Sivir has fallen out of common use in the recent meta after some nerfs and went unused and unbanned in IPL4. However, she is still a solid champion choice depending on the team composition. While she doesn't have any glaring weaknesses, she also doesn't have anything absurdly abuseable or overpowered. Her former early game dominance is gone and, while not a hopeless case, she falls more in line with other late game oriented AD carries. With that said, look more to farm up during laning phase while taking harassment opportunities as they come rather than creating them yourself.

The mid to late game phase is where Sivir truly shines due to her ultimate. Smart use of this, coupled with a good team comp will carry your team to victory.

Sivir is an attack damage carry that is easy to get the basic grasp of, yet has a high skill cap to get her full potential. She can deal out an amazing amount of damage to single targets while also dishing out noticeable damage to groups. Her main strength lies in working with the team to secure favorable outcomes in group fights, but she is also one of the strongest pushers / wave clearers in the game giving her the option of going for a backdoor or split pushing.





PROS

CONS

Sivir's passive gives you increased movement speed when you hit a champion with a basic attack. The passive becomes increasingly unnoticeable as the game progresses, however it does have its uses.

Laning phase is the best time to get the most use out of your passive. When exchanging hits with an enemy champion (you will almost never get a free basic attack due to the short range on your attacks) you can use the movement speed boost to help dodge enemy skill shots, speed your retreat, or aid in your pursuit. If you are ever so lucky enough to lane against a melee champion without a gap closer, you will be able to use your passive to kite them indefinitely. As the game progresses you will also see its usefulness when pursuing enemy champions, especially if your ult is on cd.

(Q): BOOMERANG BLADE This spell is your main source of early game damage and your constant source of mana woes. The basic mechanic to this ability is that it does dmg to anything that it hits (and it's hitbox is somewhat large) but the damage it does decreases with each hit. It has a good range and if you can land two clean hits (the throw and return) on an enemy champion without it hitting anything else, then you will see a large chunk of their life disappear.

SPACE

The ability acts as a basic boomerang, being thrown in the desired direction then returning to you. You should keep in mind that, while it always goes towards the aimed location when thrown, you can manipulate it's return route by moving Sivir around. So, if you throw it in front of you, then move to the side, it will return along a different path (forming a kind of triangle with you as the base) hitting anything in its way. This can be useful if you miss your initial throw, the champion dodges it, or if you just wanted to hit a larger area of space with your boomerang.

Since the ability is so mana intensive it is not something you want to just spam out.

When to Use BOOMERANG BLADE:

• When you are GUARANTEED to get two clean hits on an enemy champion
• When you are pushing / wave clearing
• On groups of enemy champions lined up (especially useful in the jungle)

When NOT to Use BOOMERANG BLADE:

• When you are low on mana
• Trying to poke an enemy champion behind a wave of his/her creeps

Tips:

• The Boomerang Blade makes a slashing sound whenever it hits an enemy champion. So you can throw it into the brush and listen for the sound to check if there are champions there.
• It can be used as a poke in the team fight phase, but remember to watch your mana pool.
• When clearing waves, especially mid-late game, a Boomerang Blade coupled with a Ricochet vaporizes minion waves in less than a second.

(W): RICOCHET This spell bounces your auto attack 5 times dealing reduced dmg with hit. This will become your main source of sustained dmg dealing due to fact that it acts as an attack animation reset. What that means is that, with practice, you can attack twice in rapid succession every cooldown. As an added bonus, the first hit also deals on-hit (item) effects AND can crit.

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The main thing you want to practice is effective timing so that you don't actually slow down your auto attacking. Remember that as soon as she releases her auto attack you can Ricochet immediately to attack. This can be tricky since if you mistime it, you will see her go through her throw setup, stop without attacking, then release Ricochet without a prior auto attack.

Tips:

• PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE the timing!!!
• The bounce from Ricochet can actually hit targets out of your field of vision given favorable bounces.

(E): SPELL SHIELD This spell creates a magical barrier for up to 3 seconds that blocks 1 enemy ability. If an enemy ability is blocked, it returns 2x the mana cost. This is THE make-or-break ability of a good-or-bad Sivir. This spell is a life saver, lane sustainer, and game changer. While in lane, this can prevent ganks or CC's while, at the same time, keep your mana pool sustained so that you can effectively keep pushing or harassing as you see fit. Some abilities you need to be able to shield on reaction while others you need to be able to anticipate. In higher lvl play it will become a mindgame against some opponents who will try to bait a spell shield out of you without using an ability thus leaving you vulnerable for the cd while draining your miserable mana pool.

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It's Phreak Approved!

Tips:

• In laning phase, try to bait out enemy abilities you know you can shield for some easy mana.
• You can actually shield more than one ability if they hit at the same time.
• In team fights it becomes extremely important to decide which abilities to save your shield for. Prioritize shielding CC's or anything that moves you around (like a Gargas ult) over anything else.
• You can only shield the application of spells. If Morg ult's you or Zilean bombs you and you shield afterwards, you WILL NOT block the spell.
• Some things, such as AoE slows like Trundle's pillar will not be blocked by your shield, your general rule of thumb is that if Banshee's Veil can block it, you can too.
• If the shield from Banshee's Veil is active, DO NOT use your SPELL SHIELD as any ability that hits you will soak up both shields not one or the other.

(ULTIMATE): ON THE HUNT Sivir's ultimate buffs herself and surrounding allies with a movement speed and attack speed buff. This is the reason Sivir is so strong in group fights. Sivir's ultimate can be used as a signal to engage an enemy team, after an engage for dmg output, to chase enemies, or to assist running from them. If you are pushing or backdooring, it is also useful to ult to quickly take down an enemy turret. The main thing to master with this ability is a good sense of timing on when to ult.

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Tips:

• After activation you can still move in range of allies to provide the buff for them.
• The allies you have buffed will remain so until the buff naturally expires, even if they move out of range or you die.

IN GENERAL:

To get the most out of your abilities you will want to follow the general guidelines of


However, you want to get Spell Shield at level 2 to give you all the utility that it offers. The reasoning behind the skilling sequence is that you get the most out of your Boomerang Blade in the early game, while the usefulness of Ricochet doesn't truly become apparent until you have some good items to back it up. Of course, you only really need one point in Spell Shield to maintain its usefulness and you should always level your ultimate On The Hunt when available.

ALTERNATIVES:
The only real alternative skilling sequence is to get Ricochet at lvl 2 and then Spell Shield at 4. This is an EXTREMELY situational choice that I would not recommend unless you are sure that you will not have to defend against ganks or harassment (such as if you are in a 2v1 lane with good ward coverage). The only other situation that may dictate you going for Ricochet early is an extremely aggressive kill lane, of which there should have been better choices for an AD carry.

NOTE: You should always take Flash. The only summoner spell you should ever consider replacing is Heal. Mostly, you should only consider replacing Heal if you are laning with a healing support that you are confident can keep you up in most reasonable situations. Another situation you should consider replacing Heal is if you are certain that the opposing lane is running Ignite.

• Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage x3 (+6.75 Attack Damage) Giving you +AD right off the bat is very strong, it helps you last hit as well as giving you a decent boost to your Boomerang Blade. The boost this gives outshines any other offensive Quints (such as ArmorPen) that you may consider.
  
  
• Greater Mark of Scaling Attack Damage x9 (+1.17 Attack Damage / Lvl ~ +21.87 Attack Damage @18) Again, AD is the name of the game here. However, going with per lvl gives you a slightly higher damage output in the long run. AD / lvl catches up with flat AD at around lvl 7 (+.91 AD) and surpasses them after that. This gives Sivir a stronger boost right as she will start to look for more grouping opportunities, where she really shines. As far as other offensive runes (such as Attack Speed or ArmorPen), while they may be useful, Sivir, esp considering Boomerang Blade scaling, gets the most use out of Attack Damage.
  NOTE: Runes have the greatest effect on your early game as your farming abilities and items choices give greater weight to your champion potential as the game progresses. This choice was made even with this in mind.
  
