"WTF!?!?!?"

That's a common reaction from people after you pretty-much insta- kill them while they have full health... With Dark Matter's amazing AP ratio of 1:1, an ult that almost guarantees death to any AP user at half health, Baleful Strike's fantastic damage for such a small cooldown, and--not to mention--Deathfire Grasp's psychotic damage potential when you start getting lots of AP... It's no wonder people fear the tiny master of evil so much.

In this guide, we'll explore the champion Veigar. An AP caster whose as squishy as they come... I ask that if you disagree with my guide, that before you rate or comment, you try it first. It works very well for me, and there's no reason it shouldn't produce the same results for any competent LoL player. I'm not saying guides that differ from mine are any less effective, I'm just simply stating that this guide is a great way for anyone interested in trying Veigar for the first time because of the sheer survivability that's present in it. NOTE: The amount of AP at the top is inaccurate. By games end, with AP from a large pool of mana from Archangel's, Rabadon's passive, Rod of Age's passive, runes, masteries, and Veigar's passive for killing minions and champions; you're AP should be around the neighborhood of 900 with a full build. It's not the absolute largest amount of AP promised from every guide ever made (I'm sure some other Veigar builds allow more, albeit hardly more) BUT, it offers something many other guides don't... Survivability, and lots of it... 3000 HP is a LOT more than 1900 (Veigar's base at 18.) So, basically all you really give up is about another possible 100 AP (at the most) and you gain 1100 HP. The exchange seems worth it to me. You can judge for yourself whether or not you agree. ;)

My Summoner Spells

1.Ghost - I get this mostly for survivability. With Ghost and Event Horizon it's going be really tough for anyone to catch you unless you miss your stun. It also can be good for chasing, when you're just barely out of range to stun a fleeing champion Ghost will allow you to catch up and get the kill.


2.Flash - Flash is an overall great Summoner Spell option. It's fantastic for getting over walls and escaping, in addition to surprising your enemies when going in for the kill. I think it's the best possible choice for Veigar--indefinitely... If you're going to switch out a Summoner Spell from my build in order to get the one you want, switch Ghost. Leave Flash. It allows to do some AWESOME things.

==============================================================================================

Alternative Summoner Spell options

1.Clarity - Clarity is great early game, especially for farming and racking up as much AP from Bailful Strike as possible. It's not as good late game, which is why I don't get it.


2. Cleanse - A viable option for Veigar, especially considering how likely it is you will be focused if when you get fed enough. Veigar is a great AP carry late game, and therefore, is targeted quite a bit by disables.


3. Teleport - Great for getting back in your lane as quickly as possible and defending in times of emergency. Also for being where you want to be at a moments notice so you can get the kill.


4. Ignite - A great overall rounded Summoner Spell with it's high true damage. I added it because a friend of mine (who happens to be rated pretty high) thought it should be in here. I personally don't choose it because I think it's a little bit overkill (I mean do you really need more damage? But I understand the argument. The only thing you may want to consider before choosing ignite is whether or not you think you'll be able to fully utilize it. With your four spells, Deathfire Grasp, and Ignite, that's quite of bit of casting. It'll take some mad micro skills to execute, and usually it will not be needed. BUT... I concede that if you were up against... Let's say, the most insane tank in the game (Mundo) and he happened to be the only one alive late game, you and a teammate would stand a good chance of killing him with 4k health and his ult running. But when would you need to do that? Anyway, the choice is yours.

Pros:

1. Great at farming
2. Good at harass (yes he is... It's how you get kills early and mid game without ganks.)
3. Invaluable AoE stun
4. Insta-kill capability with outrageous nukes

Cons:

1. Very squishy
2. Not particularly fast without Lichbane. (I don't like using runes for ms, it seems like a waste to me...)

Kage's Lucky Pick
Kage's Lucky Pick - [+25 Ability Power UNIQUE Passive: Gain an additional 5 Gold every 10 seconds.] - The AP is nice for the price early game, and the extra 5 gold every 10 seconds adds up to nearly 1000 gold by the time you get Deathfire Grasp. Which usually surprises people when they hear it. Very underrated beginning item. I recommend it.



