REALLY annoying. In extreme because once he's fed you cannot do anything against him. He'll silence, making you unable to e away and his damage is absurd with e and ult, which you arent going to be able to escape since he probably has stridebreaker. Cannot block any aspects of his kit.
Karthus
Against a fed one, the matchup is even. Dodge his q's with your passive ms and kill him and quickly get out of his passive zone and you'll be fine. If needed, take stopwatch for his ult (obviously).
Kog'Maw
Easily the absolute worst matchup for Samira. outranges you and deals tons of damage from early - late and never falls off, hard to get onto due to slows and can easily melt you due to attack speed steroid and armor/mr shred. If you're facing kog i'm so sorry
Maokai
Used to be in extreme but after his rework, he isn't much of an issue. Stay away from bushes and block his r and you'll be fine. You can take cleanse into this matchup if needed.
Pantheon
YOU CANNOT FIGHT HIM PRE 6. If you even attempt to fight him at level 1-3 he will completely obliterate you. He'll stun and then you are dead. This is an awful laner to have to deal with and one of the worst due to his insane early damage and stun which you cannot block. This also means anytime you ult he's just gonna stun you.
Senna
Not much to say but she outranges you and will scale harder than you. Only her w is blockable. Punish her early and you'll be okay.
Tahm Kench
Despite being a tank, his damage is outrageous and once he hits you you're done for. Paired with another cc heavy support, you need cleanse or you'll be a goner.
Udyr
After rework, still hasn't changed in tier. He can easily stun you and shield a majority of your ult. Just run!
Veigar
Due to being able to block his ult, this matchup is fine. Run out of his cage with your passive ms and you'll be okay.
Volibear
He runs up to you. He stuns. he slaps you. you're dead. ff15
Ziggs
You'll need shield, bone plating, and second wind in my opinion. His poke is heavy and you won't be able to get on him much due to his w. Just be safe.
Alistar
MOOO... MOOO.. lots of cc and throws you around a lot. With his ult he's going to take barely any damage. If its a good alistar player you are going to STRUGGLE. Take cleanse. Late game he'll be able to stop your ult due to his short cooldowns across the board, making your high damage output low if you dont kill him first.
Kalista
I can't accurately state the threat of Kalista because I rarely see her but it's somewhat major. If they have a tank support like Nautilus/Leona that can easily be thrown in and cc chain you, you need to go cleanse. Her early game can melt you so be careful!
Leona
Lots of cc and short cooldowns at middle-late game, so you'll be stunlocked. Take cleanse into this and try to let her engage first, since she'll have a struggle getting out due to no mobility other than her E and flash.
Lucian
Stomp him early and you'll be fine. This is interchangable if its lucian nami setup, then you're a goner.
Nautilus
Same thing as Leona! Lots of CC and is a tank support so takes little dmg. Take cleanse and be safe.
Rell
Rell is super strong when with you, but this goes both ways. She will cc you to all hell and you'll be unable to move, especially when she ults, which makes it a perfect time for her to cc you when you're ulting. TAKE CLEANSE.
Swain
APC or support he's very annoying. Try to dodge, block his e/q. He might outheal you in his ult during teamfights but if you CAN then try to secure early kills and go from there. This matchup is bad but not the worst.
Taliyah
It really depends on how good the Taliyah is. If she throws you into her e, you'll be stunned for a bit, which makes her be able to deal tons of damage, especially if she already used q and is about to use her worked ground q. ROCK SOLID.
Twitch
Twitch is a hard matchup for sure - can only block autos/ult, but he'll outdamage you because of attack speed steroids and large amounts of damage if he goes ap. Paired with an enchantress, twitch is very hard to get kills on. Save your w for his ult and try to block a few shots of it then attempt to engage, if not you can always disengage to wait for ult to go down.
Blitzcrank
Completely manageable. Dodge his hook and remember he'll save his e and silence for your ult. Other than that he isnt going to be doing much. His hook is VERY dangerous though so be behind those minions constantly!
Ezreal
Pretty even. You can block his ult, q, and e projectiles but I'm not sure about w. Ezreal will chunk you late game but overall this matchup isn't that hard.
Jinx
Only in major because of how much she outranges you, but this can easily be brought down to minor if you get an early kill. She needs to scale and without it, she's useless. You cannot block her w but you can block her ult.
Jhin
Jhin overall does a LOT of damage so be careful in lane, getting away from his q's so it doesnt bounce onto you. You can't block his w that well (it will still root even if you block), but you can block his 4th shot, q, and ult bullets. Simply be careful into this matchup, Jhin is known to do high damage output and this isn't any different for Samira. Try to get yourself onto him but DONT get yourself killed trying to catch up to him when he crits. You won't be able to.
Vayne
This matchup could be a lot worse but ultimately, don't let her get early kills! Block her e with your w (she'll cast an animation to indicate it, you'll have to react quickly or get your ult off quick.
Xayah
Pretty even for Samira - outranges you heavily and will definitely kill if you dont block e. YOU HAVE TO DO THIS. If you don't she will chunk you and kill. Ulting while she does is a bad play and will get you killed as she'll e when you're ulting. Due to being unable to w during ult you *might* get caught out. Be wary of ult and e, simply!
Yasuo
Post6, this is what makes it even. His e dashes and knockups make it hard to hit him and easily get a kill on him. His w does make ults and q's challenging to hit so be cautious.
Ashe
Although she will perma slow you late game, you can block her ult. Be sure to not stay at towers/objectives and overextend because her ult is FAST and you won't have much time to react with your w. Take cleanse if they have lots of cc.
Draven
It depends on how good the player is but this matchup is easy. You can block ult, just don't do early fights. His q CHUNKS. Wait for mid game and then engage or try to get off early poke to lead to kills.
Tristana
You can block her e and ult, so save your w for this ! Early game she might kill you so be careful to not let her snowball. Her late game is VERY strong and she can easily hop away from your ult and general combo, ensuring her safety. Be mindful when she has q up, try to let it run out and then reengage.
Sivir
Crit sivir is no issue but if she goes lethality you have to dodge her q. It will chunk and maybe even oneshot you late game. Laning should be easy, simply dodge her q and do everything you can to get ahead early to stomp her and slow her gold amount. Overall, be mindful of her q!
