Sending everyone back to Mexico - Preseason 7 Taliyah Guide
Summoner Spells Back to Top
Lately I've been enjoying a lot playing with both 
Flash and 
Ghost since you can either use both of them defensively or offensively. Ghost does wonders for Taliyah (for any mage,pretty much) to help her to get closer to her targets (and land Qs with the movement speed boost) and reposition herself if she's in a bad spot. I highly recommend this.
Barrier if you feel you need to survive some kind of burst (pretty much 
,
,
.. all have a really high burst and i feel barrier is a better choice than exhaust)
If you're against an assassin, even more if it's an AD one. Highly recommended against 
,
or 
New Runes Back to Top
Masteries Back to Top
Abilities Back to Top
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5 |
7 |
9 |
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3 |
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15 |
17 |
18 |
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2 |
8 |
10 |
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13 |
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11 |
16 |
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Here i will explain her abilities and how to use them.
PASSIVE: ROCK SURFING 
This combined with her ult is what makes her such an excellent roamer.
Basically, you get a movement speed boost whenever you walk near a wall, which can be either a wall on the map or one made by the other champions (even your ultimate works like that). Overall it's pretty nice, you can get faster into lane if you walk on the side of the mid-lane and lets you roam better.
Q: THREADED VOLLEY 
This is your main damaging spell, and you main waveclear tool. It shoots 5 stones in one line which deal a bunch of damage in a little circle around the area they hit. After casting it, some of the terrain below you becomes WORKED GROUND, which gives you more movement speed when you walk on it but you can only shoot one stone instead of 5.
The cooldown on this spell is pretty short,so you can easily spam it to push the wave or to deal a lot of damage in teamfights. You will want to hit the enemies' carries with all the rocks but usually this won't be possible so just concentrate on dealing as much damage as possible in the biggest area you can hit.
We max this first for the high damage and the cooldown reduction. At 45% Cdr it has next to 1 second CD
W: Seismic Shove 
This is your engaging tool. The vector cast is pretty weird at the beginning but it definitely gets better with time. After some reworks it has become much easier to hit, so you just need some practice. You will want to use this spell to make people jump into your E, so they will make the mines explode and take a lot of damage so you can finish them off with your q.
This spell is the key to really master this champion.
We max this last because of its low damage and overall long cooldown.
E: Unraveled Earth 
This is your main zoning tool. It places a field of mines that deal damage when you cast them and after 4 seconds,when they disappear. The main damage comes from the fact that: if an enemy dashes or gets pulled through your E by your W or any other knockup they will make the mines explode and deal a lot of damage to the unfortunate victim. It used to delete people when she was first released. RIP.
We max this second because of the nice damage increase and relatively low cooldown. With 45% Cdr you have this every 6 seconds, which means only 2 seconds after the first one disappears.
R: Weaver's Wall 
This spell is what makes you an excellent roamer combined with your passive. It creates a huge wall (Donald Trump would be proud) that lasts for 6-7-8 seconds based on your ultimate's level. It also increases its size.
You can recast your ultimate to break it early and you can press R twice when you cast it to ride it and get to the end of it quickly. You can jump from the wall while riding it an anytime by just pressing a button, and you will forcefully jump from it if you take damage.
We max this whenever is possible for the range increase and the cooldown reduction. Which is huge.
Items Back to Top
Starting Items
Core Items
Situational Items
EARLY GAME
Generally, 
+2
never failed me. I usually even buy another one, to get more mana and have a better early game.
+2 never failed me. I usually even buy another one, to get more mana and have a better early game. Taliyah's laning phase is mediocre at best. You have a nice waveclear but you can't oneshot minion waves without using all your spells. Your damage is huge early if you can hit your W onto your E and a lot of people don't expect it, so you can get some unexpected kills out of it. Overall she has the potential to outplay anyone, and her lane is pretty safe so just focus on CSing and wait for ganks since you can set them up pretty easily.
My first item is generally 
, and i try to get 
first for the huge sustain it gives. I really like GLP because i feel it's a sleeper op and it deals a good amount of damage while offering a good slow which is what you lack in the early stages of the game. You can also get 
if you like having more early cooldown reduction or you need the grievous wounds (because f*ck 
).
