Why Swain?


It is not a secret that to rise from low ELO playing AP supports work, especially playing ranked solo/duo with an adc. Well, the new and reworked Swain works perfectly. A lot of poke, quite sustain and an absolutly broken passive with an adc that have some type of cc.

KEY: Swain works with those ADC that have a CC hability due to his passive.
You want to play with Caitlyn, Jhin, Xayah or Jinx.

Welcome to the guide of swain support s8

Habilities


Passive: Ravenous Flock

Swain can right-click an immobilized enemy champion to pull them towards him, ripping out a Soul Fragment and dealing (20-105 based on level (+30% AP) magic damage (12-6 second cooldown based on level)

Flock: Enemy champion deaths create a Soul Fragments. Swain can collect Soul Fragments to restore (4%-7% total health)

Swain can store up to 5 Soul Fragments.

Really important to use it every time you or your adc cc the enemy. You pull the enemy and with soul fragmens, that will be key for your ultimate.

Q: Death's Hand

Cost: 65/70/75/80/85 Mana
Cooldown: 7.5/6.25/5/3.75/2.5

Swain unleashes FIVE bolts of eldritch power that strike the first enemy they hit and pierce through enemies they kill. Enemies hit take 65/85/105/125/145 (+40% AP) magic damage, plus 15/20/25/30/35% per additional bolt. Max Damage: 104/153/210/275/348 (64/72/80/88/96%AP)

Your main poke hability. As support you will not use it vs minions, just use it to poke the rivals.

W: Vision of Empire

Cost: 90/100/110/120/130 Mana
Cooldown: 22/21/20/19/18

Swain opens a demon eye up to 3500 range away that deals 100/150/200/250/300 (+70% AP) magic damage and slows for 25/35/45/55/65% for 2.5 seconds.

Champions hit grant Swain a Soul Fragment and are revealed for 4/5/6/7/8 seconds.


It costs a really high amount of mana. I don’t recommend ever use it for poke, just use it to give vision when you need it or if you can try to last hit an enemy that will run away


E: Nevermove

Cost: 60/65/70/75/80 Mana
Cooldown: 13/12/11/10/9

Swain launches a wave of demonic power, dealing 35/70/105/140/175 (+25% AP) magic damage to enemies it passes through.

Swain then commands the wave to return, detonating it on the first enemy hit. Enemies hit take 35/45/55/65/75 (+25% AP) magic damage and are rooted for 1.5 seconds.

The target will take a total of 70/115/160/205/250 (+50% AP) magic damage if they are hit both parts of the wave.

Your cc hability. Use it vs your adc and combine it always with Ravenous Flock

R: Demonic Ascension

Cost: All Soul Fragments
Cooldown: 120

Swain frees the demon within for 12 seconds, gaining 150/275/400 bonus health. Every second, he drains the 3 closest enemy champions for 35/50/65 (+14% AP) magic damage, healing him for 15/30/45 (+16% AP) health. After draining 150/300/450 health (based on level), Swain gains the ability to cast Demonflare.

Demonflare: Swain unleashes a nova of soulfire dealing magic damage and ending his transformation. Damage per Soul Fragments: 45/60/75 (+27% AP) for a maximum 225/300/375 (+135% AP) damage with 5 Fragments.

Swain can drain non-champions to heal for 20% of the normal amount.

Simply incredible damage and heal drain. Use it when you have max soul fragments.


Summons


As almost always Flash is mandatory. If you dont pick Unsealed Spellbook I will always pick Exhaust to behave as a propor support. Obviously you can be agressive and pick Ignite but remember, you play for asists not for kills!!


Runes



Runes are pretty clear:

Glacial Augment works really good with Swain as a support to slow enemies. Combined with Rylai's Crystal Scepter for slow and your Nevermove you really should be annoying at lane.
Unsealed Spellbook can also work to reduce de cooldown of you summoner spells and to change your Exhaust at any time in game for Teleport, Barrier or Ignite.

