Since her release in 2010, Runeterra’s resident Lady of Luminosity, Lux, has become one of League of Legends’ most popular champions. She is the first enchanter that players can try during the tutorial, and she has a relatively easy-to-learn ability set for rookies of the game.
Lux can provide plenty of utility and damage in any team composition in the hands of new players and seasoned veterans. You can play her in the mid lane and support role alike, depending on your playstyle and preference. It also helps that she has the most skins in the game, so if you’re looking for a champion with plenty of different looks on Summoner’s Rift, Lux is your girl.
Here’s the best Lux build for League of Legends Patch 14.11.
Runes
Inspiration
First Strike: Early game poke is the name of the game for Lux, so why not take First Strike and earn some extra cash in the process? First Strike is a very good rune for Lux in League. Attacks or abilities within the first 0.25 seconds of entering champion combat grant her 15 gold and procs First Strike—granting eight percent extra damage against champions while also granting 50 percent bonus damage dealt as gold.
Magical Footwear: Lux is an amazing champion in the early game, thanks to her poke, so getting Magical Footwear makes a lot of sense. It works in tandem with First Strike, as the extra money you are gaining and the money you save by not buying boots means you can quickly rush towards your first item. Magical Footwear grants you free boots at the 12-minute mark, but you can’t purchase boots before then. Each takedown shortens the delivery time by 45 seconds.
Triple Tonic: Triple Tonic works well with the runes above. It grants you three elixirs, each coming at different levels. Elixir of Avarice arrives at level three, Elixir of Force at level six, and Elixir of Skill at level nine.
Cosmic Insight: You will want to use your abilities as frequently as possible to get the most out of her. Cosmic Insight is the way to go for the final slot in the Inspiration tree. Cosmic Insight grants you +18 Summoner Spell haste, meaning you can use your Summoner Spells more often, and +10 item haste.
Precision
Presence of Mind: For Lux players, there is no better feeling than having the mana to poke down the enemy constantly. This is where Presence of Mind works wonders on a champion like Lux. Despite her abilities being skill shots, Lux’s damage radius is quite high, which means she can make the most out of Presence of Mind, which increases your mana regeneration after damaging an enemy champion.
Cut Down: Cut Down, combined with Lux’s ultimate, is lightning in a bottle. Why not have a rune that guarantees the kill for a champion that already one-shots most squishy targets? Cut Down is an amazing rune for Lux, who will essentially be a roaming turret by the late game. Cut Down grants Lux plus eight percent more damage to champions who have over 50 percent health. For ADC players, you may as well stay in base because one late-game Lux ultimate could 100 to zero you.
Bonuses: +9 adaptive force, +9 adaptive force, +10-180 health (depending on level)
Items
Starting items:
Doran’s Ring: Although Corrupting Potion was a solid starting item for many mid laners, most, including Lux, go for this item every time. Doran’s Ring will help Lux during the early portion of the laning phase, specifically farming. It also grants attack additional damage to minions, meaning she can farm the wave comfortably with her passive, which empowers auto attacks to minions damaged by one of her abilities.
Core items:
Luden’s Companion: Luden’s has always been a great first item for Lux, even when it was the previous version. It still provides the burst damage that Echo did, as damaging abilities fire shots at nearby targets, charging up to six. Thanks to her runes, Lux can get to this item fairly early. The money earned from First Strike and the money saved from Magical Footwear will allow Lux to Beeline it for Luden’s.
Sorcerer’s Shoes: Sorcerer’s Shoes is a strong early-game item for Lux, who will look to benefit from the extra magic penetration (+18). On top of that, Sorcerer’s Shoes synergizes well with other magic pen items, such as Void Staff, which is a good situational item to build on Lux.
Horizon Focus: Horizon Focus makes the most sense for a champion like Lux, whose abilities are non-targeted. For Lux to do damage, she has to hit the skill shot; otherwise, she will be useless. On top of that, all of her abilities range over 600, meaning they will be gaining the full effect of the Horizon Focus passive, which reveals an enemy, also taking more damage from the ability you used to reveal them.
Late-game items:
Rabandon’s Deathcap: When you have a one-shot machine, the best action is to amplify the damage and one-shot your opponents even more. This is where Rabadon’s Deathcap comes into the equation. It increases your total ability power by 35 percent, and it is the item you build when you are fed out of your mind, essentially telling players, “I want to keep killing” or “I am about to end the game.”
Cryptbloom: When you have a champion that can one-shot enemies, Cryptbloom is the way to go. When you take down an enemy, a nova spawns on the enemy’s body, similar to how Redemption works. Allies within the nova will be healed, making it a great item to have in teamfights. You will one-shot the squishy targets anyway, so why not have an item that can deal damage while simultaneously healing your team?
Shadowflame: Between Cut Down, Deathcap, and this, how are the enemies going to survive? Shadowflame is the final nail in the coffin for the enemy team. Its passive critically strikes low-health enemies, meaning Cut Down will chunk through the initial health, and Shadowflame will finish them off.
Situational items:
Zhonya’s Hourglass: If you ever need an item that will bail you out, it is best to go with Zhonya’s Hourglass. Lux is not the most mobile and can often be picked off by engage champions and or assassins. Therefore, having the time to negate their damage by going into stasis will buy you enough time.
Void Staff: As mentioned above, if the enemy team is bulking up a lot of magic resistance, you will want to go with more magic pen items to cut through the defense. Given you will already have it from Sorcerer’s Shoes, going with Void Staff to synergize with your boots is the best option.
