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Sivir Build Guide by Meridianprime

AD Carry Sivir - All you ever need to know!

AD Carry Sivir - All you ever need to know!

Updated on February 7, 2016
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Meridianprime Build Guide By Meridianprime 1332 113 12,606,445 Views 502 Comments
1332 113 12,606,445 Views 502 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Meridianprime Sivir Build Guide By Meridianprime Updated on February 7, 2016
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Spells:

LoL Summoner Spell: Heal

Heal

LoL Summoner Spell: Flash

Flash

Threats & Synergies

Threats Synergies
Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny
Show All
None Low Ok Strong Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal Synergies
Synergies
Ideal Strong Ok Low None

I - Prologue

I'm Meridianprime, level 30 and playing on the EUW servers. Started playing early beta as Ashe until a champion rotation forced me to pick another champion. I simply picked one from the new selection that I also saw during a practice match with bots. Sivir was my choice due to her similarity as ranged, easy to play champion. Later on I discovered there is actually a HUGE difference between Ashe and Sivir regarding their CC and how to master. Since I love a challenge in games, I kept playing her, making the best out of an unloved, unwanted, overlooked champion.

Started to play ranked seriously somewhere end of season 3 and currently worked my way up to Gold II League. Where new challenges await me. New tactics, strategies and formation of builds.

Here I am, making this guide for other players that like to try out and learn more about Sivir. My efforts of making her be loved again, understood and NOT to be underestimated!!
So... what have I done to create this guide?
  • Reading and testing other guides
  • Using Excel and other tools to compare item sets
  • Experience from nearly 2000 games
  • Learn and listen to other players with more experience
  • Be creative forming knowledge in a pleasant to read guide

Please feel free to express your thoughts, relevant information, constructive criticism and other points of improvements in the discussion section or PM me. I hope you enjoy reading it was it was for me to write it. Thank you for your time!

Contact information
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II - About Sivir ( Overview / Abilites / Lore / Pros & Cons / Skins )

Overview

Abilities

Lore

Pros & Cons

Skins

Patch Notes
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III - Setting up for battle! ( Masteries / Runes )

Masteries


Runes
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IV - The battle is about to begin! ( Summoner Spells )

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Offense

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Defense

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Utility




Recommended
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Optional
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The above chart shows what spell can be used for a certain purpose as well as the level of recommendation. The 2 spells you need to pick depends on a few factors.
  • Team composition
  • Enemy team composition
  • Strategy
  • Personal play style

During champion select all the factors are known. The champions in your team and those of your enemies. With a quick chat with your teammembers ( good luck with that in solo queue ) you may create a certain strategy. And I hope you are aware of your own play style.

FLASH


HEAL


Ignite


Exhaust


teleport
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V - The battle has begun! ( Abilities sequence )

E
Q
R
W
4.
2.
1.
3.

In order to know which ability to upgrade first you have to consider the following 4 factors. As you will see that enemy factors weight more in which ability to consider next.
  • Enemy composition
    Knowing your enemy's abilities is very, very important. This can put you in big trouble if you upgrade the wrong ability first. Some enemies can CC lock you at level 2.
  • Enemy behaviour
    After a few minutes you got to know more about your enemy's intentions. If they just stick to last hit or don't ward very well. You can determine which skill has a higher priority.
  • Abilities of your support
    This is very important to know whether you go for damage first (W)(Q)(Q) or play casual (W)(Q)(E). Not often you have to play defensive with just regarding your support.
  • Personal play style
    Regardless of setup, if the player (you) dislike to sing out the laning phase and is eager to get First Blood. Go for some more offensive sequence. Others just like to hug their turrets and wait for a gank to start the fight.

The above is no golden rule / wonders of the world, but it helps in the majority of the time. Also having passive enemies with risky abilities, you can still pick offensive order. Same goes for other combinations. Consider them wisely!

