Syndra Build Guide : Mastering the Dark Sovereign - [In-Depth Syndra Guide]

Introduction

Welcome folks! My name is CheeseLuvas and this is my guide! I'm an avid Syndra player and have been in love ever since I saw gameplay of her at Gamescom. Unlike a lot of other champions, I've never been bored of playing Syndra. There's always something new to discover with her versatile playstyle, similar to . Anyways I decided to make a guide on Syndra to help other aspiring Syndra players get settled. Do note that this is my very first Mobafire guide so feedback to improve this guide would be much appreciated.

Syndra is a ranged AP carry with a wide array of unique mechanics such as being able to throw minions with or controlling her . The lynchpin of Syndra's kit are her spheres, as they can be picked up with or used as a projectile with , allowing the player to devise clever strategies and combos using her skillset. Last but most certainly not least, is Syndra's ultimate, , which causes Syndra to launch her spheres at a single enemy dealing tons of damage. What's unique about this ultimate is that the damage actually relies on the amount of dark spheres you have on the field making it great for finishing off an enemy.

Syndra is a high skill-cap champion, in order to play effectively you must know how to position and aim her skills. Additionally, all of Syndra's skills (Even her ultimate) have some delay such as with its initial startup, which takes time to actually be "thrown", launching spheres with , and the small cast-time on .

Overall, is a great champion to have in your roster. She's versatile, unique, challenging, and most importantly, fun. I strongly recommend her to any summoner who wants to play a champion with a new and clever playstyle.

Pros / Cons

spaaace

Pros

+Long range
+Proficient farmer
+Ultimate deals extreme damage at the right condition
+Mobile, most skills can be casted while moving
+Has a knockback, stun, and slow
+One of the best late-games

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Cons

-High skillcap
-Squishy (Like most carries)
-Mana hungry
-No passive until level 9
-Requires good positioning and timing
-Iffy early game
-Skills such as can be a bit buggy

Masteries

(Do take note that I will be mostly focusing on Syndra's standard AP build)

21/0/9 is the generic AP carry mastery build. On my Offensive tree I like to focus on building up on Syndra's AP to compensate for her weak early game. On Utility, I like to use this tree to advocate Syndra's mana problems.

Offense

- Since we use in our build the bonus AP will help when the spell is on cooldown, not to mention it costs only 1 Mastery point. It even works for if you wish to take that over Ignite.
- As an AP carry you obviously need AP, therefore you should upgrade this.
- This mastery helps with Syndra's early game when last-hitting in lane.
- Syndra benefits greatly from cooldown reduction, in general, a lot of AP carries do.
- The 10% penetration is pretty big, especially when the skill costs only 1 mastery point. A must-have!
- As Syndra is a late-game champion, Blast synergizes quite well with her.
- 5% additional AP is pretty good. Although the mastery is hardly visible early game, by late game AP carries generally have about 400ish AP, giving you a nice boost averaging about ~20 additional AP.
- Not much to say about this skill other than it helps ensure kills on low health enemies.

Utility

- As we are taking , you would obviously upgrade this.
- We are taking this mastery to remedy Syndra's mana problems. Bonus mana is always a good thing to have.
- Another mastery for Syndra's mana. Meditation is like Expanded Mind except it offers bonus mana regen.
- It is the Utility tree and is your best option compared to a level 1 speed boost (Which we already have Runes for) or spawn time. Besides, the reduced cast time of recall can sometimes even save your life.
- Syndra is reliant on blue buffs, which your jungler should give you (Unless they need it themselves), so if you want to make more out of it, max this mastery.

