I have always been fascinated with Janna as something other than support. But, there was just no room for a non supportive Janna on classic maps. 3v3 seemed to be the only way and even there there wasn't enough ambient gold and farming allowed for AP Janna to fully realize her windy potentials.

This however changed with the coming of Dominion as the ambient gold is plenty and there is not much need of minion gold. On top of this, just like with 3v3 Twisted Treeline there is not much ganking in Dominion which helps Janna with survival. Plus, there is usually less magic resistance because attack damage champs are preferred over AP ones in Dominion.

Moreover, it makes sense for almost any spell caster in Dominion to have as little mana/mana regen items as possible(due to frequent death/respawn), making way for more AP items.

With this build I had enormous success with Janna in Dominion. It had gotten to a point when I had a full list of victories for a while(blind pick).

As you will find out the most important thing is staying alive. This can be achieved with self cast shields and slows from your Q and W. Melee champs in body contact with you = dead Janna.

Another key element of this build is Howling Gale spam. In Dominion, Howling Gale plays a greater role as it can disrupt capture from afar and with enough AP it can insta-kill minions.

Guide Changes

...(updated 12/2/2011)...
minor changes, summoner spell change
...(updated 11/21/2011)...
new "Do Not list" section, added end game item considerations in the items section
...(updated 11/16/2011)...
changed Masteries and Runes sections for the latest patch
...(updated 11/9/2011)...
updated Special Encounters section, minor changes
...(updated 11/5/2011)...
minor changes to runes choice and pros/cons section
...(updated 10/29/2011)...
added Final Words section, minor changes
...(updated 10/25/2011)...
Added Special Encounters section.
...(updated 10/22/2011)...
minor changes

Pros

Great damage output
harassment
Lane control
Great slows
Great support still

Cons

Low survivability
gotta time Q and ulti

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9x Greater Mark of Insight - 8.55 magic penetration
9x Greater Seal of Clarity - 11 mana regen at level 18
9x Greater Glyph of Celerity - 9% CD reduction at level 18
3x Greater Quintessence of Insight - 5.67 magic penetration

This will give you 11 mana regen, 9% CD reduction and 14 magic penetration.

With the new Fizz patch masteries 11 mana regen is a must.

A good alternative is to take glyphs of force instead of glyphs of celerity to boost your AP. Still, I believe CD reduction is just too good to pass on.

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New masteries in the Fizz patch have buffed AP champs significantly which is why Janna has to go Offense to compete with them.

On one hand, it makes Janna deal more damage against the AD champs. On the other hand, her overall performance is lowered a bit: less mana regen, less experience gain, less CD reductions.

However, some of this loss can be compensated by replacing AP seals with mana regen ones(see Runes section). Also, the increase in AP from Offense tree gives Janna shield more power.

Overall, new masteries make AP Janna more harmful at minimal sacrifice to her Utility. Still, Fizz patch was of greater benefit for pure AP chaps like Ezreal which is why AP Janna got nerfed overall(not to mention the summoner spell nerf). She is still playable though.

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Right off the bat I should say that I still have some doubts over boots. Dominion is where Mobility Boots makes alot of sense. They help you capture and survive so much more easily. Still, in balanced matches their effectiveness is reduced a little. Reason: you spend much more time defending the three bases you have. I would say that are still great but you could try experimenting with Sorcerer's Shoes and Ionian Boots of Lucidity.

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Moonflair Spellblade is the most important defensive items I picked as it is relatively cheap and adds a decent amount of AP too. The 35 tenacity it gives is the max tenacity you can get in LoL and it helps alot with mobility. It is especially useful to Janna because of her high +movement speed. This item combined with mid game Will of the Ancients will give you a decent amount of survivability.

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You start benefiting from magic reduction/penetration only after you get 50+ AP and a couple of ranks in your Q and W, which is why I get Haunting Guise a little later.

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Will of the Ancients and Rabadon's Deathcap are the last two items. Rabadon's Deathcap is a must and so is the Will of the Ancients. But, if there are not many ap champs in your team and if you are against an AP heavy team then you might consider Abyssal Mask. Rylai's Crystal Scepter is another possibility.

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End Game Item switch

With the new Fizz patch AP masteries Janna is able to dish out more damage and therefore get more gold from minions. It is often now that you might find yourself with a disposable amount of gold by the time the match is nearing its end. As such, it is a good idea to sell Haunting Guise and then Moonflair Spellblade for Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Abyssal Mask or some other end game item you deem useful.