Ability Sequence
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VI - One step ahead ( Itemisation )

Itemisation is probably the hardest chapter to write as author, since factors like personal play style, chosen strategy, counter measures are not set in stone, but still determines which items to buy and in which order. I'll try to explain as clearly as possible which items are a must ( Core Items ), into which items they are upgraded, item comparison and their pros/cons/optimum efficiency, all depending on "The Flow of the Game" (from now on used as FoG). But first let me to explain the elements of an ADC and Sivir in general.

Every champ has its optimum setup depending on its base stats / abilities and designated role. Sivir is an ADC and is made to deal AoE physical damage. Focused on Attack Damage (AD) to boost up her abilities, Attack Speed (AS) to help with Kite / Chase situations, Crit Chance (CrC) to crank up the damage in team fights / jungle objectives and a form of Armor Reduction/Penetration (ARed) to counter tanks and such.

These will increase Sivir's output but is pointless if she can't stay in the fight. So she also needs Life Steal (LS). Whether it is early or late game, team fighting or farming camps in the jungle. It is ESSENTIAL!

Last but not least, a way to counter enemy output. This comes in forms of Health HP, Armor, Magic Resist (MR), cleanse and AS reducing passive / active. This last is important to keep in mind but not essential!

offensive Elements

Defensive Elements

Utility elements




Now that I have explained the elements, essentials of an ADC and priority for Sivir, we need to understand the elements. What does ADC stand for? What is our goal as ADC? Who is with me and who is against me? Plus a large scope of variations and details that take part prior to a shopping spree.

Simply put, ADC stands for Attack Damage Carry. Carry usually means the one making the kills and plays so your team wins the game. So, you are responsible for dealing TONS OF DAMAGE to the enemy team...

WRONG!


This is where most people misunderstand the role of the ADC. The plain idea of dealing TONS OF DAMAGE and to see their heads roll is nice, but does not guarantee you the win. There is no shame not knowing a "simple" concept. Because it isn't simple. To rephrase the last part: "You are responsible for being effective in dealing damage throughout the game".

It still says "dealing damage", just missing the words TONS OF... What does this "throughout the game" mean and how do I do that? And OMG!! I also need to be effective!? Now, this sounds like rocket science to me!

Don't worry! It is somewhere between "simple" and "rocket science", leaning towards "simple". Let me explain!







If being an ADC was a simple concept by hogging Attack Damage (AD), all you'll need to do is look up the item box and sort on AD items. Take the top 6 and Voilá! Congrats! You just turned into someone that ends up posting on Facebook how much AD you collected as ADC.

65 + 75 + 65 + 75 + 75 + 55 = 410 Bonus AD
CHALLENJOUR BUILD RAWR!!



Without going in to much detail and keep it plain and simple as possible, I shall show you the basic elements of what is needed to be effective in dealing damage.
Damage is not just hogging AD and deal TONS OF DAMAGE on the first hit and have your spells ( Boomerang Blade and Ricochet in this case) chunk down their HP after every cooldown.

E.G.
Buying 6 items, each adding 100 AD, leads you to deal 600 damage on hit, whilst buying 3 items (each 100 AD) and 3 items (each 50 AD + 30% crit. chance (CrC)) leads you to deal 450 damage with 90% chance of dealing 900.
Yes, there is a chance you will deal 150 less damage on first hit, but over the course of 10 hits you will deal 1 x 450 + 9 x 900 = 8550 instead of 10 x 600 = 6000
This example can also be made by mixing AD items and Attack Speed (AS) items or even a mix of AD, AS and CrC.

After this example we can conclude that having the right balance of AD, AS and CrC results in a much higher overall damage (known as Damage per Seconds, DPS), thus being more effective even if your first hit doesn't score a Crit.
To roughly put it in a formula, we'll get something like: DPS = AD x AS x (1 + CrC/100)

Now, attacking champs doesn't go unpunished, thus losing health is part of the process. There is no point in dealing lots of damage if after a few hits your life is on the line. A dead ADC deals no DMG: hence, making sustainability another element to take into consideration when buying items.

