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Sion Build Guide by

Gojge's guide to AP Sion. ( Comprehensive )

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Sion Build Guide By Updated on

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Spells:

Ignite

Flash

Ability Order

Sion Passive Ability

More Sion Counters

Welcome to my guide!

Introduction

Hello MOBAfire. My name is Gojge.Well, at least my online name is. Today, I'll be showing you my way to play AP , and I'll give you some neat tips and tricks about playing him. This is made to GUIDE people, not show them the exact way to build your . In this guide I'll be focusing on high mobility troughout the game.

**Video done on him by ColbyCheeze, nice, but differs from this guide's build**

I've been playing League for quite some time, and it is by far my favourite online game ever.
One day I decided I should try AP. Why not, I've seen it done multiple times, saw it on lots of streams, even some tournaments. Looked up a few guides, started playing it and I liked it. After some time I've decided to try out multiple item builds, and discovered which one I like best, which one is the most viable for me, and which one works best against what team composition.

And here I am today trying to share my knowledge. I'll try to make this guide quite comprehensive.I would ask of you not just to look at the items or w/e and -1, cause' every item has it's explanation in this guide, and almost every other viable item has it's - Why & Why not - section.

If you try it out, post your scores, comments, what do you like - what you don't like etc. Just please, keep of the flaming, and try before you vote. Thanks!

Acronyms

I'm pretty sure most of you can understand basic acronyms, I'll put up a few just in case.

AD - Attack Damage
AP - Ability Power
AS - Atack Speed
MS - Movement Speed
CD Red. - Cooldown Reduction
MPen - Magic Penetration
ArPen - Armor Penetration

Lore & Basic Information

Sion - The Undead Champion

Prior to the creation of the League of Legends, the city-states of Demacia and Noxus were locked in a brutal series of on-again-off-again wars that spanned the course of centuries. Both powers sought an advantage over the other, but Noxus was the city-state willing to forego conventional morality to achieve its goals. Only brute strength and the will to use it mattered to Noxus, and this is best exemplified in the murderous warrior, Sion. Used by the Noxians as a human battering ram, Sion would be sent thundering ahead of Noxian troops. He would mercilessly slaughter foes with his large double-bladed axe, ''Chopper''. His complete disregard for caution ultimately cost him his life, as he was captured and summarily executed by Demacian forces.

The Demacians thought that the beheading of Sion would be the end of his bloodthirsty ways. Death, however, was merely the beginning of Sion's rise to power. The famed Noxian assassin, Katarina, recovered Sion's remains and Noxian necromancers reanimated the behemoth to serve Noxus once again. Sion's reanimation actually bestowed new powers on him and increased the potency of his existing abilities, making him even more of a terror to behold on the battlefield. The Noxian High Command had a powerful new weapon in their hands - one they have brought to bear as a champion in the League of Legends. Even though Sion's increased powers would make him a powerful tool for the High Command's use outside the Fields of Justice, Noxus no longer risks losing one of their greatest champions in the League to chance or circumstance; Sion's days as a front-line fighter for Noxus' military conquests are at an end.

''For Noxus, death is a promotion.'' -- Pantheon

Basic Information

Labeled: Figher, Melee ( If you ask me, that's just waiting it's update haha )
Cost: 1350 IP , 585 RP ( The price is quite low, for such an amazing champion)

PROS / CONS

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Pros

+ Amazing burst damage!
+ 1:1 AP Ratios!
+ Very tanky, even when built AP. + 's passive.
+ One of the best gankers in the game thanks to
+ Very high AD for a caster caus' of
+ He's green!

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Cons

- Weak against ranged characters like , , and similar ranged carries.
- Mana dependant until you start stacking those s
- almost useless when building AP
- Reliant on cooldowns
- Item dependant
- Lack of range - Melee. With no gap closers.

Masteries, Runes, Summoner spells - Why & Why not?

Masteries

I usually run a typical caster 9-0-21 setup.
You get much use out of & from the Offense mastery tree

&

From the Utility mastery tree every caster finds usage in and , and next to these there are & that improve your mobility overall, and that's one of the things we're focused on, in this guide.