It is almost mandatory to pick Perfect Timing as you will have Zhonya's Hourglass as a core item to use combined with Demonic Ascension.

Then I will recommend Biscuit Delivery for sustain in lane or Future's Market. Your choice.

We will finish our inspiration set with Cosmic Insight to have some CDR.

We will also pick sorcery, specially for Celerity to have some ms, as this is a low mobility champion. Our second pick will be The Ultimate Hat because of how broken is Swain's ultimate or Gathering Storm. Again try both and you will se which one fits best with you.


Items



Start with Spellthief's Edge and rush Eye of the Watchers don't forget you are a support!!

Your utmost core items are Zhonya's Hourglass and Rylai's Crystal Scepter you can choose the order according of how the game is going. At level 6 Zhonya's Hourglass and Demonic Ascension gives you a lot of damage without risk of dying, and if you have a good adc, it can be an easy double kill for him. With Rylai's Crystal Scepter you will have higher damage and slow enemies. After upgrading your boots and your sup item, rush this two.

You can choose boots according to game. I usually pick Sorcerer's Shoes or Mercury's Treads but Ninja Tabi can also be usefull.

If you want more damage / poke Liandry's Torment is key and Everfrost works a lot to have even more slow.

Deffensive options are situational. Spirit Visage works lovely with your Swain's ultimate and passive, Frozen Heart can really help you to win the lane if the other adc is destroying yours, Randuin's Omen to slow nearby enemies and have some armor and Locket of the Iron Solari always can save your adc.

If they have a lot of cc, you can also save him picking a Mikael's Blessing and Knight's Vow and Zeke's Convergence may also be usefull.

I usually go deffensive with this build, and it really works if your adc is decent:

Eye of the Watchers, Zhonya's Hourglass, Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Spirit Visage, Frozen Heart and Sorcerer's Shoes.

You will be a unkillable killing machine.


Skill Sequence



Q is your main poke hability so I would max it first before E and W.



Play style / tips

Early game

First of all, remember: You are a support.

Your main utility is poke and bother the other's team adc so he can't farm. Unless their support is a Soraka focus on poking adc without risk. Play safe, use your Death's Hand to poke him and if he hide behind minions use Nevermove then Ravenous Flock and then Death's Hand. If your adc cc him, use always Ravenous Flock, you will gain life and soul fragments.

When you and your adc reach level 6 it's the moment of your combo engage.

You should have easily 4-5 soul fragments. Say your adc that you will engage and root his adc with Nevermove, use Ravenous Flock, Exhaust, Demonic Ascension trying to be near both the adc and their support, autoatack the adc for the Glacial Augmenta nd throw some Death's Hand.

I promess you will take them more than half of their life so your adc should easily kill at least one of them (even if he is a wood V). If you have problems with your life you should have a Stopwatch so use it, or save it for later.

In all my games as swain support we got at least a kill when we reach level 6 and to that play.

Mid game

Stay near your adc and try to protect him rooting enemies and poking them, but know if you play decent, you probably should 1 vs 1 some other players.

In teamfights Demonic Ascension with Zhonya's Hourglass will poke a lot, and of course try to cc they adc or apc if he is squishy.

Late game

First of all, remember: You are a support.

Did I say that before??

Well, now you are NOT a support. Try to defend your adc, of course, but you are mage with a looooot of damage, so start acting like that.

Teamfights, as said before, Demonic Ascension with Zhonya's Hourglass and a lot of Death's Hand that will have more or less 2 seconds of cd and will slow them with your Rylai's Crystal Scepter.


Summary



As we said, poke, poke and poke. You have sustain, you can poke and tank if you need it. You have ALL you need to destroy the other team. Go solo/duo with an adc friend with a cc hability and enjoy your path to diamond.

Try it ! And thank's for reading my guide. If you liked it vote :)!