There once was a Piltovian man named Corin Reveck who had a daughter named Orianna, whom he loved more than anything else in the world. Though Orianna had incredible talent for dancing, she was deeply fascinated by the champions of the League of Legends. This fascination compelled her to begin training to become such a champion. It is unfortunate that her sheltered, wide-eyed naivete led her to take unnecessary and dangerous chances which ultimately led to her tragic demise. Orianna's death shattered Corin, driving him into deep depression and an obsession with techmaturgy. He could not stand the void his daughter's death left in his life, so he decided to build a replacement - one that would complete Orianna's dream of joining the League. What was created is the clockwork killing machine that Corin named after his daughter. Knowing that she was destined to be a champion and seeing the way the times were changing, he created The Ball as her pet and protector. This nearly symbiotic creation uses a different type of techmaturgy, relying more heavily on electricity than clockwork.

Orianna and The Ball now fight as Champions in the League of Legends, using her sometimes misguided morality as a compass. She tries in earnest to fit in with those around her. However, no matter how hard she tries, Orianna can never be human and there is always something unnerving and alien about her. Though she attempts social interaction with other champions in the League of Legends, there are few who can get past her exotic nature. To many, it's as if there's nothing inside, that Orianna is just a soulless clockwork shell - a dangerous and deadly one at that. However, all along she remains the perfect daughter in her father's eyes.

''Dance with me, my pet. Dance with me into oblivion.''

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Welcome to my guide on Orianna. This is my first attempt at a guide on Moba. Hope you guys will give some constructive comments to help me along :D.

Pros
- Very strong early game
- Great support skills is Command: Dissonance and Command: Protect
- Ball acts as a unit and thus is a free scout.
- Can be built full support or full DPS
- Last hitting is easy with Clockwork Windup
- Great synergies with AoE champs and skills like Cataclysm due to Command: Shockwave

Cons
- Somewhat squishy
- Requires a decent positional awareness(not just for you, the ball as well.)
- A bit on the hard side, may take awhile to get used to her
- More often than not targeted 1st in teamfights
- Mana-hungry, even late game.

Orianna commands her ball to fly towards target location, dealing damage to targets hit but dealing 10% less damage for each additional target hit (minimum 40%). Her ball remains behind at that location afterwards.
Range: 925 (850 estimate disagrees)

Cooldown: 6 / 5.5 / 5 / 4.5 / 4 seconds
Cost: 40 / 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 mana
Magic Damage: 60 / 100 / 140 / 180 / 220 (+0.6 per ability power)

I choose to max this skill first because it is your bread and butter for ALL your skills. This skill has many uses, positioning for a skill, creeping, stealing Dragon/Baron and scouting brushes. When maxed, the cooldown is reduced, which makes it more useful.


Orianna commands her ball to emit an electric pulse, dealing damage to units around it. Afterwards, the ball leaves a field behind for 3 seconds that speeds up allies and slows enemies for 2 seconds. This effect diminishes over time.
Cooldown: 9 seconds
Area of Effect: 250 (estimate)

Cost: 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 / 110 mana
Magic Damage: 70 / 120 / 170 / 220 / 270 (+0.6 per ability power)
Movement Speed Modifier: 25 / 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 %

This skill is taken second for the MS boost and damage. Early game not too useful because of the scary mana cost, but it is spammable once you get Tear of the Goddess


(Passive): The allied champion the ball is attached to gains bonus armor and magic resistance. Bonus Armor & Magic Resist: 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30
(Active): Orianna commands her ball to fly to and attach onto an allied champion, dealing damage to enemies it passes through and shielding the allied champion when it arrives for 4 seconds.
Cooldown: 9 seconds
Cost: 60 mana
Range: 1000 (estimate)

Shield Strength: 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+0.6 per ability power)
Magic Damage: 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 / 180 (+0.45 per ability power)

This ability, although useful, is taken last because the scaling on the AP should be bulky enough for the shield to hold through midgame. With the build you can get upwards of 300AP by around the 20 minute mark through Rabadon's Deathcap if you don't screw up. Also, the cooldown does not reduce by level, so IMO there is no reason for you to max this skill first.


