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Diana Mid Full Guide [300k main]

LunarStrike··16 votes·4,859 views

Good day, Friends. Welcome to my Short Mobafire-styled post, to help you get that freelo :)<3 - As someone who has almost Half a Million mastery Points on her on 3 different shared accounts, I really wanted to share my tips on how you can play her properly. She's no the best pick for mid lane at the moment, however, If you can get that level 6 snowball started, you can solo-carry any game easily.

Pros:

  • Burstiest Diver
  • Naturally Tanky
  • Hard to counter play, especially when fed
  • Good roamer
  • Amazing Splitpusher

Cons:

  • Hard to play (Read below)
  • Bad Laning Phase
  • Mana Issues
  • Good knowledge of Itemization required

RUNES: Flat AP Quints, Scaling HP Seals, Magin Pen Marks & Scaling AP Glyphs.

Masteries: 12/18/0 TL works fine, But I've found a much better success rate with 12/0/18 CotC to work much better - With Cotc, You win Early trades & can use your passive more in teamfights (Which deals more damage than thunderlords). Either one is Viable, chose upon your play style.

Spells: summoner 4 is a must for obvious reasons. summoner 14 If they have someone like akali, who won't be harassing you too oftenly. summoner 12 is probably a better spell on diana right now, really good for that first early recall / Splitpush. summoner 21 Very situational, Only take if they have a zed, or veigar etc. . . .

BUILD: PLEASE READ ----- DIANA DOES NOT BUILD GLASS CANNON. If You're building Full AP DIANA, You're doing it Wrong.

START - item 1056 item 2003 item 2003
FIRST ITEM - item 3027 Generically. You can also do item 3157 oritem 3146 situational, or even item 3115 if you want to skip roa badly. If you are skipping mana item, take dorans blade. You'll be fine without a mana's item generally speaking, however roa provides really good stats on her.

BOOTS -item 3020 - You can also go item 3111 oritem 3047 If you're behind / if they have full AD team for example, you can you tabi. dont take any other boots on her, including cdr boots.

3rd ITEM - item 3115 is usually always your 3rd item. If you've decided to build it first, you can skip this and build your defensive item next

4th ITEM - item 3157 or item 3102 - Completely up to you. You can also build item 3135 here, and build your defensive item as ur 5th item (only if you're ahead)

5th - item 3135 read above

6th - item 3089

If you've decided to Go Zhonyas/Nashors as a first item, and you have an open slot, you can build item 3100 / item 3065 - I recommend only building lich if you're really ahead. if you have an open slot, it's important to throw in a tanky item in there (It will prove to be useful, trust me).

. . . . . .

Q: Why is diana hard to play?? I thought she was Easy?? A: People say she's easy out of the frustration. Yes, Her combos easy to land. That doesn't make her easy. She becomes easy when you master her and work around her flaws (early game, mana issues, etc).

But How Do I play Diana?

Q>R>W>E>Q(optional)>R>AA>AA>AA>AA>AA>AA>AA dead. this is why, boys and girls, you take item 3115 on diana. I've heard people cry about how its a horrible item, and that you should be building burst on her. lol. if you're building diana as a glass cannon like akali, you're making a huuuuuge mistake. Diana is not akali. she is not an assassin. her Passive and her W means that she can build quite tanky, and still dish out a ton of damage. especially when taking Cotc.

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR PRE 6 - Try to play safe. Poke with your Q. A good way to trade is stacking up your Passive, Then when your Passive is up, You Walk up to the enemy, W, Q, AA. Your AA will do enhanced damage because of your Passive, and your W will ensure that you outtrade them

When you hit 6 - Playing diana is all about knowing when and when not to go in. Firstly, Never EVER engage with your R. Always make sure you land your Q first, otherwise you will lose a ton of damage (unless theyre low of course). Even if you Hit your Q, think twice about going in. A good way to get a snowball started, is constantly Poke with Q. Once you've hit your Q around 2~3 times, you can Q them again and then go in for a full combo. They should be low enough for you to kill them. Try not to combo them if theyre at full health, there's a risk that they can outtrade you. If you are going to do this, Retreat right after you go in. Dont wait till your Shield dies out,

