Vote Vote

Syndra Build Guide by

15.13 My Potential is Limitless

24 4

138,514 Views

4 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Demonsedge90

Syndra Build Guide By Updated on

Guide Discussion (4) More Syndra Guides

Runes: First Strike

1 2 3 4

Inspiration

First Strike

Cash Back

Biscuit Delivery

Cosmic Insight

Sorcery

Manaflow Band

Gathering Storm

Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+10-180 Bonus Health

Spells:

1 2 3 4

Teleport

Flash

Teleport

Items

Starter Item

Dark Seal

Doran's Ring

Items

First Back (Ahead)

First Back (Behind)

Core Items

Anti-Heal

Magic Penetration Options

Boot Options

Vision Control Options

Situational Items

Damage Options

Armor Options

Magic Resist Options

Utility Options

Standard

Build Versus Crowd Control

Build Versus Assassins

Ability Order Standard

Syndra Passive Ability

Threats & Synergies

Threats

Synergies

Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny

Show All

None Low Ok Strong Ideal

Extreme Threats

Ideal Synergies

Ambessa

Extreme

With all the mobility afforded in Ambessa's kit, laning into her can be tricky. Be cautious when trading with Ambessa, as most of her skills have low cooldowns, making it hard to use scatter the weak effectively. Applying good pressure to her is the key to handling this matchup; otherwise, proceed cautiously.

Janna

Ideal

Synergies

Ideal Strong Ok Low None

Janna

Ideal

More Syndra Counters

Table of Contents

Introduction

Pros & Cons

Abilities

Game Plan

Summoner Spells

Vision Control

Stats To Consider

Which Boots & Why?

Itemization

Runes

Rune Shards

Summary

Introduction

Hi, my name is Demonsedge, and I've been enjoying my time at League of Legends.

When looking to make a splash in mid, I pick since I know how this champion feels and performs. Concerning 's team set up and itemization, I will provide a more in-depth look at all this information below as you read this guide.

I hope you enjoy this guide and follow my suggestions to understand how performs optimally.

So let's kick things off in style with my guide on - The Dark Sovereign.

Syndra - The Dark Sovereign
, Mid Lane

Specialties: Damage, Range, Crowd Control
Why choose Syndra?:
• Has potent burst damage for fights and skirmishes.
• Very impactful and has strong potential in getting objectives such as , or .
• While not the most straightforward champion to learn, she brings lots of damage to the fight and is satisfying to play once mastered.

I always enjoy taking her on the rift when playing League, and I hope you will too.

Pros & Cons

+ High burst
+ Strong late game
+ Good wave clear
+ Lane bully
+ Strong team fight
+ Good peel

- Immobile
- Bad if behind
- Skill shot reliant
- Squishy
- Positioning is important
- Mana intensive

Abilities

Transcendent

gains power as she accumulates splinters of wrath, enhancing her abilities and providing them with new effects.

Earning them by either:
• Damaging an enemy champion with two sources of ability damage.
• Ranking up abilities.
• Killing .

When collects a splinter of wrath from an enemy, she also restores some mana.

Once evolved, provides increased damage with her abilities.

Dark Sphere

creates a at a targeted location dealing magic damage to nearby enemies and remains on the ground for a few seconds.

It is handy for when poking her enemies and helpful when farming that auto attacks might miss. However, due to its high mana cost; therefore, it is better to save it when looking to damage the enemy in short bursts.

If used beyond its cast range, will be cast at maximum range, and it can be activated while moving.

Transcendent Bonus: Upgrading increases the number of casts you can use in combat (charge refresh speed is affected by ability haste).

Force of Will

With , can grab any of the following targets:
• Nearby s
• Lane
• Non-epic
• Champion summoned pets (, )
Note that s will take priority when selects its target.

After throws the object, you'll gain sight of the surrounding area, then damage and slow all nearby enemies hit. can be recast while moving for better target acquisition.

's added slow helps when looking to chain a on your opponent, while also being useful to secure to acquire splinters.

Transcendent Bonus: After upgraded , deal bonus true damage on enemies.

Scatter the Weak

helps displace all enemies trying to get close to you. If s on the ground hit targets, you'll stun them as a result.

It is also useful to disrupt the following channelling effects from abilities:
• 's
• 's
• 's
• 's

With being your only disengage tool, saving it for incoming dives or near-death situations is advisable.

Transcendent Bonus: Upgrading , improves the cones hit radius.

Unleashed Power

Passive: gains ability haste.

throws all nearby s at her target, with each sphere hit dealing increased damage.

is the only ability in 's kit that requires a simple click to activate, making it relatively easy to use (unless the enemy breaks vision with you). It's also an excellent combo finisher during duels and team fights.

