UPDATED WEEKLY!!! (If there are ANY changes needed)

Just to get this out there, this will be my first guide ever! But I've referenced other guides, and tested vigorously in game to find out which things work, and which... lead to a short lived Talon. Just a reminder, as with every guide, this build fits my type of play style and team compositions, i.e : Results may vary!


With this being said, Talon is an incredibly good assassin, making him a viable choice for anyone who loves to get in and get out with a kill or two. The best part of it all is that he's able to get in and get out, and then be ready to jump in again in the next 20 seconds. Best part of it all is that it's all burst damage, so they can't even see it coming.


Note: as stated, this is my first guide, so I'm VERY open to suggestions or corrections. And if there are ANY spelling, or grammatical errors, feel free to give me a scolding.

Pros
- Low Ability Cool Downs
- Single Target Focus is Rewarded
- Great Ganker
- High Damage Output
- Fairly Strong in All Game Phases
- Great Farmer
- Massive AD Ratios
- Two Powerful AoE Abilities
- Easy to Come Back With

Cons
- Primarily Focused by CC and in Team Fights
- Squishy
- Can be Hard to Snow Ball with
- Requires at least 40 minions in order to be at full damage
- Cannot stay in Team Fights
- Does NOT benefit from AP

Masteries
Straight 21-0-9. With an extra point in rather than

Runes
+ + + Greater Mark of Desolation

Items
Anti-AP --> or or or

Anti-AD --> or or or

Anti-AP --> or or or

Good to Get --> or or

Skilling Order
> > > Cutthroat

In order of descending priority (Starting with the BEST, ending with the WORST)

Summoner Spells
or or or or [icopn=Ghost size=30] or

Now that damage has been accounted for, it's time to fit this pipsqueak with a man's equipment. And runes are the easiest and most effective way to make up for Talon's lack of defense. I usually take Greater Quintessence of Health, Greater Seal of Armor, and Greater Glyph of Magic Resist. All of these are flat runes, the reason I love "flat" runes so much is that, doing the math, it takes the "per level" runes 10 levels in order to start being more effective. I don't know about you, but I'm not very solid early game with Talon as it is, but to wait 10 levels before I start to have some sort of defense is ridiculous.



Anyways, the flat Health Runes make up for not buying any Doran's items, the armor makes it so you can survive a lane against a ranged AD carry, and the magic resist runes allow you to survive your main source of food long enough to munch on them. Some other guides suggest getting Cool Down Reduction, I find this unnecessary since Talon already has low Cool Downs and you're probably not going to get into a fight before they're up.



I feel like I'm missing something here... Oh right, the Marks. Take the Armor Penetration Greater Mark of Desolation mark. No real explaining needed, but: The flat Armor Penetration couples with your The Brutalizer to give you 21.64 armor pen, enough to rip through any squishies armor and allow you to eat their soul.



In Summary: Since the Masteries focus more on Damage and not on Survivability, I suggest going with more Defensive Runes. Taking "flat" Health, Armor and Magic Resistance runes to account for your squishy early game. While taking "flat" Armor Penetration to strengthen your early game damage output on weaker targets.

The Masteries I always take with Talon are the straight and easy 21-0-9, except I focus more on Sorcery than Alacrity . The main reason for this is that Talon is, as you may have guessed, an ability orientated champion, meaning he benefits more from being able to cast more, rather than hit more. But with this aside, this doesn't mean he can't auto-attack, in fact he should auto-attack, since he builds with so much AD potential he could murder most champion with just flat attacks than most other Ability-Orientated AD (AOAD).


I'd hate not to provide much of an explanation for the other choices, but the thing is, these are just the way he works, building 21-9-0 works too by making you more survivability but gives you lower sustainability and lengthens the time you need for late game by 5%. Plus the additional armor and magic resistance loses its need, compared to health/mana regen, since your runes should cover those two already.



In Summary: The Masteries you should take are the typical 21-0-9, with more points in Sorcery than in Alacrity . Because it provides all the damage you need, with a little better sustainability.

