Lux Build Guide by Parlour Trickster

Introduction

Shedding some Light on Lux!

Hello there! I'm Parlour Trickster and the champion I will be talking about is, my main, Lux. There's plenty of tricks at her disposal and her ultimate is a great finishing tactic that can really turn tides in team fights depending on your aim. She's a perfect mid carry in addition to being good with someone else in laning. Lux is sometimes considered the only champ with skill shots for all her moves, depending on how you look at Ezreal's teleport and, because of this, it's recommended that you use smart cast (Shift+Spell) which casts the spell directly. Personally, I changed the control scheme for Q W E and R to be smart casts and Shift+Spell to be a normal cast. This cuts down on the time spent between spell casts and makes casting more fluent. It's main downside is adjusting to it, especially with your ult. So, if this champ seems like your style, allow me to enlighten you.

Pros and Cons

Pros

1. Lux is versatile and works solo or laning
2. Extremely useful ult
3. Can sway most team fights if kept alive
4. Excellent range
5. Rewarding champ
6. More interesting aspects than can be fit on such a small Pros list
7. Best laugh in the game.

Cons

1. She's a bit of a light weight and is extremely squishy
2. Requires a lot of mana to be effective.
3. Takes an increased amount of skill to perform well in matches.
4. Extremely vulnerable to Melee Dps champions with a dash like Xin.

Abilities

Illumination (Passive)

Deals 20-190 damage (Based on Lux's level)

Lux's passive is Illumination, hitting any enemy with one of Lux's spells creates a mark on the enemy. This mark can be detonated via an auto attack or Lux's ultimate. It works as more of an added bonus and is extremely useful in the early game. Most spell combos pause for an auto attack to take advantage of the added damage.

Light Binding

Deals 60/110/160/210/260 Damage

One of Lux's core moves, Light Binding is a linear skill shot that can hit up to two targets. Enemies hit are snared, take damage, and are applied the Illumination debuff from her passive. The second target hit takes half of the base damage and snare time. This move is a good setup tool for her other abilities and can do decent damage later in the game. This is a great skill to take first, especially when you're laning with a melee DPS like Xin.

Prismatic Barrier

Blocks 60/85/110/135/160 incoming damage

Lux's shield, Prismatic Barrier is a projectile shield with boomerang properties. Lux throws her wand and it gives a shield to any allied champions it hits. The shield can be proc'd twice and can easily shield every teammate. The move itself is good in situations where you want to keep a fleeing teammate (Or you!) alive. Lux receives the shield when the ability is cast and it is refreshed when the wand returns to her. Running towards or away from where you cast the shield determines the time in which it returns. This move isn't extremely powerful but it can definitely save your life in certain situations. I pick it up at 4 because the extra power in Lux's Lucent Singularity is more useful because you won't likely be low enough health for the shield to come in handy nor will you have enough mana to cast it and her Lucent Singularity at the same time. I only pick this move up at 3 if it serves an immediate use.

Lucent Singularity

Deals 60/105/150/195/240 and slows for 20/24/28/32/36%

One of the most reliable moves in Lux's arsenal, Lucent Singularity is projectile which can be thrown to any location, showing the surrounding area and slowing those in its radius. From there Lux can detonate the move to cause damage to any within it and apply an Illumination debuff. This move can be easy to land and is great for zoning out other champions due to its range. It has great offensive properties in addition to the utility of the slow. It's best to use this concurrently with Lux's snare when harrassing. It's important not to just look at this skill for its offensive aspects and just auto detonate it when you're throwing it. The slow is amazing for closing gaps on fleeing champs so you can get in snare range, or widening the gap to save lives. Lux's e can also slow a champion for your Light Binding or Finales Funkeln. Remember, when in doubt, e it out.

Finales Funkeln

finales funkeln

Deals 300/400/500 Damage

This is where Lux really shines, Finales Funkeln is a linear nuke with a whopping 3000 range (This equivalates to a little over full screen when fully zoomed out) It's also her only move that can detonate the Illumination debuff aside from her auto attack. This also benefits extremely well from Cooldown reduction lowering its total cooldown to around 24 seconds at 40% If aimed directly at the center of the champ most of the time the laser will hit unless the other champion flashes or teleports away. However you can increase your chances more by waiting until a fleeing champ gets close to a wall and aiming your laser a little to the side of the wall making it so the champion is locked in with it. This is usually how I get my first kill if a lane is going slow and I've been constantly harrassing the other champion(s). It's perfect for fleeing or injured targets being taken out at a range and is also easily worked into combos. (See: Combos) With 40% CDR Lux is something along the lines of....well, this.