Aphelios
free lane. you can block his entire ult, rifle q, etc. You should be completely fine. Don't fight him close range when he has chakram/severum combo. THIS IS SKILL DEPENDENT which is why its in tiny. If they're bad the lane is free.
Caitlyn
You can block basically all of her kit, especially her ult. She does outrange you but you can get onto her easily as long as you dodge her e. If it's a good caitlyn then you might have some trouble.
Kai'Sa
You can block practically all of her q if you time it right, along with her w. Easy to outdamage through her shield and kit, overall this matchup is very easy for Samira.
Miss Fortune
Very easy matchup for samira. You can block a majority of her ult and get right up in her face to block the majority of the bullets as the wave counts as a projectile for every bullet. Save your w for her ult. She can maybe escape with W ms but you're probably going to kill her before she can get away.
Pyke
Very little to almost none. You can block his e if you time it right which gives you a free escape. NO MORE EXECUTES!
Varus
As long as you block his ult you'll be completely fine. He will machinegun you though, so be careful!
Zeri
Even after rework, she isn't much of an issue.
Nilah
As of now, with kogmaw, the hardest matchup for Samira. she has absolutely no projectiles to block and can latch onto you easily, disarm your ult with her r, and more. She's a tough matchup! That and her w makes it so that combo weaving is paused - even with only a second given to Nilah, she can easily kill you within that timeframe at the late game period.
K'Sante
Take cleanse and any major tenacity or the matchup is simply done. Due to how cc heavy he is, you'll be able to ult and combo to it. He is not a bot laner but at the same time you're going to need merc treads, legend: tenacity, and more. Get the other members of the enemy team before him.
Bard
Block his q and the matchup is fine.
Anivia
You can block her q and e, but with her ult ,you're unable to escape if she puts a wall behind you. You'll have to flash out at each time (probably) and even so you're going to struggle.
Brand
R can be blocked along with q, but the rest of his kit cannot. His burst is heavy and you'll need MR against him. Paired with nami, the matchup is literally unplayable.
Alistar
Really good overall, yet another tank cc chain champion that gives free heals and cc for you to proc passive.
Amumu
free cc chain and works perfectly with ult and your kit in general.
Blitzcrank
Probably in the top 3, he does everything that you need - free cc, a knockup (remember your passive, if they're knocked up, you can knockup as well!) and silences them so you can ensure ult.
Leona
Leona is AMAZING with samira. Her cc chain gets them locked in place so they cant react as you get your combo up and ult. One of the best to lane with.
Morgana
Her root allows you to engage very easily and give you a free cleanse from cc, also locks them in place as long as you stick with her. I really like laning with Morgana personally!
Nautilus
One of the best. CC that they can't get out of and a great cc chain that Samira can easily engage onto. Really good!
Pyke
REALLY good. So so so good. Drags the target(s) back to you and he has a free execute and gold steroid so you're going to be set in lane. This is an amazing lane combo and one of my favorites.
Rell
Probably the absolute best. Laning with rell is amazing and with her cc chain and ult, they're basically unable to move and you can freely ult. UNBREAKABLE!
Renata Glasc
REALLY good. Her w is a free revive so you can get ult off while burning out, get a kill, and you're saved! YIPEEE!! Renata overall is an amazing laner and one of the best supports (at time of writing). Her ult also is free cc and you can proc passive off of it.
Seraphine
Free cc and a charm! Perfect for Samira to lock onto and ult. Her shield is very strong and can save you in a lot of fights. Lots of poke in lane and favorable engages as long as they're hit.
Swain
He'll heal with you and his pull is an ideal aspect of his kit that you can follow up on, and he drags them to you! free gap closer!
Anivia
Only one cc but it's enough to get your passive off and e into. Pretty good! Her wall is nice to block them off and disengage while you combo them.
Brand
Lots of burst and can get them very low as long as they land their combo appropriately. Eeney, meeney, miney, BURN!
Galio
It's alright, I'm not a big fan of Galio but he has lots of cc so it works. Free magic shield too!
Ivern
Honestly, pretty strong. Only have had these once or twice but he has a large shield and a good amount of cc/slows. Daisy is super strong with her knockups and you can knock them up further. Generally great! DAISSSY!!!
Janna
A knockup that you can proc your knockup off of, free ad and a shield and healing in wide radius (about as big as your own ult). One of the only enchantresses that work nicely with Samira.
Lux
It's alright, nothing amazing but it's still rather good! (Only putting it in strong due to her burst against squishies) You can get solid engages off as long as she lands q. Lots of burst too making kills easy to secure.
Maokai
Very good ! Lot's of slows and lots of cc for you to apply passive. Really good overall!
Nami
One of the stronger enchantresses with Samira. Free slow and damage amp, even more slows with ult, free knockup and lots of healing! MOONSTAURRNNN
Neeko
REALLY good. Lots of cc and you her ult with your own is a really strong combo. Lots of burst too so the adc will, most likely, get killed once you follow up. Ensures snowballing and as long as they stick with you its free peel!
Pantheon
You can hop onto his point and click stun and he also has an execute and free block for damage (just like you) and a lane wide ult that has a long range and-
Tahm Kench
super strong ! Free saves with his ult that can assure you get a reset off in a fight or save you if you're about to die. A strong tank with a nice amount of cc, generally good.
Taric
You can easily hop on to the enemy once he stuns and his ult with your own is REALLY strong. Also he heals you a lot! YIPEE!!
Thresh
Really strong ! His hook drags them to you and his lantern gives you a free gap closer, and his ult slows them really nicely. Overall lots of cc that you can react to.
Zilean
Free revive, stun, slows, and insane speed boost to gap close even further. ZOOOM!!!!!
Zyra
It's strong, nice amounts of cc and her ult aligns well with your own. Lots of poke in lane which saves your mana and free slows, too. SPROUT!
Bard
It's... okay ! Could definitely be a lot better. He can't tank much, his heals are okay but once he roams you're kinda without a support. Reliable aspects are his ult and q.
Karma
It's alright, she has a lot of slows, nice shielding and a root so at least you can proc your passive off in fights. This isn't the best but it's not the worst.