Runes

Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed : I consider these to be a MUST HAVE. They are by far, the most useful runes you can get on 90% of the champions. Combined, they give you 4.5% movement speed bonus, and along with Quickness they make your lvl 1 movement speed, with no boots = 344 MS
Greater Mark of Magic Penetration : Magic Penetration is useful whole game, since I don't usually get Sorcerer's Shoes, and these are the typical runes for any AP caster hero, except maybe Xerath, I consider them to be the best choice.
Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction : I take these over Greater Glyph of Scaling Cooldown Reduction because Sion is at his weakest early game, and these can help you quite a bit with spamming that Death's Cuirass more often, and staying alive in the early stages of the game.
Greater Seal of Armor : While it maybe better to get Greater Seal of Replenishment sometimes, I use these when laning solo top, because chances are I'll lane against a strong AD, and with them I start at about 30 Armor & 30 Magic Resist. This is really up to you, but stacking all those Doran's Rings, gives me more than enough mana regeneration early game.

Summoner Spells. What to get & What to troll with?

What to get:

: Overall great spell for casters, and since is a 2-hit wonder, this will help you both early and late game in securing kills, or shutting down that , , , or just about any hero with lifesteal or spell-vamp.

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: Must have since doesn't have a built in gap closer or escape. Also makes your ganks almost impossible to escape from.

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What can be considered:

helps against teams with heavy CC, but Instead you could just get , And the QSS gives you MR too.

is also a viable option, since you'll be solo laning most of the time, helps you get in lane faster, teleport to Sight Wards, s or etc. Useful for backdooring & mid/late game teamfighting.

helps your mobility, but you allready have your , , along with MS bonuses from items like etc. so I consider this to be an overkill - not so useful.

can be great and 1 on 1 fighting, and can shut down a , etc. but I usually leave this one up for the AD carry to take.

No, no, and no!

Heal : Every summoner past lvl 5 knows this is useless.
Clarity : You have your Doran's Rings, and this is useless late game.
Smite : You are not the jungler, you have much better picks than this one.
Revive : You are not zombie Karthus, although you can try this paired up with Teleport, but I consider it kind of ******ed.
Clairvoyance : That's the support's job. Don't need it.

Soon to be re-made™

Riot has OFFICIALLY announced that they re-made these 5 spells, for season 2. Get more information by clicking HERE!

Skill Explanation + Leveling Sequence + Your Main C-c-combo

Feel no Pain: This is s passive ability. It's a proc based ability with 40% chance of activating. It can help you survive in the early stages of the game, as well as the late game, but it's not considered reliable because it might not activate right when you need it & vice versa.

Tips and Tricks

When going up against AD characters in the early stage of the game, this can give you a nice advantage.
Can reduce minion damage a lot, and stop them from killing you after you've dived someone.
When playing AD, helps your jungle out a lot.

Cryptic Gaze: Straight out stun. Point and click. 1.5 sec duration at all levels, so it's pretty usefull all game. It does some heavy damage.

You're going to want to max out after and before .

Tips and Tricks

Use it to initiate & run away.
Be careful when up against Nocturne, Sivir, Morgana, because their shields can block the spell, and since it's speed is 1600, even someone lesser reflexes could do it.
Use it to stop channeling enemies, like Malzahar while he's channeling Nether Grasp or Fiddlesticks while hes channeling for his Crowstorm

Death's Caress: s "bread and butter" skill. Puts a shield on yourself that absorbs damage, and can be detonated after 4 seconds, in not destroyed in the meantime.

You're going to want to max out first.

Tips and Tricks

Since it has a 4 second delay before it can be activated, you shouldnt engage or cast Cryptic Gaze at the enemy untill at least 2.5 seconds have passed.
Try to aim your shield detonation right before it has been destroyed, to maximize damage absorbed, and get the most out of your ability.
When you get rank 3 of Death's Caress, with only a chunk of AP you can 1-shot ranged creep waves. Great for farming.

Enrage: One of the best AD steroids in the game. Makes your early game melee damage stronger than your AD carries, until they get their B.F. Sword

You're going to want to max out third.

Tips and Tricks

Passive of this spell is quite amazing, so you should try to keep this on all the time, and get as much CS as possible.
Synergizes well with your Cannibalism
After you pop Death's Caress & Cryptic Gaze, makes your autoatack harass hurt quite a bit.

Cannibalism: Doesn't benefit AP half as much as AD, but still an useful thing to have. Use it while your spells are on cooldown, and you're in melee range of your target.

You're going to want to max out last. ( While taking a point at level 6.

Tips and Tricks

This can help turn most of them 1v1 fights in your favor.
Great for gaining health back from minions & neutral creeps.
Since it's an AS steroid too, useful for bringing towers down faster.

