Sylas Ult Tier List 2.0 Patch 9.15

Hello! I'm TheNegaV, a silver nobody. But I like to think I'm a half-decent analyst, and I'm also the guy who made the first Sylas Ult tier list that was posted on r/sylasmains (it's true, search tier list) There have been quite a few substantial changes in the last six months, both to Sylas and to many champs Ults, and I've wanted to make an updated list for a while now, so here we are. I've noticed that a few other people have made tier lists as well, but I figured at least someone would be interested in my changed opinion. I'll be keeping the same format here as I did previously. To my understanding of the current meta, Sylas is building straight AP again, so I'll be ranking them in their usefulness in a full AP burst/assassin build.

S Tier: Best of the best.
A Tier: Solid Choice.
B Tier: One or two things holding it back.
C Tier: Situational, but shines when the stars align.
D Tier: Very limited scope.
F Tier: Worthless. Grab in a 1v1 if you'd die otherwise, that's it.


S TIER
Akali: Still probably the best Ult to Sylas to steal. Slots into his kit perfectly, the inherent versatility of the mobility makes for an easy S tier despite the nerfs.
Alistar: I’m a fool. Placing Ali Ult in B was my worst blunder last time. Not only has it objectively gotten better with the buffs to Sylas’s passive AD scaling, but I severely underestimated the usefulness of the damage reduction… somehow.
Amumu: Holy Hand Grenade and the such.
Blitzcrank: More consistent than full AP Blitz, added consistency on the passive is just even better. Silence alone would bring it to A, the burst is even better.
Braum: Sylas can easily turn disengage Ults into engage Ults.
Cassiopeia: E can lead into a guaranteed stun in 1v1. Past that, people will be less ready to turn around to dodge Cass R stun when they have the Cass.
Cho'Gath: I made a bad judgement call just putting Cho Ult in A last time, but in my defense I didn’t think Sylas gained extra auto range with stacks. He does, making Cho one of the highest priority Ults to steal for both early and late game.
Ekko: Most likely second best. Reset button would be good on literally every assassin.
Evelynn: See Akali, not as good due to less versatility but still an easy S.
Ezreal: Ew. The Ez R changes were some of the worst changes for game health I’ve ever seen. It’s ridiculous. A minor amount of AP will lead to disgusting chunks.
Fiddlesticks: Sylas has the mobility and stickiness to make Fiddle Ult even better.
Fizz: Fizz’s kit is so overloaded with damage that a max range Ult will usually overkill substantially on a full combo. Sylas lacks this problem, which makes Fizz Ult even better on Sylas than Fizz.
Garen: Consistent execute. Villain passive is only good for Ult conversion, but you don’t even really need it since you get magic pen.
Gnar: Sylas arguably has a more consistent engage than Gnar does, and can use it whenever, making it better on Sylas.
Gragas: E leads into perfect insecs. The better you are with Gragas, the better his Ult gets substantially, and that’s just regarding the CC.
Karthus: Worse on Sylas due to not building around it, lack of passive, and the insanely long CD it puts on Karthus, but it’s still S.
Kennen: For whatever reason, despite the stun being Kennen’s passive, Sylas’s Maelstrom still stuns. I thought it didn’t in my previous list, but I still placed it in S. As you’d imagine, this only makes it better. E resistances were also moved to R, so. Another good contender for best Ult.
Lissandra: The weird versatility Liss Ult has is just the same on Sylas, really. Free stun or free Zhonya’s, your choice.
Lux: Sadly, (as a Lux main I am incredibly pained by this decision) the CDR reset no longer exists. Not that it was ever relevant on Sylas, but the compensation buffs to the ratio making it 100% were. No passive, but it’s not like it matters.
Malphite: More consistent on Sylas than Malph, another contender for best.
Morgana: Morg Ult changed very little when Morg got reworked, meaning its standing doesn’t change. Sylas can stick better than Morg can, and get in even easier.
Nautilus: The reliability of point and click CC cannot be ignored. Also quite a good nuke.
Neeko: Sylas can’t conceal the channel, but he can get in easier than Neeko can.
Orianna: It seems like the inability to put the ball on someone else would make it worse on Sylas, and it almost does. Sylas has such good engage that an Ori on your team would put it on you at least once, making that fact hardly matter. Another good Ult E makes great.
Ornn: Full pen Ornn is tasty. So is Ornn ult in general.
Qiyana: … Yeah. Nasty ult.
Rakan: Sylas can stay in a fight longer than Rakan can, and is relatively unaffected by the new lockout. Overall a great ult.
Rumble: The year is 2019. Rumble Ult still does excessive damage.
Shen: Best global pressure Ult, especially since you can use it to follow Shen. The AP ratio is just sprinkles on top, really.
Sona: AOE Stun nuke that fits into Sylas’s combo perfectly.
Swain: Sylas always got max soul frags with Swain’s old Ult, so the changes to it only made it better for Sylas.
Thresh: Still insanely high base damage and scaling.
Urgot: Decent chunk, fat execute and fear. American Sniper.
Varus: AP Varus ult is quite good.
Veigar: I don’t think I need to explain this.
Vi: Consistent engage.
Vladimir: One of the best teamfight Ults in the game, part of why I permaban Vlad.
Wukong: I will defend Wu Ult on Sylas until the day I die. Wu ult is a gamechanger, I don’t CARE if the AD ratio was nerfed. It’s still 800 base plus 308% AP at rank 3.
Xerath: AP champs would still kill for Xerath Ult, and the recent range buffs are just as good.
Zac: RIP the grab. It was funny. Anyways, weren’t most Zac mains asking for old Zac ult back because of AP Zac? Or something? I think so. Anyways, it’s even better.
Zilean: Shouldn't have to explain this one.
Zyra: No plants… like that matters.

