Hi, this is my Leona guide. If you can give advice on how to improve, or have any suggestions, please leave a comment!


I'm a Platinum 5 Leona main on the Oceanic server. I also play Taric and Thresh. My IGN is Im0ver9000.

Pros +Lots of CC +Can both peel and engage +Low skill floor, Reasonably high skill ceiling +Long range AoE stun +Naturally Tanky +Strong all in, can engage easily

Cons -Melee, no Poke -Not much natural sustain, no shields, heals or movement speed buffs -No 'true' CC (knockups, displacements, things that can't be cleansed or affected by tenacity, such as Pulverize)

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Defense

- Block reduces the damage of the enemy Marksman in lane.

- Enchanted Armor works well with Eclipse, and increases my overall tankiness.

- Unyielding helps reduce the damage I take from my enemies, and coupled with Block in lane, reduces the enemy Marksman's threat.

- Veteran Scars Allows me to tank more damage in fights.

- Hardiness , which offers an extra 5 armor, helping to reduce the damage from the enemy Marksman.

- Resistance offers some tankiness against the enemy support, albeit only 2 Magic Resistance.

- Perseverance gives some solid extra sustain in lane.

- Legendary Guardian , as it gives a very large amount of extra resistances, especially in teamfights.

- Tenacious , as it helps me get my own CC off, and escape from bad fights or skirmishes.

Utility

-I take Fleet of Foot to help me outrun my opponents.

- Scout allows me to ward brushes from a bit further away (which can help a lot against champions with pulls or CC, such as Thresh or Blitzcrank).

- Summoner's Insight lets me use my Flash and Ignite/ Exhaust more often, which can help a lot in fights and skirmishes.

- Alchemist and Culinary Master give me more sustain in lane.

This is my 0/21/9 runepage. It is strong in all situations, and offers both lots of defense stats, which are essential on Leona, as well as sustain and ulitity. However, there are some mastery pages that can be stronger than 0/21/9 in certain situations.

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Other Options

This is my 0/9/21 rune page. I take this when there isn't much need for me to be tanky (not often) or when I need some extra utility.

- Greed , Scavenger , Wealth and Bandit all give extra gold generation, which is essential to build my important items. Wealth also allows me to buy an extra Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation at the start of the game.

- Inspiration is helpful when I am not getting much experience in mid-late game.

- Intelligence is very good very good, because not only does it reduce the cooldown on Leona's spells, but also reduces the cooldown on her activated items such as talisman of ascension, which play a great part in her utility.

- Wanderer is very helpful in getting back to lane and sometimes chasing, and acts like a mini Mobility Boots.
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This is my 9/21/0 page. I take this when I want to get early kills for my Marksman, as well as be tanky.

- Sorcery gives some very helpful CDR.

- Expose Weakness lets me help my Marksman/Team do more damage to a target.

- Brute Force gives me some extra attack damage, which is very nice in early fights, as well as allowing me to get Martial Mastery .

- Martial Mastery , the main reason I sometimes go 9/21/0. The extra 4 AD lets me do a lot more damage with my AA>Q>AA combo, and helps win early fights at bottom lane.

This is my normal rune page for Leona.

Reasoning

9x Greater Mark of Armor makes me tanky against the enemy marksman, minion aggro and the enemy support's AAs.

Other Options:

- 9x greater mark of hybrid penetration helps me do more damage with both my AAs and spells. These would be good against low damage lane opponents, and scale pretty well into mid-late game.

- 9x Greater Mark of Attack Damage is another good option, similar to taking greater mark of hybrid penetration, but with more of an early game focus. Good for all ins.
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Reasoning

I have recently swapped from 9x Greater Seal of Armor to 9x Greater Seal of Health, because having 72 health from your the new 9x Greater Seal of Health and about 13 armor from your 3x Greater Quintessence of Armor is stronger than having 76 health from 3x Greater Quintessence of Health and only 9 armor from the new 9x Greater Seal of Armor.
9x Greater Seal of Health is now the strongest option for seals on Leona.
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Reasoning

3x Greater Quintessence of Armor is now stronger than 3x Greater Quintessence of Health in the 4.5 patch. I discussed why in the seals section. The armor helps me against the enemy AD champions, turrets and minions/monsters.

Other Options:

- 3x Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed can be taken if you need the extra movement speed to catch up to your enemies, though I prefer to take 3x Greater Quintessence of Armor.

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Reasoning

9x Greater Glyph of Magic Resist helps me to be tanky against the enemy support, as well as any other AP damage sources on the enemy team.

