Guide is very old and needing to be redone.

Hello. This is a comprehensive Support build I had made awhile ago for Talon. It is a very nice build based on taking a champion and giving him an entirely different role far from his original. A role that works wonders.



Firstly, I would like to discuss: What is a Support Role?

Many argue about support roles.

• "They should be healers."
• "They should be disablers."
• "They should not be damage dealers."
• "They should protect damage dealers and carries."
• "Supports only aid teammates."

The controversy lies in familiarity of role. Damage dealers want to be the only ones doing damage. And see supportive roles to be the ones assisting them in their duties. But what doesn't cross the mind is that supporting assistance doesn't only come from buffing, healing, protecting and aiding damage dealers. It can also come from doing damage as well.

It is the type of support role people overlook as simply another type of damage dealing role that is simply weak. And although it is true that it is in some ways a damage dealing role, the concept is underlooked by what they are meant to be doing.

DoTS roles are actually about as common as the rest. Champions like Teemo and Twitch do damage over time with poisons and pokes from flat damage. Speed builds for champs like Ashe and Master Yi provide consistent damage over time. And it is how they get this damage out there that makes the difference between them being simply damage dealers or support. They are a combination of both.
Talon is the perfect example of a champion with the capability of being a DoTS champion. As he has a skill kit that allows for constant harass and damage in the most epic of manners. Making him a potential Cerebral Utilizer. A true assassin of predator instinct.

Now on with the show..

At first look it may seem very odd. For one, why support Talon?
Well Talon is known for being a beautiful burst champion. He's a great assassin with a silence and AoE skill shot slow that can do moderate damage. Not to mention his Ult is a good escape and finisher. So why bother ever thinking about using him for more of a support than an AD carry? The reason lies here: Consistency.


The Rise & Fall of Typical Talon
Talon is no doubt a strong champion when it comes to damage early game. But his ability to burst successfully well mid to late game drops tremendously fast. Especially against enemies that begin to stack armor. He loses his ability to keep up with most other AD Carries, and it really does not help the team. Talon tends to become an easy focus because he begins to be unable to "seal the deal" with finishers, and since he is based purely on offensive build, he has no defense at all to carry out surviving any form of focus toward him.
Sadly Talon begins to fall as quickly as he rose. He has enough mana for maybe 2-3 bursts and then he has to recall. All while not having done all that much damage and being very incapable of defending towers and allies since he himself can not afford to take any damage from anyone.
Eventually Talon must reform to a speed based champion build and rely on his attack speed and (Q) Noxian Diplomacy. But he is still prone to being very weak and easy to kill. Talon's purpose falls quick in the fields of justice as the battles fall further into play.

Birth of the Cerebral Utilizer
This is where my Support Talon build comes into play. He can be built a lot of different ways as a support depending on who he is facing and who is on his team. But this build is based on an entirely different strategy of play with Talon that creates an entirely different champion all together. Giving him full-time purpose and higher benefit to the team from start to finish of any length of match. The Cerebral Utilizer.
With tons of mana, short cool downs, high movement speeds and moderate damage.. this beast of a support can fend off enemies in any lane while fully securing his own towers and allies. His main harass (W) Rake allows him to do small amounts of damage to a large number of enemies at a given time. While also adding a 40% movement speed reduction. Making it easy for allies to pounce and finish off the wounded and slowed adversaries.
Adding the ability to silence enemies into oblivion, Talon can make sure healers and burst champs can not ruin team fights.
With all the above said, he also makes a great backdoor champion. At one point in time he will be able to take damage from towers long enough to take them down by himself and/or with allies.
And then his ult helps make it all worth while. As it can be used every half a minute and allow him to always be in the safe with its escape capability.

This is how I made this build. Recognizing Talon's skill kit capability. He does not need to be one to do insane damage to still be very helpful to a team when designed properly.



Support Talon (The Cerebral Utilizer)


(Q) Noxian Diplomacy - This is a good damage tool. However in the form of utility, it provides several seconds of bleeding out to an enemy champion. Allowing teammates to track his trail and pursue him without issue of the Fog of War. With a wounded champion attempting to run away, this tool allows a high certainty of kill lock.

