Key tips to playing Lee Sin
Enemy lane having high armor through items and passives? MAX YOUR TEMPEST FIRST THEN.
Enemy lane stacking the crap out of sustain? MAX YOUR SAFEGUARD FIRST THEN
Enemy lane is a squishy ranged champion? MAX YOUR SONIC WAVE FIRST THEN
• Hitting your Sonic Wave in any fight is crucial, the damage this spell can do when followed up with some auto attacks and a Resonating Strike is completely absurd. Even more critical to hit it on enemy carries late game. Be experimental about smart casting and manual casting this spell, I have resulted to using manual cast when I want to have a precise shot since this spell has quite a long cooldown.
• Sometimes you will want to follow up your Tempest with a very fast Cripple since the range of the Cripple got reduced, also allows you to trade hits with champions such as Jax, Irelia and various AD carries.
• Your Dragon's Rage isn't always meant to be a execute spell, you can use it to CC important targets, or better yet. Knock a squishy champion out of position. This spell has many uses, it has high damage with strong CC potential while also being a incredible disengage spell.
• Safeguard can be used to jump to wards, Jarvan IV flags, Shaco Boxes, Zyra plants and anything that is allied and can be targeted. Using this knowledge to get in position to gank faster by jumping to a allied river/lane ward can be very potent. Also if your lane has a gap closer you can use them as a relay point to get closer to the enemy lane you are ganking.
• Using Dragon's Rage on a champion when they are inbetween Lee Sin and a very thick wall can allow you to get a Pseudo CC from the knockback duration. Use this to your advantage when getting a gank or when you are getting ganked. It will often make or break how the flow of the fight will go.
• Lee Sin can split push very well during mid game if you have enough wards or a sightstone, you will be safe enough to avoid death and be strong enough to duel most champions. If you went a attack speed oriented build with Blade of the Ruined King + Trinity force then you will have much stronger split push and duelist potential.
• When fighting in lane it is always best if you can get close to your enemy laner and using Tempest/Cripple on them before trying to go for a Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike when trading hits. If executed correctly you will almost always come ahead in trades unless the matchup is a sour one.
• Usually when the laning phase ends and you build as a assassin bruiser, Lee Sin has the potential to kill most AD carries in one combo. Vayne, Ezreal and Caitlyn are most susceptible to this due to their lower base statistics. Try to cherry pick kills off them if you are confident you can tag them with your Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike.
• If you are absolutely dominating your lane you should consider pushing the tower and either counter-jungling a bunch or roam towards other lanes. Lee Sin is well known as a strong ganking champion and you should utilize this even if you are laning.
• Always make it a habit to buy one or two wards when you go back to base, the small gold spent is usually your life insurance that most champions cannot get. They can either help you be more mobile or just observant of everything that the enemy team is doing.
• Lee Sin is a extremely flexible bruiser, you can build almost any AD item on him and also have the option to go a little tanky with almost all tank items being viable on Lee Sin. Experiment what you feel would do good in your lane matchup or for later on in team fights, you can learn many different things simply from building differently every game.
• If you are doing very well in lane and have a jungler who can be the sole tank of your team then consider maxing your damage spells over safeguard, this will let you snowball much harder and farm faster than the staple R>Q>W>E Lee Sin.
Lee Sin spells - In depth
What makes Lee Sin's spells are and why they are strong
Simple as the title says, everything has synergy with each other. He has everything a melee bruiser would want, even so far to say he has a flexible skill set unlike almost every other bruiser. You can train your spells in different orders every game and still do good, most bruisers have to train one spell or they will fall apart.
Passive: Flurry
Short description:
Attack speed debuff that regenerates energy when you auto attack
• Free attack speed for early trades
• Only form of fast energy regeneration on Lee Sin
• Mainly a jungle based passive
When/how to use Flurry:
• If you have free time to auto attack after casting a spell
• Inbetween spells when you are fighting a enemy champion
• To clear neutral camps early in the game (If you are laning and need an advantage)
Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike (Q)
Short description:
Single target gap closer with execute damage. High damage scaling and base damage.
• Very strong early game spell that can scale if you build damage
• One of the highest scaling normal abilities in the game
• Extremely powerful execute spell due to how it works and the damage it can deal
• Skill shot based gap closer
When/how to use Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike (Q):
• If enemy laner is in a open spot where you may be able to hit them with this spell
• To put on some quick harass with a Q>Q>Auto attack>E>W to allied minion, combo.
• When you want to attempt to execute enemy laner with a quick burst combo.
