Hello summoners! I have become a huge fan of swain and even while solo que'n this build has served me well in nearly every situation. i have 1200 plus games under my belt in this fine game so I think i have a good base to try my first guide! This build excels in both side lanes as well as mid just as a side note.

Pros

Tons of damage
-Very tanky for a mage
-Good single target and team cc
-An absolute blast to play


Cons

-Easily countered with silence and heavy cc
-Focused alot due to his damage
-prone to ganks pre level 6

For runes I go:
9 x Greater Mark of Magic Penetration
9 x Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration
9 x Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power
3 X Greater Quintessence of Scaling Ability Power

Having 51 free ability power at lev 18 far outweighs any other combination of Glyphs and Quints in my humble opinion. As Swain is a mana hog the Seals are much needed throughout the game. 8.5 magic pen may seem like nothing but trust me it is the best Mark you can get for any caster.

For Masteries I do the typical 9 / 0 / 21 for a caster. See above for exact entries. BUt doesn't Swain need Perseverence ? The short answer? NO. When you break it down it is much better to be alive more then to get 3 more hp and 1 more mp regen at end game. Trust me on this.

Follow the item purchases above tit for tat unless the following occurs:
If you are getting focused super hard by AP champs after your Rod of Ages and Sorcerer's Shoes you can get the Banshee's Veil way early to ensure your survivability early on and still dish out lots of pain. If they are more AD then just follow the build as is and you will do great. Now, if for some reason the enemy team is dumb and doesn't target you at all (haha) then I would get the Rabadon's Deathcap after Rod of Ages then continue as normal with rest of items listed.

Torment is amazing. It doesn't lose its damage if they walk out of range like they do with the birdie and it isn't a hard to land skill shot. Nevermove is huge in Swain's ability to gank and escape so practice practice on how to land it. But, it is not our main source of damage nor is it required before lev 4. Trust me and try my sequence it works like a charm. When you do cast Decrepify try to cast it as close to the champ as you can possibly stand with regards to your own safety. It is harder for them to escape if the bird starts in the center of your target area as opposed to the very edge. In a 1 v 1 fight, cast Torment first ALWAYS, then follow with Decrepify, hit your Ultimate Ravenous Flock, and then Ignite. Bye Bye to whoever is fighting you. If they try to run (which they will) immediately after casting Ignite (or just Ravenous Flock if Ignite is on cool down), cast Nevermove in their path of escape to ensure the kill. In Team fights use this same sequence, don't initiate first, ever. Target the carry as they are first priority and from then on either next carry or support champ. IF things go awry cast Nevermove in your path of escape so your team has a better chance of survival.

Flash and Ignite. Ignite stacks with the damage buff from Torment. Nuff said.

Following the sequence above, focus on harassing the enemy whenever possible with Torment and Decrepify. If in a side lane focus the target who cannot heal themselves with spells. Now if you have a major healer , for example a or a , in your lane, it is best to focus on using those 2 spells for last hitting minions until your laning partner coordinates an all out attack on one of the 2 targets. Now if you think your mana can outlast the healer then by all means harass away, but generally they have Clarity so this is a difficult task.

Swain excels in the mid lane as well. Harass, harass, harass. He can even solo against the great metal man himself, ]. Keep last hitting with your auto attacks while harassing as much as possible. Once you hit level 6, and they are at half health or lower (and they should be), Flash into melee range and pummel them with the 1 v 1 combo from above, cast Torment first ALWAYS, then follow with Decrepify, hit your Ultimate Ravenous Flock, and then Ignite. 9 times out of 10 this works. Now if they manage to counter harass you as much as you harass them, keep on your toes until lev 6 being wary of gankers from enemy lanes and jungles, and have your Flash ready to escape if you do not get the first kill in your lane.

Thanks for reading my first guide here on Mobafire. Please leave any comments to help me fine tune this guide for looks or build change ideas, or if you felt my guide was helpful and you like it give it a +1 vote! My first one so be gentle!