Lux: Light Science
So half the battle I feel in any game of league of legends is knowing your summoner instinctively, having an idea of what items are worth buying at any given time, when to commit, when to peel, etc, and whilst it is easy to switch between champions that could be classed as similar (AP Mid Mage for instance), spending time with a particular champion can provide unique insight and ‘jukes’ that take it to the next level.
As far as mid mages go, you could probably consider Lux to be a Burst Mage, in that her skill set is uniquely positioned to an all or nothing approach. This is probably most emphasised by her passive skill, which makes her attack spells mark targets which her auto attacks or her ulti will then ignite for further damage. It can make for a bit of a glass cannon approach to her build in that you want to maximise damage at the expense of magic resist or other safe items. Having said that it is a situational game, and you build according to the opposition you’re facing and what they have built. In three man with Zyra I have a similar burst mechanic when it comes to her skills, but it’s Zyra’s innate crowd control that makes her a slightly better pick in that mode (especially as you get more variety in what you’re coming up against), whereas five man mid lane you’ll see a lot of the same faces, or specific classes, dependant usually on who is currently getting air time on LCS or is currently in the “Meta”.
Anyway before getting into her skill set lets take a quick look at the recommended build items for Lux that the game at least puts in front of you as a starting point.
On starting items I used to look at a different kit, usually kicking off with a Crystalline Flask for lane sustain, having said that I would agree that Doran’s Ring and the Additional AP is not a bad thing in its own right. The thing I liked about the Flask was that it essentially saved you money on consumables over time, though sometimes starting towards an item may be a better solution, in that case a pot heavy build with a faerie charm (which gives mana and builds towards Athene’s) may be a better way.
Situationally the items mentioned in the recommended build can lead to a very good, albeit safe, Lux. Other items I’d consider against other mages would probably include Liandry’s Torment, which is a good item for Magic Pen if you’re looking for something to enhance your damage potential and it stacks well with Morellos. As I mentioned in the first post Im also looking at Luden’s as a game changer, though we’ll see how well that plays out, though putting the theory to practice seems a lot of fun.
Skills
Im not going to harp on too much about items (yet). Perhaps if this experiment is successful I’ll put together a guide, and as games go by I’ll try and talk about what I did and why I built what I did, but frankly there are more experienced players out there. As it stands Im happy to just share what little insight I know.
Passive
Illumination
As passive skills go this is a great all rounder. On the one hand what you have is essentially a tool for lane clearing. What it does is essentially marks targets that you hit with your aggressive spells (Q or E) and means you do additional damage when you auto attack them, which is perfect for clearing minion waves by using the area of effect from Lucent Singularity (E) . But it also acts as a boost to your ulti meaning that if you’ve marked a target with a spell before hitting your R, you do a hellish amount of damage. Couple that with a Ignite spell and a couple of auto attacks and you’re going to have a good time.
Skills
Light Binding (Q)
This is your bread-and-butter stun and damage spell, with the added bonus that it goes through two enemies in its path. Essentially it’s your opening gambit in any burst combo, and also a safety net in that you can use it to escape ganks from jungle or an aggressive AP assassin. It should be said though that with this being your main line of escape if you waste it at the wrong time you leave yourself pretty vulnerable to counter attack. Late game (when you’re not bursting your enemies to smithereens) it can be used to protect your AD carry or as an engage spell into fights (though to be fair if you’re using this to initiate a fight you’re pretty much all in anyway at that point, and in reality someone else should be running that role as you’re better off as artillery support late game)
Prismatic Barrier (W)
A little under-rated but a very decent boomerang utility shield spell that you fire out towards your allies in an attempt to give them a little extra cover, though in reality they’ll do their best to avoid it, at least in my experience. Though Im reasonably astute when it comes to hitting enemies with my spells, trying to land barrier on my team mates is an exercise in futility, that said don’t under-estimate its usefulness in turning a team fight, or when you do actually get it to shield an ally in an run-away scenario to get them out of dodge safely. Handy early game too for negating a little burst damage from your enemies also when you’re lining up for your ulti combo, and for escaping that pesky jungler.
Lucent Singularity (E)
Best club in your kit, an area of effect slow spell that you can pop at any time or automatically after 5 seconds. Also grants vision so it’s good for checking bushes, and as I mentioned earlier about the passive allows for excellent wave clear when combo’d with some auto attacks on the minions afterwards. I think it has utility and damage potential, and is usually the skill I concentrate on early.
Final Spark (R)
This is your fun spell. It’s a skill shot with massive range, which when combo’d correctly with your other spells can be devastating, or can be used to pick off retreating enemies on low health. It’s a good reminder to buy wards to get vision into your enemies jungle as well as a fun gut-shot damage dealer when your enemy has retreated out of vision, and with a little roaming can be used as an equaliser in other lanes when the enemy team have the upper hand. I also saw one build where the Lux in question had built almost entirely Cooldown reduction and was using it for minion clear. In all it’s what makes Lux such a great experience to play, and whilst other champs such as Ziggs or Gangplank have long range jukes, I think there’s a finesse and art to this one that surpasses them in terms of gameplay.
—
I’m going to leave it there for now and come on to some greater detail later on combo’s and builds, suffice to say though I am looking forward to starting the games.
Pretty in Pink
So they released a new Lux skin this week called Star Guardian Lux, apt timing really. As I was starting this project I decided to splash out on it, though I doubt I’ll really use it that much. I gave it a quick once over in a throw away three man game. Don’t get me wrong it’s a nice enough skin, though I can’t say Im a massive fan, though to be fair the teleport home and dance taunt are a lot of fun, and at very least it’s unique I guess. Wish they’d kept the hair yellow but that’s my own opinion. I don’t reckon I’ll use it that often as the other changes are a little jarring, but I’ll do a deal now where if I win 10 games I’ll pull this out for the giggles.