Hello, I am crystalfortress! Welcome to my Viktor guide! Viktor recently got reworked, with most of the changes pertaining to how his Hex Core works. However, I didn't see any of the guides on mobafire update along with the next phase of Viktor's glorious evolution! So, instead I decided to make a new guide talking about how I've been playing him since the rework. If you enjoy the guide or it teaches you something new about Viktor or his build, don't forget to upvote and leave a comment! It not only gets the guide higher on the list of Viktor guides, it also makes me feel super good inside! If there's anything that you see in the guide that you disagree with or that you want to discuss, make sure to leave a comment!

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I'd like to note that the matchups section is still currently under construction and will continue to be updated as I play more matchups.
ALL HAIL THE GLORIOUS EVOLUTION!!!

PROS Very strong burst damage Good utility Good CC Good harass Good waveclear Incredible late game Excellent AOE damage

CONS Very fragile Shorter range than most mages Low mobility W and E able to be outplayed Reliant on auto-attacks for some damage, especially with Lich Bane

ALL HAIL THE GLORIOUS EVOLUTION!!!

ALL HAIL THE GLORIOUS EVOLUTION!!!

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These are the best offensive choice for any AP mid laner, as they provide you with AP, your main offensive stat. Great early game damage boost.

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These are usually the best seals in most matchups, providing you with a nice amount of late game tankiness. Run armor seals against an AD opponent, but otherwise these are a pretty solid choice.

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Magic resist glyphs are pretty important in any matchup against an AP lane opponent (which is most of the matchups in mid these days). They help you mitigate the magic damage harass that they will be throwing out, allowing you to stay in lane longer.

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Magic penetration will provide you with a massive boost in damage early game by allowing you to penetrate through the resistances that enemies build or have naturally, but also carries over excellently into late game by amplifying your damage overall.

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I used to run these in every page because I was still in the process of buying my AP and AD runes, and these were a nice filler that was applicable on all champions. I still use them in a page that I run against heavily skillshot-reliant enemies like Lux or Xerath, so that I can avoid their damage more easily.

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These are by far the best seals to run against an AD mid opponent. They will help you mitigate any early-game damage that they put out while you build towards your Zhonya's Hourglass. In this situation, replace your glyphs, you won't be needing the magic resistance.

I've tried running a combination of these before and really liked the results for a more aggressive playstyle. The extra mana regeneration, especially early game helps you harass a lot more. Also nice if you have a super blue-buff reliant jungler.

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I would suggest running these if your lane opponent is AD, as you won't be needing to mitigate any magic damage, or at least not nearly as much as against an AP opponent.

ALL HAIL THE GLORIOUS EVOLUTION!!!

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Always use Flash. I cannot overstate this enough. The mobility afforded by this summoner spell is impossible to compete with. You can use the blink to cross walls so as to surprise enemies, run away from them, cover distance in chases, or get in range for the spell to finish off that low-health enemy. Always use Flash.

Ignite gives you lots of early game kill pressure. The damage over time can give you that small boost in damage that you need to be able to finish off a low health enemy. The ability also applies grievous wounds, which reduce healing effects on the affected enemy. Great for early kill potential, super important against certain enemies that rely upon regeneration to be tanky (like Swain, Vladimir, or Dr. Mundo).

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If you're against an assassin with some really scary burst damage, consider running this. It reduces their damage by %40, which is more than enough to allow you to survive in most cases. However, this ability grants you very little additional kill pressure compared to Ignite, so don't run this if you plan to play aggressively.

Another one that's good against enemies with scary burst, in that it allows you to heal yourself and thusly avoid dying to that burst. However, it gets countered by Ignite and enemies who apply grievous wounds, so consider replacing it with either Barrier or Exhaust if they have one of those.

A summoner used for the same purpose as heal, to protect you against scary enemy burst. However, this one has a few advantages and a few disadvantages. First of all, it isn't a permanent heal, meaning that the health will disappear after the shield times out. However, it isn't affected by grievous wounds, so it isn't countered by Ignite or grievous wounds. It also can't be used on an additional ally like Heal can. However, it can be used to increase you above full health, which can be useful against enemies that can bring you from 100 health to 0 health while you're CCed. You can throw this down before the crowd control hits and be able to survive the burst. Weigh your options before each game against a super aggressive enemy and choose between this, Exhaust, or Heal.

