A challenging fight as Syndra since Ahri can poke you out with her orb of deception and kite effectively with spirit rush active. Try to poke her often using a dark sphere & scatter the weak, then only commit with unleashed power when her charm is down.
Akali
Akali isn't a troublesome fight in the early levels when you avoid taking damage from her shuriken flip and too much poke from five point strike. However, if she gets too far ahead, it's best to play it safe until your jungle can assist.
Akshan
Akshan might not look like a threat upfront, but when he reaches level three, be mindful of where you walk when he's nearby. He has good engagement/disengagement with his heroic swing ability. Take only a few extended trades with him since that will only sometimes end well.
Ambessa
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.
Anivia
The real issue against Anivia is that she has lots of poke at her disposal, coupled with excellent burst damage. So be mindful of your positioning when looking to push up on her.
Annie
You can poke Annie all you like in lane, but do respect her when she has her passive ready since taking a stun from either of her damaging abilities is enough to wipe out a good chunk of your health if you're not careful.
Aurora
Fighting Aurora is more of a skill matchup. Poke her from a safe distance while making sure to avoid all her spells. Like Syndra she is also a scaling champion, with good mobility and sustain from spirit abjuration, along with invisiblity, making it hard to precisely land your ult or your skill shots. Tread lightly around her in lane and be mindful of her movements prior to unleashing your full combo.
Aurelion Sol
Aurelion Sol is a force to be reckoned with, has plenty of burst at his disposal and can be a pain if left unchecked. Just be aware of his positioning and watch out for his abilities as he collects stardust (making his abilities stronger over time) with each hit on enemy champions. You can win this matchup, but positioning is essential in this fight.
Azir
The big thing to pay attention to with Azir is watching where he spawns his soldiers and how he uses them. If he travels to you, shove him away with scatter the weak. Don't get too close to his turret, as he could flash and then use his ultimate to force you under, potentially killing you in the process. Farming minions in this matchup can help win you the lane if he's evading your poke.
Brand
Brand can effectively apply his full combo if you're not paying attention to his positioning. Therefore, the best way to fight back is to poke him as often as possible with the dark sphere's as safely as possible to avoid being chipped out of the lane.
Cassiopeia
She is a terror for you if you get out-positioned since her miasma can slow you down so much that you could end up taking a full combo and not be able to retaliate fast enough. So make sure to farm and stay outside her range as much as possible.
Corki
Corki has solid damage from his hextech munitions (passive), phosphorus bomb, and missile barrage, which can make it hard to farm in the lane. With this in mind, freezing the minion wave is the best action against him since fighting him in open combat, though if you miss a skill shot, it could mean your demise. One thing to note when duelling him, his gatling gun shreds your overall resistance to physical and magical attacks, which could turn the tables in his favor depending on how long you fight him. Corki can get within striking distance of you, knocking you aside with valkyrie. The best way to deal with him would be to coordinate with your jungle to ambush him if you plan to let him shove waves.
Diana
She's a threat to you as a jungle and to you as a mid-lane. She has solid gap-closing once she hits you with moonlight, and you need to be mindful of her positioning and your own in this fight. You can shove her back with scatter the weak only when she's about to dash to you or if she wants to commit her ultimate on you beforehand. Tread carefully in this fight lest the moonlight will rise.
Ekko
Our time bender has tricks up his sleeve that we need to respect. Therefore only trigger scatter the weak sparingly as he's got so many ways to keep up with us. His q is an effective slow/gap-closer, and if he pairs an e & w combo, you'll be stunned and potentially be killed or forced to back out of the lane. Also, be mindful of committing to an all-in fight when he has an ult available, as it could negate your damage entirely. This matchup requires you to poke and stay away from him until your jungle can assist you in dealing with him.
Fizz
The simple thing to watch for when dealing with Fizz is to wait to engage until his playful/trickster is down and watch out for his ultimate. Poke often and be appropriately positioned to apply the most damage to him.
Galio
Galio's magic shield negates a good chuck of your burst damage, making him a difficult challenge for Syndra. A good tip would be to wait until his shield is down. It's best to do this without putting yourself in harm's way. After it's down, this helps ensure that your full combo deals the maximum damage to him.
