Introduction
Leona is a popular champion in the popular game League of Legends (LoL) and is well known for her tanky characteristics and team utility. As a ranged tank, Leona has the ability to initiate fights, protect her allies, and dive enemy carries. In this article, we will cover all you need to know about Leona, her abilities, and how to build her as a champion.
Overview of Leona
Leona is a tank champion with high crowd control (CC) and defensive potential in Teamfight Tactics (TFT). She is an absolute powerhouse for any TFT comp, capable of both preventing damage and dealing extensive amounts of it. While she may be slower to deploy than other champions, her kit can be very effective in team compositions of all kinds.
Leona is the perfect champion to provide front line protection and help keep your carries safe. She has extremely powerful abilities, which can disrupt your opponents long enough for your carries to clean up. Her passive gives her a wealth of survivability, while her relatively low mana cost allows her to reliably cycle through abilities in any situation. Her basic attacks even apply a Sunlight debuff that further increases her disruptive power.
When building around Leona, consider champions such as Sejuani, Maokai and Kayle who all provide frontline presence as well as protection skills that synergize with Leona’s kit nicely. As items will become more important later on in the game, consider HP items such as Frozen Heart or Deathblade on Leona for extra durability and damage output on ganks or team fights. All-in-all, remember that Leona is an incredibly versatile champion that can fit into nearly any team composition if you plan accordingly!
Abilities
Leona is a powerful and versatile tank champion in League of Legends who prefers to be played as a support. She brings massive crowd control, zoning potential, and tankyness to team fights. Her ultimate ability, Eclipse gives her immense zone control which forces enemies out of position, making it easier for your teammates to pick up kills.
Leona’s basic abilities are: Shield of Daybreak (Q), Eclipse (W), Zenith Blade (E) and Solar Flare (R).
- Shield of Daybreak is Leona’s main form of poke/scaling damage. Upon casting it, she slams her shield down dealing physical damage in an area around her target. It also grants her a short burst of armor and magic resistance for 3 seconds as well as apply a “Mark Of The Day” debuff on the target for 4 seconds which can be procced once again with any other ability or auto attacks during this time period to consume the debuff and deal bonus damage.
- Eclipse is Leona’s signature crowd-control ability that shields her from all incoming damage for 1.5 seconds in an area around her while simultaneously dealing magical damage within the same area. During the duration, anyone caught inside is slowed by 25% decaying over 2s while they stand inside its effective range.
- Zenith Blade is an average range targeted dash where Leona will dash towards a targeted direction dealing massive amounts of magic damage all along its path before returning back to her original position, if interrupted halfway through she will stay there instead until 6 seconds pass by or until another cast happens out from there again after which it will pull Leona back towards the original direction from where she jumped out before.
- Last but not least is Solar Flare, her ultimate abilitiy which deals massive amounts of damage all across the target location while stunning any enemy who stays inside while stunned those enemies take 33% increased magic damages sources after the initial 1 second stun period on impact.
Strengths
Leona is a powerful tank champion in League of Legends and her kit is filled with abilities that make her a great addition to any team. Her passive and Q abilities provide her with a great combination of crowd control and damage, allowing her to hold her own in most fights. Her W increases her survivability, making it easy for her to engage in teamfights without fear of dying quickly. Finally, her E and R abilities make her incredibly hard to kill and provide her with an effective way to disrupt enemies.
Let’s look at all of Leona’s strengths in more detail:
- Passive and Q abilities provide a great combination of crowd control and damage.
- W increases survivability.
- E and R abilities make her incredibly hard to kill and provide an effective way to disrupt enemies.
Survivability
Leona is a tank champion, a champion that specializes in absorbing damage and protecting their team. Her defensive stats should not be underestimated; she has high base health, armor, and magic resistance which make her capable of surviving tough encounters and fights. Due to this durability, Leona can initiate teamfights with her abilities.
She is also durable because of her passive ability, Sunlight. Sunlight’s passive effect grants bonus armor and magic resistance to nearby allies based on the number of nearby enemy champions. This bonus increases with level and grants Leona more survivability in teamfights. Furthermore, Sunlight’s active effects grant bonus armor and magic resistances to all nearby allies which further increases their defenses against enemy attacks for a few seconds.
Finally, her ultimate ability Solar Flare gives Leona even more survivability by knocking up enemies around her as well as stunning them for longer periods if they are caught inside the center of it. This ability allows teammates to safely reposition while providing some additional crowd control which helps both defensively or offensively depending on the situation.
Crowd Control
Leona is a powerful tank with an impressive kit that allows her to bring an immense amount of crowd control and disruption to team-fights. Her ultimate, Solar Eclipse, deals heavy AoE damage while granting Leona invulnerability and crowd control that can be used to protect allies or set up kills.
Additionally, her other two core abilities, Shield of Daybreak and Zenith Blade serve as great initiation tools as well as effective gap closers. With the proper support and Leona’s formidable crowd control, any team can easily gain control of a fight.
