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Runes: Phase Rush
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+8 Magic Resist
+15-140 HP (lvls 1-18)
Spells:
Flash
Teleport
Recommended Items
Items
Ability Order Normal
Ravenous Flock (PASSIVE)
Swain Passive Ability
Threats & Synergies
Yasuo
Windwall completely shuts down your combo potential. Be careful looking for trades if it's available as you will never hit your W or E if they're good.
Champion Build Guide
INTRODUCTION
Hey guys, mancloud here. This is my Swain guide that I've been meaning to make for a while now, but was waiting until preseason sort of settled down in case there were any major changes.I've played mid lane professionally for various teams in the LCS and Challenger series and now I stream Master/Challenger gameplay on Twitch. Swain was one of my most played champs in 2018 (almost 400 games), and I thought I'd write on a guide on him. At the moment, I'm not playing very much Swain, but I still think he's a solid champ that has great versatility (can be played as top, mid or bot lane carry).
I still have quite a few things to update/add to this guide, like specific build paths, matchups, etc, but I figured it's good enough to upload for now.
Here are my links:
Youtube
I stream my Master/Challenger games frequently on Twitch, follow/watch that here:
https://www.twitch.tv/mancloud
DECIDING ON THE KEYSTONE
There are really only two types of keystones that you want to run on Swain. These are damage (



Most of the time, I decide which runes to run based off of what the enemy team can do. If they're very slippery and can easily get away from your ult, phase rush might be necessary to close the distance (


If their team comp is all about diving into you, then you can probably get by without the mobility, especially if they have a ton of CC (what good is a giant move speed buff if you're going to spend it stunned or rooted anyways). Examples of this would be



One aspect you can also consider is if you have a high amount of kill pressure in your lane.





There are only two runes that I think should be taken 99% of the time and those are







If you take







The way Swain's ult works is you have to drain a certain amount of HP before you can cast


STARTING ITEMS
The only starting item you should be taking as of the writing of this guide is




SWAIN'S SPELLS
P:

Important things to note with this is the healing off takedowns and from pulling someone scales with your max health, up to 7% at lvl 11. The cooldown is also very similar to your e at all stages of the game, to get a feel for when it's up.
Q:

Shotgun-like spell that deals insane damage up close at max rank (324+.96AP). When using this to waveclear, be sure to get multiple minions low because the bolts continue on and restore mana on unit kills. You will generally need about ~3 minions to get a free Q once you get a mana item.
W:

This is a powerful spell that you should not cast randomly. It has a very high mana cost and is extremely easy to dodge if the enemy is paying attention or isn't CC'd. Use it to either a) combo with


E:

This is your most important spell for trading. Keep in mind that on the spell's return, anything will cause it to detonate and it has a small AoE. Use it on the wave when the enemy is chilling in ranged minions for an easy pull.
Here is the standard trading combo you should aim for in lane:
This combo will proc

R:


The most important thing to remember about Swain's ult is that you have to drain a certain amount of hp before you can detonate. It can drain from 3 targets, but is reduced against minions. In a teamfight with revitalize, you can almost instantly pop

In order to have strong ult damage, you HAVE to make sure you are getting soul fragments. Stack your passive by pulling from your



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