Hello all and welcome to my guide for Sona, The Maven of the Strings.

In this guide you will be given detailed explanations(extreme long passage alert) and suggestions on how to use Sona to her full potential as a support.

Sona can be played in 2 styles: Pure Support OR as an early-mid game Nuker and then late game Support. However, this guide will be emphasizing on support Sona.

If you have any suggestions of improving this guide please feel free to comment below =3

As a supporter, your primary objectives in a game will be:

1) Help your carries to bring out their full power and keep them alive!!!

2) Wards!!!! You'd rather poor than not warding the map! Keep warding!!!

3) Do not die!!!! Unless you are trying to save your carries live(which you can guarantee), if not, stop feeding!!!

Pros:

- Huge zone control

- Team beneficial auras

- Aoe stun ultimate

- You are controlling one of the sexiest champions in the League of Legends omg!

Cons:

- Extremely fragile

- Slow mobility during early game

- Only one disable ability, which is her ultimate - Crescendo

Sona is an early game AP support nuker, so Greater Mark of Magic Penetration works best on her. She needs VERY very much mana, Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration works best on her too. She also needs cooldown reduction so that you can spam her skills during team fights, Greater Glyph of Scaling Cooldown Reduction will do. Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed will keeps you in contact with your team, escape, chase down your enemies and repositioning in a team fight.

For Seals and Glyphs, I am using scallings, which is not flats. The reasons for each of them are:
Seals:
As the game proceeds you'll need more and more mana to spam your skills compared to your early game. So, Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration is better than Seal of Replenishment.
Glyphs:
Same as the seals, you'll spam your skills more as the game proceeds, so Greater Glyph of Scaling Cooldown Reduction is better than Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction.


Alternatives Yes or No ? :

Gold Generating Runes: Yes
- The amount of gold can be small but cannot be underestimated. Lets say you have 3 of these runes, then:

(1 gold)/(10 seconds) x (60 seconds) x (30 minutes) / (75 gold) x (3 runes) = 7.2 wards

Considering your game last 30 minutes long, you can actually get 7 wards for free because of these 3 runes. If you are really poor get these runes instead.

AP Runes: No
Greater Mark of Ability Power / Greater Mark of Scaling Ability Power
Greater Seal of Ability Power / Greater Seal of Scaling Ability Power
Greater Glyph of Ability Power/ Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power
Greater Quintessence of Ability Power
- Even thou she can be an early game nuke but that doesn't make her a full time rapist, leave these AP runes for your Nukers like LeBlanc, Annie, etc

AR and MR Runes: No
Greater Mark of Armor
Greater Seal of Armor
Greater Glyph of Armor
Greater Quintessence of Armor
-
Greater Mark of Magic Resist / Greater Mark of Scaling Magic Resist
Greater Seal of Magic Resist / Greater Seal of Scaling Magic Resist
Greater Glyph of Magic Resist/ Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist
Greater Quintessence of Magic Resist
- She is a support, she is not meant to be tanking any damage, NOT ANY DAMAGE AT ALL! Since she is a support, you should always position her at the back of the whole team. For that instance, you have your whole team as your meat shield so you really don't have to worry about AR and MR so much that you get runes for that. If not, in the end you might as well handicapped yourself as a Sona for not being able to spam your skills. It is not wise to get those runes to counter assasin heroes like Akali or Kassadin that can dive up through the whole team just to kill you. If you die in mere seconds, so do they :)

Other runes not mentioned here are either not useful for Sona or completely useless for her.
(Add any suggestions and we'll discuss if it is usefull or not)

For masteries, I take 9/0/21 for Sona.

Offensive Tree :

You are forced to take 1 point of this to proceed down the offensive tree.

Some extra AP will always come in handy.

Yay, more cooldown reduction~~~ Its a must.

More MR penetration to increase your deadliness... REAL deadlines....

Utility Tree :

Really nice HP and MP regeneration. Its a must.

You are forced to take 1 point of this to proceed down the utility tree.

Getting some extra experience is always good to keep you "valuable" in early-mid game.

