Skip to content

Syndra Guide

Ability numbers checked on patch 26.21 · Strategy reviewed: October 2026

Syndra splash art for this Syndra guide

Real talk, Syndra plays the entire teamfight through sphere positioning. The Dark Sovereign drops Q spheres on the ground as a persistent threat. Scatter the Weak knocks those spheres into stun lines across a 500-unit cone. Force of Will yanks either a minion or a parked sphere and launches it at the enemy carry. Unleashed Power collapses the whole stack into a long-range execute line.

The Riot Data Dragon file lists Syndra under the Mage tag, 8 out of 10 difficulty rating, 550 ranged auto range, and Mana as her resource bar. Her ceiling lives in sphere-count management: Transcendent R at seven total stacks grants Unleashed Power enough combined damage to finish a mid-HP carry inside one cast.

Abilities and role

Where does Syndra fit on the current meta? Mid-lane solo-queue control mage on patch 26.22. Thing is, her mid-lane pick rate dominates the regional feed; a secondary support flex route surfaces only in premade poke drafts.

Transcendent (Passive)

At levels 1, 6, and 11, Syndra permanently amplifies one of her abilities (Q damage, W throw damage, E stun duration, or R ball count). For what it’s worth, the Transcendent choices define Syndra’s power spikes; the level 1 damage amp on Q sets up the early kill pressure.

Dark Sphere (Q)

Syndra drops a sphere at a target location, dealing AoE magic damage on arrival. The sphere persists for 6 seconds and can be grabbed by Force of Will or stunned by Scatter the Weak. 7 second cooldown, 40 to 60 mana. Honestly, the Q is Syndra’s main waveclear and the stacking lever for her Unleashed Power burst.

Force of Will (W)

First cast: Syndra picks up a nearby minion or sphere. Second cast: Syndra throws the carried object at a target position, dealing damage. 13 to 9 second cooldown, 70 to 90 mana. The two-stage cast is why Syndra waits on an isolated Q sphere before firing the W throw.

Scatter the Weak (E)

Syndra knocks back nearby spheres and minions in a cone. Each sphere stuns the first enemy it hits for 1 to 1.5 seconds. 15 second cooldown, 60 mana. The catch is, Scatter the Weak is a line stun; the sphere-plus-E combo lands a stun on any 500-unit lane target through the minion wave.

Unleashed Power (R)

Syndra fires every active sphere at a target enemy, dealing combined magic damage. The ability can target through terrain and does not require vision past the first sphere. 120 to 80 second cooldown, 100 mana. At seven stacks (Transcendent R max), Unleashed Power deals full one-shot damage against mid-HP targets.

Build and item spikes

The mid-lane start pattern on Syndra: Doran’s Ring plus 2 Health Potions, maxing Q for the waveclear range. The build opens on Luden’s Echo; the magic-pen stacking lane shred compounds with the Transcendent Q damage amp at level 1 for an aggressive 2v1 pattern.

Slot two settles on Shadowflame whenever the enemy comp stacks shields or barriers (the burst-crit modifier chews through Ivern shield, Lulu E, Janna E in a single Unleashed Power volley). Slot three can rotate between Rabadon’s Deathcap for raw AP multiplication, Zhonya’s Hourglass as the self-stasis counter against assassin dives on Syndra herself, or Void Staff whenever the enemy stack MR above 100. Full first-through-sixth-item path and the Rylai variant sit on our LoL items database.

How to play by game stage

Early lane 1 through 6: Syndra plays passive on CS with Dark Sphere waveclear. Weave Q plus auto for the trade damage. First solo kill opens at level 6 with Transcendent R unlock plus full-stack Unleashed Power on the enemy mid-laner below 60 percent HP.

Mid game, levels 7 through 13: Luden’s Echo online is Syndra’s mid-game spike. Rotate to Drake with Q Dark Sphere waveclear on the enemy minion push — each conjured sphere remains and can be manipulated by her other powers. Save R for the enemy ADC in a 2v2 skirmish.

Late game past level 14: full build teamfights revolve around Unleashed Power on priority targets. Scatter the Weak stuns the enemy support engaging. Force of Will throws grab-plus-throw an isolated sphere for additional damage pass. A Zhonya’s Hourglass third item saves Syndra after R burst against dive comps.

Who counters Syndra

Who shuts down the Syndra lane? Three distinct pressure types bleed Syndra. Hyper-mobile assassins who punish her 550 range on W cast (Zed, Yone, Qiyana). Hard-engage supports who commit before Unleashed Power lands (Leona Zenith Blade, Nautilus hook, Rell dismount). Shield-stacking tanks who absorb the R burst (Malphite R, Rammus taunt, Mordekaiser Indestructible).

  • Mobile assassins: Zed, Yone, Qiyana. Each dash past the W cast telegraph and kill Syndra before R refreshes.
  • Hard-engage supports (jungle flex): Leona, Nautilus, Rell. Each gap-close before Unleashed Power can hit.
  • Shield-stacking tanks: Malphite, Rammus, Mordekaiser. Each absorb the R burst damage behind resists or shields.

Deeper matchup notes with ability-level timings for every Syndra opponent land on the Syndra counters page.

ARAM notes

On Howling Abyss, Syndra opens with Luden’s Echo for the bridge-wide burst poke and the magic-pen procs. Shadowflame slots in second against shield-stacked enemy drafts. Rabadon’s Deathcap arrives third to multiply Unleashed Power. The map’s narrow geometry lets Scatter the Weak chain-stun grouped enemies on cast because the lane shape forces sphere stacks between the player clumps. Riot’s ARAM balance tag for 26.22 tunes her kit on this map (the live modifier is on the patch notes).

Syndra handles the Howling Abyss map comfortably whenever an ally comp follows up on stunned enemies. Transcendent R at seven stacks finishes any mid-HP target with a single Unleashed Power cast. Check our Syndra ARAM build page for the full item path and matchup table.

Syndra skins

Skins: 13 · Newest: Queen of Diamonds Syndra (2026)

Theme-wise, the lineup spans Atlantean, Battle Academia, Bewitching and multiple event drops. Three stand out for full VFX reworks on Unleashed Power sphere launch.

  • Atlantean Syndra (1350 RP): underwater theme with reworked bubble-sphere Q and tidal-wave R.
  • Bewitching Syndra (1350 RP): Halloween event theme with pumpkin-sphere Q and witch-staff Force of Will.
  • Star Guardian Syndra (1820 RP legendary): anime-magic theme with reworked voiceover plus star-shard R animation.

See All Syndra skins and prices for the full catalogue with RP tags and release years.

FAQ

Is Syndra easy to learn?

8/10 for the Dark Sphere stacking. R Unleashed Power fires every sphere Syndra has on the ground — new Syndras cast R immediately (burst is weak with 0 spheres), mains Q-W-E-Q to stack 4 spheres, then R-flash into the enemy ADC for a one-shot. Her E Scatter the Weak knocks spheres into cone-shaped stun — do not E without a sphere in range.