Vi General Guide by JamieStardust

Introduction

Hello and welcome to my Vi guide! Vi and I have been a perfect fit ever since she was released just a few days ago. I have only played a few other champs since, and with reluctance because they locked in Vi faster than I. All the same, I have encountered some serious threats as Vi, and have created these builds to show how I typically counter these problems. So go on, read on, don't be shy! the secrets of playing Vi await!

Who is Vi?

Vi is a melee DPS fighter, good for top laning and jungling. She is, in my opinion, the coolest tomboy ever and, just to top it off, her damage can be super scary. For the enemy. For me (and maybe you) its a real thrill.
So, where did Vi come from? Here's the full, epic story of Vi!

Lore:
To Vi, every problem is just another brick wall to punch through with her gigantic hextech gauntlets. Though she grew up on the wrong side of the law, Vi now uses her criminal know-how to serve Piltover's police force. Vi's brash attitude, abrasive humor, and blatant refusal to follow orders can often infuriate her by-the-books partner, Caitlyn. But even the Sheriff of Piltover cannot deny that Vi is an invaluable asset in the fight against crime.

As a child growing up in the lawless outskirts of Piltover, Vi learned to rob and cheat to get by. Stealing and stripping hextech hardware gave her the skills of a master mechanic, while life on the streets taught her self-reliance. When she was six, a ragtag group of criminals took a shine to the young delinquent and brought her into their fold. By the time Vi was eleven, she had become a seasoned accomplice, and she relished the thrill of every heist.

Vi's attitude changed when a raid on a mining facility went bad. She was forced to decide between fleeing with her crew and trying to save the innocent mine workers from a collapsed tunnel. Vi chose to play the hero. While searching for a way to free the mine workers from the rubble, she discovered a damaged robotic mining rig. Improvising, she wrenched off its huge fists and modified them into makeshift hextech gauntlets. Fitting the heavy weapons to her tiny hands, the young girl flexed her arm and threw a powered punch at the rubble. The force of the blow blasted away the rock. With the workers free to escape, Vi fled the scene.

After that job gone wrong, Vi severed her connection to the crew. She returned to a life of solitary crime, but stole only from other criminals. As the years went by, Vi modified and improved her hextech fists, allowing her to bust up heists and snatch loot with ease. Eventually, word of her notoriety reached Caitlyn, the famed Sheriff of Piltover. Rather than seek Vi's arrest, Caitlyn offered the criminal a way to pay her debt to society: work for the law in Piltover. Vi laughed. To her, a job that let her beat up crooks without forcing her to run from the cops sounded perfect. She immediately accepted. Caitlyn now struggles to keep Vi in line, and Vi treats Caitlyn's orders as mere suggestions, but when they work together, they are feared by all lawbreakers in Piltover.

''It's a shame. I've got two fists, but you've only got one face.''
-- Vi
[Lore from the source at Leagueoflegends.com]

Why Play Vi?

Do you like champions who cause pain? Do you like champions who are versatile? Who punch anything that moves? Have a super-cool ultimate? Says awesome stuff when they just walk and jokes that are awesome? then Vi is for you!
Embrace the life of a top lane melee. She more than rewards you for it. Just her E Excessive Force can deal damage to the enemy top laner AND a whole lot if they have a support with them. They got a ganking jungler? Not a problem! if the going gets tough Vault Breaker helps you escape from almost any situation! Tanks? Beat them down! between The Black Cleaver and Denting Blows their armor is shredded, leaving room for you to do lots of damage with Vault Breaker, Excessive Force and especially Assault and Battery!
Sound like a good deal? Get Vi out here, and let's get started!

Pros / Cons

Pros: Good damage Good synergy between skills Fun Trades well in fights Kinda hot (Yes Im a girl and yes I did just say that)

Cons: Bad early game typically is hard to bounce back from Can get wrecked by CC Focused in teamfights Mana hungry early game

Skill Sequence

Most of the time, I see people suggesting that as Vi you start with Vault Breaker or Denting Blows. Im sure in some instances, this is useful. But most of the time,I find it useful to harass from a distance, making Excessive Force a better selection to start. Next, you will probably go with Vault Breaker. This way, you have added mobility, and if they make a mistake, you can more thoroughly punish them for it. save Denting Blows for your third level though. now, all three skills are active, and the true pain begins.
Whenever available, level up Excessive Force. By doing so, you increase its damage more and save its charges more quickly, for faster damage output. Once thats done, work on leveling up Vault Breaker. This is my preference, as leveing it lowers its cooldown. however, it may also be effective to stagger Vault Breaker with Denting Blows every other level. Both ways work, and prioritizing Vault Breaker is just personal preference.
Of course, level Assault and Battery at level six, twelve, and sixteen. This thing is a deathnote when used on mages such as Ryze or (if your hatred of him burns with a passion like mine) Teemo the Demon Spawn

Summoner Spells

Flash and Ignite are my two Summoner Spells of choice. Not just on Vi but on almost any other champion I play. Flash is good for safety and Ignite takes out that guy who would have gotten away with ten health.

Other Good Spells

Exhaust is a great Summoner Spell for Vi. In fact, I encourage it for her bruiser builds. Slow them down, take some resists and damagea all in one? Yes please!


Ghost is not my favorite spell, but it has come in handy. Choose between Flash and Ghost, whichever one you prefer will work best.

