Champion Guide

Leona Guide

By LoLSuggest

Support

Leona is a tank support and one of the game's best playmakers. Zenith Blade briefly immobilizes the last enemy champion it hits and dashes her to them, Shield of Daybreak stuns with her next attack, Eclipse gives her damage reduction, armor and magic resist before hitting nearby enemies, and Solar Flare stuns everyone in its centre and slows the rest. Sunlight marks the enemies she damages so her allies deal bonus damage to them. She wants aggressive ADCs who follow up on her engages, and she grows into a frontline that decides teamfights.

Recommended Setup

Our recommended Leona build

Our recommended runes, summoner spells and items. Compare build win rates on the stats page.

Items

Starting Items

Core Items

Situational Items

Start World Atlas and a Health Potion, and buy Winged Moonplate and a Control Ward on your first back. Finish the support quest into Celestial Opposition, then build Plated Steelcaps, Bandlepipes and Locket of the Iron Solari, adding Knight's Vow late when your ADC is fed. Against heavy magic damage take Mercury's Treads and add Abyssal Mask, Kaenic Rookern or Hollow Radiance; against physical damage add Randuin's Omen against critical strikes or Frozen Heart against attack speed, and Jak'Sho, The Protean fits both. Redemption and Zeke's Convergence are other team options, and Thornmail cuts enemy healing. Run Aftershock with Font of Life, Bone Plating and Overgrowth, plus Biscuit Delivery and Cosmic Insight; take Conditioning instead of Bone Plating for a full-tank page, and Glacial Augment with Hextech Flashtraption is an alternative page for surprise engages. Take Flash with Exhaust against burst, Heal when your ADC runs Ignite, or Ignite for more kill pressure. Max W, then E, then Q.

Runes

Primary Tree

Secondary Tree

Summoner Spells

Skill Max Order

Strengths

Strong single-target crowd control with Zenith Blade and Shield of Daybreak, plus an area stun in Solar Flare.
Eclipse and tank items make her very durable in fights.
Excellent with aggressive ADCs who can follow up on her engages.

Weaknesses

Needs damage and follow-up from her team; a bad engage often means a death.
No mobility outside Zenith Blade, so a failed engage or an ambush is hard to escape.
Struggles against ranged poke and disengage supports.

Laning Phase

Leona has little early damage, so her lane is about setting up your ADC. The core trade starts with Zenith Blade, which immobilizes the last enemy champion it hits and dashes you to them, followed instantly by Shield of Daybreak for the stun. Cast Eclipse just before you go in so you take less damage, and let your ADC consume Sunlight for bonus damage. Reaching level 2 first, especially from a brush, is a strong window. Stay in the bot lane early, because your support quest progresses faster there; finishing it around 11 to 12 minutes unlocks Celestial Opposition and a dedicated Control Ward slot. If you roam, go after crashing the wave into the enemy tower and come straight back. Against ranged poke and disengage supports such as Janna, Lulu, Morgana or Milio, wait for their key spell before you engage.

Mid & Late Game

Once the quest is done, use the extra Control Ward slot to take vision around dragon and the enemy jungle entrances, and look for picks with your jungler or mid laner. Solar Flare stuns enemies in its centre and slows those at the edge, so use it to start teamfights or to catch several enemies in a choke point. In fights, stand in the frontline and lock down a priority target, but only engage when your team can follow; against poke and disengage compositions, peel for your carries with Shield of Daybreak and Solar Flare instead.

Key Tips

Cast Eclipse before you engage so its damage reduction and resistances absorb the enemy's return damage.
Zenith Blade dashes you to the last enemy champion it hits, so aim it at the target you actually want to stun.
Allies consume Sunlight for bonus damage, so engage when your ADC is close enough to attack right away.
Roam only after crashing the wave into the enemy tower, and return quickly to keep your quest on track.

Matchups

Matchups and synergies

Our picks for difficult opponents, favorable lanes and strong allies. Compare matchup win rates on the stats page.