A TIER
Aatrox: Entirely different Ult now. Absolute speed high once you start chaining, and the AD is pretty good, but the real appeal is the nuts healing buff.
Ahri: Closest to being S. Sylas doesn’t have the range to kite with it as effectively, but you still get passive off of it, and it’s three dashes.
Annie: Lack of a stun sucks. Tibbers is the best summon you can get by far, but it clogs up your Ult CD until Tibbers dies. He dies fast though, and technically has the highest AP ratio in the game.
Ashe: 100% AP ratio on a global stun. The new VFX will let you see how BS the hitbox is in HD.
Aurelion Sol: Mini insec, decent nuke, good range.
Azir: Sylas can almost shuffle.
Bard: Just as good on Bard as it is on Sylas.
Camille: On hit magic damage is almost worthless, but the untargetability and lockdown are worth it.
Dr. Mundo: Just good. LOVE the energy behind ganking top just to take Mundo Ult for regen.
Gangplank: Can't copy upgrades since they’re items, but full AP GP is only a meme when his Ult is on CD.
Hecarim: See Blitz, Malphite, and all the other champs who have Ults that are amazing full AP but don't have the kits to sustain that kind of build.
Heimerdinger: I was wrong in saying it’s almost as good on Sylas as Heim, but it’s still A.
Irelia: This might as well be a different ability now, but still good.
Ivern: Still stupid. Still A. Still fat AP ratios. Still clogs your Ult CD.
Jhin: Just a good Ult.
Jinx: Another good global.
Kalista: Bind your tank and get a free engage or bind your squishy for a free save. Sylas gets better use of this than Kalista does.
Katarina: No resets of course, but it's still Kat Ult. Buff to grevious is just nice.
Kayle: The lockout brings this Ult down to A after the rework, still solid.
Kayn: If Kayn goes Rhaast, this is a solid S. In base and Shadow Assassin, a solid A.
Kindred: Better on Sylas than Kindred honestly.
Kled: Long range engage.
Lee Sin: Sylas can insec.
Leona: Long range AOE stun with okay AP scaling.
Lulu: Best used on yourself, added utility is nice.
Malzahar: Making Malz's allies pay the Malz tax sounds fun.
Maokai: Full AP Mao Ult.
Mordekaiser: The PEAK of BM is following Morde into the shadow realm and 2v2ing. Almost S for that fact alone. PSA: Always Ult Morde after he Ults you, you end up with more stats that way.
Nami: Just as good on Sylas as it is on Nami.
Nocturne: Bad scaling, good global pressure.
Nunu: Full AP Nunu Ult. Shield is dope.
Pantheon: Going off of rework Panth Ult, even better than old Panth Ult but still A.
Pyke: Very close to S. Better than it used to be.
Rammus: Sylas is honestly just as sticky as Rammus is.
Riven: AD is… very helpful, actually. Windslash is also quite good. Bordering S.
Ryze: Map pressure is always good.
Sejuani: Sylas doesn't have Icebreaker, so he doesn’t get the fat chunks, but he does get a fat Ult.
Shyvana: Has a bunch of very… weird interactions since your fury bar is just your mana bar. Anything that gives you mana will give you more fury, meaning you can sit in fountain and stay as a dragon. Also leads to my favorite interaction in the game: Sylas in Urf is Shyvana until he dies after using her ult. Anyways, very good.
Singed: Most buff ults suck on Sylas since they don't fit his kit at all. Singed is an exception, giving him basically all the stats he would want with a meaty 25 second duration. Your ult DOES go on CD after using it, meaning there’s little downside.
Sion: See Kled.
Skarner: See Malz. Can't dash while using it but it's not that big of a deal. Okay nuke.
Soraka: Better on Sylas than Raka.
Syndra: If you could get more balls, it would be S.
Tahm Kench: See Ryze.
Taliyah: See Ryze.
Talon: 100% AP ratio if you land both hits. Invis is nice as well.
Taric: Can't double up with Bastion, but still Taric Ult.
Teemo: Sylas doesn't really build the right build for max damage shroomage, but it's still full AP Teemo shrooms.
Tristana: 100% AP ratio is still nuts.
Trundle: Ult Trundle as he ults you. Take back your stats. Fight the system. Possibly better on Sylas since he can build AP.
Tryndamere: Good Ult overall.
Twisted Fate: See Ryze.
Vel’Koz: No passive so no true damage, but it’s alright.
Viktor: Sylas can keep people in it easily.
Warwick: Sylas doesn't get much movespeed to get long range Ults off, but he does have other dashes.
Xayah: Can't recall feathers, but going untargetable is always nice.
Xin Zhao: It's Xin Ult.
Yorick: USE WITH CAUTION. The Maiden WILL clog your Ult CD until she dies. She’s also VERY effective with magic pen, and a very good pushing tool.
Zed: The damage is alright, but the shadow and untargetable make it good. Sylas uses Zed's Ult for entirely different reasons.
Ziggs: Just as good on Sylas.

