[1.1.0] Seraphine Guide - How To Play: Seraphina AKA Sona Thot V2.0

How do you play out a Seraphine early game?

At the very start of the game, immediately upgrade your Beat Drop , cast it, and wait until the cooldown to cast it again. Unless you are leashing your jungler, you will have time to cast your Beat Drop twice so your next one is empowered, and you will arrive lane with your next skill being empowered.

During laning phase, don't be afraid to poke. However, also respect your ADC and spectate what they are doing: do they want your lane to push towards your tower, do they want to slow push, or do they want to fast push? It depends on the elo you're in, but in any case try to poke using Seraphine's High Note and Beat Drop   while avoiding hitting the minions and stealing your ADC's gold. You are a support who needs less items than your ADC, and to make up for having less gold in the early game you have high base stats. Seraphine is an arguably overpowered pick into a large majority of the matchups because she is a mage built for midlane trying hard to be a support. She can do fine with little items, but also does too well without them.

If your skills are down, don't hesitate to use your auto attacks to poke the enemy champions. When the enemy ADC is leaning in for CS, about to last hit a minion, respond by attacking them but not leaning too close you draw minion aggro after the attack. This is a good tactic to proc your Summon Aery easily. The enemy ADC will have to pick between last hitting for the gold, or taking harass, and eventually you will wear them down that they are too scared to walk up for CS. This is a guaranteed way to easily win and carry your lane if you do this effectively.

Remember to ward the brushes leading into the river around the two minute mark if the enemy jungler starts at the opposite side. If they start near your side, it is unlikely they will gank you since the optimal jungling route is for you to clear the camps on one side and go onto the other. Therefore, if the start on your side, ward the brush at three minutes. If you are unsure of where the jungler starts, ward the brush at two minutes or even earlier if you have a feeling they are going to gank you soon. The deeper the ward, the better, but don't die for a single yellow ward.

In the mid game, remember to buy the red ward. Two people on one team - one of which should be the jungler, and the other either the support or midlane should have a red ward after early game. Have the initiative to get the red ward yourself if nobody on your team has it, because it is the only item that can negate vision from the enemy team and help you secure objectives or plan out ambushes with your team.

Use your ultimate sparingly. Your ultimate can singlehandedly win fights, or even win games. At this point, the laning phase should almost be or already be over. Look to roam to other lanes, help push or help get picks, and focus on clearing major objectives such as drake, baron, and ask your jungler if you can have the blue buff if you are having mana problems.

Your role in teamfights is to shield your team and protect your ADC, to initiate teamfights, to CC and provide damage. If your ADC is undeniably behind, ditch them and accompany someone else in your team who is more fed or has more expertise than your ADC. Make sure you always have your empowered passive up, and when walking back from recalling use your skills along the way. Use your shield for the speed buff when walking back. Every second matters.

Keep your eye on the map, and don't group too much in one lane or area. If no fights are happening and the game is at a stalemate, ask yourself: how can I maximize my income, and how can I put myself in the lead? This might be clearing jungle camps, pinging to go to an empty lane, preparing to secure an objective, et cetera. However, as a support, you can't go willy nilly on your own. If your team decides to ARAM and go mid for no reason and share experience and gold together, instead of going literally top or bottom where there's nobody and there's a large minion wave which is free gold, don't go on your own. Your absence in a teamfight may or may not lose the game, unless your team is being really silly then by all means do your own thing, go bot and get that cash, gurl. 

At this point, everyone is near to equal footing, where everyone has the nearly the same amount of gold and everyone is the same level. The game feels like a fluctuating stalemate, where the lead is going to nobody. How can you win and finally put this game to rest?

Check: itemization, is it optimal, or can I sell and build something else that is better for their teamcomp? Check: do you have vision around the objectives? Check: do you know where the enemy is, and where they are concentrated? If the enemy is all mid and nobody is bot or top, encourage your team for only three to defend mid and splitpush bot or top. Three or even two powerful wave clearers are usually enough to fend off the minion wave. In the late game, you should be making sure your minion waves are all pushed out and making sure you pick the right fights.

At this point, the late game is up to your own wits. If the enemy team is fed, stall and get gold. Don't mindlessly start fights you can't win for no reason, or fight in the enemy jungle. Keep track of death timers: is their ADC, or their damage dealer dead? Is their jungler dead, and can we start baron or drake? Is their jungler on the other side of the map visibly pushing the lane? 

For Seraphine specifically, her saving grace is her ultimate in the late game. To start or finish fights from a safe distance. Stick near your ADC, and poke the enemy down. At this point, Seraphine is arguably at her weakest or her strongest - it's more of a coinflip dependant on the enemy champions you're fighting.