Sion 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 Sion ARAM build stacks Health on top of Health: Heartsteel, Unending Despair and Warmog’s Armor, then Jak’Sho, The Protean and Plated Steelcaps. Soul Furnace adds maximum Health on every kill, so the bar keeps growing. On the Howling Abyss, Sion deals 90% damage and takes 110% damage, which is why he needs so much of it.

We chose the items from his patch 26.21 kit alone (nobody opened a win-rate site for this).

How is Sion changed in ARAM?

He hits 10% softer and takes 10% more. That second number is a big one for a frontliner, since soaking damage is literally the job. Why would Riot do it? A single lane gives Sion a steady supply of minion kills for Soul Furnace’s Health stacks, and Unstoppable Onslaught down a straight bridge is hard to dodge. Healing and shielding keep their normal values, so Soul Furnace’s shield works at full strength.

Why does Sion fit the Howling Abyss?

Everything he does hits groups, and the Abyss is one long group. Here’s his patch 26.21 kit:

• Glory in Death (passive): after dying he comes back briefly with decaying Health, and his rapid attacks heal him and deal bonus damage based on maximum Health.
• Decimating Smash (Q): a charged swing that knocks up and stuns if held long enough. Cooldown 10/9/8/7/6.
• Soul Furnace (W): a shield he can detonate after 3 seconds for magic damage; kills give him maximum Health. Cooldown 15/14/13/12/11.
• Roar of the Slayer (E): a short shockwave that slows and lowers Armor, launching any minion it hits through the enemies behind it. Cooldown 12/11/10/9/8.
• Unstoppable Onslaught (R): a steerable charge that knocks enemies up harder the further he travels. Cooldown 140/100/60.

Enemies in ARAM stand close together and rarely have room to sidestep, so a fully charged Decimating Smash catches two or three of them at once. Roar of the Slayer gets better too, because there’s almost always a minion between Sion and the enemy team to launch. And Unstoppable Onslaught? On a straight lane, a charge from the tower can travel far enough for a big knock-up before it even reaches them. Glory in Death even turns his deaths into a few extra seconds of fighting, which, honestly, is how a lot of Sion players end up in the enemy fountain.

What should a Sion ARAM build focus on?

Health, then more Health. His damage tools scale off it through Glory in Death and the items below, and his job is to stay alive in front of his team.

Heartsteel comes first. Colossal Consumption charges up when an enemy champion stays near him, and the next attack deals 70 plus 6% of his max Health as bonus physical damage, then adds 10% of that damage to his max Health permanently. Fights in ARAM never stop, so it charges constantly. It also brings 900 Health for 3,000 gold.

Unending Despair second. Every 4 seconds in champion combat, Anguish deals magic damage to nearby enemy champions and heals him for 250% of that damage. With healing at normal value on Sion, that’s real sustain in a mode where the fountain is far away. It adds 400 Health and 50 Armor.

Warmog’s Armor is the third buy, and it pairs with the first two. Warmog’s Heart restores Health quickly once he has 2000 bonus Health and hasn’t been hit for 8 seconds, so he walks back to full between fights without needing relics. Thing is, the threshold takes a few items to reach. The item itself carries 1,000 Health (the biggest single number in his build).

Jak’Sho, The Protean rounds it off: after 5 seconds of champion combat, bonus Armor and Magic Resist rise by 30%. Boots? Plated Steelcaps (cheap, simple) cut damage from attacks by 10%, which helps against the marksmen who usually sit behind the enemy front line.

How do you play Sion on the Howling Abyss?

• Charge Decimating Smash early. It only stuns when fully charged, so start it where enemies are already walking.
• Aim Roar of the Slayer at a minion; the knocked-back minion damages, slows and lowers the Armor of every enemy it passes.
• Start Unstoppable Onslaught from far away. The knock-up grows with distance travelled.
• Keep fighting after you die. Glory in Death attacks heal and hit hard against high-Health targets.
• Last-hit minions with Soul Furnace up whenever you can, since kills add maximum Health.

How do no-recall shopping and Mark change the plan?

You spend gold only at the fountain after a death. Heartsteel at 3,000 gold is the first full item to save for. Health relics are the only healing until Unending Despair and Warmog’s Armor come online, and Sion, as a frontliner, takes damage that needs them. He often dies first (that’s the 110% damage taken in action), so expect early shopping trips.

With Mark, a snowball that connects opens a dash onto that enemy; whatever you pick stays for the match. For Sion, Mark gives an engage that doesn’t cost his ultimate: snowball, dash in, then start Decimating Smash on top of them. In practice, Flash plus a charged Smash is also a classic, so either pick works.

Is Sion good in ARAM?

He’s a solid frontliner, despite the nerfs. The 90% damage dealt and 110% damage taken modifiers keep him from running over games alone, but his abilities want clumped enemies and Soul Furnace keeps growing him all match.

Stuck facing him in top lane instead? Read the Sion counters guide. Our League item database lists every stat mentioned here, and his skins fill the Sion skins page.

Long story short, the Sion ARAM build is Heartsteel, Unending Despair, Warmog’s Armor and Jak’Sho on Plated Steelcaps, with a charged Smash at the start of every fight.

FAQ

What are Sion’s ARAM modifiers?

Two nerfs: 90% damage dealt and 110% damage taken in patch 26.21.

What items should Sion build in ARAM?

Heartsteel, Unending Despair, Warmog’s Armor and Jak’Sho, The Protean, with Plated Steelcaps.

Why build Heartsteel on Sion?

Its Colossal Consumption attack deals bonus damage based on his max Health and adds part of that damage to his max Health permanently.

Does Soul Furnace stack Health in ARAM?

Yes. Soul Furnace passively grants maximum Health when Sion kills enemies, and minion kills count.

How did we pick this Sion build?

By lining up his patch 26.21 abilities with what each item does, Health stacking first. Win rates were not used.