Runes

Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed: Positioning is key, especially with Syndra. Movement quints help Syndra get into position quicker and synergizes with her luxury of being able to cast skills while moving. Movement quints are definitely a solid choice for Syndra.
Greater Quintessence of Ability Power: Choose these quints if you want as much damage early-game as possible. I won't say that they're the wisest choice but these Quints are still a decent option. Simply put, they give Syndra a very nice AP boost that helps most early game, where she's most weak at.
Greater Glyph of Magic Resist: Since you're going mid lane, you'll almost always be fighting an AP carry during the laning phase. So what exactly do you do? Build MR of course! There's always going to be a chance that the enemy has MR penetration himself, however, you can at least reduce his or her incoming damage.
Greater Glyph of Ability Power: Like Syndra's AP Quintessences, these Glyphs also provide AP. Not the best option but if you feel like you don't need MR than this is the next best choice.
Greater Mark of Magic Penetration: There's not many other useful AP marks, so we go for the next best thing: Magic penetration! Magic penetration ignores the enemy's defenses and you won't have to worry as much if the enemy builds MR. Additionally, these marks go quite nicely together with a pair of Sorcerer's Shoes.
Greater Seal of Replenishment: Like rune marks, there's not really any other useful AP seals. So what should we do? Why we give Syndra needed mana regen. If you have been reading this guide then you should already know that Syndra is mana-reliant.
Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration: You can choose these as an alternative to Replenishment seals. Like Replenishment, Clarity runes supply mana regen to Syndra except they become stronger as the game progresses rather than having a set value.

Summoner Spells

What I Take

: is probably one of the best summoner spells in the game. You can use it to escape, go through walls, chase, flashult like , or initiate if your someone like . I highly suggest taking flash on because of how useful it is.

: is a great summoner spell due to its ability secure kills from fleeing enemies. Unlike , Ignite is an offensive summoner spell. I personally like to bring this spell to finish off my dying opponents right after I land a combo.

Other Viable Choices

: is another offensive summoner spell. Unlike which damages the target over time, Exhaust gives them a large debuff. I only see myself take Exhaust when I'm a support or playing a duelist champion like or . That's my opinion though, you can decide to bring Exhaust over Ignite if you want.

: , in a way, is similar to . You gain a pretty long speed boost lasting 10 seconds allowing you to chase or escape coupled with a lower cooldown. But the reason I don't take this spell is because you can still be struck by CC during the duration of the speed boost. Meaning if you use Ghost to run away from a gank, what's stopping that from stunning you? Same for chasing. Nevertheless, Ghost is a nice spell but I find that Flash is a better alternative.

Ehh....

: is alright at most. It clears all CC and lowers all incoming ones. The reason I don't like Cleanse too much is because I see it as situational pick. You should really only bring the spell if your fighting an enemy team with lots of CC or if your a high-value target which is the AD carry. (You're a high-value target as well, but ADCs just have the bigger spotlight :c)

: is a decent summoner spell. Its useful for new players and supports, that's about it. Spells like or any skill that applies Grievous Wounds counter Heal as well.

: is a convenient summoner spell that helps you get around much easier. You can use it to quickly get back into lane or to teleport to that vulnerable top tower dying from a minion wave. In a nutshell, Teleport makes your life a lot easier but I feel that a champion like doesn't need it.

: Back when I was new, I used to always take with me when playing AP mid. Clarity does its job well and you'll hardly ever run out of mana. But why did I stop using this skill, especially on whose very bane of existence is going oom? Clarity encourages players to mismanage mana and use it as a crutch. It's also useless late-game or when you have a blue. I'd only recommend to take the spell if your a new player or just started Syndra.

Don't Bother

No, just no.

Skills

When starting a game, you should always level first. It has the lowest mana cost out of all of 's abilities and her skills won't nearly be as useful without spheres. After that, you can either level or . Personally I prefer Force of Will so I can hold a minion to scare the enemy, but if the opposing team has an early ganker like then I highly suggest maxing Scatter the Weak second.

Skill Importance

Like any champion, you should always prioritize on maxing your ultimate, whenever you get the chance at levels 6, 11, and 16. Now as I have said before, Syndra's 's are the entire key to her playstyle and helps with farming minions so max this skill second. , Syndra's W, should be maxed third as it is another good source of damage and also slows. Max Syndra's E, last as the skill is primarily for utility.

(Passive) - Each of Syndra's basic abilities gain an extra effect at maximum rank.

This is what makes such a late-game beast. As stated before, Syndra is weakest early game as none of her abilities are upgraded nor does she have a real passive until level 9. To compensate, Syndra shines at late-game, gaining 15% bonus champion damage with her , increased slow duration for , and 50% wider width with(lol) .

When a skill obtains the Transcendent bonus, it obtains new red particle effects.
Always try to focus on maxing one skill at a time, don't try to spread out levels.
Her ultimate does not have a Transcendent bonus.