(Active): Orianna commands her ball to unleash a shockwave after a short delay, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies and flinging them into the air a set distance towards, and possibly over, her ball.
Radius: 400 (estimate)
Fling distance: 250-350 (estimate)

Cooldown: 120 / 105 / 90 seconds
Cost: 100 / 125 / 150 mana
Magic Damage: 150 / 225 / 300 (+0.7 per ability power)

This is what makes Orianna special. For those of you who played DotA, this skill is a clone of Magnataur's Reverse Polarity ultimate. It's on a relatively short cooldown of 90 seconds, reduced to 54 seconds with maxed out Cooldown Reduction, and has nice damage. But it's best at synergizing with ultimates such as Death Lotus and Cataclysm which will really seal the fate of your opponents. Obviously, take this skill whenever possible.


(Innate): Orianna’s autoattacks deal an additional 5 / 10 / 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 (+0.2 per ability power) magic damage every hit, subsequent attacks on the same target within 4 seconds deal an additional 15% magic damage per hit. This bonus stacks up to three times.

This skill has encouraged many to go AS/AP Orianna, hybrid Orianna etc. My advice:don't. Orianna can never sit still in a gankfight autoattacking because 1. She is wayyyyy toooo squishyyyy and 2. 550 range is not going to help that much. What this skill is however, its a nice boost to your attacks early game, making you hit harder and last hit easier. Also, note that the bonus damage is MAGIC damage, which means MPen is going to help out here.

My recommendation:

Flash has many uses, and it works particularly well on Orianna. You see your allied Ashe getting hit by that pesky Evelynn, but you are not close enough to shield? Flash, shield and problem solved. Getting chased by 5 people and need a quick getaway? Flash over a wall and you're safe.

Teleport also has many uses, to counter split pushing by Master Yi, to get into a gankfight at bottom quick, to teleport to Sight Wards, to get back to lane, you name it.

Viable Spells:

Clarity can help solve your early game mana problems but its viability dies out when you have Tear of the Goddess
Clairvoyance can be taken as you are somewhat a support, but IMO, your ball should do the job for you.
Ignite to get some kills. But, you are not a carry, and the range of Ignite does not complement Orianna's other skills. It's really super obvious when you are going in to Ignite, players with a decent level of IQ will realize what you're doing and run.
Heal to complement your early game squishiness, but not useful late game because Orianna should not be positioned in a middle of the fight where this skill would benefit people most.
Ghost to run super fast in conjuction with Command: Dissonance. But IMO Flash is more useful.

Spells to avoid:

Cleanse. You shouldn't be needing this. If you are, work on your positioning in teamfights.
Rally. Never seen anyone take it, and you shouldn't as well.
Revive. Dying is part of the game, live with it.
Smite. Not a jungler.
Exhaust. Range is too short, and I would leave this to the melee carries.
Fortify. Give this to someone like Shen or Rammus

My setup:

Greater Mark of Magic Penetration
This should be pretty self-explanatory, most AP characters use this to boost damage early game.

Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration
Orianna has serious mana problems early game. Take this to counter that in conjunction with Tear of the Goddess

Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power
I admit, Greater Glyph of Scaling Cooldown Reduction is a better choice. But it's also expensive as hell at 810IP and doesn't give that much CDR late game. So I found this to be a suitable alternative.

Greater Quintessence of Magic Penetration
Again, for the same reason as the Marks. However, Greater Quintessence of Health is also worth a shot to counter Orianna's squishiness.

CORE ITEMS

With this core, you should be good enough to fight. Tear of the Goddess and Glacial Shroud complements your mana problems, Ionian Boots of Lucidity will complement your cooldowns in conjunction with Glacial Shroud and Rabadon's Deathcap should give you nice AP for your shield and damage. Finish Archangel's Staff after Tear of the Goddess and you should be good enough to go!

SITUATIONAL (DPS)

With 70 AP and 20% CDR, this item is great for Orianna but does not give her the beefiness she needs. But you could get this if you are doing well, substitute Glacial Shroud for this. Not very expensive at 2350.


If you find yourself not dealing much damage late game, get this item as your last.


I like to have this around with me. Not only is its active useful, but 100AP and 50 armor, this is also a solid boost to your survivabililty.


80AP and 500HP is great, but the active.. not so great. All your skills are AoE so 15% slow is all you get. Good for beginner players that want some confidence from their items.


