Hello all, and welcome to this guide to the wonderful Sona. I'm certanily still a noob to the game (we all are, in a way), but I happened to chance upon this amazing itemo/rune combo that works extremely well (whenever I get at least half-way through, our chance of victory is significantly higher), and I wanted to share it with everyone.

Before we get into the guide, I suppose I'll take care of this now. Under no circumstance is this suppose to be any kind of "Sona Bible" that one must take word for word. These are merely the guidelines that I follow, and I'm letting others know what they are.

Pros:
-The HP makes Sona much less squishy.
-Max CDR makes for a nice 4.2 second CD on her auras.
-You'll be a great help in teamfights with that CD aura from Soul Shroud.
-By the time mid-game rolls around, you'll have virtually no problems with Mana.
-Rylai's allows much better chasing and killing ability.
-Suprisingly high damage from your abilities and Lich Bane (the AP counter this site has is off by a lot).

Cons:
-Rather Costly, so getting through the entire build might not happen every game.
-If you aren't normally focused in a teamfight, you probably will be now with that spike damage.
-Even though you have more HP, no armor and MR makes you still kinda squishy.
-Hmm, I can't think of any more. If anyone can find more, I'll gladly list them.

As has been said in many guides, runes are a matter of preference. I personally use Greater Mark of Magic Penetration, Greater Seal of Replenishment, Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction, and Greater Quintessence of Ability Power. The Marks add that little bit of damage you may need for the kill, while the Seals and Glyphs add much needed Mana Regen and CDR, with the Quints adding some more damage for that kill, or healing just enough to stop you or an ally from dying. Again, it's up to you what you use.

Like with Runes, the spells you take are a matter of preference. I take Clarity (hence the Clarity mastery point) to cope with any many problems I'd have while laning or early game team fights. I also take Teleport so that I can get back into the action much faster after healing up at base or getting an item, and to insta-save a tower on occasion.

I personally take Hymn of Valor first, then alternate leveling it and Aria of Perseverance from 1-4, take a level in Song of Celerity at 5, Crescendo at 6, then alternate between Hymn and Aria until they max (taking points in Crescendo when possible), and then maxing Celerity.

At the start, I take a Sapphire Crystal. Depending on who the enemy is, I might also take a single Health Potion, just in case. Once i hit about 1000 gold, I'll go back for a Tear of the Goddess and Boots. After that, I'll go get the Ionian Boots of Lucidity and possibly then start buying the items for a Soul Shroud. With the Shroud and Boots, you'll have Max CDR, so you can spam your skills as you please (which will let you get the most out of your Tear).

After the Shroud, I go straight for the Giant's Belt, and then the Blasting Wand. The reason for this is so that I have the HP to survive whatever ganks may occur, even if I only escape with less than 10 HP (It happens to me a LOT of games). However, which one you get depends on the match. After those, the next time I go back is for the Rylai's Crystal Scepter. This lovely item allows for incredible chasing ability (which will be explained later in this guide).

After the Septer, I go directly for Sheen. Why not go for Archangel's Staff now? Well, that's just my preference. I like maxing out the passive on the Tear alone before I upgrade it. In reality, you can get the Staff now and then Lich Bane right afterwards. Plus, with LB, your AP, while not terribly high, can still allow for some surprise kills, without calling too much attention to me, as I don't have the insane burst damage that some of my teammates may have by this point. Also, combined with the Rylai's slow, you'll be able to chase and slowly nuke someone running away.

Regardless of which order you get the Staff and Lich Bane in, make sure you do get both of them. The extra mana from them will allow almost endless skill spamming in a team fight, and all that spamming will allow for some very powerful attacks from the Lich Bane passive, while still leaving you under the radar when compared to the other casters.

If the match is still going strong, start working on the Rabadon's Deathcap by getting a Blasting Wand over the Needlessly Large Rod. The reasoning behind this is the same as throughout the rest of the match: It keeps me out of focus when compared to the other casters. A Blasting Wand can build into many different things, whereas the Needlessly Large Rod only builds into large AP items, putting a rather large target on that caster's head to stop them from farming or killing. Also, it costs less, allowing for a cheaper boost quicker. But, as I've said in other places, it's a matter of preference.

Anyways, once you finish the Deathcap, expect to experience a massive boost to your AP. Now Sona becomes an almost unstoppable destructive force. With your build complete, you'll see enemy teams HP just drop with a push of a button and the click of a mouse.

Special Note
It would seem that the number calculator doesn't do the unique passives when computing numbers. Your AP will be in the high 500-Low 600's once you finish the Deathcap.

Early Game

During the first 6-9 levels, concentrate mostly on killing minions. Try to team up with a strong lane partner, either a tank champion (Rammus, Malphite, etc.) or a good burst caster (Anivia, Ryze, etc.). Keep yourself and your teammate alive while harrassing the enemy champs with your Hymn every now and then. Don't unnecessarily spam your skills, or you'll run out of mana (which is why we bring Clarity, just in case we do have to spam heal). Follow the item build above, and you should have the Tear of the Goddess, Ionian Boots of Lucidity and most of the pieces for Soul Shroud by around levels 9-12, when Mid Game "begins".

Mid Game

Now that you have your Max CDR, you can rotate through your skills really fast, allowing you to attack and heal almost simultaneously. Once teammfights start occurring, keep yourself closer to the back until you complete Rylai's, healing up the most damaged allies and maybe getting some good hits in with your Hymn of Valor. Don't forget about Crescendo either, as a well-timed and aimed shot can completely stop the entire enemy team, possibly scoring an easy ace (giving you at least 5 assists in the process). Once you complete that Rylai's Crystal Scepter, you'll have more HP and the ability to slow enemies with your skills. Try weaving into the middle of teammfights (after the initiation. Never be the intiator, or you will die) and shoot out that Hymn for some good damage and a slow so they can't run. Keep following the item build, and you'll have either the Archangel's Staff or Lich Bane by 16-17 (much earlier if you get a lot of kills/assists), when the game starts getting into its close.

Late Game

By around this time, your team is either in the process of going for the win or putting up a hard defense to turn the tide. You should have both the Archangel's Staff and Lich Bane by now, or be really close to it if you've been a presence of most the teammfights for the assists/kills. The same strategy applies, jump in after the fight has started, heal up the damaged, use your own attacks to whittle the enemy, and don't forget that Crescendo. It can truly change a fight in your team's favor. If you get the time to buy a Rabadon's Deathcap, you'll put your team in an amazing position for victory. You'll see a massive increase in your damage and heal amount, allowing you to save an ally from death even better.

Remember, throughout the entire game, Sona's job is not to go for the kill. Rather, you are there to keep your team alive while also dishing out heavy damage. If you have to choose between firing off a Crescendo at a runner with only a slight chance it will kill them, or launching it at the 3 enemies picking apart your fleeing tank, the choice is clear. Save that tank, and maybe even get a kill from it. You never know, stranger things have happened.

Alrighty then, that's everything. Thanks for taking the time to read this. If you find it helpful, let me know. If you don't, tell me what I could do to make this more helpful. I certainly hope that this build will be as helpful to someone out that as it is for me. In fact, down below is my recent match history using this build:

Now, I won't guarantee that you'll win every game with this build, nor will you be the ultimate carry. However, if you follow this, you'll certainly be a major factor in the life or death of your teammates. Again, let me know what you think about it. If you like it, tell me so, and if you don't, let me know why. As I've said before, I'm still a noob, so advice is certainly welcomed.