(W) Rake - It is the ultimate form of slow. And it is the prime focus and definition of this build. It has range to slow an entire team of enemies to either allow a successful escape or the perfect pursuit. Combined with Talon's passive it allows amplified damage to Talon's Q as well which is a bonus. But the main aspect here is its ability to either help seal kills for the team or help save lives of the team.

(E) cutthroat - A beautiful flash silence that is capable of making team fight changing outcomes. It has the range to make a beautiful initiation and combined with his Ult allows him the chance to flee the scene before being nuked. It can also save teammates and himself. This is Talon's utility initiator skill as well.

(R) Shadow Assault - The Ultimate that defies fairness. Being able to do nearly 300 damage per dagger at max rank(not including AD bonus) makes for a deadly tool. Combined with Talon's (W) Rake for an amplified damage output he can do some serious damage. But since his late game falls off and we are focusing on his ability to support a team, this skill is going to be looked at for its sole ability to escape. With the slight addition of causing a little damage. Talon's (E) cutthroat will need this to allow him to survive initiations. And Talon will need this skill to survive ganks as well.



Goal of Support Talon?

To assist the team. Whether by saving their lives or feeding them enemy champions. With the right combination of items Talon can be the perfect support champion. And as support, he will need to be able to:

• Focus on being able to take damage if ever focused for his capabilities.
• Focus on being able to consistently carry out his supportive skill kit without constant recalls.
• Slowly and constantly harass and damage enemies little by little.
• Defend allies and towers.
• Ensure kills & prevent deaths.

This is why Manamune will be the main priority of Talon. Combined with Frozen Heart for the Cool Down time that he will need to be able to constantly use his skill kit and the added mana, he will be able to keep in lane and team fights far more than long enough to carry out his job. This support build is made to allow Talon to be able to constantly spam his skills. As fast as they could be cast. And that is the main idea.
With Talon being able to silence every few seconds it can allow some nice teamfight outcomes. And his ability to slow and do moderate damage constantly will help a lot as well. With the constant repetition, Talon not only is still doing decent damage, but he can keep doing it too. And in many ways, Talon is capable of doing more damage this way late game than he could being based on burst damage. While not being able to die quickly either. And while assisting his team.



Remember:
Support Talon is not supposed to focus on being able to do kill damage. This support build is made to do damage and support the team. While some damage may help, his main priority is still utilizing his skill kit to further support and assist his team.

With the right combination of build, Talon can be able to assist in both damage, utilization and team support.
The build I will show you is based more into the 3 above. However he can be built purely to support as well in other builds.

Pros

• Great Farmer
• Perfect Assist Killer
• Good Team Saver
• Perfect Consistency & Reliability
• Great Damage Over Time
• Not super squishy
• Not 100% Item Reliant

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Cons

• Can not be used to do major damage all at once.
• Is not capable of utlizing Talon for his normal purpose.
• May be difficult to learn.
• Will be confusing for many to comprehend outright.

I choose per-level runes for a reason. This build is to be focused around mid to late game. And per-level runes start taking their effect after Lv.5 anyway. And being support, he does not need to focus on doing large impact things early on. Such as damage.

Why per-level runes of mana though? Manamune should be more than enough mana for Talon.

I've been asked this before a lot. And the reason for this is consistency. While Manamune alone would allow Talon the ability to carry out constant skill harass, a key factor to Manamune is not simply just its mana addition. It gives a percentage of damage in AD to a champion based on how much max mana they have. In general, +10 AD per 500 Mana. This is why getting an item like Archangel's Staff would be worthless on Talon. Consistent damage over time is what Talon needs here and can get from Manamune's Mana + AD addition.

Part of this Cerebral Utilizer build is for Talon to still do some moderate damage over time. While constantly supporting his team with his skill kit.
Manamune provides the mana necessary for constant harass AND the damage increase Talon will need as well. At Lv.18, with full 1000 stack of mana from Manamune giving Talon a full 3,500 Mana total, he should be gaining at least +70 AD to his 202 AD total. That's 272 AD with a lot of mana to spare.

Your traditional Talon burst build allows him maybe 360-400 AD total. And with lack of cooldown time and mana, he can burst maybe 2-3 times before needing to recall. Stacking him about 720-1200 AD total from his outright damage output. Not including the skills' bonus damage themselves. Let's not forget this build has no defensive capability to endure focus for even just a moment.
The typical Talon build, despite having nearly 400 AD near late game tends to lose its effectiveness in burst damage. While having no mana to sustain long at all after 1-2 bursts. His overall effectiveness late game is pretty harsh.

