After buying Talon the day of his release and playing him obsessively then quitting after his mana nerfs to his sustain. I recently came back to Talon and found that with adjustment talon is still a strong viable anti-ap and top. His sustain weakens his role as a top but he can still manage himself. I highly suggest Seals of replenishment to counter some of Talon's problems.


The biggest mistake I see new Talon players make is building him like an Ad carry. TALON IS NOT A CARRY. He performs that position rather sub par. He is not made to be built with AS items. Talon's gold is better spent buying Armor pen, straight AD(like the blood thirster), and CDR. Talon is made to be an AD caster. He has low enough cool downs that after boots you can use your full skill combo sometimes up to three times during a team fight(minus ult of course)

Talon is an Assassin Ad caster. Armor runes and MR runes can help him. But chances are if you are going to get focused you are probably already dead. I prefer CDR runes to help me utilize skills more frequently and mana regen to counter some of Talons laning issues.

21/0/9 at first looks pretty obvious, However I skip on the critical damage from "lethality" and the life steal from "vampirism" in favor of more CDR (in sorcery). Again support for more mana regen.

None of this is set in stone. If faced against heavy cc you might opt for Merc treads. Or heavy Ap you might go for a hexdrinker.

Do not rush trinity force, It is not an early game item. Its a supplemental item to add to a champion after they already have power to build from.


DO NOT. I REPEAT; DO NOT BUILD ATTACK SPEED ON TALON.

You may do well building attack speed once or twice on Talon. But you are limiting the character and building ****ty version of Yi. Leave the dunking to the pros.

Talon has strong farming capabilities but rather weak sustain to keep up with his farm. You cannot spams skills as talon. Rake should be used to harass. You can use Noxian diplomacy to pick up a last hit you miss judged (this shouldn't really happen with a doran's blade start). You can pop your ult to farm a big wave just be aware you are severely hampered in terms of burst and escape while it is on CD.

Talon is an Assassin. You shouldn't be in the middle of the team fight the second it starts. Do not engage with your Ult unless it is a sure kill. Wait for major CCs to go off. Then burst onto the squishiest damage dealer their team has. Repeat as long as you can then use your ulti to finish it up or escape. Your role is to take out the high priority targets that are going to be doing the most damage; such as AD carries, AP carries, and other Assassins.

Keep in mind Talon's kit is incredibly versatile. You can predict someones movements and throw your rake to intercept their path. Giving you that extra damage and a slow to keep your target away from you or let you catch up. Cutthroat can also be used to double back on a gank and escape. People will likely predict what direction you will go with your ult when escaping. Try to make it as far a way as possible before the blades show off where you are.

I chose Ignite and flash for talon.

Ignite helps you power through powerful self healing champions like Mundo or Irelia. While also securing kills from on the run champions after your main combo.

Flash is an obvious choice. It is a direct counter to exhaust. Its useful to escape panic situations before level 6 or when your ult just isn't enough.

Other choices-

Teleport- Decent choice for a top or mid laner. Lets you get back to lane very quickly. If you opt not to use mana regen seals I highly reccomend teleport.

Exhaust- Poor choice. Talon isn't meant to sustain fight. While this may give an extra bit of cc when needed or reduce an opponent's damage. Talon is a hard to hit target during his combo. You should be bursting and getting out. If they exhaust you then you should immediately be looking for a team mate or finding a way to escape if it looks like you are going to die.

Ghost- An alright choice. But talon does not have a at will teleport to substitute flash. Flash is a better choice.

Heal- So-so choice. Better for Ad ranged and supports.

Cleanse- Decent choice against a heavy CC team.

Clarity- An interesting thought. But little use past mid game.

Smite- Talon jungle isn't great.

Promote, CV, Surge, Revive- .....

More will come when I get around to it. Look forward to formatting, videos, and more tips. Thanks for reading my guide :D