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Leveling

Fully ranked Howling Gale is a priority as it will deal most damage and clear lanes fast.

You can choose between Zephyr and Eye Of The Storm but I usually level Zephyr first.

Monsoon is extremely helpful in a right situation. However, there is no need for all three ranks of it right away.

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In Combat

Rule #1 and the the most important rule you have to follow: Always shield yourself(Alt+E) when you are alone engaging an enemy(or even when in vicinity). Eye Of The Storm is like your second life especially when +90% comes from your enormous AP.

Don't be afraid to quick cast your Howling Gale(Q) without charging it. When you are running away(which is half of what you will be doing) always spam Q at the pursuers(sometimes waiting a little for it to gain range). Only stop to cast Zephyr(W) when you are slightly away from pursuing melee champs. When out of combat, wait for shield to cool down then engage with shield on.

When alone at the Windmill(the topmost capture point) it is always a good idea to hide in the bushes behind the wall. From there you can charge your Q for extra damage while enemy champs are trying to capture the Windmill. The same is true for all other capture points if you know the spots where to hide. Still, in the peak of a battle it is always a good idea to stay on the capture point.

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All other champs except for the ones below are fairly easy to deal with. Listed in order of their difficulty from hardest to easiest:

and
Avoid their melee range at all costs. It hurts, especially when Akali casts her Twilight Shroud.



Very dangerous when he blinks and silences you.



Not necessarily dangerous but hard to deal with because of magic resist from Consecration, silence from Infuse, heals, and itsie bitsie damage from Starcall.



Absolute early game bot lane champion and a good capture point defender. In all other cases, if you avoid his ulti and turrets then you are good.
If you are starting bot against him make sure you get a couple mana pots at the start and use the heal relics whenever they are available. Also, forget the boots and get the fiendish codex first.
You can't usually get rid of him alone so just take care of the waves. Whenever you get the chance teleport back and buy items. You should be able to overcome him when you get the core AP items.


, and
Like Heim those three can be tough bot lane(not as tough as Heim though). Just like with Heim buy AP items first. No need for mana pots except for Yorick.
On the map, Urgot can be dangerous because of his range and the swap ulti Hyper-Kinetic Position Reverse but he is very manageable if you stay out of his range. The same goes for Kog'Maw.



If you are careful enough to deal with his boxes then he is easy. Don't be afraid to use Q and W to get rid of them or just avoid them.

Exhaust is a great spell in Dominion as it can help you with both survival and offense. Flash helps you mostly with survival but you can still use it when you have to finish off a runner. With the Fizz patch both of these spells got nerfed.

The third decent spell in Dominion is Ghost because it almost always saves capture points. I have misjudged Ghost previously because with mobility boots and W passive it seems like Janna has more than enough to her speed and collision avoidance. Nevertheless, Ghost can save you in crucial moments and gives you early capture advantage. As such, I prefer now Ghost over Flash because 1) Flash's range got grossly nerfed and 2) Ghost and Exhaust fall under the same mastery Summoner's Wrath .

As for the other summoner spells they are not that useful to Janna but you could try experimenting with Ignite and Promote. Clarivoyance is almost useless in Dominion.

do not...

...die or let your team mates die in the first minutes
...start top without Boots of Mobility and a health pot
...start bot unless it is one of those champs Janna can out-lane
...go into bushes or fog unless you are certain
...cast Monsoon to make a situation worse
...solo-lane against Kassadin
...forget to shield your AD teammates

I probably should have said it from the start but did not want to scare people away: AP Janna requires extreme precision, anticipation and heed of other players' expectations and points of view -- constant minimap scrutiny is central. Janna is officially listed as a nuker and rated as difficult for a reason. If you are not in your best mind or simply are tired then stay away.

If you are new to Janna or just trying out AP Janna for the first time it is a good idea to practice a few matches against the AI.

Lastly, if your team is AP heavy then you might consider rotating to an AD champ. Read up my other guide on how to.

Have fun and please stay away from this build in non-Dominion matches. AP Janna was not made for Summoner's Rift as there is too much bruising; and the Twisted Treeline although a better choice would be better off without her.

Help make a better AP Janna build. All opinions, suggestions and criticism are welcome.