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While this is usually the best leveling sequence, there are some situations where you might want to change the early levels. If you are against an enemy with the kind of range such that you won't easily be able to harass them with Siphon Power, then take Hextech Ray at level 1. If you need crowd control to help mitigate the aggression of an enemy with kill pressure at level three, I would suggest forgoing a second point in Hextech Ray for a point in Gravity Field. Other than that, stick to the plan.

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When people think of Viktor, this is often the first thing that pops into their minds. His passive is super unique. At the start of the game you have in your inventory, before you even buy anything, a Prototype Hex Core. No other champion can buy this item, it is specifically reserved for Viktor. Over the course of the game you can upgrade it into, in order, Hex Core MK-1, Hex Core MK-2, and finally into a Perfect Hex Core. Each of these upgrades provides you with really nice bonus stats in AP, AP per level, and mana. Also, with each upgrade you get to augment one of your abilities. Siphon Power gives you a speed boost, Gravity Field will bounce enemies into the middle when they get stunned, and Hextech Ray gets a secondary explosion following the first, dealing additional damage (less if the target was hit with the initial laser). When all of your abilities are augmented, your ultimate also gets augmented, giving it the ability to move faster. I talk in-depth about when to upgrade the hex core and which abilities to upgrade when you do in the ITEMS chapter. All you need to know for now is that this item/passive is one of the things that makes Viktor such a late-game beast.

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This ability provides you with many different things. It is a targetted nuke that gives you a small shield and an enhanced autoattack on being cast. The scaling of both the shield and the damage of the ability itself are rather small and unimpressive. The main that makes this ability important are the enhanced autoattack which has %50 AP scaling, and the fact that when fully leveled it has only a 4 second cooldown (and that's without cooldown reduction). One important thing to note is that the damage and shield scale very poorly when you upgrade the ability, and instead it mostly scales with champion level. That's why we avoid leveling it and instead focus on Hextech Ray.


This is the ability that contains all of your CC. When activated, it creates a large area that slows enemies within. If an enemy sticks around inside of it for 1.5 seconds, they become stunned. This ability can be difficult to use correctly, as to actually get the stun with it, the enemy has to stick around inside of the field. There are tips on how to use it in the TIPS & TRICKS chapter. In teamfights, it's important to attempt to secure as many enemies within it's area as possible so that you can combo it into an excellent Arcane Storm and Hextech Ray. Don't level this except for last in any situation (unless maybe you're a support) because it deals no damage, and upgrading it only increases the slow (which is actually pretty nice because it helps you get more stuns as well, but still don't do it).


This is a super important ability for Viktor, because it is the way that he pokes from long range and the way he clears waves. The ability is one of the more complicated skillshots in the game as you have to designate both an origin and a direction. The range at which you can set the origin is fairly short, but the laser itself extends for a while. This can make it difficult to hit moving enemies at long range, and hard to employ effectively when you are moving yourself. The best tip that I have for you is to practice a lot, and probably turn off smartcast. I, personally, just use smartcast with range indicators. It is also super easy to clear waves with, especially once you get the augment for it. One cast, if aligned properly, can clear an entire wave (other than siege minions) at most points in the game. That's why you always augment this first (maybe unless you're a support).

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This is your ultimate ability, meaning that it only becomes available to level at levels 6, 11, and 16. When cast, this ability deals a large dose of initial damage, then continues to deal damage in the area for 7 seconds. Both the AP scaling and the scaling with level on this ability are absurd, especially if you take into accout the damage over time. The base effect already has incredible damage connected to it, and then it continues to deal lots of damage afterwards. A couple important things to point out about this ability are first of all that it ends channel effects on cast, making you very good against certain enemies because it ends the channel immediately and easily, which can be important in a chaotic team fight. The second important thing is that you can redirect the storm with the R button. The storm will travel to whichever location you press. It will also, however, follow an enemy that it is cast over on it's own.
ALL HAIL THE GLORIOUS EVOLUTION!!!

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The doran's ring start is great for almost any AP mid laner. It provides you with great combat stats in health, ability power, and excellent mana sustain. You also get enough money left over to pick up 2 Health Potions, which will provide you with ample health sustain to make it until your first back in most cases.

This start is solely for the situation where you are against an enemy with crazy amounts of harassment. This start provides you with enough health sustain to be able to farm for a good amount of time so that you don't have to back constantly. I like taking an additional Mana Potion and two Health Potions as well instead of the usual 3 Health Potions, because the lack of mana sustain without it seriously hinders any kind of counter-harassment or waveclearing that you will be capable of. That is your call though.