  
• Greater Seal of Armor x9 (+12.69 Armor) There is really nothing else to consider here. Given that you will most likely be laning against an AD opponent, the greater ability to soak up harassment with higher armor is second to none, especially considering that healing supports are falling out of favor at the moment. Some may be tempted to try out mana regen Seals to help cover up Sivir's mana woes...DON'T. It just isn't worth risking being out-harassed or downright ganked due to lack of protection from a known incoming damage source.
  
  
• Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist x9 (+1.35 Magic Resist / Lvl ~ +24.3 Magic Resist @18) While the boost this gives to Sivir in the early game is somewhat negligible, the MR that you get is worthwhile in the late game. Even with your Spell Shield you will soak up a decent amount of magic damage in most team fights making the additional MR a literal life saver.

QUINTESSENCES:

• NONE - Currently, there is nothing that can compare to flat AD Quints

MARKS:

• Greater Mark of Attack Damage - These sacrifice a bit of late game AD for pre-lvl 7 damage. They maximize the usefulness of runes. Take these if you have trouble last hitting or if you want a bit more damage laning.
• Greater Mark of Desolation - These actually give you a slightly higher auto attack on champions early game and help to counter the ever common Greater Seal of Armor. Take these if you want to go for an aggressive kill lane.

SEALS:

• NONE - Currently, there is nothing that can compare to flat Armor Seals

GLYPHS:

• Greater Glyph of Magic Resist - These give you more MR up to lvl 10. You can either grab x9 of these or mix some in with Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist to give you a better balanced Magic Resist throughout the game. Take these if you know you will be dealing with a lot of magic damage harassment (such as from hybrid carries or aggressive supports) or if you know you will be lane swapping (such as going 2v1 against a magic dmg bruiser top lane early game).
• Greater Glyph of Replenishment - While I do not encourage this, you can opt to take these flat mana regen Glyphs to help cover Sivir's mana woes, enabling you to harass more often. Take these ONLY if you are confident that you will not be taking a ton of magic damage throughout the game.

OFFENSE (21):

DEFENSE (9):
Reasoning: Taking 21 points in Offense should be a no-brainer. You want to maximize your dmg output since that is the main reason you are on the team. I should note that I do not take Havoc since I do not think it gives you as much benefit as other masteries. For (3/3) points in Havoc , on a 1000 pt hit you would gain...+15 damage. No Thank You.
I opt for 9 points in Defense since it can save your life. Sivir has no natural escapes and is usually closer to the fighting than most other AD carries due to her short range. Her lack of slows or CC's just complicate the matter. Thus, in the interest of dealing as much damage as possible (since you deal none when you are DEAD), the small boost in Defense is worthwhile.






UTILITY (9):
Reasoning: Taking 9 points in Utility instead of in Defense sacrifices a bit of survivability for mana sustainability. While understandable, I would only recommend this if you are sure to have a lot of protection both in lane, and in team fights.

SUGGESTED:

+ x3 - The increased mobility to dodge skill shots in addition to the sustain from pots is just too good to pass up. While Doran's Blade is a common choice, it just doesn't give you the sustain you require to stay in lane long enough to buy decent items on your first back.

ALTERNATIVES:

- This is a very situational choice. Only get this if you are laning with a healing support that you are confident can keep you up AND you are not facing a kill or hyper aggressive lane. Remember to get life steal from this you will need to auto attack, a lot. This may cause you to push your lane too far and put you and your laning partner way out of position.

+ x5 - Another situational choice, although always a safe bet. Getting an early cloth armor + 5 guarantees you sustain in lane, helps protect against harass or ganks, and can roll nicely into a Wriggle's Lantern or Ninja Tabi.





SUGGESTED:

+ x2 - Considering the expense of the build and the recent nerf to Wriggle's Lantern, I favor just sticking with 2 Doran's Blades. However, if you are doing really well you can go with just one, or you can grab an extra Doran's Blade if you feel a bit behind.


+ SIGHT WARD - You always want to get some consumables in the early game on your trips back. Health Potion allows you to heal up through harass, sustaining you in lane and (possibly) saving your support some mana, depending. Sight Ward SAVES LIVES...in the laning phase case, it is usually yours. Help your laning partner ward up so you are never caught unawares.