NOW THAT MADE SENSE!

Indeed, it did, but we're not there yet! The last important element is taking the abilities of your champion in mind. A.k.a. their "Kit". This is the AD, AS and other parts of the formula the champion already has included in their Kit plus the benefit it gets from a certain element.

E.G.
The reason why Vayne always takes Blade of the Ruined King as first item is because her kit involves attacking the same target 3 times consecutively, to trigger a True Damage boost. This is achieved faster when her AS increases; making Blade of the Ruined King the perfect starting-item fitting her kit. We call this "synergy". You have to buy items that synergize with the champion's kit to max out the formula! (Including all the side tricks, like positioning and team strategy)
In Sivir's case this will be AS; (Her W - Ricochet, Auto Attack reset and R - On The Hunt, Increasing AS while Ricochet is active). As for direct benefit, there is none, apart from scaling with AD; (Q - Boomerang Blade and W - Ricochet).

Without further due I shall guide you through the items needed to make Sivir as effective as possible.





Let the game begin!

To start the game with 500g doesn't give the player much of a choice; picking items such as a Doran's Blade, a Health Potion and a Stealth Ward as ADC is therefore more a lack of options. These items give Sivir all the bits and pieces she needs (AD, HP and some LS ). There are other items you might start the game with, but even though choosing other items is technically a choice, it isn't optimal so to say, thus not really a viable option.

E.G.
Long Sword or Boots. For these items, being used further in the game isn't bad when you think of it. The stats however don't even the score with the other ADC, in terms of trading hits or sustain through lifestealing on minions early game. Lane dominance isn't achieved just by shear power or thinking about future possibilities, but go with the flow of the game; and therefore go for an item that is currently needed.



In short, to be clear on this matter. Buy the items: Doran's Blade, Health Potion and Stealth Ward... ALWAYS!!!

The odds that other items will work in favor compared to all the possible champion compositions is like the hair-ratio on a bald man's head and a wookie.

The never ending farming phase!

In this phase you and your support are heading towards your lane, where you shall battle: i.e. "who's the best at molebashing" with the other ADC for at least 10-15 minutes before one of you gets bored and decides to recall to up the game. Make sure you 'last hit' well or better than the opposition or at least make sure the trades are in your favor. One of these is required if you want to be on par with the others, or risk being behind in lane dominance. Focus on farming and your own safety over the possibility of a kill that can sadly turn around when you play to greedy! Of course, when the moment is right, strike hard! At least force them to recall and hopefully pop a few summonerspells in the process. When this happens, push the wave into their tower and recall before they get back with some additional firepower and return the favor.

To sum up your moments to recall...
  • after a hard and forcefull battle (either sides)
  • when you've farmed gold, preferably above 1300g
  • when the other ADC recalls for whatever reason







When one of the above is met, you hope to have at least 1300g. The best building item for this will be a B. F. Sword or for when the recall happened before the 1300g mark, take one lower on the list. However, whenever you feel struggled during your laning phase, do not hesitate if you feel the need for more sustain over direct damage. Vampiric Scepter will be a low cost option for you. Ask for a gank or two to level out over time.

Either way a Vampiric Scepter is never a bad item to follow up the B. F. Sword if that is the only item after the 2nd recall that you can purchase. Also, squeeze in at least Boots to compensate with the increased game pace.


To conclude our laning phase: Focus on farming, better safe than sorry, aim towards an B. F. Sword or a Vampiric Scepter for when you are struggling early game.

You're dominating!
Struggling :(
**SIDENOTE**
Keep in mind that when you start of with a Pickaxe you better finish Infinity Edge first. If you want an Essence Reaver instead, either stretch the recall until you have 1100g or get a Vampiric Scepter.

My First Item!

