INTRODUCTION

At the back end of Season 4 and now the start of Season 5, Top Lane Lissandra has been a rather powerful pick which has just started to become more popular and she now has a comfortable seat in the Top Lane Meta being used in Normal/Ranked games and is also used regularly in the EUW/NA LCS. The reason she is so popular is because of her damage output, massive CC and essentially her R (Frozen Tomb); being able to stop an enemy or you can cast it on yourself and be untargetable for a few seconds and apply damage and slow the enemies in the area of it.

Lissandra is very strong even against some of Top Lanes biggest lane bullies (if played right) like Riven and Renekton, you may not be able to over extend or be aggressive with these champions (depending on skill level of both players) but your wave clear and poke still give you a good presence in the lane and make it difficult for them to push you out of lane or kill you. But those are her two main threats in lane; some of her easier matches are Jayce, Rengar, Jax, Kennen, Lee Sin, Rumble, Nidalee and Sion because you can poke them down more effectively and they don’t have sudden gap closes that you can’t see coming, now I know that Rengar, Jax and Jayce can just jump on you but think about how they do it… Rengar will go into the bush before doing so, Jax will start his E (Counter Strike) then jump on you for the immediate stun and Jayce will go into Melee form so from my point of view they are a lot easier to see coming than a Renekton using his E (Slice and Dice) or a Riven using her E (Valor) because they are instants, you can’t tell when they will do these so you won’t have time to react in the best way.

Pro's

- Good safe wave clear with Q (Ice Shard) + E (Glacial Path) combo
- Can poke enemies at long range with her Q (Ice Shard) which goes through minions
- Good mobility with her E (Glacial Path)
- Can go up against Fighter/Tanks in lane because of her CC and early damage
- Can build Tank/AP and still be very effective in fights
- Can roam around the map and pick up kills easily with her full kit (Level 6+)
- Can set up fights really well for her team and herself

Con's

- Can be caught off guard against certain Fighter/Tanks that can close the gap fast
- High Mana consumpsion
- Can get killed easily in team fights if not played properly or doesn’t have Zhonya’s
- If not built properly her power spike can be delayed for the early/mid game

SUMMONER SPELLS

Flash is always a must have summoner spell even though you have your E to help you escape fight's if its on cooldown you'll always have Flash to fall back on and rely on for getting you out. You can also use Flash agressivley with Lissandra by using Flash then using your R either on yourself or an enemy champion to catch them off guard and suprise them so your team can fall on the enemy since all there attention will be on you.

Teleport is also a must have for Lissandra in my opinion if in Top or Mid lane. This allows you to come into fights whenever it is live as well which means your teams wards could be a good way to suprise the enemy in fights by randomly coming out of a nearby bush even though they would of just seen you in the Top Lane pretending to split push so they think you wont be there for the fight and it also allows you to get back into your lane fast and if you opponent doesnt have Teleport you can use it to your advantage by dragging them up to Top Lane then using Teleport to get somewhere else on the map to help your team.

SKILL ORDER

Lissandra's skill order is pretty straight forward to remember in game. You want to always start off with your Q becuase it gives you good poke and wave clear in lane in the early game. Level W second if your going against a Fighter/Tank that is mellee so if they try close the gap and attack you can use W to stop them and retreat safely, if your going against a ranged opponent get your E second as it can act as a form of poke and wave clear. Then last of all youd get your E/W depending on which skill you got second to fit your lane match up. Then you'll have your base combo where you can give out a massive amount of poke and stop them closing the gap and dealing a lot of damage towards you. Then last you level your R when you hit level 6.

Passive – Iceborn

Lissandra’s next ability costs no Mana then goes on cooldown for 18 seconds. The cooldown is reduced by 1 second whenever Lissandra impairs an enemy’s movement with an ability.

I really like this passive and it is one of my favourites in the game because if you can stop yourself from casting your abilities all the time you can keep a lot of Mana in the early game which helps to escape from ganks or the enemy being too aggressive once they hit a certain level. And for when you’re being aggressive and possibly going for the kill, try and use you’re passive for your R (Frozen Tomb) because then you’ll be able to keep a lot of Mana incase the fight doesn’t go in your favour and you need Mana to escape safely or secure the kill if the fight goes well.

Ice Shard (Q)

Lissandra throws a spear of ice in the targeted direction which shatters upon hitting an enemy dealing magic damage and slowing them for 1.5 seconds. Shards then pass through the targets dealing the same damage to other enemies hit. Range - 725 (825 if hit an enemy/ Cost - 85 Mana/ Cooldown - 6/5.25/4.5/3.75/3/ Magic Damage - 75/110/145/180/215 (+65% AP)/ Slow Percent - 16/19/22/25/28%

Ice Shard is very useful in the laning phase for clearing waves and dealing a massive amount of damage over time to your opponent. To utilize its damage potential when using it you always want to aim for your opponent in the lane because if you hit a minion/s with Ice Shard it shatters and travels the remaining distance plus 100 more range which is why Lissandra’s poke can be deadly and keep you well out of harm’s way if you know the correct length (if not using the range indicator).