All s that remain can be used for a brief moment with your other abilities.

Transcendent Bonus: With upgraded, you'll be able to execute targets below 15% maximum health.

Combos:

In this section, I will share some of the effective combos for that are simple to understand and that you can apply while playing summoners rift (draft and ranked) games.


	-		-


-	-	-


-	-	-	-

Tips & Tricks:

Playing As :
• To maximize s damage, use it when there are many s on the battlefield.
• After hitting an enemy champion with , follow up with ; they'll be slowed and have difficulty avoiding it.
• Collect as many splinters as possible to benefit most from all your abilities.

Playing Against :
• Get early when playing against ; they'll help you avoid many of her spells.
• Attack after her is down since it has a long cooldown, so she'll be vulnerable.
• 's spells gain bonus effects and appearance changes at max rank.

Game Plan

As a player, it's crucial to have a solid understanding of the primary objectives for each game stage. Also, remember that you are a scaling champion, so hitting all your power spikes will be essential for your success. Keeping this in mind can make all the difference in your performance.

Early game: In the game's early stages, your primary goal should be to gather as many as possible to earn both gold and experience. It will enable you to buy your essential items, giving you an edge over your opponent.

Other tactics you can perform to deny your opponent access to gold and experience can include the following:
• Setting up a slow push (last hitting )
• Freezing the wave
• Open trade/lane fights

Additionally, it's essential to keep an eye on the enemy and ward off the area to prevent any unexpected attacks.

Mid-game: During the mid-game, look to see if you can split push lanes while keeping a close eye on your team to see if they need assistance. You can also stay with your team and fight to secure objectives like , , , or .

When split pushing, exercise caution when collecting waves or camps, and always be mindful of your opponent's location to avoid falling into an ambush and getting eliminated.

Late game: You must make strategic decisions to secure victory in the late game. It may involve pushing lanes, focusing on objectives, or team fighting to take down the enemy nexus. Staying focused and making intelligent moves is essential, as a single mistake can be costly at this stage.

Things to consider:

Before prioritizing objectives like or , consider the potential dangers of wandering around the map:
• How much could you gain/lose when roaming compared to staying lane?
• What are the risks to me?
• Will I get ahead from roaming, or will I need to catch up?

As the mid-lane for your team, you hold so much agency and can change the outcome of a fight. However, if your involvement in the team fight might not change the outcome, it may be more beneficial to maintain pressure on the map from your current location.

To maximize your chances of victory as , only engage with , , or once your enemies are in a favourable position to apply the most significant damage output.

Summoner Spells

Default

The most integral summoner spell for that you pick 100% of the time for your games. It's necessary because if you get caught or stuck in a rough situation, you can to safety while dodging a crucial ability.

Secondary Options

Grab this on when you have to deal with champion

crowd control effects applied to you from abilities such as:
• 's
• 's //
• 's
• 's /
• 's

can also remove the effects of , & while being ineffective against status effects such as:
• Airborne: 's
• Nearsightedness: 's
• Stasis: 's
• Suppression: 's

Should you be affected by damage over time, attack speed reduction, armor shredding or grievous wound effects, using won't remove them.

For best use, trigger this spell after being hit by the

immobilizing impairment, not beforehand.

is excellent for when going against champions who could take you down quickly, such as , , , or . With 's slow effect and damage reduction, you can gain an excellent opportunity to defeat an opponent, flee from combat, or reduce damage (not including true damage) received during fights and skirmishes.

Useful at reducing healing and making targets easier to kill while also dealing true damage. It's your go-to spell as when you wish to snowball the lane and have more kill potential on the rift.

Excellent on when looking for quick returns to the lane, gaining tempo against your lane opponent, reaching objectives faster/performing dives. is also very helpful cheeky back door plays on the enemy base.

Vision Control

Stealth Ward

is your main trinket in all games as , revealing units within a target location. You can place up to three s on the map. Great when side laning/placing deep wards in enemy territory or getting vision on objectives ( & ).

Farsight Alteration

is an excellent option for . It is helpful when split pushing or getting vision on objectives or target locations from a safe distance. Similar to s, you can use them to set up the adequate vision needed, but unlike s, they are visible to the enemy and fragile, therefore they will disappear when spotted or attacked.

Oracle Lens

It would be best if you only grabbed when dealing with stealth champions who plant traps, such as , & . It's also good against champions who use stealth abilities to engage or disengage, such as , , or .

Control Wards

s are a great source of vision denial, revealing and disabling enemy wards within a large radius. s function similarly to the trinket, displaying nearby stealth & camouflaged champions (, and ,). Although, when dealing with champions that possess invisibility (, or ), they won't be revealed by s. Therefore, it's best to exercise caution around them.