Safeguard/Iron Will (W)
Short description:
Self/Targeted shield with inbuilt lifesteal and spell vamp. Also allows for insane mobility
• If maxed can give you absurd amounts of sustain
• Can be used to mitigate damage or even avoid it by safeguarding to allied minions/wards
• If used on allies can either block skill shots or just mitigate damage for targeted ally
• Main escape spell
When/how to use Safeguard/Iron Will (W):
• When you are getting ganked, Safeguard to an allied minion which is closer to your tower
• To sustain in lane when there is no gank threat
• When enemy is charging in (Example; Riven) use safeguard to a allied creep behind them if you are confident to win the trade
• To win duels by having more sustain, remember to activate Iron Will after you proc flurry once though.
• Safeguarding to a allied minion which is close to enemy laner (Ranged champions harassing you is a common case)
Tempest/Cripple (E)
Short description:
Powerful debuff and wave-clear spell that can be powerful to leave at level 1.
• Can be used to disable enemy laner early on in the game
• Powerful attack speed debuff for dueling early
• Strong waveclear if you choose to max it
• Avoid getting killed by slowing enemy laner and jungler when you are ganked
When/how to use Tempest/Cripple (E):
• Whenever you want to trade against a enemy laner, remember to activate cripple component to allow you to do more damage with other spells
• To push your lane if you made enemy laner go back to base
• Simply disable enemy bruisers or backline in team fights
Dragon's Rage (R)
Short description:
High damage and high scaling knock-back spell.
• Can be used to burst a single target down
• Has the potential to CC multiple enemies when lined up properly
• Is one of the highest scaling spells in the game
• Has a relatively low cooldown and no energy cost attached to it.
When/how to use Dragon's Rage (R):
• Trying to burst someone down (Use a Sonic Wave + 1-2 auto attacks + Dragon's Rage + Resonating Strike combo)
• Disengage a fight by lining the enemy at the front with the enemies at the back and firing them into the backline when possible
• Displace a high priority target away from their base to help you or your lanes to get a kill
• For raw damage
So I know all of Lee Sin's spells now? What the hell do I need to do with all of them to make them synergise?
I know this may sound like i'm being very lazy about explaining this to you, however Lee Sin and his synergy comes from the flow of the game. You can't just be taught how to use his skill set properly, you have to experience it yourself.
However there are many easy to understand concepts to Lee Sin and how he gets his job done. In each paragraph I will describe a scenario and explain what to do in them.
Scenario 1)
You are getting harassed down by Nidalee in lane and she's annoying you like mad, however she does not abuse her passive and the bush and takes on some minion aggression. You are level 3 and are 80% HP and Nidalee is 100% HP.
What you should do; Safeguard to a minion which is closest to Nidalee and auto attack her once, after that you should cast Tempest and drop down another auto attack followed by your cripple. If Nidalee decides to trade hits with you then activate Iron Will and prepare for a Sonic Wave. Once you are in the clear to hit Nidalee with your Sonic Wave then do so, you should often catch a kill in this situation.
Scenario 2)
The enemy Garen is playing extremely aggressive and you are both level 5, you have your safeguard at level 3 to attempt to sustain against Garen. You have 70% HP and Garen has 90% HP.
What you should do; Use your safeguard when Garen rushes in to silence you and try to activate Iron will as this will be your only chance, start auto attack trading Garen for a little bit. Once his silence wears off cast Tempest followed by a auto attack then use Cripple. Auto attack once more before trying to line yourself up for a Sonic Wave, if you miss then attempt to disengage. If you hit your Sonic Wave then keep chasing Garen while his cooldowns are still ticking. After one or two auto attacks when you use Resonating Strike to chase then you should have won the trade. You should be approximately 40% HP and Garen at 20-30% HP.
Scenario 3)
You are level 3 and enjoying laning against Zed because he cannot out-sustain you. However at this time the enemy jungler notices that you are crushing his lane and has double buffs. In this case the jungler is Jarvan IV, you see Jarvan IV walking around the corner where you warded. However he is in range to attack you with a EQ combo.
What you should do; Try to safeguard to a allied minion which is close to your tower. If that is not possible then attempt to dodge the Jarvan IV EQ combo with a flash. After that do a instant Tempest + Cripple while running towards your tower. If they chase under your tower then you can clean one up if the situation looks dire. Cast Sonic Wave then auto attack once with your ignite ticking then finish them off with your Resonating Strike, preferably aim the one taking tower damage. Remember that Safeguard can be used to juke or even bait both Zed and Jarvan IV around when they try to kill you.
