The basis that you want to follow during laning phase is positioning in a manner where you can catch an enemy if they misstep. Sylas (if E lands) has one of the highest damage pre-6 trading patterns in the game making him a very good champion at catching a mispositioned enemy.
- In low elo, enemy supports will often step up too far from their ADC, breaking the triangulation that protects them from an engage. Sylas's dash before chain can cover a very large distance that can quickly turn the situation into a 1v2 trade.
- An important term here, which is triangulation, describes the invisible triangle that is drawn between all you and the 3 other players in the bot lane. Generally, each champion wants to stay a straight line with their ally in order to protect each other and prevent a 1v2 situation from occuring. Make sure to keep your ADC safe and look for turning opportunities vs enemies that step up too far during a trade.
During midgame / lane swap phase (14-15 min) you want to rotate around with your jungler or whoever carries high pick potential and try to catch enemies. Sylas excels at ganking / engaging onto caught out enemies due to the length that he can cover with his E. Roaming around, especially playing around objectives, will be more effective than just staying in a lane.
- To make the chance of your chains hitting as high as possible, use your dash to position yourself in an angle where the enemy has fewer angles to dodge / sidestep to (for example dashing towards terrain to prevent an enemy from dodging backward)
If you did not fall behind and reach 2-3 items in time or are ahead, your E-E-a-a-W-a should one-shot most squishy champs, especially if you properly proc Dark Harvest or Electrocute. This is Sylas's strongest moment during the game as his healing and damage is unmatched by most champs at the 20-25 minute mark.
- As the build is glass cannon, Sylas is still vulnerable in situations where he is outnumbered and/or gets caught. Play around powerful allies and assess where all the enemies are before looking for an engage to prevent getting caught by unknown enemies.
In late game, Sylas is incapable of healing enough to survive long enough in fights to be as impactful as he was during midgame. Although the damage will be very high, so will the enemies. You have to play very careful and look to execute squishy targets as they are guaranteed to be one-shot.
- With the dash before the chains, it is very possible to position yourself in a manner where you are capable of weaving / flashing onto a carry who you can delete if they are caught off guard. Take advantage of enemy squishies mispositioning and stepping out too far.
Generally, in low elo players will misposition in lanes and walk up too far during fights. The distance Sylas can cover and his potential for burst damage makes him one of the most capable champions at punishing the enemies in such cases. It is possible to play the same build in Jungle and Mid, whereas less of a glass cannon build is recommended for bring him Top. Many players will not even imagine Sylas going support and be confused by the flex pick and not know how to play against it.
Good Luck and Have Fun In Your Games!