Skill Sequence

The basic logistics for why I picked this order are pretty simple. Light Binding is my first skill, although if you aren't comfortable with your aim don't take it first, for reasons with it having a better damage output. See the chapter "Why would I take my Light Binding before my Lucent Singularity for a first skill?" for further details. Next I want to max out the best damage dealing reliable spell in my arsenal, Lucent Singularity. I actually skip getting my shield at lvl 3 unless I need it urgently depending on who I'm laning against because of how valuable the extra levels are in the move, also see the chapter "Mid Game Opponents and Strategy" for details where I'll mention when it's a good idea to take your Prismatic Barrier at lvl 3. Of course, as per routine, I take my ult when available for obvious reasons. I don't max out Prismatic Barrier second because of a few reasons. Despite being a good skill, it just get trumped by Light Binding and it isn't worth getting extra stats in a shield if you aren't playing a support character.

Itemization

Intro build

For my build I like to start with an and a when I mid. The amplifying tome builds into two extremely helpful items and can be a flexible decision. The health potion is just an added bonus for laning, with it I can tend to lane until I can afford my and If I find my self doing well mid I build the amplifying tome into a However if I feel myself slipping I like to save the amplifying tome to build into a later on for its CDR and mana regeneration. Plus the added ability power is a nice bonus.

Core items

-Builds into so many good AP items, perfect if you have spare cash and don't know what to buy.

-CDR and movement speed, if you don't get these you're probably getting Sorceror's Boots. That's not to say Movement speed 3 boots aren't possible, they just aren't as useful.

-Perfect for any caster, makes your AP skyrocket faster than the speed of light.

-A great caster item with added survivability, good for increasing your projected life span.

-Get this if you want AP and mana regen to complement that RoA's mana pool.

Luxury/Situational

-It should be obvious when to get this item, when the enemy is stacking mag resist! Now you can bust past their sunglasses, even if they do wear them at night.

-Does the enemy have a lot of AP? Do they also have magresist? Does this sound specific? Get this item to fit your build soundly like a glove in the right situations.

-Are you a rebel? Do you want a different CDR item? do you need an extra nuke? Try the deathfire! It's extremely effective if you remember to use the active. A Kage's pick can also have a good a place in your early build. The real problem with this weapon is how short the range is on the Deathfire. It's really short range compared to where Lux should be in team fights. Take at your own risk. Don't get it without survivability.

-Have a lot of AP? Want your auto attack to hit for 1000? Need icing on your build? (God I feel like Billy Mays after all these questions) This is good for a last item in your build. Keep in mind it runs off 100% of your AP being added to your auto attack. It works well when you still have the habit of detonating your Illumination charges. But wait, there's MORE! It also gives you basic Mag resist and Ability power. Plus if you have an AA staff the mana adds to your ability power! The real problem is going to be getting close late game to auto attack. Compliment this with survivability.

-This item can be great for Lux, mana regen, CDR, and ability power all rolled up into one. I wouldn't recommend getting it early on because Lux needs some early power for her spells. And with all the CDR from Masteries, Runes, and Ionian boots, and this, you get 40% CDR. Overall the item tends to have a lackluster feel to it. And really doesn't offer as much as other items do. Comes down to preference.

Runes

Greater Seal of Replenishment

I prefer this rune build because of its appeal to all of Lux's needs as a champion. It gives basic penetration for offense, Cooldown reduction for Lux's abilities, Mana regen for Lux's mana needs, and health for survivability. Each makes surviving, lasting in a lane, or barely snagging that kill possible. Because of the nerf to HP quints you can feel free to swap it out for something like Magpen. With the added CDR it makes getting to 40% and the abundance of rainbow lasers easier. Some might say the extra CDR is overkill with the Morello's (Or whatever your secondary CDR item is, it might even be a blue buff.) and Ionian boots I build, and if you don't like having runes be useless if you hit the 40% Cd mark (You may like the extra CD early on) then a good choice would be Magic resist to help with other casters who are frequent mid. AD Carries are common mid if you want to take Armour runes instead.