Jungling - Indepth
Alt-tab guide;
Skill order - R>Q>W>E
Level 1-3 smiteless - E, Q, W
Level 1-3 no smiteless - E, W, Q
• When approaching your second neutral buff approach the neutral buff with your Q, however cast your gap closer a few seconds after you hit the golem/lizard, this will let you cycle through your spells smoothly and kill the lizard/golem while taking a little less damage than you should have.
• Always try to approach ganks with your CC before hitting your Q unless you cannot walk up and hit them, take example when you want to gank middle lane.
• Decide if you want to do damage or be a utility jungler by looking at your team, how much damage do your solo lanes do as a champion? If they do average damage then choose to buy some early damage items to compensate. However remember to always build some health and resistances since you will not be doing as much damage unless you are fed.
• Sightstone does wonders.
How to jungle Lee Sin;
With Jungle Lee Sin you have you decide what lane you want to gank before the game. Don't ever waste time walking between lanes, choose your target and kill your target. Always start on the opposite side of the map from where your target is and ask for a smiteless on your first neutral buff.
Rush level 3 and start hunting people, inbetween ganks and kills you can take jungle camps. Avoid the golems unless there really is nowhere to gank or counter gank. Once you are level 6 your ganks from behind take a whole new level of superiority, you can decide to kick them into your team for the kill. Or you can decide to take the kill for yourself with a quick execute combo from your Sonic Wave > Dragons Rage > Resonating Strike.
As soon as you have your wriggles lantern you can pressure dragon relatively hard, although you cannot solo kill it with allied help it is a breeze to kill. Make sure you have either pink warded, enemy lanes have backed off to heal or you have out-right killed the enemy team. Contesting a dragon early on in a game can be very unfavourable sometimes.
Jungle path
Start from the bottom half of the map and ask for your team to smiteless leash your neutral buff. From there either counter jungle the opposing neutral buff or take your other one with the smite that you saved. From there go straight to the offensive, whether it be ganking or counter ganking. Be sure to know what to do and where you have to be. Judge the enemy jungler by who they picked, some junglers who have strong level 3 potential will gank at the 3 minute mark. Others who have a much stronger level 4 will gank at the 4 minute mark or later.
Remember to warn your team when the enemy jungler hits level 6, especially when its a Skarner, Warwick or Nautilus!
F.A.Q about Lee Sin jungle;
What are the strengths of Lee Sin in the jungle?
Everything, he has sustain, clear speed, one of the strongest level 3's, jungle/objective control and most importantly the ability to gank every lane.
What jungle paths should I take on Lee Sin?
A fast level 3 jungle path, this usually is taken from a smiteless leash from your bottom lane (red buff on blue side and blue buff on purple side). Then rush to the opposite jungle buff of yours or theirs depending on if you have the guts to do it. From there decide what lane to gank, or to counter jungle.
All my lanes pushed, what should I do?
Keep farming the jungle, however keep a eye on the most over extended lane. Think like the enemy jungler, who would you gank if you were them? Lee Sin has very strong counter gank potential.
What should my skill order be for Lee Sin jungle?
There is no set in stone skill build for Lee Sin ever, if you want a faster jungle speed and stronger counter ganks max your Tempest/Cripple, if you want more powerful burst ganks then max your Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike. Maxing your safeguard means you are going for a more defensive jungle when you counter gank.
I see a over extended lane to gank! How should I approach this?
If you gank from behind always try cut the enemy lane off, once you are in melee range to auto attack them then do so. Afterwards follow up with a instant Tempest+Cripple and then start aiming your Sonic Wave while constantly walking and auto attacking. Afterwards if you hit the Sonic Wave follow up with a Resonating Strike for what should be a kill!
The enemy team invaded and I got a sloppy leash, what should I do?
This is where you put your wits to the test, you can try rush level 3 as always. However doing so will mean the neutral buff will do insane amounts of damage since you have no smite. Try look for a gank or just take smaller camps until you are level 3 and then clear your neutral buff. Recovering in the jungle safely is better than rushing to be on par with everyone.
Everywhere is warded, how do I approach a lane for a ninja gank?
Lee Sin has many gank paths, he can ward jump over a wall and sneak up from behind. He can also lane gank with a decent CC lane. Remember ward jumping over walls to avoid getting spotted also gives you vision incase of a enemy mid lane roam while you are in the midst of your gank.
Middle lane - Indepth
Alt-tab guide;
Skill order - R>Q>E>W
Level 1-3 vs ranged - Q, E, W
Level 1-3 vs melee - E, Q, W
• Go for a more offense orientated item build if you are middle lane, your jungle and top lane tend to build more tanky. Look for items such as Last Whisper or The Bloodthirster after you finish your Hydra + Brutalizer combination.