The laning phase is at its peak. Which means you should focus on completing your first item. There are many ways the game can flow. Which item you complete first depends on your first item. As I stated in the sidenote, the Pickaxe is the path to an Infinity Edge, but if you've started buying a B. F. Sword, you can also go to an Essence Reaver.
Personally I like Infinity Edge better over [essence reaver]] due to the shear power you have when you crit. But I'm quite profound using Spell Shield, making me stable on mana. However, it is not that easy to keep your manapool up and running and be able to spam/harass or poke all the way. Essence Reaver is a very good item that compliments Sivir's DPS perfectly, just like Infinity Edge, but has mana regen abilities instead of the extra punch.

Infinity Edge
  • You've started with Pickaxe
  • You rather auto attack
  • You are profound at spell shielding
Essence Reaver
  • You have to play defensive
  • You're required to poke/harass
  • You're not that good at spell shielding

Pick up the Pace!

Now that you have your first item, Vampiric Scepter for some sustain and Boots to start roaming / dodging, we are in need to add more synergy to what we have. This means; More CrC to make auto attacking more efficient; AS to help with kiting before your level 2 Ultimate and movement speed for more roaming power after the first turrets have fallen.
Zeal opens up many paths to late game items, adds 15% AS, movement and decent amount of CrC. And it comes in even smaller items, making building this easier. The other option I can advice you is Recurve Bow, but options are limited with this one. So plan ahead and pick wisely.

Zeal
  • More movement speed, More CrC
  • My personal favorite
  • Keeps more options open (item wise)
Recurve Bow
  • More AS, but no CrC
  • 200g Cheaper
  • Can build into a few items only

Corebuild!

Corebuild; as in the items which maximize your DPS in an effective way throughout the phases of the game. ("Hey! I've heard that before!") and how the laning phase can transcend to the mid game, but these core items will always be there for many purposes; either complimenting or synergizing Sivir's kit. Auto attacking is your primary role. After this, you can consider side options. These can be, and are not limited to, ArPen, more LS, some MR, AoE or build straight towards glasscannon.
To complete your corebuild, we need the remaining of the 2 items you bought earlier. This means if you bought an Infinity Edge first, you now need an Essence Reaver or vice versa.

As corebuild you will have the following items in your inventory.
Death Dance, The Bloodthirster or Blade of the Ruined King


Out of the box!

Let's assume all went as planned, or at least controlled. This means you have completed your corebuild: Infinity Edge, Essence Reaver, Berserker's Greaves, Vampiric Scepter (Or its upgrade} and an AS item. In combination with your level 2 ultimate, the DPS will be sky high! Entering the fray with a whooping AD, lots of AS and decent lifesteal, will make Sivir's damage quite allround. Her Q and W will be scaled nicely with the bonus AD and her W AA reset will not be diminished by an overdose of AS.
Now it is time to pick a strategy (or a counter strategy). Consider the enemy composition, gamestyle and current status as a strategy you need to counter; just like Rock, Paper and Scissors. The last 2 item slots can be used for this counter I'm talking about.

E.G.
Are they tanky? --> Last Whisper
Do they have lots of HP? --> Lord Dominik's Regards
Do they have a Mundo? --> Mortal Reminder
Lots of CC and AP? --> Quicksilver Sash --> Mercurial Scimitar
Do they have a solo roamer? --> Phantom Dancer
Need more waveclear? --> Statikk Shiv / Runaan's Hurricane


and so on, and so on...

Here I will make a list of items I buy during games, why I buy them and which other items I could have bought, but didn't. Just pick the 2 items where your game matches the description.

Statikk Shiv
Not an item I'd see often in Season 6 since they removed the Gold gain item. Also the buff on Ricochet will make Sivir farm formidable already. But after this item gained a massive anti-minion passive on hit, it merely transformed into a farming enchancer.

Phantom Dancer
THE IDEAL 1 vs 1 weapon! Taking away 12% of the enemy champions total DPS is not to be underestimated! A no-brainer on most ADC's but not on the corebuild roster for Sivir. Since she isn't a duelist with her kit. So take it when your personal play style involves bashing other champions mano á mano!

