How to beat Syndra

Common role: Mid

The best counter to Syndra in Mid is Urgot: 65.1% win rate over 35 ranked games on patch 26.17.

A burst mage who stuns you and executes carries from range.

What makes Syndra dangerous

Syndra places spheres (Q), pushes them for a wide stun (E), and her ultimate fires every sphere at once for a point-and-click execute that deletes squishies. Once she has a few items and a stun landed, no carry survives her combo.

How to play against Syndra

• 1Her E stun is the whole combo — side-step it and she has no follow-up.
• 2Don't stand next to her spheres; they are her stun and damage setup.
• 3Buy magic resist and health so her ult can't one-shot you.
• 4Punish her weak, mana-hungry early game before she has her power spikes.

Weaknesses to exploit

• ✓Immobile with no escape — very gankable.
• ✓Mana-hungry; her full combo drains her bar early.
• ✓The E stun is telegraphed and dodgeable.
• ✓Weak, low-pressure early levels.

Abilities & how to counter them

What each of Syndra's abilities does — and how to play around it.

• P
  Transcendent

  Syndra collects Splinters of Wrath from gaining levels and damaging enemies which upgrade her abilities.Dark Sphere: Syndra can hold an additional chargeForce of Will: Bonus true damage.Scatter the Weak: Increased width and slows all targetsUnleashed Power: Executes low health targets

  Strong: her abilities and ult scale up over the game into true one-shots. Weak: the scaling is slow — punish her weak early game before it comes online.

• Q
  Dark Sphere

  Syndra conjures a Dark Sphere dealing magic damage. The sphere remains and can be manipulated by her other powers.

  Strong: cheap, spammable sphere for poke and combo setup. Weak: a delayed AoE — sidestep it, and note the spheres she leaves for her E.

• W
  Force of Will

  Syndra picks up and throws a Dark Sphere or enemy minion dealing magic damage and slowing the Move Speed of enemies.

  Strong: grabs a sphere or minion to throw for extra damage and slow. Weak: needs a sphere nearby — deny the setup and it's a weak throw.

• E
  Scatter the Weak

  Syndra knocks enemies and Dark Spheres back dealing magic damage. Enemies hit by Dark Spheres become stunned.

  Strong: a wide stun that is the trigger for her entire combo. Weak: narrow, telegraphed cone — side-step it and she has no follow-up.

• R
  Unleashed Power

  Syndra bombards an enemy Champion with all of her Dark Spheres.

  Strong: fires every sphere at once for a point-and-click execute on squishies. Weak: needs spheres up and has a cooldown — bait it or itemize MR/HP to survive.

Itemization

Magic resist and health let you eat her ult (Mercury's Treads, Kaenic Rookern, Force of Nature). Dodging E defuses her entire combo.

This guide covers Syndra's core kit and playstyle — advice that holds up across patches.