Hello fellow summoners in this guide I wish to explain the style of which I play Poppy and why it is the most viable. For me there is only one true way to play Poppy and that is AD. People always ask me in Ranked games why on Earth would I pick a champion like Poppy? I mean fine she's a Yordle but this is no reason why I should not take her after all they have feelings too :*(. Before the guide gets in full swing I would really appreciate it if YOU GUYS could up-vote this guide after having read through and gone on to test it successfully and if you found the guide to be useful. However if you didn’t please don’t hastily down-vote, either comment or send me a PM and I will look into your queries and suggestions and see if there are blatant areas which can be improved upon.

The guide is split into the following sections:

- Poppy as a champion
- Runes Section
- Masteries Section
- Skill Sequence Section
- Summoner Spells Section
- Item Choices Section
- Laning Phase Section
- Ranked and Gameplay tips Section
- Summary Section

A lot of time has been spent on making this guide accessible to the less experienced but still very detailed to those who’re truly looking to master Poppy.

With that being said, let the guide begin! :)

We can’t look at how to play a champion without first understanding who they’re so for this short section we’ll be looking into Poppy herself as a champion. She's a champion who can and is played with different styles. Most choose AD, others AP and fewer play the Hybrid Poppy. In my opinion AD Poppy is the most effective way to play her and is the style in which the guide is written for. Why is my guide better than the others? Because I recognise that Poppy although being a naturally hard hitter is still, like many other champions, incapable of lasting very long on the planes of justice without the aid of survivability items but even then an overhaul would cause her damage to suffer greatly, that is why I have created an awesome blend of damage, sustain and survivability.


But why pick Poppy to start with? To answer that question we need to weigh up her pros and cons!

Pros of Pop-Pop-Poppy:
- Potentially a great farmer when played well
- Best passive in League of Legends (imho)
- The ability to engage successfully
- Awesome tower-diving capabilities
- A greatly feared enemy of AD/AP Carries
- Unstoppable at mid and late game
- Natural survivability reduces money wasted on survivability
- She's a ****’n Yordle!?
- Ultimate on enemy supporter and rush ftw (best ultimate btw!, again imho )
- Devastating Blow , which has a swingtime-reset, meaning it can be instantly used after an auto-attack

Cons of Pop Pop Poppy:
- You only have a few seconds to eliminate the enemy carries
- A bad farmer if not practiced enough
- No dedicated escaping spell
- Unbelievably squishy!

The rune selections of any champion are of key importance and some of the choices which separate a good Poppy from a bad one.

Why do I take Greater Mark of Attack Damage?
-> The real reason for it is to allow Poppy successful last hits, last-hitting being one of the worst aspects of Poppy, isn't it? NO, it isn't!
A good farmer should be able to farm even with champions which are not designed for efficient farming, even so these runes for Poppy are still a must, but why? More damage on her auto-attacks does not only make it easier for her to last-hit. It also gives your enemy a good reason, though not a full AD rune build, to not attack you.

Greater Seal of Armor is something you'd expect on most top lane champions, and why?
The more armor you have, the more hits you can take and hence the longer you can survive in your lane, especially when the enemy is someone like Gangplank, Nidalee, or Pantheon who have harassing capabilities. But not all the armor in the world of Demacia could save you from the dreaded true damage like that of Irelia or Cho'Gath.

Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction yep you guessed it cool-down reduction. Although Poppy does not really have excruciatingly long cool-downs it is still beneficial to her. With the help of your runes and our good friend the Bluebuff we're able to spam our favourite, Devastating Blow , every 2-3 seconds which means we get HUGE DAMAGE OUTPUT in just a few seconds, able to shred even the tankiest of champions like Amumu or Galio and the like. Unfortunately for this yordle, her ultimate, Diplomatic Immunity, has a long cooldown so a small amount of cool-down wouldn't go amiss here.