Masteries

The new Masteries can be a bit overwhelming at first but you need to make some basic decisions and the rest makes itself. The two ways to do your mastery pages ends up being purely offensive 21/0/9, which sacrifices the much needed mana regen in Utility for the ever classy "Kill things quicker" If you don't plan on being a powerhouse, or you are doing a passive sidelane dont go the offensive route, instead try for the 9/0/21 Utility route. This lends itself well to Lux's mana problems, and makes skipping out on clarity much easier allowing for some better summoner spell choices. I skip out on the extra starting gold because it can't help much unless you're trying to buy a ward or extra pot, which is underwhelming, plus the way the tree paths it makes it impossible to get all your points in the mana regen mastery, which is the overall goal of going Utility. For what the mastery pages look like, check the top. Portrait 1 on Team 1 is Offensive, and Portrait 2 on Team 1 is Utility. I'll be sure to add a quick access icon section below, pinky swear.

Summoner Spells

Oh summoner spells, the hard part isn't deciding what two to use, it's deciding what to leave out. I'll go down the list, leaving out the stupid ones. (Please don't take Rally/Revive as Lux, I'm begging you)

- Teleports you to a nearby location. Instant repositioning, amazing for a for a surprise snare into a massive combo, or for a quick getaway. Just remember to have your masteries compliment this spell to lower its already massive cooldown.

-Restores a certain amount of mana based on the user's level and half of this to allies nearby. Taking the mastery gives allies the same amount of mana that you do. I love this for early laning, it allows me to keep my harrass on full blast until I get my kill in the laning phase or make my opponent back. I use this normally and I enjoy using it regularly.

-A summoner spell that increases a champion's movement speed for a short period of time. I strongly recommend using this or flash as one of your two summoner spells. It's helpful for Lux to have the two chasing or escape spells in her arsenal to help with staying alive, or getting some more cash.

-Another really good summoner spell for Lux, clairvoyance is like a ward you can place anywhere on the map for a short period of time. This can ruin a jungler's day or help you see units who are out of sight range and get a clear idea of where they are before you shoot your Finales Funkeln.

-Ignites the target dealing an initial true damage amount and then deals damage over time this spell also reduces self health regeneration. It works well for finishing off a combo or securing first blood but I'm not a fan of it on Lux, personally. Lux already has Finales Funkeln to pick off fleeing targets and usually I can kill targets without needing the extra damage from this. Plus the spell is common enough to where a teammate can ignite someone with regeneration like Mundo. It is good to have when Vlad is commonly played, like on a free week and you want to ruin his transfusion/sanguine trolling.

WARNING!!!!111!11ONEONEONE

This spell has an extremely short casting range, meaning you have to get in close to use it, keep this in mind because it counters what Lux's position should be in a teamfight.



From here, these are summoner spells that I don't regularly use but are viable.

-Teleports you to an allied minion or turret after a short casting period. Not a huge fan of this spell. It's useful for getting back into the lane early on or stopping split pushing in the late game. But aside from that I don't really like it.

-This is good if you're trying to stop melee DPS characters from destroying you at close range, for example, Xin Zhao. But I'm not a fan of taking it compared to what else I could be taking. Besides, flash usually saves me if I really want to escape one. It can be really useful in saving your life, though.

-Honestly I'm not a fan of this spell to get on anyone. If I really need to get out of a Malzahar ultimate I just buy a Quicksilver sash and use its active ability. It's still an option if you need it though.