(Q) - Conjures a Dark Sphere at a target location, dealing magic damage. The sphere lasts for up to 6 seconds and can be manipulated by Syndra's other abilities.

Dark Spheres are what makes , well, Syndra. Anyways Syndra conjures up a small dark orb on the ground after a brief delay, dealing damage. Damage-wise, the skill does its job great, especially when having the Transcendent bonus. Additionally, the cooldown is short and its mana cost is decent.

Although the cooldown and cost is tempting, try not to spam this skill during the laning phase. You will go oom (Out of mana) quickly. I mainly use it to farm group minions that are about to die.
If a sphere is about to expire, its outline will have a sort of blue "shimmer".
When aiming with dark sphere, try to place the sphere slighty behind the enemy if they're farming. Most players, when seeing the incoming animation panic and go backwards, which is what you want them to do. Avoid aiming the skill directly in the middle of the enemy champion, it won't work.
When aiming spheres at a running opponent, try to predict their pathway.
Despite what many people think, dark spheres do NOT grant vision.

(W) - Grabs a dark sphere, enemy minion or neutral monster for 5 seconds. If a dark sphere is grabbed, its duration is refreshed. Dragon and Baron Nashor cannot be grabbed by this ability.

's most iconic ability and is fun as hell to use. You can use to grab the dark sphere you just summoned, but if you want to be fun, grab a minion! The cooldown is somewhat long but the damage, like , is great.

Just because you can grab minions doesn't always mean you should. Dark spheres are much more important as they can actually be manipulated more easily. I only grab minions if I'm running from an enemy and don't have time to summon a sphere.
You can also grab jungle monsters. There's even a neat effect of grabbing blue and red buff. Grabbing and throwing blue will refund Syndra 10 mana and reduce Force of Will's cooldown by one second. Throwing red will apply the debuff to the enemy.
With the new Shadow Isles patch, Riot has improved Force of Will's speed and fixed a bug on it. The skill is now a lot smoother and more convinient to use!
In addition to jungle monsters, Force of Will can grab these following:
Annie's Tibbers!
Elise's Spiderlings!
Heimerdinger's Turrets!
Malzahar's Voidlings!
Shaco's Jack in the Box!
Yorick's Ghouls!
Zyra's Plants!

(E) - Knocks enemies and Dark Spheres back, dealing magic damage to them and any enemies they collide with. The distance of the knockback increases depending on how close the affected units are to Syndra upon cast. Dark Spheres that are knocked back also stun all enemies in their path for 1.5 seconds

is 's primary utility skill. It creates distance and when used in conjunction with a , will have the sphere "shoot out" stunning enemies. You won't be using this skill for damage, I often use it for escape or to save a teammate. In my opinion, this skill shines most in teamfights and is unbelievable when used with her ultimate, as I'll explain in the list below.

Unleashed Power uses all of Syndra's lying spheres (And 3 from herself) and launch it all at a single target. After that, all used spheres lie on the ground waiting for a perfect launch with Scatter the Weak (Seriously, there's a reason Riot made it so you can still use the spheres after). You'll almost never miss and I use this technique most in teamfights (Ult carry/squishiest enemy, follow with Scatter the Weak).
Aiming a dark sphere proficiently with Scatter the Weak can take some practice. You have to take a moment to know where the sphere is going to and even I still have trouble trying to hit an enemy with it long-range. Therefore I tend to use this skill when I have multiple spheres out on the field to secure a hit or if the enemy isn't that far from me. More spheres = Easier hit.
When using Scatter the Weak to escape, I've noticed many Syndra players simply use the skill on the enemy and expect a "Get out of Jail for Free" card. Avoid doing this as chances are your enemy can still catch up if he's someone like Lee Sin or Nocturne. If you think you have enough time, then I recommend to summon a Dark Sphere and then launch it back to the enemy. If your opponent is that close to be hit with Scatter the Weak, then anyone half-decent can easily land a stun.
The new Shadow Isles update fixed the Scatter the Weak so that it stuns and knocks back.
Keep in mind that you can interrupt and cancel out channeled skills like Karthus's Requiem or Nunu & Willump's Absolute Zero when stunning them with your E. Use it to save a teamfight!

