League of Legends best Aphelios build guide: Runes, Itemization, Strategy, and more

The Bot Lane meta has seen a fair bit of shift in League of Legends season 14 with the best Aphelios build also seeing adjustments to his core itemization and build path. Nevertheless, the “Weapon of the Faithful” has remained a staple in the meta and has lately seen increased popularity in pro play and standard matchmaking.

Aphelios remains a hyper carry in season 14, who can take over any late-game teamfights if he is positioning himself well. While he has a steeper learning curve, Aphelios can be a rather rewarding experience and help you have an easier time climbing the competitive ladder once you have put some hours into him.

Contents

• Best Aphelios build for Bot Lane
• Pros and Cons of playing Aphelios
• Aphelios Tips and Tricks for Early Game, Mid Game, and Late Game
• Aphelios counters, match-ups, and Support synergy

League of Legends 14.11 Best Aphelios build (Bot/ADC)

Runes 

Itemization

Spells

• Flash
• Ghost/Heal/Exhaust

Skill Unlock Priority

Aphelios Pros and Cons in League of Legends Season 14

Pros:

• Being a hyper carry Aphelios scales incredibly well into the late game. He is an all-round powerhouse during a teamfight, and if you position him right with the right gun combinations you will be able to melt the entire enemy team.
• Aphelios’s positioning and playstyle changes based on the guns that he has. While this will force you to keep track of the guns he is carrying into a fight, it also allows him to have a fair bit of versatility when setting up for neutral objectives.
• The ADC clears waves incredibly well, and it’s often hard to sieve against him if he has Severum and Infernum up. Additionally, his seige potential is also amazing. However, to effectively chip away at towers he will need to have Calibrum and Crescendum.

Cons:

• Aphelios is pretty weak in the early game. He relies a fair bit on his core items to gain some agency, which is why he is often on a losing matchup and pushed into the tower.
• His lack of mobility also makes him susceptible to early ganks from the jungler. He is also pretty easy to pin down during a teamfight, which is why it’s best to pair him with an enchanter support who can keep him alive when the enemy collapses on him.
• Aphelios is one of the hardest ADCs to master in Riot’s MOBA. He has a very high skill ceiling, and you will need to invest a fair bit of time if you wish to get more familiar with his playstyle and gun rotations.

How to play Aphelios: Tips and Tricks for League of Legends Season 14

Early Game:

• As mentioned, even the best Aphelios build does not do all that well in the early stages of the game especially if he is up against AP supports like Brand, Lux, Heimerdinger, and engage supports like Leona, Thresh, and Nautilus. However, he does have some tools that will help him poke and harass the enemy. So every time your Calibrum is up, don’t feel shy to be a bit aggressive with poking the enemy bot lane.
• Severum will help you survive in the lane and heal back up if you have taken significant damage during the laning phase. So try to use it only when your health is low, and you need to be in lane a little longer.
• Gravitum will be used mostly for kiting and rooting the enemy Bot Lane if your Jungler comes to gank. So be a bit aware of the guns that you have and adjust your playstyle accordingly.

Mid Game:

• Once a few core items start coming in, Aphelios will have a bit more agency allowing him to help his team set up for neutral objectives. Try rotating into a combination of Infernum and Crescendum as those are the best guns for teamfights. However, Gravitum can also work in the situation if you need to root out the enemy for your team to collapse on them.
• Make sure you are positioning around in teamfights in a way that makes it hard for the enemy to engage. If you have a Yuumi or Milio as your support, then you can position a bit more aggressively. However, do it only when you are confident of the lead that you have secured.
• A well-placed Moonlight Vigil can do a lot of work to turn the tides in your favor. So if you are seeing the enemy grouped up feel free to use it on them and then follow up with the rest of your gun abilities.

Late Game:

• Aphelios will turn on his hyper-carry mode by the time he reaches 4 items. He will become a team-fighting powerhouse, so the enemy team will most likely focus most of their engage on you.
• If you are struggling to keep yourself alive in fights, you might want to go for more defensive item options like Guardian Angel and Maw of Malmortius. These will help you survive longer and not get bursted down instantly when you are caught out of position.
• Use your Calibrum to poke the enemy team from afar especially if you have Crescendum as the secondary weapon. Try to force Barons, Aphelios melts the Nashor’s HP. He is one of the best ADCs when it comes to taking Baron and Elder. Rotate around the map in a way that will let you contest neutral objectives.

Aphelios counters, best match-up, and Support synergy in League of Legends season 14

Countered by:

• Draven
• Nilah
• Yasuo
• Swain
• Samira
• Caitlyn
• Lux
• Brand
• Heimerdinger
• Nautilus

Aphelios does not do well against ADCs that are aggressive from the early game and have gap-close tools. Picks like Samira, Draven, and Nilah are extreme threats to him. They will force him to have a strong passive game to survive early.

Supports like Lux, Swain, and Brand is also problematic to deal with. They will poke him out from a distance, and his lack of mobility will put him at a disadvantage.

Favorable Matchups:

• Sivir
• Xayah
• Tristana
• Lucian
• Smolder

Aphelios has an easier time in the early game when laning against the above champions.

Best Support synergy

• Lulu
• Soraka
• Janna
• Renata
• Braum
• Milio
• Leona

Aphelios pairs best with enchanter supports, and champions that can help him survive the laning phase and late-game fights.