Mercy
A lot of people under-rate this passive, and a lot more over estimate it. 10% bonus damage on disabled (slowed, stunned, immobilized. NOT SILENCED) targets is fairly good, not bad, but certainly not worth building into. This passive is perfect for finishing off targets even faster than before, in fact... 10% faster.

Noxian Diplomacy
The ultimate "Love Tap". This move does so much damage if used right, and does more if coupled with Cutthroat. This skill is great coupled with Trinity Force and a Massive amount of AD. Not only that but it causes bleed and sight to be applied to the enemy, making it less likely for them to get away from you. (Has an approximate bonus AD ratio of 1.5 (Including Bleed Time))


Rake
I dislike the over-used cliche of "Bread and Butter" abilities... but it seems to get the point across. Unfortunately this move has a slight delay(0.3 Seconds) in which the blades can hit the opponent for damage and slow again. With that being said, you really should try to get the enemy away from the edge of the range in order to get the most effect from this ability. (Has an approximate AD ratio of 1.2 (For 2 hits with the blades), and CC time of about 2.3 seconds (again, 2 hits, 2 proxies, 2 effects))


Cutthroat
This is another very under-rated Talon move. But most people don't have a keen eye on synergy, like we do. This move couples nicely with all of his damage moves, giving you a bonus 3,6,9,12,15 % damage done to the target. It ports you behind the target, meaning you can use it to dodge nasty Skill Shots easily, and while you're there you can use Rake and land a nice 2 hits. It lets you get RIGHT IN the fight immediately, in which you can pop your ult and land both hits on both Rake and Shadow Assault. (Total of approximately 3 Bonus AD Ratio, plus the % bonus on your target.)


Shadow Assault
This is my absolute favorite ult in the game, the only problem is that it grabs the attention of all your enemies. That's why I use it after I go in... I'll explain more in the Strategy Section. This move has an awesome AD ratio as well, but only works if you hit them with it twice (Once while starting it, and the second when it finishes). (An approximate 1.8 bonus AD ratio from 2 hits) And that's not even the half of it, it has a (60,50,40) second Cool Down, and with maxed out CDR it's at 24 seconds (lvl 16), this means you finish using it and it'll be up again for the next fight... With this in mind remember that your ult gives you bonus movement speed (40%) and stealth (2.5 sec) right after using it, so it is perfectly OK to use it to get away.

The shame brought to an assassin as his target(s) kills him faster than he kills them is almost as excruciating painful as the physical beating he receives. This is why we build to counter our targets, ie if they go AP we go MR, if they go AD we go Ar, if they go tank we go Ar Pen, if they go All of the Above we go HP.



Core Build

Before getting into countering, I thought I'd cover the basics. The order is simple, so: Start with Boots and 2x Health Potion and 1x Mana Potion. When you first return to base, start building The Brutalizer, and remember to pick up some and . After finishing your you can move on to the counter items.

(Note: The reason I don't finish off with a B. F. Sword in my core build is because when I finish The Brutalizer, it's normally around time for me to gank and take some damage, so the extra damage is nice, but not effective at keeping me alive while I assassinate. I usually do go with B. F. Sword though.)



Anti-AP

AP champions make for the most ideal feed, and the most brutal executioners. Staying close to them usually counters them fairly well, and so it's a good thing we're Talon. But getting up close and personal with a group of blood crazed AP casters will most likely hurt... A LOT. So we build ways of countering them.



Mercury's Treads - This one is kind of a no-brainer. It gives you a good amount of Magic Resist, but that's not why I chose it. It gives you bonus 35 Tenacity. And since you're getting this to counter AP, which all of them have Crowd Control (CC), this makes you less likely to play the 1:1 game with your kills.



Hexdrinker - This Amazing item gives 35 Bonus Attack Damage, and 30 Magic Resistance. But that's not the best part, the UNIQUE Passive on this baby is an AP carries nightmare. It not only gives you a 300 magic shield, but it also pops it just before that final killing blow comes. And the Magic Resistance being taken into account means it gives you around 550+ Effective Shield, with your base + runes + mercury's treads taken into account.



