Welcome to yet another ranked meta break. And one of my more tried and true classic builds. I'm Prenora from NA and let me start off by saying, yes, yes AP Tristana does still work, she's gone through a lot, but she's tough, and she can still hold up among the ranks. By no means am I offering the viewpoint of a pro, but I've gotten to gold, season after season with these specialized off meta builds. So lets shake things up a little bit, and bring a new mage to the table. a bigger and better Tristana.

Poor Tristana definitely got hit hard with a couple of nerfs, and her rework, and basically all the fateful AP Tristana Mids slowly died off. "it's impossible now" "she got reworked"
Yes, she did indeed get reworked. but that my friends is when AP Tristana became the new mage she is today.
AP Tristana shares a lot of the strengths her AD counterpart, she has great sieging, Strong harass, and a very big safety net.
But now add in, High Burst damage, waveclear, and incredible 1v1 power, and you turn from a point and click ADC to a Mobile Burst Assassin.

Pros
+ Very strong early trades if not first blood
+ Consistent poke with Explosive Charge
+ Great Zoning with Explosive Charge passive
+ Ungankable with Rocket Jump
+ Roams well
+ good wave clear
+ Great Sieging and split pushing

Cons
- only two damaging abilities Pre 6
- poor wave management thanks to the AOE
- Squishy
- Item reliant
- Immobile without Rocket Jump

Draw a Bead is Tristana's passive, it's pretty simple she gains 7 range on her attacks every level resulting in 119 bonus range at lvl 18.
not much too this, although it does include Buster Shot and Explosive Charge allowing for longer range engages and poke as you progress through the game


Rapid Fire is Tristana's Q and also it's a pretty simple atk speed steroid, she gains 20% atk speed for each point starting at 30% this turns into quite a deadly buff, but the best part is it's free, so feel free to use it whenever.


Rocket Jump is where things get fun, it's Tristana's W, and as AP tristana, becomes your main form of damage. It's an incredibly versatile skill, that can be a great engage or escape as well, the best part is, it resets on 2 occasions, upon kill or assist, or upon reaching max stacks with Explosive Charge. on top of the cooldown becoming insanely low late game, this ability can deal a surprising amount of damage, on top of the slow it provides on a reset that also scales to a pretty decent 50% AP. Max it first as it's your most important tool


Explosive Charge is Tristana's E, Tristana places a bomb on a target champion, or large monster, each AA, or damaging ability adds a stack to this bomb that increases it's damage by 30% and stacks up to 4 times, turning into 120% increased damage.
in my opinion This skill is incredible, and makes AP tristana able to hold her ground against most lane opponents, as it's a very reliable form of poke or a full on nuke if fully stacked, putting a point into this ability also turns minion kills into bombs, dealing damage to nearby enemies, which scales to 25% AP, while this doesn't seem like much, with enough ap, a single auto attack can kill the whole wave. While The ability itself can scale really well, the damage does not, put one point in early but max it second

Buster Shot is Tristana's Ultimate, and on AP Tristana, what an ultimate it is. By building AP, we can turn a very reliable disengage into a single target nuke, dealing 300/400/500 damage plus 100% of your AP. while also knocking the target and any other nearby enemies back, a set distance, though it scales with level. This spell is amazing and really just makes AP tristana super fun. As all other ultimates max it whenever available .

Hover over the icon's to read a brief description of what they do, I could go on for an hour explaining what runes are good and bad on Tristana but for the purposes of not doing that, below instead, are the runes I run and my thoughts on why I run them.


While I admit it took a while to adapt to the new system with AP Tristana, I found that running the sorcery tree works best on her, as she can utilize most of the stats they provide in a very decent manner. I feel this path offers the best in consistent damage, that you can't get running Precision

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Arcane Comet is the best of the three sorcery keystones on AP tristana, due to her consistent poke and multiple sources of early damage, you are able to take advantage of it very often, allowing you to maximize your lane presence.


As a lane bully and a mobile AP assassin The Ultimate Hat provides you with what you need most, the ability to constantly assassinate enemies. As the largest part of your burst combo, you need constant uptime on this ability and what better way to lower the already low cooldown than with this handy dandy rune.

Transcendance
Transcendence is incredible useful on AP Tristana, especially since we rush the big ticket AP items first, allowing you a lot of gold in free stats, that only get better as the game goes on.