And the moment you've all been waiting for, my explanation for the Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed runes. We all know how Paragon of Demacia works, as we attack or are getting attacked our attack damage increases automatically with every hit upto a maximum of 10 stacks. However this is just it's passive. Active use of this skill will also boost your movement speed which is very important as a Poppy. The base Poppy is a slow champion like Miss Fortune without her passive. With your Paragon of Demacia, your Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed, Trinity Force, Phantom Dancer and 4 mastery-points into Swiftness will all allow you to get a movement speed of 555! As a side-note: don't forget to use your Summoner Spell Ghost whenever it's ready during team fights as it will give your mobility a great boost allowing you to weave through their front-line and directly to their carries where you can annihilate them!

So in conclusion to this section, runes are very important to the play of any champion and especially Poppy. Getting 2+ kills per team fight will leave you looking like this:

Guys I'm going to explain you my choice of S4 masteries as soon as possible.
Give me a short time to maximize it for Poppy :)

But as far as I know and see, there is no reason to put any points in the defensive build.

PREPARE!

We're going to start with our Heroic Charge.
As a solo-top, if an enemy is more aggressive than most this skill can save your behind as well as possibly landing you the First Blood. The damage of Heroic Charge isn't that much as AD Poppy and even more so at Level 1 but it's just like I said, a well placed charge will bring you the win. Who needs spin to win? Poppy's got charge to win!

Upon reaching level 2 we put the skill point into Paragon of DemaciaJust have a look at the closing statements of the rune section to see the explanation for it. The reason why we take it right after Level 1 is to make sure that you can screw your enemy over. Your hammer starts to glow, your damage starts to increase and if you want you can even increase your movement speed, win win it seems.

Well, now we're coming to the point where I will explain what separates you from other champions totally, Devastating Blow, your Bread and Butter!.

It stacks on top of your basic attack damage, Devastating Blow even deals tons of damage regardless of not focusing AP. At mid - lategame AD and AP carries are like basic minions to you - often 3 hits being enough to take them out. The percentage damage that comes with it makes Poppy shine like a Bawz and combining it with your blue-buff and your CDR runes, the full might of it is exposed.

You should aim to max Devastating Blow first, and after your Paragon of Demacia and last but not least your Heroic Charge.

After completing most of the skill sequence you can relax and just watch the kills come to you!

So what does League of Legends have in the way of Summoner Spells?

Above we can see all the different options and on the top left corner there is Exhaust a spell which in my opinion is one of the most fitting for Poppy. While in a team fight you're able to use it on one of their carries preferably an AD one. Ok now you guys are probably thinking,"WTF but I got my ultimate why would I need to exhaust someone!". This is kind of right however sometimes the enemy team has champions like Teemo (not too often but it happens). These champions have the ability to lay down traps across the map to allow for successful escapes however by using Exhaust just after being hit by a trap you're able to catch up to their carry and take them out, granted only if they have cleanse can they counter this, which isn't common.
In a teamfight Exhaust can also save your lovely Poppy or even bring you a kill.

My second choice for a Summoner Spell on Poppy is definitely Ghost. Like explained in the last few chapters, Poppy is a champion who requires a lot of movement speed. This spell brings you tons of mobility during fights. You can engage with it and after you skilled your Summoner's Wrath you will be able to KILL + NEXT TARGET + KILL + NEXT TARGET!!

I have often seen people playing AD Poppy with Heal. It is viable to take because it got buffed some time ago and heals also a neat amount of lifepoints. But compared to my preferred two it doesn't come close to the benefits the others grant.

So in my opinion:
Probably good spells for Poppy:
<- It is decent, but not needed.
<--



<- Although Poppy is mana-hungry due to having high mana cost skills it still doesn't warrant the choice of this spell.
<- If you want a "larger" damage output go for it. I just started taking Ignite now instead of Exhaust and just for a simple reason. Enemy AD Carries ofthen got a very strong lifeleech. Ignite will burn them down with some serious damage and will reduce their lifeleech :) Destroy them! One of the most important points on Ignite: Your laning presence! Enemies will fear you way more with ignite than a Poppy with exhaust. People asked me pretty often:"Why you think so?" I told them that the enemy ALWAYS will have in mind, that you are having a better/ higher damage output with ignite. They will have in mind, that your ignite is still up and it would be risky to damagetrade with you. And trust me when you got your Sheen you will be respected like a boss :)
<--
<-- It definitely isn't bad however there is a large cool down. you can us it to Teleport back to your lane or another possibility is to be there when your team needs you e.g. A warded dragon could be the best teleporting location when your team could be in danger.
<-- Not a bad choice but again, not needed.