Stats To Consider

• Ability Power: Best stat for , which can enhance all your abilities in combat. Always look to itemize for this when you can.

• Ability Haste: A significant champion stat to acquire as . Look to itemize for this when available.

• Health: This stat is essential in the grand scheme, but you can focus on something other than when playing as .

• Attack Speed: Not something we focus on since our auto attacks aren't that strong early on, and the most you'll want is the rune shard we acquire (more to be explained below).

• Life Steal: I would skip this stat on . We don't apply much in terms of auto-attack damage, so it's best to avoid this at all costs.

• Omni Vamp: This could theoretically work, though prolonged combat may not make it a practical choice as .

• Armor/Magic Resistance: Itemize for it only if the matchup you are dealing with deems it necessary for your survival.

• Movement Speed: Great for kiting and escaping fights, but not as prioritized when compared with other stats listed above.

Which Boots & Why?

Boots of Swiftness > Slow Reduction
Great for when roaming between across the map or to deal with slow effects like 's /, or movement reducing effects that would leave you vulnerable when trying to escape.

Swiftmarch > feats of strength upgrade
With , grant increased damage based on total mobility (gained from and ) and help to improve your dodging of skill shots and also assist in travelling the rift faster.

Ionian Boots of Lucidity > Ability Haste
A good option in games where casting abilities are more efficient for . Excellent to help increase your damage potential in the lane as by allowing for more ability casts, along with additional summoner spell haste reducing the cooldown of or other spells at your disposal. Always consider them to create more impact plays during the game.

Crimson Lucidity > feats of strength upgrade
s effect functions similarly to , granting increased mobility whenever you activate a summoner spell. Though, unlike , you can also trigger its effect by either healing or shielding yourself. The mobility gained can act as a chase-down tool or in dire need of a way to escape combat.

Mercury's Treads > Magic Resistance & Tenacity
This option will be a rare pick for , but I'd strongly recommend these for their tenacity and Magic Resistance. Great into teams that are magic damage heavy or have lots of impairing crowd control effects.

Chainlord Crushers > feats of strength upgrade
With , you'll gain increased shielding that blocks magic damage and great against burst or dot comps.

Plated Steelcaps > Basic Attack Damage Reduction
A great option in games where the enemy team is primarily auto-attack-based champions (, or ) or you need the extra armor in duels. Also helpful against attack damage heavy compositions.

Armored Advance > feats of strength upgrade
functions similarly to . In contrast, you'll gain increased shielding that blocks any incoming physical damage you receive in combat.

Sorcerer's Shoes > Magic Penetration
are the default pair of taken as for the excellent synergy with your kit. The flat magic penetration gained from these is very effective when dealing with targets with little or no magic resistance in combat.

Spellslinger's Shoes > feats of strength upgrade
are an excellent dual penetration option for , offering increased damage potential not only against squishy targets but also being effective with more durable targets.

To acquire the feats of strength buff, you'll need to complete any two of the following actions during your games:
• Killing three epic camps
• Acquire three kills
• Destroying the first

Upon claiming the buff, you can purchase the upgrade to the you are currently using in combat.

Note that and aren't as widely selected on relative to the other choices ( & ). However, they can still be viable if the extra armor or magic resistance could benefit you in fights or skirmishes.

Itemization

Starter Items

is the main starter item for you as . It offers mana regeneration, then provides health instead if you cannot gain additional mana. Your best starter option in most matchups while playing .

It is also great when looking to farm and acquire gold from .

The games in which you take are when you know full well that snowballing will be easy and that you can maintain the stacks as you upgrade the item to .

The best way to know which starter item is more efficient depends on how you plan to build for each game.

Core Items

When playing as , using is a great way to boost your damage output. It provides charges that deal extra burst damage with each shot. You can use the charges as soon as they appear or save them to unleash a powerful burst of damage on your target. 's mana component also synergizes well with /, making it an even more effective combination.

is known as the for mages, offering excellent dueling power for by substantially increasing your abilities in team fights, skirmishes or duels. It is a fantastic late-game purchase to round out your build as .

is an excellent option for , as it synergizes alongside her burst-oriented play style while also dealing solid upfront and follow-up damage in duels and skirmishes. A solid early game magic penetration option to consider.

Situational Items

With , gains a spell shield, blocking the next ability that targets you. It is helpful when dealing with teams with heavy crowd control (, , & ) at their disposal.

An excellent mobility/damage option for allowing for increased front to back potential. Great when looking to chase down targets that are near dead or when you want to create a quick getaway for yourself.

