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Lux Build Guide by eiensiei

Middle [13.3] eiensiei's guide to Lux | Mid

Middle [13.3] eiensiei's guide to Lux | Mid

Updated on February 21, 2023
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League of Legends Build Guide Author eiensiei Build Guide By eiensiei 468 17 1,562,377 Views 17 Comments
468 17 1,562,377 Views 17 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author eiensiei Lux Build Guide By eiensiei Updated on February 21, 2023
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Runes: vs AD

1 2 3
Sorcery
Arcane Comet
Manaflow Band
Transcendence
Gathering Storm

Inspiration
Perfect Timing
Future's Market
Bonus:

+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+6 Armor

Spells:

1 2 3 4
Standard
LoL Summoner Spell: Barrier

Barrier

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
Hiii, I'm Anca and I used to be a Lux onetrick for the longest time (I started playing League and immediately fell in love with her somewhere in S5 when I ended Gold V up until S9 when I ended Master). I probably have somewhere around 2 million mastery points on her combined on all my accounts and this guide started as a Word document for one of my friends who wanted to learn Lux at the time, but I figured others might benefit from it too so here we are!

I queue support/mid now, but on the off chance I get mid (which is rare) you can witness my very washed up hands playing Lux if you drop by my stream! (I usually try to be educational and talk about the things I'm doing during the game/answering any questions)
Passive
Q
  Lux's Q is a great zoning/kiting tool that makes enemies think twice before advancing towards her, and hitting it gives her team a window to get free damage on the enemy front line or time to run away. That said, if there's easier CC to land on my team than Light Binding (ex: Nami's Tidal Wave, Riven's Ki Burst, Fiddlesticks's Terrify), I'll wait for that CC to hit first and then continue the CC chain with my Q.

Depending on whether I'm the primary carry or not, I'll decide if my Q is better put to use trying to catch the squishy Sona and killing her, or snaring the enemy Rengar that's just about to jump my Lucian. The Light Binding can hit as many as 2 different targets, so if I'm trying to catch my laner off-guard, I'll try to aim it through an enemy minion. Part of the animation can be cancelled and the cast is faster when Lux uses Light Binding- Flash.

When chasing enemy champions, it can be a good idea to hold on to my Q for as long as I can - I'll have a higher chance to land it since the enemies will walk in a zig-zag trying to dodge it.
W
  Lux's W can be a potent defensive tool, so it's good to keep an eye out for the teammates that are getting dangerously low on HP. Thrill of the Hunt mark on my AD carry? Soraka is getting low from Zed's Ignite? Enemy Ezreal just cast his Trueshot Barrage? I always try to keep track of my Prismatic Barrier cooldown to help my teammates out when I can.

Notable mention: when I'm getting all-in'd and want to run away, I'll W towards the direction I'm running to if I want the shield to come back faster.
E
  During laning phase, Lucent Singularity is useful for harassing the enemy laner and farming (in tough match-ups where walking up to the wave is difficult without dying, Lux can E-wait for it to detonate-E-E the ranged creeps). Post laning phase, the key words for Lux's E are zone and poke. I'll use it as part of my combo when trying to kill someone, but if I'm playing the fight slowly, I'll settle for harassing my enemies with it. In case I miss it, I'll let it detonate by itself, as it creates a slowing zone the enemies won't want to pass through. I also won't detonate it right away if there's an enemy inside it, since the slow can help me land my Light Binding.

Another use for it is when an enemy champion is chasing me down, I'll cast Lucent Singularity on myself and run away, as the slow usually dissuades their attempts to catch up to me.

On top of that, Lucent Singularity provides vision so I can use it to not have to face-check dangerous brushes, or to see Baron Nashor 's HP despite the enemy team's Control Ward in the pit.
R
  I'll usually avoid dumping my R on the first full HP tank that happens to be the closest to me only so my team can't spam ping it's ready after the enemies ace us; instead, I'll try to hold on to it for a good opportunity to blow up a high-value (ideally previously CC'd) target. This doesn't mean I'll only ever keep my R to finish off a kill - if I find a way to R Zyra, Neeko and Fiora, that's good too, I don't always need to keep it for the Vayne. The point I'm trying to make is just that it's suboptimal to waste it on the 3k HP, 200MR Maokai and Trundle just because they're stunned.