Spells NOT To Use

Sorry hun, but Heal just isn't reliable for much.


I have to know, why would you even consider using this on Vi??


Absolutely not. End of story.

Runes

Greater Seal of Armor
This is fantastic to start with. That extra armor makes you hard to harrass early game, and will nicely assist with your build later down the road.

Greater Glyph of Magic Resist
Mages beware! with this extra Magic Resist, you are going to be much harder to harrass. Odds are, they'll be out of mana before you have even half your health gone. Deal? I think so.

Greater Mark of Armor Penetration
Do the math. at the start of the game, on average champions start with 20-30 base armor. take away 10 of that? Uh, that's hardly any armor! Excessive Force is going to be their worst nightmare! And guess what else? That armor penetration is just gonna keep going up with The Brutalizer and soon after that The Black Cleaver. Add in Denting Blows and they're going to be at an armor disadvantage from square one! can you smell the first blood?

Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage
Consider how Excessive Force scales with AD. Add in an extra 7 right at the start. Consider that thanks to Greater Mark of Armor Penetration they don't have much armor. Can you say early advantage and high harrassment? Ha!

Masteries

Masteries here are a typical 21/9/0 setup. We grab the attack damage masteries in the damage tree, as well as [butcher] and [destruction] so that we can use the best mastery in the tree: [executioner]. This single mastery stacks incredibly well with Vi's skills. I have seen a severe increse in damage between using ssault and battery at a nearly full health enemy (slowing them down so my team could catch up) and using Assault and Battery on the same enemy, with the same items on both of use, when he had about twenty percent of his health left (he did not survive if you care).

Also, take the health and armor masteries from the defense tree. Early game, this health boost is great, and added armor is always a plus. [veteran's scar] has meant the difference between life and death for me on multiple occasions.

Which Build Is Right For Me?

Build 1 is General Purpose Vi. It is the most common build I find myself constructing for Vi, with little variation. That little variation I mentioned, is listed under Situational Items.

Build 2 Is Armor Vi. I made this in responce to Irelia, Twitch and other various ADs who were giving me a hard time. As a result, I turned the tables. They build armor pen, but my armor and health mitigated it, and they found much pain from Assault and Battery (that skill on an annoying enemy? very satisfying.)

Build 3 is Magic Resist Vi. This is the answer to AP champions such as Nidalee, LeBlanc and (in very unfortunate circumstances) Veigar arguibly titled (by me and some friends)The Yordle from Hell. here, you will find that their spells are not quite so devastating and you will have more than enough oportunities to use Excessive Force on Veigar's Face.

Now we get to more fun builds, Attack Damage Vi and Armor Penetration Vi. Use these if you have a team of offtanks and tanks. especially guys who get focused a whole lot like Darius or (for some incomprehensible reason) Singed. With guys like that, you're safe to use these builds, and cause serious injury. They will run when they see the steam coming out of your arms!

I'll admit, Attack Speed Vi isn't an altogether serious build. I use it against bots. Why? Because punching enemies that freakishly fast is just downright amusing! (please, don't use this in a real 5v5 unless you're trolling).

Must Have Items

Starting Items:
I typically start out with Boots of Speed and Health Potion x3. I don't have anything against Doran's Blade but I find the health regeneration from health pots and the added movement speed from boots more reliable.

Core Items:
Rush The Brutalizer. This is a must. The only, ONLY acception is when you are going against an enemy like Nidalee and her spear is causing heavy harrass. At that point, grab Hexdrinker but make sure The Brutalizer is next on the list, don't even think about upgrading to Maw of Malmortius until you have The Brutalizer upgraded to The Black Cleaver and your boots and, if you have the gold, Phage. You see, The Black Cleaver and Frozen Mallet are musts for Vi. She needs these so badly. The Black Cleaver ups her armor pen and Frozen Mallet adds extra health and damage to up the power of Blast Shield. Everything else can be swapped and mixed around, but for the love of all that is pro, do not leave out these two items!

The Fighter Builds

All of these builds have been used by me at one point or another. I only put them here because they have given me good results. General Purpose Vi is the main build because, with it, I have used Assault and Battery to dive into a group of three enemies, killed their Twitch and gotten out with three hundred life to spare. Consider these three builds if you are on a team of, lets say, casters or low hp squishy carries like Ezreal or Corki. Go for the bruisers if and only if at least two other members of your team are good hp fighters/offtanks/tanks such as Pantheon, Darius, or Nautilus.

Overall, however, I recommend the Fighter Builds for Vi.

The Bruiser Builds

My Attack Damage Vi build has made enemies hesitate before attacking me. Armor Pen Vi has allowed me to chase Singed and win. These two builds bring pain, but you will not have as much armor or health. If you are in a very serious neck-and-neck game, always use the Fighter Builds. The Bruiser Builds should be fulfilled when your team will not be relying on only you to take a hit. At that point, use these. You'll be glad you did.

Once again, Attack Speed Vi is a joke made for amusement. Amuse yourself with it. Against bots.

Summary

I am honored that you have read my build all the way through. This is my first build, and it means alot that you've come this far.

Special thanks go out to jhoijhoi for their incredible guide on guide making (found here)

Take what you have learned. Make Vi a force to be feared!
Vi is for violence
Vi is for vicious
vi is for victory