Ring of Frost (W)

Lissandra freezes an area around herself, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies and rooting them for a short time. Range - 450/ Cost - 50 Mana/ Cooldown - 14/13/12/11/10/ Magic Damage - 70/115/160/205/250 (+60% AP)

Ring of Frost is good early CC for if you’re going against any Fighter/Tanks that want to close the gap before level 6 and try to get some damage on you, this allows you to stun them then walk away or use your E (Glacial Path) which keeps you very safe when dealing with lane bullies. Later this can be used as an add-on to your R (Frozen Tomb), simply after your R (Frozen Tomb) has worn off use your W (Ring Of Frost) to stun them again which can shut down any champion if the right damage gets put on them. So this can be used in a defensive and aggressive way which helps if you're forced to play a certain way in lane or out of lane.

Glacial Path (E)

Lissandra casts a claw of ice that moves forward in a line dealing magic damage to all enemies hit by it. Reactivating this ability transports Lissandra to the claw’s current location. Range – 1050/ Cost – 80/85/90/95/100/ Cooldown – 24/21/18/15/12/ Magic Damage – 70/115/160/205/250 (+60% AP)

Glacial Path is a crucial part to your success when playing because of its ability to save you from fights or ganks but can also help you close the gap in team fights or 1v1’s. The only downfall of it is that it shows where the max range of the claw goes so your opponents can see this and may use it against you if you’re not careful, it also gives you the mobility to move over walls so you can catch your opponents off guard in chases or if invading their jungle. Her E (Glacial Path) also gives you the potential to steal Buffs then quickly get out over a wall and deny them their Red or Blue Buff if you feel like you have the potential to do so and your roaming won’t cost you too much in lane, e.g losing your tower or getting out farmed.

Frozen Tomb (R)

Enemy Cast – Lissandra freezes target champion solid, deals magic damage and stuns them for 1.5 seconds.
Self-Cast – Lissandra encases herself in a glacier for 2.5 seconds, becoming untargetable but unable to take any actions.
Dark ice then spreads from Lissandra’s target dealing magic damage to all enemies in the area as it expands. The ice lasts for 3 seconds and slows the affected enemy’s Movement Speed. Range – 550/ Cost – 100 Mana/ Cooldown – 130/105/80/ Magic Damage – 150/250/350 (+70% AP)/ Slow – 30/45/75%

Frozen Tomb is my favourite part in Lissandra’s kit because it can secure you a kill every time you use it if you’re powerful enough. The best combo for a kill with this is to wait for your passive then use R+Q+W+Q+E+Q because of your Q’s (Ice Shard) low cooldown you should be able to use it a lot in fights and with this combo I’d say only Tanks or Fighters with High Magic Resist can survive this so if you’re going against one of them you need to poke them down with your Q (Ice Shard) first then do your R (Frozen Tomb) combo and it should get you many kills. Another way it’s very useful is by taking out the enemy ADC/Mid laner in team fights by throwing yourself into the fight because of your R's (Frozen Tomb) Area of Effect slow, and if you have Zhonya’s Hourglass you can get in and R (Frozen Tomb) a target and then your team will dive in and you’ll be able to continue the fight without their whole team targeting you. The final part is the self-cast part of her R (Frozen Tomb), this can set up any team fight perfectly for your team because of the damage output and slow you’ll be doing that allows your team to dive in and take them out while you're encased in a Frozen Tomb, so either way you use her R (Frozen Tomb) it will allow you to be a big part of your team's success whether you use it offensively or defensively.

ITEM BUILD

With Lissandra I personally always take Crystalline Flask with Health/Mana pots and obviously a Ward Trinket. I prefer this start to a Dorans Ring becuase with this you can trade damage a lot better in lane against your opponent especially if they dont have a Crystalline Flask. This also gives you a lot of sustain in lane so you can try bully your opponent out of lane to free farm, get your items and level up faster than them.

This shows what items you should have in the Mid game if your playing agressivley and looking for fights in your lane aswell as anywhere else on the map. Zhonya's Hourglass is a crucial item to build on Lissandra since it has good stats and it's passive goes very well with your R which can make you untargetable so in a way with this item you can make yourself untargetable twice in one fight. Sorcerer boots are needed for the extra Magic Penetration so any Magic Resist that your opponents are stacking can be penetrated resulting in more damage done and less negated. Rabadons Deathcap is again a good power item and with its unique passive increasing your Ability Power by 30% gives you a massive power spike at this point in the game. Then finally upgrading your Ward Trinket to the Greater Stealth Totem Trinket(level 9+) helps a lot with vision control at this point in the game as it can hold 2 Stealth Ward charges which recharge every 60 seconds.