ALTERNATIVES:

+ - You can also throw in some Doran's Blade to be safe. This is still a strong early game choice, but, with the expense of the build I suggest, I do not think it is worth it anymore. However, you can go for this if you are doing really well, your team needs a Wriggle's Lantern, or you don't plan on getting a Bloodthirster. While this may hinder your core build or late game build a bit, you gain the benefit of a bit of extra armor, lifesteal, and damage for a relatively low cost.

ALTERNATIVE BOOTS:

- A great defensive item again heavy AD teams. While I do not necessarily think that they are worth it, I don't think that you should ever count a good set of defensive boots out. Especially consider these if you are behind or against a hyper AD team.

- A great defensive item choice against a team with a lot of control, or possibly a double AP team. The tenacity and MR really make these boots worth considering regardless of how well you are doing. Consider these if you are against a heavy CC team.




SUGGESTED PATH:

- When building this item, ALWAYS get the B. F. Sword and Pickaxe BEFORE the Cloak of Agility. The +AD scales with you much better than sometimes critting for negligible dmg (since you have no real +dmg items). Infinity Edge gives you guaranteed damage, with the ability to crit, and crit hard. Remember that your Ricochet can crit, so this item really increases your dmg output by a substantial amt.


+ + - The order that you purchase these items should actually be dictated by how well you are doing in the game or how tanky the other team is. If the other team is tanky OR you are not doing well, grab the Phage ==> Vampiric Scepter first, then grab the Zeal. Otherwise, go Zeal ==> Phage ==> Vampiric Scepter. Remember that this is building up to a later Trinity Force.

So, your inventory should look like this...


ALTERNATIVES:

+ - While you lose some of the sustainability of a Trinity Force as well as its superb passives, the Phantom Dancer is always a solid item choice as it synergizes extremely well with Infinity Edge. It is also more than 1k gold cheaper than a Trinity Force. Consider this if you are not comfortable with the Ricochet auto attack reset and / or you are not comfortable with last hitting / farming.

+ - With the recent change to Bloodthirster, it has becomes an even more attractive item for Sivir. Since you only lose half the stacks upon death, and you can easily refarm stacks, you should quickly be able to max out Bloodthirster. It is also a bit cheaper than Infinity Edge allowing you to possibly grab Trinity Force a bit earlier so that you can benefit from its passives and extra sustain. Consider this if you are not as comfortable with last hitting or if you want greater sustain (through lifesteal) rather than increased damage output with the crits.

Now...

HAMMERTIME!

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BUT SERIOUSLY...

Now that your core build is finished you need to evaluate where you are in the game, what the enemy team is doing, and what your team is doing. So ask yourself the following questions...

Last Hitting Guide


Meridianprime's Sivir Guide

First and foremost, I hope that this guide has helped you in someway, as that was the intent. If it hasn't helped, then I apologize.

This is the first guide that I have published. My intent behind creating it was to make a comprehensive guide on building Sivir rather than playing her. I hope that in the future I can add sections that can better describe the general mentality, positioning, and skillful nuances behind effectively playing her...however, currently, I am not comfortable with asserting my opinions on the matter and hope that greater players than I can continue to share their thoughts with the community.

If you have stumbled across this guide, and have made it down to reading this section I encourage you to share your thoughts, positive or negative, on the guide. This way I can know what people like, and what people dislike about what I have put into this. I would like to add that I have really appreciated all of the positive comments and suggestions from the community so far, thank you all very much!

Finally, if you have any links or information that you think I'm missing / should include please comment or message me!!! I would love to include as much quality information and links as possible!

Thank you to MeridianPrime for his/her permission to link to their guide in mine. MP also gave me some helpful suggestions to help my guide out.

A huge heap of thanks to Ciderhelm for both permission to link to his video guide in this guide as well as his many, many years of dedication to the video game community in general and his community creating work in WoW specifically.

- StarDate 4/9/2012 v1.01.00 - Added a "Helful Links" chapter as well as a "Thank You" section. Also changed the font colors in an attempt to make some of them more visible and made some minor edits to "The Current State of Sivir" following IPL4.
- StarDate 4/8/2012 v1.00.00a - Added some aesthetics while attempting to clean up some text walls.
- StarDate 4/6/2012 v1.00.00 - Published Guide