Fiora Build Guide by Stickywad

Introduction

Thanks for checking out my first guide. In this guide I will show you how to play Fiora solo top and the techniques used to play her efficiently at her full potential. Though I agree with most people that she is not fit for competitive play due to her kit, I still think that she is a great champ and is still one of my favorites to this day.

Masteries

I go 21-9-0 since Fiora is already a specialist in offense. 9-21-0 is acceptable as well if you are a more defensive player and would prefer to level out Fiora's squishiness. I put 3 points in Hardiness since more often than not you will be facing AD top lane. I put 4 points in Durability for some help with Fiora's squishiness, and 1 point in Veteran's Scars to help with early trades. Since I play aggressively when I can, I choose 21-9-0.

Runes

Greater Mark of Armor Penetration - I pick these over flat AD runes because Riposte already gives you +15 AD. Armor penetration scale better than AD runes as the game progresses, but also are usually a better choice than flat AD since your opponent is more than likely going to start with Cloth Armor or Doran's Shield, and you will more often than not be fighting tanky bruisers in top lane. Against squishy characters such as Teemo flat AD will be stronger, but in my opinion Armor Penetration is the best all-around choice.

Greater Quintessence of Armor Penetration - Same reason I chooce ArPen marks, but you can switch these out for Quintessence of Life Steal to improve your sustain.

Greater Seal of Armor - Flat armor to protect from early game pokes

Greater Glyph of Magic Resist - Same reason except for magic damage

Summoner Spells

I choose Ignite to secure kills. It is also useful in finishing off those pesky top lane champs with self-regenerative ults.

With no reliable escape mechanism, Flash is essential on Fiora.

This is another good spell for Fiora if you want to play safer. It can be used to chase, or used as an escape.

Pros/Cons

Pros + Good burst damage and DPS + Can deal deadly trades by level 3 + Highest AS steroid in the game + Kit syncs well with build for effective teamfights + Good at chasing down single targets

Cons - Squishy - Shut down by CC - Lacks any form of CC - No reliable escape mechanism - Item dependent - Riposte is an inconsistent skill - Difficult to play correctly - An "all-in" champion

Abilities

Fiora's passive. Not noticeable at all late game, but advantageous early game. This will allow you to win trades if used correctly. While last hitting you will naturally recover health. When going in for a trade always make sure you already have 1 Duelist stack from a minion. I will give a more complete explanation of this below in the Techniques section for Lunge.

Fiora's double gap closer. I max this out as soon as possible, despite the fact that other guides tell you to max Riposte first.

But let's ask ourselves this: would you rather have a gap closer that has a 16 second cooldown and does almost no damage while you gain +5 AD every time you level up Riposte, an ability that only blocks 1 autoattack? Or would you rather have an 8 second cooldown gap closer that hits hard as hell, and you still have that +15 AD from 1 level of Riposte?

Maxing Lunge first increases Fiora's burst damage greatly, and for a champion as squishy as Fiora, this means her window of vulnerability is smaller.


My least favorite skill on Fiora. It will inconsistently block some abilities, and any on-hit effects from autoattacks will still be applied (i.e. Ashe's Frost Shot).

I take 1 point in Riposte at level 1 for the +15 AD, but max it out last because its lack of utility, and the fact that it gives a mere +5 AD every time you level it.

Skillful and discrete use of Riposte, however, can make all the difference for a Fiora player. It will allow you to negate damage when going up for a last hit, a poke, or during an all-out duel. I will go over this more in the Techniques section.


This is what allows Fiora to follow up on her attacks as a melee champion with no CC and allows her to duel, given the opportunity. The AS and MS allow her to chase her opponent should they run away, allowing you to land free damage as you constantly catch up to them.

This is why I max Burst of Speed second, since I'd rather be able to land more hits and chase better than have a slightly stronger AA.

Burst of Speed also allows you to clear waves and take down towers quickly. This is why I max Burst of Speed second. With Lunge as a strong burst damage ability, Fiora is well rounded out with Burst of Speed as a DPS ability.