Gangplank
Fighting Gangplank is only problematic once he spreads his barrels on the map; you have to be on high alert. Just attempt to poke him with a dark sphere and also shove him back with scatter the weak. Be careful when fighting him, or your ship could sink in this matchup.
Heimerdinger
Turrets, turrets and more turrets, this man will have them all the time, so your job is to make sure you can stay safe and still poke effectively and not surrender too much to him. Play cautiously & don't overextend unless you know help's incoming.
Hwei
When playing as Syndra, duelling Hwei is a matchup that you can handle easily. You can pressure him and even go all in when he tries to farm or engage in trades with you. However, it is crucial to remember that Hwei might ask for help from their jungle or teammates to keep up or get ahead. Therefore, it is essential to place wards regularly to avoid getting caught off guard and stay safe while keeping up with the game.
Irelia
This matchup is only problematic if Irelia gets ahead of you in the lane. Dark sphere poke is your best friend when dealing with her to ensure you have a healthy push, but do note that when she gets a vampiric scepter, respect her pushing and counter when she pushes too far.
Kassadin
Treat Kassadin with the same concepts which apply when fighting any other champion who scales into the late game: poke him in lane often and ensure that he can't grab too much farm to deny his power spikes.
Katarina
You can do some decent damage to her pre-level three. Afterwards, you need to pay attention to her movements since she has more mobility when compared to Syndra. Also, it is crucial that your positioning is sound because trying to escape her after missing a skill shot or being out-positioned could mean death.
LeBlanc
Leblanc is all about being mobile until she reaches level 2. Once that happens, she will look to constantly all in you, making it hard to stay in lane with her. Just use scatter the weak if she gets too close and be prepared to fight back if she missteps.
Lissandra
Lissandra's tools might be shorter in range than Syndra, though no less of a threat. She can dash behind you with her glacial path dodging a skill shot if she's quick and hitting you from behind with her root (Ring of Frost) while your animations are up. She can also use her mini zhonya's with her ultimate (Frozen Tomb) becoming untargetable, so bait this out before you try to all in her.
Lux
With a root/slow and powerful ultimate at her disposal, Lux can make your life hard in the lane if you don't respect her skills. While she's not difficult to fight against, you must be mindful of her cooldowns and be sure to move around often.
Malphite
It's easy to poke Malphite at a safe distance (before he reaches level 6) while he farms in lane, just be mindful he will poke you down with seismic shard whenever he has it off cooldown. Though should he begin to walk up too close, knocking him back with scatter the weak combo can help. Once he gets unstoppable force you have to be mindful that at any moment you could be knocked in the air and rendered powerless to fight back. Once that threat has diminished be sure to watch out for ganks since Malphite's gank setup with junglers is very strong. For counter play just poke him safely and coordinate with your team to stop him.
Malzahar
Dot damage heavy champion who can eat away at your minions fast, so make sure to poke safely against him and don't get too close to dying minions to avoid malefic visions damage from hitting you. Also, be watchful for his suppression ultimate that will immobilize you and prevent you from doing anything in the fight with him.
Mel
Her solar snare and radiant volley are potent ways for her to poke you down when trying to walk up for minions. Also, be on the lookout for rebuttal, which appears as a spherical shield around her that reflects projectiles and ranged auto attacks, as this could seriously backfire on you when trying to hit a dark sphere-scatter the weak combo or even finish her off with unleashed power.
This matchup is winnable, but it might require some jungle assistance, depending on how well she fights you.
Naafiri
It is not a troublesome matchup for Syndra as you can use scatter the weak whenever Naafiri tries to dash at you with hound pursuit. She does have high burst damage, so take care once she acquires eclipse & profane hydra.
Neeko
Neeko is a shifty opponent to deal with and can clone out on the fly and attempt to confuse you. In addition, her kit has access to a root & stun that can lead to your demise. Make sure to avoid combat with Neeko until she has exhausted all her options.
Pantheon
He's a pest to deal with when playing Syndra in the lane, and if he immobilizes you, it could be your demise. If you think he is getting ready to jump on you with his w stun, make sure scatter the weak is available to interrupt it.
Orianna
It is possible to be behind in this matchup if you underestimate Orianna. She does have some deceptive abilities to watch out for, though you have enough range to where you should be able to kite everything she throws at you. The only thing to be concerned about when fighting her is when her jungle assists her in taking you down.