A strong % magic penetration alternative to that provides a heal for you and your team after you get a takedown on an enemy champion.

is a solid option as , granting a dash active that helps when looking to escape a bad situation (fighting champions (, , , ) or dealing with enemies who have gap-closing abilities (, , , ). Additionally, this dash is excellent for finishing targets you're chasing. Provides an auto attack reset upon completion of the dash.

When deciding whether to build as , you need to assess the following: Do I require the dash to dodge the enemy skill shots or abilities? Am I fighting dangerous threats? Do I need the extra mobility? Do I need the added health?

An excellent choice against or champions who stack health through runes and items. Damage dealt will increase as combat lingers. When paired with , deal increased against low health targets.

can be very useful for , providing additional uptime on , granting increased damage upon contact with the enemy, while also providing a magic defence shred. It's an excellent option to consider for increased damage output.

is your high-risk, high-reward item for . If you maintain your stacks and can reliably snowball the game, grab this item and maintain your built-up lead. This item is very situational and can be game-changing against the right champions (preferably squishier targets).

is an efficient grievous wounds option. For , this is helpful against healers such as , or and efficient against healing items such as , & .

Helps by slowing down the enemy for 1 second after hitting them with an ability or spell. It is excellent when looking to catch an opponent for a takedown or when you need to disengage from them in combat.

A great addition for providing a significant boost to ability power and grants a shield when your health is low.

The amount of shielding you receive is calculated based on a percent of your total mana. As you build mana items, this scaling option becomes even more powerful, making it an ideal choice for .

A very efficient item for that grants magic penetration along with increased magic damage against lower health targets. A very strong option when dealing with who build magic resistance or against squishier foes.

Great % magic penetration option for when looking for extra burst with your abilities. Great into teams who build plenty of magic resistance items, such as or bruisers.

With , gains armor and ability power when fighting auto-attack-based champions such as , or . The added stasis effect, provides protection from , and other threatening abilities.

Runes

The following keystone & rune choices are great for and will complement her in combat. Always pay attention to the enemy team comp, plus your item builds when selecting your runes to get the most value in each game.

Keystone Runes:

- provides a soul stack after damaging a low health target (repeating the process if you score a takedown). Since soul stacking is indefinite, the potential to execute opponents becomes immense as you reach the late game—an excellent option on when combined with evolved .

- is an excellent short trade burst option for . Great for poking down the opponent after applying short, focused combos, wearing them down for an inevitable takedown.

- Taking for is a reasonable means to gain more gold and extra damage in fights and trades. Effective in getting to item purchases faster. Always try to poke the enemy while it's active to get the most out of the effect.

- Standard mage keystone option for when playing mid-lane. triggers when you land an ability on the enemy (the cooldown varies based on the type of ability effect used). Excellent in matchups where the enemy lacks healing or shielding.

Domination Runes:

- With the ability to displace targets using either or , taking for is an excellent choice, dealing additional true damage on a target recently affected by crowd control effects (not including airborne). While the damage values are small per effect, you can still maximize the rune allowing for more damage potential during fights.

- When looking for a decent sustain option for , look no further than . Damaging an enemy champion heals you for a small amount of health during combat with the enemy. Very effective when looking to get through the early game laning phase.

- Having is an excellent choice for since mid-lane has multiple points of vision to focus on; therefore, being able to have coverage around/on them gives you more freedom to anticipate where the enemy is going or coming from.

When playing on (or other non-rift game modes), will grant increased cooldowns on summoner spells instead.

- With 's ultimate granting an execution on its target, this rune is a fantastic option for her going forward. Additionally, grants ability haste on , giving more chances to dominate in team fights & potentially shift the tempo of the game. Very strong when combined with items or runes that offer ability haste

Inspiration Runes:

- allows to delay buying to focus on getting your legendary and core items sooner. The added mobility can be beneficial when chasing down or escaping from targets. Takedowns will speed up the acquisition process.

- is an excellent ramping rune for , granting further access to core items spikes (, , and ) much sooner.

- can benefit , providing additional gold, damage to and an extra skill point (increasing your splinters count). It's an excellent option to consider in combat.

- can benefit , providing additional sustain for those tougher matchups or a quick recovery of health after early trades/fights. It's an excellent option to consider against poke matchups (, , , ).

- provides more access to summoner spells (, , ) and item/ward trinket haste. This rune is excellent when paired with items like active items that you may have in your inventory. It is also beneficial for increasing your vision score.

Precision Runes:

- restores health and provides additional gold per takedown. A great rune option when looking to get your items quicker and is excellent for when looking to recover health after combat.