But this Cerebral Utilizer build allows Talon 272 AD for far more than 15 to 30+ constant harass bursts before needing to retreat. That's anywhere from 4080 to 8160 base damage output over time constantly. Constant slows, bleeding and silencing. Not to mention Ult get-away's or bursting. However, that is not the main goal here still. The main goal is that Talon can constantly stay in lane and teamfights to ensure teammates' kills and survival due to his skill kit effects, low cool downs and high mana pool.

Even the speed build for Talon to ensure consistent damage late game has its flaws in being less capable of utilizing his actual skills. And more so in utilization of his (Q) Cutthroat only and his auto attacks. Making him still fairly easy to be picked off as he is a melee champ who needs to get close enough to do his AS damage. He'll have no defense what so ever. And no mana to last him enough to utilize his skill kit for anything.




Stack as much mana as Talon can get, in a positive manner(that benefits unlike items like Archangel's Staff), and the truth shall set you free.

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Why not stick with defensive Seals & Glyphs?

Because Talon should not be tanking. He shouldn't be focused as a threat either like carries are. The defensive masteries and items are only to ensure Talon can not be instantly killed if focused for just a split moment like he normally can be. And this is what allows him to stick around more as well.
+11(Flat) armor and +25(Per Level) Magic Resist does not have a place in this build. As both the Seals & Glyphs of Per Level mana give +200 mana per each set. That is +400 mana, nearly an additional +10 AD for Talon with Manamune and more harass.
As enemies will notice Talon is not doing an insane amount of damage at once(Bursting), they will focus him less than others like AD & AP carries that do a ton of damage at once. Allowing Talon to utilize his skill kit in harass and support. And with Frozen Heart & Force of Nature, Talon will not need the small amount of defense that the Seals & Glyphs give. That near late game prove to do nothing for him beneficially. While the amount of Mana that is given from the Glyphs & Seals per level is far better for Talon late game with this build overall and throughout the match consistently. Which is key.

Other Runes:

Can this build be built with runes other than Mana?


Yes.
But tread carefully on what runes you would be looking into replacing that vital part of the Cerebral Utilizer with. The full mana rune set gives a minimal of +800 mana. Which is +18 AD to Talon. And several more harasses before mana is depleted.

• Greater Glyph of Scaling Cooldown Reduction This would be a great substitute for mana runes on the Glyph portion. Because at Lv.18 it would be supplying you with 8.1% Cool Down reduction. Which could actually free you up your final item slot for something else. Whether a little more defense, damage or speed.
• Greater Mark of Vitality Greater Glyph of Vitality Greater Seal of Vitality The only defensive runes I would suggest are the Per Level health runes. As it would give a good 500+ HP at Lv.18. Remember your job is not to main tank. And to prepare for mid and late game. Defense runes of Magic Resist & Armor would not benefit as much as the +500 Health would.
• Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed would be a good replacement. As the mobility is crucial for the build. It is an equal trade off almost.

There are 2 ways to go about the masteries. Defensive Utilization or True Utilization. Easy or Hard difficulty in some ways to point out.

This is the fun part. Explaining the core build of the Cerebral Utilizer Talon. As he will revolve around these key items for his role.

Remember that the role of this build is a DoTS(Damage over Time Support). He will need to be able to do damage constantly, and support his allies in killing and escaping if need be.


1st Item - Manamune - Core

Manamune is the key to the Cerebral Utilizer build. It grants Talon the mana he needs to be able to constantly harass and stay in lane and team fights without need for the constant recalling. But just as importantly, it increases his overall AD based on how much max mana he has. Talon needs this item for this build to work.


2nd Item - Frozen Heart - Core

Frozen Heart provides the additional 500 Mana(+10AD w/ Manamune), and the main source of Cool Down percentage he needs(20%). It also provides him durability against auto attacks and more importantly, AD skills.
Frozen Heart is the 2nd core item to the Cerebral Utilizer. It's a great accomplice to Manamune which makes it that much greater.


