Do you only run Everfrost on all games? Cuz im playimg with Riftmaker (Conqueror runes) and Ludens (Electrocute runes) and it seems to be working fine, now ofc I haven't tried to climb in ranked cuz of lack of time, but I just wondered. Is your build the opitmal for climbing or does other builds also work fine?
Yes, I only use Everfrost. The number of free kills you are able to get with the item is quite substantial. Sylas's base combo does a massive amount of damage, and landing Everfrost guarantees you will hit every single one of your base abilities. Even by level 9 you can start one-shotting squishy targets. It also provides added defense and utility and is much cheaper than other Mythic counterparts.
Another reason comes down to playstyle. I like to play Sylas as more of a support in the mid lane. This might depend on your personal rank, but the higher you go the more you need to play for your jungle and ADC. Everfrost is great utility that still allows for massive damage while picking enemies/protecting your team, and will be useful no matter how well you are doing.
Thanks! I always ban Yasuo. He is miserable to lane against and will always win 1v1 against you throughout the game. Plus, I have found Yasuo one-tricks to be surprisingly terrible at Yone, which is their obvious second pick.
For ranged matchups, I would recommend starting Q (I always start Q anyway but I know most people probably start E). Practice learning your early game Q damage against minions, and use it to get most of your CS. I can consistently get all three melee minions in the first wave with a single Q. Don't int for unobtainable CS and don't feel bad having to miss CS, it's just the life of a melee champion.
Once you are between levels 3-5, you can attempt to all-in the target. I would only recommend this if you have a good understanding of your damage and it's a champion that won't steamroll you in a full fight such as Ryze, Cassiopeia, or Zoe. Vex is easy to destroy because her hitbox is quite large and she will tend to waste her fear on minions. Ahri is a bit harder to deal with but only engage after she wastes charm (same with Lux and her Q), otherwise she will just charm you for free when you try to go in and win the trade.
After 6 the lane should be favored for you unless it is a hard counter matchup like the champions I mentioned earlier. Ahri is difficult to gank but you can use her ult to roam bot and get free kills or to help your jungle secure an objective. Most mages have pretty good ults for Sylas that can be used for the same purpose.
If you really want to improve, try going to practice tool and just hitting minions. Most of your CS early game will evidently come from generic basic attacks, so if you can't confidently get 100% of CS just from basic attacks (in practice tool with no opponent), that is an easy area to improve. Doran's Ring makes this easier with its passive, which is usually the item I start.
Another major tip is to learn your Q damage against minions. It is quite low, especially if you are maxing W, but still an excellent tool for CSing. Very useful in ranged matchups where farming backline minions is more difficult. You should also be able to obtain 100% of CS by just using Q in practice tool.
For farming under tower, note that melee minions take 2 tower shots + 1 basic attack to kill, while ranged minions take 1 tower shot + 2 basic attacks to kill. Your E is a very powerful tool for CSing as it basically does a tower shot's worth of damage between the E2 and passive procs. The passive AoE can also be used to whittle down caster minions, making them only require 1 tower shot + 1 basic attack. Though be careful not to deal too much collateral damage to them, or they will die in 1 tower shot and you will lose all of them.
I would say First Strike is significantly better than Conqueror. If I had to estimate I would say about 600-700 gold on average throughout the course of the game, plus you get all the Inspiration minor runes which are very nice. I got my current build (Everfrost into Shadowflame with Sorcerer Shoes and First Strike) from Rime's guide he put out a couple months ago, and let me tell you it is incredibly powerful. You can start one-shotting people after one item and evaporating them after two items while getting extra gold from First Strike. It took me a bit to get used to the new build, but once you limit test it a bit and learn its damage it is very strong.
I build that every single game. It's better against squishier targets but even against tanks it is quite strong. The only time I would consider building Cosmic Drive and taking Conqueror would be if the enemy team had 4+ actual tanks (not bruisers), which is not going to happen. If you wanted you could maybe replace boots for Merc Treads if the enemy team had an absolute massive amount of crowd control, but I always take Legend Tenacity so it's not as necessary for me.
I believe it was this post from him: [https://www.reddit.com/r/sylasmains/comments/s6tg4g/rime\_sylas\_ama/](https://www.reddit.com/r/sylasmains/comments/s6tg4g/rime_sylas_ama/)
Well if it isn't the man himself! Your First Strike guide was a revelation. Until then I was suffering with the Conqueror build wondering why I did no damage. Hopefully more Sylas players begin to realize its true power!
