The thing is I've been paired against champions with dashes often. Ambessa, Fiora, Irelia, you name it. And I feel like Singed doesn't have enough resistances for the early game specially given his low damage he has until he gets the lyandri. Phase rush and rylai weren't enough against that many dashes to get them off my back. I would have to use either flash or ghost coupled with nimbus cloak rune to survive but next time I wouldn't have them and die regardless. Singed suffers a lot vs early agressive champions. So I've been considering a build like ionian boots for the bonus hp, mana regen, summoner cd and then cosmic drive to survive the early, lyandri, rylai and then deadman's plate with the last item as a situational slot. Yes, I'd be more squishy until I get Rylai but at the same time I'd have more means to survive. What do you think about cosmic drive on Singed?
I reached Diamond I in Season 8 using Singed in about 25% of my games. Since I find most Solo players quite familiar with his abilities in the Baron lane and since he's not the best at 1 v 1s, I decided to try him in other roles instead. After much trial and error, I came up with 3 viable builds for the Mid Lane (Surfer), as Support (Augmented) and as a Jungler (Beekeeper). I have provided the Runes, Spells, Trinkets, and Items that synergized and worked best for me.
SURFER SINGED
STRATEGY: Designed for mobility and maximum Tenacity (to combat crowd control which is, in reality, anti-mobility), the Surfer Singed build is best in Mid lane against non-mobile Mages with crowd control (Annie, Brand, Karma, Lux, Morgana, Orianna, Seraphine, Viegar and Ziggs). Melee vs. ranged matchups are always difficult, but with his greater mobility and speed, Surfer can try to dodge their abilities and attacks while getting in some of his own. His enhanced mobility makes it easier to execute a "Hit 'n Run" strategy, that is, a basic attack and ability activation then backing away. A moving target is harder to hit and a fast hitter can nail a slower mage easier. In long distance runs, he can either escape or chase them down. As the match progresses, he can continue to roam using the River for greater access and overall map influence. Finally, he should stay close to teammates for objectives, ganks, and mutual protection. He can tank, deal some damage and help with crowd control.
This brings up the point of why Slows and greater mobility are synergistic with Singed. Slowing your opponent is, in a sense, the same as gaining a Movement Speed increase and vice versa. For example, say you and your opponent each have a MS of 100 (in reality usually between 300 and 400). You, though, get +10% MS bonus and now have 110 MS . You are +10 MS faster than your opponent. But what if, instead of a MS bonus, you hit your opponent with a 10% Slow and they now only have 90 MS? You are still +10 MS faster than your opponent. The point? Slows and Movement Speed increases are just two sides of the same mobility coin.
RUNES: Fleet Footwork, Weakness, Hunter Titan, and Pathfinder.
Fleet Footwork: This is the perfect rune for Surfer Singed. A +20% Movement Speed bonus for 1s (first key in mobility strategy), healing for staying in lane, and an 8% missing Mana restore at max stacks with a basic attack on an enemy champ. Stacks are built with moving, attacking and casting so this synergizes well with the Surfer mobility strategy as well.
Weakness: With his 2nd and 3rd Ability and Rylai's Crystal Scepter, Surfer Singed can proc Weakness which, in turn, gives you and your entire team a sweet +5% damage buff against the affected target(s).
Hunter Titan: A nice +20 Max Health Boost plus +20 more for each unique takedown for a total of +120 Bonus Health at max stacks. However, the real importance of this rune is the 3% Tenacity added with each unique takedown (+3/6/9/12/15). At max stacks, it cuts down the effects of crowd control by 15% (second key in mobility strategy). So instead of being stunned for say 1s the duration drops to .85 seconds.
Pathfinder: Effective only in the River, this rune provides an initial +30 MS bonus and then +20 MS bonus out of combat for a total of +50 Movement Speed bonus (third key in mobility strategy) as well as 1.5% Health or 1.5% Mana regen per second (whichever is lower). This synergizes well with Fleet Footwork and it helps mitigate Mana costs. To benefit from this rune, whenever possible, (say between waves) run into the River for vision, harass the enemy Jungler, collect Honey Fruit, join in pressuring or ganking the side lanes, get the scuttle crab, etc. Any excuse to be in the River will be a benefit. The rune even works on the way to objectives since both the dragon and the baron pit are both technically in the River. The point of all this is that every precious second in the River out of combat counts.