How low should they be before I engage? - Once they've lost around 25% health, you can combo them (assuming you're on full health) - and usually come out with either a very successful trade, or a kill. Dont be afraid to stay in for a passive proc. Always always proc your passive when going in for a combo, even if it means staying in longer (unless you're putting yourself in serious danger)

Diana is all about decision making. Knowing her mechanics is one thing, Knowing how to play her is another. All in all, she's a pretty good champion, counters a ton of mid laners, and can potentially be a pretty good pick when played correctly.

43 Comments

HalcyonDweller3 votes

Succinct, well worded, and solid advice, thanks for a great guide!

Have my upvote :)

LunarStrike1 votes

also, forgot to mention, max Q>W>E :)

Heretic Lunari1 votes

Glass canon Diana isn't always good but this build is absolutly fun

Diana item 3146 item 3100 item 3135 item 3020 item 3115 item 3089

Rip towers and squishies

Lady Hammerlock1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Heretic Lunari,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=dKtEGQsw,comment-id=0001,timestamp=2017-06-13T13:22:25.823+0000)

Glass canon Diana isn't always good but this build is absolutly fun

Diana item 3146 item 3100 item 3135 item 3020 item 3115 item 3089

Rip towers and squishies

the enemy team would have to be really squishy for that to work very well

O Fallen Scholar1 votes

Why lol? Ur job is to kill enemy mid and adc regardless. U can dive pretty much in the blink of an eye with this build and delete them. Ur only problem is disengage. The only exception is maybe Ekko but still.

Lady Hammerlock1 votes

[{quoted}](name=deep dark kappa,realm=EUW,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=dKtEGQsw,comment-id=000100000000,timestamp=2017-06-13T14:20:04.529+0000)

Why lol? Ur job is to kill enemy mid and adc regardless. U can dive pretty much in the blink of an eye with this build and delete them. Ur only problem is disengage. The only exception is maybe Ekko but still.

Well yeah, the only thing I was worried that I wouldn't be able to scrap fight my way out once I've killed a squishy champion. In the case of a really squishy team, disengage doesn't matter as much because you basically evaporate anything you touch.

It's just if your team doesn't push into the enemy team once you dive, the lack of defensive items will likely end in you dying most of the time. But yes, glass cannon diana is still a guilty pleasure of mine(man it's fun making sure ADC's aren't allowed to play the game"

LunarStrike3 votes

even if the enemy team is squishy, this build would be horrible for team fights. very fun for 1v1s though :) (against squishies)

Moon Mom1 votes

you can take SRS to disengage. That keystone is so broken on Diana (R>Q>W>Passive) run away repeat.

Stalinium1 votes

it works on Ascension very well, would highly recommend :D

DuskDaUmbreon2 votes

Diana item 3115 is enough to destroy any turret at all. They go from soggy cardboard to my LP in how fast they die.

Standgrounding1 votes

item 3285 replace void with

Now that's an overkill.

(I only have ever played her on assassin build, and it is fun)

Moonfall Saber1 votes

Not that Diana is bad but I think that there is not enough items in the game to build on Diana. She is highly dependent on attack speed cooldown reduction health and mana. There isn't enough items in the game that give Diana what she really needs.

LunarStrike1 votes

i agree. I think we need more AP/Armor items, so diana could make more use of them

Miraweave2 votes

[{quoted}](name=Moonfall Saber,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=dKtEGQsw,comment-id=0002,timestamp=2017-06-13T13:40:44.051+0000)

Not that Diana is bad but I think that there is not enough items in the game to build on Diana. She is highly dependent on attack speed cooldown reduction health and mana. There isn't enough items in the game that give Diana what she really needs.

The recent AP Item changes were really good for her. You get 40% CDR from Banshees, Nashor's, and Hourglass, all of which are great items on her anyway.