Because of Tristana's Auto targeted abilities, proccing Scorch is very easy, and just becomes another source of damage to your combo.


Domination is the second tree I run, due to the incredible amount of free gold in the stats it provides. While not quite what we need as our primary tree, we still get to capitalize on what it can offer AP Tristana


Sudden Impact is really an incredibly beneficial tool to AP Tristana's playstyle and really just goes too well with Rocket Jump because the penetration procs after the dash, we instantly get the magic and armor pen added to the damage of landing on the enemy, on top of adding it to all of our other abilities and attacks for the next few seconds, and no champion is better at capitalizing on a few seconds then AP Tristana.


While the warding choices are certainly viable, as a mobile assassin, we strive for more damage, and a fully stacked Eyeball Collection can offer up to 30 additional AP. which is = to about 700G

After Thoughts

While Tristana can very well take advantage of the Domination tree
the keystones leave much to be desired for her, you don't get much use out of Electrocute because it Explosive Charge doesn't count as damage until the bomb explodes, delaying the combo.
as an Assassin you can and will definitely gain some benefit if you run the Precision tree Presence of Mind is wonderful on a reset champion and Coup de Grace just further strengthens your assassinations, but they both are not nearly as consistent, as the reliable damage and utility from the Sorcery tree.
it just becomes pointless to run a whole tree to boost a couple of strengths while giving up another tree that boosts all of them.
you'll lose the possibility of securing a solo kill or steady long term damage,

but in exchange you gain, tons of gold in kit utility, lane presence, and objective control, in the form of sieges, teamfight presence and the early snowball that only AP Tristana knows so well.

Starting


Start the game with a warding totem, to keep yourself from getting ganked..it's very important due to your rocket jump being your only escape, besides flash.


two of these should do the trick to keep you healthy in lane against any unwanted poke or trades.


Due to the adaptive bonus, you start the game with 0 AP unless you run Doran's Ring, but as a starting item, the 60 hp and the 4 mana back per minion kill is super helpful for harassing, or assuring you have enough mana to escape or go all in.


The NLR should be the first item you back for, it's worth the money and add's huge burst to your combo but you want to buy it and just sit on it


Follow up your NLR with the Stinger, upon getting this item, combined with Rapid Fire you will be able to stack your bomb to 4 every time in the early game. This is important because it guarantees you the reset in crucial times.


The Sorcerer's Shoes are very important on a burst mage, as they ignore some of the MR of your opponent, resulting in bigger burst on even heavier foes, or even possibly true damage on enemies with low MR.


the death cap adds a huge spike of power to your combo and is what really makes you stand out as an assassin, with the 120 AP plus 30% bonus AP your ult damage skyrockets, and Rocket Jump becomes a lethal spell in your arsenal


the 20% CDR is the main reason we want this item, but the bonus attack speed and on hit damage fit seamlessly into your kit and combo, but can also double as a very nice sieging tool.



The lich bane adds a very nice bit of damage to your combo, and procs very easily, due to your long scaling AA range. the bonus MS and mana this item gives are just bonuses


Buying the big ticket AP items is important, while there are other viable options, this builds out of the NLR and it's passive splash damage, only adds to your already large AOE damage.


The Void staff is a very good item on burst mages, but as a team fighting queen, once you kill the first target, you'll just want to kill the rest, when you get to the tanks the Void Staff will keep your damage relevant throughout to the end game.


Defensive Items
Great we've establish you can assassinate, but on the other hand AP Tristana is Close range, so our last item should be a defensive item, it's the best way to take advantage of your strengths and keep you healthy. That being said, AP Tristana has a few options


If you find yourself dying with mostly Magic damage as the key factor then probably the best defensive option is the Abyssal Mask
It gives great health, and magic resist as well as the regenerative passive from spell casting. But it's true power lies in it's unique passive, where all enemies nearby take 10% more Magic damage. Allowing this item to double as a defensive item while still, boosting your combo damage


Banshee's Veil is another good item, while it's passive spell shield is really good against, ahri, zoe, or rammus ect...it doesn't really pop out any of your strengths. if you keep finding yourself constantly cc'd this item can and will save your life.

