Sona Build Guide

Sona Build

Table of Contents

Introduction

1

Abilities

2

Skilling Order

3

Masteries + Runes

4

Summoner Abilities

5

Items

6

Working in the team

7

• Introduction

  I know that most of you are probably thinking, "What is this fool thinking!? Tank Sona!?" Yes. This is a guide to tank Sona. In this game, it's always a good idea to go for the support champion first, so Sona will be focused in most fights if she's in the fray. Even if they don't focus you down first, you will be buffing your allies throughout the fight. This has definitely turned into my favorite Sona build.

• Abilities

  Power Chord

  After every third spell you cast, you gain a large magical damage boost on your next attack. Try not to waste this attack on minions. It's a wonderful harass.

  [spell=Hymm of Valor]

  If you level it up first, this does a hefty amount of damage and is a great harass. Not the best AP scaling, but a great early game ability. It also ends up giving +20 AP and damage at max level, which is a hefty amount at level 9.

  Aria of Perseverance

  A small, but low cooldown heal. The aura of +20 MR and Armor is pretty amazing, though.

  Song of Celerity

  A speed buff. Not too awfully impressive, but good for chasing/running away. Typically, you only really use this ability for the burst speed and not for the aura. The awesome thing is that the burst speed works on minions, so you can boost your minions to the towers quicker.

  Crescendo

  Ranged AOE stun. Makes targets dance. Great in team fights and for escaping ganks. Also great for interrupting channeled spells like Fiddle, Nunu, or Kat. It also does a relatively nice amount of damage.

• Skilling Order

  You'll have to forgive me for not knowing how to do the nifty skill panes seen in other guides. I will have to give you skill builds via text.
  
  Your typical skill build is going to be as follows:
  1: Valor, 2: Perseverance, 3: Valor, 4: Celerity; Crescendo > Valor > Perseverance > Celerity
  
  If you are against a high harass lane, use the following instead:
  1: Valor, 2: Perseverance, 3: Perseverance, 4: Celerity; Crescendo > Perseverance > Valor > Celerity

• Masteries + Runes

  I generally run with 3/6/21 masteries, making sure to pick up all magic regeneration from utility with both armor and magic resistance from defense. Obviously, pick up AP from offense.
  
  As for runes, I usually go full defense.
  Greater Quintessence of Fortitudex3 - Bonus health at the beginning of the game is a good idea on every champion.
  Greater Mark of Warding or Greater Mark of Shieldingx9 - Magic resistance is always a good idea for a tank. I typically choose Warding for the early MR.
  Greater Glyph of Warding or Greater Glyph of Shieldingx9 - See above.
  Greater Seal of Resilience or Greater Seal of Defense or Greater Seal of Evasionx9 - I typically choose evasion. You can easily build up armor through items, and clutch dodges when I would have died are always nice.

• Summoner Abilities

  Best abilities:
  Clarity - Building as a tank, you are going to have mana problems. Clarity is almost a necessity for both early and late game.
  Ghost or Flash - It's always nice to have a chase/escape mechanism. I typically choose ghost, but it's really up to you.
  
  Good abilities:
  Teleport - Good for leaving lane to buy and getting back quickly. Loses its luster later in the game, since you're not really a pusher or anti-pusher.
  Clairvoyance - Good for map awareness. Especially good if your enemy has a jungler. Clutch ganks can be set up using it.
  
  There are some other halfway decent summoner spells, but Sona benefits most from the ones above. I very rarely run with anything else or see anyone using anything else.

• Items

  Probably the section you've all been waiting for.
  
  Core Items:
  Chalice of Harmony or Mana Manipulator or Catalyst the Protector - This is for early game mana regeneration. A catalyst can be upgraded into Banshee's or Rod of Ages later. Locket is also great on tank Sona for the CDR and HP and Mana regens.
  Boots of Swiftness or Mercury's Treads - Usually you'll be using Mercury Treads to counter CC's or enemies with magic damage.
  Spirit Visage - This is the core of your core items. The extra 20% from your heal is huge when you're not stacking AP. It also has CDR and MR on it, making it a great tank item.
  
  After this point, you'll be building to counter your enemy team.
  
  High DPS:
  Sunfire Cape
  Frozen Heart
  Thornmail
  more Sunfire Cape
  
  High Magic:
  [item=Force of Nature]
  Banshee's Veil
  Abyssal Scepter
  
  Mixed DPS/Magic:
  Frozen Heart
  [item=Force of Nature]
  Aegis of the Legion
  
  
  
  
  After much item testing, I have come up with the following cheap and balanced build that I use quite often against mixed DPS/Magic teams. Note: If the team is skewed towards DPS or Magic, use a build more focused on Armor or Mres, respectively.
  Chalice of Harmony Mercury's Treads Spirit Visage
  If you need more MRes, Aegis of the Legion; if you need armor, Glacial Shroud.
  Next get whichever you didn't get above. You should have 38% CDR with masteries at this point.
  Lastly, work on getting your Frozen Heart and either a [item=Force of Nature] or Guardian Angel.
  If the game lasts long enough, you can sell your Chalice of Harmony for an [item=Innervating Locket] or, for the lolz, a [item=Zhonya's Ring].

• Working in the team

  During the team fights, your objective is to be in the fray. You will be focused. People see Sona and want her dead. Initiate fights. Save your ult for crucial chase or run away moments or to stop a channeled ult. You may be a tank, but you're still your team's support. Cycle through at least your q and w to keep the buffs up and cause some damage/heal. If all goes as planned, almost all of your team will survive every team fight.