Get this only if you are doing EXTREMELY WELL. Lich Bane is a great item with its active and MR boost and MS boost, but you should not be autoattacking that much. Remember, you are a squishy champ with only 550 range.


Spell vamp items are nice, but IMO they are not totally necessary on Orianna. If you are really dying for one, grab a early Hextech Revolver early game and upgrade it into one of these items later.

SITUATIONAL ITEMS (SURVIVABILITY)

I always have this on any champ I play, and Orianna is no exception. Comes with nice 375HP and mana, and a 45 second CD spell shield. Also with 50MR, it is the best defensive item for Orianna, combine it with Command: Protect's passive and you have a solid 80MR boost.


Not only does it come with 20% CDR, it is bundled together with 99 Armor, 500 Mana, and a 20% attack speed reduction aura. With the passive on Command: Protect, you have a nice 129 Armor boost.


If you choose not to get Frozen Heart, this can be a decent substitute. Gives nice amounts of HP and mana as well as AP, but try to get it early to maximise the ability's potential.


This comes with 330 HP, 15% CDR and a decent amount of HP5 and MP5. But the true worth is in it's active, use it in conjunction with Command: Dissonance and you will run super fast.


Gives all round nice stats and a good aura but I wouldn't recommend it because it's effectiveness dies out late game. But it's a cheap defensive item at 1925g and worth a shot early game if you decide to get it.

NOTE:

Orianna is not a killer. Granted, she has nice burst damage but her ultimate role in teamfights is to CC enemies and protect allies while doing damage from a safe distance. Do not play her if you want to kill.


Grab a Meki Pendant and 2 Health Potion to start. Alternatively you could go with Doran's Ring to boost your survivability, it's totally up to you, I just feel safer with a Health Potion.

Also, while you are a decent mid laner, Orianna is better off supporting allies on the side lanes. After all, she works best with a partner and bush kills would not be so easy with Orianna around. So go take top or bot unless no one is capable of midding. Also, if you have a jungler on your side, take the solo lane if you can, I find that Orianna is kinda good at 1v2.

When you arrive, Command: Attack to send your ball to the bush to check for any enemies. Most of the time I don't go for early 1st bloods because it wouldn't be so easy, so preventing ganks would be a better alternative. Use your ball sparingly at this time because you don't have the mana to keep up with you were to spam. Most of the time, I use skills only if I would get multiple minion kills, otherwise I would just focus on last hitting.

Orianna is very good at countering tower huggers. The range of your skills is long enough for you to land blows untouched. The basic harrassment rotation here is Command: Attack> Command: Dissonance.

Whenever you can, focus hits on your enemies to damage them with Clockwork Windup but do not go too far. By this time, if you farm enough gold for a Tear of the Goddess, port back to base and get it, then use Teleport to go back to lane. This is so that you can begin building up it's passive as early as possible so that it will be effective late game.

If you decide to go for a kill, harass 1st using your skills and when you or your partner decide to go for it, just do your job.

Mid game starts when you have your ultimate and both Tear of the Goddess and Boots.

By this time, I would like to stress the importance of 2 items, Sight Ward and Elixir of Brilliance.

Sight Ward is invaluable in most games and the mark of a good player is when he knows how to ward effectively. Given that Mid game is usually when most ganks occur, Sight Ward are excellent and cheap(75g) counters. I highly suggest reading Panglot's Warding Helper guide to be an effiecient warder, and get better in the game.

Elixir of Brilliance are what they are. Brilliant. At 250G and level 18, this gives 40AP which is equal to that of a Blasting Wand and 10% CDR. Try to have it's effect on you all the time.

Now that you have your Command: Shockwave, you are invaluable to the team. Also, I would like to point out that Orianna does great damage mid game, so if you are raving to kill, this is the best time for you to do it.

Farm and gank as you wish, your main priority now is to attain Rabadon's Deathcap fast so that we won't be living with ****ty AP for so long. Alternatively if you had done real bad during the laning phase, stacking Doran's Rings is a good idea to tide you over.

