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[Mid][9.14] Calculated death in Season 9 - WTF RIOT
Build Guide By CC Diana
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160
14
576,752
Views
27
Comments
Diana Build Guide By CC Diana
576,752
Views
27
Comments
Diana Build Guide By CC Diana
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Recommended Items
Runes:
Domination
Sorcery
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+10 Adaptive (6 AD or 10 AP)
+15-90 HP (lvls 1-18)
Spells:
Flash
Ignite
Items
Example final build
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Ability Order
Moonsilver Blade (PASSIVE)
Diana Passive Ability
Threats & Synergies
Threats
Synergies
Extreme
Major
Even
Minor
Tiny
Show All
None
Low
Ok
Strong
Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal Synergies
Anivia
Laning against Anivia is an awful feeling because you can't out push her nor siege against her due to her insane waveclear. This makes roaming a very difficult task because if you do, you will be forgoing a lot of CS to the tower. Early on she'll Q you whenever you go for CS so it's a good idea to start W. Both her Q and W are on relatively low cooldowns so once you hit 6, try to bait out either of those spells and then go for an all-in. If you rush in recklessly she'll stun you very easily, place her ult down, E you, and put a wall behind you to prevent you from running away. At that point your only means of escape are flash or ulting to a minion. So BE CAREFUL. Also, do not towerdive her if she has Rebirth up. If you can proc her passive, great, but don't die for it. Naturally, Anivia also has the ability to zone you off of CS by using her wall and by simply having longer range abilities. Anivia players like to trap you in their ult by walling off your escape. If this happens use Moonfall to disrupt the channel and get some free damage or Flash away if you're low on health. As a side note, Ignite can be a good option to take against Anivia because it will let you proc her passive easily which allows for an easy kill later. Keep in mind that Ignite's cooldown is 3 minutes opposed to Rebirth being 5 minutes.
Synergies
Ideal
Strong
Ok
Low
None
Champion Build Guide
1. Introduction
2. Preface
3. Pros & Cons
4. Abilities
5. Summoner Spells
6. Runes
7. Items
8. Build Comparison
9. Build Reasoning
10. Tips & Tricks
Hello, my name is Aska and I'm a Diana main on NA with over a million mastery points on the champion so I like to think I know her pretty well. I hope this guide will help you in your journey to being a better Diana player.
That said, Diana is an AP fighter and assassin which makes for a pretty interesting combination. Luckily it also means she's quite fun to play! Diana is for those who like high-risk, high-reward play styles, and enjoy being in the middle of a fight even if it means dying.
NOTICE #1: I would not recommend playing Diana in 9.14. The recent patch has pushed her to a state worse than when she was pre-9.12 as Riot had reverted the faster Q missile speed they added in 9.13 but kept the remaining "nerfs for compensation".
NOTICE #2: Diana is bugged at the time of this writing (4 April 2018). Check the following for details:
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vmVLRTRtYXc
- https://boards.na.leagueoflegends.com/en/c/bug-report/vHdhM8Vc-diana-q-bug-not-hitting-targets-that-are-clearly-hit
In this guide I will cover several build including those from other popular Diana players and one trick ponies, as well as Diana's matchups against other midlane champions. My preferred build is the 'One-shot scaling' build I began using in Season 6 and have adapted to fit Season 9. The build consists of the following:
Let's get started!
