Diana ARAM Build and Guide

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch; ARAM balance numbers come from the League of Legends Wiki’s champion data.

A Diana ARAM build mixes on-hit and staying power: Nashor’s Tooth and Riftmaker for damage through long fights, Zhonya’s Hourglass to survive diving in with Moonfall, and Void Staff to cut through Magic Resist. ARAM gives her a slight buff, 102% damage dealt and 98% damage taken.

Items were picked by checking each one’s text against her patch 26.21 kit. Win rates were never consulted.

What changes for Diana in ARAM?

Barely anything, honestly. She deals 102% and takes 98%, a nudge in her favor on both sides that you won’t feel in a single fight but might over a whole game. So her ARAM value comes from the kit. And the kit, built around pulling several champions into one spot, looks like it was designed for a single lane where enemies already stand together.

Why does Moonfall work so well on the Howling Abyss?

Her abilities, per Riot’s patch 26.21 data:

• Moonsilver Blade (passive): every third strike cleaves nearby enemies for magic damage, and each spell cast gives Attack Speed for 5 seconds.
• Crescent Strike (Q): an arc of magic damage that applies Moonlight and reveals non-stealthed enemies for 3 seconds. Cooldown 8/7.5/7/6.5/6.
• Pale Cascade (W): three spheres circle her and explode on contact, and she gains a shield that strengthens if the third one goes off. Cooldown 15/13.5/12/10.5/9.
• Lunar Rush (E): dashes to an enemy for magic damage, free of cooldown against a Moonlight target. Cooldown 22/20/18/16/14.
• Moonfall (R): pulls in, reveals and slows every nearby enemy, then explodes around her, harder for each champion beyond the first. Cooldown 100/90/80.

Moonfall scales with crowds. The damage goes up for every champion pulled in after the first, and on the Abyss, five enemies standing close together is the default rather than a lucky misplay. Crescent Strike’s arc also catches more than one target on a narrow lane, so Lunar Rush gets several free dashes in a row (each one onto a different Moonlight-marked enemy). Is there a risk? Plenty. After the combo she’s in the middle of the enemy team, and ARAM rolls a lot of crowd control.

What items should Diana build on the Abyss?

Damage that keeps coming after the opening burst, plus a stasis. Four items and boots.

Nashor’s Tooth first. It brings 50% Attack Speed and 80 Ability Power, and Icathian Bite adds magic damage on hit. Moonsilver Blade already gives her Attack Speed after every spell, and every third strike cleaves, so more attacks per second means more cleaves per fight. This is the item that turns her from a one-combo assassin into a fighter who keeps hitting.

Riftmaker second. For each second in combat with champions, Void Corruption raises her damage by 2%, up to 8%, and at full strength it grants Omnivamp. Her bonus Health also feeds Ability Power through Void Infusion, at 2% of it. Will the fight last long enough to max it? After Moonfall, nearly always.

Zhonya’s Hourglass third, earlier if the enemy team has a lot of crowd control. Time Stop puts her in stasis for 2.5 seconds, which is the classic follow-up to a Moonfall: pull them in, explode, freeze while their stuns fly, then come out swinging. It also adds 50 Armor.

Void Staff last. Its 40% Magic Penetration matters because ARAM tanks stack Magic Resist as the game goes on. Sorcerer’s Shoes give another 12 flat penetration on top.

How should you play Diana in Howling Abyss fights?

• Land Crescent Strike on two or more enemies. Each Moonlight mark is a free Lunar Rush.
• Wait for the clump. Moonfall’s damage rises with each champion pulled in beyond the first.
• Pop Pale Cascade before diving. The shield strengthens once the third sphere detonates.
• Zhonya’s right after Moonfall. Stasis covers the moment their crowd control comes back at you.
• Weave attacks between spells. Moonsilver Blade gives Attack Speed after each cast and cleaves every third strike.

How do shopping and Mark affect Diana?

ARAM has no recall. You buy at the fountain at the start and after each respawn, so the first trips should finish Nashor’s Tooth, since its on-hit damage needs the whole item. Health relics are her only healing besides Riftmaker’s Omnivamp (Pale Cascade is a shield, not a heal), and a diver who goes in first should grab one before the big fight if it’s on her side of the lane.

Spells are fixed once the game loads. Mark throws a snowball and lets her dash to whoever it hits, which on Diana is a way to open from far away and land Moonfall without walking up. Thing is, she already has Lunar Rush, so a second gap closer is only worth it when Crescent Strike can’t find anyone. Sure, Flash is the safer default (it also fixes a badly aimed Moonfall).

Is Diana good in ARAM?

Yes. Her ARAM modifiers barely move, but Moonfall gets stronger with every champion pulled in, and a single narrow lane keeps enemies grouped for it. Real talk, the danger is what happens after the combo, when she’s sitting in five enemies with Zhonya’s as the only way out.

The champions who punish that are in the Diana counters guide. Our League item database lists every item above, the explainer on game roles covers assassins and fighters, and her skins are on the Diana skins page.

Long story short, the Diana ARAM build is Nashor’s Tooth, Riftmaker, Zhonya’s Hourglass and Void Staff with Sorcerer’s Shoes: mark the group, dash in for free, pull everyone together, and freeze before they hit back.

FAQ

Is Diana buffed in ARAM?

Slightly. Wiki numbers for patch 26.21 give her 102% damage dealt and 98% damage taken.

What is the best Diana ARAM build?

Nashor’s Tooth into Riftmaker, then Zhonya’s Hourglass and Void Staff, on Sorcerer’s Shoes.

Why build Nashor’s Tooth on Diana?

Moonsilver Blade gives Attack Speed after spells and cleaves every third strike, so Nashor’s Attack Speed and on-hit damage add up quickly.

How does Moonfall deal more damage?

Its damage increases for each enemy champion pulled in beyond the first, so larger groups take more.

How was this Diana build chosen?

From her patch 26.21 kit and item text: an attack-speed passive, long fights after Moonfall, and a need to survive the dive. No win-rate data was used.