Lissandra Build Guide : Lissandra Guide - How to Meme the Enemy by Freezing Them

Introduction

Hi everyone, I'm Gus, a Plat IV player in NA and a Diamond V player in Vietnam. I have been playing Lissandra for about a year, so I hope I can provide you some of the insights I have learnt about her in this guide. Please let me know if you have any feedback or comment and I would greatly appreciate them. Let's jump right in!

Pros / Cons

Pros

+ Tons of CC's
+ AoE Damage + Burst Damage
+ Peel
+ Invulnerable + Untargetable Ult
+ Escape/Engage Combats
+ Brilliant ganking potential

Lissandra is a wonderful mage thanks to the damage and the CC's that she brings to the team. She can open combats by diving in with and dishing out tons of AoE damage, or take out a squishy on the enemy team to make a fight a 4vs5. With and , Lissandra also excels at catching out-of-position enemies to ensure a favorous combat for her teammates. Thanks to these options, she is viable in almost any team composition in solo queue.

Cons

- Hard to Master
- High CD Early-Mid Game
- Squishy
- Short-range Mage
- Countered by QSS and Cleanse
- Real Manavore

Along with a varying of options comes a high level of difficulty for mastery. Being squishy and short-ranged, Lissandra players really have to know when to fight and master her abilities' ranges (even experienced players struggle with since it's so short). Knowing when to yourself or the enemy plays a crucial role in succeeding with . She is hard to master, but once mastered, Lissandra is an excellent champion to play.

Masteries

M
A
S
T
E
R
I
E
S

18 CUNNING + 12 RESOLVE
// In masteries, you want to prioritize utility over damage for, unlike burst-centralized mages like , 's full combo can hardly kill anyone. She relies on a mix of burst damage and DPS damage (more in-depth into this later).

In Cunning, you will want to grab to last hit better. for better sustain in lane. for better mana regen during lane because runs OOM really quickly early. as that 5% is more significant than you think and can save you after an all-in combat or that last tick of . because 's CD even at late game is a little long. for absolutely nuts bonus damage (I love this thing xD).

In Resolve, you want to grab for basic health regen. for ganking. 2 points in because you can yourself, and 30 health from is never extra. Finally, for more often es.

Question: Why Resolve instead of Ferocity?
The only reason why I'm using the Resolve tree is because of , which reduces the CD of flash by a whooping 45 seconds. Having up often on is really useful, and I can't stress that enough. The extra damage from Ferocity cannot possibly compare to the utility Resolve brings to the table. Please refer to the Combo section to see why is so important on this witch.

Runes

Quints

Greater Quintessence of Ability Power: AP Quints for better damage :D!

Marks

Greater Mark of Magic Penetration: Magic Pen as Lissandra's skills all deal magic damage.

Glyphs

Greater Glyph of Magic Resist: Typical as most mid laners are AP casters and Lissandra is squishier than cotton candy.

Seals

Greater Seal of Scaling Health: Lissandra can use some more health, especially when she is close-ranged and has to dive into the enemy team often.

Summoner Spells

: Is a must-have on . Crucial for combos, engage, escape, and highlights. You are not anyway?

: finds it hard to burst someone down early game without ignite. Take this to snowball and win games.

: Some people take for better map pressure, and others take it to split push. I personally don't, but you can definitely take it if you want to.

Skills

Iceborn (Passive)

After a fixed period of time, your next spell won't cost mana. For every unit CC-ed by Lissandra's spells, the CD of Iceborn is reduced by 1 second (does NOT count Rylai's Crystal Scepter). Iceborn's CD is reduced as Lissandra levels up.

Helps you with your ugly little mana pool. Nothing much to say about this passive.

Always try to land an Ice Shard onto the enemy laner when Iceborn is up. It's free poke.
Always take into account which spell costs the most mana when you are using your abilities when Iceborn is up or almost up.
Meme the enemy laner when you have Iceborn by acting as if you don't have mana for a full combo then kill them (This trick always works, even when I'm in Plat/Diamond).

Ice Shard (Q)

Lissandra throws out an ice shard that does damage and slows the first target hit. If it does collide with an enemy unit, it shatters, extending Ice Shard's range even further, dealing damage but does not slow.

Your main source of damage with a fairly low CD. Max this ability first for an all-in-one poke/farm/waveclear/CC.