Fiora's ultimate. This skill has a variety of uses and deals a large amount of damage while applying on-hit effects as well, meaning you will benefit from life steal, The Black Cleaver stacks, and Ravenous Hydra's splash damage.

It can be used to secure a kill while chasing. It can also be used to turn the tides of a 1v1 duel, as it will leave you untargetable as you deal huge damage to your opponent, meaning it is perfect for tower diving.

In a 5v5 teamfight, you will wreck the other teams' carries while avoiding damage if you time Blade Waltz correctly. Be warned: there are many weaknesses to this ult (see Techniques: Blade Waltz)

Techniques

Fiora is all about using the correct technique. Without technique she is unable to contribute her damage for the team. I will now go over the techniques and strategies of Fiora.

Combos

Full Combo: Lunge > AA > Burst of Speed > AA > Lunge

This is your full 5-hit combo. Using it correctly takes some timing and makes full use of Lunge's and Burst of Speed's AA reset. Before using Lunge, make sure that you right-click on the enemy champion ( Lunge does not automatically make you start attacking what you lunged at, and chances are Fiora will start walking away instead of attacking).

You should hit E right as your sword starts falling for the 1st AA; this will reset your AA timer and land your 3rd hit, as well as proc the MS stack.

You'll walk away from the trade with a full stack of Duelist.

Double gap closer: Burst of Speed > Lunge at minion or low-priority champion > Lunge at higher priority champion

This is why Fiora is a great chaser/anti-carry. This gives her a gap closer range of 1200. In a teamfight this will allow you to move quickly to the carries and immediately activate Blade Waltz on the ADC at the rear before anyone can react. Blade Waltz should be activated on the ADC because in a teamfight it will allow you to hit him 2x with your ult and finish him off when you land next to him coming out of Blade Waltz.

Lunge can also be used as an escape mechanism to nearby enemy minions, which is why it is considered an unreliable escape mechanism.

Lunge >> Lunge
An ineffective combo that should only be used in desperation, such as a 1v1 duel where you're both very low on HP and you know 2 quick Lunge's will kill your opponent before he kills you.

Riposte
Use at your discretion. By that I mean don't use it when you don't need it or you know it won't work.

Examples

Correct Uses

• Garen activates Decisive Strike and moves in to hit you. You activate Burst of Speed and Riposte immediately, and you exchange hits with each other. His damage is reflected back at him, he takes multiple autoattacks because you activated Burst of Speed before you were Silenced. You now have multiple Duelist stacks.
• You're farming under tower against Jayce who keeps poking you. Activate Riposte whenever you're going for a last hit that you know you will receive damage from (hopefully you went Cloth Armor + 5x Health Potion)
• You're dueling Riven (hope you know what you're doing) and spamming Riposte as much as possible.

Incorrect Uses

• Nunu uses Ice Blast and you try and block it.
• Pantheon uses Spear Shot and you try and block it.
• Activating it for every last hit.

You get the idea. You eventually learn from experience what Riposte will and won't block. Be careful not to use it too much, as it will drain your mana quickly.

Burst of Speed
You can use this to engage/disengage. If you need to run away from a 1v1 fight, Burst of Speed's MS stacks will let you get away. Same thing for chasing, but make sure to activate it before you Lunge in order to get the MS stack.

Blade Waltz
In a teamfight it's your job to kill the enemy carries. Pick the more convenient one to ult on, and when you come out of Blade Waltz immediately activate Burst of Speed and finish him off. Keep your eye on whoever you targeted with Blade Waltz, since that is who you'll finish your ult on. Blade Waltz is ideally used when the enemy team is grouped together. Remember that you are not an initiator; wait for the right time to Lunge in and ult.

If you are about to be tower dived, Blade Waltz can easily bait a successful kill.

There are many weaknesses and flaws to Blade Waltz, however. If an enemy becomes untargetable (i.e. stealth, dodge, block), Blade Waltz will fail to execute or simply be blocked. Misses also apply from Blind.

It also does not break Fiora free of tethers such as Drain.

Fiora will also follow the initial target to wherever he goes, which can lead to an unfavorable position i.e. enemy tower or team. An understanding of other champions' abilities, positioning, and risks are needed for a successful Blade Waltz.

