Fly Ball - A Look at LPL's Syndras
Riot·3/18/2014, 11:40:41 PM·0 votes·1,577 views
Having been played 15 times in the past four weeks, Syndra is picked about as often as Ziggs (19 picks), Gragas (14 picks), and Lulu (16 picks) in 2014 LPL Spring. She is seen in 34.1% of games and has been played by six different mid laners (Allen has also picked her as a support once) with mixed results. She's hardly seen in the Spring LCS, having been picked only three times in North America and once in Europe this Spring. We take a look at how Syndra complements a high risk/reward playstyle by examining her uses and pointing out her weaknesses.
In the second game between OMG and Positive Energy, xiyang's Syndra dove Face for first blood at level three.
In one of Syndra's most successful games, OMG's xiyang used his early dominance over Face's Ahri to roam the map and punish the jungler. He repeatedly camped in the red side top jungle waiting for JOJO's Evelynn, planting Dark Spheres in preparation for JOJO to walk by, then using Scatter the Weak to stun, followed by Ignite, Force of Will, and Unleashed Power for the kill. Using this strategy, xiyang was able to cripple Positive Energy's map presence by taking both mid and jungle out of the game.
Xiyang destroys JOJO in his jungle.
The ability to push out lanes at almost all stages of the game also allows roaming and lane-ganking, which is what Royal Club's Uzi prefers to use Syndra to do. In the second game between Invictus Gaming and Royal Club, Uzi used deep and aggressive wards to allow him to constantly push Zzitai's Gragas under tower without threat of jungle pressure. Then he and kmi coordinated group ganks bottom, catching out Kitties' Nami.
Notice the placement of RC's wards granting Syndra safe passage.
Given Syndra's ability to shove out lanes, she's also used against Nidalee poke compositions. LGD Gaming's Rena employed her against Zzitai's Nidalee to both use the long range stun to trap Nidalee, and the massive single target damage to melt her health under turret. Then, when the game transitioned to team phase, the long range Scatter the Weak was a constant threat to Nidalee's safe spear-chucking and allowed LGD to turn the tables and siege against Invictus Gaming.
The placement of Dark Spheres allows LGD to siege safely.
Most Syndra players in LPL build her for single target burst and laning, rushing Athene's Unholy Grail against opponents and following up with Deathfire Grasp. She has been less successful against Ziggs players, as Ziggs has stronger lane bully potential with responsive wave clear, a longer range auto attack, and a passive that can harass Syndra down easily.
When PE's JOJO catches Uzi roaming bottom, he's able to stick to him despite Syndra's stun connecting.
This is likely a result of her low mobility. Despite her many perks, she is vulnerable outside 1v1 situations and has difficulty escaping when getting caught by champions with gap closes and burst damage, such as Kha'Zix or Gragas. This means she often requires a jungler chaperone when roaming or more extensive vision coverage.
She is also extremely vulnerable in team fights, as it's easy for her to get picked off. Arguably, fights have been lost by Syndra players positioning far in the back line to avoid assassins, such as the equally popular Kha'Zix jungle, which limits some of the damage they are able to deal. Syndra's long spell range makes this a rarity, but sukiM's Syndra struggled to make an impact in World Elite's games against LGD Gaming.
Uzi positions behind the AD carry to avoid being targeted.
So why does Syndra continue to be the default pick that comes out when everything else is banned in LPL, and why has she been picked up less in the LCS? One potential reason is China's increased willingness to experiment with high risk/high reward strategies. The LPL has hosted at least two Sword of the Occult or Mejai's Soul Stealer items a week, and teams are fond of grouping early and often, limiting the amount of time she is forced to make plays on her own.
Syndra's popularity might not disseminate to other regions for a while, but for now, the balls are in China's court.
UNLEASHED POWER
With competitive base damage and AP scaling, area of effect wave clear, single target damage, and a long range stun, it's not surprising that mid laners would find Syndra attractive. She is able to constantly shove out lanes and find opportunities elsewhere or bully her lane opponent.
In the second game between OMG and Positive Energy, xiyang's Syndra dove Face for first blood at level three.
In one of Syndra's most successful games, OMG's xiyang used his early dominance over Face's Ahri to roam the map and punish the jungler. He repeatedly camped in the red side top jungle waiting for JOJO's Evelynn, planting Dark Spheres in preparation for JOJO to walk by, then using Scatter the Weak to stun, followed by Ignite, Force of Will, and Unleashed Power for the kill. Using this strategy, xiyang was able to cripple Positive Energy's map presence by taking both mid and jungle out of the game.
Xiyang destroys JOJO in his jungle.
The ability to push out lanes at almost all stages of the game also allows roaming and lane-ganking, which is what Royal Club's Uzi prefers to use Syndra to do. In the second game between Invictus Gaming and Royal Club, Uzi used deep and aggressive wards to allow him to constantly push Zzitai's Gragas under tower without threat of jungle pressure. Then he and kmi coordinated group ganks bottom, catching out Kitties' Nami.
Notice the placement of RC's wards granting Syndra safe passage.
Given Syndra's ability to shove out lanes, she's also used against Nidalee poke compositions. LGD Gaming's Rena employed her against Zzitai's Nidalee to both use the long range stun to trap Nidalee, and the massive single target damage to melt her health under turret. Then, when the game transitioned to team phase, the long range Scatter the Weak was a constant threat to Nidalee's safe spear-chucking and allowed LGD to turn the tables and siege against Invictus Gaming.
The placement of Dark Spheres allows LGD to siege safely.
Most Syndra players in LPL build her for single target burst and laning, rushing Athene's Unholy Grail against opponents and following up with Deathfire Grasp. She has been less successful against Ziggs players, as Ziggs has stronger lane bully potential with responsive wave clear, a longer range auto attack, and a passive that can harass Syndra down easily.
THE RISK WITH REWARD
When asked about his recent affinity for Syndra, Uzi claimed, "Champions I excel in were all banned. So I had to play champions that were used less frequently. I think Syndra is not…a must pick in game." This statement is somewhat supported by her low ban rate. Even though Syndra has been picked as often as other popular mid lane champions in LPL, she has only been banned twice, compared to Gragas and Ziggs who have been banned twenty times each.
When PE's JOJO catches Uzi roaming bottom, he's able to stick to him despite Syndra's stun connecting.
This is likely a result of her low mobility. Despite her many perks, she is vulnerable outside 1v1 situations and has difficulty escaping when getting caught by champions with gap closes and burst damage, such as Kha'Zix or Gragas. This means she often requires a jungler chaperone when roaming or more extensive vision coverage.
She is also extremely vulnerable in team fights, as it's easy for her to get picked off. Arguably, fights have been lost by Syndra players positioning far in the back line to avoid assassins, such as the equally popular Kha'Zix jungle, which limits some of the damage they are able to deal. Syndra's long spell range makes this a rarity, but sukiM's Syndra struggled to make an impact in World Elite's games against LGD Gaming.
Uzi positions behind the AD carry to avoid being targeted.
So why does Syndra continue to be the default pick that comes out when everything else is banned in LPL, and why has she been picked up less in the LCS? One potential reason is China's increased willingness to experiment with high risk/high reward strategies. The LPL has hosted at least two Sword of the Occult or Mejai's Soul Stealer items a week, and teams are fond of grouping early and often, limiting the amount of time she is forced to make plays on her own.
Syndra's popularity might not disseminate to other regions for a while, but for now, the balls are in China's court.
