Shaco Build Guide by LittleRaiden

//Introduction\\

Hello, I am Rasori and I love playing AP Shaco. I have played League of Legends for years now and I have about 1100 normal wins. I have always been interested in playing different playstyles of champions, for example I also love playing AP Ezreal in the mid lane. This is also my first guide ever, I was inspired to make this guide when I got featured in Top Fails of the Day #100 by jumpinthepack, I saw alot of comments about people wanting to play AP Shaco because of that clip. I also noticed that there is no guide for S3 AP Shaco Mid on this website and I've been following guides on here for ages and therefore I feel psyched that I'm finally making one myself ^^

//Pro's and Cons\\

//Pro's\\

- Strong harass throughout entire match

- Extremely fun to play(Deciding factor for me)

- Enemies are paranoid since you could be anywhere

- Can easily escape from bad situations

//Cons\\

- Squishy!!

- Need alot of practice to play him right

- Mana problems early game(countered by Greater Seal of Mana Regeneration)

- Difficult to carry your team with

//Masteries\\

I pick 21/0/9 masteries for more early harass and the boost in AD and AP because of Summoner's Wrath , if you're not planning to use ignite then you should put that mastery point in Mental Force in the Offensive tree. I also see other AP Shaco's going 9/0/21 which I used to play aswell for a while, but it just really depends on what you prefer. Also consider using Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reductionx9 to compensate for the loss of cdr in comparison to when you take Utility masteries.

//Runes\\

//Marks\\

For starters you just have to have Greater Mark of Magic Penetrationx9, these are a must.

//Seals\\

Then I take Greater Seal of Mana Regenerationx9, because you WILL suffer from mana problems early game, this will compensate for the fact that you do not buy any mana regen untill you buy morellonomicon. You can also take Greater Seal of Scaling Healthx9 if you so prefer, I would recommend that for a very passive playstyle. There is also Greater Seal of Armor if you're up against an AD mid or if you maybe plan to play AP Shaco on the top lane which also works fine but will be harder to learn.

//Glyphs\\

For glyphs I pick Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Powerx9 because of the nice boost in AP mid game/late game but Greater Glyph of Magic Resistx9 work fine aswell, if you are a really aggressive player early game this is probably the best for you. I have also recently started using Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reductionx9 which if you use offensive masteries, can compensate for the loss in cdr in comparison to when you have utility masteries, but also this is all about your personal preference.

//Quintessences\\

For quints I take the basic Greater Quintessence of Magic Penetrationx3. Because I think that AP Shaco is very easily countered by the opponent building magic resist, even just a little. These quints allow you to burn better through magic resist and it makes you a more reliable player throughout the match.

//Summoner Spells\\

Teleport & Ignite

//Explanation:\\

I take Teleport as my first summoner spell because really guys, you can make some mad plays with this summoner spell. You can be on time to get your team out of a really dire situation, or you can just gank a lane very quickly.

I take Ignite as my second summoner spell because it allows you to annoy your opponent just a bit more. And since with AP Shaco you're gonna have to play very aggressively, most people will prefer to have this.


//What you could also choose:\\

Flash : If you just started playing shaco I would recommend this as a failsafe.
Exhaust : Very nice spell if you plan to bait people alot into your boxes.
Clarity : If you really plan to harass non-stop this is your spell.
Ghost : This spell is also nice if you plan to mess around with people alot.

//Skills\\

Passive: Backstab

//Explanation:\\

Throughout the entire match this is the passive that still makes you deal quite some damage on auto attacks. Especially early game if you do your Deceive step behind someone and hit him, you will do decent damage because of Shaco's high base AD.

Q: Deceive

//Explanation:\\

This is your escaping move, your trolling move, just your overall badass move. When you get Deathfire Grasp and Morellonomicon this skill will have an insanely low cooldown, resulting in you teleporting around the map every 5 seconds :P Use this skill wisely and you can make some very nice plays with it. Never waste this skill, because if you haven't picked Flash or Ghost remember that it is your only escape and that you're pretty much screwed if someone ganks you and you're overextending, unless you have some kind of backup plan ofcourse ;)

W: Jack In The Box

//Explanation:\\

For this skill I would like to point out this video, skip to 6:25.
/league-of-legends/ability/deceive-204

E: Two-Shiv Poison

//Explanation:\\

This skill is the skill that does the initial big damage. Late game you will be able to one-shot AD carries with the Deathfire Grasp+ Two-Shiv Poison combo. Also this is a very annoying harass for your opponent, since it is a lock-on skill that you can do every 3-4 seconds when you get Deathfire Grasp and Morellonomicon. But be aware that early/mid game this burns your mana like it's nothing.