Strategy

Fiora's early game is when she is at most risk. With no reliable escape mechanism, no CC, and being squishy, she is very susceptible to ganks. Play passively until you are pushed to your tower, and farm without taking poke to the best of your ability.

Under tower is when you can fight aggressively. Should the enemy champion come within tower range he is immediately in a lose-lose situation. Use your 5-combo Lunge and he will take significant damage, and should he fight back he will take tower aggro. Stay away from the river entrance and don't extend past the middle unless you know the position of the enemy jungler. Wards are vital.

Once you hit level 6 you can play more aggressively. This is your time to start snowballing. You are still highly susceptible to ganks, so keep up the warding. Coordinate with your jungler for a successful gank.

If you see the opportunity to gank mid, ping and let your teammate know you are coming. Blade Waltz on a squishy mage in sync with your teammate for a successful gank is a guaranteed kill. Be careful, however, that your target does not flash under tower before you can finish him. Make sure to pick up a The Brutalizer sometime after level 6 for the CDR and armor penetration. This might sound stupid, but the more you can ult, the better for your team.

During teamfights it is your priority to stay safe until you see the opportunity to dive in and ult on the carries. If you were already in the middle of the fight, chances are you will be targeted. Don't hesitate to ult right away; it is better than dying to CC without doing anything.

Late game you should stay grouped with your team. With Ravenous Hydra + Burst of Speed your split-pushing is very efficent, and you should take this opportunity when it is convenient. Help with warding, I cannot stress this enough. Everyone should ward, including you.

By now you are one of the main damage dealers on your team. Unlike the ranged ADC, however, you are melee, and therefore naturally put yourself at high risk of being focused in the teamfight. That is why it is important to get off Blade Waltz before anyone can focus CC on you, and also why Mercurial Scimitar is so helpful.

Blade Waltz should be devastating by now; the enemy team may be forced to split themselves up to avoid the splash damage, giving your team the advantage in positioning (just as long as you don't ult an isolated tank).

Item Build

For top lane I find Cloth Armor and 5x Health Potion the best choice most of the time, as you will be facing mostly AD champions tankier than you with safer kits.

On my first recall I buy a Vampiric Scepter for its build path into either Ravenous Hydra, The Bloodthirster, or Blade of the Ruined King, as well as its sustain. Sometimes I will start with Long Sword and 2x Health Potion to get Vampiric Scepter quicker if I feel like my lane will be easy.
I also buy 1 or 2 Rejuvenation Beads for additional sustain that syncs with Duelist. Your job is to farm and get kills when you can, so this sustain is essential. Otherwise, if you feel like you can snowball with 2x Doran's Blade, then get these instead of Vampiric Scepter.

If you feel you are not doing enough damage due to your opponent stacking armor then I suggest you get an early The Brutalizer. Remember, you're Fiora: you have nothing BUT damage.

I usually buy boots on my second recall. Why do I wait so long to buy boots? It's because you shouldn't be playing so risky that you'd need to run away in the first place. I never push past the middle of the river early game, since chances are your opponent has more pressure on the lane. Also with Burst of Speed MS stacks boots aren't as necessary early game. But of course, get those boots when you need to. Let's go over which Tier 2 boots are suitable for what situations:


The riskiest option. This is if you are dominating your lane.
You can choose these boots if it won't make you go over the 40% CDR cap. Like I said before, the more often you can use Blade Waltz the stronger your team is.
A solid choice, since it reduces CC duration and has some MR.
Good early game boots that build from your Cloth Armor. This will greatly reduce the damage you receive from early game pokes.


I rush this as fast as possible. This item gives you an AOE lifesteal, health regen (whataver), plenty of AD, a stronger role in teamfights, and pushing power. Once you start playing aggressively and getting kills top lane, you can push to tower easily and go roaming. Spam the active for Ravenous Hydra as much as possible, it's free damage for a 10 second cooldown and resets your AA timer.