Additionally, during laning phase Lux's E+R combo is very useful in clearing out waves without cannon minions. It's also great at sniping targets low on HP or stealing objectives in tandem with Lucent Singularity.
  
Luden's Tempest
Ideally this is my first item as it helps with Lux's full combo burst and ranged minion waveclear, but if I'm losing lane I will get Lost Chapter for the mana sustain, rush a defensive item ( Seeker's Armguard or Verdant Barrier, whichever the situation calls for), and then finish Luden's Tempest.
 
Liandry's Anguish
Better mythic option than Luden's Tempest if playing into tanks that stack HP/MR. Also useful for the mythic passive empowering other legendary items with ability haste.
 
Crown of the Shattered Queen
I never want to be forced to build this since Luden's Tempest is such a good item on Lux and I should be able to avoid any threats with good positioning. However if the enemy assassins are too fed, this item is valuable.
Rabadon's Deathcap
Pretty straight-forward buy as it enhances Lux's one-shot potential by a lot. Depending on how well I'm doing and how much MR the enemies have bought, this is my 2nd, 3rd or 4th item (not counting boots).
 
Morellonomicon
When laning into a champion with healing (ex: Vladimir, Sylas), I will build an early Oblivion Orb and eventually finish Morellonomicon. If the enemy team has healing (ex: Soraka, Dr. Mundo) I will still build an Oblivion Orb, but it can be a later buy.

Note: If your team is refusing to buy anti-heal even though they desperately need to, buy a Chemtech Putrifier instead.
 
Horizon Focus
Solid item if you have nothing more pressing to buy.
 
Shadowflame
Mage shieldbreaker item. Good against things like Lulu, Seraphine, Immortal Shieldbow etc.
 
Zhonya's Hourglass
A must have into AD match-ups. If I'm not against an all-in champion like Zed or Fizz and I need the armor, I'll just buy the Seeker's Armguard and finish the full item later.
 
Void Staff
If the enemies have started building MR, Void Staff is more useful than Rabadon's Deathcap.
 
Mejai's Soulstealer
If I go base and am left with 350g, I'll buy a Dark Seal. If I get 8-10 stacks on it, I'll upgrade it to Mejai's Soulstealer.
 
Banshee's Veil
Very useful if I'm losing an AP match-up, or if I need the extra defense against a double AP mid-jungle threat (ex: Syndra+ Evelynn). Also a worthy mention if I'm playing against a long range engage tool, such as Rocket Grab or Glacial Prison.
 
Quicksilver Sash
Must have when playing into a champion with targeted suppression (ex: Malzahar/ Skarner). Depending on how many summoner spells I still have available, I'll go Lost Chapter > Quicksilver Sash > Luden's Tempest or Luden's Tempest > Quicksilver Sash.
 
Sorcerer's Shoes
Standard boots if the game doesn't require me to go for anything more defensive.
 
Plated Steelcaps
AD match-ups are usually rough for Lux, but I usually only go for Plated Steelcaps if the enemy laner is an autoattacker ( Lucian, Tristana), if the enemy laner is really fed (3/0 Talon with a very early completed Duskblade of Draktharr) or if mid and jungle are both AD (ex: Zed+ Twitch).
 
Mercury's Treads
Useful against CC-heavy comps, if I'm losing lane into an AP champion or if both the enemy mid and jungler are AP and I'm not doing well.
 
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
I'll buy Ionian Boots of Lucidity for faster summoner spells against comps with many engage tools.
 
Farsight Alteration
At level 9 I always get Farsight Alteration, as it has multiple uses, especially for Lux. It can give vision for a snipe, it can give vision for Baron Nashor , it prevents you from having to face check dangerous bushes and provides vision for your team during a fight.
 
Control Ward
Control Wards are some of the most important items, and they're only 75g. During early/mid game, I'll place it in one of the pixel brushes and I'll try to always have another one in my inventory in case it gets removed by an enemy. However if I'm getting constantly pushed in and my jungler is losing too, I'll place it in the brush at raptors and play to that side, to avoid potential dives. I'll often keep buying Control Wards even when I only have 1 item spot if I don't have enough gold to buy a full item - one well placed Control Ward can make a bigger difference than a Blasting Wand.
 