On the other hand if your death is mostly from physical damage you might consider


The hourglass is a pretty good item on AP Trist, it provides a happy medium of armor and AP but the stasis active can be a lifesaver...you can jump in and dump all your spells, the use the stasis to buy yourself time for your abilities to come back, or a teammate to rescue you

There are some items you might want to try, but trust me I've tried them and while good items they don't just fit quite right into AP Tristana's kit, some of those items are..


the Morellonomicon is the most rushed mage item, it's cheap, it gives 20% CDR and great early mana regen, but while you're busy rushing this item for the sustain, you just pushed your snowball back that much farther..the 20% CDR is nice, but tristana is item reliant, 20% CDR doesn't do anything if your abilities don't do damage yet


I've seen this before, but it doesn't really do much, while AP Tristana ideally needs to be sticky, she wont get it through this item, the slow is reduced because all of your abilities are technically AOE and it doesn't even proc until your bomb explodes, by then the enemy is already long gone


This one is popular on immobile or close range mages, but those are the mages that can afford to play the long game, AP Tristana is predominantly a snowball champion, and while this is a great ball of stats, it pushes your snowball back too hard, by the time you complete it, your damage is most likely irrelevant.


Ahh the Gunblade, Ideal for assassins due to the active and to top if off, it's mixed damage, and I can't quite figure out for the life of me, why I can't get this item to work on AP Tristana, because on paper it should, but I've tried many times, and while it's a great item for soloing kills or initiating teamfights, AP Tristana is a cleanup Queen. the active is great for catching stragglers but the rounded out AP and AD it offers, just don't lean enough in one direction to really feel it.

So you've got the abilities and the concept, but AP Tristana unlike her AD counterpart, is very interactive and to deal damage requires follow through and commitment.
She is a mobile, AP Assassin, and quite the lane bully, so that's how we're going to play her, she's good at it, so lets own it.

The first thing, and I mean very first thing you want to do is hit level 2 before you lane opponent, to this you need to kill 7 minions, while keeping your land opponent from doing the same. In this crucial time dont be afraid to put the hurt on your enemy, you have a long AA range and strong auto harrass.

AS a reward for doing this, you'll earn level 2 and with that, Rocket Jump. you can now first blood your enemy lane opponent (Details in combo section)
With AP tristana you want to play aggressive, and punish your lane opponent for even thinking of getting too close, you have the advantage because while most mid laners wait for level 3 for their all in, you only need level 2 thanks to the reset from Rocket Jump, at this point you can bully your opponent out of lane, your wave clear is really good for this stage of the game, and your seige power is unparalleled. look to zone your enemy from farm, keep yourself warded and wait for the chance to all in.

you may also push your lane and look to roam to bottom again due to your reset, you have very nice ganking potential

Level 6 is when things get fun, having access to your ultimate, and rocket jump, basically gives you access to the map, and the ability to kill any squishy, If you're ahead push your land and roam, look for kills and picks, you are an Assassin, you're not a fighter, what I mean by that, is you aren't the kind of champion who can 1v5, you are a cleanup artist, look for solo picks on squishy targets, or group with your team and wait to cleanup, if you are behind and can't do either, then Siege.. Explosive Charge destroys towers and waves, farm and push a lane until you can catch back up to a stable point.

Team Fights and Late game,
Expanding on above, should a teamfight break out in your favor, you want to poke the frontline with Explosive Charge and AA's, don't jump in until you're guaranteed a kill, because you need the reset to get back out, once enemies are around 50% hp thats when you go all out, Don't be afraid to steal a kill with your ult as it also resets your Rocket Jump
Should the teamfight not be in your favor you want to hang close to your tank, and have them peel for you, Rocket jump gives you amazing escapes as you can use it over any wall in the game. though it might seem like a quick fix do not ult the front line back, all you do is knock them into their back line strengthening their defence, 9/10 times you'll end up baiting your team. instead just run and kite out, and if anything ult the backline away. your ult should always be your last ditch effort, for either a kill or to save yourself

As late game hits, you're better at transitioning to a tower destroyer, while you can delete squishies, you can delete towers much faster buying your team, gold, vision, and map control, which is much better than a solo kill, remember..Cleanup Artist