Other Options:

- 9x Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist can be taken if there is little to no AP threat at bottom lane, although you will be safer against AP jungler or mid ganks with 9x Greater Glyph of Magic Resist.
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is a must take on Leona. It allows you to engage from further away, dodge skill shots, and escape from rough situations.

is very good on Leona. It gives you that edge in skirmishes at bot lane, and has a range of 600, which is longer than Exhaust at 550 range. It is also very strong against champions that rely on heals, such as Dr. Mundo. However, it isn't as strong as Exhaust in teamfights, and is an early game investment.

is also very strong on Leona. It can shut down an enemy in teamfights for 2.5 seconds, which is more than enough for a team to kill a squishy target. It can also reduce the damage of the enemy Marksman at bot lane significantly, although they can just back out while it is applied. It is especially strong against champions that use AA's for their main source of damage, such as Jax and Marksmen, as it reduces their attack speed by 50%. However, it is generally not as strong as Ignite in lane, and is more a late game investment.

can sometimes be used, and in the new patch is stronger and more viable, but all other summoner spells aren't worth taking on Leona.

I always take with either or when I play Leona.

Starting Items

With this item I generally go with Stealth Ward, 2x Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation and a Stealth Ward as my starting build, as Relic Shield gives health, which is very helpful, as well as some gold generation and healing for both you and your Marksman in lane, the Stealth Ward and Stealth Ward will give you the most vision for early laning, and the 2x Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation gives you some early sustain.

With this item I go 2x Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation and a Stealth Ward. Doran's Shield was nerfed a while back, but is still fairly strong, especially when you want to go aggressive at level two. I normally prefer to take Relic Shield though, because it allows you to heal your marksman as well, and also gives you some gold generation, which Doran's Shield doesn't do.

With this item I take 3x Total Biscuit of Rejuvenation and a Stealth Ward, similar to the items I take with Doran's Shield. It is a strong item to start the game with because it allows you to get a very early Sightstone, meaning you no longer have to buy wards. However, it does not give much gold or sustain in lane, and so can be risky. _

I do not build Ancient Coin as a first item anymore because it doesn't offer any useful stats in lane and the gold generation is less than what a Relic Shield gives, therefore is not worth buying at all.
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Early Game

This is very helpful in lane as it allows me to have constant high levels of vision around bot lane.
These are a great buy as they have the potential to last the whole game, and even though they are visible, a Vision Ward placed in the bottom lane tri-brush (this works better on blue side) or in front of dragon will often stay there until the enemy jungler gets seen by it, and 100g for a Vision Ward is definitely worth it if it prevents a gank.
This is a nice pickup as the 25 movement speed will help you outrun your opponents and return to lane faster.
targon's braceI sometimes upgrade my Relic Shield into a targon's brace if i feel i need the health and regeneration.
Most of the time I will swap my Relic Shield to a Nomad's Medallion because it is more gold efficient to go from Nomad's Medallion to talisman of ascension than it is to go from targon's brace to talisman of ascension (more on why I like to swap to Talisman of ascension later).
I sometimes buy a Doran's Shield to replace the tankiness I got from Relic Shield when I swap to Nomad's Medallion.
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Mid Game

talisman of ascension I have explained why I like to swap to and use this item at the bottom of this section.
face of the mountain In patch 4.5, both talisman of ascension and face of the mountain cost more, but face of the mountain has better useful stats, while talisman of ascension doesn't. I think this item is now viable when you have to be both tanky and peel for your carries.
A Sightstone is very helpful in midgame as it allows you to have constant around dragon and other areas of the map. I explain why I don't upgrade to Ruby Sightstone until it's my last item at the bottom of this section.
I swap Stealth Ward for Sweeping Lens when I get my Sightstone, as the extra ward is no longer needed, and the ward clearing capability is useful around dragon/ baron.
I normally try to have tier 2 boots(upgraded boots, such as Ninja Tabi) by midgame as the movement speed is quite useful.
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Boots and Enchantments

I grab these when I need to catch up to or catch out the enemy. However,they aren't as strong as the other boots choices in teamfights.
I take these most of the time, when I am able to get a tank item that offers CDR (such as Spirit Visage), and when the enemy has at least 1 AP threat. The tenacity is very strong on Leona, as it helps you to get your own CC off and possibly escape dangerous situations.
I take these when the enemy has a high AD threat or little to no AP damage.
I usually take this enchantment because it allows me to get to fights the fastest and defend my base the best.
I take this when I am under no pressure to leave my base quickly and I need to get around in teamfights and skirmishes.
I take this when I don't have to leave my base quickly and I have to engage teamfights for my team. It is also really good for catching someone off with my whole team. This enchantment probably works best with Mobility Boots, and also stacks up nicely with talisman of ascension.
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Situational (Late Game Items)

