Lux Guide – Build, Masteries, and Counters

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The short, pro guide to dominate as Lux in mid lane. Learn the builds, masteries, counters, and special fighting tactics to carry as her in LoL.

Video

Lane Strategy

• Assume you have ignite. If you can constantly ignite an enemy, you’re playing Lux wrong. Your strength is your distance
• Level up Lucent Singularity because it is your primary harass tool
• Harass with Lucent Singularity behind the enemies initial position. Most players walk backwards to dodge the ability
• Lux’s harass combo comes from a snare into a Lucent Singularity. Autoattack first to proc your passive then detonate Lucent Singularity and autoattack the final passive. Skip the passive detonations if you suspect damage reciprocation
• Your nuke combo is the same as the harass combo except you cast Final Spark to detonate the Illumination from Lucent Singularity then autoattack Illumination from your ultimate
• Detonate Lux’s passive (Illumination) when the enemy has no abilities up as your autoattack does more damage than their autoattack
• When you want to nuke someone in lane or you’re getting a gank, cast Lucent Singularity first to slow the enemy so it’s easier to hit Light Binding. If the enemy is about to leave Lucent Singularity, detonate it for the damage. If you successfully snare the enemy, cast your ultimate to detonate your passive then autoattack to detonate the Illumination from your ultimate
• Lux’s ultimate has a short cooldown so you can use it as harass or to maintain map control. Clear waves quickly with an E on melee minions into her ultimate
• If you get jumped on by a dangerous champion like Fizz, cast Lucent Singularity on top of you to get away. Detonate it when the enemy is about to leave the AOE affect
• Lux is more effective at counter-ganking than ganking because her abilities are easy to dodge when initiating a gank and unsuspecting when counter-ganking

Team Fight Tactics

• The best goal with Lux in a team fight is to kill a squishy carry before the fight even begins. Do this with wards where enemies cross as you wait nearby
• If an ally gets caught, zone the enemy back line with the slow from your E. Snare them or the diving enemy depending on who has crowd control to further keep your ally stuck
• If your team composition can dive squishy enemies, position to the side so you cannot get engaged on and can cast your E and ultimate on the squishies
• Come mid game with possible fights around Dragon, leveling up Lucent Singularity first gives you good AOE damage to be used with your ultimate
• Prismatic Barrier is best cast when the team fight starts. It is a boomerang ability where if the shield is reduced from the first cast, it can re-shield an ally for the full amount (around 300 health) if it passes through them again. You often get to cast it again to turn around close kills. That hypothetically equals 1200 bonus health for each team member
• Your passive is less important in team fights compared to your positioning and skillshots
• Look to team fight in narrow paths like jungle gaps
• Unless you’re cleaning up a kill, cast Final Spark on enemies who have been hit by your Q or E. Wait for their CD if you must as the added damage from your ultimate triggering your passive is worth it

Sneaky Tactics

• Do not detonate Lucent Singularity when disengaging from an attempted initiation or gank. Most Lux players only use Light Binding to disengage forgetting the slow from her E is also as effective
• Check brushes with Lucent Singularity so you don’t have to face check
• When running away from damage, cast Prismatic Barrier towards the direction you run as the shield hits you quicker on its return
• When an enemy retreats near a wall on low health, cast your ultimate away from the wall making it impossible to juke
• Track where the enemy jungler starts then place a ward on blue 1 minute before it respawns (so they don’t see the ward go down) and steal it with your ultimate
• Cast Q behind one wall of minions. Some people forget it carries onto the second target. It’s a one-trick pony. They won’t forget a second time
• Annoy short-tempered enemies with Lux’s tier-one laugh

Warnings

• Has limited item paths. You want cooldown reduction and ability power
• Illumination procs separates good Lux players from great Lux players
• Don’t smart cast her ultimate. You need to see its range
• Pure skillshot-based champion

Lux is Countered By

• Kassadin
• Fizz
• LeBlanc
• Talon

Lux Counters

• Karthus
• Ryze
• Annie

Counter Mechanics

• Lux if played in a safe way cannot be countered due to her range, snare, and nuke potential. The Lady of Luminosity can poke and farm safely with her Lucent Singularity in lane and catch someone from a far distance with Light Binding
• Lux counters squishy champions when she can take them out from a distance
• Does well verse short range casters like Karthus and Ryze
• Lux struggles against champions who can juke her abilities and quickly close the gap between them and her (like Katarina, Kassadin, or Fizz)
• Juke her abilities to the side rather than backwards because all of her abilities have a long range