Elixir of Sorcery
Useful when already on full build for more AP and mana regen, but I'll also buy it if I have gold before a Baron Nashor or Elder Dragon fight that might decide the game.
The game starts at 00:00, not when minions spawn. If you have a Thresh, Blitzcrank, Morgana or anything else with a long range engage tool on your team, ping assistance in the enemy jungle and try to get your team to invade. Despite the fact that invades are so common, there are still games where they will succeed. If your ally hits his skillshot, be sure to quickly level up your Light Binding and keep the CC chain alive.

If you're not invading with your team and you're blue side, it's very likely the enemies aren't defending their top side jungle, so sneak in and drop an early ward at the Raptor camp.

If that doesn't work or if you're on red side, just drop your ward at 01:20 in the pixel bush opposite to where your jungler is starting to see a potential early invade by the enemy jungler.
Farming
Use your Lucent Singularity to damage the ranged minions (and the enemy mid laner at the same time if you can) and stick to autoattacks to kill melee minions.

Farming under tower:
  • melee minions = 2 tower hits + 1 autoattack
  • ranged minions = 1 tower hit + 2 autoattacks

Perfect CS is considered to be somewhere around 10 CS/min. Decent CS is considered to be somewhere around 7 CS/min.

It's good to strive for those numbers, but at the same time remember your game is not a professional game where people have perfect lane assignments. SoloQ games are more hectic, they have roams, they have aggressive plays, they have teammates trying to get other teammates ahead in an environment where it's harder to communicate. The current meta is very snowball-y and having good CS just isn't enough to win. So don't rationalize staying in lane to get 2 bonus waves while the enemy mid goes bot and gets a double kill, while complaining they just didn't listen to your pings.

My point is: people would rather have a 5 CS/min mid laner that impacts the map than a 10 CS/min mid laner that afks for the whole game. Help your teammates.
Trades
Recognize key cooldowns from the enemy mid and play according to them. If Zed uses his Living Shadow, if Zoe uses her Sleepy Trouble Bubble, those are good trading opportunities because you have your abilities and they do not. Don't prolong the fights though, because they'll get their skills back up first.

Keep an eye out for allied minions getting low on HP, because enemies will attempt to last hit them. Try to hit a Light Binding or Lucent Singularity as they're locked in their autoattack animation.

When landing a Light Binding on an enemy, it's usually a good idea to follow it up with E-R, unless the enemy mid is a tank such as Ornn or Galio. Important to check if the enemy built Mercury's Treads, in which case you won't be able to follow up with E-R in the duration of one Q.
 
Lane Positioning
It's important to always keep an eye on the minimap and recognize on which side of the map your jungler is playing on, so that you can play on that side of the lane. In case of a gank, it's easier to get assistance.

If, however, your jungler is the one looking to gank, try playing on the opposite side of the lane so that you force the enemy mid to play towards your jungler.

Constantly reassess the state of the lane and decide if you should play aggressively or defensively. If your Flash is on cooldown or simply if you're against champions like Irelia or Yasuo that have an easy time getting to you, it's important to keep the wave close to your tower and play behind the line your ranged minions form in lane, not allowing your enemies the chance to engage on you. On the other hand, if your summoner spells are up and you're ahead of the enemy mid laner in terms of item/level powerspikes, you will want to be aggressive and force them to miss CS or make mistakes.

Note: when going for a Blue Buff , go out of vision first. The enemy mid will know when you come back that you went for it, but no reason to give the enemy team more information than you absolutely have to.
 
Basic Wave Control
If you desperately need to back, try doing so on a cannon wave, so that the enemy mid can't completely push it in, or that even if they do, the cannon minion tanks 6-7 tower hits, allowing you to get back to lane in time for XP.

If you have just gotten a kill and want to back, push in the wave first.

If you have just gotten a kill early and want to back but don't have time to push in the wave because the death timers are so short and you can't wave clear, leave more enemy minions than allied minions, depending on where the wave is (if it's closer to your tower, you will need to leave 3 caster minions, if it's closer to the middle of the lane, 1-2 casters are enough).
 
Roams
When you manage to push in the wave, whether you are actually roaming or just placing a ward at the enemy Raptor camp, it's important to first go out of vision and create pressure no matter what.