Two Ice Shards and a Ring of Frost clears a minion wave when you have your first AP item.
When the enemy laner goes up to last hit, Ice Shard a minion to hit them. However, at higher ranks, they won't let you do that so easily, so make sure they are certainly going to last hit before you Ice Shard.
Careful when using your Ice Shard as most other mages out-range you, resulting in a trade where they poke you first and run away. Examples: Ahri's Orb of Deception, Brand's Pillar of Flame, or Syndra's Dark Sphere.
Always Ice Shard when you are being chased.
Landing an Ice Shard when the enemy is standing in the middle of a minion wave next to their turret almost guarantees you a hit.
Keep your mind right in teamfights and always try to angle Ice Shard so that it hits more than just one person.
Can check bushes.
When reluctant, Ice Shard first for the slow before you Ring of Frost. I have made this mistake too many times rofl.
Don't spam Ice Shard as four or five of them early blows your mana away.

Ring of Frost (W)

Lissandra roots all enemy units around her. This spell is instant-cast (does not require animation).

Your second damage and CC spell. Max this second for increased root duration.

Consider practicing and paying attention to Ring of Frost's range as it is smaller than you think.
Absolutely meme onto the enemy laners if they are close-ranged. When they engage just Ring of Frost and shoves an Ice Shard into their face. Brilliant design Riot :). Examples: Riven, Yasuo, or Renekton.
When trying to slow down the enemy's retreat for a kill for your teammates, wait for Ring of Frost's root to disappear before you Ice Shard.
When the enemy is rooted, they CAN still use spells and AA you, so careful. However, they cannot use dashing or blinking abilities, so use this to stop an Ezreal's Arcane Shift or a Fizz's Playful / Trickster or even who-knows-why-it's-made Yasuo's Last Breath.
A Ring of Frost in the middle of the enemy team, then Ice Shard, into a self- Frozen Tomb dishes out maximum AoE damage while allowing your teammates to catch up and fight.
Lovely for refreshing Iceborn with its low mana cost.

Glacial Path (E)

Lissandra casts out a claw that damages all enemies in its path. Lissandra can teleport to the claw's current location by reactivating it.

Your disgusting engage/escape. Its range is ridiculous: even further than 's . Max this third because there isn't anything else to max.

Super long cooldown. Once you are in, you cannot get out and will probably get blown up. So go big or go home with Glacial Path.
Glacial Path's damage is not to be underestimated, especially when it's maxed. When the enemy is under Ring of Frost or Frozen Tomb, toss out Glacial Path to ensure the most damage output. Unless you their top laner or jungler is MIA and you are not sure, use it.
Save Glacial Path for blinks or dashes. If you are not too far from the enemy, slow them down with your CC's.
You can use Glacial Path to dodge things like Riven's Wind Slash, Sion's Unstoppable Onslaught, or Yasuo's third Steel Tempest which would often result in a deadly Last Breath.
Yes you can Glacial Path over walls.
Glacial Path's range can be extended by casting it in walls. Examples include the big wall to the left of bot lane's furthest turret as well as the big wall next to top lane's turret. Using this trick will always work unless the enemy see you coming. Use this advantage to gank other lanes.
Applying the previous trick, casting Glacial Path so that its end goes a bit over the middle of the Nexus will get you to lane faster. When you have Homeguard, do that and run back to base to refresh the effect then E out.

Frozen Tomb (R)

Lissandra freezes a target champion. If it's an enemy, she deals instant damage to it and stuns it for 1.5 seconds. If it's herself, she becomes invulnerable and untargetable and heals herself over 2.5 seconds. Ice then slowly grows out from the center of the target and damages all units in the radius.

's famous ult. Makes the squishies cry. Makes and cry especially. Take this at 6/11/16.