Even thou this mastery can only support you with 180 gold throughout the whole 30 minute game, you can actually get 2 wards from it.

Extra mana regeneration is what you really need. Its a must.

Same as the reason of getting Quintessence of Swiftness, keeps you in contact with your team, escape, chase down your enemies and repositioning in a team fight.

To be able to use your Flash more often, which will save you many, many times.

Hooray for more CD reduction~~~

To be able to scout more often and prolongs your Clairvoyance.

H00ray for CD reduction for your summoner spells~~~

Alternatives Yes or No ? :


No
You need the experience gain and mana regeneration more than extra 5% mana pool. Its still not worth it because 5% extra mana pool is just too little. Lets say you have 3k of mana, 5% extra mana pool is only 150 mana. So, forget it.


No
You're a support. Give the blue buff to your AP carry and the red buff to your AD carry. Don't even think about touching the buffs only if your carries are noobasses or you are trying to steal it from your opponent.

For Sona, I'll take Flash and Clairvoyance as a support. Any other summoner spells are quite useless for her.


Even thou Sona is another mana hunger beast, I strongly suggest not to take clarity as a support. Clairvoyance is a better choice. Furthermore, a Tear of the Goddess will solve most of the mana problem.


Your main objective is not to get hit, so why do you even bother to get this skill.


No, you're not taking this. Either chasing or running away, Flash is always better.


This is a good skill, but leave it to tanks. you need Clairvoyance more.


Completely useless for Sona, Flash is better, you need Clairvoyance for support. Its that simple.

Other summoner skills not mentioned are either completely useless or not useful for Sona at all. Any suggestions please feel free to comment.

There are many ways of learning your skills, but it all depends on the needs of your team. If you can harass well during early game, prioritize Hymn of Valor. Get owned terribly? Master you Aria of Perseverance first. Your team needs serious mobility? Song of Celerity for the win!~~~ In a nutshell, the way of learning your skills is totally flexible towards your team's needs. Never ever stick to one skill sequence, you'll kill yourself and doom your team. ==

Power Chord

(Passive)

After casting 3 spells, Sona's next attack deals extra 14 + (9 x level) magic damage. This enhanced attack has an additional effect depending on which spell was cast last.
Additionally, Sona's auras persist for 2 seconds after deactivating. Sona's basic abilities also set off a 2 second cooldown to the other two basic abilties.

- This is what makes Sona so special! This passive actually gives Sona additional 3 extra skills! However, it also limits your skills making you unable to use your skills too frequently. Don't be sad.... the universal cooldown of 2 seconds is affected by your cooldown reduction! That means you can still chop somebody's head off even if it's nerfed! :D

Hymn of Valor

(Your first skill / Q)

Sona plays the Hymn of Valor, granting nearby allied champions 8 / 11 / 14 / 17 / 20 bonus Damage and Ability Power. Additionally, casting this ability sends out bolts of sound, dealing 50 / 100 / 150 / 200 / 250 (+70% of ability power) magic damage to the nearest two enemy champions or monsters.
If this spell was last cast when Sona's Power Chord is ready, her next attack will do double the damage of her Power Chord.

- This will be your one and only skill to harass and a small boost in AP and AD of your team, making you a valuable asset to your team. Even a tiny boost of 20 AP/AD, it really makes a difference, believe me.

Aria of Perseverance

(Your second skill / W)
Sona plays the Aria of Perseverance, granting nearby allied champions 8 / 11 / 14 / 17 / 20 bonus Armor and Magic Resist. Casting this ability sends out healing melodies, healing Sona and a nearby wounded ally for 25 / 50 / 75 / 100 / 125 (+25% of ability power). Additionally, both Sona and the healed champion will have the bonuses of this aura doubled for 3 seconds.
If this spell was last cast when Sona's Power Chord is ready, her next attack will de-buff the target to deal 20% less damage for 3 seconds.