B TIER:
Anivia: Good if you can keep people in it, which Sylas can do, but he also likes to move around a lot. Easy to break the tether and lose it. Keep in mind that this still costs mana to upkeep, and since Sylas doesn’t build too much mana, it can leave you in a bad spot without proper use.
Brand: Without Blaze, Pyroclasm is just okay.
Caitlyn: Alright nuke, but it still deals physical damage, which means you're most likely not gonna be penetrating any resistances.
Corki: It's good that you get max ammo. It's bad that you only get two big ones. Significantly worse AP ratio as well.
Diana: No reset means it's just an okay point and click dash.
Draven: See Cait. Good wave clear though.
Galio: Galio baby… what did they do to you? Just global pressure, really.
Graves: See Cait.
Janna: Good healing, knockback can be very good with proper usage.
Jarvan IV: Sometimes a squishy assassin doesn't want to be stuck in a wall. Only upside is that whoever you Ult might also be squishy.
Karma: Karma Ult is balanced around being on a relatively low cooldown. In most cases this means it's bad for Sylas, but with Mantra it's alright. Full AP RQ is just as good on Sylas.
Kassadin: Teeters on the brink of D. Obviously much better on Kassadin, but just one Riftwalk is alright.
Kha'Zix: Unlike Kha, Sylas gets no direct benefit from invisibility, but it's still invisibility. A tier if Kha evolves it.
Lucian: Never doubt AP Lucian ult.
Miss Fortune: Would be much better if it didn't have a 20% AP ratio.
Nasus: Everything about it is just okay. If Sylas got Q CDR like Nasus does, it would probably be S.
Poppy: Operates no differently than normal, a bit better after the removal of untargetability.
Quinn: Sounds nice on paper, but when you can only cast it once you might realize too late you're making a one way trip.
Rek'Sai: Perfectly fine in melee range, but Sylas has no way to apply its mark at a distance, which is part of the appeal.
Shaco: If they're dumb enough to kill the Sylas that won't use any abilities for some reason, they deserve to be nuked. It's a free objective, but a lot slower than Shaco since Sylas doesn't get any AD.
Sivir: A if you have a good hard engage comp.
Volibear: Alright, but Sylas lacks the attack speed to utilize it to its fullest potential, even if he does build the AP.
Yasuo: Would be C if not for Sylas being able to Last Breath off of his e. If you have an ally with a knock up, solid A. Crit damage pen is useless though.
Yuumi: Being stuck as Yuumi while using it is why it’s here. Usually best to just get the snare and go back to using your actual abilities.

C TIER
Kai'Sa: Would be S if Sylas had a way to apply Plasma at a distance. If your allies can do it for you, it could be a free kill. Alright otherwise, but there's better stuff to grab.
Sylas: Having two of the same ult on one team can be game changing. Good luck stealing an Ult before the other Sylas uses it though.

D TIER:
Darius: No Hemorrhage means you're getting Noxian Guillotine's base damage, which is pretty pitiful late. Would be F, but it's still around 100-300 point and click true damage and you can still get resets.
Elise: Sylas isn't that big of a fan of transformation ults. Elise is by far the best though, and I almost placed it in B. One thing to remember is that Sylas still gets his passive while transformed, and most AP champs wouldn't mind having Rappel and Venomous Bite.
Jax: Not much attack speed to abuse the passive, which means you just get some resistances. Not the best.
LeBlanc: Sylas doesn't particularly hate having any of LB's Mimic'd abilities, but you only get the one LB last used. Not being able to choose kinda sucks, but I can see an argument for this being in B.
Nidalee: Panther Form would be so good if Sylas could get the Pounce range extend and reset. Sadly he doesn't, so it's only good if you're already in their face, and even then odds are you're going to swap back after one rotation. I’ve recently learned that for whatever reason Sylas’s passive damage somehow overrides the Q execute damage, at least according to the wiki. This places it at the brink of F.
Olaf: Can see it in B, but there’s usually better.
Renekton: Just a worse version of Nasus Ult really.
Rengar: The most damage I've done with a stolen Rengar Ult is 75. It's a chasing tool, nothing more.
Twitch: Melee on hit effects on high range autos? Sounds fun! Except if you build any on hit effects on Sylas except a sheen item you're not doing it right.
Vayne: The Q invis is fun, but that’s basically all you get.


F Tier:
Fiora: You get the move speed and heal if you proc all vitals or kill them after popping one, just like Fiora. What you don't get is the damage on procing a vital. Just get something else.
Illaoi: Very bad. You get an AOE physical damage nuke that's easily outclassed, and a bunch of tentacles that are there to look pretty and nothing else. No W CDR, no way to command tentacles, nothing. Still think Sylas should be able to command them.
Jayce: Who wants to waste a long cooldown to deal an insubstantial amount of physical damage on this AP assassin? I don't!
Kog'Maw: You get one.
Master Yi: Would be S if it gave Sylas resets. That would also be broken because Sylas would never have to use it and could just hold onto Yi Ult as long as he wanted. As it stands, the move speed is okay, that's it.
Udyr: Absolutely worthless. You get the active and two cone procs. The only time you should get this is when Udyr is literally killing you and there’s no one else there. Easily the worst Ult to steal, almost in a tier of its own.
Zoe: I mean, the only thing holding it back is the cooldown. Could pop off.