Mid Game Opponents and Strategy

So you've taken the plunge into mid, and staring you back is a character you've A) Never played or B)Don't know how to beat. Never fear I'm here to give you some strategy to put that Mordekaiser or Vlad in his place. (Well, maybe not Morde, I hear he's #1 in Brazil)

-Let's start with a mirror match, shall we? You can usually predict if another Lux is going mid based on their team setup. Do they have a Karthus or another hardcore carry? Then chances are no. When they have no better options, chances are Lux will be going mid. Try to start with boots of speed, 2 health potions, and 1 mana potion if you think they are. It's no real skin off your back if it doesn't turn out to be a mirror match. My reasoning for the Boots and pots is because you want to be able to out-lane them on the off chance they can out-skill you. (But that's impossible if you're reading this guide, sheesh) But in all seriousness out-laning another Lux is integral if you want to win because of the extra XP and gold you can make the encounters less down to the skin of your teeth and pull ahead. This is pretty much true about every mirror match. Just make sure to avoid what they throw out before throwing yours. It'll really help your chances and keep you at a higher health percentage.

-That last mention of Karthus was total foreshadowing. An extremely likely mid, I prefer taking boots and health pots. The boots are just to help avoid his pesky and the pots can also help you out-lane him. On the off chance that he doesn't mid it still won't hurt to have the early boots. Karthus is extremely squishy so try to pick him off at a range with your laser. Also your shield just might save you when he uses his ultimate,

-Yowch, this can be a dangerous mid if you don't play correctly. It's possible to out-range him with your e and avoid his Silence nukes. Try to keep a distance from him so he can't combo ult you. If his lands on you (That bluish Black Stuff that flies around your head) throw a shield to mitigate the damage. This is when taking your shield at Level 3 becomes a good idea. He'll be spamming his spells a lot for his voidlings, so try to move in when everything appears to be on CD.

-This is where things can really start to go downhill with one slip up. The key to beating Morde as Lux is either through extreme patience or a full out rush. The reason for the rush is just because of how weak Morde's early game is. He can't spam all his spells for a shield as easily and is squishier than normal. As the match goes on Morde becomes more and more dangerous. If you can't get the quick kill, (Chances are you won't) play everything extremely safe, farm when you can, and harrass with prudence. If morde wears you down he'll just dominate the entire lane. Just remember, if you play it safe morde's spells can't hit you as his range is smaller than yours. It's worth sacrificing the Illumination charges to stay away from his

-Another popular mid, Vlad is made to last in a lane before gaining a level and gold advantage before killing his opponent. It's important to keep the pressure on Vlad, and not let him get free transfuses on you. Make his attempts be in vain by taking boots which allow you to run away giggling when he telegraphs a transfuse. (It's usually pretty obvious when they do) A good Vlad will always try to keep his on hand in case you ult. So always wait until he uses it before using your laser. It's likely that he has the reaction time to drop down into his pool in the window where your laser fires up. I usually like to harass or fake an initiation to make him pool.

-After the recent nerf to Swain's ult he's easier to kill on direct encounters when he's low and is also more mana dependent. If you're against him in lane it's wise to harass him until he forces a heal on himself and burns up most of his mana pool. Just try to wait to initiate until his mana is low in a close encounter. But if you get him low enough feel free to pick him off at a range.

-Pretty strong caster/AD carry Kog'maw requires some dodging when he ults, and the ingenuity to stay away from him when he activates his range increasing move. Kog'ma's crutch is his extremely low health making him especially vulnerable to harass. Try to keep away from him when he dies because of his explosive personality.

-I'm going to group up every melee DPS who goes mid (Yi, Xin) into one category and use Xin as an example. When a melee DPS goes mid the number one thing to remember is to always keep your distance. When a melee DPS is in your face chances are you're in deep trouble if you can't land your snare or it's on CD. I especially like to keep a snare handy for Xin in case he charges. Don't let him land his or else he's getting plenty of free hits.

-Thanks to Shadez, I have the wonders of a Kassadin Lux matchup still fresh in my mind. Kassadin is a tricky fellow but he isn't really dangerous until he gets his Kassadin's early game is actually where you need to shine. By harrassing him you can force him to back more and more, delaying the time until he can get his teleport. And even when he does get it he can't use it to kill you if you're at your tower. Most good exhanges with a Kassadin usually entail Lux moving in when his force pulse is down, and shielding the . If you're Luxy you can get a combo off before the silence takes effect. Here's two examples.
-This is bound to be a barrel of laughs. Gragas employs the use of thrown nuke barrels, which can be detonated at anytime, (Sound familiar? It should, it's like your Lucent Singularity without the slow!) Which are bound to keep you on your toes. The main goal is to avoid these like the plague. You won't be getting close often enough for him to use his . Once Gragas hits Level 6 you need to be extra careful to avoid his ultimate. A thrown AoE nuke that knocks enemies away from the explosion. If he's close enough to throw it behind you it'll knock you right towards him. If he's desperate he'll employ his body slam to get a little closer before throwing his cask. Gragas can also drink for health. Making him a sitting duck. If he does it near you feel free to throw out a Snare or Lucent Singularity to punish it.