3rd Item - Boots of Swiftness - Core

Why Boots of Swiftness? If you want mobility why not Mobility Boots?
Well the Cerebral Utilizer attacks far more constantly than any other build of Talon to date. Especially skill utility-wise. And so Mobility Boots would never work for Talon as the additional speed would not be in effect.
This is why Boots of Swiftness is the best mobile form of boots for Talon. It is a constant fast speed that he needs.

Why not Boots of Lucidity for Cool Down?
Because with the 8% CD from Defensive Utilizer build or 6% CD from True Utilizer build combined with Frozen Heart you get at minimal a 26% CD reduction. Remember the max is 40%. Add 1 more Cool Down item as the 6th and final item to the build such as Zeke's Herald and you are at 40% CD total. Boots of Lucidity would be a waste as the Cool Down percent would not be getting used.

But why not take Boots of Lucidity and save the 6th and final item for something else?
Because Talon needs mobility. He needs speed to harass without dying. All his defense gives him is the ability to simply not die instantly like he normally could. It does not make him capable of tanking like a real tank can. Mobility is important for Talon to constantly get in and get out. Afterall, Talon is built to be an In/Out champ. And none of the Movement Speed items benefit him as much in accommodation for Boots of Lucidity to replace a 6th item for Cool Down.

What about Ninja Tabi & Mercury Treads?
They are both viable pairs of boots. Boots of Swiftness is the standard for the Cerebral Utilizer. But if ever any pair of boots needed to replace them, it would be either of these two.
Ninja Tabi would work well if the enemy team has too much AD and you are having trouble with them.
Mercury Treads has the same purpose in the case of too much AP & CC. But I still do not fully recommend these boots over swiftness because Talon should still not be focused as a tank. Utilize his ability to get in and out and you would be fine without the defensive boots.


4th Item - Force of Nature - Optional

Force of Nature gives Talon more sustain and brings the mobility up a notch. It allows the ability to take a little more damage from AP casters while increasing Talon's HP regen by quite a bit to allow him to sustain lane and team fights further more.
I dock this as a necessary item to the build because of what it offers for sustainability and mobility. Adding with Frozen Heart's armor increase, Force of Nature's magic resistance helps make Talon more balanced in ability to handle small mounts of damage inflicted upon him.
Other items can be used in replacement of Force of Nature. Feel free to replace as you feel. But I have good reason for it to be part of this particular build. Do not underestimate it's sustain and mobility offerings toward the Cerebral Utilizer.


5th Item - Maw of Malmortius - Optional

Maw of Malmortius is vital for the purpose of giving a nice amount of AD increase and the ability to survive a potential focus for any reason. Not to mention that since the Cerebral Utilizer is made to sustain in a lane for long periods of time and constantly harass, his HP will not always be at full. And for every 2.5% HP missing, his AD is increased by 1. If Talon were at half of his 2220 HP at Lv.18, his AD would be boosted by 40. Making him begin to do even more hurtful damage with his consistent harass.
The Cerebral Utilizer feeds on sticking around. The HP Regen from Force of Nature makes sure his HP doesn't stay low for long. But when it is, Maw of Malmortius' passive makes this Utilizer begin to start hitting much harder than usual by utilizing the passive's damage increase.
Another bonus to this item, which is a main reason that many get it, is the magic shield that can protect a person from potentially having died without it. Creating a life saver opportunity. And you never know when Talon may need this.


6th Item - Zeke's Herald - Optional

Zeke's Herald is the final item choice I decided for this build's completion. As it gives the best supportive completion for the Cerebral Utilizer DoTS.
A little more HP which is nice.
The last 15% Cool Down needed to finish a 40% Cool Down reduction.
And the supportive aura that gives you and your allies +20% Attack Speed & +12% Life Steal.
Zeke's Herald is truly the perfect finisher for a DoTS like this Cerebral Utilizer. And although being a 6th and final(Optional) item, I'd almost hold this item's value above the 4th and 5th item's value.

Other Optional Items

The last 3 items can be to any taste you wish. But keep these factors in mind.