One of the longest CD in the game. This is when Morellonomicon and Intelligence give you more Frozen Tombs early-mid game. After Banshee's Veil and Zhonya's Hourglass, which are both always recommended, Frozen Tomb will come up a lot faster.
Save Frozen Tomb for dashes or blinks as well as channel ults like Death Lotus or Life Form Disintegration Ray.
Don't always Frozen Tomb the enemy. Sometimes you need to Frozen Tomb yourself to dodge a million things like Lux's Final Spark, Zed's Death Mark, Ziggs's Mega Inferno Bomb, Vel'Koz's Life Form Disintegration Ray, Syndra's Unleashed Power, Yasuo's toxic third Steel Tempest that would lead to Last Breath, and many more abilities. A trick I use to make sure this happens is by putting the self-cast R onto the T key, which is right next to R. Easier to press.
A Frozen Tomb into a Ring of Frost makes the enemies cry. It's a deadly chain of CC to lock down a target for focus. Always wait for the effect of one CC to go off before throwing out another. If you do it perfectly, it should make the target stand still for 3 seconds.
Bait the enemies into diving you in your turret then Frozen Tomb yourself. Plat/Diamond players still make this mistake.
Always, before you self- Frozen Tomb, Ice Shard and Ring of Frost the enemies first.
If you have Zhonya's Hourglass, remember this: after you self- Frozen Tomb, the enemies will toss their spells onto you. However, you can come out of Frozen Tomb,
toss an Ice Shard, and Zhonya's Hourglass immediately. You can reverse the order of the two if you need to bait them into getting inside the radius of Frozen Tomb for the damage.
Flash -> Frozen Tomb to catch stupid out-of-position carries. Don't hesitate, your team is faster than you think.
If the enemy team has a Caitlyn or a Jinx, a self- Frozen Tomb Lissandra is PERRRRFECT for their Yordle Snap Trap or Flame Chompers! respectively. Avoid self-ulting unless you really need to.

Items

Sorcerer's Shoes
These boots provide excellent Magic Pen, which is essential in dealing damage with . The only match-up that I would do otherwise (buying ) is when facing a .

Morellonomicon
Morellonomicon gives everything she needs: AP, CDR, and mana regen! I consider it core on her because 20% CDR is too much to pass by. However, other players do disagree and consider a core instead of . It really boils down to your personal preference and playstyle.

Banshee's Veil
Gives you brilliant AP, MR, CDR, and a spell shield that you so desperately need. I have found myself being CCed right when I teleport to . A 's or a 's completely shuts down. This prevents that from happening, and you can safely dish out your combo. Plus, this protects you from early-in-combat spells like 's or occasionally a 's on your little ***.

Zhonya's Hourglass
Core on Lissandra, a must-have. AP, CDR, and Armor, and the Active that saves the lives of squishy mages. Lovely.

Void Staff
By the time you have gathered Morello, Banshee's, and Zhonya's, the enemy is probably starting to fear you and build Magic Resist. Void Staff destroys their pitiful effort. Nice AP, too. Why not?

Rabadon's Deathcap
Freaking raw AP and 35% bonus AP. I always get this last as it only gives you AP and no utility. It's an for casters, though, so get it for insane damage.

Rod of Ages (RoA)
Scaling AP, Health, and Mana are all good stats, but it provides no CDR whatsoever, which is a pain since 's cooldown is soooooo long. It's excellent for new players who can't position well just yet or if you just personally like it, do grab it.

Hextech Protobelt-01
Players buy Protobelt for its active. Since usually does the trick,
Protobelt might not be ideal. However, it brings a nice push and some extra damage.
This item is personal preference. This can replace if the enemy does not build MR.

Luden's Echo
Some find the extra nuke and bonus movement speed really helpful on , but,
like , it doesn't bring any utility like
or so I don't usually buy it. Again, personal preference. This can replace if the enemy does not build MR.

Combos

Basic Poke

> Auto Attack > Auto Attack

This is the basic combo to poke the enemy laner with the proc of . Nuts damage early game. However, only do this when it's possible. Don't try to land 2 AAs and get poked back.

Basic Poke #2

> > Auto Attack

for the slow, then into an AA to proc Thunderlord. Do this when the enemy laner is rather close to you.

Engage

> > > Auto Attack

Typical combo when your jungler is ganking or when you are going all-in pre-6. Gap close with , root the enemy then +AA to proc Thunderlord.

Disengage/Running Away/Save Your Teammates

> >

Cast in the direction that you are running, turn back, for some damage, root as many enemies as you need to with then quickly reactivate to run away. When doing this, be extremely careful not to get hit by hard CC's like 's because you can't reactivate E when you are CCed.

All-In from Far Away/Nuke

> > > > >

When you have your ult this is the typical combo that you will be using rather often. It's simple, easy to land, and effective. Late game, this will also be your focus combo to nuke and take out a squishy on the enemy team. Calculate your mana beforehand, though, it costs a chunk.

All-In from Close-up

> > > > >

Maximum damage output. Go big or go home my friends.

Target Lockdown

> > Wait > >

If you need to lock down a target for your teammates, this combo should do the trick. When locking down, always wait for the root from to go off before tossing out .

Stop-Positioning-Like-Bronze-Noob

> > > Wait > >

See a squishy out of position? See a wanderer in the jungle with no teammates? Boom! Blow 'em up for your team to get a free kill. This requires your team's help unless you are WAY ahead.