-Akali is an assassin. So she has no skillshots at all. Akali's main damage deailing combo will be to set up her before using to get close, detonate the mark, and finish with a for that extra bit of damage. She can also throw out a few more shadow dances (If she has the charges for it) during that combo to keep the gap closed. The problem with Akali is that she can close gaps in a fight (When you want to kite) and use her shroud to become invisible making landing a skill shot harder. I like to throw a Lucent Singularity out into the center of the shroud because it's extremely likely to hit. When she goes into a shroud and you don't want to risk wasting the mana just keep far away from it and wait for her to exit it. As long as you can keep Akali at a range you should be fine. Her dash just makes that difficult.

-Anivia is reliant on her to be able to do a lot of damage early on. If she misses and you move in to harass the only counter Anivia can throw is a preemptive which will only do half damage. Once Anivia hits Level 6 and she still can't land her flash frosts she'll be using a lot of mana just to ult for defensive purposes. The real problem in fighting Anivia is her which can delay the time it takes you to kill her outright. The trick to it is not rushing to semi-kill Anivia into her egg as fast as you can, but to semi-kill Anivia into her egg at eggsactly the right time. If you find yourself rushing to get the egg to proc then you'll realize you can't to much when Anivia finally goes into her egg. I like to make Anivia trigger her egg when I'm at a decent health percentage. That way I'm free to auto attack/throw spells at the egg with the possibility of killing it without worrying about minions killing me. If you want to not worry about egg mechanics just have an ally gank Anivia for you. Her egg can't hold up to two people (ideally a melee dps in addition to yourself) attacking it at the same time.

-Urbadgot-erm, Urgot is a pure AD champion. Pretty similar to Caitlyn. The best way to beat an Urgot at mid is to keep your distance, avoid Noxian Charge's like the plague, as they go over minions and give him free . If one does manage to land it's wise to back up as far as possible where you're out of his sight until it wears off. Shield any acid hunters that do manage to land to mitigate the damage. When he hits Lvl 6 he'll be itching to land his Kinetic Position Reverser to initiate a gank or just to leave you in a bad position. Don't bother fighting right away if he lands it. Just throw out a snare/slow to escape because his switch will have given him extra armour and magic resist.

-A fun mid match-up. Caitlyns will opt to take their first. I've also seen some take their Yordle Snaptrap First. But stop right there Criminal Scum! Because once Caitlyn does get her trap you might want to clear them with your Prismatic Barrier when the coast is clear. Otherwise you might end up forfeiting all your stolen stacks when Caitlyn gets to murder you. Remember, when Caitlyn and you hit Level 6 and take your ults it becomes a chicken fight. Caitlyn will try to for the kill. While you will be trying to laser for the kill. And because you're at mid a teammate can't block it. Just try to shield the damage when it hits for a clutch save if Caitlyn does ult. Another problem with Caitlyn is her because she can use it to dodge your skillshots. Don't try anything incredibly risky when it's up or else you'll miss a combo and end up a sitting duck with all your moves on Cooldown.