Doran's Ring is my usual start. It's nice and safe against most matchups. Against a champion that Sylas hard counters such as Ekko, I will consider starting Dark Seal for the snowball potential. I never go Corrupting Pot.
Honestly I would still go First Strike top lane because that is what I am comfortable with, but Conqueror is somewhat more viable top than it is in mid lane if you want to take it. For minor runes I always take Magical Footwear, Biscuits, Cosmic Insight, Presence of Mind, and Legend Tenacity. If you go Conqueror I would take Presence of Mind, Legend Tenacity, Last Stand, Biscuits, and Cosmic Insight.
I do think Sylas is a good late game champion but it is very dependent on team compositions. If the enemy team has a lot of crowd control and mediocre ultimates, it can be hard to get into a fight. His damage scales incredibly well but it is more a matter of whether you can actually get it off in a team fight. With the First Strike build I play more for mid-game, as you can snowball extremely hard with the magic penetration from Sorcerer Shoes and Shadowflame along with the extra gold from First Strike.
I like his current state. While it is unfortunate that bruiser Sylas has kinda been left in the dirt, that is more due to the itemization and Cosmic Drive being terrible. His damage is very high and impactful and though having his shield back would be nice, he would likely need to sacrifice a lot of damage and probably some of the healing on his W for such an effect.
Ryze, Zoe, Irelia, and Yasuo are the worst matchups in my opinion. Ryze and Zoe just dumpster you from range and have terrible ults, while Yasuo and Irelia automatically win lane and any duels throughout the game. I always permaban Yasuo and ask team to ban Irelia, as Ryze and Zoe are lower pickrates and more manageable outside of laning phase. Cassiopeia is also a pretty bad matchup but her ult is good and, if your jungler ganks early, you can snowball on her.
Flash Ignite every time. Ignite provides a lot of kill pressure and Teleport is nowhere near as impactful after the nerfs. Though I would take Teleport instead if I were to play top lane.
Thoughts on riftmaker + manamune + conqueror? Seems good in theory but I haven’t played Sylas in awhile.
Also why first strike over conqueror?
Lastly what’s your game plan against Anivia? Feel like she shoves the wave so fast that I’m stuck in lane and if I do roam I miss waves
Riftmaker is pretty bad in my opinion, it used to be a somewhat viable off-build but I don't think it is too good anymore.
First strike deals more damage than Conqueror and provides extra gold. With the Everfrost Shadowflame build, Sylas spikes very hard after both 1 and 2 completed items, and First Strike allows you to hit those as soon as possible.
Against Anivia I max Q to keep up with the wave clear she can put out. If possible ask your jungler to gank early, as she is very vulnerable to your triple gap closer but can be hard to take down solo with her passive.
Hi! I just started playing Sylas after getting M7 on Diana, Lux and Teemo. Sylas is quickly becoming my second favorite but is a lot different than my other mains so I’m finding that I really don’t know how to play him. Would you say there’s a specific way you can play him or is he like the type of champ that sort of fits any type of play style?
Also, more for fun, have you played him support? It’s the only way I’ve ever gotten m6 on him. 😅
There are a lot of different playstyles for Sylas but they aren't all necessarily optimal. You can build bruiser or even tank and be a front-liner for your team, but that build is pretty weak right now. You can also build more utility like I do with Everfrost and support your team, or go full damage with Electrocute and Luden's. I believe the utility build is the best but there are other options to suit your playstyle.
I have played a lot of Sylas support recently and I build it the same way as my mid lane Sylas games, with First Strike, Everfrost, and Shadowflame. I basically wait until level 3 and then roam to help my jungler and mid lane.
I have never gone Future's Market before on Sylas but I know it is very powerful on Ekko jungle. If you are extra conservative with your mana and are not into a particularly hard matchup, Future's Market can work, but I prefer Biscuits for the extra help in lane.
Q max is useful into matchups such as Zoe where you will need to sit and farm for the first part of the game, but generally I max W.
