Lich Bane

Lich Bane is a 2,900 gold Spellblade item in League of Legends for AP champions who weave attacks between spells: 100 Ability Power, 6% Move Speed and 10 Ability Haste in patch 26.21. After you use an ability, your next attack deals bonus magic damage on hit, which makes it a burst item for mages and assassins who can reach melee or short range.

How does its Spellblade work?

Cast an ability, then attack. That empowered attack deals bonus magic damage on hit, and the cycle starts again with the next spell. Riot’s data text doesn’t include the damage figure (it scales with your stats), so the tooltip in the client shows the exact number.

The rhythm is everything. A champion who can chain spell, attack, spell, attack inside a short window gets a Spellblade proc between every cast, and with the item’s 10 Ability Haste helping the cooldowns along, those windows come around faster. Champions who cast from long range and never attack get the Ability Power and Move Speed, nothing more.

In practice, the proc turns a short lane trade into a real one: a spell to close the gap, an empowered attack, and you’re gone before the enemy answers. That pattern is why the item suits champions with a dash or blink in their kit, since getting into attack range is the hard part for any mage.

Is it an AP Trinity Force? Sort of. To be fair, both share the Spellblade idea, but Trinity Force is built for Attack Damage fighters, while this one is pure Ability Power with no defensive stats at all.

Is Lich Bane gold efficient?

Just above break-even, at 102%, before Spellblade adds anything. The three stats come to 2,950 gold for 2,900 gold.

Ability Power does most of the work: 100 points at 20 gold each is 2,000 gold. The 6% Move Speed is worth 450 at 75 gold per percent, and 10 Ability Haste adds 500 at 50 each. Put simply, you pay a fair price for the stats and get the Spellblade proc free, which is the reason so many burst mages build it.

Which components does it need?

Sheen (900 gold), Aether Wisp (900 gold) and Blasting Wand (850 gold), plus a small 250 gold combine. Sheen first gives you a weaker Spellblade right away (handy for trading in lane), while Blasting Wand is the raw Ability Power spike. Aether Wisp brings the Move Speed.

The finished item has no upgrade.

How has it changed?

Riot’s data has it from 2013, and the Ability Power number has climbed and fallen over the last few seasons:

• Patch 14.1: cost 3,000 → 3,100 gold, Ability Power 85 → 100.
• Patch 14.19: cost 3,100 → 3,200 gold, Ability Power 100 → 115, Ability Haste 15 → 10, Move Speed 8% → 4%.
• Patch 25.10: cost 3,200 → 2,900 gold, Ability Power 115 → 100.
• Patch 26.10: Move Speed 4% → 6%.

So 25.10 made it cheaper and a bit weaker, and 26.10 handed back some of the speed. Small change. Still, Move Speed is exactly what lets a mage walk into attack range in the first place. Honestly? Price and power moved together.

Who should build Lich Bane?

AP assassins and burst mages who get close enough to attack between spells, and some AP fighters. It’s typically a first or second item for champions built around a quick combo.

Who should skip it? Long-range artillery mages and control mages who stay at maximum distance, since they rarely attack at all. For an AP champion who fights in melee range for longer and needs some durability, Dusk and Dawn offers a Spellblade with Health and Attack Speed instead. Look, the difference is simple: burst in and out, take Lich Bane; stay and trade, take the other one.

FAQ

How much does Lich Bane cost?

2,900 gold as of patch 26.21. Of that, 250 gold is the combine step, and the sell value is 2,030 gold.

What does the Spellblade passive do?

Each time you cast an ability, the following attack hits for extra magic damage on hit.

Is it good on mages?

On mages who attack between spells, yes. Long-range mages who rarely attack get little from the passive.

What stats does it give?

100 Ability Power, 6% Move Speed and 10 Ability Haste.

What does it build from?

Sheen, Aether Wisp and Blasting Wand.