-Corki. The well mustached flier is here to ruin your day is he? Well think again! I'm aware that Corki has a nerf planned and I wanted to wait, but I figured it's best to work in worst case scenarios. Corki is a problem for Lux because he can poke with his ult and close gaps with his . And for Lux, it's best to keep a distance unless you're detonating Illumination charges. Speaking of which, it's always best to know WHEN to detonate them against Corki. Corki when he gets close, he hits....hard. He'll be itching to jump over to you so detonating your passive is extremely risky, right? Well, not if he's snared. The only time you want to detonate them is when Corki is trapped by your This way he can't herp derp jump at your face. And then machine gun it off. So, not being riddled with bullets is great, but what's even better is not being exploded. Remedying this is to hide behind minions for when Corki decides to ult which involves him shooting a long range missile. Which isn't a problem unless it's a big one, so make sure to check his character's active buffs and see when he has one so you can keep a wide berth between you and him until he blows it. Because those, HURT, TRUST ME. Like always, don't bother throwing Lucent Singularities unless you plan on detonating the Illumination early on in the match.
Why? Because Lucent doesn't do a lot of damage at its first few ranks. However, it quickly becomes extremely effective at harassing once you put the 3rd rank into it. I just don't think it's mana effective harass at its first two, (Think along the lines of Nidalee's Spear) Corki has another move that can really mess up your tempo. His flare. This does initial damage and lowers your auto attack accuracy. So if you miss your attack you won't be able to detonate your Illumination So it's best to keep your distance if he hits you with it until the effect wears off. Also keep in mind Corki can out of the way of your ult so be wary if going for the kill shot.

-There's a snake in my boots! I did this one after Corki for a reason. Because I'm tired of these ******** snakes, in my ******** lane. Cass takes a lot of work to be effective and because of this isn't commonly played. However she can be an amazing harasser and effective at taking down entire teams. Because of this it's best to approach an Cass with caution and try to shut her down as quickly as possible. Remember Cass will be trying to land her To set up her Most Cass players will use their to farm rather than to harass but it's still an open opportunity. Also try to remember that standing in it gives Cass a free barrage of twin fangs until you get out so always keep an open eye. Cass also has a tell on her ultimate, with her Scream. So if you have the reaction time of a prize fighter turn away so your fate isn't set in stone. Best to get boots as soon as possible.

- MF's a strong mid option and can be a powerhouse. Her moves revolve around her stacking and her . Her double up is negligible. Her ultimate's use however, will depend on the user. Some like to use it as a sure fire way to farm. While others will use it purely for offensive reasons. You won't see this used being used mid game just because it has a channel wind up that leaves her vulnerable and it's easy to dodge if you're paying attention. MF herself is a powerhouse early game especially with impure shots. It's smart to try to avoid getting too aggressive early game if it means getting within her auto attack range. Plus if you're caught at close range make it rain will make sure you stay there so try to keep an arm and a legs distance away. Most importantly it's a good idea to try to keep MF from getting free farm, like any ad carry. Most AD carries can be inherently weak if they can't get fed or farmed so denying them of farm is amazing if you can get past it.
- Get ulted and die

Why would I take my Light Binding before my Lucent Singularity for a first

Most people take Lucent Singularity to start thinking it's the best option (It is her most offensive ability, right?) But the snare actually works out better mid. That means the math behind this is, (Assuming you're following) 20 ability power to start from the amplifying tome, and the 2 base AP meaning 22 to start. That means your will hit for an additional 15.4 AP equaling 75.4 magic damage at level one before being calculated through resistances. (Most carries mid have naturally low MR) Then hitting for Illumination is an additional 20 damage at level 1. That equals 95.4 Damage before resistances. Now with a Lucent Singularity projectile, you get 60 at base (Same as the snare) at 60% of Lux's ability power, (Opposed to 70% the snare gets from ability power.) meaning around 13.2 damage. Added back onto the base it equals 73.2 But the problem with Lucent singularity is it makes it harder to hit your illumination charge (They can just run backwards) meaning you can usually only get your 80 damage down opposed to the snare. So, even though it has a better ratio it's reliant on your enemy being docile. Snare seems the clear better option wherever you lane. Just get Lucent Singularity if you have trouble aiming. This isn't saying you should max her Light Binding first. Ohhhhhh no, just take the snare as a first move then max Lucent. No arguments there.

Rod of Ages Why?