Rakan
I haven't laned much with Rakan but it's alright. Purely decent. He doesn't have much healing but his charm and w are nice engages for you, but not as as strong when compared to others.
Taliyah
I haven't laned with a taliyah yet so I can't really rank it but she has a knockup and stun so it has potential!
Veigar
It's alright, just go when he cages. Also a free execute once you get them low enough.
Zoe
*sleeping sfx*
Braum
It's okay, I haven't met a good Braum player yet but it's purely just okay. Nothing outstanding and his passive takes a LONG time to proc so it's not really favorable.
Lulu
Not much cc other than ult which is on a long cooldown. Nice shielding and such but it's not the best with Samira.
Senna
It's really not that good. Only one cc you can follow up on and it's purely okay, just not something that pairs well with Samira.
Sona
Not that good. You can only engage from her ult, but her spam abilities are good. It's just not that strong.
Soraka
Enchantresses aren't good with samira. No cc other than e to proc her passive off of, making engages a lot harder. This isn't favorable other than the rapid healing.
Twitch
No cc but lots of burst so it's... okay.
Xerath
Not really that good... good slows and poke but that's really it. His stun isn't anything major. Sorry buddy.
Yuumi
It could be a lot better but it's still a decent pick that Samira works with, free healing and a good ult that you can follow up on with your own ult. WOOO! Similar issues with sona and soraka.
Ashe
no. have to rely on ult
Akshan
the akshan support incident
Miss Fortune
No.
Vel'Koz
Eh... I don't like this lane. There really is no synergy. Only favorable aspects are knockup and poke.
Synergies
IdealStrongOkLowNone
Alistar
Really good overall, yet another tank cc chain champion that gives free heals and cc for you to proc passive.
Amumu
free cc chain and works perfectly with ult and your kit in general.
Blitzcrank
Probably in the top 3, he does everything that you need - free cc, a knockup (remember your passive, if they're knocked up, you can knockup as well!) and silences them so you can ensure ult.
Leona
Leona is AMAZING with samira. Her cc chain gets them locked in place so they cant react as you get your combo up and ult. One of the best to lane with.
Morgana
Her root allows you to engage very easily and give you a free cleanse from cc, also locks them in place as long as you stick with her. I really like laning with Morgana personally!
Nautilus
One of the best. CC that they can't get out of and a great cc chain that Samira can easily engage onto. Really good!
Pyke
REALLY good. So so so good. Drags the target(s) back to you and he has a free execute and gold steroid so you're going to be set in lane. This is an amazing lane combo and one of my favorites.
Rell
Probably the absolute best. Laning with rell is amazing and with her cc chain and ult, they're basically unable to move and you can freely ult. UNBREAKABLE!
Renata Glasc
REALLY good. Her w is a free revive so you can get ult off while burning out, get a kill, and you're saved! YIPEEE!! Renata overall is an amazing laner and one of the best supports (at time of writing). Her ult also is free cc and you can proc passive off of it.
Seraphine
Free cc and a charm! Perfect for Samira to lock onto and ult. Her shield is very strong and can save you in a lot of fights. Lots of poke in lane and favorable engages as long as they're hit.
Swain
He'll heal with you and his pull is an ideal aspect of his kit that you can follow up on, and he drags them to you! free gap closer!
Anivia
Only one cc but it's enough to get your passive off and e into. Pretty good! Her wall is nice to block them off and disengage while you combo them.
Brand
Lots of burst and can get them very low as long as they land their combo appropriately. Eeney, meeney, miney, BURN!
Galio
It's alright, I'm not a big fan of Galio but he has lots of cc so it works. Free magic shield too!
Ivern
Honestly, pretty strong. Only have had these once or twice but he has a large shield and a good amount of cc/slows. Daisy is super strong with her knockups and you can knock them up further. Generally great! DAISSSY!!!
Janna
A knockup that you can proc your knockup off of, free ad and a shield and healing in wide radius (about as big as your own ult). One of the only enchantresses that work nicely with Samira.
Lux
It's alright, nothing amazing but it's still rather good! (Only putting it in strong due to her burst against squishies) You can get solid engages off as long as she lands q. Lots of burst too making kills easy to secure.
Maokai
Very good ! Lot's of slows and lots of cc for you to apply passive. Really good overall!
Nami
One of the stronger enchantresses with Samira. Free slow and damage amp, even more slows with ult, free knockup and lots of healing! MOONSTAURRNNN
Neeko
REALLY good. Lots of cc and you her ult with your own is a really strong combo. Lots of burst too so the adc will, most likely, get killed once you follow up. Ensures snowballing and as long as they stick with you its free peel!
Pantheon
You can hop onto his point and click stun and he also has an execute and free block for damage (just like you) and a lane wide ult that has a long range and-
Tahm Kench
super strong ! Free saves with his ult that can assure you get a reset off in a fight or save you if you're about to die. A strong tank with a nice amount of cc, generally good.
Taric
You can easily hop on to the enemy once he stuns and his ult with your own is REALLY strong. Also he heals you a lot! YIPEE!!
Thresh
Really strong ! His hook drags them to you and his lantern gives you a free gap closer, and his ult slows them really nicely. Overall lots of cc that you can react to.
Zilean
Free revive, stun, slows, and insane speed boost to gap close even further. ZOOOM!!!!!
Zyra
It's strong, nice amounts of cc and her ult aligns well with your own. Lots of poke in lane which saves your mana and free slows, too. SPROUT!
Bard
It's... okay ! Could definitely be a lot better. He can't tank much, his heals are okay but once he roams you're kinda without a support. Reliable aspects are his ult and q.
Karma
It's alright, she has a lot of slows, nice shielding and a root so at least you can proc your passive off in fights. This isn't the best but it's not the worst.
Rakan
I haven't laned much with Rakan but it's alright. Purely decent. He doesn't have much healing but his charm and w are nice engages for you, but not as as strong when compared to others.
Taliyah
I haven't laned with a taliyah yet so I can't really rank it but she has a knockup and stun so it has potential!
Veigar
It's alright, just go when he cages. Also a free execute once you get them low enough.