Qiyana
Qiyana is a strong assassin in the mid-lane and can prove very difficult for Syndra to deal with if she gets too far ahead. So poke her and avoid open combat unless she makes a mistake and gives you a window to strike.
Ryze
Like Syndra, Ryze prefers the range game, but he does possess formidable strength and can be trouble for Syndra if left unchecked. Avoid getting rooted by him to avoid being trapped and ambushed by the jungle or himself. Thankfully you can poke him at a minimum safe distance and apply nearly the same or more pressure as he can.
Smolder
Smolder is another scaling threat to be concerned about, but only at the later stages of the game. Early on you can abuse his short range with dark spheres and shove him back if he walks up with scatter the weak. Always be mindful of where his jungler is on the map when dueling him.
Sylas
An even fight could get out of hand if you try to get too close to Sylas. The rough part about this matchup is that he will want to force fights, and if that occurs, make sure to shove him away with scatter the weak. Also, be sure to farm effectively since that is the safest way to deal with Sylas and stay relevant.
Swain
Swain is only ever difficult for Syndra if he constantly tags you with his nevermove or vision of empire abilities or has his jungle gank you often, as you can chip away at his health with dark spheres. If he ults nearby then activation scatter the weak can cause his demonic ascension to fizzle sooner than he'd expect. Once he gets rylai's and amasses a good stack of health from ravenous flock, you might need to build a few penetration (void staff, stormsurge) and burn items (liandry's or blackfire) to deal with him effectively.
Talon
Talon has so much mobility and burst that trying to duel him is extremely hard for Syndra unless you can get a window to punish him. Then, the only option is to surrender the push to him and wait for the jungle to help or someone else who can assist you.
Twisted Fate
The big issue you need to watch out for with Twisted Fate is his gold card since the stun can potentially lead to you taking damage from an entire combo string and dying. So poke often and pay attention to his movements.
Veigar
He is the scaling machine in the mid-lane. Veigar is only a big problem for you if he's having a blast farming minions. You can harass him with dark sphere and scatter the weak early on, though if left unchecked he will scale incredibly hard, making it harder to trade with him.
Vel'Koz
With all kinds of pokes at his disposal, you'd want to pull your hair out (no joke). However, he is just a nuisance if he lands his abilities. So the best action is to let him push and farm under the turret and look for assistance from the jungle or another lane. After that, you can beat him.
Vex
You should be ahead in this matchup in most games, but the tipping point is all the crowd control that Vex possesses. Dealing the extra damage to her target happens when she has max doom and gloom stacks.
Viktor
Viktor has heavy burst damage in his kit, so trying to punish him can be rough in the early lane phase. However, playing this lane safely and coordinating with the jungle will make it easier for you in the long run.
Vladimir
Engaging Vladimir is tough when he can use his blood pool to dodge any ability you throw at him. Wait until he has used this ability in combat. Ensures that you hit him with your full combo and secure the kill.
Yasuo
Since Yasuo's skills are easy to predict, you should have no issue dodging his steel tempest. However, make sure to poke him in the lane, and watch out for his sweeping blade ability if he's got his gathering storm stacks up (from steel tempest) and could be followed up by him using his ultimate last breath to finish you off.
Yone
The big thing to watch out for is keeping him from getting too close or hitting you with mortal steel (part three) or his ultimate, which will make the lane harder since you may have to back after taking that hit. Damaging him often with your skills will help. Anti-heal is necessary for fighting Yone.
Xerath
An annoying matchup for Syndra. He makes your life a living hell with all his poke damage. You can mitigate this by getting boots early to assist in dodging his skill shots. Also, playing safe and waiting for your jungle will make it easier to scale into the late game.
Zed
A Slippery matchup for Syndra. Just poke Zed often, and when he hits level six, only take a few fights unless you can safely attack with a dark sphere or shove him away using scatter the weak.
Ziggs
The name of the game versus Ziggs is to poke him down often and make sure to zone him off minions. Though with all his poke, walking up can be challenging when looking to poke him back. This matchup is best played by taking less damage, so you scale in the long run.
