League of Legends Diana Guide: Best Build, Runes & Combos

Diana is a powerful AP assassin-fighter in League of Legends who excels at diving the backline and bursting down squishy targets. With her high mobility, strong wave clear, and explosive all-in potential, Diana is a deadly pick in both mid lane and jungle. Once she hits level 6, her engage power skyrockets, allowing her to snowball hard and dominate fights with well-timed ultimates. In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to master Diana—from her best build and rune setup to the core combos that let you delete enemies in seconds.

Diana Abilities Overview in League of Legends

Diana is a burst-heavy AP assassin with strong engage and dueling potential. Her abilities allow her to close gaps quickly, deal massive AoE damage, and reset for continuous combos. Here’s a full breakdown of her kit:

Passive – Moonsilver Blade
Every third basic attack deals bonus magic damage in an area and grants bonus attack speed for a few seconds after casting an ability. This makes her auto attacks hit harder during trades and clears.

Q – Crescent Strike
Diana fires an arcing energy wave that deals magic damage and applies Moonlight to enemies hit. Moonlight marks targets, enabling her to dash to them with her E.

W – Pale Cascade
Diana shields herself and creates three orbs that orbit her, dealing magic damage when they hit enemies. If all three orbs hit, the shield refreshes. Great for both trading and burst damage.

E – Lunar Rush
Diana dashes to an enemy, dealing magic damage. If the target is affected by Moonlight from her Q, the cooldown is reset. This allows her to gap close repeatedly in fights when timed correctly.

R – Moonfall
Diana pulls in nearby enemies and slows them briefly. If she pulls in at least one enemy, it detonates after a short delay, dealing massive AoE magic damage. This is her main team fight tool and burst finisher.

Diana’s kit revolves around chaining Q → E → W into R for maximum burst. Timing and proper resets are key to unlocking her full potential and dominating fights.

How To Play Diana In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells for Diana in League of Legends

The best summoner spell combo for Diana is Flash + Smite when played in the jungle, or Flash + Ignite when played in the mid lane.
• Flash is a must-pick on Diana for repositioning, chasing, or escaping, and it also lets you pull off unexpected combos like Flash + R to engage.
• Smite is essential if you’re playing her in the jungle, helping with faster clears and objective control.
• Ignite works great in mid lane for extra kill pressure, especially when you’re looking to snowball early and burst down squishy targets.

Always adjust based on your role and playstyle, but Flash is the one constant in every Diana loadout.

Best Runes for Diana in League of Legends

Diana works best with a rune setup that boosts her burst damage and lets her stick to targets during fights. Here’s the most effective rune page whether you’re playing her in mid lane or jungle:

Primary Path: Precision
• Conqueror – Stacks quickly with Diana’s combo and auto attacks, giving her sustained damage and healing in extended fights.
• Triumph – Restores health after takedowns, helping her survive during team fights or tower dives.
• Legend: Tenacity – Reduces the duration of crowd control, allowing Diana to stay mobile and keep fighting.
• Coup de Grace – Increases damage to low-health enemies, perfect for finishing off targets after your combo.

Secondary Path: Domination
• Sudden Impact – Grants bonus magic penetration after dashing with Lunar Rush (E), boosting burst damage.
• Treasure Hunter – Gives extra gold on takedowns to help you snowball faster, especially effective in jungle.

Bonus Stats:
• +Attack Speed
• +Adaptive Force
• +Health or Magic Resist (based on matchup)

This rune setup gives Diana everything she needs to dominate early skirmishes, burst down key targets, and scale into a teamfight monster.

Best Build for Diana in League of Legends

Diana’s ideal build focuses on burst damage, survivability, and cooldown reduction to help her dive in, deal massive AoE damage, and stay alive long enough to reset. Whether you play her mid or jungle, this core setup gives her strong early-game power and late-game carry potential.

Starting Items:
• Doran’s Ring + Health Potion (Mid Lane)
• Gustwalker’s Smite + Refillable Potion (Jungle)

Core Items:
• Nashor’s Tooth – A must-have for Diana, giving her attack speed, AP, and on-hit damage that synergizes perfectly with her passive.
• Hextech Rocketbelt – Provides burst, mobility, and magic penetration—perfect for diving into the backline and setting up her combo.
• Zhonya’s Hourglass – Crucial for surviving after engaging. Use it right after Moonfall (R) to avoid getting blown up.

Situational Items:
• Rabadon’s Deathcap – For maximum AP scaling and insane burst damage in the late game.
• Void Staff – Ideal against teams stacking magic resist.
• Banshee’s Veil – Helps block critical crowd control or poke before going in.
• Shadowflame – Strong pick for snowballing when enemies have low MR or shielding.

Boots:
• Sorcerer’s Shoes – Best for maximizing damage with magic penetration.
• Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads – Situational options when you need more durability against AD or CC-heavy comps.

This build gives Diana the perfect balance of burst, survivability, and cooldowns to carry team fights and pick off targets fast. Adapt your items based on the enemy comp and how the game is going.

Best Combos to Learn for Diana in League of Legends

Diana’s strength lies in her ability to burst down enemies quickly and reset her dash for continued pressure. Learning her key combos will help you win trades, secure kills, and dominate team fights. Here’s what you need to know:

Basic Combo (All-in):
Q → E → W → Auto → R → Auto
Start with Crescent Strike (Q) to mark your target, dash in with Lunar Rush (E), activate Pale Cascade (W) for damage and shielding, then use your auto attacks and Moonfall (R) to finish them off. This is your go-to burst combo for deleting squishy targets.

Instant Engage Combo:
Flash → R → W → Auto → Q → E
Use Flash + R to instantly engage and pull enemies in, then follow with W and autos for damage. Finish with Q → E to reset and chase survivors. This is perfect for surprise team fight initiations.

Jungle Clear Combo:
Q → E → W → Auto Reset
When farming camps, always Q to mark, E to close the gap, and W to activate your shield while dealing AoE damage. Use passive-empowered autos to speed up your clear.

Double Dash Combo:
Q → E → Auto → R → Q (again) → E (reset)
Use your first Q → E combo on one target, then look to cast Q on another nearby marked enemy after using your R, allowing for a second E reset and extended chase.

Weave in autos between spells to trigger Diana’s passive for extra damage. Once you get used to chaining Q and E properly while managing your cooldowns, you’ll be able to cleanly delete enemies and dominate fights with ease.

Conclusion

Diana is a powerful and versatile champion in League of Legends, capable of bursting down enemies and carrying team fights with well-timed engages. Whether you’re playing her in the jungle or mid lane, mastering her build, runes, and combos will help you snowball early and dominate late-game fights. With her mobility, AoE damage, and reset potential, Diana can be a game-changing pick in the right hands. Stick to the fundamentals, learn when to go in, and you’ll start turning fights—and entire games—in your favor.