- helps grants mana regeneration after damaging the enemy. A great choice for constant poke during the lane phase and beyond, allowing you to maintain a steady pool of mana before entering team fights.

- is a very helpful rune for to gain more access to your skills in combat, thus translating into faster splinter gain (with ) and allowing to apply more poke damage/burst on your targets in battle. With the increased ability haste, eliminating targets becomes more straightforward and also helps to improve your overall presence in extended combat.

- is fantastic for offering more damage to champions under 40% health—strong rune option couples nicely with her overall high burst play style.

- With , 's burst damage is further increased against target(s) who have higher than 60% of their max health. It's strong in the early-game and scales well into late-game skirmishes and team fights.

Sorcery Runes:

- is an excellent rune option for as it increases the potency of , granting increased takedown potential (amplified with ). When paired with , you'll have more access to in team fights and skirmishes.

- s love mana and is no exception. With , you'll increase your mana, and you'll gain improved regeneration outside of combat.

It pairs well with /, granting more damage to your skills and amplifying your effectiveness in team fights and skirmishes.

- provides more ability haste during fights, thus increasing your damage per second to enemies and objectives. A rune that meshes nicely with , providing more access to her abilities, thus granting more impact in fights and objective control.

- increases 's all-around pressure in fights and duels. Since we don't have access to many healing sources, good positioning can help to ensure you are healthy enough to keep the damage bonus—helps to increase the burst potential you have and aids in making you a late game threat for all to worry about.

- is an excellent early-game rune option on that provides added damage to any spell you hit your enemy with. It is especially effective when applying short-burst trades (pairs nicely with or ).

- enhances our damage output from autos and abilities against targets and continues to increase indefinitely. When paired alongside , it provides additional burst damage against targets.

Rune Shards

When deciding on what rune shards (whether offensive or defensive) to pick for in each of your games, you have to factor in a few things in champion selection.

Offensive Shards

• Do I need extra attack speed? This shard makes farming easier during the lane phase.

• Do I need additional ability power? For , we always take at least one adaptive damage shard.

• Do I require any ability haste? We can take this option, but compared to other selections, we should skip it.

Defensive Shards

• Do you need more movement speed? It helps improve dodging/kiting of skills shots or run away faster from an incoming enemy champion. Compared to other defensive options, we skip this on .

• Do you need tenacity & slow resist? A strong rune shard option to counter champions who rely on

immobilizing effects to hinder your movement.

• Do I require more health? Both the scaling health and flat health shards can benefit when going against mixed-damage team comps, providing a small layer of durability in team fights and skirmishes.

Always pay attention to the team compositions you are fighting when mixing and matching the rune shards listed above with your and items. It's a sure way to improve your overall survivability in games.

Summary

There are many ways to build , but hopefully, this guide made it easier for you to understand what abilities/items and runes work well together and how to make the most of her kit.

I hope you enjoyed this guide and will refer this to your friends and fellow gamers looking for tips and tricks.

Contact me in the discussion section for any questions or thoughts you wish to share. I'll be happy to discuss things with you and see how I can make sense of anything you need answers for to the best of my ability.

More Syndra Counters

Demonsedge90 Syndra Guide

Cast Your Vote Today!

Vote Vote

15.13 My Potential is Limitless

Table of Contents

Introduction

Pros & Cons

Abilities

Game Plan

Summoner Spells

Vision Control

Stats To Consider

Which Boots & Why?

Itemization

Runes

Rune Shards

Summary

15.13 My Potential is Limitless

15.13 My Potential is Limitless

Recommended Items

Runes: First Strike

Spells:

Flash

Teleport

Flash

Ignite

Exhaust

Flash

Cleanse

Flash

Items

Ability Order Standard

Transcendent (PASSIVE)

Dark Sphere (Q)

Force of Will (W)

Scatter the Weak (E)

Unleashed Power (R)

Threats & Synergies

Ahri

Akali

Akshan

Ambessa

Anivia

Annie

Aurora

Aurelion Sol

Azir

Brand

Cassiopeia

Corki

Diana

Ekko

Fizz

Galio

Gangplank

Heimerdinger

Hwei

Irelia

Kassadin

Katarina

LeBlanc

Lissandra

Lux

Malphite

Malzahar

Mel

Naafiri

Neeko

Pantheon

Orianna

Qiyana

Ryze

Smolder

Sylas

Swain

Talon

Twisted Fate

Veigar

Vel'Koz

Vex

Viktor

Vladimir

Yasuo

Yone

Xerath

Zed

Ziggs

Zoe

Ashe

Bel'Veth

Blitzcrank

Caitlyn

Camille

Darius

Elise

Garen

Illaoi