Sion · Top
Sion Laning Guide
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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.
Overview
Top is an island: few ganks, long trades and a lot of wave management. Freeze the wave near your tower when you're weaker and push it when you want to roam or recall. Early, fight for tower plates and help your jungler with Herald or grubs when your wave is pushed.
Strengths
- Sustain from Glory in Death.
- Very durable: Riot rates it 9/10 in defense.
- Crowd control: Decimating Smash applies a stun to set up kills.
Weaknesses
- No dash or blink in the kit: vulnerable to ganks without vision.
- Isolated lane: vulnerable to ganks when you push.
Build cheat sheet
Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.
- Lane buildBalancedRecommendedHow to open: starting items, then the components of Bandlepipes on your first backs, and boots when the lane allows.
- Standard buildBalancedAdvancedThe default path: Bandlepipes, Zeke's Convergence and Locket of the Iron Solari give the health, magic resist and armor this class relies on. Pick it when you have no reason to adapt. Built from Riot's item tags and the champion's class; Riot publishes no build statistics.
Builds
Lane build
When to use it
How to open: starting items, then the components of Bandlepipes on your first backs, and boots when the lane allows.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
1100%- TopMain100% of matches
Starting items
Early game
Core items
- 1Bandlepipes
Boots
Runes
Primary· Resolve
Secondary· Inspiration
Shards
Summoner spells
Flash
Teleport
Standard build
When to use it
The default path: Bandlepipes, Zeke's Convergence and Locket of the Iron Solari give the health, magic resist and armor this class relies on. Pick it when you have no reason to adapt. Built from Riot's item tags and the champion's class; Riot publishes no build statistics.
Where it's played
Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.
1100%- TopMain100% of matches
Starting items
Core items
- 1Bandlepipes
- 2Zeke's Convergence
- 3Locket of the Iron Solari
Boots
Situational
Runes
Primary· Resolve
Secondary· Inspiration
Shards
Summoner spells
- Flash
- Teleport
Abilities
Glory in DeathPassiveAfter being killed, Sion will temporarily reanimate with rapidly decaying Health. His attacks become very rapid, heal him, and deal bonus damage based on his target's maximum Health.
QDecimating Smash10/9/8/7/6s45 mpSion charges a powerful swing in an area in front of himself that will deal damage to enemies when released. If he charges for enough time, enemies hit by the swing will also be knocked up and stunned.- Cooldown
- 10·9·8·7·6
- Cost
- 45
- Range
- 10000
WSoul Furnace15/14/13/12/11s75/80/85/90/95 mpSion shields himself and can reactivate after 3 seconds to deal Magic Damage to enemies nearby. When Sion kills enemies, he passively gains maximum Health.- Cooldown
- 15·14·13·12·11
- Cost
- 75·80·85·90·95
- Range
- 500
ERoar of the Slayer12/11/10/9/8s35/40/45/50/55 mpSion fires a short range shockwave that damages and slows and reduces the Armor of the first enemy hit. If the shockwave hits a minion or monster, it will be knocked back, damaging, slowing, and reducing the Armor of all enemies that it passes through.- Cooldown
- 12·11·10·9·8
- Cost
- 35·40·45·50·55
- Range
- 800
RUnstoppable OnslaughtUltimate140/100/60s100 mpSion charges in a direction, ramping up speed over time. He can steer his charge slightly with the mouse cursor location. When he collides with an enemy he deals damage and knocks them up based on the distance he has charged.- Cooldown
- 140·100·60
- Cost
- 100
- Range
- 7500
Strategy
1Starting and early items
The first items decide how comfortable the lane is. The lane build below lists them with what each one gives you.
- Key early items: Kindlegem and Cloth Armor.
2Trading
Short trades win lanes: hit, use one ability and step back before the enemy's full combo comes back. The kit brings crowd control (stun) with Decimating Smash and sustain with Glory in Death.
3Wave management
Freeze the wave near your tower when you're weaker, slow push before a back and crash the wave when you want to roam or take a plate.
4Early objectives
Early, fight for tower plates and help your jungler with Herald or grubs when your wave is pushed. Your spikes are level 6, when Unstoppable Onslaught comes online, and each completed item: Bandlepipes first, then Zeke's Convergence.
Tips
- Short trades win lanes: hit, use one ability and step back before the enemy's full combo comes back.
- Kindlegem is your first purchase that changes the lane: get it early.
- Use Decimating Smash in lane only when your partner or jungler can follow.
- You only have very slight turning ability during Unstoppable Onslaught, so make sure to use it in straight paths.
- Early, fight for tower plates and help your jungler with Herald or grubs when your wave is pushed.
Matchups
Strong against
Sion starts with 655 health and 36 armour against Heimerdinger's 558 and 19: the early trades are already won on paper.
Sion starts with 655 health and 36 armour against Quinn's 565 and 28: the early trades are already won on paper.
Decimating Smash (stun) lets Sion pin Fiora down before Lunge gets them out.
Weak against
Kennen attacks from 550 units and Sion from 175, with no dash in the kit to close the gap.
Teemo attacks from 500 units and Sion from 175, with no dash in the kit to close the gap.
Sion has to walk up to start a fight, and Facebreaker (stun) stops that engage before it lands.
Changelog
- Guide created for patch 16.19.1.
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