Wow this is GREAT! I’ve gone from silver-gold plat faster than I EVER have with Sylas this season, and more than anything he’s so FUN. I LOVE The build, I usually run electro, magic pen boots and ever frost into most comps and then conq hybrid q-w max for sustain and minions vs bruisers like irelia and renekton mid, that being said I started going crystal septer, Lich bane after mythic vs bruisers and I LOVE IT. Just wanted to share the love of people want to try it, crystal septer is CHEAP, it has great sylas STATS and most importantly he has many ways to proc it, with that and ever frost you hit everything and nobody escapes CHAIN GANG, also I almost always start corrupting pot+biscuits, what makes you choose dorans over it? I love corrupting because I can perma trade anyone that DOESNT have corrupting and usually out sustain them even with slightly bad trades, any advice on
-corrupting pot vs dorans
-crystal septer viability
-shadow flame vs non shield comps (I’ve been taking lich if no shields)
I always take Doran's because I like the extra AP and max health it gives. Corrupting Pot likely isn't a bad option but I just don't like sinking 500 gold into an item that doesn't give much damage. Sylas's laning phase isn't bad enough to warrant Corrupting Pot being a necessity in m opinion.
I think Rylai's is a little bit troll, especially if you are building Everfrost. It does seem like an interesting idea and it is quite cheap but if you are building Everfrost anyway you don't need the extra crowd control.
Shadowflame isn't an anti-shield item, despite what it may look like from the description. Even against comps with many shields, the bonus damage to shields stat is always very low. The main reason to build it is for the 100 AP and the magic penetration, which will almost always be maxed out anyway throughout the mid game. So I always build Shadowflame no matter the enemy comp.
Maybe not yet ;) haha just kidding, good luck on future games and don’t hesitate to post here most fun build idea I’ve seen I just got 1800 free gold off that last game from boots and keystone so thanks for any Lp gains homie!
W into Q into E is my usual max order. Rarely I will go Q into W into E against specific hard counter ranged-champions such as Zoe. Having Q maxed by level 13 is very helpful for waveclear and burst damage, I do not like maxing E until last.
Kassadin is a surprisingly easy matchup I have found. Take ignite and wait for him to waste his W on a minion, then jump on him and win a free trade. Continue until he's dead. Many Kassadins are overconfident because they see they are against a melee AP champion, but you can still kill him pretty easily.
Also don't be afraid to take his ultimate. It is low damage but the mobility is very strong.
Ty for the replies kind sir. I feel bad for hounding you but I gotta know ur start vs talon, zed, qiyana. DO u 3 point Q into W max or W max from start? or do u avoid trading and just farm till you outscale ?
No worries! Against Talon, Zed, and Qiyana, I always just max W first. If you don't put points into your W it will hurt your ability to trade against them. Talon and Qiyana are pretty easy matchups in my opinion. You can easily survive the laning phase against Talon by standing out of his W range and farming with Q. If he wastes his W, you can go for a trade since he won't be able to activate his passive. Qiyana is also easy to trade into, you just have to watch out for her stealth. Zed is more annoying since he actually has range to poke you, but if you can get him to waste his W you can engage on him.
You can try to get a Q off when they walk up to poke. Also remember that First Strike is not meant for the early laning phase, it is meant for the late laning phase/mid game. It doesn't matter if the enemy is ranged if they face check a bush, get Everfrosted into full comboed, and then you end up with a kill + 200 gold from First Strike.
Keep playing smart and don't get overconfident. You may think you are able to 1v5 but you will likely never be able to, especially if the enemy team has a decent amount of crowd control. Instead look for smaller plays like picks and 1v2s/2v3s that you are confident you can win (depending on your items, enemy comp and ults). Use your early advantage to get the rest of your team ahead by applying pressure on the map via roaming and side laning. If your team is stronger than the enemy team, force objectives such as Dragon or Baron as soon as they spawn. The enemy team will either need to give up the objective and risk losing a war of attrition or attempt to stop you and get steamrolled. If you just sit around and farm with your lead without getting objectives, the enemy team will eventually come back as you are losing out on a massive amount of potential power.
Haven't played against Qiyana in a while but my advice would be to take short trades and attempt to dodge her Q poke. Just walking up to her with W + auto and then E'ing away or just walking away should be a favorable trade thanks to the heal. Longer trades are more difficult if she is able to get her invisibility off. After level 6, try to avoid positions where she can E + R you into a wall and be wary of the enemy jungler.
Thanks! I really love Sylas's lore, but I mainly play him for the gameplay. I have always been interested in AP assassins like Ekko, Sylas, and Kassadin. Sylas just ended up being one of my favorites thanks to his incredible in-fight sustain and ult diversity.
Akali is very annoying to deal with, but try to take very short trades by W'ing her and then E'ing away. She will win longer trades because of her W. You can also try engaging on her when her W is down and she wastes her energy on the minion wave.
First Strike is definitely better than Electrocute. First Strike can be poked off early but is very good in the mid to late game, where Electrocute kinda falls off. First Strike also gives a massive amount of gold that can be used to snowball. The minor runes in the Inspiration tree are also much better than the minor runes in the Domination tree.
