Full Soraka Guide S12 Kickoff Contest
[Soraka] [Support]
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January 1st, 1 ⸱ 17 min read
Intro
Hello dear Summoner,
this guide shall help you to get into the thoughts of a Soraka player. First things first, you are a supporter, not a carry, so please don't get ahead of yourself.
My summoner name is "Henrynator11", I have been playing League of Legends since season 3 on EUW. My peak rank was diamond and my main role is support since I started playing.
I recommend to play Soraka, because she has always been a very strong champion. But right now, she is shining more than ever, since "Moonstone" was released. No other support can compete with the strength of her heals.
But that is also Sorakas biggest problem. Right now, assasins are very popular, which means that they are very likely to target her or burst the AD Carry. Since she has many ways to peel for an ADC/Carry, she has no way to escape an all-in. Which means that positioning and warding are very important for her (that rule applies to everyone!).
It is recommended to play with a premade/friends in order to tell them that you should ward or contest wards together (very important!). As a Soraka you have to protect your ADC, but so does the ADC if he/she wants to stay alive.
(Everything is summarized in "Matchups and synergies)
Runes (Loadout)
I recommend these runes, since Aery is very good for healing and dealing damage in the early game, but if you want to play a safe lane, guardian is the way to go.
Summoner Spells (Loadout)
It is recommended to choose flash and heal as summoner spells, because flash is your only way to escape an all-in. The summoner spell heal will be buffed via "revitalize" and your items (ardent censer, staff of flowing water, etc.).
Exhaust is a good spell against assasins/ all-in characters like Tristana, since it reduces the enemys damage by 40%.
Ignite is only recommended when you play against other healer support like Sona, Nami, (etc.), because ignite reduces the incomming healing effects.
- Summs (Role 1)
- New Group
- New Group
Skill Path
Maxing the W on Soraka is very good, since it makes her healing stronger and her reduces the cooldown on it (down to 2 seconds!). But it is also important to mention that you always pay with 10% of your maximum health for every heal (except you you hit your Q before, which reduces the healingcost by 80 - 100%). Your healing is also increased
Her ultimate removes "Grievous Wounds" Which is very important for teamfights (the healing of her ultimate is also increased ,when her teammates are blow 40% health, by 50%)
Soraka
Item Builds
It is important to go early for the ionian boots, since they give you ability haste and spell haste, which are both very good for Soraka.
Moonstone is in my opinion better than Shurelya's Battlesong, because the effect of MS (Moonstone) is better for teamfights. Shurelya's gives movementspeed, but I don't think that wont do any good, since almost every assassin has nowadays a gapcloser/dash. Outhealing the damage is the way to go (in my opinion). Of course there are some games where Shurelya's Battlesong is recommended, but MS boosts your healing even more, what I favor, when I want to "burstheal" my ADC if he/she gets attacked.
Matchups and Synergies
Pros:
- Strong healing
- Very fast (if you land a Q)
- Can block entire combos/Champions with her E/Silence (e.g. Katarina, Leona, etc.)
- Global heal (can safe others from a towerdive)
- Can remove Grievous Wounds
- Very good for a hypercarry like Vayne or Jinx
- Good sustain against poke comps (e.g. Caitlyn & Lux)
- Very good late game
- Has (very) good synergy with almost every ADC
Cons:
- Very squishy before Warmogs
- Very weak in the early game
- Easily punishable for wrong positioning/ no wards
- Hooks, all-ins, etc. are basically death
(- You have to accept that you are not the star and take the sacrifice)
Don't get too close (because his combo is deadly)
You can out heal his damage easily though.
Not a problem at all. Only if he lands his stun, so be careful when you stay next to walls/minions/teammates.
Very dangerous. His hooks basically mean death to you (except you flash it). Just try to stay behind your minions and don't give him a chance to hook you.
You can outheal his damage easily though, when the ADC gets hooked.
He has alot of poke, but as long as you don't get hit by it / land your Q as well, it shouldn't be a big problem. He has nothing after his Combo, so play aggressive when he misses his E+Q or W+Q.
Pretty boring laningphase, but you take it, since your heal is insane in the late game. Be careful when he hits his LvL6 Powerspike. You should also be careful when you are staying to close to his minions (He can jump to them and all in you with his Q and his ADC).
You can out heal his damage easily though.
He has a short range, so poking him isn't too much of a problem. But you be careful when he goes into bushes, since he can all-in you.
Try to counter his ultimate/ganks with your ultimate.
You can out heal his damage easily though.
You can play very aggresive, if she misses her Q. Both of you scale very good into the late game, but your peel for the ADC should be better/as good as her peel.
It is easy to trade with her, since her range is about the same as yours. But be careful when she gets too close, that's when it gets very dangerous (because of her W/Root).
You can out heal herdamage easily though.
Stay behind your ADC most of the game (rather out of her initiation range), because her all-in means death.
You can counter her all-in when you put your silence underneath the target that gets hit by her E (cause she can't Q or Ult when she is in your Silence).