Damage
When it comes to damage, Leona has the ability to deal both physical and magical damage. Her kit provides a mix of burst and sustained damage; she is capable of bursting down enemies from a distance, as well as dealing consistent damage in extended trades.
Her passive, Sunlight, is key for her amassing of permanent damage over time. This allows her to slowly chip away at the HP of an enemy champion with her auto-attacks and spells.
Leona’s first ability, Shield of Daybreak, triggers Sunlight while giving them a powerful knock-up effect and applying movement speed slow. Her second spell, Eclipse, increases her MR/ARM which gives additional protection as opponents engage on her or attempt to trade back with auto-attacks. Her 3rd spell is Zenith Blade which serves as her primary damaging ability instead of just crowd control; this has empowered Leona in mid and late game scenarios where teams will group up for fights in enclosed environment such as dragon or baron pits. Last but not least is the iconic Solar Flare; this area-of-effect cone stun amplifies bonuses during teamfights by forcing adversaries into unfavorable positions or stopping them from locking down allies prior to dives or engages.
Overall, Leona has the toolkit to excel with both physical and magical damage output – a great frontliner that should never be underestimated for her utility capabilities!
Weaknesses
Leona is a strong champion in the League of Legends who is known for her tanky and supportive capabilities. However, like any champion, she has some weaknesses that can be exploited. Let’s take a look at some of Leona’s biggest weaknesses so that you can use them to your advantage when playing against her:
- Weakness 1
- Weakness 2
- Weakness 3
- Weakness 4
- Weakness 5
Weak Early Game
Leona has a weak early game because she does not have a reliable way to clear minion waves. She does not have access to many of popular starting items and Leona is especially vulnerable against any matchups that focus on early aggression.
Additionally, Leona has no escapes and this means that if she is ever ganked or jumped on by the enemy jungler, she may be unable to defend herself or get away in time.
Furthermore, during teamfights at the beginning of the game, Leona typically won’t have enough items to make a material difference when engaging the enemy team. This lack of damage-dealing items leaves her somewhat useless and vulnerable when it comes to dealing damage during team fights. Additionally, because she doesn’t have significant survivability items early on, she can quickly be displaced in fights or bursted down quickly if caught out of position.
Low Mobility
Low mobility is a common weakness that is associated with work or lifestyle routines. It often arises as a result of performing the same type of activities for extended periods of time, such as sitting at a desk all day or engaging in little to no physical activity. This can lead to decreased physical fitness levels and an overall decrease in movement capacity, which can impede your ability to move fluidly and perform everyday activities. Low mobility can result in difficulties with simple tasks such as standing up from a sitting position, reaching behind your back, or reversing directions quickly when you are walking.
Some ways to slow the onset of low mobility include:
- Stretching regularly
- Performing simple exercises such as planks or bridges
- Opting for activities like walking that are designed to improve range-of-motion
- Incorporating yoga into your daily routine
- Taking frequent breaks throughout the day
Low mobility may become increasingly problematic over time if not properly addressed; by taking preemptive measures now you can maximize your wellbeing for years to come!
Low Damage Output
Leona is not a typical damage-focused champion. Her strength lies in her utility, crowd control and tanking ability. Although Leona has good potential for dealing damage, it falls off significantly over time, so sustained damage output isn’t her best option if you’re trying to carry a game.
Her kit relies heavily on her ultimate, which means she’s not always capable of dealing significant burst damage in critical situations. She is also vulnerable to crowd control and can easily be locked down if she is caught out of position or if enemies are able to maneuver around her skillsets, making her somewhat unreliable when it comes to crunch moments.
Strategies
Leona is one of the most powerful League of Legends champions. She offers a unique combination of crowd control, tankiness, and damage. In addition, her ultimate ability can be used to initiate team fights or turn the tide of a team fight.
In this section, we’ll discuss strategies and tips you can use to maximize your chances of winning with Leona:
Early Game
Early game strategies in many popular team-based games are particularly important as they determine a team’s success and failure. At the beginning of a match, a team should focus on both defensive and offensive strategies. For offensive strategies, teams should identify objectives that will give them the best chance of winning. This can be done by quickly scouting the map and working out who is playing in each area, or setting traps like mines, playing aggressively or simply taking out enemy players while they are separated from their teammates.
Meanwhile, teams need to work on defensive tactics to ensure they don’t get overwhelmed early in the game. Making sure there is a good balance between support heroes and damage dealers is essential, as well as studying how the enemy team is set up so that teammates can better anticipate their strategy. Areas such as gathering resources for powerups and ensuring good positioning for ambush opportunities should also be taken into account. Working together strategically can also help keep morale high among team members which will contribute to overall success during later stages of a match as well.
Mid Game
During mid game, also known as the mid-lane or middle of the game, Leona is highly effective in ganking and team fights. Her crowd control and disruption skills are important in ensuring that her team has positional advantage.
