Sivir - Strategy and Tactics - by Adam

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Sivir is one of the most underplayed heroes in League of Legends. This guide aims to introduce players to this farm-happy hero and to underline her roles on a team. I play using a "lane pressure" build for Sivir that has been successful against everything from one to three heroes at a time. The name of the game with this build is tower destruction, plain and simple. If you're looking for a hero killer you may want to look elsewhere.

Character and Level Progression:

Base Stats

HP: 436
MP: 246
HP Regen: 0
MP Regen: 0

Movement Speed: 310
Dodge Chance: 0%
Armor: 16
Spell Block: 30

Attack Range: 425
Base Damage: 48
Attack Speed: 0.68
Critical Chance: 3%

Spell Damage: 0

Stat Progression
  1. N/A
  2. +76 HP, +43 MP, +1 HP Regen, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed
  3. +76 HP, +43 MP, +1 MP Regen, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed
  4. +76 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed, +1% Critical Chance
  5. +76 HP, +43 MP, +4 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed
  6. +76 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed, +1% Critical Chance
  7. +76 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.03 Attack Speed
  8. +76 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed
  9. +78 HP, +43 MP, +4 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed, +1% Critical Chance
  10. +76 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +2 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed
  11. +76 HP, +43 MP, +1 HP Regen, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed, +1% Critical Chance
  12. +66 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed
  13. +76 HP, +43 MP, +4 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed
  14. +76 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed, +1% Critical Chance
  15. +76 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed
  16. +76 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.03 Attack Speed, +1% Critical Chance
  17. +76 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +4 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed
  18. +76 HP, +43 MP, +3 Armor, +3 Base Damage, +0.02 Attack Speed

These are the stats as of beta build 0.24.17. I make no assertions that these are correct for any previous or later build versions.

Skills:

Spiral Blade


Sivir hurls her Crossblade like a boomerang, dealing damage each way.
  1. 80 Mana, 80 Damage (+0.75 Damage per Ability Power), 10 Second Cooldown
  2. 95 Mana, 110 Damage (+0.75 Damage per Ability Power), 10 Second Cooldown
  3. 110 Mana, 140 Damage (+0.75 Damage per Ability Power), 10 Second Cooldown
  4. 125 Mana, 170 Damage (+0.75 Damage per Ability Power), 10 Second Cooldown
  5. 140 Mana, 200 Damage (+0.75 Damage per Ability Power), 10 Second Cooldown
This is the only skill Sivir has that is affected by Ability Power. So, ignore AP completely when choosing items as it will not help you in the least. Spiral Blade is great for added pressure on heroes in a lane but should be used sparingly! Blowing 80 to 140 mana on a Spiral Blade should not be something anyone does lightly as it will severely gimp your staying power - the single most important consideration for our hero: the longer she's in her lane the better she'll farm.


Ricochet


Each of Sivir's attacks will bounce between targets, dealing reduced damage with each successive hit.
  1. 6 Mana, 1 Additional Target, 23% Less Damage to Each Successive Target
  2. 6 Mana, 2 Additional Target, 23% Less Damage to Each Successive Target
  3. 6 Mana, 3 Additional Target, 23% Less Damage to Each Successive Target
  4. 6 Mana, 4 Additional Target, 23% Less Damage to Each Successive Target
  5. 6 Mana, 5 Additional Target, 23% Less Damage to Each Successive Target
I cannot over-stress the importance of this skill. Whenever you see a '+' above Ricochet, click it. With a high early rank in this skill, Sivir can beat back any lane push and becomes one of the best farmers in the game - seriously, watching blobs of creeps melt into piles of gold after only a few seconds is very rewarding.


Spell Shield


Creates a magical barrier which blocks a single enemy spell cast on Sivir.

