This guide no longer works viably (for example for a decent ELO game) because riot made it so that Soraka doesn't gain any mana from Infuse and cannot sustain herself.

Ever since the "1 . 0 . 0 . 1 2 4" patch, aka the Talon patch; Soraka has ceased to become an amazing babysitting support (although she can still babysit pretty viably and well)

Basically this is what they did to her:

What to do! has Soraka become another under-powered champion that no one plays? NO WE WILL NOT ALLOW SUCH BLASHPHEMY! Tanky DPS is the way to go! RISE NOW AND JOIN ME IN THE FIGHT!!!

Don't believe it will work? look at my record:

Once Karthus came back from his bug fix, this is what happened to him

The main reason why Soraka is no longer a legitimate support champion is because her Astral Blessing cool-down time has been increased from 10 seconds to 20 seconds; you're not going to be able sustain yourself and your lane buddy with that. Basically you can either use it as a clutch save for a teammate, or a solo lane sustaining ability. Starcall and Infuse have both received MAJOR buffs. Starcall is extremely spam-able, the MR shred per hit has been increased, and the AP ratio has been increased too; Infuse has had it's cool-down lowered, and it's AP ratio increased. Her base HP and HP per level has also been buffed. Why not be a caster? That's not how she rolls bro! Her other 2 spells and her passive aren't going to be as beneficial if she is built as an AP carry. Also her only ability that has significant burst is her Infuse, her Starcall needs to be spammed and have its MR shred stacked for it to be useful (which is pretty hard if you are squishy).

Pros:

- Does more damage as a fight goes on
- Greatly benefits other casters on your team
- Makes a use out of a now useless Soraka
- Great farming
- Can get assists with heals
- Good poke
- Might surprise your enemy

Cons:

- Not as tanky early game
- You're Soraka, you'll probably be the first to get focused as most people still have the mindset that Soraka is the easiest to kill
- Gets shut down by silence ( Starcall stacks reset)
- Gets destroyed by melee characters
- Slow move speed
- Hard to zone others with, as you constantly attack creeps when harassing the enemy
- Might surprise your teammates

FYI:
by "might surprise your enemy/teammates" I mean this

I believe that runes should be used purely for early game. If you can win your lane, you can win your game (although some snowballs runes are more worth it than flat runes)

- What can I say? Magic penetration on a caster.
- Soraka's HP has been buffed, but she's still kind of squishy, especially early game.
- All of Soraka's spells (besides Starcall) have a fairly long cool-down. Getting these will help with that problem.
- Indomitable , Siege Commander , Good Hands , and Improved Recall are miscellaneous masteries; if you want you can take 2 points out of these masteries and put them into Enlightenment instead so you can take these runes for more damage.
- Soraka's early game is kind of short on damage, getting these will help you do more.

Tanky DPS gotta be tanky, so I build defensive. Why choose defensive over offensive or utility? Well offensive masteries may make you do more burst damage, but the core skill you rely on is Starcall (which relies on spam-ability not AP because of its low cooldown and low AP ratio) not Infuse (which has a high AP ratio, but is the only offensive skill Soraka has that does have a high AP ratio) and the ability to shred an enemy's magic resistance with Starcall while tanking damage makes Infuse do more damage when it's used. The utility tree focuses on maximum mana, gold gain, CDR, and mana regen which isn't really necessary on Soraka because of Philosopher's Stone, Shurelya's Battlesong, and Frozen Heart.

As Soraka The core masteries to build are as such:

This can help your minions and allies do more damage to a tower, meaning a faster tower kill, which translates to gold for everyone on your team.

This mastery reduces the time you spend dead which is great for those moments where the enemy is approaching your base and your team is dead; the difference between a close loss and a turnaround is whether or not you can protect your nexus turrets in time.

This can get you to base faster; that one second could be the difference between barely getting back to base on time and all 5 enemies pounding you to death.

Movement speed is useful for anyone (although you can only get 3 out of 4 points in the skill).

Bad choices:

This is pretty useless because you would only need more mana EXTREMELY early game (level 1) and this mastery is a mana per level mastery (meaning the effects don't really show until level 18).

This mastery gets you 4 AP which isn't particularly useful given your measly AP ratio on Starcall, which is your main spell.