Moonfall Saber1 votes

item 3102 in high elo goes against diana because it blocks her q

JVP151 votes

Thanks for the info! I somehow managed to get level 6 with Diana, but I still suck at her. I can get her combo's down, but it is the decision making (and early game against a ranged matchup) that really gets me.

LunarStrike1 votes

Get teleport if ranged mid laners are poking you. Teleport back at level 5, get a crystal, come back into lane, poke like crazy and then combo them. use your W when they go for pokes pre-6, it'll soak up their damage. if theyre denying you cs, W, walk up to minions and then walk away. You shouldnt lose too many damage since your shield will soak it up. You should win against most ranged mid laners.

Chimp Joker1 votes

It's nice to see a different perspective on building Diana.

Volphi1 votes

[deleted]

LunarStrike2 votes

Never build Liandrys or Rylais on diana.

Iceborn and Abyssal are good items for jungle diana (make sure you have nashors too). For mid though, this build isn't the best.

Volphi1 votes

[deleted]

LunarStrike1 votes

because zhonyas and banshees are a better defensive item. Rylais and liandrys are good for champions with dps. When diana goes in for a combo, her E slows them already, so you won't get any affect from rylais. the only time rylais will be useful on her is when ur Q'ing your target, it'll slow them, but it's not worth it

Miraweave1 votes

{quoted}

Never build Liandrys or Rylais on diana.

Iceborn and Abyssal are good items for jungle diana (make sure you have nashors too). For mid though, this build isn't the best.

Rylai's is actually surprisingly good. It's situational, but when the situation comes up it's one of the best items you can build.

Stalinium1 votes

Good post, I've been considering playing it myself. How do you recommend though, to deal with her mana... issues, to underexaggerate. Every time I've ever played this champion I Q>W>E and it's like... OH... I will be recalling now... Thanks!

Targon1 votes

I personally play pretty passively against most matchups (pre-6) and try to conserve my mana until level 5. At level 5, I like to try to poke the enemy down to get the ready for Diana's level 6 power spike. If you're in a really bad matchup (like Diana vs Swain), I would only use mana on W just to be able to CS with less harass, and the amount you spam Q early will depend on how difficult the champion matchup is and how competent your opponent is on avoiding Q.

That said, before level 5, if the enemy is too close and their abilities are on CD, you can sometimes E > W > AA lots > Q them for some serious damage, or poke them with Q a lot to blow their potions. It might take a bit of mana up, but if you are able to do this a few times before say level 4, then you'll probably regenerate enough mana for level 5 and 6. (In general, I'd avoid using E too much before level 6 (unless you're against a melee matchup) because it costs a TON of mana. Post 6, I only use it to either secure kills, cause the enemy to burn a summoner, or to interrupt important abilities by your opponent (such as Katarina's ultimate).)

You can also buy another item 1056 on your first back - but I guess this won't be viable tomorrow when the next patch comes up xD.

LunarStrike1 votes

thats why I get teleport. My goal is to use my mana wisely till Level 5. Try not to use your E too much before 6, it's mana costy. Just Use your Q and W. Once you get to level 5, you can recall and get double dorans / mana item (but honestly you'll generally be fine with double dorans, gives her just enough mana for laning) + her mana pool late game isnt too bad

HalcyonDweller2 votes

Double dorans is about to lose the stackable mana return on last hit passive, does this affect Diana?

LunarStrike1 votes

It's going to prevent her from easily rushing something like Zhonyas... but I'd still rush it if you're against a zed or something, watching my mana carefully.

Rock MD1 votes

No.

She's a fairly easy champion with simple mechanics.

You want to take Stormraider's Surge on her instead of Thunderlord's and especially not CotC

and when you know you can go in, throw a Q and then immediately R because the R cooldown is refreshed if Q is thrown first, even if the R lands first.

Also, never buy Spirit Visage. That's just dumb because she has zero synergies with it except for the fact it has 10% CDR, and that's not enough justification.