Combat Opener

> > > >

This is my favorite combo ever. Glacial path from a moderate distance, flash in the middle of the enemy team, then into an before you self-. This combo is really good to open combats that would almost always turn the fight into your team's favour. Why? Because you have dished out your AoE damage on at least 3 or 4 enemies, chunking their health bars. When they panick, that's when your team jumps in and help you. It causes you absolutely no harm while giving your team a head start in damage.

This combo is why I took earlier in the Resolve tree: more often es mean more often of these wonderful combat openers. These videos below demonstrate how powerful this combo can be. Notice how when I have finished my combo, the enemy teams have already lost chunks of their health bars.

Match-Ups

Ahri outranges you completely. Bait out her before you go in for because her damage is better than yours. If she tries to waveclear and go gank, push back so she can't do that, because she is far more slippery than you with the movement speed from and her ult . Try not to directly onto her for it's a free . When she lands her you will probably lose the fight, so away and self- if needed.

Poke her hard pre-6. When she is 6 just waveclear and go gank other lanes. You can't win against an Akali with . Your reveals her in her so you can . Have your teammates help you take her down in teamfights with your 3 second CC chain when she dives in or she will get a pentakill.

Anivia relies heavily on her pre-6, so dodge it and you will be fine. After 6 don't get too close to her or in unless you are certain you can take her down, as her R-W-E-Q combo blows you away real fast. Always check if her passive is up. Always.

Easyyyyyy. whenever she tries to cs with her or when she walks up to you with her passive . 100% guarantee a hit. After 6, unless you have someone help you kill her, always self- because when she dies, that's when will kill you with its rage.

is a b***h. Just out queue when you see him. No, panter. Just go gank when you are 6. Don't try to fight him. He outranges, out damages, and out waveclears you. Nothing you can do unless your jungler comes to help.

can poke you pretty hard, so try not to go too deep just for an . He is not as good at ganking as you, though, so try to waveclear and gank other lanes to give your team an advantage.

outranges and out damages you. His will hit you before you can even . Waveclear and go gank. Or bait out his then poke him with one or two s before going all in. Consider self- when fighting .

relies on her poison to deal consistent damage. Don't get hit by her and especially as it poisons and grounds you (you cannot reactivate while grounded). Predict when she s and turn around. If you are scared just self- when you see the animation of .

is melee so whenever she tries to cs. Her burst post-6 is pretty terifying if she lands her , so don't go out of your way to try to poke with . When she dives in, and to disengage. If she decides to on you again, might as well self-.

When he onto you, and should do the trick. Repeat a few times then add a to kill him. Easy.

is a threat to many mages, including . After he has , things get a lot harder as he can dodge your spells easily, especially . He jumps all over the place, so try to aim carefully. With his , you are delicious pie, so self- to dodge the damage. Save when he a minion, then and back off. Don't engage on him unless you have your jungler. Do try to him when he cs, though.

pushes a lot. Don't bother destroying his turrets. Instead, try to to get cs and hit him at the same time. Your goal is to cs under your tower. His damage is nothing compared to yours mid-late game if you CC him, so get as much cs as you can. in and get a free kill with the help of your jungler.

You can't really dodge her + so just suffer. alone is quite easy to dodge though, so try that. Engaging on is NOT a good idea, unless she is really low. Poke her, CS, and go gank other lanes. Don't stand near your minions cause that's an easy onto you.

Do people still ? His is easy to dodge with boots, while you can easily poke him with . When he is half health go all in. Easy match-up. Consider an early just for his .

is melee so free s. However, do wait for his shield from to go off before you . When he s in, to disengage. Just poke him until you can for a kill. Play safe with this match-up, though.

is easy to predict. when she tries to CS with an AA. Whenever there is a blade on the ground, wait near it (not on top of it) until she there then immediately ->. DO NOT toss when she has not used onto the blade because you might miss. If she ults then her.

When she onto you, her then immediately. When her passive is on you, back off. Try your best to not get hit by or you will get blown up. A good will gank often, so push the wave and go gank before she does. Damage-wise, you lose, so be careful.

Why aren't you in ranked? Just kidding. You know her tricks like the back of your hand. Don't let her abuse those tricks. Good luck!

Absolutely outranges you. Dodge by walking TOWARDS when you are in higher ranks and AWAY from if you are in lower ranks. Dodge by stepping at a 90 degrees angle from where you think is going to toss it out. Self- and is child's play. If you do manage to land a few s, go all-in cause she is squishy. A full combo+ will do the job.