This works even if you get hit by her (but you have to be quick there).
You can play rather aggressive against Lulu, since she has a short range, but don't waste your Silence, since it important to place it under Lulu when she and her ADC decide to go all in.
Her polymorph is also very strong.
It is recommended to wait for a gank or to play safe, the playstyle depends on your ADC and the enemies. If you have a hypercarry, it is better to play safe, but if you have a strong early ADC (e.g. Lucian) it is recommended to play aggressive.
A rather tough matchup. She has longrange poke, which isn't a nice, since you can't sustain, because of your rather short ranged Q.
Her powerspike is when she hits LvL6. She may be able to kill you with her full combo.
Try to place the silence underneath her, so that she has to get closer.
You can play more aggressive when she misses her Q.
Strong when he all-ins you, but it is easy to outplay it with your silence (put it underneath the person he engages).
Also stay as far away from bushes as possible.
His LvL6 can be dangerous in lane, since you can't really escape it, so be careful not to push too hard when he has his ultimate.
You can out heal his damage easily though.
When she lands her binding, you will definetly get a lot of DMG or die (that depends on your game stage).
If you manage to dodge that, everything should be easy. Don't get too close to her, since her ultimate will also probably kill you, when she has backup + Zhonyas.
Start to play aggressive when she misses her binding.
A very tough matchup. His hooks mean basically death. Stay as far away as possible from him and try to hide behind minions when he has his hook.
He has a huge powerspike when he hits LvL6, so be careful not to get too close to him, even when he misses his hook.
You can outheal his damage easily though, when the ADC gets hooked.
You can play aggresive, if she misses her bubble. Both of you scale very good into the late game, but your peel for the ADC is better, by far.
Be careful who you are playing against, since combos like Nami+Lucian are very dangerous for you. It is recommended to play safe in laning phase and wait for ganks, since she is an easy target.
A very tough matchup. His hooks mean basically death. Stay as far away as possible from him and try to hide behind minions when he has his hook.
He has a huge powerspike when he hits LvL6, so be careful not to get too close to him, even when he misses his hook.
You can counter his ultimate by using your ultimate (your casttime is faster than his).
Try to place the silence underneath him, so he cancels his hook/can't escape by using his dash.
You can play rather aggressive here in the early game.
But be careful when he is close, because his knockup means a potential death.
He becomes even more scary when he hits LvL6, so keep your distance to him and you should be fine.
Place your silence underneath him if possible, so he can't engage/escape
A very rare matchup.
You can play rather aggressive here in the early game.
But be careful when she is close, because her knockup means a potential death.
She becomes even more scary when she hits LvL6, so keep your distance to him and you should be fine.
Place your silence underneath her if possible, so she can't engage.
You can play aggresive, if she misses her root. Both of you scale very good into the late game, your peel for the ADC is better, by far, but her damage+range is also very dangerous.
It is recommended to punish her in the early game, ask the jungler if he can camp you in order to stop/delay her scaling.
You can play aggresive, if she misses her root. Both of you scale very good into the late game, but your peel for the ADC is better, by far. She outdamages you though in almost every aspect.
Be careful when she hits LvL6, since she can charm your whole team.
A very easy matchup. You can easily poke him, since he has a very short range.
Be aware that if he gets too close, you are most likely to take a lot of damage / die (depending on the game stage). He can get very close with his (hex)flash. You should rather stay away from bushes then and watch him closely, if he wants to use his hexflash.
It is recommended to wait for a gank or to play safe. The playstyle depends on your ADC and the enemies though. If you have a hypercarry, it is better to play safe, but if you have a strong early ADC (e.g. Lucian) it is recommended to play aggressive.
She can peel for the ADC as good as you, so it is rather depending on the team, than on you/her (because the kit of her is very equal to Soraka's).
Be careful when she reaches LvL6 that's when she is able to all-in you with her ultimate.
A very tough matchup. His hooks mean basically death. Stay as far away as possible from him and try to hide behind minions when he has his hook.
He has a huge powerspike when he hits LvL6, so be careful not to get too close to him, even when he misses his hook. He can still flay you into his ultimate.
You can outheal his damage easily though, when the ADC gets hooked.
An annoying laning phase, since he will only poke with his long range. You can sustain that though if you hit your Q, but you have to sidestep alot.
Try to get pushed in, because he is an easy target to gank.
Silence him, as soon as he uses his ultimate, it will cancel his ultimate.
An annoying laning phase, since he will only poke with his long range. You can sustain that though if you hit your Q, but you have to sidestep alot.
Try to get pushed in, because he is an easy target to gank.
Silence him, if possible, as soon as he uses his ultimate, it will cancel his ultimate.
It is recommended to wait for a gank or to play safe. The playstyle depends on your ADC and the enemies though. If you have a hypercarry, it is better to play safe, but if you have a strong early ADC (e.g. Lucian) it is recommended to play aggressive.