(R) - Draws upon Syndra's full cataclysmic power, harnessing all Dark Spheres to deal magic damage to her target per sphere. Unleashed Power will use the three spheres that orbit Syndra, ensuring a minimum damage.

Killing someone with this ult gives me such a satisfying feeling. has one of the highest potential damage out of any other ulti in the game, not to mention the cooldown is decent. In addition, goes very well with this ultimate as you have read above. There's not too much to say as the concept itself is simple, but perfect for a champion like .

NEVER use Unleashed Power with only the three starting spheres. The damage is horrible and you just wasted a potentially good ult. If you want to use it right, use Syndra's ult as a way to finish a combo. You'll always have spheres lying around with a combo (You should have 2 at least) ensuring a kill or an enemy with hardly any HP left.
Even if you die when casting Unleashed Power, the ulti will still work, don't worry.
The damage from your potential 7 spheres is tempting, and its possible with enough CDR. But seriously...? Do not set up spheres just to put more damage on your ulti. Its so situational and you'll be doing be much better simply transitioning it within your combos. I've seen too many Syndra players make this mistake thinking its practical in a real game.
Be careful when using this skill on champions who have skills that can make them untargetable like Fizz or Vladimir. They can easily dodge your ultimate using Playful / Trickster and Sanguine Pool which can instantly screw you over.

Combos

One of the main things that caught my attention was how can combo using her dark spheres with ease. Unlike other champs that just go "OMG TIME TO FACEROLL" *cough**cough* or champions who have a set combo that they always use (, ) there are so many things you can do with Syndra, all relying on skill and creativity.
Here I will list some of my favorite combos. Some are easy and you can get them in your first try, some are difficult and require practice. Obviously some combos will be better than others depending on difficulty. Of course, there are many more combos that aren't in this list, so try to come up with some yourself.

Q > E > ...

Place a and launch it at the enemy with . Fairly simple. This isn't a combo in itself but more as a combo starter as the stun leaves your enemy vulnerable for an easy hit with Dark Sphere or . Not only that, but you can take advantage of the long range and stun from your combos to save an ally being chased.
In the new Shadow Isles update, it's much easier to land this combo as Syndra can now shoot out the sphere before it forms. This allows your combos to be landed almost instantly without the enemy expecting it.

W > Q

My favorite combo. It's simple, easy to use, quick, and does its job right. Hold a minion using (Preferably I would summon a dark sphere and use that) and aim it at the target, while the minion is being thrown, quickly land a onto the same area. The combo is great for clearing minions that are grouped up and if your confident, aim it at a champion and it deals a LOT of damage. Do note that hitting a champion with this combo is difficult but rewarding. Obviously you would not be spamming this sequence early game.

Q > E > W > R

Only use this combo when your jungler is about to gank your lane. Stun the opponent with a + . Then keep your opponent tight shut by slowing him with . By the time you stunned your jungler should be doing some damage to your opponent as well. Secure a kill with right after your slow.

Q > W > Q > E

Use this combo if you want to kill an opponent with around half health. Land a at the enemy, hold and throw it with , land another dark sphere at your enemy again. If your opponent survives, then he/she should be running away by now, so land a with your two remaining spheres as a good finisher. I find this to be effective most during the laning phase due to the linear pathway which allows easy hits for Scatter the Weak.

Q > E > W > Q > R

A kill combo that can be difficult to aim but well-worth the risk. Land a at the enemy and then use your to hit him/her right after. Grab the dark sphere you just used using and throw it onto the enemy. By that time the CD on your Q should be off so place another sphere and finish the opponent off with an . If the victim still survives then land an .

Q > E > Q > R > W

Use this combo during teamfights. Try to find a safe spot and land a at the AD carry. If you can't then try to find the squishiest enemy you can find (Don't even THINK of picking the tank just because he's easy to hit). Then grab and throw your dark sphere at the same opponent you just hit using . Land another dark sphere and then ult. After that launch a , a well-positioned scatter can stun an entire team. Do this sequence as quickly as possible, if you can't or feel you don't have time then skip the second Dark Sphere or Force of Will. Your goal in teamfights is to distract the enemy team as much as possible.

Items

should be built as a generic AP carry. , , , the typical stuff. Additionally, I like to include some CDR and mana sustain, something which benefits Syndra greatly. I would also like to add that you shouldn't follow this build exactly. There are situational items or other viable choices that do better in different scenarios. The build I'm giving you is just a generic one that I use.

