Swain has been my main for a couple of months now, since riot buffed him last. He has really sweet AP ratios, and the best thing about him is that he can sustain in a fight longer than most mages in the league

Pros:
One of the strongest mages in the game
Great sustainability once he reaches level 6
Good solo mid
Has two CC
-Slow
-Snare

Cons:
-No real escape method(besides slowing)
-Low movement speed

Recommended



I choose Flash as a summoner spell as I have mentioned earlier swain has no real escape method. Sure he can us his crow to slow them or use nevermove to snare them. However, landing nevermove perfectly to snare chasing enemies is a difficult thing to do and a slow may not be enough to escape.

I also choose Ignite as sometimes my skills may not be enough to finish off a low hp opponent early game, or in late game it could be used to effectively dampen the regen effects of enemy champs(etc Mundo). Ignite also works with his third skill torment, which at max level increases damage dealt by 20%.

Alternative


Teleport is a great spell to get back to your lane early so that you can prevent losing that bit of exp or to save a tower late game.

Ghost can be used as an alternative for flash, also allows Swain to make up for his low movement speed.

I feel that cooldown reduction runes arent really that important for swain as most of his skills dont have that much cooldown. Hence I take flat AP marks and quints, flat magic resist seals and AP per level glyphs. This portion is really up to you to vary and decide on your own.

Doran's Shield


Ok, I think everyone would be raging now, think why Doran's Shield should be bought for Swain. Here's why. Early game if you go mid every time the enemy pokes at you and you poke back at them you would deal roughly about 100-200 dmg to each other. Compared to the enemy whether he is a mage or carry he would have either ad or ap and wouldnt be considering hp regen. So, by the time you engage the opponent at level 3, you would have more hp than the opponent and would therefore have an advantage over the opponent.



Catalyst the protector


Increases Swain's sustainability in lane. Nuff said.



Sorceror's shoes


Erm... as i said before Swain doesnt really need cdr, so he should go for magic pen.



Rod of Ages


You should rush rod of ages as soon as possible as it gives you even more sustainability and some AP



Rabadon for increased AP. Rylai's for extra sustainability and gives a nice slow which is useful to chase an enemy. Zhonya and Abyssal Scepter gives more armor and mag resist respectively so it beefs swain up a bit and Zhonya's passive works great during team fights.


Optional:



DFG gives you a great nuke but imo Swain is not a champ who relies on nukes but instead needs sustainability.

Banshee's if the opponent team has a AP nuke.

Spirit Visage if you want an extra heal from your ulti.

Early game:


I usually play Swain as a harrasser. Before level 3, I will just poke at the enemy solo with torment but even if they hit me back and regen it back faster then them. Once I reach level 3, I use E,W,Q once or twice before I flash and ignite for the kill. If you have trouble placing your W, use Q before your W so that they fall into it.


Mid game:


By now I should have completed my RoA and should be working on my Rylai, If im owning their mid, it is viable to invest in a Mejai or rush my Deathcap so that i can get more kills. Also, in team fights if you do not have any tankers in your team you should be the one to initiate as you have great sustainability.


Also, you have great farming ability so remember to push often with your team once you have won a team fight.

Late game:
By now you can just use 1 combo to finish off a squishy AP or AD carry. The only 2 AP carries' you should be afraid of this point of time is Veigar and Leblanc. Try to stay away from this champs if they are fed. During team fights, if you have to stall some time while waiting for the rest of ur team to come remember to use ur zhonya. Once your team arrives you can deal massive damage and heal up even if almost every1 is targeting u.

This is so important that it deserves a section on its own. During my many games with swain I have always encountered a greedy carry trying to tower dive me with very low hp and in the end he dies and I survive. When you have within 20 - 40% hp and you see a carry approaching you near the tower, DONT run away. Turn on your ult use all ur other kills and secure the kill. However, if you have very little mana, you should RUN

Please do not spam me with bad comments. This is my first build :D Hope you enjoyed it. took a long time to finish this build. If there is any areas that I can improve my build, please do write that in the comments below.