- Your special medical kit that will save your teammates' lives and annoy the hell out of any carries. Remember if you can proc this skill towards a carry, he/she deals 20% LESS DAMAGE FOR 3 ***KING SECONDS! Oh My Gosh! This can really save the hell out of your team! Imagine you proc this towards an Annie, she will want to burn the hell out of you. Not to mention if you proc this towards an AD DPS. Too bad this proc is single targeted :P

Song of Celerity

(Your third skill / E)
Sona plays the Song of Celerity, granting nearby allied champions 8 / 11 / 14 / 17 / 20 bonus Movement Speed. Additionally, casting this ability energizes nearby allies 6 / 8 / 10 / 12 / 14% additional movement speed for 1.5 seconds.
If this spell was last cast when Sona's Power Chord is ready, her next attack will slow the target by 25% for 2 seconds.

- Another wonderful skill that also annoys the hell out of your opponents. That 20 bonus MS and 14% instantaneous speed boost REALLY really makes a difference. You either save your teammate from hell or break the rhythm of your opponents' team. Combination of Song of Celerity and Aria of Perseverance will save your teammates' ***es many, many times. If there are any opponent chasing you or your team, you can speed boost, slow him, heal, and then try to harass them using your Hymn of Valor.

Note:

Do not panic when you got chased even with low health. Look at your map, ping to get help or use your skills to try to counter them. Support isn't really weak in early-mid game.

Crescendo

(Your forth skill / R)
Sona plays her ultimate chord, forcing enemy champions to dance (stun) and take 150 / 250 / 350 (+80% of ability power) magic damage over 1.5 seconds.

- This is what the pros hate Sona about. Her ultimate that can stun them whole team while you people rape them. However, you must always position yourself so that you can stun them most enemy champions. ALWAYS REMEMBER!!! STUN AS MANY ENEMY CHAMPIONS AS POSSIBLE!!! If you don't, your team's doomed. Note: This skill can charge up your Power Chord

Choosing The Right Skill sequences :

Offensive

1)a) Self total lane domination

If you meet noobasses, use this skill sequence and show them what is HELL. There is a possibility that you can make their cs 0. (If they are stupid enough) This skill sequence gives you high lane dominance, and easy to escape gankers. ( By that time, your opponent laners should be dying already. )

Note:

Never challlenge opponents' laners for 1v1 or 2v1. If your do, THOU SHALL DIE!

1)b) Self temporary lane domination

If you meet champions like Akali, use this skill sequence instead. This is because you know they're gonna deal a hell lot of damage when they reach level 6 or do really well in mid games.

Note:

Don't let them get you, you'll die in mere seconds.

Defensive

2)a) Opponent total lane domination

Worst come to worst, if you meet champions like Ezreal, Kassadin, Ashe, Mordekaiser, etc, I suggest you use this skill sequence instead. You'll get zoned out badly and your only way to get your lane back again is either call for ganks or switch lanes with your teammates. Other than that, your job is just to keep you and your laner alive and dodge any skill projectiles. Use your Song of Celerity to increase your chance to escape any ganks. ( Just at least survive the early game and see what you and your team can do in the mid game. )

2)a) Opponent temporary lane domination

If you know your laner can kill as long as he reaches mid game, use this skill sequence. Best examples here are Akali, Fiddlesticks, etc. Punish them for dominating you by assisting your team in kills!!! ( Don't get demoralized just because your opponents owned during early game, you can still turn the table in mid game and, hopefully, late game )

Mobility

3)a) Ally total lane domination

This situation mostly applies to your DPS laner domination. With increased movement speed, they can really harass your opponent to DEATH. Best examples would be Caitlyn, Mordekaiser, Miss Fortune, Rumble etc. ( 80% you'll win the game if other ally lanes dominate your opponents too )

3)b) Ally temporary lane domination

A way for "buying insurance" for your laner, in case he did some mistakes and might get themselves killed, instant heal will save his ***.

Note:

The above skills can be assigned for team needs, just change all the words-"laner" into "team". Always get at least 1 skill point on all three of your skills to enable you to proc your passive easily.

Conclusion:

Choose the skill sequence that suits your situation the most. Sticking to one skill sequence WILL get you and your team doomed.

