Originally Posted by Kades

Morellonomicon is an insane item. Especially if their team has Singed or Volibear on their team. Or any healers. It's underrated atm, but when people realize the incredible stats you get for such a cheap price... it's crazy. The reason I don't currently build into it is that I prefer to get my max CDR quicker. And I'm basically locked into having a mid-tier item through the whole game. I'd rather have the ability to get more CDR or AP or whatnot with that item slot at late game.

But that's a strong item and is incredible on Soraka. It's actually kind of ironic that one of it's best uses is Soraka given the goal of the item.

For that matter, Spirit Shroud is also decent for CDR and magic resist if you're looking for another way to max CDR that synergizes with her kit.

Originally Posted by Pokeprof

I think you mean Visage, as Shroud doesn't really exist anymore. And honestly, i consider Spirit Visage to be one of the most insane and over powered items in the entire league. Increased healing for my Will of the ancients, a nice amount of Magic resist, AND 20% CDR? If I've got a champion who likes CDR and heals, I get that item.

Originally Posted by Kades

You max out at 40% CDR, and nothing helps your DPS or utility more than maxing that out ASAP. Soraka's ratios aren't actually all that great- she only gets .4 AP on Starcall, .45 ratio on Ancestral Blessing (heal), .6 ratio on Infuse, and .7 on Wish (ult). So rushing or statting for AP early game I've personally found to be fairly ineffective. However, due to having a naturally low cooldown on Starcall (2.5 seconds) and the spammable nature of the spell (combined with the added utility of the additional MR shred), maxing cooldown first is extremely effective.
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Originally Posted by Kades

I've played an AP Bruiser version of Soraka since beta- back when there was no que dodge penalty and I'd be trolled just for picking her. I don't know- I think at the time there was something very appealing about mastering the perceived 'worst' champion. Then I just clicked with her, and while I can play other champions/roles decently, taking Soraka mid or top is definitely what I'm best at (depending on the current meta).


I don't have an exact number, but I would imagine I probably have around 2-3k Soraka games played if you include both seasons, normals, and preseason/beta. It's kind of absurd, honestly.


With all that said, here's where I'm currently at with Soraka in Season 3:


Easily, the most important stat to get is Cooldown Reduction.

You max out at 40% CDR, and nothing helps your DPS or utility more than maxing that out ASAP. Soraka's ratios aren't actually all that great- she only gets .4 AP on Starcall, .45 ratio on Ancestral Blessing (heal), .6 ratio on Infuse, and .7 on Wish (ult). So rushing or statting for AP early game I've personally found to be fairly ineffective. However, due to having a naturally low cooldown on Starcall (2.5 seconds) and the spammable nature of the spell (combined with the added utility of the additional MR shred), maxing cooldown first is extremely effective.

Right now- and I change this often- I'm gaining 10% CDR from my masteries by going 4/0/26. I get an additional 10% CDR from runes by level 18 so that I can max my CDR by just grabbing one item. A lot of stuff changes for me as I continue to discover new things about Soraka, but maxing CDR has been a constant for a few years now. It is extremely important.

Due to my playstyle, I grab Heal and Flash. The third heal I've found to be clutch in teamfights, but I could make an argument for Barrier or (surprisingly) Clarity. Both are very effective, though Clarity is often ridiculed- that rage tends to roll off of me, but you should expect it if you give it a try at higher (or mid) elos.


When I head mid, I tend to depend on visibility to avoid ganks. I typically grab two wards when I head back so that I can ward both brush on either side of mid. People see Soraka mid, and they love to gank her.

Contrary to popular sentiment, I've found Soraka to have a relatively weak laning phase while she really comes into her own during mid-game teamfights. She pairs best with a healing support on her team (Sona, Alistar, Taric are ideal) and then you have near indefinite sustain mid/late game. You can feed your healer mana to spam her heals and you have your larger burst healing to help out.

So I play fairly passive during the laning phase. I often tell my jungler to focus on the other lanes, and I play passive while I build up my first few core items.

Due to mana cost changes from her most recent nerf, you really have to get a large mana or mana regen item. I've been rushing Athenes to give me both the CDR and mana regen, but I could make an argument for going Tear/Frozen Heart or possibly Catalyst/FH/RoA. Find what works for you; just max that CDR early.

