Sylas · Mid

Sylas Safe Play Guide

DefensiveData-drivenMediumPatch 16.19.1

295Updated 16 hours ago

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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

This guide is about playing Sylas safely and consistently. Safe mid means farming under your tower, waiting for your items and only following your jungler when the enemy jungler is seen elsewhere. The kit brings mobility with Kingslayer and sustain with Kingslayer.

Strengths

Mobility: Kingslayer lets you reposition, engage or escape.
Sustain from Kingslayer.
High magic damage: Riot rates it 8/10 in magic.

Weaknesses

Melee range: ranged opponents can poke it in lane.
Mana-hungry early: spamming abilities leaves you empty before the fight.

Build cheat sheet

Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.

Defensive buildDefensiveRecommendedKeeps enough damage while adding armor, ability power and magic resist through Zhonya's Hourglass, Banshee's Veil and Dusk and Dawn. Choose it against dive, assassins or a lane you can't win.
Against magic damageDefensiveSituationalFor a team that kills with abilities: magic resist boots and a magic resist item in the core.

Builds

Defensive build

DefensiveRecommended

Open build

When to use it

Keeps enough damage while adding armor, ability power and magic resist through Zhonya's Hourglass, Banshee's Veil and Dusk and Dawn. Choose it against dive, assassins or a lane you can't win.

Where it's played

Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.

Summoner's RiftRed side · bottom leftBlue side · top right

MidMain60% of matches
JunglePriority 240% of matches
TopPriority 3

Starting items

Doran's RingHealth Potion

Core items

1Zhonya's Hourglass
2Banshee's Veil
3Dusk and Dawn

Boots

Mercury's Treads

Situational

Dead Man's PlateAgainst heavy physical damage.Kaenic RookernAgainst heavy magic damage.MorellonomiconCuts the enemy's healing.Void StaffAgainst tanky teams.

Runes

Primary· Sorcery

Secondary· Resolve

Shards

Summoner spells

Flash
Teleport

Abilities

Petricite BurstPassiveAfter casting a spell, Sylas stores a charge of Petricite Burst. Sylas's basic attacks will expend a charge and whirl his energized chains around him dealing bonus magic damage to enemies hit. While Sylas has a charge of Petricite Burst, he gains attack speed.
QChain Lash10/9/8/7/6s55 mpSylas lashes his chains out, intersecting at his targeted location dealing damage to and slowing enemies. After a delay, magical energy explodes from the intersection point dealing damage.
Cooldown
10·9·8·7·6
Cost
55
Range
775
WKingslayer12/10.5/9/7.5/6s50/60/70/80/90 mpSylas lunges at an enemy with magical force dealing damage and healing himself against enemy champions.
Cooldown
12·10.5·9·7.5·6
Cost
50·60·70·80·90
Range
400
Basic ability — moves you and heals. Keep it to escape unless the kill is certain.
EAbscond / Abduct13/12/11/10/9s65 mpSylas dashes to a location. Sylas can recast the ability to throw his chains out, pulling himself to an enemy he hits.
Cooldown
13·12·11·10·9
Cost
65
Range
400
RHijackUltimate80/55/30s75 mpSylas steals the enemy's ultimate ability and can cast it freely.
Cooldown
80·55·30
Cost
75
Range
950
Ultimate. Plan your fights around its cooldown.

Strategy

1Safe laning

Safe mid means farming under your tower, waiting for your items and only following your jungler when the enemy jungler is seen elsewhere. Trade when the enemy uses an ability on the wave: that's the moment they can't answer.

2Surviving fights

Use Hijack where it changes the fight, not where it's safe, and keep your distance until the enemy uses their engage. Your way out is Kingslayer: if it's on cooldown, stay further back.

3Positioning and peel

Stand where the enemy has to go through your team to reach you, and protect whoever the enemy focuses.

4Playing from behind

When the game goes badly, farm what's safe, defend with your team and wait for the enemy to make a mistake: a single won fight can turn it around.

Tips

Keep Kingslayer for escaping, not for chasing.
Keep Kingslayer for the enemy's burst, not for chip damage.
Go back when your key abilities are down: a reset costs less than a death.
Never be the first to show on the map in the late game.
If enemies are missing from the map, back off before they appear.

Matchups

Weak against

Viktor
Gravity Field (stun) lets Viktor pin Sylas down before Kingslayer gets them out.
Mel
Solar Snare (root) lets Mel pin Sylas down before Kingslayer gets them out.
Cassiopeia
Petrifying Gaze (stun) lets Cassiopeia pin Sylas down before Kingslayer gets them out.