  1. 75 Mana, 8 Second Duration, 55 Second Cooldown
  2. 75 Mana, 8 Second Duration, 45 Second Cooldown
  3. 75 Mana, 8 Second Duration, 35 Second Cooldown
  4. 75 Mana, 8 Second Duration, 25 Second Cooldown
  5. 75 Mana, 8 Second Duration, 15 Second Cooldown
Ignore the client ability description for this spell, it lies to you: the spell shield will last only 8 seconds as the in-game ability description suggests. What this means is, that if you use this ability too early, you will simply make your opponent wait 8 seconds to use his disable. A much better use for this is to throw a wrench in the ability chain of your opponent by using it at the appropriate time. This takes some practice and knowledge of other heroes but, if used well, can save you more times than you can count. For example, you see Ryze moving a lot closer to the creeps than usual, be ready with your spell shield butdo not use it until the hold is in the air. This requires a bit of reaction time but gets easier with practice.


On the Hunt


Grants Sivir and nearby allies faster movement and attack speeds for a short period.
  1. +35% Movement Speed, +25% Attack Speed, 15 Second Duration, 90 Second Cooldown
  2. +35% Movement Speed, +50% Attack Speed, 15 Second Duration, 90 Second Cooldown
  3. +35% Movement Speed, +75% Attack Speed, 15 Second Duration, 90 Second Cooldown
This ability melts towers, it also saves you and your team mates from a gank. Use it whenever you need to do either, plain and simple.

Sprint Passive

Sivir will gain between 10% and 25% dodge while moving. The dodge percentage increases with level and is good for running from all those heroes that didn't appreciate you destroying their tower so quickly.
Recommended Summoner Masteries: 0 Offense, 9 Defense, 21 Utility

Tier 1
  • 3/3 Good Hands - Yes, I know. But it can't ever hurt to spend less time dead and we need the points to access other abilities...
  • 3/3 Perseverance - Any help you can get to stick around and farm your lane is worth looking at.
  • 3/3 Hardiness - Extra armor to reduce some of the damage received from creeps.
  • 1/3 Resistance - 2 extra spell resistance is not much, admittedly, but we need the point to get to tier 2.

Tier 2
  • 4/4 Awareness - Who wouldn't want 5% extra experience?
  • 4/4 Evasion - Increases dodge change to 2% permanently and will stack with your passive. Great when coupled with Nimbleness below.

Tier 3
  • 3/3 Meditation - An increase in mana regeneration will blunt the cost of Ricochet being almost always active.
  • 1/1 Nimbleness - A 10% boost in movement speed on a successful dodge will help you get away from the inevitable gank squads.
  • 1/1 Greed - Sivir needs items to turn her into a tower-destroying beast. Any gold advantage you can get is sure to help.

Tier 4
  • 3/3 Quickness - A fast Sivir is a healthy Sivir.


Tier 5
  • 3/3 Intelligence - The more Spell Shields, Spiral Blades, and On the Hunts you can lay down the better.

Tier 6
  • 1/1 Presence of the Master - Quicker cooldowns on your Promote and Rally spells means you can be more aggressive in your tower destruction.

Recommended Runes:

 Greater Mark of Haste, Greater Seal of Defense, Greater Glyph of Celerity, and Greater Quintessence of Swiftness. I prefer higher bonuses at 18 to lower, constant bonuses. Your mileage may vary but, for me, this is the rune page of choice.

Recommended Summoner Spells:
Rally - I generally like Rally for its extra damage boost when attacking a tower. Be careful not to place it too close, however, as they tend to be high on the tower's to-do list.
Promote - Bonus damage to creeps when cooled down and bonus damage and armor aura from the minion it's used on? Yes please.

Recommended Item Progression:

 First thing's first: staying in your lane. For that, you'll need mana regen right off the bat. The goal here is to get Philosopher's Stone as quick as possible so you can start earning more of those passive gold bonuses. While not your main source of income, every little bit helps.
  • Meki Pendant- Happens to be the first suggested item as well. This will allow you to maintain your Ricochet fairly easily until level 6.
  • Regrowth Pendant- I wouldn't recommend going back to base specifically for this but if you run out of mana or need to heal, pick it up while you're there and, if possible, upgrade to...
  • Philosopher's Stone - The boost in gold is going to help you get your big-ticket items faster. The sooner you can get this item, the more you'll benefit from it.