Zoe
*sleeping sfx*
Braum
It's okay, I haven't met a good Braum player yet but it's purely just okay. Nothing outstanding and his passive takes a LONG time to proc so it's not really favorable.
Lulu
Not much cc other than ult which is on a long cooldown. Nice shielding and such but it's not the best with Samira.
Senna
It's really not that good. Only one cc you can follow up on and it's purely okay, just not something that pairs well with Samira.
Sona
Not that good. You can only engage from her ult, but her spam abilities are good. It's just not that strong.
Soraka
Enchantresses aren't good with samira. No cc other than e to proc her passive off of, making engages a lot harder. This isn't favorable other than the rapid healing.
Twitch
No cc but lots of burst so it's... okay.
Xerath
Not really that good... good slows and poke but that's really it. His stun isn't anything major. Sorry buddy.
Yuumi
It could be a lot better but it's still a decent pick that Samira works with, free healing and a good ult that you can follow up on with your own ult. WOOO! Similar issues with sona and soraka.
Ashe
no. have to rely on ult
Akshan
the akshan support incident
Miss Fortune
No.
Vel'Koz
Eh... I don't like this lane. There really is no synergy. Only favorable aspects are knockup and poke.
Samira is a stylish marksman that puts all of her focus into style and combos, showing the enemy whos best with a wild display of combos that are sure to devastate the enemy at hand. Samira does best with supports such as Leona, Nautilus, Renata Glasc, and even more. This daredevil isn't afraid to show who's the real leader!
But what exactly does Samira make best use of?( Immortal Shieldbow comes to mind..) In this guide, you'll learn about her synergies and counters along with optimal runes, items, and even more, such as auto resets! What more awaits? Only the bravest can find out.
Style?: More than you could ever need! Comboing?: Never seen before. Speciality: Slaying on your enemies! Why should you pick Samira? Samira, at the time of writing, is one of the best adc's at the moment (according to u.gg, based on Plat+), able to style on your enemies without a second thought! Although, for real, Samira is able to output high amounts of damage in a short amount of time, the damage being amplified in melee range. Being able to gap close and overall get right in the enemies face means you'll be up close and personal, able to deal massive amounts of damage while lifestealing the damage back with Death's Dance, Bloodthirster, Legend: Bloodline and more! Samira herself is everything you could ask for in an adc - decent amounts of range, a windwall ( Blade Whirl), dashing multiple times and resetting her Wild Rush cooldown, then releasing Inferno Trigger to deal massive amounts of damage! Below, the pro's and con's of Samira are described in more detail. STYLE ON THEM!
Pros and Cons!
PROS
+lots of burst/damage output! +high snowball potential! +AMAZING in teamfights! +W is able to block gamechanging ults! +High skill ceiling - lots of resets, combos, and more to be learned. +Easily the most fun ADC at the moment! Never boring and always fun to combo.
Samira, as stated, has much outplay potential and a lot of combos and mechanics that most Samira players wouldn't consider - this could range from auto resetting with passive and q to finding the perfect combo with your abilities, to even flashing out of a wall only to e back to them to head back into the fray! Samira thrives off of getting early kills and snowballing, along with getting early trades to ensure her safety in the laning phase and past that so she doesn't fall off. W can block ults such as Bullet Time, Call of the Forge God, Supreme Display of Talent, Blade of the Exile and more! Bursting down squishies is a primary aspect for Samira, getting her resets off and styling on idiots, as she says. With all of those strengths, teamfights are where she shines, deleting the team with her rapidfire Inferno Trigger.
CONS
-Useless when behind. -Suffers into heavy cc. -Suffers into tanks. -Hard to master, easy to play. -Either devours or is starving. -Fails into assassins.
As stated, once behind, Samira turns into a walking sack of gold. There isn't much she can do much assist with tickling them with Flair and similar tactics. If a Zed, Talon, Qiyana, etc. lock onto you, you're also just going to fall and die. There isn't much you can do but try to dodge their abilities and outlive with Immortal Shieldbow or Guardian Angel. Heavy cc kills her but Cleanse can save her in moments along with Black Shield or a tank support that can soak cc. Samira's skill ceiling is rather high, her combos having to be precise to achieve S rank at the quickest time possible to ensure her core damage. Into people like Ornn, you have to be careful or you'll deal little damage while they'll kill you. Tanks are a huge counter to the squishy adc that Samira is!
Abilities
PASSIVE
ABILITY
Daredevil Impulse(Passive):INNATE - STYLE: Samira's damaging basic attacks and abilities against at least one enemy Champion different from the previous damaging hit made against champions generate a Style stack for 6 seconds, which refreshes on subsequent hits and stacks up to 6 times.
Samira gains 0% − 21% (based on Style stacks) bonus Movement Speed.
Daredevil Impulse.png
INNATE: Samira's basic attacks against targets in Range model.png 200 range use her blade, becoming Projectile.png non-projectile. Blade attacks on-hit, Blade Whirl, Wild Rush and the slash and explosives of Flair deal 2 − 19 (based on level) (+ 3.5% − 10.5% (based on level) AD) bonus magic damage, increased by 0% − 100% (based on target's missing health).
Samira's basic attack against an immobilized target is empowered to have an uncancelable windup and deal the attack's damage over 6 strikes in 0.5 seconds. If the target is a monster or is airborne, the attack also knocks them up for 0.5 seconds. Samira will dash into her attack range from the target if they are nearby, though not through terrain.
The empowered attack resets Samira's basic attack timer, is affected by critical strike modifiers, applies on-hit effects only once, and cannot occur on the same target more than once every few seconds.
TL:DR : Hitting a champion (does not have to be one unique champ) with different abilities in whatever order gives bonus movement speed. You can dash to immobilzed targets and deal the same amount of damage an auto would do. (Note: This counts as an auto reset). If the target is airborne, Samira can knock them up for a short duration. Attacks in melee range deal bonus magic damage and apply on hit effects.
Q
Flair(Q):
ACTIVE: Samira fires a shot in the target direction that deals physical damage to the first enemy hit.
If a targetable enemy is in front of Samira at the time of cast, she will instead slash with her blade in a cone, dealing the same damage to enemies hit.