Note:

Buy your items according to your team's need. Never ever follow only one build.

For standard final items, it'll be :


If you see your opponent's team has quite a lot of cc(which you normally does...), get this boots right away! Try to help block the projectiles for your carries! Special credit for Kelox for his great advice.


Its aoe 50% MS instant boost aura can either helps you in chasing someone down or escape from getting killed OF YOUR WHOLE TEAM!!! Activating Randuin's Omen + Shurelya's Battlesong = clean escape.


A boost of MR and AR makes you a powerful asset in your team. This item is a must for any games.

Note:

Take note if your tank had purchased this item or not, if they do, don't buy it!

Note:

Always leave an empty slot for your wards, that is your primary objective as a supporter!!

Situational: Alternative or No?

Alternative

If you found your opponent's team has low CC, feel free to get these to top up your CDR earlier.

Alternative

375 extra health and mana with 50 more MR increases your survivability. With its special spell shield that blocks 1 skill shot, it can really save your *** from AP champions like Annie, or LeBlanc for at least buying you some time to escape..... If Lady Luck is on your side...

Alternative

75 extra armor and 350 extra health increases your survivability towards AD carry greatly. Its UNIQUE ability really shut your opponent down from hitting you by reducing their ADS and MS by 35%. Whether you are being chased or in a team fight, feel free to activate it to either escape or gain benefits in the team fight.

Alternative

After several experiments with my buddies and advices from friends from mobafire, I've moved this item into alternatives. The reason was, Sona doesn't really have to spam skills ALL THE TIME. There are games where people only need your ulti for AOE stun, nothing much. Thus, this item is situational, pick this only if you need to spam your heals or your procs.

Alternative

Again,only choose this item if your own team has at least 3 AD build champions and non of them bought it. If not, don't choose this. This item can substitute Mejai's Soulstealer beacuase at that time your damage is quite insignificant, just let your AD carries rape your opponents.

Note:

Take note of your AD carries(s) if they had bought this item or not. If they do, don't buy this again!

Alternative

It'll be best to buy this if your team has 2 AP nukers(Not spammers like AP Ezreal). If not, wasting 1 inventory slot just for 1 Ap nuker doesn't really worth it. If there are 3 or 4, 1 of them should get it instead.

Note:

The reason I put this item in alternatives is because its normally a AP nuker's build. If they had already buy this item, don't buy this again!

Alternative

Get this is your team has 2 AP Nukers. If there are 3 or 4, 1 of them should get it instead.

Note:

The reason I put this item in alternatives is because its normally a AP nuker's build. Remember, this item's aura stacks! If 2 person get this, you'll have 50% spellvamp, etc.

Alternative

Only choose this item when your team has 3-4 Ap nukers, not Abyssal Mask. In this situation, let one of them get Abyssal Mask instead. Getting Soul Shroud will benefit them more. Also get this item if your team has about 2 or more skill spammers.

Note:

The reason I put this item in alternatives is because its only beneficial towards Ap casters IN NUMBERS. Other than that, it has not much use.

Alternative

Remember one of your objectives? Do not die! If you can make it, buying this item makes no worries at all. As long as you stays alive, the stacks will allows you heals more and contributes more to your team. People might be trolling saying that this is a snowball and MUST not be bought, that's just ********s. They're just discriminating these kinds of items or too coward to buy them.

No

Only choose this item if you need extra survivability. If your team can kill, choose Mejai's Soulstealer instead. Don't be afraid to take Mejai's Soulstealer. This item can substitute Mejai's Soulstealer. However, this item is rather too expensive for a supporter, and its UNIQUE ability needs time to charge up. So I suggest no, unless you meet noobs and your team is extremely fat :D

No

Only choose this item if you need extra survivability and you meet a dumbass team that never hide in brushes for ganks and they are focusing on you. If not, forget it because this item is just too expensive for a support.

