allows you to stun with Gravity Field much more easily, as well as hit multiple procs of Chaos Storm along with the second wave from Death Ray. Zhonya's Hourglass can be first depending on matchups for Syndra, Fizz, Zed etc.

On a more aggressive side, Lich Bane and Luden's Tempest bring the best use of Viktor's kit in my opinion. Long range Death Ray extra damage procs along with Q + AA nukes usually mean you can one shot squishier enemy champions at this point.

Aside of these items, the rest is always optional builds. If you feel the enemy is tanky, Liandry's Torment or Void Staff is a must for penetration. If the enemy is not building resist, abuse this and go for Rabadon's Deathcap or similar high AP boosts. If the enemy has a lot of healing power, Morellonomicon becomes mandatory, and its magic pen is also very helpful. Rod of Ages and Everfrost are also good choices if you prefer a tankier approach like some Veigar players tend to do, since they can always build damage with their passive.

I hope this helped! If you still have an unanswered question(s), please don't hesitate to ask =D

Thanks =D

Fleet Footwork is a rune that definitely would synergies well with Viktor. Since your Siphon Power is dependant on a follow-up auto attack for maximum damage, you already want to be doing this. With a heal and a shield coming from that, you are likely to win trades. Additionally, as a speed boost comes from it, you can either run or chase your enemy according to the outcome of the trade. With the speed boost, you should also be able to get ahead of your enemy enough to do a very aggressive Gravity Field which will bring guaranteed hits to your Death Ray and Chaos Storm. With this build, it might even be best to max Siphon Power first and rush Lich Bane. Since augment turbocharge gives you a speed boost on initial cast, this would be very useful.

Moving on, the precision line would also bring Presence of Mind after a takedown which can be very useful in terms of mana costs, however, I do not see it being fully utilised with Viktor due to high cool downs. You would only get a free Siphon Power and Death Ray if you are lucky. The legend choices aren't very optimal for Viktor here but the tenacity can be pretty good. With mages very prone to cc, this could actually be a life-saver later on in the game. Coup de Grace on the other hand can be quite the mastery as Viktor holds a lot of execution power, but can sometimes be just a little off a kill where this mastery might do enough damage.

You would then go sorcery as a secondary rune line with Manaflow Band, Celerity, ultimate hat, Scorch options. Of course, you can only take two of these, but I would say these choices are really player dependant. Aggressive players should take Manaflow Band with Scorch or Celerity while a little more passive players can take ultimate hat as they look for those all-in opportunities.

Hope this helped! I will be trying these runes out today to see if they really make a big difference!

There are also many ranking sites that would agree with LS. One of the lowest win rates, ranked 3rd tier overall, Viktor is definitely not in the best place. Other champions clearly have the edge on certain situations. Viktor is not an early game champion, and requires items and those items MUST be appropriate for EVERY game. Therefore, an inexperienced player will not only struggle with his kit (he is definitely not an easy to play champion) but will also be clueless in build order. This is critical since every upgrade has a certain time, that CHANGES according to the game.

All in all, I have a 70%+ win rate with him on my main and smurf, but I would like to say that is thanks my knowledge and years of experience with him. At this point, it is sadly more favourable to turn to meta champs, especially champions with dashes or such. So unless you really know how to play him, or are willing to practice him enough, Viktor is not the best right now and definitely needs some buffs. Speaking of buffs, previous nerfs on his kit and items have definitely taken their toll recently, which has made the situation as bad as it is.

Hope this answered your question ˆˆ

Synergies are noteworthy indeed! Busy times right now so I will try and see if I can manage this addition soon.

Haha I didn't know you could do this. Pretty cool tho! Thanks ˆˆ

Yes, this was also suggested to me by a few other people and with a few testing, I also like the idea of getting the upgrade earlier.

Nice spot there! Ill be changing that now =)
-Daedralus

Hey there!

Really appreciate the feedback and glad you liked the guide! Viktor is currently pretty off meta, therefore it is an unexpected pick! Although slightly weaker currently, this factor can make a difference in games! And for your question, never forget guides are to give the basics and most generics of champions. You should always build according to your game. More magic pen is always good as it means more MR is ignored. Ionian is good for more CDR including summoner spells and so on. If you think one is better in a specific game, go for it =)

Good luck with Viktor! Expecting a penta soon ˆˆ