I typically start with a Regrowth Pendant and a Health Potion. I get the Regrowth Pendant because it builds into a Philosopher's Stone and also because it allows for great sustain in lane. You can also get a Mana Potion instead of the Health Potion if you feel like you'll run out of mana, but I like to take the Health Potion in case of emergency situations. Next I go for a Philosopher's Stone, as it provides extra constant gold and give you even more laning ability, allowing for you to use infuse to silence enemies instead of having to always use it to replenish mana. Try to have enough money to also grab some Boots as movement is always important (especially for harassment); and if you don't get it on your first run back, you'll have to get in on the next run. When you come back the next time, get a Chain Vest as Soraka's armor is fairly low early game; then, grab a Hextech Revolver for the early AP boost and extra survivability, because sometimes it's hard to rely on a heal that has a 20 second CD. I also grab a Mercury's Treads if you have the money; if not, get it the next time you go shop. A tenacity item on tanky DPS Soraka is preferable as you'll be going into a lot of action. Then get a Rylai's Crystal Scepter. This item gives an impressive amount of health and ability power, both of which can benefit tanky DPS casters greatly; BUT WAIT!!! THERE'S MORE!!!!!! in addition to this irresistible offer, you will also receive slowing effects on your spells so you can keep those pesky noobs from escaping (and grant you an escape mechanism). Next grab a Glacial Shroud. It provides some, armor, mana, and most importantly, some more CDR, perfect for making your Starcall all the more spam-able. At this point, you'll probably be getting into a fair amount of teamfights, so it'd be a good idea to magically upgrade that Hextech Revolver into an ancient item called the Will of the Ancients, giving your entire team a bit of spell vamp and AP. The item that can get you the most additional CDR at this point is a Shurelya's Battlesong, so it's the next item on the list. In addition to CDR, it also provies a decent amount of health and a free ghost spell for you and your allies; it's good for picking up those pesky runaway carries and for acting as an escape mechanism for your whole team! Next, build your Glacial Shroud into a Frozen Heart. Yay! more CDR, armor, mana, and a nice master right click de-buffing aura around you. Next up, grab an an Abyssal Mask. The reason for doing so is because at this point, you'll probably want some more ability power. It also grants some magic resistance, and it lowers the enemy's MR.
If you disagree with getting the Will of the Ancients or Abyssal Mask, other choices include the Rabbadon's Deathcap and the Lich Bane. The Rabbadon's Deathcap provides you with a ton of raw ability power, increasing your damage output as it would with any other caster. The Lich Bane provides some ability power, mana, and magic resistance; but the true potential of this item lies in its passive and Soraka's fairly large autoattack range. After spamming a bunch of Starcalls and shredding enemy armor, the passive of lich bane, that procs AP into magic damage on a physical hit, is devastating, and can be followed up with an Infuse for the kill.

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Short Version:

Core Items:

Start with this for great sustain and it builds into a Philosopher's Stone
Philosopher's Stone
Great Sustain, extra constant gold gain, and builds into a Shurelya's Battlesong

Tenacity and magic resistance

What your damage is based off of early to mid game

Armor, Mana, and most importantly: CDR

An escape/chase mechanism, more HP, and more CDR

Reccomended Items:

Magic resistance, AP, and magic resistance reduction on enemies, makes Starcall shred more effective

More survivability (Spell Vamp) and a bit of AP

Other Viable Items:

MOAR POWA (AP)!!!

Magic resistance, AP, mana, move speed, makes your autoattacks do something

Abilities

Consecration
This ability makes you very good for laning against casters

This is your bread and butter. What should I use to harass? Starcall. What should I use to check a bush? Starcall. What should I use for dps damage? Starcall. This skill also shreds enemy magic resistance, so try to follow up with as many Starcalls as possible to do more damage.

Great for sustaining yourself in a solo lane, although it cannot be spammed, so it isn't quite as useful in a duo lane. Riot made this more into a clutch save type spell, basically heals and grants the target a large amount of armor for a few seconds. It is also a great spell to use on an initiator as it helps them soak up even more damage. You can also use this ability on a teammate when they are about to get a kill for an assist.

Basically this spell is a caster's bane, it shuts down any caster by making them unable to cast for almost 3 seconds (at max level). It is also great for sustain as it grants you and a teammate mana (note that you gain the same amount of mana regardless of whether you cast the spell on yourself or your teammate). It can also act as a soft nuke at the end of a spam of Starcalls, taking full advantage of that magic resistance shred. You can also use this ability on a teammate when they are about to get a kill for an assist.

The ultimate assist and team fight ability. It allows for your teammates to heal a large amount and continue fighting, allowing them to do more damage instead of dying or going back, reducing your team's ability to do damage. Also, you can use this ability right when a teammate is about to get a kill, granting you an assist.

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Starcall is your main ability, it can be spammed even early game for harassment or for farming, which is why I get it first. Next up, get Infuse. It will keep your spam up, as well as provide some more damage output. Third, get Astral Blessing. you will need something to keep you alive. Of course, get your ultimate whenever you can. Keep Infuse and Starcall the same level. When they are both level 3, get another point in Astral Blessing; 2 levels in it is all that is necessary to keep yourself healthy. Be sure to get Starcall before Infuse every time they are at the same level because it's the main damage ability, but get Infuse first at level 4 because you need the mana restoration. Also if you are laning with an ally, ALWAYS cast Infuse on them, because it provides you with the same amount of mana regardless of whether or not you cast it on yourself .