For Skills, I max Starcall first. I use it at level 1 in order to scout bushes as I'm walking in (if you spam q as you walk up to a bud, when it goes off, you know there are people there ready for a gank). I get infuse at 2-4 depending on how much damage I've taken (typically 2) so that I can walk up, silence the player, and hit them with a starcall and walk back. It's effective, but you can't do it too much or you'll inadvertently push your lane into a bad position. I typically max heal second and infuse last, getting my ultimate at 6, 11, and 16.


After Athene's, I've been building Rylia's to Liandry's- you get an insane amount of damage at this point. After that, I can get a Deathcap or more but into more survivaibility based on their team. A deathcap really helps your heals and helps your Starcalls quite a bit.


The last point I'd like to make is about the damage that Soraka can do. It's commonly thought that she does terrible damage in teamfights- this is completely inaccurate. She does insane damage in teamfights- it's just that almost none of it is burst. But even with 0 ap, you're doing 160 damage (pre-MR) to 5 people every 1.6 seconds. That's 800 damage every 1.6 seconds to their team. It's not burst, but it is substantial. Also, you have the ability to heal your team (3 times with AB, Wish, and Heal SS) and shred their MR so that other AP Casters on your team do even more damage.

Even when I check "damage done to champions" I'm often the highest damage dealer in the game. My KDA might suck (I've never cared about kills, I care about wins) because I'm not necessarily doing the finishing blows, but my teams win because I do so much AOE damage plus utility.


Mid Soraka isn't for everyone, but if you have any other questions, I'll be happy to help out how I can.


TLDR, Max R, Q, W, E with one point in E at 2. Get 20% CDR with Runes and Items. Get max CDR with one item (I rush Athenes). Then grab Rylia's -> Liandry's.


Let me know how it goes.

Originally Posted by Kades

I've played an AP Bruiser version of Soraka since beta- back when there was no que dodge penalty and I'd be trolled just for picking her. I don't know- I think at the time there was something very appealing about mastering the perceived 'worst' champion. Then I just clicked with her, and while I can play other champions/roles decently, taking Soraka mid or top is definitely what I'm best at (depending on the current meta).


I don't have an exact number, but I would imagine I probably have around 2-3k Soraka games played if you include both seasons, normals, and preseason/beta. It's kind of absurd, honestly.


With all that said, here's where I'm currently at with Soraka in Season 3:


Easily, the most important stat to get is Cooldown Reduction.

You max out at 40% CDR, and nothing helps your DPS or utility more than maxing that out ASAP. Soraka's ratios aren't actually all that great- she only gets .4 AP on Starcall, .45 ratio on Ancestral Blessing (heal), .6 ratio on Infuse, and .7 on Wish (ult). So rushing or statting for AP early game I've personally found to be fairly ineffective. However, due to having a naturally low cooldown on Starcall (2.5 seconds) and the spammable nature of the spell (combined with the added utility of the additional MR shred), maxing cooldown first is extremely effective.

Right now- and I change this often- I'm gaining 10% CDR from my masteries by going 4/0/26. I get an additional 10% CDR from runes by level 18 so that I can max my CDR by just grabbing one item. A lot of stuff changes for me as I continue to discover new things about Soraka, but maxing CDR has been a constant for a few years now. It is extremely important.

Due to my playstyle, I grab Heal and Flash. The third heal I've found to be clutch in teamfights, but I could make an argument for Barrier or (surprisingly) Clarity. Both are very effective, though Clarity is often ridiculed- that rage tends to roll off of me, but you should expect it if you give it a try at higher (or mid) elos.


When I head mid, I tend to depend on visibility to avoid ganks. I typically grab two wards when I head back so that I can ward both brush on either side of mid. People see Soraka mid, and they love to gank her.

Contrary to popular sentiment, I've found Soraka to have a relatively weak laning phase while she really comes into her own during mid-game teamfights. She pairs best with a healing support on her team (Sona, Alistar, Taric are ideal) and then you have near indefinite sustain mid/late game. You can feed your healer mana to spam her heals and you have your larger burst healing to help out.

So I play fairly passive during the laning phase. I often tell my jungler to focus on the other lanes, and I play passive while I build up my first few core items.

Due to mana cost changes from her most recent nerf, you really have to get a large mana or mana regen item. I've been rushing Athenes to give me both the CDR and mana regen, but I could make an argument for going Tear/Frozen Heart or possibly Catalyst/FH/RoA. Find what works for you; just max that CDR early.