Leona’s mobile ability is very limited aside from the Shield of Daybreak (Q) and Eclipse (R), so it is important for her to make good use of the terrain and choose proper targets to ensure that she does not get outplayed easily. When fighting, Leona’s primary objective is usually to isolate an enemy carry or support, as well as setting up for potential follow up dives from her teammates. She should focus on using her Solar Flare (R), Zenith Blade (E) and Eclipse (W) effectively, while keeping in mind the positioning of herself and other players on both teams.
Players should note that mid game involves a lot of decisions making; Leona must balance dealing damage, initiation and protecting allies at all times. With this in mind, Leona players should practice map awareness and play cautiously at all times. Additionally, proper communication with your teammates would prove incredibly useful during crucial moments.
Late Game
The late game is a time of real power for Leona, and it’s where she truly shines. Since her W rotation lets her almost always guarantee a stun on a target, she can be much more aggressive in teamfights and skirmishes. Her job will be to keep opponents CC’d while the rest of her team deals damage; looking for Flashes or low health targets to dive onto and chain stunning is key.
Leona also works well at split pushing in the late game due to her high-risk/high-reward E, allowing her to force fights in scenarios where it feels like there are none to be had. Finally, placing those heavy zone control Ultimate’s can prove crucial for controlling objectives, such as when baron needs to be taken or forcefully defending an inhibitor from an invade attempt.
Team Composition
When playing League of Legends, team composition is one of the most important factors in achieving victory. You must ensure that your team is composed of players with the right roles, abilities, and champions to succeed.
This article will focus on the champion Leona and her role in team composition. We’ll discuss her strengths and weaknesses, as well as the types of team she fits best with. Read on to find out everything you need to know about Leona in team composition.
Synergies
Synergy plays an important role in team composition when playing League of Legends as champion abilities and attacks can be combined for powerful effects. When selecting team members for a game, consider which champions work well together and how certain combinations can benefit the team. Synergizing members of your team is especially important when considering the jungle role, which differs from a standard lane setup.
Synergies can be evaluated by looking at the qualities that champions bring to the table. A tanky champion like Alistar offers crowd control and beefy stats, but can also easily initiate fights with his ultimate. Leona pairs excellently with Alistar as her Solar Flare allows him to stay in melee range and control enemies at point-blank range. A mage or burst champion like Ahri pairs well with Leona as her Sunlight enhances allied basic attacks and amplifies Ahri’s ability power significantly. Finally, a carry or physical damage champion like Lucian takes advantage of both Leona’s engage potential as well as Ahri’s magical damage output to take down enemies quickly with true damage.
Playing League of Legends requires players to think broadly about how different champions work together on the battlefield – careful selection of allies is key! By carefully assessing possible synergies among team members, success in the game will become much more manageable.
Counters
When trying to decide which champions to pick against Leona, keep the following important information in mind. Her wide array of crowd control and powerful initiate can turn a match around quickly if it is used correctly. Here are some of the more common counters to Leona:
- Annie: Her burst damage and AoE stuns work well against Leona’s combination attacks.
- Nautilus: He brings a lot of CC to the table and can hold on to Leona’s target with his Riptide ultimate.
- Malphite: His Unstoppable Force ultimate is good at stopping a Leona initiate, and his shield helps protect against her Solar Flare stun.
- Lux: She has some nice burst damage capabilities in addition to her Lucent Singularity AoE slow, which she can use to stop any initiations from an overly aggressive Leona player.
- Lee Sin: His Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike combo is great for catching out fleeing targets, while his Safeguard/Iron Will allows him to shrug off many CC effects that would otherwise prevent an escape from a Sunlight stacking engage from a teammate’s Leona.
Conclusion
Leona is a powerful champion who excels at tanking and soaking up damage on behalf of your team. She has a great set of abilities available to her, so make sure you’re making the most of each one.
In the end, learning how to Leona League of Legends doesn’t come overnight. Like any champion, she requires plenty of practice – especially when it comes to using her ultimate effectively as it can really turn the tide of battle. However, a good time investment into Leona will reward you with an incredibly powerful and versatile champion that can become a formidable force in the Fields of Justice.
So use this guide as an opportunity to tackle learning this exciting champion and take your LoL skills to the next level – see you on the Summoner’s Rift!
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1: What is Leona’s role in League of Legends?
A1: Leona is a tanky support champion in League of Legends. She is often used to protect her carries, soak up damage, and initiate fights with her crowd control abilities.
Q2: What are some of Leona’s abilities?
A2: Leona’s abilities consist of a passive shield, an AoE stun, an AoE slow, a dash and an ultimate that stuns all enemies in a cone.
Q3: What items does Leona benefit from?
A3: Leona benefits from items that increase her health and armor, such as Randuin’s Omen and Guardian Angel. She also benefits from items that increase her ability power, such as Rabadon’s Deathcap and Liandry’s Torment.