Your C-c-combo

Your combo for best damage output should look something like this:

Your target should be about 60% health to do this, but it all depends on the target and their resistances.
Your Enrage should be on at all times.
Cast your Death's Caress, and wait about 2.5 seconds.
Get into range either by running, or suprising them with Flash, and cast Deathfire Grasp + Cryptic Gaze as soon as you're in range. ( If the target has a spell shield or Banshee's Veil, pop it using your Death's Caress, before casting the active of Deathfire Grasp to maximize your damage output )
Pop your Death's Caress, and cast Ignite if it's up.
Cast Cannibalism, and continue chasing your target and autoatacking.
If they're not dead, repeat your Death's Caress & Cryptic Gaze.

You have slain an enemy.

Ability Leveling Order

> > >

This is where I differ from other AP guides.I max after , because I find that getting 3HP per creep kill earlier in the game, can help you tankyness lategame more, than 50% more lifesteal, which you're gonna get in a few levels anyway. I take a point in at level 6, because it's not something you can just skip, and has a fair usage even in AP , along with helping your early game.

Itemization. What, When, Why? ( Very Comprehensive )

Core Items

Doran's Ring : Gives you AP, survivability, and that mana regen you need so badly. I usually get 3 of those. Yet most of you will dislike that, but that's up to you. With 3 dorans rings, I get a 300hp bonus which makes me very tanky early-mid game, and most importantly - I don't run out of mana! You can also get 2, if you feel safe with 2, but you should pair up that choice with Greater Seal of Replenishment . But test this out, and find out what works best for you - It's all up to you.
P.S: When running 3 , you won't have much room for wards, but you know after the early game is over, you can sell this and get 238 gold each.

Boots of Mobility : There is a lot of debate with these boots. I find them to be best for me, caus' these along with the + + Lichbane makes your speed UNPARALLELED! With these you can get to lane so much faster, go gank other lanes that probably wont be ready because everyone calls MIA after about 30 seconds which is more than enought for you to get in their faces.And since has NO escape, after you flash over a wall and stay out of combat for a few sec - you're safe = No hero can catch you. Works really great with initiating, chasing ( Well almost everyone except because of , but who would be foolish enough to chase ?
Your map control, ganks, tower defending, split pushing, is just amazing with these.
Mobility is what this build is all about.

[Sheen] : Amazing item on . Even in the recommended items - Seems Riot can get it right once. Gives you AP along with Mana. And there is always the passive that deals 100% of your base AD after every spell cast. (On a 2sec CD, duh). This item has everything AP Sion needs.

Full Item Build

: Getting this right after your core makes you a killing machine. Literally. You can eat their AD carries, or just about any squishie. Makes you even more tanky, caus' your shield can now absorb about 200 more damage. Simply - An item for any burst AP carry, and Sion is no exception.
: I usually get this right after my Rabadon's Deathcap. It gives me +7% MS, which is always usable, 350 mana, some magic resist, and an AMAZING ACTIVE. Every time you cast a spell your next autoatack deals 100% of your AP in damage. In this case, at that stage of the game that would be about 300+ bonus damage. All this on a 2sec cooldown. Neat for fighting & pushing!
: After some testing and consideration I've decided to replace Morello's Evil Tome with this, because adding a VERY POWERFUL new spell to you arsenal is more valuable than 2 MP5 & 5% CD Reduction.
: Since you're probably a big threat to the enemy team, and most likely you won't be the only AP on your team, this item makes you eat up their magic resist in mid & lategame.
: Your last item is a defensive one. Duh. In 60% of the games, your game doesn't last this long, but if it does, this would be one of the best choices for you. Gives you armor, more MR (Similar to Lichbane with MR) and after you die you can revive yourself with only 725HP though. But considering you can pop Death's Caress on as soon as you revive, this is a very good item for Sion.

