Hi guys this is my first guide and i would like to say some things before i go deeper.The idea of making this guide came when i saw many people have hard time playing Swain at free week.Swain was my second hero that i bought and i have played him countless times with different builds and finally i came to this one as the best.With that guide i have literally fought 1vs4 and won.That guide will show you that Swain can be tank carry and of course a great crowd controller at the same time.So lets begin.:)

Pros

1.Swain can destroy almost any ad carry.(see cons for exceptions)
2.Good survivability
3.Excellent crowd controller
4.Good laner
5.Can dive first and nuke at the same time

Cons

1.ignite and skills with healing reduction makes him weak
2.heroes like Master Yi,Garen or Olaf can destroy him cause Swain cant hold em back.

My runes are not such a surprise.Quintessences are giving him a bit power at low levels and with magic pen of marks you can do a good amount of damage at level 3.Seals and Glyphs as you level up makes you more powerful.I choose runes for level 18 cause also tear of Goddess takes some time to max.

My masteries are 21/0/9.I play that way cause with archangel staff and level 18 seals you have a pretty good amount of mana regen so you wont have to deep in utility page.With offense page Swain is becoming much better carry.

Well lets see all summoner spells one by one.
Ghost is in my opinion by far the best summoner spell for Swain.See Flash description where i compare them.

Flash is a great tool.But for Swain its much better to pick Ghost for many reasons.For start in Ghost,when you chase someone you have only to stay near him and ulti will kill him,as,you can also use your skills more successful.while in ghost you can control the flow of battle as they chase you and none can get you.Also Swain is kinda slow making Ghost the missing tool of success.Flash is good for escaping and surprising enemies but Swain doesnt need to escape neither surprise anyone.He hunts and dominates.Flash is better though when you enemys like Jarvan and Trundle.

Ignite makes a powerful and deathly combination with all the other skills of Swain.With ignite you can destroy anyone starting at level 2.Late game can reduce someones healing etc.

Admit it.Sometimes when you get stunned or silenced you wished to had your ulti opened just a sec ago.well cleanse is here to remove ignite too.a great tool for people who want more survivability.

Some choose it but i think with archangels staff and blue buff Clarity its a waste.Passive also helps you to keep your mana when you laning.If someone though picks it it wont be the end of the world.



As for the other summoners spells i dont think they match Swain gamestyle.So stick to these summoners spells above.

Now lets see the best possible item build.The items that you MUST buy are:

1)
2)
3)
4)

Now lets see why these items and other potential build.

One will ask why you choose instead of ?or instead of ?I prefer Archangel staff for Rod of Ages cause Swain with ulti and his crowd control abilities doesn't need much health.So archangel benefits him greatly.After Archangel you can buy Rod of Ages or Rylais.The difference is that with Rod of Ages you have to wait 10 more minutes for stacks and frankly its waste of time cause rarely you see long games these days.I believe i don't have to explain why i picked Deathcap.K now lets see what other gear is great for Swain.

That item i suggest it only when you facing champions that are immune to your crowd control effects like Yi and Olaf.Also helps if they have AD carries like Caitlyn but it isn't necessary.

That is a great item that i pick often if i want to do even greater damage.No need to say more.

Combine that with Rylais and you have a tanky AP carry that can stand alone vs 4 opponents.

This item provides you with a decent amount of magic resistance and gives a minor debuff at opponents.If you combine that with summoner spell Ghost you can make a difference to the fight.

Now there are some other items that can be used against certain teams.These items might come handy to you:

(for more damage)

(warmog+rylais+fon=great tank)

(for more mana and damage if you have archangel and armor)

(an item that will help though Swain has by himself small cooldowns)

(remove bad things from you :P)

(helps mostly with tank build)

How Swain can lead your team to victory?First of all you should know that he is indeed the Master Tactician and the General of Noxus.So you shouldn't expect nothing less from him.Before i explain how Swain fights at 5vs5 i will show you how he should play before the team fights begin.


Swain at early game

If you go solo or mid you can kill your opponent at level 2.I personally do that at 4 but if you are lucky or the enemy is noob you can do it at 2.All you have to do is to harass him with Torment until he reaches 70% of his life.Then you get with with Nevermove cast everything you got hit him 1-2 time and you got your first kill.


Swain from 6 till 12

When Swain reaches 6 level your opponent will have hard time.You just keep farming grabing few kills more if possible and continue your way.Remember you can now start diving towers and be the first you initiate.


12-18 and team fights

You are ready to lead your team to victory.You can do that with 2 ways.First of all you want to stay away from heroes like Garen or Yi.Also you should be ready to ulti because opponent team will try to catch you off guard by stunning you before you open your ulti.So you have your ulti open and the fight begins.If the team has close range heroes you want to taunt them.Running in Ghost and using your abilities will ensure that they will die before you.If the opponent team has casters and range carrys you want to go between them so you will split them apart.Decrepify can be used to slow their best player or at any tank that causes your team to split up.

Swain at early levels should last hit minions.If you going well soon you will be able to kill range minions with Nevermove.Swain needs blue buff and he can easily farm jungle with Nevermore and a fast pop-up of his ulti.Of course you can push lanes with his ulti but be careful not to waste too much mana.

Swain is a great hero to play.I personally pick him when i have a long losing streak so i will start wining again.I have calculate that when i pick Swain i have 70& chances to win!I wish i had some games to show you but i don't right now cause i play other champions.In future i will post some games though so be in touch.Thank you all for reading this guide and i hope it will help you!Also Summoner remember this:




Thanks again for your time :)