So a friend recently told me, "Parlour you sly handsome devil! Why would you include a Rod of Ages in your build, Lux needs AP, not survivability early on!" And to that I say, Lux has enough AP early on. With Amplifying tome, most likely building into a Mejai's Soulstealler and Blasting Rod as my next bought item if I don't get the Mejai's along with boots means I have enough AP early on to last until I can start carrying. Plus the RoA pays off after awhile especially with Archangels staff. Usually you want to aim for the 20 minute mark (To take advantage of the fact that it works over time) when finishing this item, also helps you spend a longer time laning so it works hand in hand. Try to farm a lot with your and detonating the Illumination charges it creates for the kill on the minion. Most waves have 6 minions (not including cannons) and if you aim in between the rows you can hit both the casters and the melee minions. The base amounts of of the minions are 15 gold per caster minion and 20 per melee minion. Meaning 105 gold per wave. (Also not including cannons) Minion's gold award totals also increase as time goes on in the match. Keep in mind that kills (non-first blood) award 300 base gold. So the extra laning time can't hurt your gold income for later bigger AP items. One last note is that the RoA also adds an intimidation factor. (I actually really like this tactic) Because of the RoA Lux's health bar will actually look a lot more intimidating, and usually people will be less inclined to focus you (You only need to outrun your neighbor, right?) which can also let you get free reason to move in and land your Illumination detonations while your Soraka is getting torn apart. Besides, I've had plenty of close encounters that end with me making my grand escape at 150 health.

Why not Rylais?

Oh Rylais, my favorite item on so many casters like Cassiopeia but not Lux. Some may be wondering why I don't. It gives an additional slow to your spells, ability power, and a decent chunk of HP. But my reasoning behind this is simple, Lux has no use for the slow. Now before you lash out at me I have my reasons. First let's take a look at what slows are most commonly used for. To escape or chase. That's it. However doesn't Lux have enough chase mechanics? She has a long range laser, a slow, and a snare. And when escaping Lux usually isn't caught in close quarters. When she is she usually has a snare ready (If you used it in a teamfight you would have, you know, teammates nearby.) To escape. Not to mention if you have flash you're fine. Honestly I've never had problems with a lot of low life people getting away or a lot of enemy champions catching me. Plus Lux doesn't need that much survivability, especially if you've gotten Rod of Ages. The item's Ability Power is useful but it isn't useful enough in comparison to other items you COULD be getting. Most of the time the enemy has adapted or requires some form of immediate item to build into. I wouldn't recommend Rylais just because it doesn't size up to some other items you could be getting.

Mejai's. Don't Ask Why This Time, Ask Why Not.

Oh Mejai's you're practically a walking beacon saying "GANK ME!" And it usually takes a special kind of Kassadi-uh I mean character to get commonly. Lux is one of those characters, she can keep at a range and harass, has a long range ulti to pick up kills and tag for assists, and she has some built in escape tactics. Getting 20 stacks is relatively easy for Lux and the payoff is amazing when she starts to snowball. So, don't ask why, ask why not.

Teamfighting

This is it, the point where you can make or break your team. You're the caster, the star of the show, and believe me, you need to shine and this is where you can. It always starts with an initiation, in some form or another (One does not simply walk into teamfight) This usually involves one person getting the axe on a team. Try to not let it be you, stay in the back and try your best to snare to allow someone like headbutt him into your team, it may not start a teamfight (Initiators do that) it can leave them crippled if they do get caught in one. When the teamfight starts, your tanks and melee DPS's will be in the front lines. Some champions such as will try to run past the front lines so keep a snare handy just in case. Always have your shield on CD by shielding the entire team during a teamfight, the extra damage blocking just might save their life. Also when the enemy lines up (They instinctively cluster up) give them a laser into their ranks tipping the scales in your favour. Also it has a short cooldown so if the fight lasts awhile you might have it up when someone tries to flee. Your Lucent Singularity can also hit all of them providing a decent chunk of damage in addition to Lux's Finales Funkeln which detonates the charges laid by

Combos

You need some offensive combos and I'm here to show them, each one is useful in its own way and it's important to not just say "Well I'll just use this one combo forever"

Most Damage:

->->->Finales Funkeln-> Although this is also the least practical combo it can deal the most damage taking advantage of every Illumination.

Most commonly used:

Don't detonate this use the slow to land your -> ->Finales Funkeln-> Detonate your lucent and auto attack for -> and This takes advantages of all of Lux's moves, and gets in range long enough for only one Illumination charge/Lich bane, which is just to finish off targets who survive meaning you're in no real danger, unless he has a friend that is in which case you'd just leave it with the below combo

Safest:

(Use slow to land) ->->Finales funkeln-> (Detonate Lucent Singularity) This takes no risks for the Lich Bane or Illumination procs. However you never need to get close with this, so it's still really effective. You can find yourself throwing this one out a lot if you aren't kill hungry.

Ganks For the Memories

Ganks can make or break you depending on the recipient. And it's integral to stay mobile for kills when stacking Mejai's (Time is money) and the best way to do it is to kill the opposing mid and trying to run top or bottom to get a laser off or get close enough to land a deadly combo. Chances are you won't be able to gank after your first kill, unless you've really been working on your dodging, you most likely would of burned your ult on the person you killed. I like to save my laser for when I go ganking or wait to the point where it can regen faster from CDR and levels where I can just use it more often and still have it for useful moments. An example of a situational gank escape from mid (Implying you didn't buy a ward) will look something like this.

Buy a Ward, Stop a gank, Save a Life.

The key goes as follows:

Red=Early game
Green=Midgame
Blue=Late game

Why have to improvise when a gank happens to you? Get a ward! Here's a general map. It's dangerous to go alone. Take it. Remember when Ezreal said "Who needs a map?" I do. He got ganked. Don't listen to him. Use a ward map.

Importance of Blue Buff/Elixirs

If you've been following me up to this point my rune choice opts out of CDR runes for some Mag resist. However unless I buy an extra CDR item I'm left at 30% Cooldown reduction. Well that's not good is it? To me this is actually an easy to correct problem. Just get blue buff or a blue elixir! Either of which will provide enough CDR to hit 40% Bingo, lasers incoming. Usually your team will provide you with blue buff. (unless you've got a jungler, then keep a rune CDR page on hand if you don't want your wallet hurting for elixirs.) Plus I take points in the mastery that extends golem buff durations to make it count.

Reader Score Proofs

Guetto

Updates and additions

7/5/11-Guide is released Kassadin Matchup+Video to be added, More Match-ups, additional sample builds, and a "Ganks for the memories" chapter additions.
7/6/11-"Ganks for the Memories" near finished, added a chapter on Rylai's.
7/8/11-Added more mid matchups and edited some of the existing chapters.
7/9/11-I edit stuff.
7/10/11-My changelog gets depression from the amount of time I've been neglecting it.
7/11/11-My changelog goes on a quest to murder his Father's killer.
7/12/11-My changelog finds his father's killer but spares him as the killer begs for his life in a moment of pure resolve that touches everyone's hearts.
7/13/11-My changelog proceeds to prank call the killer for the rest of his life causing him to go insane.
7/15/11-My changelog is now self-aware and has the intent to strangle me.
7/16/11-My changelog realizes it has no hands or appendages to strangle me.
7/19/11-My changelog is very happy for me and wants to let me finish but says Elementz has the best Lux guide of all time.
7/20/11-Shenanigans happen.
7/31/11-My guide features a pro pro build for pros for a total of 30 minutes before being taken off the guide for being "way too pro" It featured taking your ult at rank one for your jungle route with smite and revive, all your items being rabadons, and taking every mastery possible along with every rune.
8/2/11-My changelog is wondering how the hell this guide got to #1.
8/4/11-My changelog preps to go on a trip to the Alps. Bringing a rag tag squad of alphabet troops at his side. Some of the adventure being covert, espionage of secret meetings and subterfuge, the rest being overt nail biting action that's bound to have you on the edge of your seat. Don't miss, Change of Plans, coming this fall to a changelog near you.
9/4/11-My changelog did not notify me of a pm and wishes for me to give special thanks to Guetto for giving score frames of reference.
12/30/2011 - My changelog has started playing Lux as a support, "How do you do this?" I asked. "Simple." My changelog said, "Just build all AP and play as normal."
2/12/12 - This guide is still terrible.

Contact me

If you wish to talk to me about my guide or problems with it feel free to contact me via League of Legends, my summoner name is Parlour Trick, or via UnmalicousOnion on steam. (I left out the other "i" in unmalicious because I'm not ALL About myself.) You can also contact me via my Mobafire profile, although the chances of me seeing it are a tad bit more slim.

Special thanks

I'd like to personally thank Shadez, Blind-, MrBurglarman, LordDread7, honnou, Drood, BulletHead, MagicMan, and anyone else who gave me input on my build. And most of all, thanks to you for reading!