, and i try to get first for the huge sustain it gives. I really like GLP because i feel it's a sleeper op and it deals a good amount of damage while offering a good slow which is what you lack in the early stages of the game. You can also get if you like having more early cooldown reduction or you need the grievous wounds (because f*ck ).After it i've started to get a defensive item before 
simply because i feel the resistances help a lot and you do not really need the slow YET. Obviously, 
against APs, 
against ADs or champions you feel it can help you against like 
or 
since a well timed Zhonya's can screw their combo up completely.
simply because i feel the resistances help a lot and you do not really need the slow YET. Obviously, against APs, against ADs or champions you feel it can help you against like or since a well timed Zhonya's can screw their combo up completely.For boots, I like getting 
because pretty much everyone gets an Abyssal, so you need it to stay relevant. You can go for 
if you need more cdr but if you get a Morello's and Abyssal/Zhonya's you don't need them with the runes i've explained at the beginning.
because pretty much everyone gets an Abyssal, so you need it to stay relevant. You can go for if you need more cdr but if you get a Morello's and Abyssal/Zhonya's you don't need them with the runes i've explained at the beginning.MID GAME
This is where Taliyah shines. You will want to group with your teammates and fight your enemies in choke points to get the most out of your AOE. You can also roam a lot with your ultimate to cut off their escape routes and force objectives. By now you should have your and be a slowing-highly damaging-cc machine.
and be a slowing-highly damaging-cc machine. Your damage is pretty high now but to really one shot a carry you need either 
or 
. You can also get a 
if they have a lot of tanks you need to shred. It works wonders with Rylai's.
or . You can also get a if they have a lot of tanks you need to shred. It works wonders with Rylai's.LATE GAME
You will still be a monster in teamfights if you can hit your spells on their carries but you range is pretty short and you really risk on being slaughtered if you position badly. You kinda start falling off,so you will try to end the game as soon as possible. Your last item should be either or if you didn't build them or the one you didn't build if you aren't going for something else. 
can be pretty good since you can autoattack while using your Q but i have to try it more to recommend it.
or if you didn't build them or the one you didn't build if you aren't going for something else. can be pretty good since you can autoattack while using your Q but i have to try it more to recommend it. Try to group with your team and force fights. Also your W is hard to see in the mess of a teamfight,so they might not notice it every time.
Matchups Back to Top
-
AhriMedium -
AkaliHard -
AniviaMedium -
AnnieMedium -
Aurelion SolEasy -
AzirMedium -
BrandMedium -
CassiopeiaMedium -
Cho'GathMedium -
CorkiMedium -
DianaHard -
EkkoMedium -
EzrealHard -
FizzHard -
GalioHard -
HeimerdingerMedium -
JayceMedium -
KarmaHard -
KarthusEasy -
KassadinMedium -
KatarinaEasy -
KayleEasy -
KennenHard -
LeBlancMedium -
LissandraMedium -
LuluEasy -
LuxMedium -
MalzaharMedium -
MorganaHard -
OriannaMedium -
RyzeMedium -
SwainHard -
SyndraMedium -
TaliyahMedium -
TalonMedium -
Twisted FateMedium -
VarusMedium -
VeigarHard -
Vel'KozEasy -
ViktorHard -
VladimirHard -
XerathHard -
YasuoMedium -
ZedHard -
ZiggsMedium -
ZileanMedium -
ZyraMedium
VS
Ahri
Medium
VS
Akali
Hard
VS
Anivia
Medium
VS
Annie
Medium
VS
Aurelion Sol
Easy
VS
Azir
Medium
VS
Brand
Medium
VS
Cassiopeia
Medium
VS
Cho'Gath
Medium
VS
Corki
Medium
VS
Diana
Hard
VS
Ekko
Medium
VS
Ezreal
Hard
VS
Fizz
Hard
VS
Galio
Hard
VS
Heimerdinger
Medium
VS
Jayce
Medium
VS
Karma
Hard
VS
Karthus
Easy
VS
Kassadin
Medium
VS
Katarina
Easy
VS
Kayle
Easy
VS
Kennen
Hard
VS
LeBlanc
Medium
VS
Lissandra
Medium
VS
Lulu
Easy
VS
Lux
Medium
VS
Malzahar
Medium
VS
Morgana
Hard
VS
Orianna
Medium
VS
Ryze
Medium
VS
Swain
Hard
VS
Syndra
Medium
VS
Taliyah
Medium
VS
Talon
Medium
VS
Twisted Fate
Medium
VS
Varus
Medium
VS
Veigar
Hard
VS
Vel'Koz
Easy
VS
Viktor
Hard
VS
Vladimir
Hard
VS
Xerath
Hard
VS
Yasuo
Medium
VS
Zed
Hard
VS
Ziggs
Medium
VS
Zilean
Medium
VS
Zyra
Medium
Disclaimer Back to Top
I want this section to be here because i want you to know that everything i write on this guide is what I think is good or bad for Taliyah and in the game in general. Obviously, it depends on your playstyle wether you agree with me on what i wrote or not.
