League of Legends Swain Guide: Best Build, Runes, Items, Combos

Swain is a powerful battle mage in League of Legends who thrives in extended fights by draining the life out of his enemies and turning their aggression against them. Known for his strong crowd control, sustain, and AoE damage, Swain can dominate midlane or support with the right strategy. In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about his best build, runes, items, and key combos so you can take full advantage of his scaling power and become a force to be reckoned with in every match.

Swain Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Swain’s abilities make him a relentless presence in teamfights, with crowd control, sustain, and the power to turn chaos into strength:

Passive – Ravenous Flock: Swain can pull immobilized enemies with his right-click, dealing magic damage and ripping out Soul Fragments that heal him and increase his max health.

Q – Death’s Hand: Swain unleashes a cone of bolts that damage enemies. If multiple bolts hit the same target, the damage stacks, making it deadly at close range.

W – Vision of Empire: Swain sends out a long-range eye that explodes on contact, slowing enemies and revealing them. It also grants a Soul Fragment and heals Swain if it hits a champion.

E – Nevermove: Swain throws forward a wave of energy that roots any enemy it hits after a delay. If it connects, Swain can instantly pull them in with his passive.

R – Demonic Ascension: Swain transforms, draining life from all nearby enemies and healing himself. After a few seconds, he can recast the ability to release Demonflare, dealing burst magic damage based on the health he drained.

These abilities make Swain a sustain-heavy control mage who can thrive in the center of a fight, especially when paired with good crowd control.

How To Play Swain In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells For Swain

The best summoner spells for Swain are Flash and Teleport (for top or mid lane), or Flash and Ignite (if you’re playing him as a support or going for lane dominance). Flash gives Swain the mobility he lacks naturally, allowing you to reposition for a clutch root or escape sticky situations. Ignite helps secure kills with extra damage and healing reduction, while Teleport is ideal for scaling lanes and macro pressure.

Best Runes For Swain

The best runes for Swain are usually from the Domination tree with Electrocute as the keystone, paired with Inspiration secondary. This setup boosts his burst damage and utility:

Primary (Domination):
• Electrocute
• Cheap Shot
• Eyeball Collection
• Ultimate Hunter

Secondary (Inspiration):
• Biscuit Delivery
• Cosmic Insight

Stat Shards:
• Adaptive Force
• Adaptive Force
• Health Scaling or Armor/Magic Resist depending on the matchup

This rune setup helps Swain land punishing combos and scale into teamfights where he thrives with sustain and AoE damage.

Best Build For Swain

The best build for Swain in League of Legends focuses on ability power, sustain, and durability so he can thrive in teamfights and drain-tank effectively. Start with Liandry’s Anguish for sustained damage and health burn, then follow up with Rylai’s Crystal Scepter to apply slows and improve your catch potential. Add Zhonya’s Hourglass for survivability and outplay potential, especially when diving or using your ultimate aggressively. Demonic Embrace is a great choice for bonus health and damage over time, while Spirit Visage or Abyssal Mask can boost healing and survivability against magic damage. Finish the build with Sorcerer’s Shoes for magic penetration or Plated Steelcaps/Mercury’s Treads if you need more durability.

Best Combos To Learn For Swain

The best Swain combos revolve around landing his root to set up high burst and sustain damage. A simple trade combo is E → Q → W → auto attack, where you root with Nevermove (E), follow up with Death’s Hand (Q), then cast Vision of Empire (W) for damage and a slow. For all-ins, use Flash → E → Q → R → W to catch enemies off guard, burst them with Q, pop your ultimate (Ravenous Flock), and zone them out with W. In teamfights, try E → Q → R to root and drain multiple enemies at once while staying in the fight and healing. If you miss the initial E root, wait for the pull tether, recast E, then quickly follow with W and Q. These combos make Swain a dangerous control mage who can lock down targets, deal consistent AoE damage, and survive through heavy fights.

Conclusion

Swain is a powerful pick for players who enjoy dominating teamfights with crowd control, sustained damage, and self-healing. By mastering his ability combos and choosing the right build and runes, you can turn Swain into a tanky battle mage who thrives in extended engagements. Whether you’re playing mid or support, understanding Swain’s timing and positioning will let you control fights and carry games with ease.