Casting Flair during Wild Rush will deploy explosives in her wake that detonate upon the end of the dash, dealing the same damage to enemies hit.
Flair can Critical Strike for (25% + 35% 35%) bonus physical damage and will apply life steal at 66.6% effectiveness.
TL:DR: Samira casts a shot in the target direction if out of melee range, otherwise the damage is dealt in a cone in melee range. Can be casted during Wild Rush and Blade Whirl. Flair can Critical Strike for a lower amount of physical damage and applies lifesteal at a lower effectiveness.
W
Blade Whirl(W):
ACTIVE: Samira spins her blade over 0.75 seconds, destroying hostile non-turret projectiles within the area for the duration. This includes ultimate abilities such as Bullet Time, Death Lotus, Buster Shot, Vanguard's Edge, and more. Some abilities such as Chum the Waters will be blocked from targeting you but will remain on the ground for its duration until it explodes. You can't block some abilities such as Final Spark, Realm of Death, Soul Shackles, and others.
Samira slashes twice during Blade Whirl, each one dealing physical damage to all nearby enemies. The first slash occurs immediately and the second one occurs after the duration.
TL:DR: Samira slashes her blade around her twice, blocking all non-turret projectiles. This excludes some projectiles but mostly all of them. The duration of Blade Whirl is only .75 seconds.
E
Wild Rush(E):
ACTIVE: Samira dashes in the direction of the target enemy or enemy structure (includes Turret Inhibitor and Nexus), dealing magic damage to enemies she passes through. She also gains bonus attack speed for 3 seconds.
Scoring a takedown against an enemy champion within 3 seconds of damaging them resets Wild Rush's cooldown.
TL:DR: Samira dashes through a scructure/enemy (NOT allies) and deals magic damage while also gaining attack speed for a short duration. Getting takedowns resets the cooldown of this ability.
R
Inferno Trigger(R):
ACTIVE: Samira unleashes a torrent of shots for 2.277 seconds, reducing her movement speed by 30% and rapidly shooting at nearby enemies over 2.013 seconds at sporadic times in 0.2-second intervals each, dealing physical damage with each shot, reduced by 75% against minions.
Each shot can Critically Strike for (75% + 35% 35%) bonus physical damage and applies lifesteal at 66.6% effectiveness.
TL:DR: Once at S rank, Samira can cast Inferno Trigger, shooting rapidly in a wide radius and stopping around 2.3 seconds after initial cast. These shots can critically strike and apply lifesteal at lower damage/less healing. Stun/silence/etc. cancels this ult while it's casting.
Taunt
Coin(Taunt):
Very small add on, but Samira's taunt will deal 1 true damage if the coin casted hits the target. This counts towards Daredevil Impulse's style gauge and can be used in combos. This removes 1 gold from Samira's inventory and gives one gold to the enemy.
Summoners
Flash
Literally always go flash on Samira. There isn't a reason on why you shouldn't! It's a free disengage that you can always Wild Rush back into or a free escape over a wall, a dash into a bush to hide from the enemy to get your abilities back up, etc. ALWAYS. GO. FLASH.
Heal
I myself prefer heal due to the added healing you get with it along with the bonus Movement Speed which stacks onto your Daredevil Impulse Movement Speed from the style stacks. Most spells are personal preference, so I often end up running this. It's up to you, though!
Exhaust
Exhaust in the current meta is very strong for Marksman and other squishies. With a oneshot prodominant meta, damage reduction and a movement speed slow on any target is essential. With Assassin 's themselves countering Samira, this helps her to survive quick burst such as Death Mark or Shadow Assault. Overall, this spell works best to help assist your laning and trades in general while also helping you to live after the 2/4 Zed rotates to bot lane to try and snag a double kill. Summoner spells are personal preference so go what you wish!
Ignite
Ignite is also really strong on Samira! This will ... somewhat guarantee that you can outheal your enemy in early trades while also burning them down a bit in terms of damage. With how little hp Marksman have in the bot lane, this spell will burn through a chunk of their hp in the early game and can help to assist with getting Wild Rush's cooldown off. Since Samira herself will often follow engages this helps to ensure kills/takedowns. I'd go this if you have an enchantress support with lots of healing and shielding such as Soraka or Lulu. IT BURNS!!!
Cleanse
Samira needs to not be cc'd to apply her ult so go Cleanse if the team has LOTS of cc/if you're heading into a lane like Pantheon where you're going to get chunked from his stun combo. This spell really helps to keep her up and in the fray of fights, guaranteeing she won't be cc chained for a bit. Overall, goes this into lanes where you know you won't be able to do much early and need to get out of cc links ( Leona, Rell, Nautilus, etc).
Other spells aren't necessary/aren't good on Samira. This goes for Teleport, Barrier, and Ghost. It's truly up to you though!
Typical Runes!
Precision!
Conqueror Is the only thing you should be running on Samira. Free damage amp and a small amount of healing, allowing her to vamp from multiple enemies in teamfights to stay alive *just* a little longer. Conqueror goes hand in hand with her abilities, all of which can proc Conqueror's full passive very quickly (for example, Flair applies two stacks. Auto only applies one). It is such a seamless rune for Samira and one of, if not, the best! Focus.
Triumph is super good for Samira. Free gold and healing in the middle of fights can save her and works very well with Last Stand. Overall, this rune is better than Presence of Mind and Overheal due to snowball potential and helping to outlive early-late fights and give her *just* a little more gold! Presence of Mind isn't necessary anymore as they cut off Inferno Trigger's mana cost, and Overheal won't be utilized much as you'll definitely be targeted in teamfights. It's the life of an adc. :(
Legend: Bloodline Is also a really good rune for Samira. Free lifesteal and a little more hp, which also pair perfectly with Samira! Survivability is key to winning teamfights and for her to not get popped like a balloon (or maybe a Noxious Trap)... anywho, Legend: Alacrity isn't the best as she won't be attacking as much as somebody like Twitch or Jinx. Legend: Tenacity works if the team has heavy amounts of cc and you need that little amount of oomph to rid you of Dark Binding or something similar... CANT MOVE!!
