Hi there all you AP casters, I am here to introduce LeBlanc the WTFBBQ mage. Anyone used to laning mid must have met her at least once, and if the opponent had any common sense/skill you probably found yourself at her mercy by lvl 6. I hope this simple yet detailed guide to LeBlanc will help users understand her and opponents dissect her more efficiently so I don't have to facepalm when a Instalock LeBlanc fails mid because he thought he could use her.

My runes are rudimentary AP build. I use this build for LeBlanc, Annie, Karthus ... actually most of my AP carries hold these runes. The AP boost from the seals and quintessences are obvious and the Magic Penetration will help early/mid game before you buy your Magic Pen. items. The Mana Regen is there as you will find yourself spamming 'Q' frequently to harass your opponents and more often than not you will then find yourself mana depleted to the point where you can't finish your Swift Q+R combo. I feel this rune build supports LeBlanc's early game efficiently which is her forte. (Plz Comment on any recomendations or changes cuz I would love to try them.)

The masteries are also pretty standard/basic AP build. I know of few LeBlancs who puts more into Utility for mana efficiency and improved leveling (for that harassing to come extra early) but I feel the dmg output that Offense gives is crucial and works extremely well with the runes that I utilize. I wont explain every mastery point as anyone reading this guide will know how standard this build is.

I start with Doran's Ring for first item instead of Boots+ Health Potion for many reasons.

1) LeBlanc is extremely squishy and the 100 HP is a big help in her sustainability.
2) The 15 AP and mana regen will be vital to your early game (the Mana regen much more so) as this will be able to maintain your constant need to harass with spells like:

Q Sigil of Silence and W Distortion.
3) Pots have gotten a critical nerf.


I then purchase Amplifying Tome into Mejai Soulstealer (Thanks to everyone's comment about LeBlanc's build and how truly useful the Mejai Soulstealer can be; However, if you are new to LeBlanc I highly recommend that you skip this item until you are more familiar/experienced with her).
From here instead of buying more Doran's Ring or Blasting Wand or Needlessly Large Rod like I see many LeBlanc do, I choose to improve Boots into Sorcerer's Boots for 2 reasons:

1) 20 Mana Pen. will unfoil most of early game MR runes/items for good dmg.
2) Movement speed is crucial for ganking as LeBlanc MUST do. ( Will explain further on).

The next few items are self explanatory. I move on to either Blasting Wand or Needlessly Large Rod and complete Rabadon's Deathcap. Then I buy another Blasting Wand and complete Void Staff. This order may confound people, as many buy Rod of Agesor Ryjali's Crystal Scepter instead. I never buy either of those items for many reasons:

1) LeBlanc is one of the squishiest champions and although more HP never hurts, I do not expect couple hundred HP to save me from a situation where i can't escape with a

Flash and a W+R Combination.
2) Most smarter/experienced summoners will have a Negatron Cloak by now and your damage will be critically cut without further Magic Pen.


From here on I believe it is your personal choice that will decide your completed build, but I (again with advice from the comments, Thnx community) move to complete Deathfire Grasp for the improved CD reduction, and this item does wonders late game against your tankier foes. If the item provides too much macroing I would also recommend Morello's Evil Tome or Will of the Ancient (if your support has yet to obtain it) instead. All 3 items are in the same price range [2.1k-2.6k] so you shouldn't have an too much of an issue transitioning between.

Originally I have recommended Lichbane, and although I completely agree with many arguments that LeBlanc is a nuke character, and many situations there will not be time or place to land auto-attacks I speak from personal experience where the proc from Lichbane after I land Q Sigil of Silence have won me dire 1 on 1 fights. (With opponents like Ryze, Akali, Fizz; opponents who are not necessary tanky, but I can no longer completely finish with a combination in late game). Here is my justification for Lichbane:
Any ranked player/LeBlanc user will know that she becomes increasingly inefficient as the game progress into the later stages. She is simply too squishy for long team fights and her Q+R combo will no longer devastate targets with stacked MR and HP. But many people forget that she also comes with probably the SMOOTHEST auto-attack in the game. I believe the game developers did this for a reason as LeBlanc has no real means of farming via skills so they equipped her with a smooth Auto-Attack for the guarantee last hit on minions. However with a well timed Q or E this could devastate champions late game. With the build mentioned above you will carry around a good 500 AP. With a quick Q and an immediate Auto attack afterwards you have succesfully completed dmg around 700-1000 (depending on your opponents). Thus helping LeBlanc become useful in late team fights/ganks.

