Sona Build Guide by Ragnar Fox

Playing in the Middle by Ragnar Fox

Hy guys and welcome to my Sona AP Mid guide. It is my second guide in Mobafire and I show to you that Sona, in the right composition, is a very powerful hero in mid lane. She has incredible damage and a amazing support for her team. The purpose of this guide is to show why and when pick a mid Sona and how it become extreme insane in right composition. Hope you will enjoy :)

Pros and Cons

+ Extremely easy to snowball. + Easy to learn. + Good Mobility due to Song of Celerity. + Very strong poke in all phases of the game. + Monstrous single target damage with low CD. + Hard CC in large area with Crescendo + Powerful team fighter. + Amazing sustain with Aria of Perseverance. + Easy to rise up if you go bad in lane, Easy to rise up your team if you go well in lane.

- Extremely situational. - She's is the squishiest hero of the entire game. - Very susceptible to assassins. - May rush defensive stuff if needed. - Hard item dependent. - May have Mana problems if you don't know how to control it.

Why and When

You probably is questioning why play this char on mid lane if we have a lot of mid lanners that can do something near this or better than this. This section is here to try show all of you what Sona can do and why someone must play she on Mid Lane.

Skills Explanation

Power Chord

That is Sona's passive ability. All of her game turns into this skill. Based on the last song that Sona play it has a different effect and use its effects is essential on she's gameplay. The most used effect will be Staccato that doubles it damage, however know when slow an enemy with Time to ensure a kill or lower an opponent damage with diminuendo is the line that separates a Sona player of a good Sona player.

Hymn of valor

That is the skill of your that deal's damage and must be maxed at first. It has a good base damage, good scales(1,4 AP divided on two targets), good range and, like the other Sona skills, low CD, becoming your mainly source of damage on lane phase. Its left an aura that increase AD and AP, pretty good for team fights and land automatic on enemies making easy to use. Power Chord - Staccato: That's is the effect of the Power Chord if the Hymn of Valor has been played at last. That effect has terrorized many supports and AD Carrys on bot. Doubling the damage from Power Chord you got a 26 on lv 1 and 384 on lv 18 plus your AD, it is a pretty strong base damage and it should grant you damage early game aside of Hymn of Valor.

Aria of Perseverance

A pretty good spammeble heal it is very useful in lane to crush the poke based heros like Lux and Katarina and it make you can stay more out of base. On team fights is provide a good sustain to your team making they more hard to kill and let a aura that give bonus of armor and magic resist. It always heal you and the lowest percent life nearby. Power Chord - Diminuendo: It reduce the enemy damage dealt to 20%. It has a great potential and I think this is the less used chord effect but if use to reduce a mass AoE spell like Miss Fortune's Bullet Time or Fiddlesticks's Crowstorm it can change the course of a teamfight so give more attention to this.

Song of celerity

That is the music of speed, its give a boost of speed and is very useful to run out or chase an enemy. Alike you are an AP Buster that song will let to be maxed at least, however you must take a point on it to ensure you Power Chord on the lowest CD and have a burst of speed to avoid skill shots. Power Chord - Time: That chord slow an enemy for 2 seconds on 40%. His best use is to use run out of anyone or to ensure a kill if can't kill him with Staccato and have another teamates with you. Its also good to keep enemies who try to dive you under your turret (remember that turret in 2 seconds deal more damage than the Staccato Bonus).

Crescendo

That is the Sona's ultimate. Crescendo is one of the bests "ult's" on my opinion. Have a good area, good scale and stun for 1,5s. Its can be compared with Cassiopeia's Petrifying Gaze but a "little" stronger. It really **** an enemy team fight.

Runes and Masteries

This is near a defaut rune for Mages, Greater Quintessence of Ability Power for AP Flat, Greater Glyph of Magic Resist For Magic Resistance, Greater Seal of Armor for Armor on Seals and Greater Mark of Magic Penetration for MP.

You can put Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power to power up you your ratios but is not advisable due to Sona's low resistance. With this runes, principally against AP champions, you became very powerful against poke base champions and, one time your goal is only to "survive" the lane phase, these setup is the best I think.

To masteries, take the AP section on Offensive tree and Mana Regen, CDR on Summoners spells and Runic Affinity on Utility tree. The only point here is: Prefer Mastermind instead of Expanded Mind due to CDR on Flash that you desperade need to escape. On more Sona follow the others traditional mages like Lux and Ahri on Masteries, do any adjustment thinking on this. You also can take the 21/9/0 to Boost more your defenses as well.

Bests Summoners Spells

Flash is an essential spell for Sona one time you have no true form of escape and this will be the only one. Note that in this build I propose Mastermind , Summoner's Insight and Enchantment: Distortion only to reduce Flash CD. With this you gonna have a 171 CD down from 300. Don't foll yourself to play without this. Support Sona is focused like a carry and now you will BE a carry, the right people to focus. As I say, you will need all defense you team can give you, and cut 40% of Flash CD for cheap gold is a good deal.

Ignite is the default chose for Carrys cause it complement your combo and it is no exception for Sona. However one time we have some defensive issues and Ignite power decays on late game it may not so good choice for us if it don't grant a early supremacy. If you want to focus on late a defensive spell must be the right chose.