Last Stand works really well with Samira as in teamfights and early game you're going to get LOW. You will definitely be under 60-30 percent and paired with Immortal Shieldbow this rune can help you dish out damage before death... if you die, that is. Cut Down can be used against comps with Tanks and Fighters that will definitely have a lot more hp than you, and Coup de Grace works against squishies/enemies you can collect easily with The Collector. "It's all a matter of perspective."
Secondary Runes
Bone Plating is helpful to soak more damage and reduce the amount the enemy does, overall a decent rune for Samira if you're going into lanes where you'll be poked to death (I.E Brand).
Nullifying Orb is very situational, only helpful into mostly magic damage teams filled with mages and of the sort. It is not the best, but it is not the worst if you need forms of survivability so a roaming LeBlanc doesn't oneshot you.
Gathering Storm is useful towards late game where you'll be getting a lot of bonus AD from it. Helpful for late game comps with a lot of scaling champs ( Veigar, Kayle, Corki, etc). If you know you're not gonna win early and want to focus purely on the mid-late game, go this rune.
Conditioning is free armor and mr along with bonuses to all resistances in the late early game - helps if you need to be just a bit more tanky in fights so you're not bursted down immediately. Pairs well with Unflinching ( Last Stand also works really well with Unflinching!) to get more tenacity when you're lower in fights, which is inevitable for Samira.
Second Wind is... alright, you don't get that much value out of it as long as you can dodge the majority of abilities heading your way in the laning phase. The healing isn't substanstial but paired with Doran's Shield you're going to be alive for a while in lane. Go into lanes with heavy poke/lanes you don't win into.
Approach Velocity works if you have somebody such as Ashe support or a laner with heavy slows and cc, you can quickly dash in and get into the fight even faster with this rune. It's not that bad but works if you aren't able to catch up to them due to slows (for example if you're laning into Kog'Maw and he uses Void Ooze). Situational overall!
Taste of Blood helps to keep yourself alive with lane with added sustain and just a bit of healing. It's good on Samira and probably what you should go in most games (if you're going the Domination keystone secondary).
Sudden Impact gives extra lethality once you Wild Rush. Free damage! YIPEE! Purely up to preference if you're deciding between going Taste of Blood or this rune.
Eyeball Collection gives free ad for takedowns. YIPEE! Probably the best out of the 3 ward runes for Samira as she won't utilize Zombie Ward or Ghost Poro much. If you're in high elo you can take either of the 3 as in games you and your support are probably going to spam wards.
Magical Footwear is not that good, you need boots in lane to get the bonus resistances to help yourself live but it's alright if you're into a lane you win into, such as Zeri. Up to you!
Treasure Hunter is free gold when you get a unique takedown. YIPEE! Helps with snowballing from the early-mid game as you'll get a hefty 700+ gold from this. (NOTE: if you're going Domination keystone then this works really well with Taste of Blood and is often what many Samira mains go). "Buy something nice. On me."
Finally, Overgrowth helps to give yourself some bonus health and works really well with Conditioning. Very nice if you need to be a bit tanky for teamfights/general lane/trades/etc. as you'll be, most likely, above the enemy adc's hp.
Items (all that you can go)
Mythic Items
Immortal Shieldbow
This is probably the best Mythic for Samira. A free shield when you get low (which pairs perfectly with Last Stand, Unflinching, Nullifying Orb, and more) and is overall perfect for her. Free Lifesteal, attack damage/speed, and bonus health and more ad from the Mythic passive itself. This item has saved me countless times in many many fights and overall it is such an all around, well-balanced (stats wise) item for Samira! YOU SHOULD GO IT!
Kraken Slayer
Kraken Slayer is situational on Samira and pairs best if you're going to be an auto based champ and need to take down Tanks and of the latter. Generally good into comps where you know you won't be able to kill with a typical combo but need something more. Pairs well with Berserker's Greaves also!
Goredrinker
Personally, I don't reccomend Goredrinker because you'll need to be at a safe distance to get to S rank, and you have to be fairly close to use Goredrinker. The ability haste is useless because your abilities don't really need to be any shorter, but the omnivamp is nice. This item isn't for me but if you want to use it you can.
Legendary Items
The Collector
The Collector is a perfect second item on Samira that I often rush. This makes it so that you're guaranteed your e resets and this makes your snowball potential even greater with runes such as Triumph and Treasure Hunter. Getting your Wild Rush resets off in a fight is amazing as you'll be dashing around everywhere, enemies unsure of where to throw their cc/abilities. This item is overall really good on her and one of the best that she works with!
Infinity Edge
Infinity Edge is also one of Samira's legendary items to grab as it amps her damage even more allowing for her ult to do tremendous damage at only 3 items. I have no complaints about this item other than it is very costly, so you might want to (if you're behind) rush something like Lord Dominik's Regards or a similar item, then buy this one next. It's all about BUSINESSS!!
Lord Dominik's Regards
Lord Dominik's Regards pairs extremely well with Cut Down and I often rush it into most comps as with the current meta, tanks have tons of hp and armor (( Frozen Heart... haha!! 80 armor item) and with the durability update in basically a day or so (at time of writing), this item is going to be necessary for Samira. Fights are going to be a lot longer and she can dish out more damage at the same time, thus making this item very strong on her.
Guardian Angel
Not much to say about Guardian Angel but it's a free revive, grab it if you're well fed and know you'll be focused in fights. The added on armor is very nice and the revive itself can be extremely powerful ( Chronoshift and Going Rogue revive... REVIVES FOR DAYS).
Death's Dance
Death's Dance is amazing on Samira. The item itself is very strong in the current meta (it is getting nerfed in the next few days but the nerf is not substantial enough to kill the item itself). With a pool to ignore damage and even more healing, this item can be a nice grab and can be swapped with Bloodthirster or Lord Dominik's Regards depending on the team comp at hand. JACKPOT!
Maw of Malmortius
If you're not going Immortal Shieldbow and going something like Kraken Slayer or Goredrinker, then this item works very well and gives a LOT of healing. Paired with Death's Dance and Triumph you'll be basically unkillable. Watch out for the Rengar waiting in the bushes though... Assassin 's will still kill you fairly quickly! As a note, I rarely build this item, it's not the best just insanely situational.