No

You'll probably be staying at a distinct amount of range from your opponent in a team fight, so there is no need of getting this items at all. Mercury's Treads is able to substitude Eleisa's Miracle

Neutral

I'm still getting troubled whether to get this item or not, anyone mind help experiment or gives any advise :)

Other items not mentioned are either completely useless or not useful for Sona at all. Any suggestions please feel free to comment.

Okay, now is the most important part - item sequence for a support. Remember your main objective is to distract your opponent while your carry has time to farm and survives. This means you'll have to give up all your CS to your carry! Then the problem comes: How are you going to get your gold for your items and unlimited wards??? The answer is simple: Get gold generating items!The best gold generating items for Sona will be : Philosopher's Stone and Heart of Gold. With these babies you could even get the most gold earned throughout the whole game!! Lets say you get these items at 15 minutes of the game and the game lasted for another 15 minutes.

This is a HUGE advantage towards your team! However, these gold are all suppose to be used for wards!

What I wanted to tell you is gold generating items are crucial for a support, thus you must try your best to get it as fast as possible.

Starting items will be conditional based on situations mentioned in Skills:
1) I'll get a Boots and 2 Health Potion / 1 Health Potion + 1 Mana Potion. This is more than enough to scratch their eyes out. Isn't that right Akasha?
2) I'll get a Meki Pendant and 2 Health Potion. Your role now is to help you and your laner survive, so Meki Pendant will do the trick.
3) I'll get a 2 Faerie Charm and 1 Health Potion.

In case you didn't notice, Heart of Gold and Philosopher's Stone are always present in all recipe! That means you can always upgrade them into Randuin's Omen or Shurelya's Battlesong at any time! This will be handy... <3

If you got some extra gold after purchasing your wards and/or items, do get an Oracle's Elixir as:
1) You can counter your opponents' wards.
2) People will waste time focusing on you while your carries crushes them to death.
3) You might as well earn some extra goldfrom killing your opponents' wards!

You SHOULD give CS priority to your laner.
You SHOULD KS all creeps from your laner if he is a noob dumbass.
You SHOULD zone out your opponent without giving up your experience gain.
You SHOULD give up zoning if your opponents' laners are rapist champions, in condition that their skills are at least up to standard.
e.g Brand, Ezreal, Mordekaiser, Heimerdinger, Miss Fortune, Caitlyn, Blitzcrank, Gangplank, Garen, Gragas, Jarvan IV, Jax, Karthus, Kassadin, Kennen, LeBlanc, Lux, Poppy, Rumble, Swain, Teemo, Trundle, Urgot, Vayne, Xin Zhao, Yorick, Zilean, etc
You SHOULD last hit all the creeps when your carry went back to base.
You SHOULD get the kill if your opponent is going to get away (closing their turrets, teammates, walls, etc)
You SHOULD always get at least 2 ward the moment you get out of base.(best, 5 wards)
You SHOULD always position yourself ready for your ultimate to hit as many enemy champions as you can.
You SHOULD use your Clairvoyance every moment its cooldown is up to track down opponents' junglers and spot gankers.(Only save it for special purposes like all enemy champions are present on the minimap)

Click here for a simpler and more summarized version of how to ward for beginners and amateurs.

Probably the best and detailed Warding and Clairvoyance guide I can find throughout the internet. Click here to learn more about how to ward and clairvoyance
New player? Click here to Mowen's guide of New Players'! FAQ

Cooldown Reductions:
Sorcery-3%
Intelligence -6%
Greater Glyph of Scaling Cooldown Reduction(at level 18)-0.9x9=8.1%
Shurelya's Battlesong-15%
Randuin's Omen-5%
Elixir of Brilliance-10%

If you find any mistakes, wish to give suggestions or to add any alternative items or conditions into this guide, or wish to delete any information here that is useless(I know i talked too much :P), please comment below so that this guide can improve and help more people on how to use Sona :)

Thank you again for patiently reading this guide =3

10/11/11:
Removed Kage's Lucky Pick and Mobility Boots. Moved Archangel's staff into alternatives. Included mercury's tread into core build. Slight changes on Chapter: Items. Created Chapter: Changelogs.