Exhaust and Ghost were my #1 picks, but that's not to say that others aforementioned are not viable. Now I started taking Ignite combined with ghost :) The remaining summoner spells are not even worth discussing.

Again this is a very important chapter full of decisions which can either cause you to win or lose a game. Remembering this is a champion guide for AD Poppy, I think the item choices are rather self explanatory.

My first, non-compulsory but recommended item is the Stealth Ward, Dorans Shield and a health potion. But why? It provides with great early game attention allowing you to even protect yourself from earlyganks of the enemy jungler. Our Shield gives us the necessary sustain to stay as long as possible on our lane. Always keep in mind tho, that there is no philo stone anymore. Be careful with ur spells. Don't waste to much mana. This could break your neck. :)

The next item is Sheen. This is what makes you totally "shine" in the early-game, it boosts the damage of your Devastating Blow really nicely.
After reaching the gold limit for it you should Recall or wait to last hit a few more minions to also have enough money for Boots.

Well keep on going guys Poppy is waiting :)
Our Core Items are:

Trinity Force <- This will push all your stats needed by Poppy (and imo is the best item ever created for Poppy). It's passives are what lets Poppy shine even more.

Phantom Dancer <- Again a lot of stats are getting boosted for Poppy. Especially her movement speed. Kind of a no-brainer.

Bloodthirster <- Tons of AD combined with lifesteal further accompanied by your critical strikes, make it a real hard hitter.

Infinity Edge <- Your choice now. If u prefer taking some lifesteal and extra damage of Bloodthirster, then go take it. But if u want some pretty hard burst damage combined with your Devastating Blow take our lovely Infinity Edge. :-)

Quicksilver Sash <- Added Quicksilver Sash for less CC impact on Poppy
Now that there is the new Item Mercurial Scimitar u should definitely rush for it after Quicksilver

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> Mercurial Scimitar works great on Poppy. I even think Riot created it for Poppy :P Why? Because of the extra 60 damage. Because of the magic resist. Because of the 1 second greatly increased movementspeed after activation of its active, which removes every Crowd Control effect on you. The only bad thing about it is the total cost of 3700 gold. But if you are doing good. This will be no prob for you :-)

Guardian Angel <- Guess what? I mean survivability is always a good choice and especially for a champion who doesn't know how to die. Valiant Fighter and Diplomatic Immunity won't let you die any time soon.

Last Whisper <- What can I tell you guys about this item actually? This item is all about burning the f*** enemies armor down like it's nothing.

Black Cleaver <- Since it is a totally new item with new benefits for Poppy it is your choice now to choose beteween Last Whisper and Black Cleaver.
I totally recommend this one since it EVEN gives you now some life, damage and armor penetration ofcourse :)

The following listed Items are Situational Items. If you have an enemy team filled with AP Carries? Then you could either try Maw of Malmortius for the good Magic Resistance or you could go for Quicksilver Sash if there is a lot of crowd control from the enemy team. Banshee's Veil is also a good item, that's for sure, but it is just like I said "situational". Another situational item are your boots. I prefer Berserker's Graves instead of Mercury's Treads for more DPS, since your ultimate will ignore every crowd-control-effect placed on you. But be careful Diplomatic Immunity on a champion like Taric will let you ignore all other, external damage but not Taric's stun and his own damage. Randuin's Omen is another great item which could fit on Poppy. In the teamfight phase try to use its active spell in the right moment so u can decrease the enemy attackspeed AND movementspeed :) So choose wisely!

For those who want a nice waveclear. Poppy is able to use Hydra. The stats the item is giving are pretty good aswell. I wouldn't buy it in every game. It's situational. But don't be shy! Try!