Banshee's Veil - The item you should think of when you want counter-AP... IS THIS ITEM. Or at least it should be. It provides a massive amount of Magic Resistance (+50), couples with a good amount of Health and Mana (+375 each). But again, this isn't what makes it good. The UNIQUE Passive makes this a must have for anyone fighting a horrendous amount of AP, or even just one fed AP. The Passive gives you a spell shield every 45 seconds, if needed, but that's not all, the shield isn't just used as a defense but as a mind altering tactic... it makes AP carries less likely to focus on you until that shield is down, meaning they'll try to conserve their moves and CCs until one of them pops it, and most of the time they will hesitate themselves to death.



Quicksilver Sash - This one is my main choice for CC orientated, or AP carries with Stuns. It gives you more Magic Resist than any of the above, and a free cleanse every minute and 30 seconds. Making you surprisingly slippery, I'll even take this with Cleanse to make myself a pain to catch and less likely to die. Good choice for heavy CC, or even when they're just stunning you to death.



Anti-AD

The hardest hitting champions in the game are AD, I mean... look at who you're playing. That's not even the worst part about them, they don't let up! EVER! So, the only way to deal with Heavy AD teams is to slow them down, so you can get away.



Ninja Tabi - Good boots for Anti-AD, Dodge is OP... look at Jax and tell me I'm wrong. (Against AD Auto-Attack carries, that is!)



Warden's Mail - Part of Randuin's, but still effective on it's own. It's like a miniature Frozen Heart, and that's why I love it. It slows enemies who attack you, and gives you Health Regeneration (20 /5sec) and Armor (50) for them to chew up before killing you. It's a must have in a heavy AD environment.



Wriggle's Lantern - I know what you're thinking, if I build all of these defenses, I won't have any damage output myself. And I don't think Talon is much of a tank. Precisely why I suggest using items like Wriggle's. It allows for damage, life steal, farming and Armor. Making this the ultimate item against AD carries, but almost every AD carry has one.



Randuin's Omen - If you're only getting one item to counter AD carries, get this one, and start with [Warden's Mail]. This item is really good for getting away, I'll pop the Unique Active and then my ult or Rake to add that extra chance of escape and laugh at them as they struggle to keep up. It also offers a massive barrage of stats it makes my mouth water, but you can see those for yourself. It's better to get this late game when they will finally start focusing you, and have their chasing items prepped.



Frozen Heart - If all items were this amazing... I wouldn't need to write a guide now, would I? It offers you 99 Armor, without any bonus HP this brings your over all Effective Physical Health (no other items included) to around 5707 (lvl 18). And that's not even the half of it. It gives you an upgraded version of, the now baby-esque, [Warden's Mail] along with 20% Cool Down Reduction. Meaning you not only take less damage, but you slow down enemy champions around you.



Atma's Impaler - I saw this in another guide, and thought I should add a note here. Yes, it gives you armor, it gives you critical chance, and it gives you damage. But the Damage you'd get from this puppy is nothing without a Warmog's. Save this item for Lee Sin and Warwick, because it's not nearly as effective as a Warden's Mail and an AD item stats wise, for Talon at least. It would give you ~40 AD at MAX level. It's good, but not as effective Early-Mid game, which is the most important part of the game. But it does couple nicely with your massive base stats.



Anti-Tank

If Riot would stop making so many tanky fighters, and/or beefy bruisers, I wouldn't have to make this guide. This will also include items that you use to counter people countering you... so read-on.



Mercury's Treads - Most tanks are TANKS because they have game changing CC, these help you make that into not so effective CC.



