Hello, and welcome to my Syndra guide. This is my first guide, so critisim and corrections are gratefully accepted. I am a "Jack of all trades" when it comes to LoL, and hope this guide will help you when it comes to playing Syndra. An opening word though: This is exactly what it is. A GUIDE.This is meant to be read lightly, and to be experimented with. If you feel that anything in this guide isn't the best, please leave a comment below.

Syndra is an AP Mage, with a high difficulty, and a very large burst potential. She's best played in the back lines, lobbing spheres into the fray to stun and burst enemies, saving your Ult for a crucial moment.

Runes are a godsend for champions such as Syndra, who are not that strong early game.. They do help when you have a full page of tier 3's, but if don't want to buy a specific rune page for Syndra, I'd use a normal AP Mage page.

Syndra excels in the late game, but does not do that much early game, and as much as per level runes work in the late game, Syndra does not need runes in the late game.
I choose to start with Quintessences and Glyphs of potency, just for that early game damage, and as an example, 9 Glyphs and 3 Quintessences will get you 25 ability power, which means that you start the game with more than an amplifying tome. You just saved yourself 435 gold at the start of the game.

I also choose to start with Greater Mark of Magic Penetration as this early magic pen (roughly 10) help to do that bit more damage early game, which helps you to push that pesky Annie/Brand/Karma that's trying to tickle you out of the lane, as you do more damage per ability.

I also choose to start with Greater Seal of Replenishment seals, as that extra mana regen early game can help you stay in the lane without having to recall for more mana. An alternative I sometimes run, is if you don't have any mana regen runes, you can run Greater Seal of Mana as the extra mana is equal to a dark sphere, which can be quite influential in causing an enemy to recall out of the lane.

I choose to run primarily damage based masteries, taking 21 points in offensive (Magic Pen and Ability Power) and 9 in utility (Mana Regen). This is primarily to help with Syndra's early game damage, as I prefer a champion that's a Glass Cannon: Squishy, but deals a tonne of damage.
An example of my AP Page is:

Items for Syndra are a mixed choice. I've seen a Syndra build sustain, but as a Syndra player, I prefer to build pure damage, as if you land your combo, you've pretty much won a 1v1.

I start with Boots, 2 Health Potion, and one Mana Potion for early sustain in lane. I then pick up 2 Doran's Rings when I recall for the mana regen and AP, or if you're starting to get fed at mid, you could rush straight for the Deathfire. After you've bought the Doran's Rings or the Blasting Wand for the pure AP, you should normally upgrade the Boots to Sorcerer's Shoes. This will normally make you deal almost true damage. I then follow up with a Rabadon's Deathcap and a Void Staff. This will normally make almost all but the tankiest tank take true damage, and from a harrass point of view, this is very good. By this point your core build is done, and now this is where your own playstyle comes into play. I would recommend a Rylai's for the health and an Athene's for the Magic Resist, Cooldown and more Ability Power.

There are other viable items for Syndra, such as a Zhonya's Hourglass to keep you alive, or possibly an early Archangels Staff if you're running out of mana.

For summoner spells, I normally run Flash and Ignite, as the Ignite can secure a kill, and generally add a bit more damage to Syndra. Flash can also be very useful, as a Dark Sphere in front of you, a flash, and then a Scatter the Weak will stun your opponent, giving you time to escape if you;re running away, or stun them for a gank.

Clarity is an option for Syndra, but in early game, Greater Seal of Replenishment seals should help with the mana regen, and getting the 2 Dorans rings should end all mana regen problems.

Ghost is a possible alternative to Flash, but in my mind, Flash has more situational use, such as escaping over a wall.

Dark Sphere: This is Syndra's main damage dealer, and the basis for all of her combos. This should be leveled up first, as her abilites all revolve around this, and upgrading it to level 5 grants increased damage because of Transcendent. Her spheres take a short time to appear after casting, but this can be lead for more chance to hit.

Force of Will: This is the second main part of Syndra's main combo, and should be maxed second. This picks up a Dark Sphere, or an enemy minion, and allows you to throw it an an enemy which causes damage and slows them. This slow is very useful in landing your next ability.

Scatter the Weak: This is one of the best things you can use to launch a Dark Sphere into a teamfight. Scatter the Weak causes all enemies hit by the sphere(s) to be stunned, which allows your team-mates to mop up a kill, or you time to land another Dark Sphere or your Ult.

Unleashed Power: This is a combo-er's dream. Not only does it summon 3 Dark Spheres, but also any which you have placed. These spheres not only allow you to set up for a combo, but also as a scare factor to anyone near them.

This skill sequence should maximise your damage output, as you focus on getting your Dark Spheres to level 5 first, so they do extra damage to champions, setting up for a more damaging combo.

There are a few different combos for Syndra, but most start with a Dark Sphere. In this section I will explain the most useful combos, and when they can be used.

The first one I'll start with is the average "Damage Dealer" combo. You start with a Dark Sphere, which you then pick up with Force of Will to slam down onto an opponent, which you then hit with Scatter the Weak to stun them. This does a lot of damage, and will convince your opponent not to come near you, giving you much needed farming space.

The second one you'll need is quite complicated, so I'll explain it in picture, to save a wall of text.
Dark Sphere> Force of Will> Dark Sphere> Scatter the Weak> Unleashed Power.
This combo will almost always end in a kill, unless you're using it on someone who is building a large amount of Magic Resist.

A combo that can be used to escape is quite easy. You start with a Dark Sphere ahead of you, and then as you run past, you Scatter the Weak it back into your opponent, giving you some time to run.

I hope this guide will help you find one of the strongest burst characters in the game, and that it will help you master Syndra - The Dark Sovereign.

Please note that this guide is still very much a WIP as I learn more about Syndra, and as I add more sections to the Guide. Please don't just downvote as it is not the fullest guide in here, but on how much the information in here helped you.

Hopefully I'll come across one of the people using this guide, and I can see if I've actually helped anyone. Please leave a comment below if you have any ideas on what to add, or if anything could be improve on.

Many thanks,
Qwertyalex/Imperator tDt

Still to Do:
Aesthetics
Combo-ing
Hints and Tips
Syndra and Team Comps
How to beat Who
Defending with Syndra