She can peel for the ADC as good as you, maybe even better, so it is rather depending on the team, than on you/her (because the kit of her is very equal to Soraka's).
Be careful when she reaches LvL6 that's when she is able to all-in you with her ultimate.
A very rare matchup.
After he misses his first bomb, you can start to poke him, since your Q outheals his damage in the early game. But be careful that you don't get too close to him, since his slow is very strong.
Killing him/his ADC will be though, when he has reached LvL 6. You can only achieve that through poke or a gank from a jungler.
When she lands her root, you will definetly get a lot of DMG or die (that depends on your game stage).
Even if you manage to dodge that it will be hard to poke her, because her plants deal a lot of damage. Healing your ADC should be your priority.
Just play the laning phase slowly and safe.
A very good synergy, since he needs a lot of peel in order to deal damage.
He is able to carry with you, but don't pick this combo into a full assasin team or a CC composition.
Be careful not to get engaged in the early game.
A very good synergy, since she needs a lot of peel in order to deal damage.
She is able to carry with you, but don't pick this combo into a full assasin team or a CC composition.
Be careful not to get engaged in the early game.
A very good synergy. It is easy for you to stay behind and peel for your ADC since she has a very long auto attack range.
He is strong on his own and shouldn't be botlane. The synergy isn't too good, since he has a short range before LvL6 the laning phase will be most likely tough.
But if he gets some kills, he should be able to carry with you on his side.
Be careful not to get baited by him though, since he has a dash/ an escape.
A really good synergy. Draven loves it to get peeled in every game stage. CC, hooks and assasins are his greatest weaknesses though, so you should ban Leona, BC (etc.) to have a good game.
Ezreal and Soraka don't work together really well, since Ezreal is able to peel himself/ escape with arcane shift.
Despite that, it is easy for you to stay behind, since Ezreal has alot of poke and range with his Q.
The only thing you have to worry about is your positioning.
Good synergy, if you build "Shurelya's Battlesong", because both of you like it to get some movementspeed. Jhin will probably outrun you most of the time in the late game.
A really good synergy, since Jinx is known for being one of the best hypercarries. As long as she has a good laningphase, you should be good.
CC, hooks and assasins are his greatest weaknesses though, so you should ban Leona, BC (etc.) to have a good game.
You two can carry a whole game, when the requirements are fulfilled.
A dangerous, but good synergy. Since Kai'Sa has a short range, she will most likely go very close to the enemies, which is very dangerous for you. But if she gets fed, you two can faceroll the whole laningphase, maybe the whole game.
Her biggest enemies are CC and long range poke.
A very bad choice. There is almost no synergy. It's hard for you to trigger her W passive and you can only use her ultimate as an escape.
A really good synergy, since Kog'Maw is known for being one of the best hypercarries. As long as he has a good laningphase, you should be good.
CC, hooks and assasins are his greatest weaknesses though, so you should ban Leona, BC (etc.) to have a good game.
You two can carry a whole game, when the requirements are fulfilled.
A rather bad synergy, since Lucian is a early/mid game ADC, while Soraka can use her full potential in the mid/late game. You also can't really follow up, since he has a dash and alot of damage, things you don't have.
You should rather play Nami with electrocute.
You two together are okay. There isn't really a synergy, but it is always nice to have a healer as an ADC.
When MF ults, she will most likely get interrupted or engaged, since she can't move while she ults. You should try your best to heal her or to interrupt the enemies with your silence.
A dangerous, but good synergy. Since Samira has a short range, she will most likely go very close to the enemies, which is very dangerous for you. But if she gets fed, you two can faceroll the whole laningphase, maybe the whole game.
Her biggest enemies are CC and long range poke.
When Sivir goes full crit your synergy is quite nice, since her ultimate allows you to be faster as well. It is adviced to build "Shurelya's Battlesong", because that will boost the movementspeed from both of you.
If Sivir goes lethality/poke, you shouldn't pick Soraka. You can't help her with poking the enemies like Lux, Xerath, (etc.). You can only try to peel for others, since Sivir should be able to peel herself with her spellshield, ultimate and passive.
A rather good synergy, since Tristana has the most auto attack range (except for Senna) in the game (when she hits LvL18).
You can safe her when she jumps into enemies, when she becomes greedy, but be careful not to get baited, because Tristana gets a reset on her jump, as soon as she get a kill/assist.
Soraka and Varus work together pretty well, since Varus isn't able to peel himself.
He has a lot of range, because of his Q. So staying behind/next to him is very good.
His weaknesses are full CC and assassins.
A really good synergy, since Vayne is known for being one of the best hypercarries. As long as she has a good laningphase, you should be good.
CC and hooks are her greatest weaknesses though, so you should ban Leona, BC (etc.) to have a good game.
You two can carry a whole game, when the requirements are fulfilled.
A very good synergy, since Xayah is a good allrounder. She can peel from assassins and a lot of CC, by casting her ult. As soon as she did that, she needs you in order to stay alive.
Just play the laning phase slowly and safely.