Mortal Reminder
Not much to say but this item is good on Samira. If you have an enchanter support, don't build this, just beg them to buy Chemtech Putrifier and go for a different item. I often don't build this in most games as the rest of the team has antiheal (with the meta being so focused around healing nearly everybody on your team will have some form of antiheal).
Serpent's Fang
Serpent's Fang is another situational item that I build only if the team has tons of shielding. Comps with more than one enchantress (might be a Karma top incident), go this or ask another person on your team to build it. It is not the best on Samira as you're losing out on 20 crit and won't get to the pure 100 chance, but it's alright. If you cannot get through the enemys shields then go it, simply.
Mercurial Scimitar
Go this item if the team has somebody such as Malzahar or Mordekaiser and you need to save yourself from their ults. The added mr also counters magic based comps so go it if the team is majorly ap.
Essence Reaver
I almost never go this item. It's not the best on Samira but if you need to spam Flair from a safe distance then build it. I really don't reccomend this item though, it's super situational and you dont get much value out of it.
Bloodthirster
Bloodthirster is a really good buy for Samira if you know you're going to be in long teamfights and need the extra Lifesteal. With this item being unchanged after the mass sustainability/lifesteal nerfs (other than the shield itself), you still get 20 percent Lifesteal from this. It's a very good buy on Samira and you can swap it out for Death's Dance or something similar. I often go this last because you don't really need the extra lifesteal it gives, Immortal Shieldbow offers plenty and Legend: Bloodline gives even more.
Plated Steelcaps
I only really go Plated Steelcaps if the enemy team has mostly ad. That's all that I can really say about it!
Mercury's Treads
Go it if they have lot's of CC and/or mr. I often go this to get out of cc chains just a bit quicker. CC kills Samira quickly!
Berserker's Greaves
I don't go this much but if you want extra Attack Speed and don't need the extra resistances (for example if you are very ahead and already have items that can resist against this such as a tank/bruiser item such as Death's Dance), or purely if you want to and feel like it. Up to you!
The next few items are very situational.
if you HAVE to frontline and have no Tank or anybody that can frontline. Really situational, build it around your comp if needed.
is good to counter a hypercarry like Kassadin, Kog'Maw, Vladimir, etc. go it if your team won't build it and there is a fed hypercarry on the enemy team. This item also gives LOTS of hp so you'll be alive a little longer!
if they are ad focused with crit (a comp like Tryndamere, Tristana, Akshan, Kindred etc) and packed with ad. This item is very good but you have to use the active right or it is useless. Use it for the carries!
is basically a dead item at this point but if you aren't building Immortal Shieldbow or Maw of Malmortius, then go this. It's a free shield and can keep you alive a little longer.
is for turbohealing and if you have an enchantress like Soraka that can heal you over and over for the entire fight. HEAAALINGG!!
Early - Middle - Late
Early Game
Samiras early is a little better than a lot of Marksman, depending on your laners/support. Pre 6 you are missing LOTS of damage but this does not mean that Samira cannot do as much, still. If your support (somebody such as Nautilus or Thresh) hits a hook, go in and commit to the fight, even if it costs you a death. Early gold is essential to hitting her Immortal Shieldbow powerspike, or an earlier one, Vampiric Scepter. Try to fight in melee range so you get that little extra magic damage from your autos and Flair. If you are going into a losing lane, farm with Flair and be careful to not get too close. If you can, try to force a fight at level 2-3 (depending on your support and their abilities) and go all in to try and secure kills. Rotate to Drake when necessary or wait for when they're low afterwards to go and clean up. Early kills are essential for Samira to snowball, but be careful to not int and die a lot.
Mid Game
Around the start to middle game, you should have at least two items which is a massive powerspike for you. With that, fight with your team for objectives and turrets but do NOT forget about farming. You NEED to farm on Samira if you want to snowball and get ahead of their gold, so farming is essential. DO NOT forget about farming!! SERIOUSLY!! Try to get 1v1's out and kills, and be careful to not overextend for Turrets and of the sort. That Volibear is ZOOMING towards you right now! You can split push but if an objective is about to be up, go to the lane closest to towards it and prepare for a teamfight. Likewise with early game, if you cant engage in a fight, you can always clean up afterwards, like Katarina can! Getting picks teamfights is very essential but do not try to 1v1 the 0/2 Vayne or somebody similar. SHE WILL DEFINITELY KILL YOU. TL:DR: focus on farming and getting picks and rotating to teamfights. Don't overextend for turrets but shove waves if you must. Clean up fights or engage if you are fed.
Late Game
Okay, just to preface, late game is HARD for Samira. By this point everybody has scaled even if Samira scales a lot. Champions like Vladimir, Kayle, Viktor, etc. are going to halfhealth you or even more with one ability. You have to wait for the right moment to engage or you're going to die immediately. BE CAREFUL in late game and wait for moments where you can cleanup a fight or get a pick beforehand to make the fight a little more in your favor. If the team is filled with Tanks and similar champions, you are going to struggle a lot. Overall, late game is challenging for Samira because you're going to get bursted down quickly before you can deal your main source of damage ( Inferno Trigger). Wait for ults/summoners to be used then put yourself into the fight. THIS DOES NOT MEAN that you should sit around and do no damage. Hit them with your Flair and maybe some autos to stack Conqueror. As well, try to stick with your support and go off of their cc and similar abilities. They can easily carry a fight! HONOR YOUR SUPPORTS! <3
Combos/tricks/tips/extras!
Combos
I want to preface this by saying Samira has tons of combos with many different variations. There are many, and I won't put *all* of them, however here are a few key ones.
Auto - Q - Auto - Q - Auto - Q
This is probably the easiest combo that Samira can do in a safe manner. Begin by autoing into your Flair, then auto, Flair, auto, Flair and you'll have S rank. This is one of the safest to perform as you'll be able to stack both style and conqueror and be able to get your S rank from a safe distance without them immediately killing you.
Auto - Q - Auto - E - Q - Auto
This one is very similar to the combo above, but this utilizes the Wild Rush into Flair mechanic where your q now does damage in the line where you dash when casted. At the very end of this combo, you can quickly auto - then Inferno Trigger.