| Pros | Cons |
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+ High burst damage + High mobility post 6 + Low skill floor + Deceptively high skill ceiling |
- No escape - No mobility pre 6 - Relatively squishy - Low base AD (CSing can be hard) |
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Gain an attack speed steroid after casting a spell and cleave enemies on your third strike which will restore mana equal to 15% of your AP. This is your passive and it's one of your strongest assets so be sure to use it to its fullest potential. Moonsilver blade scales with 80% of your ability power so it's important to stack AP where you can. Playing Diana as a bruiser is viable and all, but you miss out on a lot of damage from your passive if you focus on building attack speed and tank stats with no AP - so if you do go the bruiser route, a healthy combination of the three is recommended. |
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An arced nuke that applies moonlight to enemies struck. Your bread-and-butter skill. Crescent strike is a uniquely shaped skill shot that damages and applies to moonlight debuff to enemies hit. When enemies are hit by moonlight, they are revealed from stealth and fog of war which makes tracking them all that much easier. Moonlight also allows you to get resets on your gap closer, Lunar Rush. Be aware that ulting to a target struck by moonlight will remove the debuff from all other enemies. The visual effects of the moonlight will not disappear, but if you ult to another enemy with the moonlight visual effect on them, you will NOT receive an additional reset.*A note on camouflaged enemies, your q will still make a sound if it connects with them while they are invisible. Use this to search around. |
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Shield yourself with three orbiting spheres that explode on contact. Your 'W' is a shield that deals AOE damage and refreshes if all the orbs explode. This ability alone can proc Thunderlord's Decree
which makes it incredibly strong during the laning phase. Additionally, the orbs do not need to directly hit your opponent for them to take damage. Each orb explodes in a small radius that can hit enemy champions just outside of direct contact. This ability can also be cast while moving. |
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Pull all enemies within a given radius towards you, knocking them up and slowing them for a short period. Passively, increase the attack speed steroid percentage given by Moonsilver Blade. The power of Moonfall lies in its ability to disrupt all channeled skills such as Katarina's Death Lotus as well as interrupt dashes and various gap-closers. If properly timed, your E can be used to completely negate the damage from abilities such as:Learning the timing for when to use Moonfall as a disruption spell can be tricky due to it's lengthy cast animation, but mastering it will make you a much more effective Diana player. Do note that Moonfall also grants vision so you can use it to see over walls when you don't have wards. |
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Your only means of mobility which can be reset on moonlight consumption. This ability is your only source of mobility and you need to be careful with how you use it - either to kill the enemy laner or jump to safety from ganks. Thankfully, the ability is on a relatively short cooldown so feel free to use it without too many reservations. Note that you will be granted resets on your ult even if it gets interrupted by abilities such as Syndra's Scatter the Weak assuming you inflicted the enemy with moonlight. This ability also puts you directly in front of your enemy unless you are within Moonfall range from the point of cast, in which case it will put you behind your target. |
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Ignite is a good summoner spell to consider if you intend on being aggressive in lane. It also helps with kill pressure pre-6 when your jungler comes to gank. Additionally, the grievous wounds help a lot against matchups like Ekko and Swain where you want to minimize their healing. |
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Barrier is a good option to take if your opponent is running Ignite or is a high burst champion like Syndra. |
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Take exhaust when going against champions like Yasuo to ease their damage output. It can also help you snowball which is something Diana desperately needs to do in order to stay relevant in the mid-late game. In case the enemy spirals out of control, exhaust may mean the difference between getting back in the game and losing. |
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This is a popular option to take and it greatly increases your roaming capabilities. Take teleport against champions that have a lot of map pressure such as Twisted Fate and Taliyah. If you plan on split-pushing, teleport is a must. Be aware that Teleport can no longer be canceled once the channel starts. |
|
| With the changes to the jungle in 8.10, contesting the rift scuttler has become a very important objective. The rift scuttler grants an exceptional amount of EXP, flat mana, and health when killed which can set the enemy jungler very far behind so smite is a decent summoner spell to take to contest that objective. If you take smite, don't deliberately set your own jungler behind by taking the rift scuttle from them (if they can get it). |
|
| Diana lacks an escape so this is an absolute must. It's also key for pulling off some of Diana's more advanced combos. |
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Phase Rush provides Diana with an astounding amount of fighting potential and should be taken in matchups where you know you'll come out on top since you lack the damage from other options such as Electrocute and Dark Harvest. Once you activate Phase Rush it gives you the opportunity to back off and reset while you wait for cool downs (assume a scenario where you don't have Zhonya's Hourglass). It's not as damage heavy as Electrocute or other options from the Domination and Sorcery trees, but the utility it provides is invaluable. Be aware that Phase Rush and Electrocute have different playstyles and your one-shot potential is much lower with this rune setup. |
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Despite receiving a mana buff on her passive, Diana still somewhat suffers from mana issues. Simply, Manaflow Band is a fantastic remedy to that problem as it is to other champions with shallow mana pools or high spell costs. Nimbus Cloak seems good on paper for Diana since it's a non-keystone rune with mini phase rush. However it has a major drawback which is that it procs upon ulting prompting many non-ideal situations given that Diana sometimes uses her ult to secure CS. If you choose to switch to Nimbus Cloak be aware of this drawback and be mindful of your ult and its cooldown. |
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Due to the recent changes to Celerity we can now opt to take Absolute Focus which gives Diana some better oneshot chances. Coupled with Shield Bash and Bone Plating, the bonus from Absolute Focus will in theory be available more often due to the defenses keeping you above the 70% HP threshold. |
|
| Diana's strongest point is during the midgame and Gathering Storm helps her thrive in the lategame. It becomes increasingly powerful once you purchase Rabadon's Deathcap. |
|
| This rune synergizes extremely well with Diana's kit and skill rotation since it immediately procs upon landing your QRWR combo. It also has no cooldown which allows it to activate a second time when Diana's W is refreshed. |
|
| Bone plating provides a lot of survivability in lane by allowing to you take more punishment from the enemy. This can make going for CS much easier as you won't have to constantly be worried about being poked to death. |
| OFFENSE |
We take adaptive force here to give us some more AP and killing power. The attack speed and CDR are negligible since we will be building CDR and attack speed is granted as part of Moonfall's passive. |
| FLEX | The default choice here is adaptive force, but you should take a defense option depending on the matchup. |
| DEFENSE |
Taking the HP bonus will increase the chances we stay above the 70% HP threshold for Absolute Focus and gives us unified bulk against opponents. Take a defensive rune in difficult matchups. |
|
| Electrocute is very similar to the old Thunderlord's Decree in it requires three unique attacks to proc the effect. However, electrocute has a much higher damage potential as it scales with 25% of your AP. Diana is almost guaranteed to proc Electrocute with her basic combo. Electrocute is suited for an aggressive play style so take it if you plan on assassinating your targets. |
|
| Sudden impact is a good rune to take on Diana given how often you will be using her ult. Normally, you will be using your Q before you ult so the magic penetration from Sudden Impact won't be applied to Crescent Strike's damage, so it's important to pop your W once you are next to your enemy to get the maximum amount of damage. |
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| A pretty basic rune. You get additional AP per takedown and ward kill which is nice when you want to oneshot your targets. Maximize your damage output early from this rune by roaming. |
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Before, we used to take Relentless Hunter due to the other options being rather lackluster in comparison. Ultimate Hunter is a great rune to take on Diana because of how often we use our R - whether it be used to secure kills, CS, or just for the sake of mobility. Diana is a champion who stacks up kills quite easily so reaching the +8% or +10% (not including the bonus +5%) additional CDR won't be that much of a challenge. |
|
| This rune synergizes extremely well with Diana's kit and skill rotation since it immediately procs upon landing your QRWR combo. It also has no cooldown which allows it to activate a second time when Diana's W is refreshed. |
|
| This rune compliments Diana's game phase really well. It's a great rune for sustaining in the early game where you won't have much kill pressure by providing you with a generous 60 HP while at the same time giving you offensive stats when you're snowballing. |
| OFFENSE |
We take adaptive force here to give us some more AP and killing power. The attack speed and CDR are negligible since we will be building CDR and attack speed is granted as part of Moonfall's passive. |
| FLEX | The default choice here is adaptive force, but you should take a defense option depending on the matchup. |
| DEFENSE |
Taking the HP bonus will increase the chances we stay above the 70% HP threshold for Absolute Focus and gives us unified bulk against opponents. Take a defensive rune in difficult matchups. |
|
| Electrocute is very similar to the old Thunderlord's Decree in it requires three unique attacks to proc the effect. However, electrocute has a much higher damage potential as it scales with 30% of your AP. Diana is almost guaranteed to proc Electrocute with her basic combo. Electrocute is suited for an aggressive play style so take it if you plan on assassinating your targets. |
|
| Sudden impact is a good rune to take on Diana given how often you will be using her ult. Normally, you will be using your Q before you ult so the magic penetration from Sudden Impact won't be applied to Crescent Strike's damage, so it's important to pop your W once you are next to your enemy to get the maximum amount of damage. |
|
| A pretty basic rune. You get additional AP per takedown and ward kill which is nice when you want to oneshot your targets. Maximize your damage output early from this rune by roaming. |
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Before, we used to take Relentless Hunter due to the other options being rather lackluster in comparison. Ultimate Hunter is a great rune to take on Diana because of how often we use our R - whether it be used to secure kills, CS, or just for the sake of mobility. Diana is a champion who stacks up kills quite easily so reaching the +8% or +10% (not including the bonus +5%) additional CDR won't be that much of a challenge. |
|
|
Despite receiving a mana buff on her passive, Diana still somewhat suffers from mana issues. Simply, Manaflow Band is a fantastic remedy to that problem as it is to other champions with shallow mana pools or high spell costs. Nimbus Cloak seems good on paper for Diana since it's a non-keystone rune with mini phase rush. However it has a major drawback which is that it procs upon ulting prompting many non-ideal situations given that Diana sometimes uses her ult to secure CS. If you choose to switch to Nimbus Cloak be aware of this drawback and be mindful of your ult and its cooldown. |
|
|
Diana's strongest point is during the midgame and Gathering Storm helps her thrive in the lategame. It becomes increasingly powerful once you purchase Rabadon's Deathcap. |
| OFFENSE |
We take adaptive force here to give us some more AP and killing power. The attack speed and CDR are negligible since we will be building CDR and attack speed is granted as part of Moonfall's passive. |
| FLEX | The default choice here is adaptive force, but you should take a defense option depending on the matchup. |
| DEFENSE |
Taking the HP bonus will increase the chances we stay above the 70% HP threshold for Absolute Focus and gives us unified bulk against opponents. Take a defensive rune in difficult matchups. |
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|
NOT RECOMMENDED: Nerfed too hard in 8.24This rune grants a stack each time damage is dealt to an enemy while their HP is below 50%, which is very easy to accomplish with Diana's basic combo. Keep in mind that this is a scaling rune which is why we pair it with other runes such as Gathering Storm to maximize our threat in the late game. This rune is likely a better option than Electrocute in matchups where you get outscaled or difficult ones where you need to poke and cannot reliably get your combo off. |
|
| Sudden impact is a good rune to take on Diana given how often you will be using her ult. Normally, you will be using your Q before you ult so the magic penetration from Sudden Impact won't be applied to Crescent Strike's damage, so it's important to pop your W once you are next to your enemy to get the maximum amount of damage. |
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| A pretty basic rune. You get additional AP per takedown and ward kill which is nice when you want to oneshot your targets. Maximize your damage output early from this rune by roaming. |
|
|
Before, we used to take Relentless Hunter due to the other options being rather lackluster in comparison. Ultimate Hunter is a great rune to take on Diana because of how often we use our R - whether it be used to secure kills, CS, or just for the sake of mobility. Diana is a champion who stacks up kills quite easily so reaching the +8% or +10% (not including the bonus +5%) additional CDR won't be that much of a challenge. |
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|
Despite receiving a mana buff on her passive, Diana still somewhat suffers from mana issues. Simply, Manaflow Band is a fantastic remedy to that problem as it is to other champions with shallow mana pools or high spell costs. Nimbus Cloak seems good on paper for Diana since it's a non-keystone rune with mini phase rush. However it has a major drawback which is that it procs upon ulting prompting many non-ideal situations given that Diana sometimes uses her ult to secure CS. If you choose to switch to Nimbus Cloak be aware of this drawback and be mindful of your ult and its cooldown. |
|
|
Diana's strongest point is during the midgame and Gathering Storm helps her thrive in the lategame. It becomes increasingly powerful once you purchase Rabadon's Deathcap. |
| OFFENSE |
We take adaptive force here to give us some more AP and killing power. The attack speed and CDR are negligible since we will be building CDR and attack speed is granted as part of Moonfall's passive. |
| FLEX | The default choice here is adaptive force, but you should take a defense option depending on the matchup. |
| DEFENSE |
Taking the HP bonus will increase the chances we stay above the 70% HP threshold for Absolute Focus and gives us unified bulk against opponents. Take a defensive rune in difficult matchups. |
| Description | Gold Efficiency* | |
|
* The gold efficiency statistic is pulled from the League of Legends wiki page and is "the comparison of an item's purchase price in the in-game shop to the amount of gold that item is actually worth, based on the stats it provides." ** Gold efficiency is important to consider when assembling a build, but if you focus too much on it you may be led towards sub-optimal build paths. This is because you are only focusing on the worth of the individual items and not on how fast certain items can get you to your next powerspike. Be careful when taking gold efficiency into account. | ||
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Protobelt is a great rush item due to it's low cost, decent AP, tankiness, and ability to help you chase or run. It also scales nicely since in addition to the initial 25%, each subsequent bolt that hits the enemy deals additional damage scaling with your AP compared to a total flat 35%. As a bonus, Protobelt's build path is pretty solid and the early Hextech Revolver should provide you with enough power to solo kill your opponent at 6 assuming your matchup is not Swain or something else extremely oppressive. |
94.87%
|
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The classic. Lich Bane greatly enhances your burst potential because Diana executes an auto-attack as soon as she finishes her dash from Lunar Rush. Lich Bane with your standard combo plus Electrocute is often enough to burst squishy targets. If you feel like you are in need of other items to suit your team's situation, Lich Bane's build path is very accommodating as you can just sit on Sheen and finish the full item later. |
82.29%
|
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Liandry's Torment is a very strong item, but in order to make full use of its passive, the enemy needs to be CC'd which requires you to have used your E if no teammates are around (or Rylai's Crystal Scepter. If this is the case and you did use your E, you are clearly within melee range in which case Lich Bane would be dealing more consistent damage with its 1.5 second cooldown. Since patch 8.4, it has changed into a tank killing item that deals percent health damage and no longer offers flat magic penetration. |
96.99%
|
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| Hextech GLP-800 is an interesting item. It offers stats that rival a half stacked RoA and it has an active that can help you escape pursuers or chase down fleeing enemies. It also has a nice build path in which you can choose the revolver for damage or catalyst for lane sustain. I favor this over RoA because it gives me greater early game damage without having to wait for the item to ramp up while also providing similar tank stats. GLP is a good pick-up for later in the game too since you won't need to stack it like RoA. |
103.33%
|
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RoA is a nice item because it's incredibly gold efficient and offers you some nice tank stats that can help you survive when you engage. Additionally, if you play Diana as a split pusher this item or Everfrost is highly recommended so you can sustain in 1v1s. The main downside to RoA is that it takes 10 minutes to stack so try getting it by the 13 minute mark. If you feel that you are getting bullied out of lane and won't finish it quickly it may be better to go for an item like Luden's Tempest first and finish with Hextech GLP-800 since it doesn't need to stack and provides similar RoA stats. |
150.68%
|
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Since 8.4, Luden's Echo is now a fantastic rush item. It had a price increase and a reduction in flat AP, but it provides 500 mana and 20% CDR. The additional burst from the passive still exists which is great, but it unfortunately no longer grants movespeed. It goes without saying that the item is also great for waveclear. Often times, Luden's Echo is compared to Lich Bane for burst damage. Be aware that Lich Bane has higher AP ratios than Luden's Echo, but you need to be within melee range to apply the damage and it only affects one champion whereas you can throw your Q from afar with Luden's and hit multiple. |
80.31%
|
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| This item feels awkward to use. It is most effective during teamfights when you can stack the active effect, but performs even better in poke comps so you can absorb the charges. Diana doesn't sling spells quickly enough to stack the active on her own so buying it in a splitpush scenario is ill-advised. If you do buy the item, be sure to use its active effect before diving into the enemy team. Also be aware that its active makes your engages extremely telegraphed as your character model glows a bright red when the item is activated. So be sure you can combo before using it or the stacks will have gone to waste. Despite its awkward spell absorb mechanic and being a very situational item, it is very cheap and can offer a quick powerspike. |
91.79%
|
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Morellonomicon has had it's power changed around in 8.4 and is now a much more effective tool against MR stacking champions and those with heals. The item offers a fast powerspike and enough flat AP to match Lich Bane as well as having a comparable build path. Like Lich Bane, you can sit on Oblivion Orb if need be and finish another item first. The grievous wounds effect now applies instantly upon dealing magic damage which makes it much easier to deal with champions like Swain and tanks. |
112.7%
|
|
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This item is mainly for the mid-game when you're taking down onjectives. If the game extends into where I have 6 items and need something else I sometimes replace Nashor's with something like Zhonya's Hourglass or Void Staff. Reason is that if the game has dragged on for 40+ minutes I know I deal enough damage on my passive to take down objectives extremely quickly and likely do not need the extra help from Nashor's. Starting with patch 7.14, Diana received an attack speed steroid on her E which can make her attack insanely fast if leveled up. While this buff is good, you need to put an ability on cooldown and thus waste mana to take advantage of it which may not always be ideal. As a result, taking Nashor's Tooth may be a good option to combat Diana's slow base attack speed and compliment the buff on her E. |
139.94%
|
|