Last Whisper
An old friend for most ADC's. The alround anti-tank item. A must when you have tanks against you. Midlaners with Zhonya's Hourglass will also melt faster with this item. Wait until later before upgrading into one of the items; Lord Dominik's Regards or Mortal Reminder

Lord Dominik's Regards
UPGRADE 1: Ideal versus Armor stackers and HP hoggers. Since Sivir's low amount of HP this will work on many champions.
E.G.
Malphite, Rammus and Garen or any bruiser type. The upgrade now entails the old Last Whisper with a niche of Blade of the Ruined King

mortal reminder
UPGRADE 2: So far I only see this viable on Health Regen heavy build champions. Imagine this in combination with Blade of the Ruined King "Mundo goes where Sivir pleases!"
E.G.
Dr. Mundo and Garen

Mercurial Scimitar
The ultimate Mage killer! In combination with a Phantom Dancer you will be the living hell for any midlaner relying on mere burst and CC. With the build-in Quicksilver Sash and a well timed Spell Shield will counter any form of CC and AP burst. While the Phantom Dancer reduces all remaining form of DPS and the 75 AD and 35 MR on Mercurial Scimitar to finish them off!


Before I get tons of responds on why I haven't include some popular items like the ones below. I have added them here with the reason "Why not these...."

Trinity Force
This item is simply way to expensive for the mediocre benefits besides the additional base damage after a spell cast.

Guardian Angel
The reason you need this is because you've died. Ever wonder why you've died? Because your team was not protecting you. Being brought back to life once per 5 minutes doesn't change this at all, since you will just be prone to die again the split second you pop back up.

Banshee's Veil
Sivir has a banshee's veil 2.0 in her own kit. Rather get some more cooldown reduction or crit chance to maximize the passive of Essence Reaver to make her Spell Shield re-usable faster.

Frozen Mallet
Some AD, good HP, nice kiting tool, but just easy to overcome with the uncountable gap closers and speed boosts to keep up with you. It's more a tool to chase for those juggernauts, not for ADC's

Rapid Firecannon
The 35% additional range isn't much, considering Sivir's lack of it in the first place. Just like Frozen Mallet this item has some nice potentials, but doesn't prevail over others.

The Black Cleaver
Still one of the best on the do-not-buy list. The reason for this is that LW has direct effect and is combined with other anti-tank applications. The Cleaver sadly is just to reduce some armor of quick successive hits during skirmishes.

Youmuu's Ghostblade
Never bought this one, but still mentioning this item as 'do not buy'. The short DPS boost is undeniably good, but during its cooldown there isn't much left to prawl with.

Wit's End
With the new items in season 6, this item goes back in its box. It simply doesn't make the cut since it's outpayed and outscaled by plenty of others. Situations where this is a fun item to try, is about the same ratio as the wookie-comparison times 2.
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VII - Not this time ( Spell Shield List )

Spell Shield List / Enemy Chart
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VIII - Credits

This guide is made possible thanks to the following people for layout / discussion / testing / 2nd opinion or for other additional knowledge.
  • MissMaw for her assistance on the details of my guide.
  • LucyHeartphilia - For assisting me with the re-vamp of the spell shield section
  • Theory Crafting veteran : Searz for the rune knowledge
  • Poki3 for the detailed spell shield block list
  • Sivir Guides from Kibblinator and Svingas for inspiring me to make my own Sivir guide.
  • Feedback credits to make this guide getting better and better.
    • jasie3k - Item tips
    • PotatisFarfar - For recommending my guide
    • BakaGirl - Layout tips
    • jhoijhoi - For the most constructive feedback I'd thought possible. Making me re-write my guide's detail / layout and other textual improvements based on her guide Making A Guide AND for making the banners added to my guide and signature!! Thank you so much!
    • Dozens of people sending in their opinions about the remake of Sivir
  • And you for reading / commenting and voting on this guide making it one of the viable guides for Sivir for everyone to use.


Want your credits listed? Give me useful feedback in the comment section or PM me so I can test it out and adjust the guide where needed.

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