Auto - Q - W1 - E - W1 - Auto
This combo is a bit harder than others to pull off, but thanks to some solid programming, if you time it right, this combo will always work. Blade Whirl - Wild Rush - Blade Whirl works like this - the first slash can hit the target if in range, once you e onto them, the ability will buffer until the end of Wild Rushs dash and will thus combo. In simple terms, this guarantees W1 - E - W2 AS LONG AS Blade Whirl is being casted during Wild Rush. I hope this isnt confusing!
Auto - E - Q - Auto - W - Auto
This one is hard to decipher due to very quick autos and animations that aren't very visible when looking at it in normal speed. The slow mo is below!
This combo is a favorite of mine as it gets you to S rank in under 3 seconds. You have to time your autos right, casting Wild Rush at nearly the same time that you casted your auto, then auto into Blade Whirl and auto once more. It's very easy to mess up but with practice you can get it nailed down fairly quickly!
I am not going to post every single combo because most you can learn on your own after playing a lot of Samira. These are purely interchangable and depend on how YOU cast your abilities in a fight and how you weave autos into it! The majority of fun in Samira's kit, for me, is her ability to combo in different ways in every game, even if some are faster than others. Her versatility comes from the fact that it depends on how YOU play on Samira - do you prefer to play safe and get your autos and abilities in from afar or are you throwing yourself into the fight to get your S rank as soon as possible? It's up to you how you play and each player differs in every way! Combos are completely up to you, is what im trying to say. Play how YOU want to play!
Tricks and Tips
It might be hard to see, but a mechanic with Wild Rush is that the dash will ALWAYS dash to the very end of its length. This means that you can't control the dash length itself, but you *can* change it depending on where you are standing when you cast it. As shown in the clip, the dash always went to my ping, aka the end of its range. If you stand farther away, this will put you closer to the target. Closer to the target, you'll be sent farther away. It's an inverse relationship that's based on your position when Wild Rush is casted. This also does not change based on the angle of where you cast it from, the dash will always go to the very edge of the range. THINK FAST!
How Can I Add Coin To Combos?
Im going to start by saying adding your Taunt, Coin, to your combos is NOT practical in most cases. There are ways to do it but in most fights you won't properly be able to add it onto your combo gauge. HOWEVER, there are some neat combos you can pull off, such as the one below!
This is very hard to decipher so I'll break it down for you.
First, I hit the target with Wild Rush after casting Taunt, which gives me E rank, then I quickly Blade Whirl which gives D. At this point the Coin hits so I get C rank, and afterwards I Flair behind me, which gives B. Then, the second slash of Blade Whirl goes off so I get A, and I get to S rank with an Auto. This combo requires very precise timing with your coin so be sure to practice it beforehand. Coin combos are NOT easy but once you have practice it becomes a lot smoother and easier to accomplish!
What Can I Dash To/Over?
It might be hard to see, but Samira can dash over the wall with Gromp, Raptors, Wolves, Blue Sentinel, and Red Brambleback (last three not shown). For Red Brambleback, this does NOT mean the thicker portion of the wall. It is possible to dash over wall with Krugs, but this is a lot harder, you have to get them very close to the wall, then dash over. She cannot dash over a wall with a Drake because the range is too short/ Drake wont get close enough to the wall. This also applies to Baron Nashor because it never moves close enough to wall for you to Wild Rush onto it. Samira can't dash to Honeyfruit, Blast Cone, or Scryer's Bloom, also. Samira can dash over manmade walls such as Crystallize from Anivia as long as a target is near it.
Oh, also, she can dash to enemy Turrets but not your own, shown here!
What Else?
Well, with basically everything I stated, the guide is coming to an end shortly ! Here are a few other noticeable aspects of Samira.
Samira hitting multiple champions with one ability does NOT count as multiple stacks of Daredevil Impulse, only one. Say you hit a melee Flair on three people, this will only give E rank.
The video below is what it looks like if you Wild Rush, get a reset, and Wild Rush again! You can basically fling yourself across the river if timed right. This is very good for escapes combined with your Flash.
People have stated that there is a difference in healing when using auto - Flair / Flair - auto, however, with multiple tests, I found no differences at all. Do note however that Flair gives reduced lifesteal (at 66 percent). Wild Rush - Flash is smoother than Flash - Wild Rush. I've tested it many times in my hours in practice tool/ingame and there is a big difference.
Hitting an enemy with the same ability can be used in a precise combo if done right. Say if there are two enemies in front of you and you Wild Rush and Blade Whirl - Wild Rush will give you E and Blade Whirl will give D. If your Wild Rush is still going off and goes through the second enemy (or the same but the abilities are in a seperate order), this will give C, then Blade Whirl's second slash will give B. TL:DR: The same abilities can stack your passive if timed right.
Finally, look below at the last topic!
What Roles Does Samira Work In?
Although the fact that Samira is a Marksman and works in bot lane the best, she CAN go top lane and mid lane. I've done it many times, and although it is situational ( Assassin s are still going to oneshot despite the durability update... probably!), it does indeed work. Pick it if you would like to try it because bot lane is not for everybody and other lanes do work for Samira if you would like to try it out. Have fun! <3
CONCLUSION!
Andd with that, my Samira guide is over! Thank you so much for reading through this, I've always wanted to do this for a while now but never got the motivation to do so until a few days ago. This guide took a few days to construct and I'll be uploading it if major changes occur, but again thank you so so much for reading this through. I hope I helped you in your journey to becoming a Samira player, if you wanted assistance on builds/runes/items/etc, and other aspects.
This guide would not be possible without Jhoijhoi's Making a Guide... Guide! . This helped tremendously with coding and saved me overall with everything I needed to know beforehand. Thank you very much! <3
I'll be eyeing this guide for changes following the durability patch (12.10), which at time of writing came out yesterday. I'll be making changes when necessary to ensure the guide is as accurate as possible.
And with that, this guide is over! Have fun being a stylish daredevil on the rift with Samira! Bye bye!
Also, if there are any errors/mistakes, comment them and I'll be sure to change it.
You must be logged in to comment. Please login or register.