Zoe
A game of patience will be something you need when fighting with Zoe. Getting hit by her bubble and going to sleep is most unpleasant and could result in taking extra damage. Avoid this ability as much as you can.
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 Syndra since I know how this champion feels and performs. Concerning Syndra'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 Syndra performs optimally.
So let's kick things off in style with my guide on Syndra - The Dark Sovereign.
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 turrets/ dragons or baron nashor.
- 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.
Syndra creates a Dark Sphere at a targeted location dealing magic damage to nearby enemies and remains on the ground for a few seconds.
It is handy for Syndra when poking her enemies and helpful when farming minions 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, Dark Sphere will be cast at maximum range, and it can be activated while moving.
Transcendent Bonus: Upgrading Dark Sphere increases the number of casts you can use in combat (charge refresh speed is affected by ability haste).
Syndra holds the target ( minion, Dark Sphere, monster, pet) for a few seconds and can then throw it, granting sight of the surrounding area then damaging and slowing all nearby enemies hit. Force of Will can be recast while moving for better target acquisition.
Force of Will's added slow effect is potent when looking to chain a Dark Sphere on your opponent, while also being very useful to secure cannon minions to acquire splinters.
Scatter the Weak is an effective way to displace enemies or stun them when combined with any nearby Dark Spheres on the ground, dealing magic damage and knocking back all enemy units hit.
Syndra summons three additional Dark Spheres, then gathers any nearby spheres, throwing them at her target, with each sphere hit dealing increased damage.
After the initial cast, the Dark Spheres will remain on the ground briefly, allowing you to manipulate them with your other abilities.
Unleashed Power is the only ability in Syndra's kit that requires a simple click to activate, making it relatively easy to use (unless the enemy breaks vision with you). Unleashed Power is an excellent ability to use as a combo finisher during duels and team fights.
In this section, I will share some of the effective combos for Syndra that are simple to understand and that you can apply while playing summoners rift (draft and ranked) games.
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Tips & Tricks:
Playing As Syndra:
- To maximize Unleashed Powers damage, use it when there are many Dark Spheres on the battlefield.
- After hitting an enemy champion with Force of Will, follow up with Dark Sphere; they'll be slowed and have difficulty avoiding it.
- Collect as many splinters as possible to benefit most from all your abilities.
Playing Against Syndra:
- Get Boots early when playing against Syndra; they'll help you avoid many of her spells.
- Attack Syndra after her Scatter the Weak is down since it has a long cooldown, so she'll be vulnerable.
- Syndra's spells gain bonus effects and appearance changes at max rank.
As a Syndra 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 minions as possible to earn both gold and experience. It will enable you to buy your essential items, giving you an edge over your opponent.
Another tactic is to deny your opponent access to gold and experience by setting up a freeze or trading with them.
Additionally, it's essential to keep an eye on the enemy jungle 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 Baron Nashor, Rift Herald, or Dragons.
When split pushing, exercise caution when collecting waves or jungle 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 dragons or rift herald, 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.
The most integral summoner spell for Syndra 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 Flash to safety while dodging a crucial ability.
Should you be affected by damage over time, attack speed reduction, armor shredding or grievous wound effects, using Cleanse won't remove them.
For best use, trigger this spell after being hit by theimmobilizing impairment, not beforehand.
Exhaust is excellent for Syndra when going against champions who could take you down quickly, such as Draven, Fizz, Katarina, Master Yi or LeBlanc. With Exhaust'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 Syndra when you wish to snowball the lane and have more kill potential on the rift.
Excellent on Syndra when looking for quick returns to the lane, gaining tempo against your lane opponent, reaching objectives faster/performing dives. Teleport is also very helpful cheeky back door plays on the enemy base.
Stealth Ward is your main trinket in all games as Syndra, revealing units within a target location. You can place up to three Stealth Wards on the map. Great when side laning/placing deep wards in enemy territory or getting vision on objectives ( baron nashor & dragons).
Farsight Alteration
Farsight Alteration is an excellent option for Syndra. It is helpful when split pushing or getting vision on objectives or target locations from a safe distance. Similar to Stealth Wards, you can use them to set up the adequate vision needed, but unlike Stealth Wards, 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 Oracle Lens when dealing with stealth champions who plant traps, such as Nidalee, Shaco & Teemo. It's also good against champions who use stealth abilities to engage or disengage, such as Pyke, Shaco, Twitch or Wukong.