For Skills, I max Starcall first. I use it at level 1 in order to scout bushes as I'm walking in (if you spam q as you walk up to a bud, when it goes off, you know there are people there ready for a gank). I get infuse at 2-4 depending on how much damage I've taken (typically 2) so that I can walk up, silence the player, and hit them with a starcall and walk back. It's effective, but you can't do it too much or you'll inadvertently push your lane into a bad position. I typically max heal second and infuse last, getting my ultimate at 6, 11, and 16.


After Athene's, I've been building Rylia's to Liandry's- you get an insane amount of damage at this point. After that, I can get a Deathcap or more but into more survivaibility based on their team. A deathcap really helps your heals and helps your Starcalls quite a bit.


The last point I'd like to make is about the damage that Soraka can do. It's commonly thought that she does terrible damage in teamfights- this is completely inaccurate. She does insane damage in teamfights- it's just that almost none of it is burst. But even with 0 ap, you're doing 160 damage (pre-MR) to 5 people every 1.6 seconds. That's 800 damage every 1.6 seconds to their team. It's not burst, but it is substantial. Also, you have the ability to heal your team (3 times with AB, Wish, and Heal SS) and shred their MR so that other AP Casters on your team do even more damage.

Even when I check "damage done to champions" I'm often the highest damage dealer in the game. My KDA might suck (I've never cared about kills, I care about wins) because I'm not necessarily doing the finishing blows, but my teams win because I do so much AOE damage plus utility.


Mid Soraka isn't for everyone, but if you have any other questions, I'll be happy to help out how I can.


TLDR, Max R, Q, W, E with one point in E at 2. Get 20% CDR with Runes and Items. Get max CDR with one item (I rush Athenes). Then grab Rylia's -> Liandry's.


Let me know how it goes.

Originally Posted by shufti

Hey Kades, if you would kindly answer my considerations about Soraka, I would greatly appreciate it.

Now I don't want to play her mid as I prefer other champions there, but I want to pick her up as my go-to support because I really like her appearance, unique abilities and the fact that she is severely underplayed right now.
However, I don't want to build her as a boring healbot for the ADC. I wonder if a support tank build would be feasible and effective.

Masteries would be a mix between defense and support, runes would be a lot of defense and possibly magic penetration reds, on top of gp10 quints. I feel you really need that survivability bot in order to deal damage in the first place.

I have no idea about skill order, neither about summoners. Items would have to prioritize CDR and defense, because I think that with the limited amount of gold and the need to be kinda tanky in order to stay in the fight hitting those Q all the time, I cannot aim for AP directly. Just as you laid out in your first post, the CDR alone will be responsible for a lot of damage and her ratios aren't all that great in the first place.

I haven't had a chance to test this out yet and I am still uncertain about rank ups, summoners and items, so could you please lend me your aid in theorizing a good build for me?

Originally Posted by Kades

Just my two cents:

I think you'll run into problems going 'defensive' without the items to back it up. And to get those items, you'll need money, which can be difficult as a Zero CS botlaner.

Grabbing CDR is awesome. Maxing CDR is awesomer.

On the few times that I'm duped into taking Soraka bot, I get heal at 1 and 3 and Infuse at 2 and 4. And if my teammate is doing well, I stealthily start maxing Starcall. If he's not, I'll spend an extra rank to grab heal or infuse based on his needs. In this approach, I'll have Starcall maxed by 10- around the time that team's start roaming for teamfights. I'm careful not to spam starcall in lane due to it pushing the lane (unless we're trying to push the lane or we get ganked by a jungler).

I grab Heal and Flash, though if our team can't grab an exhaust, I'll suck it up and grab that for us.


With all of my supports, I find that warding is my first priority. I see my AD's job as 'getting farm' (or as many last hits as possible) while mine is to give him visibility for ganks. If we get ganked by a jungler and I didn't have a ward up, I blame myself for that. So ward up as support. Get the tri, get the dragon, and get one of the brushes if it looks likely that they'll lane gank. In order to fund my warding, I go gold quints and seals and flat armor marks and glyphs. That's not too common a setup, but I find the armor is invaluable against an AD carry and the Gold is really needed to fund my warding habit. I go 4/0/26 to get plenty of gold as a support and to start me off with 10% CDR.

After warding, I get the 2x GP10's, boots, more wards, then I start buying my 'fun' items... while always trying to keep the map warded. Fun items might be athenes it might be tear/rylia's it might just be traditional support items like Aegis.


Hope that helps...!