* Remember your passive also scales with your Buster Short and Explosive Charge range, keep that in mind as you can engage from farther away, the down side is you can out range your own Rocket Jump keep an eye on Rocket Jumps Range of effect before you commit to something you can't actually land.
* Tristana gains enough passive AA range to attack baron and dragon from behind the pit wall


* Activating Rapid Fire counts as an ability, for the lich bane proc, and it costs 0 mana, it's a free lich bane proc. Use this to turn an auto into a lethal kill shot.
* Don't underestimate the 110% attack speed from this ability, always use it in your combo's


* Often times, the slow from this ability is overlooked, use it to catch slippery enemies and stay stuck to them
* Seriously Remember this ability resets and assists too it's easy to forget about the reset, because you didn't get the kill yourself
*always try to at least get an assist in teamfights, even if you're out of position, being able to cast Rocket Jump twice can get you right back to where you need to be
* Remember you can get knocked out of mid air, by certain abilities, so try to make sure you have a clear shot for your escape, or that you aren't dashing into a stun.
* Guarantee you have a reset before over committing, nothing feels worse then jumping in with your full combo, and not being able to get out.
*Rocket jump does not reset until you land, so going for a mid air killsteal will not grant a rocket jump reset


* landing this ability while in AA range, resets your AA timer, use this to garuntee yourself a free bomb proc.
* The passive in this ability explodes minions, but this scales with AP, leaving the caster minions at low health is a great way to set up an explosive trap for your enemy laner. be strategic with your low health minions as they can definitely add some awesome harass
* Exploding minions count as a magic damage proc for Luden's echo, and items like Rylais Crystal Scepter, it also pops spell shields, such as malzahar or Yasuo passive.
*Remember 4 stacks resets rocket jump but rocket jump also counts as a stack, so you can effectively burst the bomb with rocket jump while resetting rocket jump
Explosive Charge AA>AA>AA> Rocket Jump> Rocket Jump
* Landing two AA's on Explosive Charge Guarantees your full combo as follows
Explosive Charge > AA > AA > Rocket Jump> AA> Rocket Jump
you can change up the order of the combo depending on the enemies position but the combo above is the best one for maximum and quickest damage
* Explosive Charge has an increased blast radius when place on towers, use this to hit enemies who are hiding behind their towers, as most don't expect the increased radius.
* Explosive Charge instantly explodes if the target dies, you can use this in lane. wait for a minion with low hp and when the enemy gets near it, Explosive Charge>AA will kill the minion and blow the bomb at the same time, allowing for long range and safe waveclear or harass
*you can use Explosive Charge in mid air from Rocket Jump when going for a sneaky play, you can certainly use this to your advantage as the slow should allow you to land the rest of the charged AA's
Rocket Jump >(in midair) Explosive Charge >AA...ect

* Buster Shot also adds a stack of Explosive Charge using it as a last proc, stacks the bomb damage with buster shots damage, adding up to some very good single target burst
* you can use buster shot on baron over the wall, if timed right, it's a great nuke for a safe baron steal.
* Remember buster shot knocks back nearby enemies as well, for most effective skill use, wait for enemies to clump up, as it knocks them back while keeping them clumped
* you can use Buster Shot mid Rocket Jump for some pretty unique plays like
Midair kill steal - Rocket Jump >(in midair) Buster Shot
Midair RE-Engage - Rocket Jump (over the enemy, just before you land)> Buster Shot them back into your enemy team
Super Disengage- Rocket Jump (one direction)> Buster Shot (your enemy in the opposite direction
* The knock back on a level 1-2 buster shot, puts your enemy at max range for your rocket jump, with proper positioning you can even pull of the "God combo"
Explosive Charge> AA > Rocket Jump>(instantly) Buster Shot ( if done correctly you should land on them at the very end of the knockback) >AA > Rocket Jump
Not only does this combo look incredibly flashy (you will be called a god) it's a full combo they enemy can not react to, as knockbacks can not be cleansed or removed.

Well I hope you had fun reading this guide and most of all I hope you learned something. Again while you may get flamed and called a troll, I sure do all the time, this is not a troll guide. If I missed anything, or if you have any questions as usual feel free to leave a comment, I check quite frequently and would be happy to hear your input. but I'm sure you're ready to rock the rift, so get out there and surprise your enemies, carry your team, and show the ranked meta just how Powerful it can be to break it.