Barrier is pretty stuff for anyone, it grant a massive shield that will combo with Seraph's Embrace and eventually with Zhonya's Hourglass making you a little more hard to kill and even giving you the chance to unleash your damage or support your team. It may hurt you early game as well one time that Ignite complements you better with few items but it is certainly the best late game option.

Item Section

Its basic start set to those who will rush Tear of the Goddess, it will give you large amount of mana trougth the lane phase, sight ward's to guard yourself from ganks and some life from potions. You can start with a Doran's Ring if you fell that you will have an easy lane but it can later your Tear of the Goddess. If their jungler is a non-treat guy in lane phase like a Skarner or a Dr. Mundo, take more potions intead of the sight ward












This two items is all for this build, Tear of the Goddess provides all mana and mana regen that we need through the game and will be turned into Seraph's Embrace that provides huge amount of AP and Shield. The Sheen's passive is simply a boost for Sona's Power Chord. It and Lich Bane provides a high increase of damage.







This items are very required to solve Sona's resistances issues and I normally do Zhonya's Hourglass even with no High AD damage on enemy team one time its give large amount of AP and can make you turn into gold making you much more hard to kill. Otherwise Athene's Unholy Grail is not so effective. If you don't the MR, Tear of the Goddess can solve you mana issues and you must take it only if you need the High mana regeneration and the MR. Their primary defensive item, Negatron Cloak and Seeker's Armguard will give you mores chances to "survive" the lane phase as well, providing resistance against AD or destroying high poke heros due the spawn of Aria of Perseverance or even don't letting you die to a burst.

Rabadon's Deathcap

This item provides you with a great deal of AP, it almost a must have item in almost all of the AP carry builds, it is highly indicated since it will power up all of your skills.

Void Staf

It’s give you a good amount of AP and a lot of Magic penetration, it's advised only against teams or tanks that stacks Magic Resist such as Dr. Mundo and Galio one time that have lot of more useful options if they don't have high amount of MR.

Mejai's Soulstealer

This item make a powerful combo with Sona ability of get assist only to stay near someone, and it will give you massive AP and some CDR. This things of losing stacks is not so problematic like on a Lux for an example that need her 40% CDR, for us CDR is a cool bonus, and loose some stacks on a death is not so problematic. Another point is you will play safe in any case, so it don't change your play style too and it teaches you how to play more and more safe.

Morellonomicon

I can consider it a safe version of Mejai's Soulstealer, one time it don't have that stack stuff and give some mana regen. Obviously it grant very less AP than a full stacked Mejai. Less Risk, less bonus. The healing reduction is good in some specific situations.

Deathfire Grasp

It a pretty item one time you can boost your powerful single burst. However, as this is not your main purpose on late game and you can't rush this on early to empower you lane phase you can left this to the end if you don't want nothing more useful. The CDR is not bad as well.

Rod of Ages

It is a pretty chose for lanes that will not burn, like Lux or Orianna as example. It will later your Lich Bane one time it's must be rushed like Tear of the Goddess but will be great for you on late game one time will resolve some defense issue, the extra mana will give more AP from Seraph's Embrace and etc..

Gameplay

Sona is good against: Poke, low range, squish, skill shots.

Sona is bad against: Burst, gap closer, pushers, Hard CC.


Sona's lane phase is not the best lane of the world one time she bright on Mid/Late, however Sona's kit give you all to pass the lane phase with certain peace. She has poke, good sustain, mobility, burst and naturally don't push too much making her susceptibility against gap gloser more easy to take against annoying junglers and even you go bad in lane you can easy rise up if your team don't go too bad one time you easy get assists in team fights or take some kills with Hymn of Valor+ Power Chord.

On mid Sona start to became a Monster. With Crescendo, a powerful single combo, a large amount of empowered heals and support she can easily bring a win to a team fight only by bursting a people or land a right ultimate.

Like others squish carries you must be well positioned to proper support your team and deal the necessary damage without get focused by the enemy team, it can be compared with a Vayne, low range, very susceptible to focus, but extreme precious to her team, a champion that, if protected right, will win the team fight for her protectors.







As say on cons, Sona has a extreme susceptibility to assassins and if you team don't help you, you will cannot help them. Try to speak with your tank's and NEVER pass the safe line, you have enough damage and utility to focus a tank if need. Remember this.

PS: Not good to play this in a team without protective tank's like a Thresh or a Volibear.

The Maven and the Badasses

He is a very powerful combo with Sona, principally in the jungle. He have good early ganks with Rolling Thunder that is woombo with Sona's Song of Celerity and it can give a powerful advantage or grant your safe lane phase. He is total protective on late game as well, all that our maven wants.

The cursed poney is another powerful weapon to combo a early gank with his Devastating Charge and he can be very protective if he want. Also Crescendo + Onslaught of Shadows destroy team fights. Tons of CC.

Who is the best mothe****er of the game? Shen of course. Stand United to keep you alive, Shadow Dash + Crescendo give your team a total 3s CC and it keep enemies away from you. Mordekaiser is not the number 1, number 1 is Shen. Best teammate ever... if he don't get banned o.o how shen taunt your enemies

Results of Play

Change Log

10//08//2013 Guide Released

13//08//2013 BBCode Updated

25//08//2013 Remove Abyssal Mask and add Athene's Unholy Grail as a crucial item.