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Buying one of these early could be a good idea if you will be building a Lich Bane, which is one of the suggested rush items. The stats are pretty nice, with ability power being your main offensive stat and mana being a really nice pickup, especially early, for Viktor. The passive before upgrading into Lich Bane isn't all that great, but it can add a substantial amount of damage to your Siphon Power autoattacks, so don't underestimate it.

Boots are a really good idea to pick up early against skillshot-reliant enemies, although they also are helpful against pretty basically any enemy. Movement speed is always a nice stat to have, allowing you to chase, run away, cover distances, and avoid skillshots better. That last part is the reason why I usually pick it up early against enemies like Lux or Xerath, who are both very skillshot reliant.

While the hex core upgrades do technically gain more value the later in the game it is, picking up one early can be really helpful. Keep in mind that even just the base stats, without the additional ability power per level or the ability augment taken into account are already near gold efficiency (i believe around 870 gold worth, if i remember correctly). The ability power isn't super impressive, but the additional mana can be helpful for allowing you to stay in lane longer. You will literally always want to upgrade Hextech Ray first, because that is the only augment that provides more damage. With that augment, you can pretty basically clear waves with one cast of Hextech Ray.

It's a good idea to pick up one of these if you are against a very long-range mage, like Xerath, Ziggs, or Lux. This will allow you to clear waves and counter-poke with Hextech Ray without worrying about your mana. I've gotten away with just building up the hex core early for mana and the Hextech Ray augment for waveclear against push-heavy enemies before, but having an Athene's Unholy Grail certainly helps, and this builds into that.

This is a good item to pick up early against AD mid opponents. It provides you with ability power, your main offensive stat, and some armor. The armor is super helpful, because it well help you mitigate their physical damage. It also builds into Zhonya's Hourglass, which is an important item to pick up early against these enemies.

Picking up an additional Doran's Ring early can be super awesome. The base stats are nice, with health and ability power being really good stats for you. The main reason that you pick it up, though is for the additional mana sustain. I have tried just picking up one of these and then upgrading the hex core against long-range mages and enjoyed it. Try it out some time and see if you like it. Also, if you get forced to back or get killed early in the game without much gold, buy one of these, or maybe some Boots.

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After the rework, this has become an awesome item on Viktor. To get the most out of Siphon Power, you already have to autoattack an enemy. In addition, the low cooldown, speed boost and shield from Siphon Power make it easier to get the procs off than it is on certain other champions. However, I've tried replacing it with an Athene's Unholy Grail before if I don't feel confident autoattacking an enemy in the late game because of their team composition, or I'm against an enemy with lots of range and waveclear.

This item could be rushed against enemies that are way too long range for you to reach. I usually use this to replace Lich Bane in the final build because if I'm against an enemy with that much range I probably won't feel super confident in getting Lich Bane procs in the late game anyways. The stats it provides will help you be more aggressive with your poking and waveclearing in the early game, and the magic resistance will help you mitigate some of their poke early game. Don't even consider running this against an AD mid opponent though. That would be so much gold wasted on magic resistance.

Rush this item if you are against an AD mid opponent. The AP boost is substantial, but the most important part in that case is the armor. It will help you mitigate their physical damage so you can stay in lane against their harass or not die to their burst. The active is also super nice for giving you additional safety.

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Viktor's early game, i'll admit, is not super in some ways. While Siphon Power does provide some good low-mana harass, as well as a shield to help you defend against the ensuing minion aggro or counter-harass, you have to be in autoattack range to get any kind of substantial damage from it. Hextech Ray provides good poke, but it's cooldown is somewhat long, and it's difficult to hit at long range, making it unreliable. Gravity Field isn't super good for any form of aggression without additional CC from your jungler to help ensure that the stun will go off. You can use it to help peel fairly well by putting it between you and your enemy. They won't be able to cross all the way through it without getting stunned. Try to focus on farming because of these inherent disadvantages in lane, harassing only when you feel confident. When you hit 6, your kill potential spikes. Tell your jungler when you're getting near, and see if you can get a kill off of it.

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Mid game is when Viktor starts to take off. So long as you haven't been held back too far by your sub-par early laning phase, this is when you start to gain advantages over most lane opponents. One of the nice parts about Viktor is that you scale well in terms of lots of different things, getting lots of area of effect damage, poke and burst damage as well as a solid amount of utility. One of your main areas of advantage though is your crazy burst damage. I've been in situations as viktor where around the 15 to twenty minute mark a well-placed full damage combo will bring the entire team to low health, with whoever I hit with the Siphon Power and Lich Bane infused auttoattack outright dying instantly. You are a beast in teamfights, so try to push the game in such a direction that you get lots of opportunities to take advantage of this, unless your team is terrible in them. If you're underfarmed, try to stick to your lane and farm up more, you need items and levels to become effective.