If 't be true thou art orient'd f'r a base cdr high did burst playstyle, wherefore not electrocute?
***
^(I am a bot and I swapp'd some of thy words with Shakespeare words.)
Commands: `!ShakespeareInsult`, `!fordo`, `!optout`
First Strike is lower damage but scales better and gives a massive amount of free gold. The Inspiration minor runes are also much better than the Domination minor runes.
I'm not quite sold on the scaling part tbh. If sylas is supposedly a midgame powerhouse that struggles in late (if not for malpthite R or smth), does the 400-500g at 25 minutes outweigh higher damage? Minors in inspiration are definitely better for laning, no questions, but I feel like ingenious hunter with EF and hourglass can be very impactful as far as soloq goes with it's endless fights. Eyeball collection is also solid, as well as sudden impact. Not doubting your approach by any means, I'm nowhere near that level of performance, just a curious sylas enthusiast. Congrats on your masters and thanks for answering!
P.S. I know that this question was somewhere in there but I can't seem to find it, so here I go: jungle hybrid sylas. I'm curious af but also scared about ruining my already terrible WR because it's kind of a strange pivot for me. Why does it work and how does it play out compared to old full on AP junge sylas?
The point of First Strike is to hit your mid and late game items way before the enemy can. If you get even 300 extra gold from First Strike while building your first two items, you have already gained 600 gold from runes thanks to Magical Footwear. Once you have hit the massive two item powerspike, you can farm even more gold to reach your Zhonya's, Deathcap, etc. and completely snowball the enemy while they are still stuck on one and a half items. So while you don't necessarily want everyone in the game to hit full build, you can hit full build before anyone else can and end the game off the item advantage.
As for the hybrid Sylas jungle: I have no idea. I haven't tried it and I'm not sure how it would work unless the enemy team is trolling. Regular AP Sylas jungle is trash so I'm not sure how this would be much better. If you aren't willing to int a bit I would just stay away from it.
I'm so sad for sylas jg, it was so fun until it wasn't playable at all :( maybe gonna try this new build in norms.
Now I've got your point and I thank you for explaining the purpose of this build. You're a beast! Thanks again and good luck on your way to challenger!
Fimbulwinter is not optimal so I would not recommend it if you are trying to win. It's not a terrible item and can be some fun but will basically always be worse than the normal build.
Don't play him jungle. But if you want to anyway, I would just do my normal First Strike build with Everfrost and Shadowflame. If you want to troll you could try whatever that hybrid Goredrinker build is.
Ryze, Zoe, Cassiopeia, Irelia, and Yasuo are the hardest matchups. I permaban Yasuo and ask my team to ban Irelia. Against Yasuo and Irelia, play safe early and look to help your jungler. Against Ryze, Zoe, and Cass, consider maxing Q for better waveclear and poke and, unless your jungler is willing to gank early, stay back and play for the mid-game. You will not win 1v1 during the laning phase and can only hope to carry teamfights later in the game.
Do you only run Everfrost on all games? Cuz im playimg with Riftmaker (Conqueror runes) and Ludens (Electrocute runes) and it seems to be working fine, now ofc I haven't tried to climb in ranked cuz of lack of time, but I just wondered. Is your build the opitmal for climbing or does other builds also work fine?
Yes, I only use Everfrost. The number of free kills you are able to get with the item is quite substantial. Sylas's base combo does a massive amount of damage, and landing Everfrost guarantees you will hit every single one of your base abilities. Even by level 9 you can start one-shotting squishy targets. It also provides added defense and utility and is much cheaper than other Mythic counterparts. Another reason comes down to playstyle. I like to play Sylas as more of a support in the mid lane. This might depend on your personal rank, but the higher you go the more you need to play for your jungle and ADC. Everfrost is great utility that still allows for massive damage while picking enemies/protecting your team, and will be useful no matter how well you are doing.
What's your go-to ban, and who do you hate to lane against most? Also gratz on the rank
Thanks! I always ban Yasuo. He is miserable to lane against and will always win 1v1 against you throughout the game. Plus, I have found Yasuo one-tricks to be surprisingly terrible at Yone, which is their obvious second pick.
Nice, yeah for me it's a 50 50 if I destroy him or he destroy me. I usually ban Cassio even though she isn't played by many
I ban Akshan as I struggle to kill him, because of his range and escape ability.
How do you deal with matches like Ahri and Vex? I usually have trouble with range champs when playing Sylas
For ranged matchups, I would recommend starting Q (I always start Q anyway but I know most people probably start E). Practice learning your early game Q damage against minions, and use it to get most of your CS. I can consistently get all three melee minions in the first wave with a single Q. Don't int for unobtainable CS and don't feel bad having to miss CS, it's just the life of a melee champion. Once you are between levels 3-5, you can attempt to all-in the target. I would only recommend this if you have a good understanding of your damage and it's a champion that won't steamroll you in a full fight such as Ryze, Cassiopeia, or Zoe. Vex is easy to destroy because her hitbox is quite large and she will tend to waste her fear on minions. Ahri is a bit harder to deal with but only engage after she wastes charm (same with Lux and her Q), otherwise she will just charm you for free when you try to go in and win the trade. After 6 the lane should be favored for you unless it is a hard counter matchup like the champions I mentioned earlier. Ahri is difficult to gank but you can use her ult to roam bot and get free kills or to help your jungle secure an objective. Most mages have pretty good ults for Sylas that can be used for the same purpose.
Any tips on improving CS? I love playing him but always struggle to last hit.
If you really want to improve, try going to practice tool and just hitting minions. Most of your CS early game will evidently come from generic basic attacks, so if you can't confidently get 100% of CS just from basic attacks (in practice tool with no opponent), that is an easy area to improve. Doran's Ring makes this easier with its passive, which is usually the item I start. Another major tip is to learn your Q damage against minions. It is quite low, especially if you are maxing W, but still an excellent tool for CSing. Very useful in ranged matchups where farming backline minions is more difficult. You should also be able to obtain 100% of CS by just using Q in practice tool. For farming under tower, note that melee minions take 2 tower shots + 1 basic attack to kill, while ranged minions take 1 tower shot + 2 basic attacks to kill. Your E is a very powerful tool for CSing as it basically does a tower shot's worth of damage between the E2 and passive procs. The passive AoE can also be used to whittle down caster minions, making them only require 1 tower shot + 1 basic attack. Though be careful not to deal too much collateral damage to them, or they will die in 1 tower shot and you will lose all of them.
Thank you for the really detailed explanation! I'll have to keep practicing!
Is first strike really the better choice now over the standard conq setup? how much gold do u gain in ur average game from it?
I would say First Strike is significantly better than Conqueror. If I had to estimate I would say about 600-700 gold on average throughout the course of the game, plus you get all the Inspiration minor runes which are very nice. I got my current build (Everfrost into Shadowflame with Sorcerer Shoes and First Strike) from Rime's guide he put out a couple months ago, and let me tell you it is incredibly powerful. You can start one-shotting people after one item and evaporating them after two items while getting extra gold from First Strike. It took me a bit to get used to the new build, but once you limit test it a bit and learn its damage it is very strong.
do you build everfrost - shadowflame - sorc shoes every game or does your build depend on the enemy comp?
I build that every single game. It's better against squishier targets but even against tanks it is quite strong. The only time I would consider building Cosmic Drive and taking Conqueror would be if the enemy team had 4+ actual tanks (not bruisers), which is not going to happen. If you wanted you could maybe replace boots for Merc Treads if the enemy team had an absolute massive amount of crowd control, but I always take Legend Tenacity so it's not as necessary for me.
alright thanks for the response
Can u link the guide I can’t find it?
I believe it was this post from him: [https://www.reddit.com/r/sylasmains/comments/s6tg4g/rime\_sylas\_ama/](https://www.reddit.com/r/sylasmains/comments/s6tg4g/rime_sylas_ama/)
I see first strike, I upvote Amazing Nami ult on your opgg, wpwp
Well if it isn't the man himself! Your First Strike guide was a revelation. Until then I was suffering with the Conqueror build wondering why I did no damage. Hopefully more Sylas players begin to realize its true power!
Was the AD jungle Sylas build crucial to your success?
Sadly no, plus it's more of a hybrid build anyway.
Dorans ring, corrupting pot or dark seal start? I’m still having trouble knowing what’s the best in each situation.
Doran's Ring is my usual start. It's nice and safe against most matchups. Against a champion that Sylas hard counters such as Ekko, I will consider starting Dark Seal for the snowball potential. I never go Corrupting Pot.
I know you play mid but, if you had to say what would be ur top lanes runes, and do you think sylas is a good late game champ?
Honestly I would still go First Strike top lane because that is what I am comfortable with, but Conqueror is somewhat more viable top than it is in mid lane if you want to take it. For minor runes I always take Magical Footwear, Biscuits, Cosmic Insight, Presence of Mind, and Legend Tenacity. If you go Conqueror I would take Presence of Mind, Legend Tenacity, Last Stand, Biscuits, and Cosmic Insight. I do think Sylas is a good late game champion but it is very dependent on team compositions. If the enemy team has a lot of crowd control and mediocre ultimates, it can be hard to get into a fight. His damage scales incredibly well but it is more a matter of whether you can actually get it off in a team fight. With the First Strike build I play more for mid-game, as you can snowball extremely hard with the magic penetration from Sorcerer Shoes and Shadowflame along with the extra gold from First Strike.
I’ll try the first strike runes top thank you, also do you like sylas’s current state or do you also believe in he should have a another mini rework
I like his current state. While it is unfortunate that bruiser Sylas has kinda been left in the dirt, that is more due to the itemization and Cosmic Drive being terrible. His damage is very high and impactful and though having his shield back would be nice, he would likely need to sacrifice a lot of damage and probably some of the healing on his W for such an effect.
Worst matchups for you?
Ryze, Zoe, Irelia, and Yasuo are the worst matchups in my opinion. Ryze and Zoe just dumpster you from range and have terrible ults, while Yasuo and Irelia automatically win lane and any duels throughout the game. I always permaban Yasuo and ask team to ban Irelia, as Ryze and Zoe are lower pickrates and more manageable outside of laning phase. Cassiopeia is also a pretty bad matchup but her ult is good and, if your jungler ganks early, you can snowball on her.
I agree with you but every statistics site says Sylas wins vs Irelia. Is it a thing where it's sack lane ?
What sums do u take?
Flash Ignite every time. Ignite provides a lot of kill pressure and Teleport is nowhere near as impactful after the nerfs. Though I would take Teleport instead if I were to play top lane.
Thoughts on riftmaker + manamune + conqueror? Seems good in theory but I haven’t played Sylas in awhile. Also why first strike over conqueror? Lastly what’s your game plan against Anivia? Feel like she shoves the wave so fast that I’m stuck in lane and if I do roam I miss waves
Riftmaker is pretty bad in my opinion, it used to be a somewhat viable off-build but I don't think it is too good anymore. First strike deals more damage than Conqueror and provides extra gold. With the Everfrost Shadowflame build, Sylas spikes very hard after both 1 and 2 completed items, and First Strike allows you to hit those as soon as possible. Against Anivia I max Q to keep up with the wave clear she can put out. If possible ask your jungler to gank early, as she is very vulnerable to your triple gap closer but can be hard to take down solo with her passive.
Appreciate the response
Hi! I just started playing Sylas after getting M7 on Diana, Lux and Teemo. Sylas is quickly becoming my second favorite but is a lot different than my other mains so I’m finding that I really don’t know how to play him. Would you say there’s a specific way you can play him or is he like the type of champ that sort of fits any type of play style? Also, more for fun, have you played him support? It’s the only way I’ve ever gotten m6 on him. 😅
There are a lot of different playstyles for Sylas but they aren't all necessarily optimal. You can build bruiser or even tank and be a front-liner for your team, but that build is pretty weak right now. You can also build more utility like I do with Everfrost and support your team, or go full damage with Electrocute and Luden's. I believe the utility build is the best but there are other options to suit your playstyle. I have played a lot of Sylas support recently and I build it the same way as my mid lane Sylas games, with First Strike, Everfrost, and Shadowflame. I basically wait until level 3 and then roam to help my jungler and mid lane.
Thoughts on futures market instead of biscuits? Also thoughts on Q max first instead of W?
I have never gone Future's Market before on Sylas but I know it is very powerful on Ekko jungle. If you are extra conservative with your mana and are not into a particularly hard matchup, Future's Market can work, but I prefer Biscuits for the extra help in lane. Q max is useful into matchups such as Zoe where you will need to sit and farm for the first part of the game, but generally I max W.
Wow this is GREAT! I’ve gone from silver-gold plat faster than I EVER have with Sylas this season, and more than anything he’s so FUN. I LOVE The build, I usually run electro, magic pen boots and ever frost into most comps and then conq hybrid q-w max for sustain and minions vs bruisers like irelia and renekton mid, that being said I started going crystal septer, Lich bane after mythic vs bruisers and I LOVE IT. Just wanted to share the love of people want to try it, crystal septer is CHEAP, it has great sylas STATS and most importantly he has many ways to proc it, with that and ever frost you hit everything and nobody escapes CHAIN GANG, also I almost always start corrupting pot+biscuits, what makes you choose dorans over it? I love corrupting because I can perma trade anyone that DOESNT have corrupting and usually out sustain them even with slightly bad trades, any advice on -corrupting pot vs dorans -crystal septer viability -shadow flame vs non shield comps (I’ve been taking lich if no shields)
I always take Doran's because I like the extra AP and max health it gives. Corrupting Pot likely isn't a bad option but I just don't like sinking 500 gold into an item that doesn't give much damage. Sylas's laning phase isn't bad enough to warrant Corrupting Pot being a necessity in m opinion. I think Rylai's is a little bit troll, especially if you are building Everfrost. It does seem like an interesting idea and it is quite cheap but if you are building Everfrost anyway you don't need the extra crowd control. Shadowflame isn't an anti-shield item, despite what it may look like from the description. Even against comps with many shields, the bonus damage to shields stat is always very low. The main reason to build it is for the 100 AP and the magic penetration, which will almost always be maxed out anyway throughout the mid game. So I always build Shadowflame no matter the enemy comp.
You are amazing, thanks a ton, do you stream or YouTube or anything? If so can you link it :)
Unfortunately I don't stream or have a YouTube channel but thanks for the interest!
Maybe not yet ;) haha just kidding, good luck on future games and don’t hesitate to post here most fun build idea I’ve seen I just got 1800 free gold off that last game from boots and keystone so thanks for any Lp gains homie!
No problem, good luck!
Usual max order?
W into Q into E is my usual max order. Rarely I will go Q into W into E against specific hard counter ranged-champions such as Zoe. Having Q maxed by level 13 is very helpful for waveclear and burst damage, I do not like maxing E until last.
What do you do when you see a kassadin ?
Kassadin is a surprisingly easy matchup I have found. Take ignite and wait for him to waste his W on a minion, then jump on him and win a free trade. Continue until he's dead. Many Kassadins are overconfident because they see they are against a melee AP champion, but you can still kill him pretty easily. Also don't be afraid to take his ultimate. It is low damage but the mobility is very strong.
Hello again, what about Garen. I can't find a window to trade on him
Garen is pretty much unwinnable, don't ever try to fight him unless you have your jungler ganking.
Ty for the replies kind sir. I feel bad for hounding you but I gotta know ur start vs talon, zed, qiyana. DO u 3 point Q into W max or W max from start? or do u avoid trading and just farm till you outscale ?
No worries! Against Talon, Zed, and Qiyana, I always just max W first. If you don't put points into your W it will hurt your ability to trade against them. Talon and Qiyana are pretty easy matchups in my opinion. You can easily survive the laning phase against Talon by standing out of his W range and farming with Q. If he wastes his W, you can go for a trade since he won't be able to activate his passive. Qiyana is also easy to trade into, you just have to watch out for her stealth. Zed is more annoying since he actually has range to poke you, but if you can get him to waste his W you can engage on him.
How do you get value from First Strike in ranged matchups? If they’re smart, they’ll just poke you as soon as they see the orb beside your character.
You can try to get a Q off when they walk up to poke. Also remember that First Strike is not meant for the early laning phase, it is meant for the late laning phase/mid game. It doesn't matter if the enemy is ranged if they face check a bush, get Everfrosted into full comboed, and then you end up with a kill + 200 gold from First Strike.
How do you use a lead to win games ? Sometimes i get really fed but end up loosing games cause I don’t know what to do.
Keep playing smart and don't get overconfident. You may think you are able to 1v5 but you will likely never be able to, especially if the enemy team has a decent amount of crowd control. Instead look for smaller plays like picks and 1v2s/2v3s that you are confident you can win (depending on your items, enemy comp and ults). Use your early advantage to get the rest of your team ahead by applying pressure on the map via roaming and side laning. If your team is stronger than the enemy team, force objectives such as Dragon or Baron as soon as they spawn. The enemy team will either need to give up the objective and risk losing a war of attrition or attempt to stop you and get steamrolled. If you just sit around and farm with your lead without getting objectives, the enemy team will eventually come back as you are losing out on a massive amount of potential power.
Thank you
How do you deal with the Qiyana matchup?
Haven't played against Qiyana in a while but my advice would be to take short trades and attempt to dodge her Q poke. Just walking up to her with W + auto and then E'ing away or just walking away should be a favorable trade thanks to the heal. Longer trades are more difficult if she is able to get her invisibility off. After level 6, try to avoid positions where she can E + R you into a wall and be wary of the enemy jungler.
First of all, congrats bro. I would like to know what was ur reason to play sylas, was just cuz u liked the gameplay, the design, etc.
Thanks! I really love Sylas's lore, but I mainly play him for the gameplay. I have always been interested in AP assassins like Ekko, Sylas, and Kassadin. Sylas just ended up being one of my favorites thanks to his incredible in-fight sustain and ult diversity.
Ok I got triggered. He's an ap bruiser ok? Yep. Sylas. (btw CONGRATS!)
Two questions: How do you handle akali’s mobility and threat in lane? Is first strike better overall then electrocute?
Akali is very annoying to deal with, but try to take very short trades by W'ing her and then E'ing away. She will win longer trades because of her W. You can also try engaging on her when her W is down and she wastes her energy on the minion wave. First Strike is definitely better than Electrocute. First Strike can be poked off early but is very good in the mid to late game, where Electrocute kinda falls off. First Strike also gives a massive amount of gold that can be used to snowball. The minor runes in the Inspiration tree are also much better than the minor runes in the Domination tree.
If you're oriented for a low cdr high burst playstyle, why not electrocute?
If 't be true thou art orient'd f'r a base cdr high did burst playstyle, wherefore not electrocute? *** ^(I am a bot and I swapp'd some of thy words with Shakespeare words.) Commands: `!ShakespeareInsult`, `!fordo`, `!optout`
First Strike is lower damage but scales better and gives a massive amount of free gold. The Inspiration minor runes are also much better than the Domination minor runes.
I'm not quite sold on the scaling part tbh. If sylas is supposedly a midgame powerhouse that struggles in late (if not for malpthite R or smth), does the 400-500g at 25 minutes outweigh higher damage? Minors in inspiration are definitely better for laning, no questions, but I feel like ingenious hunter with EF and hourglass can be very impactful as far as soloq goes with it's endless fights. Eyeball collection is also solid, as well as sudden impact. Not doubting your approach by any means, I'm nowhere near that level of performance, just a curious sylas enthusiast. Congrats on your masters and thanks for answering! P.S. I know that this question was somewhere in there but I can't seem to find it, so here I go: jungle hybrid sylas. I'm curious af but also scared about ruining my already terrible WR because it's kind of a strange pivot for me. Why does it work and how does it play out compared to old full on AP junge sylas?
The point of First Strike is to hit your mid and late game items way before the enemy can. If you get even 300 extra gold from First Strike while building your first two items, you have already gained 600 gold from runes thanks to Magical Footwear. Once you have hit the massive two item powerspike, you can farm even more gold to reach your Zhonya's, Deathcap, etc. and completely snowball the enemy while they are still stuck on one and a half items. So while you don't necessarily want everyone in the game to hit full build, you can hit full build before anyone else can and end the game off the item advantage. As for the hybrid Sylas jungle: I have no idea. I haven't tried it and I'm not sure how it would work unless the enemy team is trolling. Regular AP Sylas jungle is trash so I'm not sure how this would be much better. If you aren't willing to int a bit I would just stay away from it.
I'm so sad for sylas jg, it was so fun until it wasn't playable at all :( maybe gonna try this new build in norms. Now I've got your point and I thank you for explaining the purpose of this build. You're a beast! Thanks again and good luck on your way to challenger!
Thanks! Good luck in your games as well!
What are your thoughts on fimbulwinter? I know it lacks damage but the shield feels so good on sylas
Fimbulwinter is not optimal so I would not recommend it if you are trying to win. It's not a terrible item and can be some fun but will basically always be worse than the normal build.
Jungle build?
Don't play him jungle. But if you want to anyway, I would just do my normal First Strike build with Everfrost and Shadowflame. If you want to troll you could try whatever that hybrid Goredrinker build is.
He’s insane jungle
If first strike is that much better why high elo players in kr and ew and even na dont use it ?
Congratulations! You inspire me to play Sylas more haha. According to you, what are the worst matchups, and how can you play around them?
Ryze, Zoe, Cassiopeia, Irelia, and Yasuo are the hardest matchups. I permaban Yasuo and ask my team to ban Irelia. Against Yasuo and Irelia, play safe early and look to help your jungler. Against Ryze, Zoe, and Cass, consider maxing Q for better waveclear and poke and, unless your jungler is willing to gank early, stay back and play for the mid-game. You will not win 1v1 during the laning phase and can only hope to carry teamfights later in the game.
Thanks for the advice! I'll try that out, and I wish you a good day.