Starting Items

Or...

I've picked up a habit of bring boots, 2 health pots, and a mana pot. Other players like to start this way as well. Anyways the reason I pick this route instead of the typical boots and three pots is because as , you rarely get hit due to your range advantage. Not only that but it makes sense to bring a mana pot due to how mana-hungry she is. Take note that you should also get a after.

On the other hand, you can choose to simply bring a at the very beginning. It gives you the necessary stats for starting out a game. Health, AP, and mana regen, what's not to love? If you feel confident or know that you have an easy laning opponent, then I suggest for you to pick this up.

Early~Mid Game

Kage's Lucky Pick

During the laning phase, you should to farm for a and a Kage's Lucky Pick. After these two items, a would be an ideal choice. Although these items seem expensive overall, will help you stay in lane while a Kage's Lucky Pick will give you additional funding and a small boost in AP. They both also build into future items ( and ) making these items beneficial late-game. is also another very important item and you'll be needing it for not only the AP bonus, but like Kage's and Chalice, a Blasting builds into numerous other useful items later on that you'll need.

Boots!

Or...

Personally, I prefer as it provides much-needed cooldown reduction which compliments , it's also slightly cheaper. is another viable pick that helps with damage, but I feel it outlives its usefulness late-game as we plan on putting a in our build. That is just my opinion, you can always choose to get more magic pen helping you do more damage early game.

Core Items

: EVERY AP carry should be getting a . It gives so much bonus AP and you should never leave it out of 's build. Self-explanatory.

: is considered by many to be an "Optional" item for AP carries. Personally, I think actually needs it as a core item. CDR and mana benefits are both what Syndra needs, and AUG has it all. The reason I don't include it on my AP-oriented build is because there are other viable items that focus more on offense that the player can choose if he wishes to.

: Void Staff is an essential item for AP Carries at late-game. The MR penetration helps a LOT and you'll be doing near-true damage to any enemy. Anyways the reason I decided to switch Void Staff to be a core item is to emphasize its importance late-game.

Other Viable Picks

: The recent nerf hit DFG hard, removing its cooldown reduction and nerfing its active damage. Due to this, I've decided to reduce DFG as an optional pick. Of course, that doesn't mean is bad. The item is still a great choice to instantly burst someone down from full health.

: I didn't include Rylai's into my main build because Syndra doesn't need it. She already has for her slow which is stronger and lasts longer with the Transcendent bonus. The additional HP and AP does help, but I find it to be a matter of preference.

: Like , Abyssal Scepter ignores MR. Abyssal's effect is weaker, but the MR reduction spreads to more than one enemy making it useful for your team. Personally I prefer Void Staff over AS because 's burst is mainly single target. Also, if your going to build this item, then skip the Void Staff, you don't need more MR reduction.

: A great defensive item that gives plenty of AP, armor, and well-known for its effect of placing you in a sort of "stasis", meaning that your invincible for 2 seconds but can't do anything during that time. Zhonyas is most useful for teamfights as it helps you survive and create confusion.

: If you choose to get this item, then you have to build it early-game as it starts to become useless mid~late. RoA, in a nutshell, gives you bonus HP and MP as well as sustain. Its good, but I dislike it due to how pricey it is and that you should be using that gold for other items. Nevertheless, if you find yourself dying a lot or having trouble staying in lane, then feel free to take this along with you.

Gameplay

Laning Phase

Your goal during the laning phase is to try and get as much farm as possible from minions to get items. Quite simple, really. Do keep in mind that you can deal heavy damage to a group of minions with your and combo making easy last hits.

Use your as harass. While hard to aim, the damage is well worth the risk and can keep the enemy on their toes. Just don't spam your Q unless you have a blue. Alternatively, hold a minion (or sphere) with , it'll scare your opponent, when the duration is about to end then you can simply throw it away. The damage from your W won't be big at this early in the game.

When reaching level 9, you should've maxed your Q by now which deals a hefty 15% bonus damage with the Transcendent passive. This is when you can go aggressive on your enemy as you start to deal major damage with your combos.