If you're going to roam to another lane through the river, place a Control Ward in the pixel bush to make sure you aren't spotted. Hold onto your Light Binding for as long as possible so that the enemies walk in a zig-zag in an attempt to dodge it as you gain distance and then throw it once you get closer. It will either get you a kill or force a Flash.

Don't overstay your welcome though and don't overforce plays, as the enemy mid will gain an XP advantage, and possibly gold advantage as well by taking free plates.

Once you get back to lane, it will most likely be the enemy mid laner's time to roam, as he has pushed in the wave and you're forced to catch it. Make sure you're pinging it appropriately. Some mid laners (ex: Talon, Aurelion Sol) roam as early as level 3 so it's a good idea to ward their sides of the lane in an attempt to recognize if they're actually roaming or simply staying out of vision to create pressure.
Jungle Help
"Ask not what your jungler can do for you, but what you can do for your jungler."
 
Always keep track of your jungler's position.
  • if he is in your jungle and he is getting invaded, go help
  • if he is in the river trying to get crab, play towards that side and be ready to go help if the enemy jungler shows up and a fight ensues
  • if he is invading and you've pushed in the wave, go hover around him
  • if he's invading and you're getting pushed in on the other hand, it's probably a good idea to ping him to back because in case of a fight, the enemy mid will be able to rotate first.
Scenarios after the first tower falls bot/top
  • My bot got the enemy outer tower bot, in which case there are several things for them to do before they come mid:
    • kill the Dragon if there is one
    • swap with the top laner and get the top tower
    • kill the Rift Herald for a better chance of getting the mid tower
    Once these steps are met, we can group mid and siege.
  • My bot lost their tower and now the enemy bot swapped to mid.
My bot is farming mid, so my job as a mid laner is now to catch and push side waves and in any windows of time where I don't have anything to do, go out of vision and hover between a side lane and mid, trying to find picks. I can also do that by walking with my jungler or my support as they both have Oracle Lens and can clear and establish vision, making it easier for me to shoot abilities from fog of war. I will also buy my own Control Wards after every base trip to make it easier to bully out the enemies.

It's important to always keep track of neutral objectives, recall and be back on the map with full HP and mana at least 20-30s before they spawn.
What do to after getting a pick? (or multiple picks)
Assess the situation and decide which objective(s) you can go for:
  • Elder Dragon
  • Dragon Soul
  • Inhibitors
  • Baron Nashor
  • Dragon
  • Turrets
  • placing and denying vision in the enemy jungle/around the next neutral objective which will allow you to get more picks
How do you teamfight?
  • ideally you would want a teamfight around a choke point to make it easier to land your skillshots (or find a way to stand in Fog of War)
  • use your Lucent Singularity as a zoning tool
  • keep track of your defensive cooldowns ( Zhonya's Hourglass, Flash, Barrier) to know what kind of situations you will be able to get out of and what you will need to dodge at all costs
  • if an ally has a targeted CC, wait for that to hit first before using your Q and prolonging the CC chain
  • think about everyone's whereabouts to avoid getting surprised by a Qiyana flank that wipes your team
  • stick to your jungler and support as they clear vision, do not let them walk alone as they are very likely to get killed if they lack any kind of escape tool
  • try to keep track of Flash cooldowns for champions that mostly use it for engages (ex: Vladimir)
  • don't overextend without vision
  • don't overextend for vision
  • the death timers are huge so any mistake can cost you the game - don't push alone in a side lane if you don't have full information about the locations of your enemies, and I can't stress this enough, but especially against assassins
  • before you get the gold to finish your last item, keep buying Control Wards
  • buy an Elixir of Sorcery if you know there's going to be a game-deciding fight soon (ex: for Elder Dragon or Baron Nashor )
That's about it about Lux, I genuinely hope I've covered all there was to cover, but if you have any further questions you can always:
  • leave a reply in the comment section
  • catch me on my stream (where you might also get to see me putting all these things into practice)
and I'll do my best to answer as fast and as in-depth as I can in order to help you!

If you're interested in seeing more from me, here's a list of my other guides:
Thanks for reading, have a pretty day!
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[13.3] eiensiei's guide to Lux | Mid

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