If my argument has failed to persuade you properly then your Last Item should be Zhonya's Hourglass. This item is for the rare moments where you find yourself stunned/silenced after initiating with your W Distortion. A quick use of Zhonya's will save you from initial Rape DMG and if you timed it right, you should use your ult (your previous W) or Flash to escape away from further harm. Zhonya is also crucial for the cooldown catch up. I often use Zhonya after my Q+R combo to divide my opponent(s)' attention away from me until I have my spells back up to use once more.

Once again please leave comments with any changes/recommendations as I am always open to suggestions.

Start with Q Sigil of Silence not your W Distortion. Although your W will do more dmg and provide utility (teleportation), it is not worth the 15 sec CD and the larger mana cost.
I then unlock W (Distortion)
Then E Ethereal Chains, this move not only slows your victims, but snares them as well. This has saved me from countless jungle gank attempts and insured countless kills. I max this skill out after Q for the sake of faster CD and dmg output (which is fairly impressive if you maintain your slow into a snare)
You R Mimic is the foundation of all that is LeBlanc and the WTF part of your champion. You can use your Q and your Ult immediately after for devastating dmg (and your opponent will be silenced) or you can use you W and your Ult after for a double flash (triple flash if you have Flash equipped). I honestly rarely use E and Ult as the first one will guarantee a snare and I need the ult to finish the job; but if you have a fleeing enemy with ghost/flash/cleanse you may find it necessary to follow your E with Ult.

With all the boring stuff explained, here comes the Fun part. Laning phase. If you cannot mid as LeBlanc (because of ******ed team member that instalocked with belief that they can lane better than a LeBlanc) then you might as well pick another champion during Champ Selection. LeBlanc is a character built for mid lane and any other lane you will find that it is both irritating and inefficient position to be in.
Start your phase by auto-attacking the Mage/Caster minions and last hitting the Warrior/Melee minions. This will give you adequate range to Q the enemy champion if he/she gets too close and also speed up your gold farming. You should harass constantly with Q as often as you can, whenever you can because it places the Sigil of Silence over them which you can immediately back up with another spell to silence them.
Save your Distortion, as it is a life saver in Jungle/Gank or enemy flash+combo maneuvers. If you have an occasion to silence someone such as Katarina's Ult or Nunu's Ult, do so with your Q+E or Q+R combo instead.
Once you hit lvl 6, you have hit the prime of your LeBlanc career. Your main goal in early game is to obtain enough gold via farming/killing for your Sorcerer's Boots by lvl 6. Once you can afford it immediately Recall back and proceed to gank either Bottom or Top Lane * make sure you ask your team if the lanes are warded by the opponents. Because of LeBlanc's weak farming skills she is almost completely reliant on gold gained from summoner kills; you must gank as often as you can and make sure you keep an eye out for possible jungle ganks for further kill opportunities.
Once you mastered the Q+R combination you will find that most AP opponents will be powerless against your laning phase. And if you can add W+Q+R (the Distortion is not only used as a sudden gap closer, but also as an immediate retreat so your opponent can't counter attack once you Teleport back) combination to your arsenal, it is a guarantee poke/kill which will either devastate or destroy your opponents.
I am sure things will not be easy as I have written it to be, but trust me when I say that very very few champions/opponents will give you severe trouble once you hit lvl 6.
If you have a Jungler Ally like Lee Sin or Tryndamere who do not necessarily need the Blue Golem Buff, ask them to give it to you instead. With the Blue buff you are a constant danger to anyone without the need to go B.
Make sure you buy at least 1 Ward everytime you recall to place on either top or bottom bush of the mid lane (I prefer Bottom). This is to avoid danger Jungle ganks and also to set up your own counter gank by suddenly chaining them with your E and immediately following with your combos. Once you have hit lvl 11, laning phase should be closing up and as such it is time to set up team ganks which i will explain into further detail.