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Viktor is absolutely one of the best mid laners in the late game. Your ability to burst large groups of enemies persists from the mid game, if not improves, and you continue to be able to consistently compete in other ways, including waveclear, poke, crowd control and utility. The general battle plan goes like this: follow your team's calls, helping them contest objectives and pushing whichever lane you have the most people in ( Viktor should never try to split push. You can push a lane away from a tower, but never get too far away from turrets without your team). If the enemy team tries to contest you in any kind of area away from one of their turrets, smack them with the whole AOE burst combo. During siege situations, the most that you can do is push the wave using Hextech Ray, and poke any available enemies when it is off cooldown and there isn't a wave around. You aren't as long range as a lot of other mages, so in your attempts at poking and such in siege situations, for the love of god don't get engaged on. You are so squishy. Try to use Lich Bane procs on the tower if the enemy team is zoned far enough away from it, as it actually deals substantial damage. Try to hit squishy enemies in teamfights, especially with Arcane Storm if possible. It does crazy damage.
ALL HAIL THE GLORIOUS EVOLUTION!!!

• The initial range of Siphon Power is longer than your autoattack range. If your enemy is smart, they will usually run away from you when they get hit by the initial spell so that they can't get hit by your autoattack. You can use this threat to zone enemies away from farm. Once you get the Siphon Power augment, it becomes much easier to use this ability offensively.
• If your enemy is staying far away from you but you want to burst them, using an augmented Siphon Power on a minion can give you the speed boost that you might need to catch them. This can also be used for the simple purposes of harassment. Siphon Power a minion, run up to them and autoattack them, run away.
• Using Arcane Storm to burst a single enemy is entirely acceptable, especially in the early game. However, if it is a high-pressure time in the game, like if you are contesting an objective, then try to save it for either multi-target usage or, if one member of the enemy team is super fed and thusly is a key target, use it to burst them.
• Most of your bad matchups are against super long-range mages, because they can deal lots of poke damage to you and stay out of the range of your burst. There are a few good ways to mitigate this though. First of all, play passively and farm in the early game, so that you can still provide a strong threat in the late game. While they may be able to stay out of your range, their team probably won't. Second of all, a lot these enemies are commonly weak to ganks due to their low mobility. If your jungler has adequate crowd control, then you can actually give very good follow-up to ganks using your Gravity Field and burst. They tend to push the wave, so there's often good gank opportunities. make sure to communicate this to your jungler. Another, more sneaky way to do this is to pretend you're roaming, and if they follow you, burst them while they are entering one of the bushes that they will go through. Proceed to push your lane with no harassment.
• Gravity Field is a difficult ability to use correctly. It's best use in most cases is as a way to peel for yourself and your fellow long-range carries. Place it between you and your enemy. Unless they use Flash or some other kind of long-range gap-closer, they will get stunned in the middle of the field or have to avoid it. It's not much good on it's own unless you use it this way. However, it is an excellent follow-up on an ally's crowd control, which will help assure that the stun goes off. If you get multiple people trapped in it, then consider throwing down the whole Hextech Ray- Arcane Storm burst combo.
• Keep Arcane Storm on the most important target using the R button. The damage over time is substantial. Since it's speed decreases the farther away from you it is, you might need to follow them yourself as well. If the enemy that you want to follow is getting away in a teamfight and you can't pursue them without putting yourself in danger, bring back the storm and put it on someone near you. It'll book it back at full speed, because it moves at full speed towards you but slows down as it gets farther away from you, much like an excited puppy.

ALL HAIL THE GLORIOUS EVOLUTION!!!

So there you have it. That's all of the Viktor knowledge that I have compiled in my experiments with him thus far. I will continue to update this guide as I play more of him, so keep an eye on this guide if you want more! If you enjoy this guide, then don't forget to upvote and leave me a comment. If there was anything that you didn't like or disagree with in the guide, then leave me a comment. I'll be sure to respond with my opinion, and if I agree with your suggestions and make a change, then I'll be sure to give you credit in the changelog! Thank you very much for reading my guide and have an excellent day!
ALL HAIL THE GLORIOUS EVOLUTION!!!

This is also covered in the first comment for the guide.

10/4/2014 - Guide published

10/5/2014 - Added a summoner spells section, added enchantments and trinkets to the items chapter, and fixed some sections of text that I didn't like after going back over them.