In all of my LoL experiences, AD carry Poppy is still the best champion i've seen dealing damage overall. With a damage dealt score of 680.000 damage after 45 Minutes of gameplay she is definitely the strongest damage dealer. As you will come to see.

A full build Poppy will scare the enemies like this following picture even scared me!

I'm often asked how do you actually lane with Poppy?
It's actually pretty simple. We're going to start with Doran's Shield or Boots. These items will regenerate our health pretty fast, especially the pendant.
There are lots of enemies who "could" be a counter to you such as Irelia, Garen, Gangplank, or Pantheon and so on.

I do know that there are alot of counterpicks but practicing will help you overcome this. So let's think about an enemy like Irelia. She's actually pretty annoying with her Bladesurge combined with Hiten Style and Equilibrium Strike.
Her Hiten Style is the most feared spell on her actually, because of the true damage it deals. Often I see people overextending themselves and charging on Irelia to kill her, but Irelia is one of those champions who can instantly turn around a fight. She doesn't care for your Armor and will just stun and auto-attack you. When she has low mana it could be a good time to try it unfortunately however she's also one of those champions who's hard to outfarm thanks to her Bladesurge. If it's an aggressive Irelia, ask your teammate who's jungling to focus on ganking top. Good ganks will let you dominate the top lane, that's for sure.

Now Gangplank, another annoying champion with his Parrrley. Every Gangplank aims to harass you as often as possible with this spell. Enough Armor will definitely reduce the incoming damage of his Parrrley. If you do decide to chase/engage him, don't forget his Remove Scurvy, "Oh I got stunned on the wall, but then I ate an orange and it was okay". It's like I said versus Irelia, call ganks often and it will be fine. This is the key to dominating the solo top lane. If Gangplank engages a fight against you and uses his ultimate Cannon Barrage on your position, you have to think very fast. Run or Fight? Is his Remove Scurvy on cooldown? Does Gankgplank have enough mana to fight against you? Do YOU have enough mana to fight against HIM?
The answer to those questions will be the decider between losing and winning top lane.

Please guys, whatever happens try to farm as much as possible and don't risk your life for a minion. A wise man once said "Last hit or die trying!", that man died.

This guide does indeed cover ranked games also.

I already explained her playstyle but here are some helpful tips which may come in handy.

- When you are at top lane and you're getting ganked when you're Level 6. You only got a few seconds to make a right decision. Who's stronger? The enemy on top or the enemy jungler? Decide and use Diplomatic Immunity on him and if needed Ghost to secure your survival.

- Don't be afraid of the enemy, after you've bought Sheen you will be able to harass the enemy like a boss with your Devastating Blow.

- The most important thing in any multiple champion fight is to always focus on the enemy AD or AP Carry. You're able to kill them within 3 seconds each! That's why you should often use your ultimate on the enemy supporter or at least on someone with nearly no crowd-control effects. If the enemy is decent he will go for Banshee's Veil which can block your ultimate Diplomatic Immunity instantly. So talk to your team and let them ruin this shield in a second and then go for it!

- Always use heroic charge on an enemy who's next to a wall. Obvious but helpful.

My video has finally been completed. The music which is being played in the background will not be to everyone's taste but I hope you guys enjoy it!
Play Video

Well we're coming to the end of the guide now so I have some closing statements I'd just like to say.

- This guide is actually a ranked game guide and I would recommend you try it out! But first try to practice a bit in normal games.

- I would really appreciate it if you could comment and vote for this Guide. I really hope I have been able to help you. It doesn't really matter if it's an down-vote after all it's your opinion.


That's all I wanted to say, if someone wanted to play against me to see her played at her best, you can add me on EU-West -> iPLAY Belga
Yours Sincerely,

Belgarius <3

Optimized for you guys. [ 03.04.2013 ]

THX GUYS ALREADY 2,5 MILLION VIEWS :-))) it's a great honor for me to help you guys to Punish ur enemies with Lady Poppy :-*

( TR Belgarius @epvp )