Do not let your team bully you into thinking that you are useless late game thus all the kills your are taking are KSing. That is foolish bullS##t thinking and LB needs all the kills she can get. Make sure your jungle is constantly warded for any attempts at stealing your buffs. When you see a jungler who is unaware of your presence, always open up with your E and follow with combos (this insures their capture and because of the short cooldown of E, you are sure to use it once more as they try to run). Your team should be the cannon fodder for you, the ultimate glass cannon; they should do everything in their power so that the enemy AD champs do not destroy you before you take at least one of the enemy out. Although I would like to elaborate on team work, I must confess that I roam alone (never face check, always carry spare wards) usually until crucial team fights. Because of your double Distortion capabilities you will be safe roaming even in their jungle for potential ganks.

Kassadin
This annoying Darth Vader wannabe is the worst opponent you can lane against. His Q will outrange you and foil your combination attempts as he will most likely just poke and run. Also his ult will be used to counter your Distorion, and flash escape attempts. All in all, unless the enemy Kassadin is a complete noob, don't expect an easy laning experience.
To Counter Kassadin you must assess your situation carefully. Does he have more than 4 charges for Force Pulse? How much HP will you have after taking Null Sphere? which you undoubtedly will trying to close the distance. Did he use his ult yet? After confirming all these conditions close the distance with a sudden Distortion and follow through with combos. If you feel that more dmg is needed, open with a Flash immediately Ignite and W+Q+R combo him down. I can't give out a surefire defense against Kassadin... hes just annoying.

Morgana
Another very very annoying champion. Her bubble remains the ultimate OP move in the game, both in laning phases and team fights. She will confound your attempts to silence/slow/snare with a simple tap of her Bubble and she will nullify crucial dmgs as well. To top it off, her farming capabilities are much much better than LeBlanc's and often you will find yourself against a Morgana who has more Doran's Rings or a faster Boots than you simply because she has a great AoE dmg and you do not. Also her snare is an annoying factor to constantly click and worry about.
To successfully counter her, always be mobile and look for any possible moments to use Q on Bubble CD. You can also try to make her waste her Bubble by suddenly approaching with Distortion but not following through until she had foolishly wasted her Black Shield.

Caitlyn
I sincerely hope that most Cait that you face will be content to go Bot with a support, but every now and then you will get the pro/cocky son of a gun who must Mid. She is very very dangerous with her Piltover Peacemaker which you cannot avoid simply by hiding behind minions (like you can with Ashe) and her traps are very annoying if the enemy Caitlyn had strategically placed them around. Moreover, a smart Cait will time her 90 Caliber Net with your Distorion to escape the range of your following combos. All in all she will out range you, thus out farm you, then harass you with faster boots until she can finish you off with her Ult.(A plus side is you can use your clone to block the Ult for you!!)
To Counter Cait, you must be mobile of course and always be aware of trap placements. If you can step on them without her in range to punish you for it, do so because often you find yourself trapped during a combo attempt. Harass her with W+Q+R combo because i doubt you will be able to approach her with just Q+R without sustaining considerable dmg. Rely and Cooperate with your ally Jungler and set up ganks with your Ethereal Chain. Cait is probably the only enemy Champion that I would recommend a 2nd Doran's Ring
I will add more enemy champs and strategies... in due time but I feel this is adequate for LeBlanc's natural predators.

So what makes LeBlanc WTFBBQ?
1. Her Passive which saves her from dire situations and can be controlled to juke/trick/fake out opponents.
2. Her very very VERY handy and deadly skills that can be repeated for a greater effect to devastate her foes quickly.
3. Her smooth auto attack which makes up for great early game and potential great late game (if you read my item guide)
4. Her mobility and utility which is uncommon and unique in LoL diverse AP carries, she is the one AP champion where I feel I can escape a Master Yi's Ganks or survive a Tryndamere's gayness.

LeBlanc is undoubtedly my favorite AP champ, and will be so until LoL realizes how truly OP she is and decides to nerf her. The only downside is her lack of skins =( I hope this guide was helpful as I truly intended it to be.
Please leave any comments/recommendations/strategies that I left out and you feel essential to this chapter. And this maybe selfish but because this was my first attempt at a guide (notice the lack of professionalism) please leave any positive comments that may help/spur me to create more guides to help out fellow players.
See you on the Battleground Summoners.