• Buy more wards than usual and get sight stone for strong roam and map control as middle lane should have.
• Pushing the lane and then waiting behind the walls at the side of the lane to hit your Q can often be a good idea to wrap some kills up.
• Be wary of diving into multiple enemies since you are much more squishy.
Wait isn't this a top lane Lee Sin guide?
Yes, we know that there are people who are well known for playing hyper-assassin Lee Sin. However the only lane that hyper-assassin Lee Sin can function properly in is middle lane, why? Let me explain in a few short points;
1) Hyper-assassin Lee Sin, more namely middle lane Lee Sin requires maxing his Q and E as a high priority. Therefore your sustain and shield will be weaker, this is not suitable for top lane unless against a squishy top lane.
2) Being at middle lane you can not only kill an enemy AP carry at level 2/3 in lane, but you can also counter jungle and become a huge influence on the entire map by dominating a squishy mid lane and roam.
3) Middle lane champions are usually high damage oriented, well guess what? Lee Sin has extremely high AD scaling and a strong early game that is based off a energy resource system. He fits the bill for a middle lane champion set aside the skill cap required.
So I know why Lee Sin middle lane is strong, what the hell do I have to do to make it strong though?
The answer is pretty clear here, you picked a AD assassin with a strong early game. While farming creeps try to find a opening to use Sonic Wave on the enemy middle lane champion, if you hit them and they aren't anywhere close to their tower and know the enemy jungler isn't nearby. Dive in on the enemy middle lane champion, with a well executed combo you can most likely secure yourself first blood. If not you will win the trade most definitely.
Also remember to buy many wards for Lee Sin middle lane, drop the ward in the middle of the lane if you are struggling to get close to the enemy middle laner to trade hits. Sometimes farming against some middle lane champions can be rewarding, because you can push extremely well and have one of the scariest roaming potentials in the game thanks to your mobility and damage.
Lee Sin middle lane F.A.Q;
The enemy middle lane champion is playing extremely defensively and is willingly missing minion last hits to avoid getting close to me, what do I do?
Thats great! This means you will get ahead of your lane in farm, if you manage to keep them on their heels for most of the laning phase then try to get as much farm as possible till level 6. If possible all-in them when you get to level 6, otherwise zone them from anything or roam the map.
Remember if they start playing aggressively and you have low ward coverage of the side of the lane, chances are you are about to get ganked.
My team thought it was a good idea to pick an AD jungle and top lane when I had picked Lee Sin middle lane already, what am I meant to do now?
This is a pretty common scenario considering how AP top lane champions have been relatively crippled and AD bruiser junglers are very common now, however don't fret. Use a rune page with armor penetration marks and flat AD quintessences, proceed to get your core items and rush The Black Cleaver. This will allow your team to have a incredible mid game when team fights break out and you need to focus people down. In most cases prioritize getting armor penetration over The Bloodthirster.
Mid game is approaching and I have very few kills, how do I kill the enemy carries now?
If you have very few kills then I have to assume you have very low deaths, this should also mean you have relatively high farm. If this is the case you should still be able to kill enemy carries as long as your Sonic Wave hits them. However this doesn't mean you can kill the enemy carries in a single combo, in most cases you will need to play warily and kill them with two combos.
I'm getting poked down to hell by the enemy AP middle laner, how do I stop them or even kill them?
If you're getting poked down by the enemy AP then this means they are playing ridiculously aggressive, either call in a jungle gank or try to engage in a all-in fight, granted that the enemy AP carry has been applying such pressure for most of the time. If they suddenly started poking you then chances are they are wanting to bait you for a jungle gank.
I have 1500 gold for when I first go to base and buy, what should I get?
What you choose is situational;
• If you are dealing with a high poke squishy mid lane. Then go for a vampiric scepter + dorans blade/boots with a ward and few health potions, this will give you the sustain you need to have before you engage in any fights.
• If you are against a middle laner that is relatively tanky and has low poke, go for a brutalizer and wards. This will allow you to completely decimate the enemy middle laner in fights.
• If you are against a mid that has either sustain or mobility, get a fort pot and vampiric scepter. In most cases you can bait the enemy to try fight you, also you are given sustain that can counter what they would have.
I hardly know how to play Lee Sin, should I jump into a game and play him as a hyper-assassin at middle lane?
No, quite simply you have to play with high aggression and caution at the same time. Not to mention the fact you are easier to kill than a top lane Lee Sin thanks to your different item build. Playing Lee Sin middle lane is much more challenging if you do not know how to utilize Lee Sin's kit in fast engagements. Top lane has breathing space thanks to more flexible item paths and much more space to chase the enemy lane.
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