Banshee’s Veil

Banshee’s Veil is a 3,000 gold defensive mage item in League of Legends: 105 Ability Power and 40 Magic Resist in patch 26.21, plus the Annul passive. Annul gives you a spell shield that blocks the next enemy ability, which makes it the standard answer for a mage facing a single key catch, stun or burst spell.

What does Annul block?

The next enemy ability that would hit you. The spell shield absorbs it completely, so the damage and any crowd control attached to it never land. After it pops, it needs time to come back; the data text doesn’t state the cooldown, so the in-game tooltip for patch 26.21 is the place to check it.

It buys you safety against one specific threat. Think of an enemy assassin who opens with a targeted spell, or a support whose hook starts every fight: Annul eats that first spell, and the whole combo falls apart. Funny enough, smart opponents will try to pop it with a cheap ability first (a poke spell, a minor slow), so the shield is strongest when you track who is likely to waste it.

Basic attacks don’t break it. Only abilities do, which is why the item barely matters against an attack-based assassin, whose physical damage also ignores your 40 Magic Resist.

Is Banshee’s Veil gold efficient?

Close to break-even at 97%, before Annul counts. The two stats add up to 2,900 gold against 3,000 gold.

By stat: 105 Ability Power at 20 gold per point is 2,100 gold, and 40 Magic Resist at 20 gold per point is 800. You’re 100 gold short on paper, and the spell shield covers it many times over in any game where one enemy spell decides your fights. To be fair, against a team with no reliable engage, it mostly blocks poke.

What’s the build path?

Two parts: Needlessly Large Rod (1,200 gold) and Verdant Barrier (1,600 gold), plus just 200 gold to combine. Verdant Barrier already has its own Annul, so buying it first gives you the spell shield right away in lane (a big deal against a kill-lane matchup). The Rod is the damage spike (it carries 65 Ability Power on its own) when you’re safe enough not to need protection yet.

No item builds out of it.

How has the item changed?

Riot’s data has it from 2013, and its biggest recent jump came at the start of the 2024 season:

• Patch 10.23: cost 3,000 → 2,500 gold, Ability Power 75 → 65, Magic Resist 60 → 45.
• Patch 14.1: cost 2,600 → 3,100 gold, Ability Power 80 → 120, Magic Resist 45 → 50.
• Patch 14.19: cost 3,100 → 3,000 gold, Ability Power 120 → 105, Magic Resist 50 → 40.

The 14.1 change turned it from a cheap defensive item into a full damage item with a shield attached, at a much higher price. Honestly, 14.19 only trimmed it. Riot last touched the wording in 14.21.

Who should buy Banshee’s Veil?

Mages and AP assassins facing a single dangerous ability: a hook, a long stun, a targeted execute, or an assassin’s opening spell. It’s usually a second or third item, bought after Verdant Barrier has already done its job in lane.

When should you skip it? Against attack-based threats, where neither Annul nor the 40 Magic Resist helps, and against teams that can pop the shield cheaply before the real spell lands. If you need raw damage more than safety, Rabadon’s Deathcap is the bigger Ability Power item. Look, the test is one name: is there an enemy whose one spell kills you? Then Banshee’s Veil is the item that takes that spell away.

FAQ

How much does Banshee’s Veil cost?

Patch 26.21 lists it at 3,000 gold, with the final combine costing 200. It sells back for 2,100 gold.

Does the spell shield block basic attacks?

No. Annul blocks the next enemy ability only.

What does Annul do?

It grants a spell shield that blocks the next enemy ability, then recharges.

What stats does it give?

105 Ability Power and 40 Magic Resist.

What does it build from?

Needlessly Large Rod and Verdant Barrier.