What I Have:

- Soraka has no escape or chase mechanism, so this benefits her greatly.
- Soraka deals more damage the longer she's in a fight because the shred from Starcall stacks; this spell will help her stay longer.

Other Viable Spells:

- silences and stuns prevent her from casting, making her unable to heal with Astral Blessing or spam Starcall. This can help her get out. If you take this spell, get it instead of Ghost and be sure to take off the Summoner's Wrath mastery and put your extra point into something useful.
- This is always a good spell, but I wouldn't reccomend it as soraka has no skills that require proper placement to use. If you take this spell, get it instead of Ghost and be sure to use the Summoner's Insight mastery instead of the Summoner's Wrath mastery.
- Soraka doesn't really excel in finishing off people so this spell can help you solve that problem. If you take this spell, get it instead of Ghost.
- This spell is useful on any character, but I don't think you'll need it with Soraka's sustaining abilities. If you take this spell, get it instead of Ghost and be sure to use the Summoner's Insight mastery instead of the Summoner's Wrath mastery.
- Starcall can hit invisible units, or units in a brush so I typically wouldn't get this spell, but it's a great spell if your team needs vision. If you take this spell, get it instead of Ghost and be sure to use the Summoner's Insight mastery instead of the Summoner's Wrath mastery.

Other Spells:

- Soraka is more of an AOE person rather than someone who focuses a single target.
- The ability power buff can help, but Ghost or Flash is a much better spell because the ability to keep up with your enemy in conjunction with the spam-abilty of Starcall does much more damage than one hit with the ability power buff.
- Soraka has a built in mana replenishing skill
- This spell can help push back minions and get you free gold if you are going to go back to base, but with Soraka's sustaining and farming abilities, you should be able to recover and push a lane past the river by yourself.
- Smite that creep!
- Trololololol

Early Game (lvl 1-6):
You start out kind of squishy, but fairly resistant as well. People won't do as much damage to you as you'd expect (mostly because of defensive masteries) but you shouldn't rely on your tankiness to win your lane. If possible get in a bush. Bush control is one of your best weapons. Basically what you can do is pop out, Starcall, run back in, rinse, and repeat. Most people find your harass to be pointless and just tank it until about your third Starcall. At that point, a good idea would be to use infuse as they are running for a soft nuke, to utilize your shred stacks to their utmost potential. If they are smart and don't get in range of your Starcall you can basically zone them. Try not to harass too much if you are zoning them, because by using Starcall, you are hitting their creeps, and making your dying creeps get closer to them, increasing the chance that they get XP. If they try to invade your bush, you can run away, keeping them just in range of your Starcall, harassing them as they chase you. They should run away once they get low enough, if they don't, you can kill them. If they have the advantage and jump you in the bush, you can most likely get away with your Astral Blessing, giving you a ton of armor, and/or your summoner spells. If you do not get the chance to get a bush, fret not. Always stay behind your minions (just like the old tutorial woman says), and whenever you see the enemy pop out, go just in range and Starcall them. They will probably think it's pointless harassment again. If not, then they will run back, freeing up a bush for you. Of course if your situation is reversed, and they are in the bush harassing you, do what you would do with any character. stay just in range for XP and let them push to your turret; jumping in their bush would be suicide. Also if you know your enemy has no stuns to use at the moment, you can run to the side of the bush and Starcall because Starcall can hit invisible units or units inside a brush.

Mid Game (lvl 6-13):
Basically if you are still Laning, then do the same thing as early game. Just be sure to keep an eye out for ganks and almost dead teammates. You aren't a support, but you can still save their lives. Also if others are about to get a kill, you can ult and get some assist gold from it. If you have your tower killed, or you destroyed theirs, you can go and assist other lanes. just make sure that you have your lane pushed past the river (at all times). Also, at this point, you shouldn't be squishy at all anymore. If you think you can get a kill, you can tower dive. Just make sure that, as all tower dives are like, you aren't overestimating yourself or tunnel visioning and tower diving while everyone is mia, because they are most likely all in some bush waiting for you to tower dive.

Late Game (lvl 13-18):
Basically at this point, you are going to get in a lot of team fights. Don't forget, you aren't support Soraka anymore, don't stay in the back of your team just popping heals and tiny harass, once your tank initiates, get in on that action, just keep Starcall-ing and popping some Infuse as either a soft nuke, or to shut down casters. Also you can use your Astral Blessing on whoever is getting focused, it will reduce the damage they are taking by a lot (at least from "attack damage" type attacks anyways). As all games go, you should also make sure that your lanes are all still pushed beyond river. If you see a lane that is getting massively owned by enemy creeps, don't hesitate to smite those blasphemous creeps with your Starcall. Don't try to backdoor though, you are tanky DPS, but not physical DPS. it will take you forever to take down a turret, and your allies will all blame you for not being in the team-fight with them.

You aren't a support anymore, but League of Legends is still a team game. If Karthus ults or somthing similar happens, don't hesitate to save your teammates.
Don't be like this f4g: