The best Leona build in League of Legends makes the most of the new tank items introduced in season 14. She has been having a great time taking over the bot lane meta, making it easier for Support mains to climb the rank ladder.
The current SP meta favors picks that can tank and deal damage at the same time. Leona fits the bill perfectly and during the early stage of the game, she comes with a surprising amount of burst.
Her all-in potential at level 3 is phenomenal, so when played right she can dominate the entire lane pretty early on.
Contents
- Best Leona build for Support
- Pros and Cons for playing Leona in League of Legends Season 14
- Leona gameplay: Tips and Tricks
- Leona counters, matchups, and ADC synergy
League of Legends 14.11 Best Leona build
Runes
| Resolve | Precision | Passive Stats |
|---|---|---|
| Aftershock | Triumph | +8 Ability Haste |
| Font of Life | Legend: Tenacity | +10-180 Bonus Health |
| Conditioning | +10% Tenacity/Slow Resist | |
| Unflinching |
Itemization
| Core Build | Alternate Build (some AP) | Situational Items |
|---|---|---|
| Sunfire Aegis | Sunfire Aegis | Warmog’s Armor |
| Mercury’s Treads | Mercury’s Treads | Liandry’s Torment |
| Iceborn Gauntlet | Riftmaker | Redemption |
| Jak’Sho | Jak’Sho | Celestial Opposition |
| Fimbulwinter | Fimbulwinter | Heartsteel |
| Thornmail | Thornmail | Abyssal Mask |
Spells
- Flash
- Exhaust/Ignite
Skill Unlock Priority
 Q: Shield of Daybreak | 1 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 18 | |||||||||||||
 W: Eclipse | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | |||||||||||||
 E: Zenith Blade | 2 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 13 | |||||||||||||
 R: Solar Flare | 6 | 11 | 16 |
Leona Pros and Cons in League of Legends Season 14
Pros:
- Has one of the best engage tools during a teamfight. The amount of CC that she comes with allows her team to have an easier time collapsing on the enemy. As she has good backline, access she is always going to be a dive threat for the enemy carries.
- As mentioned, Lona has amazing all-in potential in the lane as soon as she hits level 3. She has a surprising amount of burst early on which can help her secure kills or blow the enemy’s Summoner’s Spells. It is very easy for her and her lane duo to secure leads.
- Leona fits most team compositions which makes her a priority in solo queue. She has a good amount of peel and her neutral objective set-up is pretty decent.
Cons:
- While she can provide a good set-up for her team to follow up on, Leona can’t do much alone. She is quite reliant on the rest of her teammates when it comes to making plays. So if your team is not on the same page as you, you won’t be able to convert your engages into anything.
- Leona is weak against champions who can constantly poke and harass her. Ezreal, Lethality Varus, Lux, Brand, Zyra, and Lulu are some of the biggest threats to her. Her lack of sustain in the early game makes it quite difficult for her. Hence, you will need to constantly move and dodge skill shots.
- Leona doesn’t have good disengage tools. She is all about stepping on the accelerator and going all in when the situation calls for it. This makes her hard to master as you will need to learn positioning and good engage timings.
How to play Leona: Tips and Tricks for League of Legends Season 14
Early Game:
- If you are in a favorable match-up then look to push your advantages by threatening to dive the enemy Bot Lane as soon as you reach level 3. Don’t be afraid to go all-in because Leona has a surprising amount of burst damage at this stage of the game.
- In a losing match-up, just look to remain relevant in experience and keep your lane duo alive. Ward around the lane to track jungle pathing, and position a bit aggressively if your own jungler is nearby.
- If your lane duo is ahead and can survive on their own in lane, then try to make plays around the map. Gank the Mid Lane if you see that the enemy has pushed up, or look to secure neutral objectives with your Jungler. In the Early Game Leona’s all-in potential is always a threat around objectives.
Mid Game:
- After you start hitting a few item spikes, keep pressuring the other lanes by looking to pull off a gank. Blow enemy Flash by aggressively engaging on them. During the Mid Game, Leona is tanky enough to be able to soak up a good deal of damage. So feel free to go in if you can catch out the enemy carries.
- Help secure objectives like the Herald, Drake, and even Baron Nashor. Make sure to not Zenith Blade in without thinking. Your team needs to be on the same page as you if you are looking to press all of your buttons at the same time.
- Vision score is key as a support. With how tanky Leona is with some of her core items, you can look to place deep wards in the enemy jungle. You don’t need to be afraid of getting caught out, especially in solo queue.
Late Game:
- During the later stages of the game, Leona should become your team’s frontline in Riot’s MOBA. The strategy with her won’t change much from the Mid Game so just continue to help your team secure objectives and gain as much vision as possible.
- Keep looking to catch out enemy carries if they are out of position. Use Solar Flare as your engage tool now instead of Zenith Blade.
Leona counters, matchups, and ADC synergy, in League of Legends Season 14
Countered by:
Leona struggles in lane against enchanters and supports that have a lot of poke.
Best match-ups
Leona has an easier time in lane against the above supports.
Best Lane synergy:
These are some of the best ADCs to pair with Leona in the bot lane.
