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Ambessa is the latest addition to theLeague of Legendsroster, and fans ofArcanewill instantly recognize the Noxian warlord who also happens to be Mel Medarda’s mother. In terms of her role in Summoner’s Rift, Ambessa is primarily designed for the Top Lane, but in certain matchups, she can likely be picked Mid.
It’s even possible to play Ambessa Jungle, but this guide will primarily focus onhow to play Ambessaas a laner. Nevertheless, many of thetips and tricks for Ambessawill carry over to any role. Ambessa is a fighter, similar in ways to Riven and Renekton, but unlike these champions, she doesn’t have any hardCC (Crowd Control)before hitting level 6. She is perhaps best known for incredible mobility, as she can dash after every ability. She also has durability and sustain thanks to a shield and
Ambessa’s Abilities
Passive - Drakehound’s Step
When Ambessa is casting an Ability, Issuing aMove or Attack orderwill cause her todashin that direction after the Ability Finishes.
Each cast initiation grants her a charge for 4 seconds (max: 3). While Ambessa has a charge, she gains75 Attack Rangeand50% Attack Speed. Attacks consume a charge to deal physical damage andrestore Energy.
Q - Cunning Sweep/ Sundering Slam
Cunning Sweep:Ambessa sweeps her blades forward, dealing max Health physical damage to enemies at the edge of the strike. All other enemies take 50% damage. Striking an enemy readies aSundering Slam.
Sundering Slam:Ambessa slams her blades down, dealing max Health physical damage against the first enemy hit. All other enemies take 50% damage.
W - Repudiation
Ambessa gains aShield for 2 secondsand braces herself for 0.5 seconds. She then slams the ground, dealing physical damage to nearby enemies, whichincreases if she braced herself from damagefrom an enemy champion, large monster, or structure.
E - Lacerate
Ambessa whips her chains around, dealing physical damage andSlowing enemies by 99%, which decays over 1 second. Initiating her passive, Drakehound’s Step from this Ability will trigger an additional strike.
R (Ultimate) - Public Execution
Passive:Ambessa gains % Armor Penetration and her Abilities heal her for a percentage of the damage she dealt.
Active:Ambessa becomes Unstoppable and blinks to thefarthest enemychampion in a line,Suppressing the target for 0.75 secondsand then slamming them into the ground, dealing physical damage andStunningthem for 0.4 seconds.
Ambessa Combos
A fighter like Ambessa is naturally going to rely on well-executed combos, and with a dash and stronger auto attacks on her passive, she has plenty of ways to outplay her enemies.
Flash Combos
Ambessa can use Flash directly after all of her basic abilities to get in range or reposition. She cannot do this with her ultimate though.
Short Trade
This short trade combo allows Ambessa to go in and get decent damage down before dashing back out.
Safe Trade With W Engage
By engaging with her W, which has a shield, players will be safe at first and can dish out some damage. The advantage of her Q2 being long-range is that Ambessa can dash out when her shield goes down, and then strike from a distance.
Cancel Animations
Ambessa has a few ways to cancel animations. For example, while dashing with her passive, players can click back on Ambessa to cancel the dash. This makes everything faster and allows her to attack or use other abilities sooner.
Ambessa can also cancel her dash by using other abilities such as her. One such combo is:
Safe Combo With All Abilities
This combo allows Ambessa to go in and use everything while having a dash at the end to get out. The AA is important as it gives enough energy back to use Q again.
All In Ult Combo
If players are looking to burst a target after ulting them, this is one of the best combos. It still leaves her W for chasing with the dash or getting out if needed.
Ambessa’s Build
Ambessa Ability Max Order
When thinking about which abilities to max first on Ambessa, there isn’t much debate over the first ability asAmbessa’s Q is her primary form of damage, especially with it having two parts. Additionally, like most champions, she will want to put points into her ult whenever possible.
Thus, the choice only comes down to W or E, but in most cases, players will want more damage, so E is preferable.
Ambessa Runes
As she uses lots of abilities and uses autos, Ambessa like many fighters, is great with Conqueror, and it synergizes well with the sustain from her ultimate.
Other options would be Electrocute, for more damage, but Hail of Blades, Grasp of the Undying, and Phase Rush could all work on her.
Boots For Ambessa
In most cases, Ambessa will want to get eitherPlated SteelcapsorMercury’s Treads, depending on her opponents.
If the enemy team is split between the two, players could choose to focus on what would be better in their individual Top Lane matchup. Other options includeIonian Boots of Lucidityfor lower cooldowns orBoots of Swiftnessfor those looking to roam or reduce slows.
Core Items For Ambessa
While it’s hard to predict what Ambessa’s exact build will be on any patch, especially with how the power of items is constantly shifting, it’s still possible to point players toward the type ofstats Ambessa needsand wants.
Fighter items consisting ofAD,Health, andAbility Hasteare typically the way to go:
Some players looking to do the most damage may preferLethality Ambessa, but this also depends on the meta and any tuning she receives after launch.
Other Items For Ambessa
After her core items, Ambessa and manyother Top Lane championswill often want to look toward defensive items that counter the enemy team.
Against heavy APMaw of Malmortiuscan be good while still providing damage, but for more sustain to synergize with her ultimate’s passive healing, look towardSpirit Visage. Other tanky items with MR can also be good.
Against lots of AD,Death’s Danceis good for those looking to fight their way out of trouble. Against lots of healing and without her team getting an anti-heal, she could go forThornmail.