All of these items are worth buying in certain situations.
I build this item when the enemy team is mainly AD and I need CDR to peel for my team.
I take this item when the enemy team has a balance of AP and AD, as the health works against AP as well, or if I need the active in teamfights.
This item is good to take on Leona when I'm ahead, as it means I have the potential to do damage on my own, as well as giving tank stats.
I only get Thornmail when the enemy team is entirely AD and I need to be tanky.
Sometimes I buy this item instead of Frozen Heart because it gives me more CC and damage, thus letting me snowball my Marksman harder. However, this item is generally weaker than the other Armor items, and should only be built when quite far ahead.
I like this item on Leona because it allows me to peel for my team by blocking the enemy skill-shots, thanks to the spell shield. I take it over Spirit Visage because I already have enough CDR from my other items, and the Spirit Visage passive is wasted on Leona because she doesn't have any natural heals and not much regen.
I buy this item when my team needs more defenses and a shield in teamfights.
This item is good for peeling for my carries, as it not only heals them but removes all CC effects from them (excluding suppressions, blinds, knock-ups and displacements).
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face of the mountain vs talisman of ascension:Why I swap to Talisman of Ascension

face of the mountain offers 500 health, 10% CDR, 20 health per 5 seconds, the passive Spoils of War, and the active Deadly Phalanx.

talisman of ascension offers 20% CDR, 10 health and 15 mana every 5 seconds, 2 gold per 10 seconds, the passive Favor, and the main thing I buy it for, the 40% movement speed increase to nearby allies for 3 seconds.

Not including the passives and actives, face of the mountain is more gold efficient than talisman of ascension, however, in teamfights you will generally be peeling for your carries, in which case, the 20% CDR is more useful than 500 health and 10% CDR, as you will not be taking much damage. Instead, you will be focusing on getting the enemy front line off from your carries, which is where the 10% extra CDR comes in handy.

The passive from Relic Shield is stronger than the passive from Ancient Coin in lane, as it heals and gives more gold, however, once in mid game, it will be very hard for you use Spoils of War, as the rest of your team will kill the minions too quickly. On the other hand, you will still be able to use Favor to its full extent, as it only requires you to be near the dying minion.

The main reason I swap to talisman of ascension is the active. The 40% movement speed increase to all nearby allies for 3 seconds allows you to engage or disengage a teamfight or catch a member of the enemy team out, and it also lets you peel for all of your team, unlike Deadly Phalanx, which only lets you peel for one person, and doesn't help you engage/disengage a teamfight or catch an enemy.

However, face of the mountain is still a viable option, and should be bought when you need to both be tanky and able to peel for your team.
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: Why I upgrade my Sightstone last

I dont upgrade to Ruby Sightstone until last because the upgrade from Sightstone costs 800g, but it doesn't actually allow you to place any more wards on the map, it only allows you to hold one more ward. The only real difference is Ruby Sightstone gives 250 more health than Sightstone, and that 250 health costs 800g. Therefore, it isn't gold efficient to upgrade to Ruby Sightstone and so I prioritize buying all of my other items first.

(Passive) This passive is unexpectedly strong, and deals surprisingly high amounts of damage. If your marksman consumes Sunlight, their spells and AAs will do quite a lot more damage.

Tips and Tricks

- It is best to let your marksman consume any many charges of Sunlight as possible, so spacing out your abilities is often useful.

- Any allied champion damage will consume the charge, so it can be consumed by things such as Piercing Light and Boomerang Blade, not just AAs. You can use this to your advantage if your marksman is out of AA range.

- It is best to stay with an ally as Leona, as Sunlight increases your damage output significantly, but can only be consumed by your allies.
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(Q) This spell is excellent, because not only does it stun the target, it also resets your AA animation.

Tips And tricks

- Shield of Daybreak is an AA reset. This means that you can AA> Shield of Daybreak>AA in less than a second, which is 3 AAs against your target before they can react.

- Because Shield of Daybreak is an AA reset, you can clear wards at any level without using true sight ( Vision Ward, Sweeping Lens, etc) by using your AA>Q>AA combo, if you are next to the ward and fast enough. This is incredibly helpful in denying vision from the enemy bot lane.
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(W) This spell is very strong, as it not only makes Leona tanky, but also deals a lot of damage, which people don't expect.

Tips and Tricks

- The enemy will assume you are trying to engage if you use Eclipse. You can use this to your advantage by casting it, but instead of engaging, just running towards them slightly, scaring them and zoning them off CSing.

- If you need to engage suddenly, it is best to wait for your Zenith Blade to have landed before casting Eclipse, as this will take them by surprise. However, you will take slightly more damage during the fight, and the damaging effect may not hit them if they disengage before it goes off.
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(E) This spell is Leona's engage/gapcloser spell. It is one of the best engaging spells in lane as it can be used through minions.