LunarStrike2 votes

Stormraider is a really underpowered keystone. you can take it on her, but her job is to stay in and fight for her passive, not run away. that movement speed wont do any good. And yes, what you said about the Q>R is correct, you still get the reset. I wouldn't take Stormraiders on her, not in this season at least, theres too much mobility and CC in the game that it'll barely make a difference

Targon1 votes

I like playing Diana mainly because she's a pretty good counter to Yasuo and Zed.

In fact, she can easily out trade both before level 6 if played correctly. Against most mid lane melee matchups, Diana can bully hard in the early levels by starting with 1 point in W at level 1. People really underestimate the power of her passive and shield in the early levels. Of course you need to be more wary of ganks if you go too aggressive.

LunarStrike1 votes

If you're playing against a zed, rush zhonyas before laning is over. He will not be able to win an all in, I guarantee you that. If you dont have a zhonyas, you should still be able to win. Im not sure if he outscales you (I think he does), but not until the very end, meaning diana can crush him in lane and use her passive to end quickly

For yasuo, I'd probably do hextech or roa first. reason is, i really like taking spell vamp against other fighters like jax, yasuo, riven, etc.

aqours fanboy1 votes

Some suggestions.

Post 6, Diana always wants to be getting her autos in whenever possible. If possible, try to have her passive ready when you Q > R onto the enemy, you get more damage that way. After that, keep auto-ing inbetween, using W and E whenever necessary. At least that's how I roll.

Build wise, if you want to make sure games don't go for too long, you gotta make sure you build your Rod at 10-11 minutes, getting those full stats at 20 is crazy nice.

Visage probably isn't the best tank item, but since I haven't played League recently, I can't give my input on the best tank item that works better. I'd probably build an Iceborn, you can get the sheen passive and you can get another AP item.

The GLP can also be a nice situational item, Q > R > GLP active sounds good in theory, I have yet to test this out though. EDIT: Gusinoo's could also be fun if you're feeling experimental.

Matchup wise, you generally should point out you'll have to play a bit more safer than most melees due to your subpar laning, at least for mages. Melees, you just abuse your W when trading.

A good read, though, I don't see many people play Diana or assume shes is easy due to her dog shit laning phase.

Nami Want Salami1 votes

Don't know if you put this in there but something you can do is when you're 6, auto the minions twice and then all in your laner and they wont expect the damage from the passive.

Standgrounding1 votes

item 3285 ? Assassin needs to burst the ADC, so why not?

LunarStrike1 votes

This build already does enough burst. I wouldnt build this item. Your only 2 burst items should be void & rabadons

Miraweave1 votes

Hextech GLP is also pretty great in the ROA slot, IMO. It helps her mana issues and provides some durability the same way ROA does, but the active is incredibly good on her. The extra damage is great and the slow makes it a lot easier to chase a target after QRing them without having to blow another cast of your R while Q is on cooldown. Combined with her E it gives you a huge amount of sticking power while adding to your burst for most of the midgame.

I've also been in love with the Banshee rush against most AP midlaners recently. Your mana won't be great but doran's rings go a long way to fixing that problem and you're basically just free to all in them whenever you feel like it because they won't ever be able to fight you.

Cowseed1 votes

Do you recommend item 3091 ?

LunarStrike1 votes

Eh. It's really not an item you want for late game. I mean it's good for laning phase but you miss out on all of that damage. it's really up to you.

LunarStrike1 votes

oopssss, Sorry, I mistook this item for something else, my bad. to be honest, although this is one of those items that nobody really builds on diana, it can be really really useful. I would build this against a heavy ap team for sure. Wits goes well with these items, so try to go item 3115 item 3111 item 3091 item 3157 item 3102 item 3135

Cowseed1 votes

Oh. OK. Thanks for the info and nice post

RogueWill1 votes

this is my build item 3027 item 3020 item 3100 item 3193 and then 2 defensive AP items or 2 tank items. Works like a charm with anyone that isn't a tank. For tanks you gotta add item 3115 and probably a item 3146

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