Last Whisper - % Armor Penetration is good, but when should you get it? Well, the 40% Armor Penetration is only better than your flat 21 armor penetration when the enemy has over 60 armor. That being said, this does couple nicely with the flat Armor Penetration from [the Brutalizer], but with pure tanks, I'd suggest getting this item first. Especially since it's got 40 bonus AD to add to your arsenal. (It costs double though, so get the substituent(s) before hand)



Frozen Mallet or just Phage - Both work well, and I don't generally enjoy using them, but they work well against tanks. The problem I have with tanks is that they take a long time to kill, I don't have a lot of time before they book it behind a tower... These items MAKE me time. They also provide me with a nice health bonus to let me survive the pitiful harassment of any tank.



Youmuu's Ghostblade - Remember way back when, before all this, when I said that Talon isn't really an auto-attacker? Well... He is now, for this section at least. When coupled with [Frozen Mallet] or just alone this item let's you strip away your opponent's health with the Attack Speed, and catch them or get away with the Movement Speed. The other problem with tanks is that they don't die very easily... so our abilities won't do very much to them, this is why we pop Youmuu's and continuously bash them with Noxian Diplomacy whenever it comes up.



Anti-CC

I've kind of already covered most anti-CC, so I'll make this quick. Grab Cleanse, a Quicksilver Sash, and a Banshee's Veil. They won't like CCing you anymore...



Now for the FUN

Now that we have all the countering done, it's time for the DAMAGE! I've gotten 1726 max critical with Talon, 1 hit, no Noxian Diplomacy... so I'm hoping I have this down pat.



Bloodthirster - It's sexy and it knows it. Gives massive AD per gold (when farmed up), coupled with a reasonable amount of Life Steal for that [Talon] that just doesn't know how to Blue Pill.



Sword of the Occult - The ultimate Snowballing item, use it or get it when you know you'll be ganking, killing, and generally owning. If you're not doing so hot, don't get this as it's useless to an unfed player and provides no way of working your way up onto that horse (metaphor). Instead get the next item if you're doing bad, this one is for easy games... EASY GAMES!!!



Doran's Blade - This item is bad for a starting Talon, the 3% Life Steal is laughable at most, as you'll be harassing more with Rake than farming with Auto-attacks (AA). The thing this item is good for is comebacks, if you're losing or just dying and don't have enough money for your [B. F. Sword] then, by all means, buy a few of these. They satisfy that AD and Survivability need long enough to get you back in, and when coupled with an [Elixir of Fortitude] you'll come back... no problem.



Infinity Edge - This item is the cue de gras of any critical chance champion, which you are sadly not. But did I mention I get to about 1726 crits in long games? Oh I did? Ok, well this item is REALLY good when coupled with Atma's Impaler and Trinity Force. Since both of those give Critical Chance, you'll be Critically Striking those poor carries back to the Heaven's. This works well with Trinity Force and Noxian Diplomacy and your Passive; You slow them with Rake or Exhaust, then you use Noxian Diplomacy, blasting them with the bonus Noxian gives, the bonus from Trinity, AND if you're lucky 2.5* your full AD. This makes for one dead carry, GOOD WHEN COUPLED WITH OTHER ITEMS. (I'd do the math for lvl 18 Talon, but I'm lazy, I'll update it later)



Trinity Force - The most expensive item in the game, the best item in the game, get it and you win... plain and simple. With that in mind, the reason you don't always win is because most games don't last long enough for you to get it, so don't rush for it, it's useless without BT or IE (Infinity Edge). I suggest this as a late game item, like your 4th COMPLETE item. But I will buy some of the components for it whenever I can, like Phage.



Notes:
I will be adding a lot more of the Mathematics later on down the line. For now you'll just have to trust me, because these work for the assassin play-style I use for Talon.

To be added in a later update and revision of the guide. It will most likely include a few videos with full on explanations of position and all the mistakes I make that you should correct.

Again, will be adding something here. For now here's a note: Don't be afraid to use your ultimate to farm a FULL minion wave (like 20+ minions) at lvl 11+ since the wait is well worth the gold. Also, rake just loves one-hitting minions at lvl 8+.

This section will basically be just full of pictures of my good games, and some of my bad games. I may also post videos, notes (on which builds worked in what situation), as well as which laning partners I found the best, and maybe even some replays (download LOL Replay Here!).