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Playing Against Sylas
MidPatch 16.2.1
What They Do
Sylas is a high-mobility AP bruiser who excels at extended trades. He uses to gap-close, to out-sustain opponents when low on health, and hijacks enemy ultimates with to turn the tide of teamfights.
Abilities (What to Watch For)
| Ability | What You'll See | What It Means For You |
|---|---|---|
| Chains glowing white/gold | He has a stack of . His next auto-attack will deal AOE magic damage and he has increased attack speed. Don't stand near your minions when he has this. | |
| Two chains forming an 'X' on the ground | Initial hit slows, but the explosion at the center deals the real damage. Move horizontally to avoid the second proc of . | |
| A quick lunge/stab | This is his most dangerous spell. It's a point-and-click dash that deals damage and heals him. The lower his HP, the more heals him. | |
| A short dash followed by a chain skillshot | The first dash is a reposition; the second is a projectile that pulls him to you and knocks you up. Block with minions or dodge the second part to win the trade. | |
| A beam connecting Sylas to an ally | He has stolen an ultimate. Check your UI to see which teammate's he currently holds. He can only steal the same person's ult once every few minutes. |
Respect
- !Low HP baiting→Sylas wants you to commit when he is low health so he can get maximum value from the heal, potentially turning a guaranteed death into a double kill.
- !Level 3 All-in→Once he has , , and , he has a full rotation of CC, gap-close, and sustain. He can 100-0 most mages if he lands the full combo.
- !High-Impact Ultimates→If your team has ultimates like Malphite, Alistar, or Maokai, makes him a better version of those champions because he scales harder with AP.
- !E2 over walls→The second cast of can pull him over walls if it hits a target. He can use jungle camps to escape or engage from unexpected angles.
Punish
- +is on cooldown (13-10s)→This is his only reliable way to get on top of you. If he misses the chain, he is a sitting duck for poke and cannot easily follow up on ganks.
- +Level 1 and 2→Sylas is very weak before he has all three basic abilities. Poke him heavily with autos and spells every time he tries to touch the wave.
- +OOM (Out of Mana)→Sylas has high mana costs early. If he uses to farm, he won't have enough mana for the heal. Force him to choose between the wave and trading.
- +After he uses →Once his heal is used, he loses his primary 'outplay' button. All-in him immediately before the 12-6s cooldown comes back up.
Laning Tips
- •Always stand behind your caster minions. The second cast of is blocked by minions, preventing him from engaging.
- •Buy an early Oblivion Orb or Executioner's Calling. Cutting the heal from is the single most effective way to kill him.
- •If he hits you with the first part of , move sideways. Most of the damage is in the delayed explosion at the intersection.
- •Do not let him free-farm. He is melee; punish every single minion he tries to take with auto-attacks to keep his health low.
- •Watch his mana bar. A Sylas with 10% mana cannot cast his full combo and is forced to play passively.
- •Respect the procs. After he casts an ability, stay away from him so he can't use the empowered auto-attack on you.
Teamfight Warning
- ⚠Identify which ultimate he has stolen immediately. If he has a 'wombat combo' ult, don't group up in tight corridors.
- ⚠Sylas excels in skirmishes (2v2, 3v3). Try to force 5v5s where he can be burst down before getting multiple rotations.
- ⚠Focus him if he enters the fray. If you leave him at 20% HP, one cast can bring him back to 50% while killing your carry.
- ⚠Keep track of his usage in the jungle. He will try to flank over walls to reach the backline.
- ⚠Save your Ignite specifically for when he is below 40% health to negate the massive heal from .
AI-generated counterplay guide • Patch 16.2.1 • Cached