A quick look an all the other Boots

: A vast majority of the people use these. I don't caus' my gamplay style fixates on incredible mobility and I belive my Archaic Knowledge + Void Staff to be enough to penetrate their MR and deal as Phreak would say - Lots of Damage.
: I don't get these because I have my Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction + Deathfire Grasp + Proabable access to the blue buff.
: Well these boots are just about good on every hero in the game. 35 Tenacity FTW. But as I've stated a million times before, I base my guide on incredible mobility so I don't get these, and prefer getting Moonflair Spellblade over them. But, there are some times when you really have no other choice... Quicksilver Sash is also an option.
: Well these might help you heal faster with your ultimate on, but they are only for AD Sion, for AP they are outclassed by other boots.
: The give the constant Movement speed 3, but I prefer to get Mobility Boots. Those just feel more worthy to me. Again up to you, try it and find out what suits you best.
: Nope. You could get them if you are running Greater Seal of Evasion , against heavy AD teams, but I don't recommend them since I don't go in the Defensive mastery tree and get Evasion along with Nimbleness . If you do, that would be kinda like going against half of the things this guide is trying to accomplish.

Other Viable & Non-Viable AP Items. In-Depth look.

: It gives you some nice MR and AP, and you could use this against AP heavy teams. Oh, and it also reduces the MR of all those around you, which work's well against low MR targets, but against high MR targets, makes a portion of the MPen from your Void Staff & Archaic Knowledge go to waste.
: It gives you mana + AP, and if you ask me this item is kinda worthless if you don't stack it. But if you do you lose so many other more useful stats you could get from other items. If you ask me, this item is only viable on Veigar
: This is more of a hybrid item, but It can find it place in AP Sion's build from time to time. Gives you AS when atacking, so you can regen that health of yours even faster, but I feel that it's ouclassed by a majority of other items. Situationally - It can be done.
: If you do decide to get this item, get it early - sell it as soon as you run out of space. This can help since I don't get Sorcerer's Shoes , but it's only useful early - to mid game, and after that It's kinda useless.
: Since it's recent nerf it's not nearly as good as it used to be, it can be used on hybrid Sion, and it's active can be really useful when chasing, and adding 1 more spell to your arsenal. But you're allready the #1 chaser in the team, so yeah.
: I don't like snowballing. It's not that reliable. If you play pre-lvl 30 games, or just plain normals against some baddies, you can give this a try, but in higher ELO games, you typically won't be able to stack up this item to 20. So, it's all up to you, but if they start killing you after you got that, Congratz, you've just lost 1200 gold.
: Good, but replaced in this build by Deathfire Grasp caus' the Deathfire Grasp provides more utility & damage troughout the whole game.
: This item can easily replace Mercury Treads if you're getting CC'ed hard. Very viable and used oftenly, but I recommend getting Quicksilver Sash instead.
: Used quite often on hybrid Sion. It can find it's place here, and synergizes with your ultimate amazingly, It gives a tad less AP then Deathfire Grasp. It gives about the same mana regen. And if you can get your hands on the blue buff CONSTANTLY late-game, you can replace any of these CD Reduction items with an item like Will of the Anicents or Zhonya's Hourglass .
: Contrary to many AP Sion players, I almost never get this item. I feel like I have enough tankyness as it is, due to getting so much Doran's Rings early, along with the passive of my Enrage. It does give you a great deal of mana & AP, but I usually don't buy this. However It's very viable on Sion, and get it if it suits your playstyle better.
: You can use it caus'of it's health gain, but the slow is not THAT useful for you, because you're allready a chasing machine with all that MS, and you have a built in stun, so this item is not needed.
: I actually use this item a lot. with it. Then I grab blue everytime I can of course. Caus' with your Cannibalism turned on, you gain so much health, this just helps your main source of the damage return your health too. Makes you very hard to kill.
: Well this item is just about good on any AP hero. You aren't that squishie by nature, and you should get this if their AD is giving you trouble and/or you're getting focused. Viable.

Defensive items:
- : I end up using this item in a lot of my games, caus' it's can work well against a Malzahar, Galio, Warwick, Mordekaiser = Nether Grasp, Idol of Durand, Infinite Duress. Children of the Grave, and just about any form of CC. Very useful.
- : The mana & health bonus can always come in handy, and helps with that nasty Karthus ultimate, or just about any spell targeted on you.
- : Only get this if their AP carry is raping you. It does give a nice MS bonus to your allready unmatched speed, and the health regen is usefull, since you have more than 3000 health lategame.
- : Gives you mana, cooldown reduction, and the second highest armor in the game. Get against heavy AD teams with a lot of AS. The passive sure can screw them up.
- : Same as with Frozen Heart . Get only against AD heavy teams. It's active can help in chasing, escaping, staying alive.
- : Can really f**k up that Tryndamere that's in your face. Overall useful, but get only if ABSOLUTELY need to.