• Consistency
  A main goal for this Cerebral Utilizer is constant harassment with his abilities.
• Sustain/Longevity
  Second most important aspect is the ability in itself to stick in lane and team fight to the end and then afterwards. Being able to handle a hit or two from enemies allows this to happen. While Manamune does its job to keep the Utilizer around via Mana pool. HP is still just as important. And so it is advised to either build defensive items that compliment the Cerebral build to sustain better or HP items that do the same. (Ex. Force of Nature's mobility and HP Regen help sustainability.)
• Damage Over Time Support
  The underlying factor of it all. Not to be focusing on out-damaging your team's AD or AP carries. But to prolong constant damage over time in a consistently sustainable harassment to help push lanes and assist teammates in kills and escapes. Either always be with your allies or your towers.

Important Note:
Building to be more based on damage would actually crumble this build. Because you sacrifice some form of importance that factors it all in together. Whether it is mana, defense, mobility or cool down.
Think carefully about which items you replace and why.

Mercy - A beautiful passive for any type of assassin. With the Cerebral Utilizer not being based on a high AD, this passive makes up for it quite well. Especially with the constant (W) Rake harass that will be used.

Max 1st - Rake - Suggested to max this before any other skill. And for the reason that it does do damage, farm and harass. But more importantly because of the factor that it hits multiple enemies. And with low cool downs and tons of mana, this is your key harass for the Cerebral Utilizer. It is an important tool for chase and escape.

Max 2nd - Cutthroat - The 2nd most important skill to use. It is a great initiator and life saver tool. Utilize it well.
Most people like to max (Q) Noxian Diplomacy after (W) Rake. But with this build, maxing Cutthroat first is priority. As it amplifies Talon's damage output by 15% at max rank. And will be used quite frequently to chain with (W) Rake & (R) Shadow Assault.

Max 3rd - Noxian Diplomacy - The chase down tool. But a great last hit tool as well. With a very short cool down time to boot. This is the tool Talon will use to initiate hunt downs of enemies attempting to escape. As he will (E) Cutthroat onto them, apply the (W) Rake to slow and then apply the (Q)Noxian Diplomacy bleed. The bleed will allow the enemy to be seen as they attempt to flee into bushes or flash through walls into the jungle to get away. Allowing for a constant pursuit. And with Talon's (W) Rake still in effect for slow, it would indeed help seal kills for teammates on the chase.
When unable to stick around long, it is wise to tag enemies with this skill and then flee to enemy minions with (E) Cutthroat to spare the use of the (R) Shadow Assault ultimate.

Max Lv.6, 11, 16 - Shadow Assault - This is the Cerebral Utilizer's beautiful escape tool. With this build it is mainly used for escape. Not for damage. While there will be many cases where it can be used for damage as well. It is wise to remember when it should be used for damage and when it should be used for escape. But that can be said about any form of build used for Talon with this skill.

• The reason for maxing Rake first is because it is THE harass tool for the Cerebral Utilizer. And at Lv.4-5 it starts to do more damage and the slow is stronger as well.
• The reason you should max cutthroat second is because of its damage amplifier and more importantly, the cool down reduction. cutthroat starts off with a high cool down time. But when maxed, it is down to 6 seconds. The same amount of time as your maxed Rake.
  Your goal will be to cutthroat to your enemy to close the gap, silencing them and causing them to usually begin to flee away. And then apply Rake to slow them. The +15% amplified damage to Rake from cutthroat can also be very helpful in decreasing enough HP to help seal the deal for allies to kill with the enemy(s) being so slowed.
• Noxian Diplomacy is your "get them on the chase!" tool. Remember, your main focus is not purely damage. And Noxian Diplomacy will keep enemies bleeding long enough for your allies to chase them down through jungles and escapes.
• And last but not least, Shadow Assault. Of course you max this any chance you can get. Which is levels 6, 11 and 16. It provides moderate damage. But it's main use is its escape. And the sooner you max it the sooner you can escape a lot more often and be able to pull more risky initiations. As the cool down on it will be almost a near 30 seconds.

Goal:

Stick in safe zone. Which means out of range of skills to be used on you. Your main goal is to run in, harass with Rake on enemy champions any chance you get and then back away. You can get the occasional minion kill if need be, but that is better left to the ally in lane with you.

Early on your main focus is to simply harass. Lower the enemies HP and either force them to retreat and recall or get killed by your ally. Either way it goes, you are successfully pushing your lane.