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I hate this item. I hate buying it. I hate using it. But I still get it. Zhonya's Hourglass is a core item on Diana because of her "rush in and kill something or die trying" play style. Since Diana lacks an escape, you need as many tools to survive as possible and your shield may not be enough. Before coughing up 2,900 gold for this item, first analyze the teams and the current situation and decide whether you really need it. In actuality I'd really only get this item against Zed to make him even more useless or if my team needs an initiator. Keep in mind you are basically paying 2,900 for an active effect which is a lot of gold potentially wasted. |
92.73%
|
|
| Void Staff is great for enemies that build a lot of magic resist. Even if no enemies are building MR, Void Staff is still a decent purchase because the 40% additional magic penetration will affect enemies' base ~30 MR. |
65.66%
|
|
|
It's deathcap. It's good on every AP mage. It's even better in path 8.4. Get it. Deathcap's build path was improved fairly decently for Diana as she can easily sit on two Needlessly Large Rods. Furthermore, many of the AP items in 8.4 had a reduction in flat AP which resulted in that power getting pushed into Deathcap. It may be a good option to consider as a third item or even second if you are snowballing hard. Get Void Staff first if the enemy is stacking magic resist or if you just want to pierce that base ~30 MR. |
92.72%
|
|
| This is a good item to pick up if you are struggling against an AP matchup or if the enemy team consists of mainly AP champions. With the rework to the item, you deal 10% more magic damage to enemies in your vicinity which is great if the enemy team is building MR. Unfortunately, this item no longer gives AP and is purely made for tanking. |
90%
|
|
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On paper, Rylai's is a phenomenal item. It has one of the lowest build costs of any full item in the game and offers a very respectable 75 AP and 300 health. This item is great for catching enemies and procing the second passive of Liandry's Torment, but because it doesn't scale or offer additional damage like magic penetration, it's very situational. I wouldn't consider buying this item unless another player was hard carrying the team and needed help setting up kills. Naturally, Rylai's is good for setting up kills because Diana's Q passes through units and will therefore apply the slow to all enemies it hits. |
93.51%
|
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This item had it's stats switched with Abyssal Mask so it actually gives AP now. Despite this, it doesn't match up to the old Abyssal because the old item gave flat AP, MR, and a 10% increase in damage which made it a more safe offensive pickup for hard AP matchups. Banshee's keeps it's old spell shield passive while giving flat AP and MR which puts it in a slightly awkward spot of being offensive yet a little too defensive. I wouldn't pick this item up since the spell shield takes too long to recharge and really isn't worth the money, but if it fits your playstyle then consider it. |
95.64%
|
Here is a tabled comparison of the scaling one-shot build, blue build (both of which are in this guide), as well as the popular builds from Korean Diana mains and Arcsecond. Keep in mind that the numbers here are the raw stats each item set provides. It does not take into account additional stats bonuses from runes or bonus damage done by item passives and actives.
PSA I have removed S Diana 2's and the Blue build from this comparison because SD2's build is too volatile and the Blue build is just outdated. The Korean build as well as Suntail's are substituted in place of this. Do note that Suntail almost never builds
Hextech Rocketbelt or any other hextech item out of Hextech Revolver. He just sits on it and sells it lategame for another item.| Scaling OS |
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| Korean |
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| Suntail |
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| Arcsecond |
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* Note that the above sequence may not necessarily be the "correct" build order. These are just the items present in the appropriate builds.
** Also be aware that the Korean, Arcsecond's, and Suntail's builds can change. I will try my best to keep them updated with each patch, but what you see in the above sequence is what they are running at the time this guide is written.
| Scaling One-Shot | Korean | Suntail | Arcsecond | |
| HP | 2654 | 2809 | 2509 | 2574 -> 2874 |
| MP | 1387 | 977 | 977 | 1277 -> 1097 |
| AP | 554 | 554 | 613 | 594 -> 634 |
| AD | 104 | 104 | 104 | 104 |
| Attack Speed | 0.86 | 0.86 | 0.86 | 1.18 |
| Magic Resist | 53 | 53 | 53 | 78 |
| Armor | 137 | 137 | 137 | 137 |
| CDR | 30% | 20% | 10% | 30% |
| Movespeed | 417 | 390 | 390 | 390 |
| Total Cost | $15,950 | $15,750 | $14,300* | $15,950 |
* Suntail usually sells
Hextech Revolver for another item later in the game. $14,300 is assuming he does not sell the item.Raw numbers don't tell everything and neither will this (we'll go more in-depth later), but the following segment details the pros and cons of each build.
| Pros | Cons | Gold Efficiency | |
| Scaling OS |
+ Very high burst damage (scales) + Fast powerspike (protobelt) + Decent chase potential + Good amount of CDR | - Low attack speed |
428.27%
|
| Korean |
+ High early-mid damage + Solid overall (damage, initiation, utility) + Fast powerspike (protobelt) + Cost efficient |
- No mana sustain - Low attack speed |
458.68%
|
| Arcsecond |
+ Good survivability + Good splitpushing + High attack speed + Good amount of CDR |
- Needs time to scale - Lowest overall burst - No utility (bruiser) |
541.73%
|
| Suntail |
+ Absurdly high earlydamage + Early powerspike + Snowbally + Cheap |
- Low attack speed - Poor build path (revolver > Dcap) - No utility (pure damage) |
446.47%
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Alright, let's discuss the build path for the Scaling One-Shot build and the reasoning behind it.
