Summary
Itemization
Early game
Pick Hunter's Talisman as well as a Refillable Potion.
You can also buy a Control Ward, placed from the first minute around midlane to warn of a gank.
Boots
- Opt for the Boots of Mobility if you want to save time between your ganks.
- The Ionian Boots of Lucidity, which bring a reduction in recovery time, are the best choice if you're aggressive and want to abuse the Jump + Ultimate combo.
- Sorcerer's Shoes are often the best choice thanks to the magic penetration they bring.
Core Items
- Set off on a Stalker Blade with the Runic Echoes enchantment to slow down your enemies with your Smite while getting some burst.
- Morellonomicon will grant your more magic penetration while help you deal with your opponent's sustain.
- Zonhya's Hourglass will allow you to be untargetable during R - Crowstorm: use it just after you cast your ultimate to survive right into the middle of the opponent team
Situational Items
- Rylai Scepter and Liandry's Torment are a well-known combo on Fiddlesticks as they synergize to drastically increase the damage of your Ultimate while preventing enemies from escaping thanks to the slow effect.
- Banshee's Veil will save you from a CC that would have interrupted your channeling.
- Void Staff will drastically increase your damage output while countering magic resistance.
- With Sorcerer's Shoes and Morellonomicon flat magic penetration combined to Void Staff percentage magic penetration, you'll be able to inflict almost raw damage.
- Abyssal Mask is also very interesting for the magic resistance and the HP it provides. This item is especially powerful in teamfights since it can increase the damage dealt to the opponent team by 15%.
- Finally, Twin Shadows can be very useful in terms of visibility or simply to slow down enemies within the range of your ultimate.
How to play Fiddlesticks
For the first 2 or 3 levels, Fiddlesticks is not really a threat to the opponents. That's why it's wise to start with your defensive spells to ensure a relatively safe start to the game.
- Level 1: Take W - Bountiful Harvest to clear one of your two buffs. This spell allows you to clear the camps very quickly. Try not to cancel it in order to benefit from the cooldown discount.
- Level 2: Take E - Reap.
- Level 3: Q - Terrify allows you to quickly overcome the Scuttler and gives you the possibility to gank. If you plan to make a full clear of jungle, put a second point in W - Bountiful Harvest instead.
- Level 6: R - Crowtsom allows you to gank from unexpected locations. Using this spell at the right time can turn the course of teamfights upside down at any time during the game — especially when taking objectives such as Dragons or Baron Nashor.
Early game
At the start of the game, Fiddlesticks wants to quickly build up an advantage of experience in order to unlock R - Crowstorm as quickly as possible. Before that, be careful not to cross the enemy jungle if you don't have allied to support — especially when facing junglers like Olaf, Jarvan IV or Lee Sin.
As soon as you have your ultimate ability, you will be able to initiate actions that the enemy doesn't consider. R - Crowstorm is also a very good spell to counter enemy initiatives — you can counter a gank or an objective by taking control of the area in a fraction of a second.
Teamfights
Your Passive is designed to give you the advantage over vision; plunging your enemies into darkness before attacking them will make them flee and increase your damage.
Flank as much as possible; don't stay with your allies and stay on the lookout to join the fight as soon as the opportunity arises. If you initiate the teamfight and the enemy seems to want to kill you, quickly use your Zhonya Hourglass — you will then be insensitive for 2.5 seconds but R - Raven Bursts will inflict damage around you. By applying your crowd controls, you'll scare your enemies away: place yourself in the center of the opposing formation in order to split them, leaving the carries defenseless. Once your main target is on the run, use it to hit them with the center of impact of E - Reaper, which will silence them.
Match-Ups
Tips & Tricks
- If you initiate a fight without being seen before, your first attack will fear the enemy away. Beware, Q - Terrify will then not be able to scare him away again but will apply additional damage instead.
- W - Bountiful Harvest is an area drain. Position yourself well to drain as many targets as possible. If you channel the spell entirely, then its cooldown will be reduced.
- The regeneration and damage of W - Bountiful Harvest is reduced on minions.
- Your E - Reap has a large range: take advantage of this to silence your enemy at the right moment by hitting him in the center of the spell.
- R - Crowstorm allows you to teleport, even through big walls.
- Your relic is replaced by Passive - A Harmless Scarecrow, a scarecrow that wakes up in front of an enemy by mimicking one of your abilities (even your Lightning Jump can be copied).
- Passive - A Harmless Scarecrow also reveals enemy wards!