Tips and Tricks

- This spell will only lock onto and immobilize the champion it hits last. This means it can't be blocked by the enemy's tanks. You can use this to lock onto the enemy back line in teamfights.

- You can stand behind your minions and be able to engage with Zenith Blade without fear of being hit by a lot of skillshots, like Death Sentence or Mystic Shot. Some skillshots such as Piltover Peacemaker will still hit you, however, they will normally deal reduced damage.
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(R) This spell gives Leona a big power spike. It is a long ranged AoE stun/slow, and is very useful in both catching enemies out and teamfighting.

Tips And Tricks

- Solar Flare has a 0.625 second delay before landing, and so can be dodged. Therefore, you must try to predict where the enemy target/s will move before it lands.

- The spell only stuns in the middle. On the outside are only slowed by 80%. You should always aim to stun the enemy's most important players if you have a choice.

- I take a point in Shield of Daybreak at level 1, because it is strong CC, as well as an AA reset, and therefore strong in level 1 and 2 fights.

- I get a point in Zenith Blade at level 2, because it is a very useful gap closer and CC, and I like having a point early.

- I max my Eclipse first because the tankiness and AoE damage from it outweighs having shorter cooldowns on my CC.

- I now max my Shield of Daybreak second (changed from maxing Zenith Blade second) because when I am peeling for my team I prefer having a short cooldown on a 1.25 second stun over a 0.5 second immobilize. However, Zenith Blade can also be maxed second, if you feel you need a shorter cool down on your main gap closer.

- I put points in my Solar Flare whenever I can, because it is my strongest spell and ranking it up reduces the cooldown and increases the damage significantly.

Warding is one of the most important things a support does, and although this is a Leona guide, warding will be very similar on all supports.

Warding in Laning Phase

: Blue side and Purple side

Reasoning

1. The tri-brush is a very good place to ward for both teams, giving blue a lot more safety at all times and helping purple out when they are pushed. For blue side, this is an excellent place to put a Vision Ward.

2. This is another excellent place to ward for both teams, as junglers will almost always need to pass over ward 1 or ward 2 when ganking. Sometimes, purple team can put a Vision Ward down here, but it isn't as strong as the tri-brush (1) is for blue team.

3. This is the poor man's warding spot. I will usually put a ward here on both teams if I don't have enough wards to place in both spot 1 and 2. However, this isn't as safe as having 2 wards down, and a Vision Ward placed here will be destroyed pretty quickly.

4 and 5. These are good places to ward for both teams as it will let you see your lane opponents if they are in that brush, and will also help to prevent lane ganks. I suggest warding in the centre of the brush to get vision of the whole thing.

6. This is where blue side can ward if they need to see dragon and there is an enemy Vision Ward at spot 2. It also allows one to check dragon without having to spend time running around and possibly getting caught out.

7. This is where I ward as purple side if I am pushed to my turret and am expecting a 3 or 4 man tower dive.

8. This is an aggressive ward placement as blue team if my jungler needs vision of their blue buff.

9. This is where I sometimes ward as blue side if I am pushed to my turret and am expecting a 3 or 4 man tower dive.

Early-Mid Game

In the Early to Mid game, you really want to be trying to ward everywhere you plan on going as a team. For example, if you were invading the enemy red buff, you should be warding around all the nearby brushes that come from the enemy base to the Buff. However, there are certain places it is good to ward when taking dragon.

Warding for Dragon

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1. The obvious place for both teams to ward dragon. A Vision Ward is often placed here to deny vision to the enemy.

2. A good place to ward, as most of the time the enemy team will come from their base or mid lane when going to dragon, and warding here will help to reveal them when they are close by.

3. Another good place to ward, providing vision similar to spot 2, but a slightly better place to ward for blue team, as it will reveal purple team as they come from their base.

4. This is where blue team should ward if they need to ward dragon quickly and relatively safely, as it can be done over the wall.

5. This is where purple team can ward if they think the enemy is over the wall.

6. This is a good place to ward as purple team when the enemy has just recalled and you want to have lots of prior knowledge on if blue team will contest dragon or not.

7. A good place to ward for vision of blue team if they are contesting.

8. A good place to ward if blue team is coming from the bot lane route.

9. I like to ward here was blue team if I think the enemy is coming from bot lane.

10. Warding here provides vision in a large area and gives blue team some vision of purple team's fastest route to dragon.

11. Similar to spot 10, but gives vision closer to the enemy base, giving blue team more reaction time.

12. Another ward close to purple team's base. Good for giving blue more time to react to a contest.

is one of the strongest supports in the current meta and is a top tier pick. She can work well with almost any Marksman, and performs well in all roles in teamfights. This guide will put you on your way to becoming a skilled Leona and all around support player.

Thank you to all those who commented for their feedback, I appreciate it a lot.