| Stage | Build Progress |
| Spawn |
The moment the game starts, my first buy is Dark Seal and a Refillable Potion. Lots of Diana players like starting Doran's Ring and two Health Potion instead and that is perfectly fine. I start Dark Seal because it serves as insurance in case my jungler comes for an early gank. With it, I can hopefully get 1 or 2 stacks on it and start snowballing. The 3 AP per stack may not seem like much, but it adds up especially at low levels. The mana regen from Manaflow Band and Moonsilver Blade are sufficient to sustain in lane. Also, Refillable Potion refills at the shop so you won't find yourself spending cash on pots every time you recall. |
| Recall #1 |
On my first back, I will buy a Doran's Ring for the extra mana sustain because it's at this point that I will want to begin setting up for kills. In addition to that, I will also get a Hextech Revolver. If I can't afford a revolver, an Amplifying Tome will do. Throw boots in there somewhere, but don't sacrifice your gold for it. For instance, say I back with 1150 gold. I won't be able to afford two Amplifying Tomes and a Doran's Ring, but I will be able to afford one Amplifying Tome, a Doran's Ring, and tier 1 boots. Very rarely would I ever get boots early. Hextech Revolver is a massive powerspike and you want to get it as quickly as possible. As a result, I will go back to lane with an Amplifying Tome and a Doran's Ring and the next time I recall, get Hextech Revolver and Boots. Also, if you recall early with only ~500 gold always get Doran's Ring instead of an Amplifying Tome. The mana sustain, 15 AP, and HP will help you more than just the 20 AP. |
| Item #2 |
After finishing Hextech Rocketbelt, I go for either Lich Bane or Rabadon's Deathcap second item. Lich Bane offers a very solid 80 AP, 10% CDR, and 250 mana, and is a scaling item so every item you get after it will make you even stronger. Let's use an example, if I went Morellonomicon second item instead like the Korean build, I will have the same AP as if I were going Lich Bane because they both offer 80 AP. Now, say the third item is Void Staff or whatever else you can think of. The early Lich Bane will offer more damage than if I went for an early Morellonomicon because the passive damage from Lich Bane is enhanced from the third item. But what if the enemy built early MR? That is usually a good case for getting Oblivion Orb, but Sorcerer's Shoes tends to suffice. Diana needs to get ahead to win. A good alternative to Lich Bane is Luden's Tempest or the more popular Rabadon's Deathcap. Luden's Echo also gets its power boosted from subsequent item purchases and is just as cost effective as Lich Bane. Consider getting it if you feel like you need to poke more with your Q. Getting Deathcap second is very powerful especially since Diana has high AP scaling on her abilities. However, due to its high investment build path, I tend to only build it second when I'm snowballing. |
| Item #3-6 |
After the second item, the remainder of the build becomes situational. Get Zhonya's Hourglass if you need it, Void Staff if the enemy is stacking MR, Morellonomicon if there's MR and healing you need to deal with, Rabadon's Deathcap if you didn't get it second, ...or Mejai's Soulstealer if you're feeling lucky. |
In essence, the main focus of the Scaling One-Shot build is to quickly reach a powerspike (Protobelt) and set yourself up to scale (Lich Bane). Everything else should be adapted to the game's progress. So, BUILD SITUATIONALLY
| Learning how to RQR | |
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Learning how to perform the RQR combo is without a doubt one of the most asked questions in the Diana Mains community. Despite being obnoxiously hard to pull off, there are some techniques you can use to make the learning process a little easier. First, take a look at the settings in the image below. These are my personal settings while playing the game, but when learning you should check the box that says Replace Quick Cast with Quick Cast With Indicator in the quickbind UI (leave all other settings as they are). Enabling this will let you see the range of your ult and you can later disable this once you get comfortable in knowing the range from where you need to RQ.
Now that you know the range from where you need to RQ, you need to work on the timing between pressing the buttons. There is no downtime between pressing the buttons so you will want to press them as quickly as you can. Using Hexflash RQR (detailed below) in the practice tool is a great way to learn the timing since it is MUCH easier to perform than the standard RQR combo. | |
| E -> Flash | |
| E -> Flash is a really effective way of helping your jungler gank your lane or help you assist other lanes pre-6. The cast time for your E is quite long and many enemies will take advantage of that to escape if you flash before using the ability. It is much more difficult for an enemy to avoid an E -> Flash. | |
| Q -> Flash | |
| Same principle as E -> Flash. Q -> Flash gives your opponent a much smaller window to react as opposed to Flash -> Q and is very difficult to dodge. However, Q -> Flash is a very aggressive move and can leave you open for ganks. Use it only if you know you can kill the enemy. | |
| Fast Q -> R | |
| Diana can cast her Q and immediately ult to an enemy and get the reset even if her Q is still flying through the air. This is a really good way of getting some damage on your enemy. If you wait until the Q hits the enemy laner before using your ult, you give them an opportunity to get out of range of your ult which can cause you to lose out on a kill. Mechanically, this technique is very easy to pull off, but you have to know the damage and range of your Q which is why I labeled it as an intermediate combo. Note that if your Q kills an enemy while you are ulting to it, you will NOT receive the reset. Diana's ult must consume moonlight for her to get the reset. | |