This is the next item I pick up, since it is so beneficial for your team as a whole. The on-hit armor reduction synchronizes so well with Blade Waltz AND Ravenous Hydra, since The Black Cleaver procs whenever you deal physical damage, which Ravenous Hydra does as AOE. Now you can reduce the enemy team's armor as a whole while you do great damage, putting your team at an advantage in a fight. The CDR is also helpful.

Now depending on the enemy team's build and how well you're doing, you have several options on what to build next:

Defense

I get this if I'm being heavily targeted with CC or I'm having trouble with magic damage. Good addition to your AD as well. The active is a lifesaver when you're in a pinch.

Another MR item for AP heavy team. The shield can save your life.

A solid defensive item, a great boost to your HP, also gives you the CC you need. Synchornizes well with Burst of Speed.

More Damage!

If the enemy team is stacking armor against you, Last Whisper is a must.

If you're having trouble dealing with a tanky team and you find yourself dueling often. The additional lifesteal is great, and the active can save your life and make chasing even easier.

The best choice in my opinion. More lifesteal + more damage makes you an unkillable dueling machine, and stacking the The Bloodthirster is a breeze with Ravenous Hydra.

Sometimes I get this item when I'm not having that much trouble surviving and I picked Berserker's Greaves over Mercury's Treads. Fiora benefits from everything this item offers: attack speed, some AD, movement speed, CDR, and Tenacity. I only get this item after I am finished with all my AD items.

Counters

This is a list of champions that I believe to counter Fiora in lane. For the most part it's manaless, tanky champions that Fiora has trouble with. Beating these champions usually requires some early assistance from your jungler. This list is still being updated.

A stun, a shield, and a killer combo can reduce Fiora to half her health in one blow. Do not trade with Riven early in game. The best time to engage is when you know at least one of her skills is on cooldown and you are near your tower. Start with Cloth Armor and 5x Health Potion.

Going against a good Lee Sin is trouble after level 3; he will become more mobile than you, have more sustain than you, and use his 5-second shield to mess up your last hits, win trades, and/or escape. Your chance to win lane is to get the early kill; go up and land an autoattack every time he goes for a last hit. Once you have Lunge go in for the kill. Of course it's never that simple, and it all depends on your opponent's and your skill levels.

This guy is annoying. Get that early The Brutalizer, don't get poked, wait for your jungler.

Singed isn't an extremely terrible opponent to lane against, though he is extremely annoying. You can farm OK as long as you make sure to avoid his Poison Trail. If he's using Poison Trail to farm then he'll be pushing your tower all day, giving your jungler easy ganks. Your Lunge can let you overstep his Mega Adhesive.

He has better sustain than you and is manaless. His ult can make your ult useless. You can Riposte the damage from his stun, but you will still be stunned. Don't bother trading with him, as you will only be wasting mana. Coordinate with jungler.

Disengage as soon as you see Counter Strike. Riposte his Empower. Don't use Blade Waltz if he hasn't use Counter Strike yet.

Jungling

Fiora is capable of jungling, and there are a few different strategies you have to be aware of to make it work. I will briefly go over jungle Fiora, since I don't have too much experience jungling with her.

For your runes, it is better to run flat AD marks and AD or Lifesteal quints for the sustain and faster clear time.

You will want to start with Cloth Armor and 5x Health Potion since you already do enough damage. Put a point in Riposte and start wolves and blue buff.

For the most efficient ganks, you want to max Burst of Speed first, rather than your Q or W. This lets you stick to your target better, and improves your clear time. When ganking, activate Burst of Speed and then Lunge once onto your target to stack your movement speed. Use Lunge again when you need to close the distance. Remember the 4 seconds that you can use Lunge a second time.

Build Wriggle's Lantern ASAP for the lifesteal and clear time, as well as the free wards. Afterwards a Ravenous Hydra will improve your clear time vastly. From then on you can build whatever you need: a Zephyr for mobility, Tenacity, and attack speed if you find yourself dueling a lot, or Blade of the Ruined King for additional lifesteal and attack speed, or a Frozen Mallet for the slow and tankiness.

My Results

Not like this proves much, but I need to add more pictures to this guide (that build is NOT on Pantheon, just to clear any misunderstandings).

Conclusion

Thanks for reading, and have fun playing Fiora.