These next two are somewhat interchangeable. Typically, I will go for boots first. But, if I'm really not feeling threatened in my lane at all, I'll start saving for a B.F. Sword first. Once I've gotten that, I'll return to building Berserker's Greaves.
  • Boots of Speed - Most people tend to go for these early so we will too to stay competitive.
  • Dagger - I rarely buy this separately from Berserker's Greaves but, if I don't have the money to upgrade immediately, I will grab this for the interim.
  • Berserker's Greaves - Movement speed and attack speed are Sivir's bread and butter (respectively).
When Sivir gets a hold of an Infinity Edge, her game changes. Even to a lesser extent, when you first get your B.F. Sword, your income from farming your lane is going to skyrocket. So, as mentioned above, if you feel comfortable going for the sword instead of your boots first, I highly recommend doing so.
  • B.F.Sword - Again, Sivir without a B.F. Sword is not going to earn nearly what a Sivir with a B.F. Sword will at lower levels. Get this as quick as you can.
  • Pick Axe - Worth going back to base for when you have the money, but get sword first.
  • Cloak of Agility - I generally get this with the upgrade to Infinity Edge. This build is about consistent damage, the criticals are nice but nowhere near as necessary in the grand scheme of things.
  • Infinity Edge - Move faster, hit harder. You can now push towers a lot more quickly.

The important items for this build have already been covered. This next one comes highly recommended but is not as necessary as the first three.
  • Vampiric Scepter - The extra life steal comes in handy later in the game when the effects of Philosopher's Stone don't pack as much punch as they used to.
  • Rejuvenating Bead - I never buy this separate from the upgrade to Emblem of Valor. The health regen is alright but getting a Vampiric Scepter is far more important.
  • Emblem of Valor - I don't care too much for the aura, but the extra 7% life steal is nice for a while...
  • Recurve Bow - Similar to the Rejuvenating Bead, I rarely buy this separately. If I don't have the money to go straight to Stark's Fervor I'll pick it up but it's a rare occurrence.
  • Stark's Fervor - The only recommended item I tend to agree with. This item makes lane pushing a breeze.

Suggested Ability Guide:

I get as many ranks in Ricochet as quickly as I can. Everything else is utility on this hero. Once Ricochet is maxed, I go for Spiral Blade as it becomes more useful as a pressure tool mid-game. Spell Shield is left until last as a spell block is always useful, no matter its rank and the cooldown shouldn't be much of an issue if your opponents are scrambling to get out of the way of your main attack.
  1. Ricochet
  2. Spiral Blade
  3. Ricochet
  4. Spell Shield
  5. Ricochet
  6. On the Hunt
  7. Ricochet
  8. Ricochet
  9. Spiral Blade
  10. Spiral Blade
  11. On the Hunt
  12. Spiral Blade
  13. Spiral Blade
  14. Spell Shield
  15. Spell Shield
  16. On the Hunt
  17. Spell Shield
  18. Spell Shield

How it All Comes Together:

 The name of the game is money. The faster you can get it the better. Sivir has an edge in this department few other heroes share. An edge you should quickly exploit by keeping your Spiral Blades and Spell Shields to a minimum in order to keep Ricochet on longer. By minding your mana usage, you should end up attacking your opponents' towers earlier and more often than any other lane, even if you're soloing against more than one hero.

Try and spread your talents out as evenly as possible. Once the first enemy tower in your lane goes down, take out the first in another lane. The idea here is to let the creeps do some your work for you, if you can give them a larger area to mass, they will weaken towers before you ever get there to finish the job. While your teammates are suppressing enemy heroes, you are destroying creep blobs and building lane pressure. Don't consider yourself part of the gank squad unless you're in the lane as it's happening.

It's not the most glamorous job, but once you can get this down you'd be surprised at how dangerous you've become to enemy heroes. I have played many games in which I lagged behind in hero kills initially, only to come back and take the top slot in the end with all my creep-farmed gear.

Pushing Towers

 When you get to a tower you have 3 tools that will utterly devastate it before the enemy has had much time to react. These are your ultimate, Rally, and Promote. I tend to blow whatever is available at every tower. The less time it takes you to defeat the tower, the less of a headache your escape is going to turn out to be.

As a side note, make sure your Ricochet is turned off unless there are no opposing heroes around. The last thing you need is a wayward attack hitting one of the heroes in your lane and drawing the ire of everything around you. Even late in the game, Sivir can barely tank a tower; it's best if you avoid having to do so entirely.

Killing Heroes

Probably the reason Sivir goes un-played is her lack of disabling abilities. Killing heroes should never be your priority. By the time you ran one down and actually got the killing blow, you could have farmed about as much off creeps who are happy to stand there while you pummel them into delicious golden goodness. That being said, if that Veigar pushing against you is a little too annoying rest assured that you are not entirely helpless. 
  • Know your Spiral Blade. Know the distance it travels. Get a feel for where it's going to be in relation to your target. Get familiar with moving to adjust its return path. These things take practice but can prove devastating early on and can seriously harm casters even later in the game. Try to throw the Blade so that there is very little distance between where it strikes your target and where it turns around. This gives the opponent less time to avoid a second strike. The forewarning your Spiral Blade gives can be mitigated to an extent by only using it when there are a lot of creeps or abilities flying around. The confusion tends to allow the Blade to go unnoticed.
  • Attack creeps close to your target. Sivir's attack range is short. Her Ricochet, however, can greatly improve this distance - even to the point where your target cannot respond without closing on you.
  • Your ultimate can double as a chase down ability. While I don't advocate chasing down a hero, sometimes that 20 remaining health is just too tempting to ignore. If you can't outrun your target, or close enough distance to get a single hit off from your Spiral Blade, blow your ultimate and finish the job.
  • Don't throw up a Spell Shield unless you're targeted by an ability. If you see a Sivir suddenly put up a bubble for no reason, chances are she's coming for you. Don't be that Sivir. Let Ricochet do the lion's share of the work and only use your Shield if you see a spell flying at you.

Spell Shield Blocks
The following spells will be stopped by Spell Shield. Note: this ability is completely ineffective against AOE or non-targeted spells. Thanks go to Lollerman for providing the information to get this list started:

Zilean
  • Time Warp

Warwick
  • Hungering Strike

Alistar
  • Headbutt - From Lollerman: "I doubt this, but it's a single target spell, you may not take damage from it, but you'll probably still get knocked back? As the skill is called spell shield, I had mind that it didn't work on "physical" stuff, but technically all skills are "spells", and if alpha strike works, then this could work too. Worth testing"

Fiddlesticks
  • Terrify
  • Dark Wind (if selected first)
  • Fearmonger

Kayle
  • Reckoning

Ryze
  • Overload
  • Rune Prison

Singe
  • Throw - From Lollerman: "same dilema as Alistar"

Teemo
  • Blinding Dart

Jax
  • Leap Strike - From Lollerman: "a la Singe/Ali's problem, although, it'll most likely only nullify damage; Jax will still jump up to you, which makes the shield essentially useless anyway, sort of."

Sion
  • Cryptic Gaze

Evelynn
  • Ravage
  • Shadow Walk and Hate Spike - From Lollerman: "worth noting is that Shadow Walk's attack (which procs a stun) may count as a skill, and Hate Spike doesn't work like a conventional AoE, so shield may work here too. More importantly, however, is how impractical it is to use a 8 second spell shield against Evelynn as a whole... (Still worth testing IMO: especially considering the potential behind being able to stop stun)"

Twitch
  • Poison/Expunge - From Lollerman: "they either both work, or nothing works. Really worth testing."

Amumu
  • Bandage Toss - From Lollerman: "another "nullify damage, but don't know if it stops attack entirely" dilema... would be amazing if it cancels the bandage entirely."

Conclusion

 As always, a community of thousands is smarter than one person. If there's something you'd like to see here but that is conspicuously absent, please post to this thread and I will try and get the changes made in a timely matter. Thanks for reading!
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