Control Wards
Control Wards are a great source of vision denial, revealing and disabling enemy wards within a large radius. Control Wards function similarly to the Oracle Lens trinket, displaying nearby stealth & camouflaged champions ( Evelynn, Rengar and Twitch,). Although, when dealing with champions that possess invisibility ( Kha'Zix, Teemo or Vayne), they won't be revealed by Control Wards. Therefore, it's best to exercise caution around them.
- Ability Power: Best stat for Syndra, 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 Syndra. 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 Syndra.
- 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 Syndra. 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 Syndra.
- 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.
Ionian Boots of Lucidity > Ability Haste
A good option in games where casting abilities are more efficient for Syndra. Excellent to help increase your damage potential in the lane as Syndra by allowing for more ability casts, along with additional summoner spell haste reducing the cooldown of Flash or other spells at your disposal. Always consider them to create more impact plays during the game.
Crimson Lucidity > Ionian Boots of Lucidity blessing of Noxus upgrade Crimson Luciditys effect functions similarly to Nimbus Cloak, granting increased mobility whenever you activate a summoner spell. Though, unlike Nimbus Cloak, 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 Syndra, but I'd strongly recommend these Boots for their tenacity and Magic Resistance. Great into teams that are magic damage heavy or have lots of impairing crowd control effects.
Chainlord Crushers > Mercury's Treads blessing of Noxus upgrade
With Chainlaced Crushers, you'll gain increased shielding that blocks magic damage and great against burst or dot mage comps.
Plated Steelcaps > Basic Attack Damage Reduction
A great option in games where the enemy team is primarily auto-attack-based champions ( Talon, Zed or Pantheon) or you need the extra armor in duels. Also helpful against attack damage heavy compositions.
Armored Advance > Plated Steelcaps blessing of Noxus upgrade Armored Advance functions similarly to Chainlaced Crushers. In contrast, you'll gain increased shielding that blocks any incoming physical damage you receive in combat.
Sorcerer's Shoes > Magic Penetration Sorcerer's Shoes are the default pair of taken as Syndra for the excellent synergy with your kit. The flat magic penetration gained from these Boots is very effective when dealing with targets with little or no magic resistance in combat.
Spellslinger's Shoes > Sorcerer's Shoes blessing of Noxus upgrade Spellslinger's Shoes are an excellent dual penetration option for Syndra, offering increased damage potential not only against squishy targets but also being effective with more durable targets.
To acquire the blessing of Noxus buff, you'll need to complete any two of the following actions during your games:
- Killing three epic monster camps
- Acquiring first blood
- Destroying the first turret
Upon claiming the buff, you can purchase the upgrade to the Boots you are currently using in combat.
Doran's Ring is the main starter item for you as Syndra. It offers mana regeneration, then provides health instead if you cannot gain additional mana. Your best starter option in most matchups while playing Syndra.
It is also great when looking to farm and acquire gold from minions.
The games in which you take Dark Seal are when you know full well that snowballing will be easy and that you can maintain the stacks as you upgrade the item to Mejai's Soulstealer.
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 Syndra, using Luden's Companion 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. Luden's Companion's mana component also synergizes well with Archangel's Staff/ Seraph's Embrace, making it an even more effective combination.
Rabadon's Deathcap is known as the Infinity Edge for mages, offering excellent dueling power for Syndra by substantially increasing your abilities in team fights, skirmishes or duels. It is a fantastic late-game purchase to round out your build as Syndra.
Stormsurge is an excellent option for Syndra, 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 Banshee's Veil, Syndra gains a spell shield, blocking the next ability that targets you. It is helpful when dealing with teams with heavy crowd control ( Leona, Lux, Morgana & Rammus) at their disposal.
An excellent mobility/damage option for Syndra 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 Void Staff that provides a heal for you and your team after you get a takedown on an enemy champion.
Hextech Rocketbelt is a solid option as Syndra, granting a dash active that helps when looking to escape a bad situation (fighting Assassin champions ( Pyke, Rengar, Shaco, Talon) or dealing with enemies who have gap-closing abilities ( Akshan, Galio, Urgot, Wukong). 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 Hextech Rocketbelt as Syndra, 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 tanks or champions who stack health through runes and items. Damage dealt will increase as combat lingers. When paired with Shadowflame, deal increased against low health targets.