Use the informations i wrote to create your playstyle if you disagree with me on some things but not entirely.
Also, try to not dislike without telling me why, i'd like to create a good guide to help new players picking up Taliyah and this is my first guide so an help would be appreciated, even for build paths or informations you think i'm missing etc.
I will do my best to make this a good guide, so please help me in doing so!
Thanks for reading.
Let's make Shurima great again.
Why are most of her matchups rated medium? Back to Top
Well basically, most of them are put on medium since because Taliyah really relies on being better than her opponent to get kills in lane, since she needs to outplay them in order to kill them. Most of midlane champions are the ones with equal or better waveclear than she does,and many of them just have more damage in the earlier stages of the game.
You can survive the lane because of your medium range on the spells so you can farm safely from distance then roam,farm and be a moster in teamfights.
I ranked medium the assassins you can outplay (Like LeBlanc), red the ones that are pretty much a hopeless lane (Zed) in which you just rely on the farm and you can kill them only if they screw up really really hard.
Easy lanes are the ones against slow champions that keep standing in one place and the ones you can screw up while they're channeling their spells (Vel'Koz) . Also the one that have weak laning phase are considered easy.
Why would you play Taliyah? Back to Top
I know, she's not in the best spot right now. But for me Taliyah is one of the most funny champions in the game. She also taught me a lot on how to roam and to play passively, since i was used to only play assassins and play a feast or famine style,always ending up dying to ganks.
Pros:
High damage in teamfights
Loads of CC
Great roam potential
Needs skill
Can set up ganks easily
She's pretty cute
Cons:
Squishy (not a lot though with glp and rylais)
Takes time to scale
Somewhat low kill pressure if the enemy knows how to dodge her w
Useless if you screw up your W
It's somewhat easy to play around her spells for champs with mobility like Zed or Vayne
Taliyah's lore Back to Top
From League of Legends Wiki
Born in the rocky foothills bordering Icathia's corrupted shadow, Taliyah spent her childhood herding goats with her tribe of nomadic weavers. Where most outsiders see Shurima as a beige and barren waste, her family raised her to be a true daughter of the desert and to see beauty in the rich hues of the land. Taliyah was always fascinated by the stone beneath the dunes. When she was a toddler, she collected colorful rocks as her people followed the seasonal waters. As she grew older, the earth itself seemed drawn to her, arcing and twisting to follow her tracks through the sand.
After her sixth high summer, Taliyah wandered from the caravan in search of a lost goatling that had been placed in her charge. Determined not to disappoint her father - the master shepherd and headman of the tribe - she tracked the young animal into the night. She followed the hoofprints through a dry wash to a box canyon. The little beast had managed to get high up the rock wall, but could not get down.
The sandstone called to her, urging her to pull handholds from the sheer wall. Taliyah laid a tentative palm against the rock, determined to rescue the scared animal. The elemental power she felt was as urgent and overwhelming as a monsoon rain. As soon as she opened herself to the magic, it poured over her, the stone leaping to her fingertips, bringing both the canyon wall and the beast down on top of her.
The next morning, Taliyah's panicked father tracked the skittish bleats of the goatling. He fell to his knees when he found his daughter unconscious, covered loosely in a blanket of woven stone. Grief-stricken, he returned to the tribe with Taliyah.
Two days later, the girl awoke from fevered dreams in the tent of Babajan, the tribe's grandmother. Taliyah began to tell the wise woman and her concerned parents of her night in the canyon, of the rock that called to her. Babajan consoled the family, telling them that the patterns of rock were evidence the Great Weaver, the desert tribe's mythical protector, watched over the girl. In that moment, Taliyah saw her parents' deep worry and decided to conceal what really happened that night: that she - not the Great Weaver - had pulled at the desert stone.
When children in Taliyah's tribe were old enough, they performed a dance under the face of the full moon, the manifestation of the Great Weaver herself. The dance celebrated the children's innate talents and demonstrated the gifts they would bring to the tribe as adults. This was the start of their path to true learning, as those children then became apprenticed to their teachers.
