In this guide I will be explaining my method on how to build and play Talon as an AD Burst champions. You should first know that Talon is not a strong character early game against similar level characters. It is mid to late game where Talon really starts to shine.

I don't recommend you solo top lane (assuming you have a jungler) as Talon has very little of the abilities required to do so, however if you can use Rake well and make sure you don't lose xp, Talon will become even stronger in the mid game using his level advantage to burst down the enemies.

I run with Armour Pen Mark runes to allow me to deliver as much of my burst as possible by lowering the percentage they can block.


I have chosen the Armour Seals due to the fact Talon is a melee character, and will be getting up close and personal with his enemies. Of course if you end up being against an AP enemy these wont be as useful, however having tested different runes I found these to be the best for Talon.


I chose the CDR per level over the flat CDR since Talon is stronger in the late game, and doesn't need the CDR in the early game since he is unlikely to be dominating so soon.


Finally, for my quintessences I chose Armour Pen, again this is to allow me to deliver as much of my burst damage as possible.

Flash: I feel this is a must have for melee characters since they will always to be close to damage when fighting, and it is the best escape mechanism they can get.


Exhaust: For Talons this is a no-brainer. It gives him increased damage using his passive, and allows you to keep the enemy within melee range whilst you smash them to submission.


Some people may opt for Ghost or Ignite using Talon, but they simply do not outweigh the benefits of Flash/Exhaust.

I use 21/0/9 masteries with Talon. The only mastery points that stand out and I feel need explaining are the CDR over AS (2nd row Offense) and the Buff Duration (3rd row Utility).


I chose the CDR over AS since Talon is burst. I would rather be able to deliver a second round of burst to my enemies quicker than get in 1 more auto attack.


It is very important you understand the choice of Buff Duration. Talon's passive grants him 10% additional damage from basic attacks to enemies who are Slowed, Stunned, Immobilised or Suppressed. This means that when you take the Red Buff (which you should be doing whenever possible) you will be able to do additional damage to enemies for longer.

Mercy (Passive): Talon's auto-attacks deal additional damage to a target that is under the influence of any crowd control effect.


(Q) Noxian Diplomacy: Talon viciously stabs his enemy, dealing heavy physical damage and causing them to leave a blood trail that Talon can use to track them.


(W) Rake: Talon fans out three blades in front of him that quickly return to him, dealing damage and slowing any target hit in either direction.


(E) Cutthroat: Talon leaps behind his target and silences them for a short duration, amplifying the damage of any of his follow up attacks and abilities.


(R) Shadow Assault (Ultimate): Talon enters stealth for a short duration, gaining a movement speed boost and sending blades that deal damage to all enemies in their path flying in every direction. Once the blades reach a certain distance, they pause and form a circle. When Talon reappears from stealth, the blades return to him, once again dealing damage to any opponent they pass through.

Talon has 2 important abilities which need to be levelled up. As always, one of them is the ultimate, taken as soon as possible every time. The other ability is Rake.

Rake is Talons most important ability early game. It allows him to harass, minion farm and also slow enemies to allow himself and allies to escape if things get bad. I recommend getting the 2nd level of Rake before you get your 1st level of Cutthroat, this is due to the fact you are weak early game, and it is unlikely you will have an opportunity to jump to an enemy at level 3 and go for the kill.

Once you have maxed out Rake you will want to max out Noxian Diplomacy. There is no question about which ability is more effective when maxed.

I begin with Boots of Speed on Talon since he is a melee character, and how are you going to hit people who can run faster than you?


Using the remaining money I buy 3 Health Potions to allow me to stay in my lane for longer, therefore not missing out on xp and also giving myself more farming and killing opportunities.


I recommend Boots of Swiftness since the other option (Berserker Greaves) gives you less speed but more attack speed, and because Talon is burst damage, we don't need as much attack speed.


Next I get myself a Vampiric Scepter. This allows me to heal up off the minions and enemies now that my Health Potions are gone. Later on I will build this into a Bloodthirster.


Now onto the first items that matter. I grab myself a Brutalizer since this gives me Armour Pen, Attack Damage and CDR. These are all at the core of what makes a good Talon, and for only 1337 coins it is very cheap. Later on I will build this into a Youmuu's Ghostblade.


Next up is the B.F. Sword. This increases my Attack Damage to around 140 and means I can finally start to do decent damage. The B.F. Sword also means that my abilities are now also doing more damage (since all of them stack off of Attack Damage). Later I will build this into an Infinity Edge.


The Sheen is a very underrated weapon. Although it gives me Ability Power which is useless on Talon, it gives me 100% increase Attack Damage on my next basic attack every time I use an ability. At this stage Talon is now becoming more powerful with his burst since he can follow it up with some basic attacks whilst the enemy is slowed by Rake. Later I will build this into a Trinity Force.


Infinity Edge gives me yet more Attack Damage, increasing the power of all my abilities, and also higher Crit Chance and Crit Damage.


Yet more Attack Damage and Lifesteal from the Bloodthirter. This item will start stacking as long as you stay alive, so don't waste your life in a "1 Kill 1 Death" situation.


Health Glorious Health. The Frozen Mallet gives Talon a small Attack Damage increase, but also 700 Health and a Basic Attack Slow. This health allows Talon to be less squishy, and the Slow allows Talon to use his passive all the time to deal that extra damage to the enemies.


Completing our Brutalizer from earlier. More Crit Chance, more Attack Damage, more CDR, more Armour Pen and an active. The perfect item for Talon. The active allows you to close down enemies with your additional Movement Speed and deal that extra damage whilst waiting on your Cooldowns with the 50% Attack Speed bonus.


And finally we finish off our build with an all round good item, the Trinity Force. The Trinity Force can easily be replaced by other items depending on your situation, but is a nice way to finish up our build.

Pros:
- Rake gives good early game harass
- Burst mid-late game
- Can escape with ultimate easily (30 second CD late game)
- Fun to play when winning

Cons:
- Weak early game
- Doesn't build up resistances
- Does not do well when outnumbered

Thank you for spending time reading my guide. I hope it helps you in some way with mastering Talon.

Feel free to leave a comment if you spot any errors or want to offer any improvements.