Sorcerer's Shoes - [+20 Magic Penetration UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 2] - I've faced a lot of grief over the question of whether or not to use Sorcerer's Shoes. My original build had them, but I felt compelled to change it to Ionian Boot's of Lucidity based on advice I had been given by several Veigar player's I know and respect. BUT, after reviewing my guide after the first week of it's publishing, I couldn't help but notice that the only magic penetration I was getting was from my Mark of Insight's. That's too low... It's not exorbitantly higher with Sorcerer's Shoes but at least it something, (almost 30.) I was determined not to have Void Staff in my build as a base item (one that you can usually get every game.) Because I believe it's more of a situational item. So... Sorcerer's Shoes is an item you should definitely get in most situations. One thing is for certain, you won't need them if you end up buying Void Staff, that's just overkill. If you don't buy Void Staff definitely go with these, but if you do buy Void Staff, then get Ionian Boot's of Lucidity. Haha, I hope I didn't clarify that too much.



Rod of Ages - [+450 Health +525 Mana +60 Ability Power Passive: Your Champion gains 18 Health, 20 Mana, and 2 Ability Power every 1 min. Bonuses cap at +180 Health, +200 Mana, and +20 Ability Power. UNIQUE Passive: On leveling up, restores 250 Health and 200 Mana over 8 seconds.] - The HP that RoA gives you early game is so vital to Veigar's survivability. Obviously you'll find yourself getting focused a lot in teamfights, (because Veigar's so friggan scary!) well RoA is really helpful when trying to stay alive during teamfights. It's really good for enabling you to take hits and recover from them (from RoA's passive) without going back to base, so you can farm longer.


Archangel's Staff - [+400 Mana +25 Mana Regen per 5 sec +45 Ability Power Passive: 3% of your Max Mana is converted to Ability Power. UNIQUE Passive: Each time your Champion uses an Ability their Maximum Mana will increase by 4 Mana. This effect has a 3 second cooldown. Bonus caps at 1000 mana.] - Archangel's is best bought before Rylai's or Deathfire Grasp for one simple reason: you need mana. You can't hope to play Veigar as he should be played if you're too afraid to use your mana. It also has the potential to give Veigar up to an additional 120 AP that's not including the base 45 it gives you. So that total's a possible 165 AP by game's end. Not too shabby...



Deathfire Grasp - [+60 Ability Power +10 Mana Regen per 5 Sec UNIQUE Passive: Reduces ability cooldowns by 15%. UNIQUE Active: Deals magic damage to target champion equal to 30% of their current health (+3.5% per 100 Ability Power) with a minimum of 200 damage. 1 minute cooldown.] - The cornerstone of his spell combo. Late game, finish Deathfire Grasp (ending Kage's bonus gold effect) to surprise the **** out of everybody on the enemy team when you first use it. By now you have almost 400 AP, which grants you the additional damage of 14% to the target's current health. 30% (base) + 14% = almost half damage to ANY hero, regardless of whether they're a tank or not. And it will just get better and better as you near a full build.



Rylai's Crystal Scepter - [+500 Health +80 Ability Power UNIQUE Passive: Dealing spell damage slows the target's Movement Speed by 35% for 1.5 seconds (15% for multi-target and damage-over-time spells).] - Gives Veigar more survivability with 500 additional HP. With Rod of Ages and Rylai's you top off at around 3,000 health. That's a lot for Veigar! Not to mention the awesome spell slow you get with Rylai's.


Rabadon's Deathcap - [+140 Ability Power UNIQUE Passive: Increases Ability Power by 30%] - This gets you so much AP it's ridiculous. Need I say more?

Ionian Boots of Lucidity - [UNIQUE Passive: Reduces ability cooldowns by 15%. UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 2.] - With 15% reduced cooldowns Ionian Boots of Lucidity are a good alternative to Sorcerer's Shoes when necessary. when you prematurely use your stun and have to run for your life, those extra seconds will help you big time! Although I endorse Sorcerer's Shoes (after swapping many times and much indecision on my part) I also think they work great, especially if you go Void Staff late game. With Void Staff, any magic penetration in the form of "points" is essentially overkill. Percentages trump all.



Mercury's Treads - [+25 Magic Resist +35 Tenacity UNIQUE Passive: Enhanced Movement 2 (Tenacity reduces the duration of stuns, slows, taunts, fears, silences, blinds and immobilizes. Tenacity effects do not stack)] - Seriously consider these if you're up against 3 or more AP/disable champions. Very good against a large disable or AP team.



Void Staff - [+70 Ability Power UNIQUE Passive: +40% Magic Penetration] - I really debated with myself over this item. Some people believe this is the best item a caster can buy... Well, it's great! IF... The other team is investing a lot in magic resistance. Which surprisingly, usually isn't the case, (even against Veigar, which is stupid on the public's part...) Honestly though, it's great but 40% of 80 magic resist (which is around what most people will have late game) is only 48 magic penetration, now I now that sounds like a lot; but you have to take into account that you're giving up a item slot for 48 magic penetration... Does that really seem worth it? Most of your targets as Veigar aren't going to be beefy tanks with 100+ magic resist and armor... They're going to be squishy AP casters--just like you--who happen to come by you in the brush and end up tasting your wrath... Ergo, it's worth it if you are up against a magic resistance wary team.



Abyssal Scepter - [+70 Ability Power +57 Magic Resistance UNIQUE Aura: Reduces the Magic Resist of nearby enemy champions by 20.] - I think that this is a viable option for Veigar. If you're up against a whole lot of AP. (3 or more) then you should definitely consider buying this.



Zhonya's Hourglass - [+100 Ability Power +50 Armor UNIQUE Active: Places your champion into Stasis for 2 seconds, rendering you invulnerable and untargetable but unable to take any actions. 90 second cooldown.] - This is a recommended item for beginners by Riot. 'Nough said. That basically means that it's really not that great, but it definitely won't hurt to get one. If you're up against 3 AD/DPS--or something like that--this is the way to go.



Frozen Heart - [+99 Armor +500 Mana UNIQUE Passive: Reduces ability cooldowns by 20% and reduces the attack speed of nearby enemies by 20%.] - This is good if you're up against a really heavily centered AD/DPS team (4 or more.) And you find yourself getting contained and beaten in 1v1 encounters. This is an EXTREME item to get with Veigar. Meaning, it's very unlikely that you would need it. Zhonya's by itself is usually the better choice up against a mostly AD team, but if you're just totally getting owned and you don't think Zhonya's is enough for the armor you need, just add this. It'll stop em' dead in there tracks. (But it also won't give you much AP.) (It gives a small amount if you have Archangel's.)



Lich Bane - [+350 Mana +80 Ability Power +30 Magic Resist +7% Movement Speed UNIQUE Passive: 100% chance when an ability is used that your next physical attack deals an additional 100% of your Ability Power in damage. This effect has a 2 second cooldown.] - I had this in my original build as the last item. It's a great choice if you don't find yourself needing 3k health. The move speed and magic resist are great, and the passive is RIDICULOUS. Let's say you had 1000 AP that's 1000 damage! Now, it can be risky going in a team-fight as Veigar close enough to get off a physical attack, mind you. Which is why I changed my original build. Survivability. You need it. PERIOD. BUT, like I said, if you are up against a team that is low damage or is just stupid (not focusing Veigar is stupid...) then take advantage of it and get Lich Bane.



Mejai's Soulstealer - [+20 Ability Power UNIQUE Passive: Your champion gains 8 ability power per stack, receiving 2 stacks for a kill or 1 stack for an assist. This effect can stack 20 times; you lose a third of your stacks if you die. At 20 stacks, your champion's cooldowns are reduced by 15%.] - Mejai's is obviously a snowball item. It has the potential to give you 160 AP with 15% cooldown reduction, but it also as the potential to give you next to nothing... It all depends on your play style and personal preference. I personally, would never get it because I'm reckless from time to time. It allows me to get triple kills on quite a regular basis, but it also has it's drawbacks... I die more often, but get more kills. If you think you can handle it, go for it!



Leviathan - [+180 Health UNIQUE Passive: Your champion gains 32 health per stack, receiving 2 stacks for a kill or 1 stack for an assist. This effect can stack 20 times; you lose a third of your stacks if you die. At 20 stacks, your champion takes 15% less damage.] - If you're going to go Mejai's I strongly encourage you to get Leviathan. It'll give you more survivability and just really discourage people from attacking you when you hit 20 stacks.



Morello's Evil Tomb - [+75 Ability Power +12 Mana Regeneration per 5 UNIQUE Passive: Reduces ability cooldowns by 20%.] - Decent AP with cooldown reduction. Do not buy Boots of Lucidity if you choose this as an item.

Solo mid is a must. You should end a 45 minute game with at least 200 creep kills. It's important you creep efficiently and effectively. For the most part, from level 1 to 5, avoid using spells to harass. You need your mana for baleful strike on creeps. Concentrate all your focus on last hitting with Baleful Strike. In a good game, you could get a potential 100 AP just from Baleful Strike. That's the difference between a kill and someone escaping later in the game.

If things go smoothly continue creeping until you absolutely need to base. Your goal here is to be able to afford your boots and Rod of Ages by the time you go back. Avoid leaving the lane for ganks until you're better-equipped item wise. (Unless your team needs you that is.)

If you're laning against a very aggressive or skilled harasser, then quit making last hitting with Baleful Strike your only priority. Stun your lane opponent and predict where they'll run on the AoE of Event Horizon (usually they run away from you near the edge) in order to hit them with Dark Matter which hits for tons. Do this once or twice depending on the hero, then save your mana so that you can combo insta-kill them...

After you get Archangel's don't be afraid to harass with Baleful Strike and Darkmatter. Early game is all about minion kills... MID game is all about solo champion kills by stalking. Always remember to be aware of the global situation on your mini map. For example... If you see an enemy Twitch with half health struggling to defend his tower against a teammate of yours bot and he happens to be staying quite a bit behind the tower (just barely in range of exp.) Leave mid ASAP. Finish the creep wave your on (in order to remain unseen. This is VERY IMPORTANT... It may determine whether or not your opponent mid lane notices your MIA in time and alerts your target.) and run straight to the brush behind the tower as fast as you can (use Ghost if you think he may be getting ready to leave.) Now that you're in position, all you have to do is swoop in, ult and baleful strike. Insta-kill! And there you have it, an easy, quick, solo kill mid game.

I put this in between Mid and Late game because this is the time when you start using The Kamehameha.

Veigar's spells used in succession are devastating regardless of which order you use them, but you can get much more damage for your mana and precious time if you follow these steps:


1. Use Event Horizon to stun the target.

2. Cast Dark Matter where you think they'll be immediately after the stun.

3. Cast Deathfire Grasp before Dark Matter has a chance to do damage to maximize your damage output.

4. Use your ult (it's better to ult before Baleful Strike, because it allows your ult to do as much damage as possible. You may not even need Baleful with those weaker targets...)

5. Finish them off with Baleful strike



Event Horizon (stun)


Dark Matter


Deathfire Grasp
===============================================

THE KAMEHAMEHA!

Primordial Burst


Baleful Strike

By now you have some AP and survivability in your inventory. Put it to good use. Shift your priority from creeping to harassing after you get Archangel's. It'll allow you to harass and kill without skipping a beat. Just continue using your Kamehameha and carrying. Don't be caught alone late game. Mid game is a good time for stalking and solo kills but late game is NOT. Stick with your team, let people tank for you, and aim your stuns well. Your stun's cooldown is sort-of long, and you don't want to waste it during a teamfight. Make sure you get as many people as you can in your stun every time.

Also, when running away with your teammates, make sure you get those stuns! You'll save yourself and others all the time! Your teammates will love you if you save them with your stun! Remember the key is to place the AoE where they're going to be... Not where they are...

1. Use Dark Matter mid to late game on the neutrals right next to the outer tower in the middle lane. It should kill all 4 of them by itself and gets you a good amount of gold for a small amount of time.

2. Make sure you last hit minions with Baleful Strike! The whole point of the spell is that you get an additional 1 AP for every minion you kill with it. Why waste it by not last hitting?

3. Focus baleful strike on the melee minions and siege minions, (not exclusively, just mostly) it slightly increases the amount of gold you can pile up over the span of a game.

4. Don't attack the enemy minions unless you'll be getting the kill! Veigar isn't great at pushing towers. Let your opponent push you, and just tower hug while getting minion kills.

5. Here's a strategy for making sure you get the last hit when your tower is helping you kill minions: early game when trying to last hit melee minions, attack it once while it has full health, then stop... Let the tower hit it twice and then last hit it while it barely has any HP. Late game your physical attack will get more damage and you won't need to attack it that first time at all.