League of Legends S12: Swain ADC Build Guide

From runes to items, gameplay tips amd more, we've put together a guide to help you master playing Swain in the botlane in League of Legends.

Be mindful that there are several ways to build and play a champion, and you'll need to be adaptable as the game and the enemy team progress.

That said, this guide is a good starting point to helping you get to grips with the champion and making an impact in your games.

Runes

Core Items

Liandry's Anguish

3200 Gold

Zhonya's Hourglass

2600 Gold

Build

Liandry's Anguish is great for burning enemies down, and is particularly effective against champions that stack health.

Zhonya's Hourglass is a great sustain tool for champions who have a damage-over-time ult, like Swain.

Other good items include Morellonomicon, Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Demonic Embrace, and Shadowflame.

Starting Item & Boots

Health Potion

50 Gold

Doran's Ring

400 Gold

Sorcerer's Shoes

1100 Gold

Skill Order

While your choices may differ according to how the game progresses, the typical Swain skill priority is:

R > Q > W > E

Summoner Spells

These are the summoner spells most typically taken by Swain in this role. Naturally, this may change depending on match-ups.

Gameplay

Swain isn't a champion you'd typically think as an ADC, but he's surprisingly effective. He has good waveclear and tons of poke, and if paired with a good support can really boss the botlane. Play safe, use your zoning tools, and push lane hard. 

• Level 1 - Take E - Nevermove, for the AoE waveclear.
• Level 2 - Take W - Vision of Empire, for more AoE waveclear and harass potential.
• First Back - A Lost Chapter starts your path towards Liandry's and offers mana sustain in lane.

Tips & Tricks

• Remember that with your passive, you can pull immobilzed enemies towards you by right-clicking them.
• Death's Hand can be blocked by units such as minions, but if you kill that unit the wave will continue.
• Use Vision of Empire to deal damage to the enemy jungler if he's clearing the camp closest to the midlane. You can even deny camps this way.
• Always try to land Nevermove at max range, to root the enemy.
• Demonic Ascension instantly increases your health, something that can be used to tank damage as you make an escape in tricky situations.
• You can play hyper-aggressively thanks to your passive and Demonic Ascension's resist and health regen. Item choices only increase this benefit.
• Make sure you've consumed as many Soul Fragments as possible before you launch your ultimate, for maximum damage.