Sylas is one of the most popular champions at Lol Worlds 2022, and for good reason. He has a strong base kit, and an almost infinite skill ceiling with his ability to steal and use enemy ultimates.
He's easy to pick up and play, but to truly get the best out of him you'll need to know when to steal which ultimates, and how they work. Having the best items and runes will also be key, and we can help with that. Here's everything you need to know about Sylas before you head onto Summoner's Rift.
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Best Sylas Runes
Sylas can take a few different styles of runes depending on how you want to play him, and your opponents. Here's the two you'll want to pick up.
Conqueror Sylas
Conqueror is a rune almost made for Sylas. If you're new to the champion it's the perfect rune, but for veterans, it's also the best choice into melee matchups, in and out of the lane.
The additional adaptive force can be a huge difference maker in fights, and it gives Sylas the durability to keep a fight going. 8% onmivamp at max stacks in addition to his Kingslayer on W will allow him to be an unkillable manace.
Presence of Mind
Presence of Mind is a great rune to help Sylas through his rocky laning phase. The mana regeneration can be crucial to keep him around for a few more waves before backing and helps mitigate expensive spells in early-game skirmishes.
The only alternative is Triumph, which can be a good alternative if you're getting into a lot of mid-game skirmishes vs squishies, but is a high-risk high-reward strategy.
Legend: Tenacity
Tenacity is a must for Sylas into teams with CC, as even one root can render him useless in a fight. Reliant on his dashes to deal damage as sustain, tenacity will make sure you can get back into the fight as soon as possible.
On the rare occasion the enemy team has no hard CC, Alacrity is the best alternative, as Sylas benefits more than you might think from attack speed. Getting those passive procs faster will allow you to rotate your spells faster in turn.
Last Stand
Last Stand synergises perfectly with Sylas's W, Kingslayer. It will allow you to not only deal more damage but heal more too, and turn around a fight at the last second.
Bone Plating
Resolve is the best secondary rune to take to help Sylas outlast his enemies, and bone plating does this best. If the enemy has any burst, this will help Sylas take the brunt of it well.
Into more poke when the enemy team has less burst, Second Wind will help his sustain just as well, despite the nerf.
Revitalise
Revitalise is a great option for Sylas as he relied heavily on his sustain in lane and healing in teamfights. Unflinching can be a better option into teams with heavy CC, however.
First Strike Sylas
First strike is a more advanced rune for Sylas, but if you can use it to its full potential it gives him fantastic burst potential. If you're into teams with a lot of poke, its inadvisable as you won't be able to strike first.
If you can look for flanks into squishy teams though, it will allow you to burst out a member quickly, and snowball faster with the added income. With first strike primary, you'll want to take:
- Magical Footwear
- Biscuit Delivery
- Cosmit insight
- Sudden Impact (domination)
- Treasure Hunter (domination)
Best Sylas Starter Items
Dorans Ring is the most common starter for Sylas, as it gives him everything he needs for early laning, health, AP and mana. It gives him a little more power in early trading so he can't be forced out of lane.
Dorans Shield is great in tougher matchups, including into poke mages, then best paired with second wind for maximum sustain. It also transitions a little better into the midgame that its ring counterpart.
Sylas First Back Items
Lost Chapter is a crucial rush for Sylas, and is a huge spike for any mage. If you're snowballing extra hard, pick up a dark seal to start building stacks, and buy boots after your lost chapter.
Boots are crucial on Sylas as for any melee champion, as they'll help you gap-close and dodge abilities. Lost Chapter though is the priority, as mobility means nothing if you don't have the damage to follow up.
Best Sylas Item Build
Sylas is pretty unique in his capacity as a bruiser mage, and his item build needs to accommodate both of those aspects. Here's what we recommend to get the most out of his kit:
Everfrost
Everfrost is one of the most important items for Sylas. It will allow you to lock down a target for longer in order to land more damage, and will often be the difference maker in a fight. It also comes stacked with ability haste and health, which are Sylas's bread and butter.
The other two options are highly situational, in Crown of the Shattered Queen, and Liandry's Anguish. The former, take into teams with heavy burst, when you're a little behind and need to survive. The latter, into teams with two or more heavy tanks, but very rarely will this be the case.
Boots
There are two choices for boots on Sylas, and it's almost entirely up to personal preference. If you're looking for more damage into squishy teams, take sorcerer's shoes. If you're looking for extra utility, go with Lucidity Boots.
2nd/3rd Item
Zhonya's Hourglass
Zhonya's is a great all around item on Sylas, but shouldn't be bought in every situation. It's great when:
- The enemy team is medium/heavy AD
- The enemy has ultimates that synergise with stasis, e.g. Fiddlesticks, Morgana
- The enemy team has upfront burst you can avoid with Stasis.
If none of these are the case, you're better off spending your gold elsewhere. If you're a way ahead, it's best to skip it entirely.
Shadowflame
Shadowflame is another good all-around item on Sylas, especially against squishy targets. It's generally best when built 3rd after Zhonya's or Rabadon's.
Rabadon's Deathcap
Rabadon's is expensive, but it's worth the gold. If you're a decent way ahead, pick it up second for a huge power spike that can snowball you very quickly. If you're only slightly ahead, grab it third.
4th/5th Items
For your 4th and 5th items, there's a few options given Sylas's versatile style. Here's the best options and combinations:
- Heavy Snowball - Lich Bane and Cosmic Drive
- Damage to Tanks - Void Staff and Lich Bane
- Utility - Cosmic Drive and Banshee's Veil
That round out our Sylas Guide, so drop in and give him a try, because once you get the hang of him he's a huge amount of fun.