Welcome to my guide for the APC/Support champion Lux - The Lady of Luminosity.

All of my guides are written as cheat sheets, meaning they are short, concise, and focus on general tips and rationales. This is not an in-depth guide and is geared toward an already experience player who wants to quickly learn about a champion they may not be too familiar with.

This guide includes builds and strategies for this champion and assumes you are familiar with the basics concepts of the game.


My build focuses Cooldown Reduction and Magic Penetration to optimize Lux's skill set and poke/combo power.

This Mastery build is considered a standard 21/0/9 page for mages and 9/0/21 AP Support with the exception that I dumped the points from Cooldown Reduction masteries into AS or support items since the items from this build will hit the Cooldown Reduction cap of 40% on their own.

If you run Teleport, you will not need Summoner's Wrath and can dump that point in Butcher .

Magic Penetration

Highest value rune to an APC DPS. Improves both poking and combo damage. Shreds starting Magic Resistance, improving early game damage. Available as Marks and Quintessences.

Ability Power

Provide DPS advantage, particularly early. Improve farming efficiency. Large increase to poke damage. Available as Marks, Seals, Glyphs, and Quintessences.

Armor

Useful vs. AD Mid-Laners. Reduces enemy AD-Based Jungler damage. Flat runes recommended over per level since most useful Early-Game. Available as Marks, Quintessences, Glyphs, and Seals.

Magic Resistance

Useful vs AP Mid-Laners. Reduces enemy AP-Based Jungler damage. Recommended over scaling runes because more useful Early-Game. Available as Marks, Quintessences, Glyphs, and Seals.

Movement Speed

Increases ability to avoid poke damage. Allows for faster response time. Increases escape chance. Available as Quintessences.

GP10

Provides extra gold, allowing your lane partner to monopolize farm. Helps to build GP10 items faster. Will compromise your defense rating, play with caution. Best if used with GP10 Masteries. Available as Seals, Quintessences.

Flash

Versatile Spell, can be used for offense or defense. Best when conserved for an escape. Can be used to move between terrain obstacles. Does NOT cancel incoming projectiles.

Ignite

True Damage-Over-Time provides large damage boost. Reduces incoming heals for duration, counters Heal. Best if applied before enemy decides to escape. Grants very strong Early-Game DPS advantage.

Teleport

Allows for quickly returning to lane if you need to RTB. Allows for fast back-door tower/inhibitor destruction. Can be used on to wards. Can be used to gank other lanes, particularly useful if used on brush wards for surprise element.

Exhaust

Support Only*** Massive reduction to enemy damage output. Also reduces enemy movement speed, allowing easier chase or escape. Can be used to bait enemies into a losing fight. Highly useful in Late-Game.

Cleanse

Removes all de-buffs, counters Hard-CC champs and Exhaust. Reduces incoming de-buff durations. Best if applied after an enemy applies a Hard-CC. Highly useful in Late-Game.

Barrier

Increases lane endurance. Can be used to bait enemies into a losing fight. Increases escape chance if conserved for that purpose.

Illumination (Passive)

Causes all targets hit by abilities to become marked. Mark is detonated by using basic auto-attacks. Can be detonated in rapid succession during combos for maximum effect. This effect increments with leveling, making it weak early and strong later.

Light Binding (Q)

Snares up to two targets Hits the first target for more damage than the second. Can pass through a minion or champion to reach a 2nd target. Should be conserved early to use as an escape. Has slow travel time, careful timing needed for best utilization. Strong spell to chase with. Should always lead with this spell when attempting to combo.

Prismatic Barrier (W)

Only effects friendly champions. Can be used to shield a target twice. Optimally used when target is taking damage already. No need to target anything if using only on yourself. Best if used on as many targets as possible during teamfights. Can be used to prevent Damage-Over-Time deaths after escape.

Lucent Singularity (E)

Primary poke and farm ability. AoE damage, best if used on multiple targets. Slows enemies in field prior to detonation. Precise placement can cause longer slow durations. Travel time is fast, always cast on target, no need to lead. Second spell to cast in combo, detonate after ultimate animation. Grants vision, can be used to scout bushes or locate targets. Can be used to grant vision of buffs/baron/dragon to assist in stealing.

Final Spark (R)

Detonates passive. High damage will kill most champions below 25% health. High range makes ideal choice for killing fleeing champions. Gives vision of target area once activated. CD shortens with level increase, conserve early, spam late. Can be used to farm entire minion waves at once. High range can cause you to gank from jungle unseen. Best if used to initiate in teamfights. Low Late-Game Cooldown means you can initiate with this and likely use again during battle.

Provides early HP and Mana Regen. Crystalline Flask is refillable, useful for upwards of 20 minutes. Ward can assist jungler to invade or prevent invasion.

Provides movement speed to poke and farm safely. Movement speed will make it more difficult to be ganked. Potions counter-act early poking.

Sorcerer's Shoes are the most logical item as we will have max Cooldown Reduction later and the Magic Penetration is highly useful for poking and Late-Game combos. Provides high Mana Regen and some damage. Designed for aggressive lane, attempt to poke and deny farm. Lower DPS than rushing a full item.

Chalice of Harmony provides a high and affordable early Mana Regen and Magic Resistance. Haunting Guise gives HP, Ability Power, and Magic Penetration. Enchantment: Homeguard allows you to return from healing much faster and can make defending your base or catching over-extended enemies easier.

Provides very high DPS for combos and poking. Very high Magic Penetration will cause near true damage to anyone with under 100 Magic Resistance. Very low defense, positioning is important. Capped 40% Cooldown Reduction will allow you to spam abilities and combos, notably Final Spark. Replace Void Staff with situational items if Armor or Magic Resistance is needed or enemies have low Magic Resistance.

Zhonya's Hourglass provides Armor, Ability Power, and a unique Stasis Active. Build vs high AD Teams or AD Mid-Laners. Abyssal Mask provides Magic Resistance, Ability Power, and Magic Penetration. Build vs high AP Teams or when losing to AP Mid-Laners and you need Magic Resistance. Lich Bane build if enemy lacks Magic Resistance. Will provide higher DPS and burst vs low Magic Resistance targets. Archangel's Staff can provide near limitless Mana. Expensive and not optimal since you already have Athene's Unholy Grail and Morellonomicon for Mana. Rod of Ages provides HP, Mana and Ability Power. Expensive and not optimal. You shouldn't need more HP or Mana and the item takes time to charge. Rylai's Crystal Scepter provides HP, Ability Power, and a Unique Utility Slow. Not optimal as only your ultimate is the only spell that will use the passive and you don't need the HP. Deathfire Grasp provides high burst vs one target. Requires close range and has a high Cooldown, which makes this item less ideal for Lux. Will of the Ancients provides Ability Power and Spell Vamp. Not optimal as you shouldn't need Spell Vamp as you should not be in the center of the fight taking damage.

Weak vs. Gap-Closers. Weak vs. Hard-CC and Burst. Low HP makes her easily bursted. Only escape is her bind, if on Cooldown she is exposed.

Strong vs. Short Range Casters. Strong vs. Melee Casters. High poke ability combined makes her excel at denying farm. High range and shield makes her strong vs. other poke champions.

Synergizes best with poke ADCs. High poke ability exploits burst champions. High damage combo with bind also exploits burst champions. Weak early game HP and damage makes her a passive support early. Strong combos make her a very aggressive Mid-Game support.

Any comments, suggestions, or mistakes I made that you find I will appreciate reading and thanks for taking the time to read my guide!

02/27/13
Version 1.0 posted.

03/05/13
Version 1.1 posted.

Guide name and introduction tweeked.