| Q -> Flash -> R | |
| This combo is really useful for surprising your enemy as you can ult them from 3/4 a screen away. Due to the amount of resources you need to consume to pull this combo off in addition to the fact that it rockets you to the other side of the lane with no escape, I would not recommend doing it unless you know for certain that you can kill your target and get out safe. | |
| Q -> E -> Flash -> W | |
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This trick is really only useful against a low health target pre-6 so don't expect to get that much use out of it. That aside, it's a nice combo to use when your jungler is coming for a gank or if the enemy is low health under their tower. The Q from your initial position allows it to hit the unsuspecting enemy while the E -> Flash helps secure your W damage which you wouldn't get otherwise. Do note that there is a .5s delay between pressing Q and E -> Flash. This is to ensure that your Q fires from your original position, not your Flash location. This is essential because otherwise your Q may miss and significantly lower your burst. You can use this technique to also pull enemies into the path of your Q. For instance, imagine you are chasing an enemy and you throw a Q at them, but it falls short; you can E -> Flash to pull them into the Q. | |
| R -> Q -> R | |
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YES, IT'S STILL POSSIBLE IN 9.13. If it's not too bold to say, Diana's R -> Q combo is one of, if not the hardest combo to pull off in the entire game. To pull it off you need to ult your opponent from max range and Q the instant you start dashing. If you are .2 of a second off you will not get the reset. No joke. This combo takes A LOT of practice to master, but if you can do it on a semi-consistent basis (70% of the time), it will make you a much bigger threat. Since your ult is a targeted ability, it will follow enemies through flashes, dashes, and pulls like Dark Passage and your Q will still land granting you a reset so you can continue pursuing your target. | |
| R -> Q -> Flash -> R | |
| Despite the extra complicated button input, this combo is much easier to pull off than R -> Q -> R. Flash is what makes this combo easy to pull off because it acts as a buffer for your ult causing your Q to land first. Be aware that you must flash at the end of your ult. If you flash after your ult connects with the target the combo will treated as R -> Q -> R. The downside to this combo is that because you flash, you do NOT get the damage from your first ult despite getting the reset. As a result, this combo is really only good for escaping or chasing a weak distant enemy. | |
| R -> Q -> E -> (E) -> R | |
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Diana's RQER makes landing the standard RQR combo easier by utilizing Moonfall to cancel the animation of her Q. This by no means makes RQR easy. It is still a very difficult combo to pull off and you'll likely have to spend a lot of time in the practice tool to master it. Note that when you press E right after Q it may not fire, so you'll have to double press E to ensure it works. Of course you can just be like me and mash the E key like crazy after pressing RQ. There is also no downtime between pressing the three buttons. Press them as quickly as you can - split seconds apart. | |
| Hexflash -> R -> Q -> R | |
| This combo is very similar to RQER, because it uses an ability (Hexflash) to cancel the animation of Diana's Q thus allowing the damage to proc faster. As you can see from the video, this mechanic allows Diana to pull off her ult reset from a distance closer than max. In order to perform this combo successfully, you must press R -> Q while you have the Hexflash button held down. When you press R -> Q while channeling, the actual flash triggers which cancels the Q animation. Keep in mind that in this video I am channeling the Hexflash to the point it is very noticeable (for demonstration purposes) and that you do not have to fully channel the ability. You can just press R -> Q while Hexflash is held down to make the ability less telegraphed. | |
| Flash -> R -> Q -> R | |
| You can use Flash in conjunction with Diana's RQR combo to close the gap from an even greater distance. This is particularly useful if the enemy laner is low and sitting too far away for your Q or R to hit under regular circumstances. | |
| Flash -> R -> Q -> E -> (E) -> R | |
| Same concept as the above combo but utilizing RQER instead of RQR for "easier" ult resets. This combo is hard and requires a lot of button inputs in a short amount of time, but if you can pull it off consistently, your ult resets will be more achievable. | |
| Quick Pathing |
| As you know, Diana's Q grants vision of anything it hits unless it's camouflaged like Teemo. Use moonlight and your ult to quickly move around the map. |
| Dashing to Drake |
| I find that the best place to dash into the drake pit is in the little recess that sits between the blast and vision plants. |
| Dashing to Baron |
| Dashing to Baron is much easier than dashing into the Drake pit because of just how large Baron's model is. The easiest place to do it is directly to the left of the blast cone. |
| E Animation Cancel |
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You can partially cancel the animation of Diana's E by using your ult immediately after. This allows you to displace one target and attack another or quickly displace and attack the same target. For instance, this animation cancel is particularly useful for when Katarina uses Death Lotus since you can deal damage and quickly negate hers. |
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