A Guide to Sorcery Runes in League of Legends
Image Credit: Riot Games, League of Legends
Sorcery runes in League of Legends are what you should be using for champions who rely on ability power, spellcasting, and mana-sustain in lane. This path is a favorite among mages, poke champions, and casters who specialize in throwing out spells and dealing consistent magic damage. With Sorcery runes you are able to boost your champion’s ability power, control the map, and maximize the impact of your spells. Here’s a complete breakdown of the Sorcery rune path, with details on each rune and tips for using them effectively.
Note: If you want to check out our other rune guides you can find them here.
Sorcery Runes: What They Are and How They Work
The Sorcery rune path focuses on enhancing a champion’s magical power, ability cooldowns, and mana management. These runes grant bonuses that improve spell damage, boost mobility, and allow for more frequent spell use. For champions who prioritize abilities over basic attacks, Sorcery runes are a natural fit. Mages, utility casters, and certain poke champions benefit the most from this rune path.
Choosing a Keystone: The Backbone of Sorcery Runes
Sorcery has three keystone runes, each suited to different playstyles within the path. These keystones are designed to increase damage, provide mobility, or both offensive and defensive utility.
Arcane Comet
Effect: Hitting an enemy champion with an ability summons a comet that deals bonus magic damage.
Best For: Poke mages and champions with reliable skillshots like Xerath, Lux, and Ziggs.
Tip: Arcane Comet works best for champions who can consistently land abilities to harass opponents, applying consistent pressure in lane.
Phase Rush
Effect: Landing three separate hits on an enemy champion grants a burst of movement speed.
Best For: Champions who need mobility to engage or disengage, such as Ryze, Vladimir, and Singed.
Tip: Phase Rush is useful for champions who want to reposition quickly after trading, either to chase down enemies or to escape tricky situations.
Summon Aery
Effect: Damaging an enemy sends Aery to deal bonus damage; shielding or healing an ally sends Aery to shield them.
Best For: Champions with consistent poke or shielding abilities, like Teemo, Karma, and Lulu.
Tip: Summon Aery is flexible and works well for champions who can both poke enemies and protect teammates, offering benefits in both offense and defense.
Sorcery’s Secondary Runes: Building on Your Foundation
Sorcery’s secondary runes add key benefits such as damage, sustain, and mobility. Choose two secondary runes to complete your setup based on your champion’s strengths.
Tier 1: Empower (Damage Boosts)
Nullifying Orb
Effect: Grants a small shield that absorbs magic damage when your health is low.
Best For: Champions who face high burst magic damage, like mid-lane mages or squishy ADCs.
Tip: Nullifying Orb is ideal against AP-heavy opponents, offering some protection against sudden bursts of magic damage.
Manaflow Band
Effect: Landing an ability on an enemy champion restores mana and increases max mana over time.
Best For: Mana-hungry champions like Anivia, Orianna, and Cassiopeia who rely on sustained spellcasting.
Tip: Manaflow Band provides consistent mana regeneration, helping poke mages and sustain casters keep pressure on opponents.
Nimbus Cloak
Effect: Using a Summoner Spell grants a burst of movement speed for a short time.
Best For: Champions who rely on movement speed after casting spells, like Karthus, Nocturne, and Ashe.
Tip: Nimbus Cloak works well for champions who frequently use spells like Flash or Smite to engage or escape, adding extra mobility when needed most.
Tier 2: Excellence (Scaling Benefits)
Transcendence
Effect: Grants cooldown reduction, with additional adaptive force once max cooldown reduction is achieved.
Best For: Champions who rely on frequent spell use, like Ahri, Vladimir, and Syndra.
Tip: Transcendence is helpful for late-game power, allowing you to cast abilities more frequently and add power when your cooldown reduction reaches its limit.
Celerity
Effect: Increases your movement speed and amplifies other movement speed bonuses.
Best For: Champions who rely on speed to dodge, kite, or chase, such as Hecarim, Zilean, and Nunu.
Tip: Celerity is a solid choice for champions who want to stay mobile, helping you kite enemies or get in position to land crucial abilities.
Absolute Focus
Effect: Grants bonus adaptive force when your health is above 70%.
Best For: Champions with strong poke damage, like Zoe, Vel’Koz, and Brand.
Tip: Absolute Focus gives you a steady power boost when you’re at high health, making it effective for champions who can poke safely from a distance.
Tier 3: Power (Game-Impacting Effects)
Scorch
Effect: Damages enemies over time when hit with abilities.
Best For: Champions who poke frequently, such as Azir, Malzahar, and Zyra.
Tip: Scorch is an excellent early-game choice for poke mages, helping you control the lane by gradually wearing down enemies.
Waterwalking
Effect: Grants bonus movement speed and adaptive force while in the river.
Best For: Roaming champions and junglers like Twisted Fate, Taliyah, and Kayn.
Tip: Waterwalking is helpful for champions who want to control objectives or roam, boosting movement and power in the river.
Gathering Storm
Effect: Grants increasing adaptive force every 10 minutes.
Best For: Late-game scaling champions like Veigar, Viktor, and Kassadin.
Tip: Gathering Storm is ideal for champions who plan to scale into the late game, providing consistent ability power boosts as the match progresses.
Using Sorcery as a Secondary Path
Sorcery also works well as a secondary rune path for champions focused on scaling and mana regeneration. Combining Sorcery with paths like Domination, Precision, or Resolve gives you a lot of different options:
Domination + Sorcery: Assassins like LeBlanc or Fizz benefit from Sorcery’s cooldown and mana boosts, enhancing their burst while allowing for sustained trading.
Precision + Sorcery: Champions like Ezreal or Corki can take advantage of Sorcery’s mana and AP boosts, combining the consistency of Precision with Sorcery’s damage enhancement.
Using Sorcery as a secondary path gives champions extra spellcasting power without fully committing to an AP-focused build.
Tips for Using Sorcery Runes Effectively
Choose Based on Opponents and Playstyle: Sorcery’s keystone and secondary runes provide options for both poke-heavy champions and scaling mages. Match your runes to your champion’s strengths and your opponents’ weaknesses.
Balance Early and Late Game Scaling: Runes like Scorch and Manaflow Band help you stay effective in the early game, while Gathering Storm and Transcendence offer strong scaling for late-game power.
Adapt to Team Needs: With versatile options like Summon Aery, Nimbus Cloak, and Absolute Focus, you can tailor your runes to provide both offensive and defensive support.
By selecting the right Sorcery runes you can control the game from afar (unless you’re Veigar…) with your spells.
All Rune Guides
Read More
