Stormsurge

Stormsurge is a 2,800 gold mage item in League of Legends built around fast burst: 90 Ability Power, 15 flat Magic Penetration and 6% Move Speed in patch 26.21. Its Stormraider passive marks a champion with Squall once you deal 25% of their maximum Health within 2.5 seconds, and Squall then strikes them for extra magic damage.

How do Stormraider and Squall work?

Two steps. First you have to burst someone: deal 25% of a champion’s maximum Health inside 2.5 seconds, and Stormraider applies Squall to them. Then, after a short delay, Squall deals bonus magic damage to that champion.

There’s a nice twist. If the target dies before Squall goes off, the damage doesn’t vanish; it hits nearby enemies instead. So a quick kill in a team fight can still chip the people standing next to your victim (often their support, who came to help).

The threshold is based on maximum Health, which matters a lot. Against a squishy marksman your combo reaches it easily, while against a tank stacking Health you may never trigger it at all. Riot’s data text skips the Squall damage numbers; the client tooltip lists them.

Who should build Stormsurge?

Burst mages and Ability Power assassins whose combo lands in a second or two. That’s exactly the kind of damage Stormraider checks for. Honestly, slow damage over time champions struggle to hit the threshold inside the window, so they get the stats and little else.

Why pick it over Shadowflame? It’s cheaper, it has Move Speed for roaming, and its passive works from the opening combo rather than only on low Health targets. Many burst mages end up with both. Against Health and Magic Resist stackers, Void Staff does more.

Is it gold efficient?

Not on raw stats: 80%, with 2,250 gold counted against a 2,800 gold price.

The Ability Power is worth 1,800 gold at 20 per point and the Move Speed 450 gold. To be fair, the 15 Magic Penetration counts as zero, simply because no basic item sells it, and for a burst item that’s the stat doing a big share of the damage against squishy targets. Add Squall and the real value is much closer to even, or past it (depending on how often you trigger the passive in a game).

What does it build from?

Hextech Alternator (1,100 gold) and Aether Wisp (900 gold), plus an 800 gold combine. Aether Wisp gives the speed early, which helps a mid laner roam (and dodge ganks on the way back); Hextech Alternator adds a burst of damage in lane. Which one first? Usually whichever your lane matchup asks for. It doesn’t upgrade into anything.

How has Stormsurge changed?

It’s a newer item, first seen in Riot’s data in patch 14.1, and the speed number has bounced around more than anything else:

• Patch 14.5: Move Speed 5% → 8%.
• Patch 14.18: Magic Penetration 10 → 15, Move Speed 8% → 5%, effect text changed.
• Patch 14.19: Move Speed 5% → 4%.
• Patch 14.20: Ability Power 95 → 90.
• Patch 25.10: cost 2,900 → 2,800 gold, Move Speed 4% → 6%, effect text changed.

Funny enough, the item has had five different Move Speed values in barely two years. Older 14.2 and 14.3 changes sit in the table above, and the LoL items list has the same patch record for every other mage item.

When should you buy it?

When the enemy has squishy carries you can burst inside the window, and when you want speed to roam. In practice, it’s a common first or second item for burst mages in mid lane. Our guide to LoL roles covers where those champions play, and for the burst-heavy ones Stormsurge is one of the first items to look at.

FAQ

How much does Stormsurge cost?

2,800 gold with an 800 gold combine cost; you get 1,960 gold back if you sell it.

How do you trigger Squall?

Deal 25% of a champion’s maximum Health within 2.5 seconds.

What happens if the target dies first?

Squall damages nearby enemies instead.

Which stats does it give?

90 Ability Power, 15 Magic Penetration and 6% Move Speed.

What does it build from?

Hextech Alternator and Aether Wisp.