R: Hallucinate

//Explanation:\\

I would say that this skill is your main playmaker. If you use this right you can turn around dire situations and outplay people accordingly. Also this skill can be used to dodge ultimates like Requiem from Karthus or Final Spark from Lux, you just really have to learn the exact timing, and this requires quite alot of practice to fully master.

//Skill Order\\

This skill order is sorted by priority, you need to level up your ultimate when you can, you need to max your E to level 5 first then your W and then last but not least your Q.

The reason that I pick Jack In The Box at level 1 is because of the insane pulling you can give your jungler. The reason that I pick Deceive at level 2 is because of the danger of early ganks, and since you don't have any other escapes this is the way to go. If you picked Flash or Ghost as your summoner spell then by all means just level up your Two-Shiv Poison at level 2.

//Item Builds\\

I personally prefer to start with Faerie Charm + 5x Health Potion + 3x Mana Potion, because it's a safe buy no matter what kind of opponent you have against you, and it allows you to harass alot more because of the early mana regeneration that Faerie Charm gives you.

But if you're an overly manly man/woman then by all means you can go for Doran's Ring or Amplifying Tome + 1 Health Potion. This gives you a good boost in harass early game, and no money is wasted.

As for boots I mostly take Sorcerer's Shoes, but if I feel I'm gonna have to roam alot since my team is often in trouble, then I recommend Boots of Mobility. I recently also started to try Ionian Boots of Lucidity which are actually really nice early/mid game, but late game when you get morellonomicon the boots aren't really necessary anymore.

As for the core I choose Deathfire Grasp + Lich Bane because of the very nice cooldown reduction that it gives you, which you will need on AP Shaco. Also the Deathfire Grasp+ Two-Shiv Poison+ Lich Bane proc combo is extremely powerful.

As for the 6th item I personally recommend buying magic penetration like Void Staff or Liandry's Torment if they stack HP. As for the 5th item you should choose between Abyssal Mask and Zhonya's Hourglass depending on what kind of damage the enemy team mostly deals. If they have a balanced output of damage in both magic damage and physical damage, then I recommend to buy a Guardian Angel, that is what I buy most of the time since Guardian Angel is a reliable item pick no matter what.

//Early Game\\

When you decided what items to pick, head over to your mid lane and place boxes to cover the jungle and pull the blue/red for your jungler. Untill you reach level 4 just farm like a braindead zombie, by the time that you are level 4 you will have Two-Shiv Poison at level 2, and so be able to harass alot. Just keep harassing but don't waste too much mana for when your jungler comes to gank your lane.

//Mid Game\\

By now you should have Deathfire Grasp and ofcourse tier 2 boots( Boots of Mobility or Sorcerer's Shoes or boots of ludicity) so roam as much as you can to help your team out, steal their blue or maybe wait their jungler up at their blue. Keep in mind that waiting someone up can be risky to lose alot of time in farming and doing other useful stuff. Mid game for AP Shaco is when you will really deal some damage and make a difference in team fights. Try to build Lich Bane as fast a possible at this point, so your bursting can start.

//Late Game\\

AP Shaco is an absolute beast at late game, he can almost one-shot every AD carry by then with the Deathfire Grasp + Two-Shiv Poison + Lich Bane proc combo. Also his clone deals over 1100 damage to their entire team if used right.

//Team Fights\\

In team fights you can basically shut down AD carries immediatly with your Deathfire Grasp + Two-Shiv Poison + Lich Bane proc combo. Doing this already helps the teamfight to go in your favour. After that you should immediatly drop down your clone and hope it explodes soon, it probably will because people tend to use alot of AoE spells in teamfights. This clone will deal alot of damage to everyone and makes your team able to finish the rest together with you.

//Final Comments\\

Please go a little easy on me since this is my first guide, I'm always open for constructive criticism. Leave a comment on what I could do better, and I hope I inspired you enough to realise the fun of playing AP Shaco!