This shows the best way to build Lissandra in a more defensive way in the Mid game. Rod of Ages is a good stacking item which increases your Health/Mana/Ability Power by 200/200/20 in 10 minuites by gaining 1 stack every minuite upon its completion (10 stacks max) which doesnt sound like much but with Lissandra it gives you the right amount of tankiness and power in the Mid game to still make some impact in team fights. Again Zhonya's Hourglass is a crucial item for Lissandra and should be rushed staright after Rod of Ages has been built. Then the Sorceres boots again for the extra Magic Penetration since atleast 2 champions on there team will have some sort of Magic Resist at this point. And the greater Stealth Totem upgrade again should be built in the mid game (level 9+) for better vision control.

This is an example of a strong final build with Lissandra, its in no specific order since it depends on if your playing Agressivley or Defensivley but shows what I think are the best items for her in any game. Ill add some notes about the Void Staff and Abyssal Scepter since they are late game items. the Void Staff is a good power output item which gives your damage the passive to ignore 35% of your enemies Magic Resist which applies before Magic Penetration so in the late game when the stacking Magic Resist is blocking a lot of your damage this should help out nicely in bringing your damage back against the tankier opponents. Then finally the Abyssal Scepter gives you some Magic Resist and Ability Power but Lissandra utilizes its Passive the best becuase it reduces your enemies Magic Resist by 20 which doesnt sound like a lot but since your diving into the enemy team it helps your damage and any other AP champion on your team becoming more impacting to all champions on there team.

MASTERIES

These are my Masteries for Lissandra, I like going for 21/0/9 page becuase the Utility masteries come in useful when using a Crystalline Flask becuase you get the extra 10% duration increase with Potions and Elixers with Alchemist and then if you put one point in Culinary Master which changes Health Pots to Biscuits for the extra 20 Health and 10 Mana instantley upon consumtion. Then I like having Summoners Insight maxed out so my Flash and Teleport come up 10% faster than my opponents if they dont have that mastery maxed. Then Meditation regenerates my Mana by +3 every 5 seconds which helps with earl sustain and then Phasewalker allows you to recall 1 second faster which can help if you want to get back into lane fast. My offensive masteries are just the standard 21 page for a Mage caster whether there playing Mid or Top lane.

RUNES

This is my rune page for Lissandra, I always like going for a lot of Flat Ability Power so thats 9 Greater Marks of Ability Power and 7 Greater Glyphs of Ability Power. A little movement speed increase with 1 Greater Quintessce of Movement Speed since you are in a longer lane so I feel like you need to be a bit faster. As usual you need some decent Armor which I have 6 Greater Seals of Armor. Then for Magic Resist I have 3 Greater Seals of Magic Resist and 2 Greater Glyphs of Magic Resist. These help for the early game and try to keep them level as possible since you could go against an Attack Damage or Ability Power champion, so I don’t see why you should put a lot more of one in than the other, but I do have my Armor a bit higher because you do usually go against Attack Damage champions so it makes sense to have it slightly higher but not over the top like having 10+ Armor but only 3+ Magic Resist, it just doesn’t make sense to me.

Quick Look Into The Early/Mid/Late Game

In the early game with Lissandra you want to be just farming as best you can and seeing how well you match up against your opponent laner by trading occasionally but still being consistent with your farming as you don’t want to fall behind. Stay out of danger until level 6 then you can start going aggressive if you feel like you're powerful enough and can easily shutdown your opponent.

For the Mid game you want to start roaming around the map because by now you should have at least 2 fully built items and be powerful enough to take on others in their team and this will give you a good map presence and shows you’re not just going to stay top the whole game. If you get kills whilst roaming or even just pick up assists but make a good impact, their team will be cautious around you or try to shut you down, which if you have a Zhonya’s Hourglass you can use yourself as bait for your team to pick up easy kills and force their team into a defensive game. Also try to be present at as many Dragon/Baron fights as you can since your R (Frozen Tomb) can be used very effectively to stop the enemy Jungler using their Smite and to potentially steal it, or you can use it so your Jungler can steal it with their Smite.

And as for the late game you should be very powerful with nearly if not a full build and your team should follow you into any fight if you’ve made the right impact in the mid game, use your pings a lot to show when you’re going in and let your team know when your R (Frozen Tomb) is up because you should not team fight without your R (Frozen Tomb) since it is a vital part of your Kit. I find communication with Lissandra is vital as you can carry your team and shot call for the best fight situations that should always go in your favour.

I hope this guide has helped you with your Lissandra game or even made you want to play her; she is the Mage Queen of Top Lane in this current Meta so it’s a must if you’re a Top Main like me.