Looking for a strong mage that you can use in the Mid Lane? Do you like scaling champions? Does having a strong steampunk aesthetic interest you? Then you came to the right place! In this guide we’ll show you everything you need to know to get you started playing Orianna, the Lady of Clockwork.

Orianna is a champion that is best described as having a lot of utility. She’s a very strong mage that gets stronger as the game goes on. She has everything you could possibly want from a control mage at the Mid Lane. Thanks to her utility, she can be blind picked most of the time as she tends to do well against most champions; even those that specifically counter her play style. Orianna’s kit has great burst, excellent zoning, good range, and high crowd control. She can be a bit difficult to play at first but once you get the hang of it, you’ll have yourself a champion that can change the tides of a game to your favor.

Abilities

Orianna’s abilities are all about dealing damage. Her AoE crowd control abilities, in particular, stand out and are among the best in the game.

Passive – Clockwork Windup

Orianna’s basic attacks deal additional magic damage. This damage increases by 20%, stacking to a max of 40%.

While it may seem like a small factor in hindsight, Clockwork Windup is actually a big difference maker. Orianna’s passive is a big reason why you should incorporate some basic attacks in your combos and trade patterns.

Q – Command: Attack

Orianna commands her Ball to shoot toward a target location, dealing magic damage to targets along the way. However, it deals 10% less for each unit it hits (Minimum 40%).

Her Ball remains behind at the target location afterwards.

This is Arianna’s main source of damage and the core ability that all other abilities revolve around. You can use this to poke and deal damage. Proper placement of the Ball is key to winning trades and what you should master to bully opponents in lane.

W – Command: Dissonance

Orianna commands her Ball to release an electric pulse, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies. The pulse leaves behind an energy field for 3 seconds, lowering enemy Movement Speed and increasing ally Movement Speed for 2 seconds. This effect diminishes over time.

Orianna’s second ability is a good source of crowd control and wave clear. You’ll primarily be using it right after you use Command: Attack to deal the most damage possible.

E – Command: Protect

Passive: The Ball adds Armor and Magic Resist to the allied champion it is attached to.

Active: Orianna commands her Ball to travel to and attach onto an allied champion, shielding them for 2.5 seconds. Enemies the Ball passes through along the way take magic damage.

Command: Protect is a great way to deal damage as well as supporting your teammates. Attaching the Ball to a target is a great way to buff up their resistances while also dealing damage to enemies it passes through.

R – Command: Shockwave

Orianna commands the Ball to unleash a shockwave after a brief delay, dealing magic damage to nearby enemies and flinging them into the air a set distance in the duration of the ball.

Command: Shockwave is one of the best crowd control abilities in the game. It sucks in enemies and knocks them up towards the Ball while dealing damage. It’s an absolute game changer when executed perfectly in team fights.

Runes and Item Builds

When it comes to items, your sole focus on Orianna should be to build ability power items in order to increase her magic damage.

Starting Items

Orianna has two choices when starting the game. The better overall choice is Doran’s Ring since it gives her everything she needs to make it out of the laning phase. The other good option is Tear of the Goddess since it can be built into one of her core items. However, going with Tear of the Goddess first will reduce Orianna’s early game damage. 

Mythic Item

When it comes to Mythic items, you have two choices, Luden’s Tempest or Everfrost. Luden’s Tempest is the better overall option if you want to deal more burst damage. The extra mobility it provides is also great for repositioning. Everfrost, on the other hand, also gives the stats Orianna needs while also giving her another layer of CC in her kit. Both of them are great and what you choose should mostly boil down to your personal preference.

Full Build

After purchasing your desired Mythic, it’s time to upgrade into tier 2 boots. Since Orianna is a mage, you’ll be going with Sorcerer’s Shoes. Next, you’ll need Archangel’s Staff to help you solve your mana problems early on. Shadowflame is up next cause it gives you a ton of damage. For survivability, you’ll need Zhonya’s Hourglass. Finally, top off your build with a Morellonomicon so that your damage dealing abilities will inflict Grievous Wounds to your targets.

Runes

For your runes, go with the Sorcery tree and take Summon Aery as your keystone. This will allow you to deal more damage or increase the shield power of your Q and E ability. Next, take Manaflow Band to sustain your mana, Transcendence to improve your cooldown reduction, and Scorch to deal more damage. For your secondaries, take Biscuit Delivery and Time Warp Tonic from the Inspiration tree. These runes will increase your sustain early on. For rune shards, take Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Magic Resist.

Useful Tips

1. A popular tactic on Orianna is using Command: Protect on an ally that will initiate a fight and once they’re in the thick of the enemy team, you’ll activate Command: Shockwave to follow up your team’s crowd control.
2. Orianna is countered by Irelia, Azir, Vel’Koz, Zed, and Yasuo. If you’re matched up against these champions, try to play it safe instead of being aggressive.
3. For your summoner spells, take Flash and Ignite to give you more utility and to help you secure early leads. If you want to play it safe, you can swap out Ignite for Heal, Barrier, or Cleanse.

So there you have it! That’s all you need to know about playing Akshan in League of Legends. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun and we’ll see you on the Rift!