Gameplay & Overall Tips & Bonus Facts about Sion

Gameplay + Overall Tips

Early game:

You should play very safely in a solo lane the first 5-6 levels, because that's when you are at your weakest. You can get harassed easily by ranged characters, but use your shield to your advantage as much as you can, and hold out until the mid game.

Mid game:

This is when you start shining. You've probably got your core untill now, and thanks to all that MS, you make ganking a breeze. Run to mid if you're top, and to either open lane if you're mid, and gank gank gank. Chances are they won't escape you. Get your and start bashing some faces. You'll dominate in Mid-Game teamfights very easily.

Late game:

You are an amazing burst damage dealer by now. In teamfights you can and eat up their carries like cake. Your shield also makes you very tanky, so you're useful overall. Try to aim your stuns at high priority targets, and try to interrupt channeled spells. ( Stop that damn while hes channeling! )

Overall Tips

Get a solo lane, or go mid.
Try to farm as much as you can, 100 CS at 13 minute mark is considered a good farm.
Gank as early as you get your Mobility Boots
Don't be afraid to 1vs1, chances are you'll win it.
Buy Health Potions, Mana Potions & Sight Wards for better laning.
Always get an Elixir of Brilliance if you have spare gold, and you know there will be a Baron/Dragon fight soon.

** Smart Casting - LEARN TO USE IT

Smart casting is enabling all you spells to be cast at click, at the current location of your mouse cursor. ( Something like Flash , or Karthus Lay Waste ) . This is vhat most of the veteran players to, and it improves your gameplay, sometimes makes up for a slow reaction time, and overall helps you.

Again a video by ColbyCheeze, and this one has a chapter about smart casting.

Bonus FunFacts about Sion!

**Taken from LOL WIKI , credit for finding all this out goes to them**

Trivia:
- Sion was designed by Ezreal (person).
- Sion's Dance is reminiscent of "Moskau" by Dschinghis Khan.
- Sion was one of the first six characters designed, along with, Singed, Annie, Sivir, Twisted Fate and Lee Sin.
- Sion was one of the champions available for the Noxian pool during the Ionia vs. Noxus match, and was one of the selected champions.
- Feel No Pain was possibly taken from the Warhammer 40k table top game, where it is a special rule that gives units a chance to ignore wounds.
Quotes:
- Many of Sion's quotes are based on old Arnold Schwarzenegger movies.
- Sion's quote "Get on my Chopper!" is a reference to Arnold Schwarzenegger's famous line "Get to the Chopper!"
- Sion's quote "Who is your summoner, and what does he do?" is a reference to Kindergarten Cop.
- Sion's taunt is a reference to an exchange in the 1982 movie Conan the Barbarian between the Mongol General and Conan.
- Sion's joke is a reference to Dem Bones.
- Sion shares a quote with Kayle: "Lead me to battle".
Skins:
- Sion's Hextech skin is a reference to the Terminator franchise.
- The robotic eye on Sion's Hextech skin is on the right in the original artwork, but is on the left in the chinese artwork.
- Sion's Barbarian skin is a reference to the character Conan the Barbarian.
- Sion's Lumberjack skin is a reference to the movie Raw Deal, where a main character was played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. At the beginning of the movie he was dressed as a lumberjack.
- Sion's character model now shows him to wield a double-bladed axe, as he does in his Warmonger and Barbarian skins, rather than the classic single-bladed axe that still currently appears in both of his classic skin artworks.

Q&A Section / Changelog

Changelog:

07.11.2001

After some testing and feedback, replaced Morello's Evil Tome with Deathfire Grasp
Fixed various coding and grammar errors.

Q & A Section

SOON TO COME

Final Words & Thanks

I've read MOBAfire guides so many times, and not once did I stop and ask myself: "Is this hard" ? Making a comprehensive guide out of scrap? I thoughr it's not, and bot was I suprised when I actually started making one!
Making of this guide took me well over 13 HOURS of non-stop work.
So I hope my work can pay of by showing players everything they need to know about that AP .

I'd like to thank jhoijhoi for the AWESOME template, which I used mostly while I was makeing this guide. Helped me out a TON and anyone who is interested in the process of guide-making should go an look at HERE.

Please, COMMENT and VOTE on the guide if you like it, and give some CONSTRUCTIVE criticsm too.
Thank you for reading this, see you on The Fields of Justice!

Gojge