Your Jungler and You

During your laning phase, when the second blue is up, ask your jungler for it (Unless they need it themselves if they're someone like or ). Having blue will give you much-needed mana and CDR and will allow you to spam your skills without much consequence. It makes farming and harassing easier in general.

As I have already explained in the Combos section, when your jungler is about to gank, wait for your laning opponent to overextend as much as possible. Then land a quick + . The stun will give the jungler an opportunity to gank and by now you should be settting up a combo yourself. Make sure to slow your opponent to keep him shut.

Matchups

In terms of matchups, has much difficulty with mobile champions that have gap closers. can create some space, but the cooldown is quite long. In general, any "Anti-mage" are nightmares for Syndra to face.

Such examples are:
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-

When playing against them, play safe and don't overextend. Catch minions who are about to die using , you also have the advantage of long range meaning farming won't be that difficult. The reason Syndra has such difficulty against these champions is that they can burst you down very quickly, leaving little time for you to aim and set up your spheres.

Now if your fighting long-ranged champions such as yourself, then the lane turns into a test at who's better at aiming their skillshots. Now most of these champions are squishy, meaning that bursting them down won't be difficult. Whenever the opponent is open, always try to land a stun using your and . If the stun hits, then combo them. Do note that you shouldn't leave yourself vulnerable when trying to stun them (IE: Right in the middle of the lane with no minions).

Such examples are:
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-

Now who does counter? She has it easy against champions that don't have as much range as her such as or . Its difficult for them to fight you as you can land more hits in easily, but take caution as they can still set up a combo.

Such examples are:
-
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-

Teamfights

Your goal in teamfights is to try and distract the enemy team as much as possible, if the AD carry is vulnerable then go for him/her. If you have read my guide thoroughly then this is achievable with summoning s, using your ultimate, , and then launching your spheres with , a well-positioned scatter will be able to stun a whole team. You don't always have to use this method, but it is one I like to use.

Like the AD carry, you do damage but you're squishy. Therefore you should stay behind the tank when dealing damage. Remember that most champions have their own mechanics for teamfighting so don't expect to always win even if you land a successful combo.

Warding

Warding saves lives. You can have vision and protect yourself from incoming ganks for just 75 gold. Remember, EVERYONE should be getting wards. You should never rely on your Support or Jungler to be the only ones placing them.

-Yellow: Vital to protect the jungler on your team

-Blue: For protection depending on which lane you're on

-Red: To guard Dragon and Baron

-Orange: In order to Counter-Jungle

Conclusion

Well that's about it! Thank you for reading my guide and I hope you learned a thing or two about . If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the discussions section!

Remember, if you have any suggestions or improvements you feel that I should add to this guide, don't hesitate to ask me in-game! My IGN is: Not Enough Yaoi.

Changelog

9/30/12
Finished and published the guide.

10/2/12
Revised the Pros/Cons, adjusted the Runes section.

10/20/12
Added more skill tips, started the changelog.

10/22/12
Revamped and added much more detail to the Gameplay section.

10/27/12
Updated the guide in response to the DFG nerfs and Syndra fixes, also modified the Items section.

11/7/12
Added an early Kage's Lucky Pick, removed the AP oriented build after seeing that Syndra doesn't need one.

Credits

-Special thanks to Synonysis for making these awesome banners!

-Credits to jhoijhoi and his guide on how to make a guide!

-Credits to Mobafire's League Wiki for the source of the warding map!

Mastering the Dark Sovereign - [In-Depth Syndra Guide]

Mastering the Dark Sovereign - [In-Depth Syndra Guide]

Spells:

Flash

Ignite

Ability Order

Transcendent (PASSIVE)

Dark Sphere (Q)

Force of Will (W)

Scatter the Weak (E)

Unleashed Power (R)

Introduction

Pros / Cons

Masteries

Offense

Utility

Runes

Summoner Spells

What I Take

Other Viable Choices

Ehh....

Don't Bother

Skills

Skill Importance

Combos

Q > E > ...

W > Q

Q > E > W > R

Q > W > Q > E

Q > E > W > Q > R

Q > E > Q > R > W

Items

Starting Items

Or...

Early~Mid Game

Boots!

Or...

Core Items

Other Viable Picks

Gameplay

Laning Phase

Your Jungler and You

Matchups

Teamfights

Warding

Conclusion

Changelog

Credits

League of Legends Champions: