RoA is not an 'essential' item on Lissandra as many believe to be

Here are my reasons why I think you should almost never rush on Lissandra:

> Expensive > Delays your powerspike > Gives no CDR, therefore you are forced to take CDR runes > No damage at the first 15-20 minutes of the game > People build this item mainly because they want to scale Lissandra to the lategame, however you should know past 35-40 minutes LIssandra falls compared to a lot of midlaners, no matter what you build on her

In my opinion, in this meta at least, LIssandra needs to spike as early as possible, get a lead in the laning phase and try to close the game in 35 minutes. In order to achieve this, you have to skip building ROA in most matchups.

**Some better alternatives that will help you spike more early: **

>300 HP, 60 AP, 10% CDR + an active that will increase your overall burst

> In my opinion this is the perfect first item for Lissandra. She can utilize this item to its maximum potential because she already has a built-in gap closer. This item gives her the burst she otherwise lacks because of her below-average base damage stats. Once you get this, you should be able to burst your lane opponent.

+ - 2600 gold

> 30 Magic Pen + 25 AP + 200 health > Your overall burst won't be as strong as with the protobelt, however your Q hurts more this way. Great item combination against a squishy midlaner who isn't building MR

2900 gold

> 100 AP + 20% CDR + 400 mana > Situational pick. Only rushing it when laning against someone like Swain or Vladimir > New Lissandra players might have to build this item anyways because if you aren't familiar with Lissandra's kit you'll have huge mana issues throughout the game

2700 gold

> 70 AP + 10% CDR + 45 MR + shield > Also a situational pick, but still better than building RoA if you struggle against an Assassin

Here is my example final build:

OR

If you are an experienced Lissandra player you can skip Morello and build something else instead ( )

You'll be more relevant in the early-midgame and you'll also have kill pressure in lane if you follow this build.