Syndra is a 'failed mage' of Riot's creations that 'cannot carry a game and is not viable in the current meta'.

Enough of the ********. We all know that the meta shifts. Learn Syndra while you can. She is a very high reward champion, even in this current meta and has a LOT of potential.

and yes, I meant to offend you with that build name <3

+ Very low mana costs
+ High burst
+ High field manipulation
+ Boss farmer
+ Pretty hot. Wears a thong
+ Good disengage if played correctly
+ Can survive very well without blue buff after getting 2x Doran's and Chalice
+ Very good baiting. Leading people into chasing you can make plays happen.
+ Incredibly well done skin (Justicar)

- Takes time/planning to set up her full burst combo (5 spheres instead of 4)
- Obviously weak to CC
- Cannot fight extremely mobile champions like Ahri, but that's not to say that she can't fight someone like Akali
- Somewhat lacking in mobility, makes up for it with a stun and a slow (both reliable if experienced)

There are always items you can swap to adjust.

Lich Bane -> Void Staff for lengthy games.
-Lich Bane increases Syndra's mobility and effective field manipulation capability however.

Zhonya's Hourglass -> Guardian Angel
-I'd do this often honestly. Zhonya's proc is great as is the AP, but I'd much rather have the GA to bait more, the hybrid resistances, as well as the great passive. You can't use Zhonya's when you're CC'd. You can auto rezz the minute you die.

Sorcerer's Shoes -> Mercury's Treads
-If you swap for a Void Staff, do this. Tenacity/Survivability > Damage.

This is incredibly easy and it's part of the reason I like Syndra. She can easily hit 200~300 farm by the 25 minute mark if played cautiously.

To fully clean a minion wave, your skill order should be

1.) on the melee minions once the lane freezes.
2.) , using a caster minion on the other caster minions once they freeze.
3.) on the melee minions while your Dark Sphere is active so that you can push that sphere into the caster minions, dealing damage to the entire wave.

Syndra's autoattack animation is very fast, so obviously you can do the standard last hit playstyle.

Dark Sphere will fully clean the caster minions at Level 3 or 4 combined with Scatter the Weak.

This is why Syndra feels like a chancy, somewhat unviable AP Mid.

Syndra's full combo is:

Dark Sphere -> Force of Will *hold* -> Dark Sphere -> Scatter the Weak -> Force of Will *throw* -> Unleashed Power -> Ignite if necessary. That's a surefire way to kill someone, and it can actually be done via farming minions. You can use Dark Sphere, pretend to grab it, and then act once Dark Sphere comes off cooldown.

I will try to get a video for this one day in order to help with the illustration.

The reason you hold the first Sphere with Force of Will is to keep it on the field. Dark Sphere's cooldown early game (without CDR) is above 3 seconds; the sphere's maximum life is 6 seconds. It is therefore impossible to set up this combo without the manipulation of Force of Will, which keeps the sphere active for an extra second or two and gives you the user time to set up another Sphere for your combo.

Syndra's ultimate, Unleashed Power can be used in multiple ways.

Keep in mind that once Syndra's ultimate has been used, there is a litter of Dark Spheres scattered around the target. In a desperate situation, this skill combined with Scatter the Weak can be used to disengage in a very effective way.

Picture a steal on enemy blue buff. Maokai charges in with his team following behind, your team falls back. When Maokai tries snaring one of you down, you should turn around and use Dark Sphere and Unleashed Power on Maokai, and using Scatter the Weak afterward. It will knock all four of the spheres back in a large angle, hitting multiple targets. Picture Ashe's Volley, but a stunning effect.

To be 100% fair, that's a picture perfect scenario. But it's very doable and it can be done with practice, patience, and calm hands.

Syndra's spotlight showed her "creating as much dissonance and chaos as possible" in teamfights.

That's basically what you want to do.

If you see a golden opportunity to ult the carry or the enemy mid, or hell, even the support, you need to take it. Immediately dropping team auras/heals/crowd control is crucial. Supports are a vital part of the team. Don't underestimate Janna, Soraka, etc. If they're alone, get rid of them. The enemy team can't fight without them.

I usually spend my teamfights dropping bombs on the bruisers and following up with stuns. Try to grab a sphere with Force of Will as soon as you lay it down so that you can hold on to it to try to set up a 5-sphere ult.

Syndra chains very well with Sona, Malphite, Wukong, and several other champions that have AoE disables. Chaining crowd control can win team fights, so set up your team comp to do so.

In a perfect scenario:

Baron bushes are warded. Sona flashes in and uses Crescendo on all 5 of the enemy team. Syndra follows up with her stun combo, and Ezreal uses Trueshot Barrage. Heavy damage. Mad enemies.

That's not to say she should only be played with Sona, but keep in mind that Syndra is 75% AoE-oriented. Use this to your advantage and try building around it.

This is a champion that I really love, and I think is quite underrated. Granted I'm not some great pro leet uber hax high elo player, Syndra is very capable, viable, and useful if played to her full potential.

"My potential is limitless." - High reward
"So much untapped power." - She has the power br0
"People fear what they cannot understand." - No one has yet to comprehend her style

This guide will be updated. There is more to follow, and I will get some videos for this champion. She is my favorite mage and dammit I need Justicar.

For those saying the guide isn't 'interesting', she's not that hard to play, nor is she a very unique champion. Her burst is high, her damage is high all game, and she has multiple AoEs. Landing half of Syndra's combo in a teamfight results in chunked health bars with this end game build. Your goal should not be to 'carry' and get penta kills every game. Your goal should be to take out high priority targets (Carries, Mids, Supports) and use as much of your CC as possible in teamfights.