Malignance can be very useful for Syndra, providing additional uptime on Unleashed Power, 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.
Mejai's Soulstealer is your high-risk, high-reward item for Syndra. If you maintain your Dark Seal 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).
Helps Syndra 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 to Syndra's arsenal as it provides 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 your current mana. As you build mana items, this scaling option becomes even more powerful, making it an ideal choice for Syndra.
A very efficient item for Syndra that grants magic penetration along with increased magic damage against lower health targets. A very strong option when dealing with tanks who build magic resistance or against squishier foes.
Great % magic penetration option for Syndra when looking for extra burst with your abilities. Great into teams who build plenty of magic resistance items, such as tanks or bruisers.
The following keystone & rune choices are great for Syndra 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:
- Dark Harvest 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 Syndra when combined with evolved Unleashed Power.
- Electrocute is an excellent short trade burst option for Syndra. Great for poking down the opponent after applying short, focused combos, wearing them down for an inevitable takedown.
- Taking First Strike for Syndra 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 Syndra when playing mid-lane. Arcane Comet 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.
- With the ability to displace targets using either Force of Will or Scatter the Weak, taking Cheap Shot for Syndra is an excellent choice, dealing additional true damage on a target recently affected by crowd control effects (not including suppression or 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 Syndra, look no further than Taste of Blood. 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 Grisly Mementos is an excellent choice for Syndra 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 ARAM (or other non-rift game modes), Grisly Mementos will grant increased cooldowns on summoner spells instead.
- With Syndra's ultimate granting an execution on its target, this rune is a fantastic option for her going forward. Additionally, Ultimate Hunter grants ability haste on Unleashed Power, 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.
- Magical Footwear allows Syndra to delay buying Boots 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.
- Triple Tonic can benefit Syndra, providing additional gold, damage to minions and an extra skill point (increasing your splinter count). It's an excellent option to consider in combat.
- Biscuit Delivery can benefit Syndra, 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 ( Heimerdinger, Lux, Malzahar, Vladimir)
- Cosmic Insight provides more access to summoner spells ( Flash, Ignite, Teleport) 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.
- Triumph restores health and provides additional gold per takedown. A great rune option when looking to get your items quicker and is excellent for Syndra when looking to recover health after combat.
- Presence of Mind helps Syndra 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.
- Legend: Haste is a very helpful rune for Syndra to gain more access to your skills in combat, thus translating into faster splinter gain (with Transcendent) 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.
- Coup de Grace is fantastic for Syndra offering more damage to champions under 40% health—strong rune option couples nicely with her overall high burst play style.
- With Cut Down, Syndra'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.
- Mages love mana and Syndra is no exception. With Manaflow Band, as you damage champions, you will increase your maximum mana pool. After completing the rune, you begin regenerating some of your missing mana. A perfect pair with Archangel's Staff/ Seraph's Embrace, granting you more ability power for your skills, amplifying your damage in fights.
- Transcendence provides Syndra more ability haste during fights, thus increasing your damage per second to enemies and objectives. A rune that meshes nicely with Syndra, providing more access to her abilities, thus granting more impact in fights and objective control.
- Absolute Focus increases Syndra'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.
- Scorch is an excellent early-game rune option on Syndra that provides added damage to any spell you hit your enemy with. It is especially effective when applying short-burst trades (pairs nicely with Electrocute or First Strike).
- Gathering Storm is formidable for Syndra by increasing your overall damage (autos and abilities) against targets, scaling indefinitely. In addition, it works exceptionally well when combined with Syndra's splinter mechanic, providing increased amounts of damage should you have long games.
When deciding on what rune shards (whether offensive or defensive) to pick for Syndra 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 Syndra, 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 Syndra.
• Do you need tenacity & slow resist? A strong rune shard option to counter champions who rely onimmobilizing effects to hinder your movement.
• Do I require more health? Both the scaling health and flat health shards can benefit Syndra 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 Boots and items. It's a sure way to improve your overall survivability in games.
There are many ways to build Syndra, 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.
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