I've always thought E-> Q-> W is the combo that would do the most damage for Swain because E amplifies all following damage, but I've recently heard in some places that people typically throw down their Q before their E. Is there a reason for this?
Because Q slows them down enough to get close to do your E. I usually do Q E W R
E>Q>W has the most potential damage but the slow form Q allows the combo to be set up easier. I normally see people use Q>E>W when they're in a team fight and trying to single out a specific target.
Not that it's a lot, but if you use E first, you DO lose a small amount of that damage amplification time. If you throw Q down to slow first, then E and W, you'll be doing plenty of damage. Often, players get scared when you just Q them anyway, because that shows the beginning of that combo and it has serious kill potential early on. Because of that, it's usually pretty easy to get someone's flash just by using Q. If they don't flash, punish them for it and finish the combo, either killing them or sending them back to base to heal up.
