Just in case anybody wants to test the validity of this guide/build, I want to clarify that this is still a work in progress. It is not, as of yet, anywhere close to being done. I am working on it constantly to update it and just want to remind people that this is my first guide, so suggestions would also be greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading and enjoy!

Hey guys, this is my guide to S4 AP Shaco. The reason that I have begun to create this guide for Shaco is mainly due to the fact that so many people recently have told me that AP Shaco is dead. Although this is true in a sense, it is not completely true. The AP Shaco that built conventional AP items is dead somewhat, IMO; however, this guide will show you why it is not if you play it correctly. With all that said and done, I have to say, only attempt this if you are skilled and have a large sum of experience with Shaco. The reason for this is mainly becausethe playstyle of AP Shaco, or the way this guide builds AP Shaco, is VERY different from the playstyle of the AD Assassin Shaco that you usually see. The reason for this is that AP Shaco can NOT survive in an unplanned or conventional 1v1 situation. Every move that you make as AP Shaco has to be planned aylt least somewhat in order to have some degree of success. What inspired me to do this are the videos that Shaclone makes, who is in fact an amazing Shaco player and manages just fine with this build. Go check out his vids in the future if you have time to see demonstrations of this in action if you have your doubts, since about 99% of this is inspired by his builds and play style.

Pros
- Rewards SMART play
- Insane amounts of burst with DFG Active + E after building DFG
- You can literally oneshot people with previously mentioned combo (i.e. the enemy ADC/APC)
- Incredibly slippery and mobile
- Jack-in-the-Box amazing C.C.
- When you snowball, you snowball hard
- You have the best taunts (Why So Serious?)

Cons
- Punishes poor plays, throws by your team, etc., i.e. anything that causes a death
- Once your caught, you are most certainly dead without flash or Q.
- Once you die with Mejai's, you will kick your self constantly due to the fact that you have just lost a ton of your AP, especially when you have Rabadon's
- Jack-in-the-Box terrible range and start-up time
- If you mess up once early game, people will usually assume you're hard trolling

For the runes, we have as many magic pen runes as possible while leaving room for enough AP to maximize the amount of AP damage you have throughout the game. Although this will not exactly increase your damage output, it helps immensely since almost all, if not all champions have an innate 30 Magic Resistance. For the rest of the runes, Scaling AP runes provide the best amount of AP and also provide more AP than flat AP runes at around level 6, which is when you'll need them. Also, this the passive of Rabadon's, this will scale even more greatly mid-late game and make your abilities hit even harder.

The masteries for this build are at best, highly debatable. For this reason, please leave what you think the build should be since everyone has different playstyles.

So when first reading this guide, you may have said to yourself, "Mejai's?!?! This isn't to be taken seriously." However, this item and Deathfire Grasp are the only reasons why I believe AP Shaco is still viable in S4.

As an AP Shaco mid laner... YOU WILL ALMOST NEVER TAKE ANY FARM. This may seem ridiculous, yes, but it is essential to keep in mind. You are squishy. You have an incredibly fragile early game that can greatly influence your effectiveness later on in the game. At level 1, maybe even level 2 if you can pull it off, try as hard as you can to get all of the CS in the first waves. But after level 3, when "farming," do not try to go for every CS. Conserve your mana, keep up with the enemy mid laner in terms of experience and levels, and prioritize the siege minions by using your E to get them because they are something that you absolutely do NOT want to miss. To be honest, there is not much value in going for CS when you are so squishy, especially against someone like LeBlanc or Lissandra.

As AP Shaco, just like any other mid laner, roaming is incredibly important to your success.