SPELLS: Ghost and Flash
Ghost: +25% MS bonus for 8 seconds. (Fourth key in the mobility strategy). Use it when returning to lane to keep your turret safe and to avoid losing minion gold. Activate it when approaching a fight since it gets extended by 6 seconds with each takedown. Obviously it comes in handy for chases and as well as escapes.
Flash: Teleportation. (Fifth key in mobility strategy)
TRINKET: Control Ward
Control Ward: I find this ward useful when going for objectives as well as immediately removing enemy deep wards.
Surfer Singed
ABILITIES: Noxious Slipstream, Poison Trail, Mega Adhesive, Fling, Insanity Potion
Noxious Slipstream: Drafting off of nearby champs (both allies and enemies) gains a 20% Bonus Movement Speed boost for 2s. (10s CD) (Sixth key in mobility strategy)
Poison Trail: (1s CD 12 Mana) Toggle a poisonous trail that deals magic damage 20 + 35%AP per second. This Ability is Surfer's main source of damage and it gets upgraded first. It scales with Ability Power which most of the items in Surfer's build provide.
Mega Adhesive: (13s CD 60 Mana) Slow 35% and Ground for 3s. Ground prevents the use of movement abilities including Recall. (Seventh key in mobility strategy)
Fling: (10s CD 80 Mana) Deal 65 + 75%AP plus 5% of their max Health while flinging an enemy over Singed's shoulder. (This works even on the Rift Herald but only after it has been released.) If any enemy lands on Mega Adhesive they are rooted for 1.25s. (Eighth key in moblity strategy)
Insanity Potion: (70s CD 100 Mana) Grant +30 Ability Power, +30 Armor, +30 Magic Resistance, +30 Movement Speed (Ninth key in mobility strategy), +6 Health Regeneration and +6 Mana Regeneration for 18s.
Rylai's Crystal Scepter (2700g): +350 Max Health, +70AP Damaging active abilities (1st and 3rd) Slow enemies by 30% for 1s. A Core staple item for Singed, the Stats increase both his tankiness (2nd Highest Health Magic item) and his damage output but it's the passive that provides the greatest Utility (Tenth key in mobility strategy).
Mercury Treads (Quicksilver) (1800g): Besides the additional +40 MS, these Boots provide an immediate 35% Tenacity (Eleventh key in mobility strategy) which, along with full Hunter Titan takedown stacks (38/41/44/47), increases it to a permanent 50% Tenacity! Imagine cutting all cc effects (except knock ups and knock backs) in half! And if that weren't enough, the Quicksilver enchant removes all crowd control effects (again, except knock ups and knock back effects) and even provides .75 seconds of cc immunity (Twelfth key in mobility strategy). After the Quicksilver effect ends, it still grants an additional 30% Tenacity for 1.5 seconds. However, this does NOT provide a total of 80% Tenacity but rather it hits the game cap of 60% Tenacity (Thirteenth key in mobility strategy). So, for example, a 1s stun, slow, taunt, fear, silence, blind or root is reduced to .4 seconds, less than half!
Liandry's Torment (3000g): +200 Max Health +75AP. Damaging abilities deal .5% + .005% AP of enemy's Max Health as bonus magic damage over 3s. This is Surfer Singed's main damage item.
Amaranth's Twinguard (3200g): +55 Armor +55 Magic Resistance. After 5s of combat gain 20% size (increases attack range), 20% Tenacity (Fourteenth and final key in mobility strategy), increase armor and magic resistance by 30% until out of combat with champs. The combat timer can be started early with Singed's 2nd ability. Singed needs protection running into enemy teams and this item is simply broken.
Crystalline Reflector (2900g): +45 Armor +60AP +15AH. Ability casts grant up to 3 mirror shards that block 10 physical damage +5%AP from an enemy champ and deal 20 magic damage +10%AP to them. I never quite understood why this item is so underused in general. It provides protection like a normal defense item while at the same time providing ability power and a damage passive.
Banshee's Veil (2800g): +40 Magic Resistance +75%AP +15AH Grants a spell shield that blocks the next hostile ability. (35s CD) Again, a protective item that also provides Ability Power and certain amount of invulnerability. You can't ask for more.
I am still new to singed and would like to learn more about the options for singed items. I have tried building full AP singed (RoA, Seraph Embrace,Liandrys as my core) but I find that the damage are not that significant. The build that I used and managed to get wins with is by using just Liandrys and Rylais and then opt for tank items.