When ganking, always try to Command: Protect to shield your gankmates and also to position your ball. AND ALWAYS REMEMBER WHERE YOUR BALL IS! If you need it fast, press ALT+E to make the ball go back to you without clicking anything. When ganking, always wait for your team to initiate, put the ball on the initiator and use Command: Dissonance to slow enemies and let your team move faster. You should never be in the line of fire, if you are, Flash to safety. Command: Shockwave only if there is multiple enemies, or your allied Jarvan IV is trying to land a Cataclysm. Otherwise save it. I will go through its uses later.

After finishing Rabadon's Deathcap, work towards either Glacial Shroud or Archangel's Staff. My advice would be to get the former 1st to get some CDR, but if you had done really well and farmed up enough, getting Archangel's Staff first is fine.

Once all these items are done, late game begins.

By now, ganks giveway to teamfights. So what does Orianna do in a teamfight?

1. She delivers CC in the form of Command: Dissonance and Command: Shockwave.
2. She protects allies with Command: Protect
3. She snipes runners with Command: Attack
4. She does all these from a safe distance.

TAKE NOTE OF THESE IN TEAMFIGHTS!

1. The position of your ball
2. Who is getting focused
3. The right time to use your ultimate (will go through later)
4. Possible paths that both teams take if they need to retreat, so that Command: Dissonance can be placed in such a way that people will be slowed and hasted.

Most of the time, the shield is used on carries like Master Yi or Ashe. But remember that initiators like Jarvan IV, Xin Zhao and Galio can benefit from it too.

In the late game phase, Baron Nashor and Dragon must ALWAYS be warded, along with the enemy jungle (if you are pushing) or your own (if you are not pushing).

In teamfights, the bulk of the enemy's damage comes from their ranged DPSers. Most of the time you would wanna use Command: Shockwave to pull them towards your team. But remember, you are also contributing alot to the teamfight and enemies are likely to focus you as well. Never get caught off guard.

After everyone is grouped together, use Command: Dissonance to damage and slow them, and by this time, decide who is getting focused most and shield him/her. If you can, throw in a few autoattacks but do not go too far. Most of the time I prefer to stay with my Ranged DPS and use Command: Attack to damage enemies.

Orianna's skills are well suited for a gankfight because they have great range to complement her lack of survivability, decent forms of CC in the form of a slow and a stun, and a shield to support her allies. When played right, her contribution in teamfights cannot be neglected.

This is such a wonderful skill. Not only does it synergize with allied AoE skills, but it also stuns enemies and gives nice damage. It's also an area skill.

NEVER USE YOUR ULTIMATE TO:

1. Stun an enemy on the move. You will most likely miss because of the short delay before taking effect and its not so big range.
2. Stun one person unless it is absolutely neccessary, like an Annie who has 20 stacks of Mejai's Soulstealer.
3. Kill Steal. You have other skills that fit the job.

The use of Command: Shockwave is varied. Most of the time it is used to group enemies together and let your team kill them with AoE skills. But it can also be used to:

1. Screw up an enemy jungle. You see Warwick killing the golem? Shockwave the Golem (and him if you want to) over the wall and take it for yourself.
2. Bring enemies out of the bush.
3. Bring enemies across ledges.
4. Well, damage!

So, usually, before you use your ultimate, try to have your tanks focus them in an area. Then when you feel the time is right, activate it and watch enemies fall into the slaughter zone.

As time goes by, I will add some images to help you guys see what I'm talking about.

What Orianna's Ball is:
1. A ward. It can reveal bushes and fogged areas.
2. A unit that cannot attack. All of Orianna's skill comes from the ball.
3. A decoration. It looks pretty cool.

Remember that the location of the ball is indicated by the arrow that appears around you when the ball leaves you. You might also notice that it changes colour.

When it is...
Green means you are close to the ball
Orange means you are moderately further away from the ball. This is usually the best distance for you to cast your spells.
Red means that you are faraway from the ball and it will return if you move further.

The maximum range you can be away from the ball before it returns is 1124. Most of your skill ranges fall between 900-1100 so you defo wanna be in the dark green zone to cast your spells safely.

Orianna is a fun champion to play. Like most people I had my doubts about her when she was revealed, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing with her. She is hard to play so you will need to practice a few games with her to be naturally good with her gameplay.

Also, because this is my first guide, I would like some comments that would help me with guide-making or any gameplay flaws that I can improve on.

Hope you have enjoyed this guide and hope that you have found it useful.

Thanks!