Cheat Sheet
Itemization
Starting Items
Corrupting Potion is the best choice to start the game, it allows you, in addition to recovering many life points and mana, to inflict additional damage when you attack an enemy.
Boots
Sorcerer's Shoes are the obvious choice when playing Swain. However, since you need to be right in the middle of the fight, you might have to opt for Mercury Treads or Ninja Tabi in some situations.
Core Items
- Rod of Ages offers lots of health, mana and HP regeneration every time you use spells.
- Zhonya's Hourglass is especially recommended on Swain: You can continue to suck the lives out of your opponents in team combat with your R - Demonic Ascension during your stasis.
- Morellonomicon and the magical penetration it provides ensures you very high damage, the reduction in healing is also a very interesting bonus.
Situational Items
- Liandry's Torment provides, like Morellonomicon, HP and AP. But if the item is powerful, it is primarily due to the passive that inflicts damage on the opponents' max HPs. It's especially powerful when played against a composition in which there are many tanks.
- Rylai's Crystal Scepter synergizes very well with Liandry's Torment and allows you to slow down your targets.
- Void Staff greatly amplifies the power of the magical penetration that Morellonomicon and Sorcerer's Shoes give you.
- Rabadon's Deathcap makes your amount of AP explode, it's a particularly powerful item when you already have 3/4 AP items.
How to play Swain
Swain is a very powerful mage but has a low range, so you'll have to abuse it when your opponent plays a close combat character, or respect it if your opponent plays a ranged champion.
- Level 1: Start with Q - Death's Hand to avoid missing too many henchmen on the first wave.
- Level 2: Now that you have E - Nevermove, don't hesitate to use it on your opponent when his last hit then follow with Q - Death's Hand and an automatic attack.
- Level 3: Start again with E - Nevermove, only this time use W - Vision of Empire in addition to it to ensure maximum damage.
Match-Ups
Tips & Tricks
- Just right-click on a controlled target to bring it back to you thanks to your Passive - Ravenous Flock.
- The rays of Q - Death's Hand are stopped by the units, on the other hand, if you kill a target, then the ray which killed the target in question continues its path.
- You can use W - Vision of Empire to inflict damage on an enemy jungler while he's farming his camps, or even steal a buff, as long as you can see the enemy or guess where he is.
- Always try to place E - Nevermove at the maximum range on the enemy in order to immobilize him directly.
- R - Demonic Ascension instantly increases your maximum HP: it's a steroid that can get you out of a tricky situation.
- Don't underestimate your resistance and regeneration in teamfights with your Passive - Ravenous Flock and your R - Demonic Ascension. Don't hesitate to go for it, especially when you have resistance items such as the Spirit Visage, Abyssal Mask or Zhonya's Hourglass.
- Make sure you've consumed as many Soul Fragments as possible before casting your ultimate R - Demonic Ascension to inflict maximum damage in minimum time.