In the very beginning you won't be able to take much of any damage coming your way so it is best to try to always stick in the safe zone. If you might get hit by harassing, don't do it. Be patient. You're slowly depleting their HP as is. The time will come soon enough. Getting Manamune as soon as possible ensures your stability in lane.

Flash - Why Flash?
As a support, flash isn't the best option of choice, no. But Talon is still an offensive champion regardless of how he is used. If ever his ult would not save him his Flash just might.
Another important aspect to keep in mind is that under the True Utilizer mastery, Flash's cooldown time is reduced dramatically. Helping the Cerebral Utilizer do what he does best. Harass in and out.

Teleport - Why in the world use Teleport for any kind of Talon build?
With the decent movement speed, one would indeed wonder why the need for Teleport. But that's where the unfamiliarity with the Cerebral Utilizer comes into play.
This guy is not based on sitting back farming a single lane of minions gradually. Infact, when built right and doing well enough, Talon can get from lane to lane instantly wiping all minions with one 1-2 Rakes.
This build is for Talon to constantly be able to keep assisting his teammates where ever they may be. While also being able to defend towers and disallow enemies to push. And Teleport allows this to happen much better. As his build is solely based on supporting an ally's ability to land a kill and protect towers, it is necessary of him to be right there to help do that. It can also be a life saver. And that is... the way of the Cerebral Utilizer. To help land kills, save lives, protect lanes and destroy them. Making Teleport the ultimate summoner spell for this build.



My note:
In all reality, I've found no other summoner spell better for the Cerebral Utilizer. Not even Flash. Part of this role is to always be in a lane, by an ally, by a tower, protecting and securing the team in all ways possible. Offensively & Defensively. Teleport ensures the Cerebral Utilizer can recall and refuel on items quickly and then return to post immediately. As if he never left. Or assist an ally in need of help elsewhere quickly. A very very viable spell for this build.

The Cerebral Utilizer is an extraordinary build based solely on teamwork.

• He can be a great tower defender. With defense to allow sustain and HP/MP Regen as well to allow him to stick around a long while. This makes him perfect for fending off towers from enemies when teammates are down or not in the area to defend. Which is where the summoner spell Teleport plays a big role.
• He can constantly keep harassing and warding off enemies. Slowly but surely draining their HP away. Leaving them for easy picking for allies.
• He makes a great team fighter. As he can semi-tank enough to reduce damage taken elsewhere while supportively silencing crucial enemy figures that need to be put down for focus. Saving lives as well with his Rake for escapes. But also for ensuring kills with the slow.
• A great tower pusher. As he still does damage to towers and can also be used to tank them mid and late game without reliance of minions.

This build is entirely a role of its own. Based around the skill kit of the League of Legends champion Talon. It hones the ability for greatness in many aspects. Especially its key figure Damage Over Time Support(DoTS).
But just knowing how to build him doesn't help make a person know immediately how to use the Cerebral Utilizer. It takes much more than that. As he is not based knowingly on doing damage like the champion Talon is made to do. While he can still do damage, he is based on sticking back in safe zones and harassing. Going in with (E)Cutthroat when need be to allow initiation for a kill or to ensure safety of an escaping ally. A lot of thought is involved in using this strategic build and playstyle properly.

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Playing Tips:

• Remember that mana is your friend. While you quickly build to Manamune, your goal will be to conserve and harass (W)Rake when need be. Not just always yet.
• Once you obtain Manamune you will be able to harass like you're supposed to. Using your utility any chance you get. Do not be afraid to (W)Rake an enemy for just a little damage and then run to safety. That is your job. They will think nothing of it. But you will then be able to do that same move shortly after again with a short cool down time and hurt them more. Eventually you have them at half health and your team will finish the job. Or they will run away for safety. Allowing you to safely keep your tower and lane secure. And if need be, push the lane.
• After you obtain Glacial Shroud & Negatron Cloak you will be able to stick your neck out a lot more. As you will no longer be super squishy. But you will not be super tanky either. When Frozen Heart, Force of Nature & Maw of Malmortius are complete you will be a semi-tank. And you will be able to push and harass like no tomorrow. And definitely be able to queue your Cutthroat a lot more safely without risk of a quick death. But still use it wisely.

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[Under Construction]

I will finish this soon..