people always say, "why is your syndra build so weird"? (mandate + stormsurge + shadowflame + cryptbloom) it's so that I can go around 1shotting people like the lobby admin IN CHALLENGER while still having haste/speed for fights, without EVER having to rely on my teammates to make plays. with tier 3 sorcs buff next patch, my build will be even more OP. don't buy disgusting rocketbelt / blackfire for "more rotations" or "mobility" when you can get the job done in 1 rotation with so much mpen that you deal true damage. and if your enemies manage to survive, your 2nd rotation is still up super fast with mandate and they can't play the game. FULL BUILD ORDER: your first 2 items are ALWAYS imperial mandate and stormsurge, with sorcerer's shoes. The purchase order depends on matchup. can 1shot: go stormsurge first, with a faerie charm to proc JoaT can't 1shot: go mandate first for more E's. prioritize 3 amp tombs and faerie charm for mana / jack. 3rd item: always shadowflame. 4th item: cryptbloom default. You deal true damage to every1 in the game with this purchase, or VERY close to it. 4th item alternative: seeker's armguard -> cryptbloom, or upgrade to zhonya's if needed (vs zed,fizz,qiyana,etc.) 5th item: deathcap/zhonyas/banshees. Final Item Insight: if you bought zhonya's or banshees, chances are you don't have Deathcap in your build. Honestly, i make it this far in like 1% of games, because my build is EXTREMELY good at closing games out. But if this happens to you, just sell shadowflame or stormsurge for deathcap when you can afford it. I prefer to keep stormsurge if i need movespeed, otherwise if I have flash/ghost then I sell stormsurge and keep shadowflame. Alternatively, if you are GIGA rich, you can sell your boots for deathcap (you need summs or else u are too slow). Another possibility is selling mandate for Cosmic Drive for speed/durability, so your build could look like: DCAP, Shadowflame, Stormsurge, Cosmic Drive, Zhonyas, Cryptbloom (no boots) RUNES: In 90% of games, go Comet, Manaflow, Transcendence, Scorch, with Cashback, Jack of all Trades. Your first 2 items are cheap, getting full utilization of Cashback ASAP. In 10% of games, vs unkillable matchups (yasuo,ekko,galio,any tank), go First Strike, Cashback, Triple Tonic, Jack of All Trades, Manaflow, Transcendence. EXPERT RUNES: Swap out manaflow band for Axiom Arcanist. You need to be VERY good at mana management to take this greedy option. When you deal true damage, 12% increased R damage is A LOT. And I have noticed this rune singlehandedly get me kills and win me games I had no business winning where my team was 5-10k gold down, just because you can transcend Syndra's damage limits and 1v9. And no, I NEVER go oom after mandate is purchased since that's when your passive starts refunding a ton of mana. But before mandate, you might go oom if you use too many abilities without getting a Splinter stack out of it. Syndra is uniquely able to go this build because she has mana sustain, whereas every other mage doesn't. Abuse for free LP.