Let's see who shoves the wave faster! Shove it and go gank. Don't try to kill because she has CC-block.

's ball outranges you, so bait it out and immediately toss . Careful when standing next to her ball, cause a quick Q-W combo pulls a chunk of your health. Predict her and self-.

Landing s onto is fairly easy as he is close ranged like you. Poke him and finish him off with . NEVER engage onto a with more than 70% health, ESPECIALLY engaging with . He dishes out more damage than you face-to-face. His waveclear is pretty good, so when you see him shoving the wave, shove it back. Go gank if you can.

is VERY strong. Her out ranges and out damages your , same goes for her other abilities as well. Her is deadly, so play with caution and do not engage onto her. Even if your jungler comes to help, save to dodge her . Get when facing .

is really good at waveclear if she knows how to do it. With this match-up, shove the wave while trying to land your . NEVER in when she has her and up, like NEVER, unless you have to dodge it. 's gank potential is better than you, so when she is MIA, shove the wave and take down the first turret for extra gold. Nothing you can do against her .

Easiest match-up. When he tries to stun you with , him. When he cs, him. All-in at 6, nothing he can do about it. Shove the wave often against TF. If you see him using his and teleporting away, DON'T HESITATE, in and him. If he does gank another lane, take down mid turret.

scales heavily into late game, so punish him early game. When he tries to cs, zone him away with your . Poke him constantly with . Ask for blue buff and keep poking. Don't let him get any cs. Dodge his then all-in at 6. Ride on him like he is your pet.

's range is one of the furthest in the game. He often shoves the wave with , so shove it back. Just dodge his like how you dodge 's and you will be just fine. NEVER in when he has up. When he starts his , self-. You are better off waveclearing and ganking other lanes.

's poke is outrageous. Try to dodge his , and don't toss when he has the shield from his . I often lose against good s, but do try to poke him or at least get some cs and go gank.

Don't spend time poking . Pointless. Shove wave -> gank other lanes to help your team.

's spells are really far. Just hope he is noob and doesn't constantly poke you. you can't possibly poke him without geing poked back. Ask your jungler to help or leave the lane to go gank.

when he dashes onto you. Never stand near minions unless you have either or up. Your can stop his if you use it right before he knocks you up with his third . If your is not up, consider self-. is really slippery so just try to shove the wave and poke him if you can.

Self- to avoid 's damage, easy enough. The rest is just skill-based, as in, let's see who pokes the other person more accurately.

Outranges you. Bait his bombs then for poke. He is squishy like so a few s then a full combo will get him on the scoreboard to count numbers. Easy.

You as Lissandra

Ganking

As a player, you, aside from trying to deny the enemy mid laner, need to also be present for your teammates. A good , or just a good mid laner in general, need to gank other lanes. With the AoE damage and the CC's she has, ganking is not a problem at all. 's powerful engage makes ganking as easy as it gets, and almost every time you gank you will help your team secure a kill or two. Those kills help your team snowball and win. So, please please please, don't just stay in mid. GO GANK!

Catch Out Enemies

If you have already read the Combo section, you will know that Stop-Positioning-Like-Bronze-Noob combo. It's powerful. Catching out and eliminating one person makes fighting super easy on your team, and will almost always results in victory for your allies. As , always keep an eye out for moments when you can catch someone out off-guard with and .

Peeling

Sometimes, your job as a mage on the team isn't to dive straight into pandemonium, but to protect a person on your team who can dish out damage for you in exchange for your peel. If you know that the enemy will jump onto your friend , you can help her CC him down and you both can eliminate him and then join your frontline. So do think about whether you should dive in or stay at the back peeling your for mates.

Conclusion

Well that just about wraps up my guide on ! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my work, and I hope you have learnt new things about . If you have any feedback or comment I would greatly appreciate them. Cheers!

Credit(s)

Huge shoutout to jhoijhoi's Making a Guide guide. Couldn't have done this guide without it. Thank you JhoiJhoi!

Lissandra Guide - How to Meme the Enemy by Freezing Them

Lissandra Guide - How to Meme the Enemy by Freezing Them

Recommended Items

Spells:

Ignite

Flash

Items

Ability Order

Iceborn Subjugation (PASSIVE)

Ice Shard (Q)

Ring of Frost (W)

Glacial Path (E)

Frozen Tomb (R)

Introduction

Pros / Cons

Masteries

Runes

Summoner Spells

Skills

Items

Combos

Match-Ups

You as Lissandra

Conclusion

Credit(s)

League of Legends Champions: