Support was the last role of the main five (AD Carry, AP Caster, Jungler, Tank and Support) that I needed to fill. I had played a few games as Soraka, and while I loved her ability to heal and keep people alive, I found myself really bored, especially in team fights, because I was doing nothing but staying back and healing.

Enter Sona.

I tried her out during a free week and never looked back. Sona is truly a lethal support. You won't just be sitting around and waiting for your heal to come back off CD. You'll be constantly looking for opportunities to poke and unleashing that devastating Crescendo. A good Sona can truly carry a semi-competent team, but on the other hand, you can do nothing to help a terrible team, and I think we've all played with at least one during Solo Queue X( That said, she's still a fantastic Champion and a lot of fun to play.

In this build, I'll detail my build and why I choose what I do. I'll also explain some different gameplay elements for those just starting out with her. Try out the build and let me know what you think.

I love these runes. The extra Magic Pen will help poking during the laning phase. Mana Regen per level because Sona is insatiably Mana hungry. Magic Resist per level to put you at just at almost 130 with your items. And the flat AP brings your total AP at Level 1 to 38 with these, Doran's Ring, and the aura from Hymn of Valor.


All of these could also work. If you think you're armor is too low early game or you're constantly OOM early game, change your Seals. If you want more AP as you level or more CD late game, change the Glyphs. If you need more Health early, change the Quints. It's a matter of preference but this is what works for me.

I think all of these are self-explanatory. The extra Magic Pen in Offense lets her harassment hurt a bit more. And in Utility getting extra Mana Regen, CDR, Movement Speed and improved Flash and Clairvoyance are all too good to pass up.

I really wouldn't recommend any other Mastery build. She doesn't extra Offense or really anything from Defense.

Flash is very versatile on Sona. Obviously, if you find yourself in a bad spot, you can simply blink away to safety. Also, since you'll mostly be hanging out in the back during team fights, you can blink in to unleash your Ultimate to give your team the upper hand. I also firmly believe that every team needs a Clairvoyance to track junglers, forsee ganks, check monster camps, etc. And with 21 in Utility, it has just over a 30 second CD so use it all the time.

The order I get the skills is listed above. Since Hymn of Valor and Aria of Perseverance are your most used spells, you'll want to get these up first. I put preference to the first so you can poke in lane while also keeping your health sustained. I put that single point in Song of Celerity at Level 5 and leave it in case I need the little bit of Movement Speed or, more importantly, the Power Chord bonus to slow down an enemy.

I will elaborate a bit on her skills for beginning players.

Power Chord is what gives her surprising damage. After three spells, her next Auto-Attack deals bonus damage plus an added effect based on the last used ability. Be sure to build this up before leaving the fountain at the start of the game. It also causes global CD to prevent from constant spell spamming since the auras persist for a bit after switching spells.

Hymn of Valor is her damaging spell with an aura of extra AD/AP. It automatically shoots little twisties at the two nearest enemies, minions or Champions, giving preference to the latter if they're about the same distance away from her. While laning, try to stay in the bush and pop out to poke at the enemies with this. When used with Power Chord, it causes double damage, great for harassing enemies or getting a single shot on towers.

Aria of Perseverance is her healing spell with an aura of extra Armor/Magic Resist. Although the heals aren't quite as impressive as Soraka or Nidalee, the CD is low enough to spam. You'll mainly be switching back and forth between this spell and her Q during fights, providing pokes and heals and very useful auras. When used with Power Chord, it causes the enemy to deal reduced damage for a bit. Throw it on their carry and watch them go "WTF?"

Song of Celerity is her haste with an Aura of extra Movement Speed. This is what you use to help teammates chase, help them flee, or run to defend/push a lane. When used with Power Chord, it slows the enemy down a bit, good for assisting with ganks and whatnot.

Crescendo is her QQ-worthy ult. It's a stun that goes in a straight line in front of her. Enemies ganking you? Did that Warwick or Malzahar just ult your carry? Your team need just a little bit longer to finish them off? This spell is very powerful and can be very game-changing when used correctly, so be wise with it. But don't wait and try to hit the whole enemy team with it otherwise the fight will be over and your team will be like "Sona, WTF? Where's the Ult?"

Mercury's Treads give early game Magic Resist as well as the amazing Tenacity to reduce CC effects by 35%. Will save you from a lot sticky situations.

Rabadon's Deathcap lets Hymn of Valor hurt more and Aria of Perseverance heal more, particularly since the Aria has a low AP Ratio. A must have item.

Banshee's Veil gives Health, Mana, Magic Resist and a nice bubble to protect you from CC.

Zhonya's Hourglass gives more AP, Armor and a passive that saves you countless times. A must have item.

Morello's Evil Tome gives AP, CDR and Mana Regen. You couldn't ask for a better item for Sona.

Void Staff. "WTF noob Sona isn't a caster." This is an exact quote from a game that was lasting forever that I was sure we were going to lose the but then won because a few of my twisties and Power Chords got us kills they otherwise wouldn't have without the extra Magic Pen. While it is true that she isn't an AP caster, she has a .7 AP ratio on Hymn of Valor and .8 AP Ratio on Crescendo, meaning each twist does about 550 magic damage and the Ult does about 700. These are pretty damn good for a support, and if you do make it into late game, why not exploit this power? That said, this item is last on this build because, as Sona, you should be mainly providing heals, poking when you can and waiting for the opportune moment to use Crescendo. However, the first five items are all you really need to do this job well and I find that this item is just gravy. But if you don't agree with this choice, then don't use it. There are a myriad of items listed below you can substitute.

Now for the order. I tend to start with the Doran's Ring. Health, AP and Mana Regen are much appreciated early game. After that, rush Philosopher's Stone to start generating Gold. After getting Mercury's Treads, get Catalyst the Protector so you can stay in a lane basically forever. Then build your Rabadon's Deathcap for some serious AP. At this point, get either the Zhonya's Hourglass or Banshee's Veil depending on if you are receiving more AP or AD damage immediately followed by the other. Then finish off with Morello's Evil Tome and the Void Staff. Sometimes, it's helpful to start out with the Fiendish Codex about the time you're working on your defensive items as the extra CDR and Mana Regen are nice but it's up to you.


All of these items have their uses on Sona. The build I listed is what I generally get in an average Solo Queue game, but I do switch some of these items in depending on what I'm facing. If no one is grabbing Aegis, I do. If my team is Mana hungry, Soul Shroud helps. If I'm facing a dangerous ability like Nether Grasp, I get Quicksilver. If we need more CC, I get Rylai's. It's a matter of preference for some items as well. Maybe you want your Philosopher's Stone to build into something late game like Shurelya's. Or you want a bigger Health and Mana pool so you get the Rod of Ages. Experiment with different items and decide what you like.

Welcome to early game Sona. Right now, you one of the weakest things to walk the Fields of Justice ever. Your Hymn of Valor does decent damage and Aria of Perseverance will keep your partner alive, but your real weakness is your susceptibility to ganks. DO NOT OVEREXTEND. Unless you know the exact location of their jungler, or if they don't have one then the rest of the enemy team, don't push the tower too much. Let your partner get most of the last hits on minions, but if you see one that they might not get, grab it. No need to waste gold. Be sure to also Clairvoyance around the map to find their jungler, check bushes, etc. A really neat trick is to CV the bushes in your lane when you know they're in there. They become visible and you can hit them with Hymn of Valor, a little "GTFO my bush." But basically, the idea is to stay alive. Recall when you can to get Philosopher's Stone to make you much less Mana starved.

A quick note on babysitting. Babysitting is when you stay outside of XP range from minions and let your partner get all of it so they level up faster while also being close enough to save them if things go bad. I read somewhere that it's like "carrying your carry" :D I'm not a huge fan of this, particularly in Solo Queue when you have no idea what they're capable of. But if you do go laning with a friend, hang back just a bit and let them soak up the XP and Gold. It does help them a great deal. If you do babysit, be sure to grab an extra Gold per 5 item early like Kaje's Lucky Pick or Heart of Gold so you don't get underfarmed. If you get the extra item, keep it until there is no more room to maximize it's benefits.

Once the first tower is downed, Mid Game has begun and ganks will be more frequent. But that's good, because Sona with Crescendo is an excellent ganking partner. Your ult will stun them, you can burst them with Hymn of Valor and Power Chord and heal up any turret agro your teammates may have received. Once you reach around level 10-13, you'll be able to hold a lane by yourself at your tower if the rest of your team is out pushing or ganking. Plus, it's a great opportunity to farm. Hymn of Valor rips through minions and Aria of Perseverance heals up any damage received. In the even you are tower dived, Crescendo can save you and even net you a kill if your smart about it. However, you do not want push the lane with the intent of trying to get a tower. You are still and always will be susceptible to ganks. Try to hold the minion wave just outside of your turret's range until your team needs you elsewhere, then push the wave in your favor. The idea is to farm when you can but to mainly assist your team in group pushing and ganks.

Once you get your Rabadon's Deathcap, the mayhem begins. Your twisties are formidable and your heals are life saving and a smart enemy team will turn their attention to you. At this point in the game, it's better for your team just to stay with at least one person. That way, you aren't free food and you can keep them alive as well. If and when a 5v5 team fight breaks out, your job is to stay back and heal. However, since your heal has a five second CD, there's no reason not to throw out a Hymn of Valor for extra damage during this time. Talk with your team about who you want to focus on their team, and unleash Crescendo on them. Then, assist in destroying them. But always always always heal when you can. Your heal will automatically go to the person with the lowest health, which is usually the one being focused, which will in turn give your team that much more time to continue the assault.

As I've said many times before, this guide shouldn't be a walkthrough on how to build Sona. Your items can change depending on who your facing or you may not agree with all my choices. But this build works for how I play her. Remember to vote and I would love to hear any suggestions or critiques.

7/6 - Slightly altered Masteries to get 30% increased buffs rather than 15%
7/6 - Build published