Taliyah continued to hide her growing power, believing the secret she carried was a danger, not a blessing. She watched as her childhood playmates spun wool to keep the tribe warm on cold desert nights, demonstrated their skill with shears and dye, or wove patterns that told the stories of her people. On those nights, she would lie awake long after the coals had burned to ash, tormented by the power she felt stirring within.
The time finally came for Taliyah's dance beneath the full moon. While she had talent enough to be a capable shepherd like her father, or a pattern mistress like her mother, the young girl dreaded what her dance would truly reveal. As Taliyah took her place on the sand, the tools of her people - the shepherd's crook, the spindle, and the loom - surrounded her. She tried to concentrate on the task at hand, but it was the distant rocks, the layered colors of the land, that called to her. Taliyah closed her eyes and danced. Overwhelmed by the power flowing through her, she began to spin not thread, but the very earth beneath her feet.
Startled cries from Taliyah's tribe broke her out of her spell. An imposing
braid of sharp rock reached up to the light of the moon. Taliyah looked at the shocked faces of the people who surrounded her. Her will over the stone broken, the earthen tapestry crashed down. Taliyah's mother ran to her only daughter, to protect her from the falling rock. When the dust finally settled, Taliyah saw the destruction she had woven, the alarm on the faces of her tribe. But it was the small cut across her mother's face that justified Taliyah's fear. Though the cut was minor, Taliyah knew in that moment that she was a threat to the people she loved most in this world. She ran into the night, so weighed down by despair that the ground trembled beneath her feet.It was her father who found her again in the desert. As they sat in the light of the rising sun, Taliyah confessed her secret in choked sobs. In turn, he did the only thing a parent could do: He hugged his daughter tightly. He told her that she couldn't run from her power, that she must complete her dance and see where her path would take her. Turning her back on the Great Weaver's gift was the only danger that could truly break his and her mother's heart.
Taliyah returned with her father to the tribe. She entered the dancer's circle with her eyes open. This time, she wove a new
ribbon of stone, each color and texture a memory of the people surrounding her.When it was over, the tribe sat in awe. Taliyah waited nervously. It was time for one of her people to stand as her teacher and claim the student. What felt like eons stretched between Taliyah's hammering heartbeats. She heard gravel shift as her father stood. Next to him, her mother stood. Babajan and the dye mistress and the master spinner stood. In a moment, the whole tribe was on its feet. All of them would stand with the girl who could weave stone.
Taliyah looked at each of them. She knew that a power like hers had not been seen in generations, perhaps longer. They stood with her now, their love and trust surrounding her, but their worry was palpable. None among them heard the earth call as she did. As much as she loved these people, she did not see the one who could show her how to control the elemental magic that coursed within her. She knew that to stay with her tribe was to risk their lives. Though it pained all of them, Taliyah said farewell to her parents and her people, and set off alone into the world.
She journeyed west toward the distant peak of Targon, her natural connection to rock drawing her toward the mountain that brushed the stars. However, at the northern edge of Shurima, it was those who marched beneath the banner of Noxus who discovered her power first. In Noxus, magic like hers was celebrated, they told her; revered, even. They promised her a teacher.
The land had raised Taliyah to be trusting, so she was unprepared for the smooth promises and practiced smiles of Noxian dignitaries. Soon, the desert girl found herself on an unbending path, passing under the many Noxtoraa, the great iron gates that marked the Empire's claim over a conquered land.
The crush of people and the layers of politics within the capital city were claustrophobic to a girl from the open desert. Taliyah was paraded through the tiers of Noxian magical society. Many took an interest in her power, its potential, but it was a fallen captain who swore to take her to a wild place across the sea, a place where she could hone her abilities without fear, who made the most convincing case. She accepted the young officer's offer and crossed the sea to Ionia. However, it was made clear as their ship dropped anchor that she was intended as a glorified weapon for a man desperate to regain his place at the highest ranks of the Noxian navy. At dawn, the captain gave her a choice: Bury a sleeping people in their homes, or be discarded in the surf.
Taliyah looked across the bay. The cooking smoke had not yet risen from the village's sleeping hearths. This was not the lesson she had come so far to learn. Taliyah refused, and the captain threw her overboard to drown.
She escaped the tide and the fighting on the beach and found herself wandering, lost, in the wintry mountains of Ionia. It was there she finally discovered her
teacher, a man whose blade harnessed the wind itself, someone who understood the elements and the need for balance. She trained with him for a time and began to find the control she had long sought.While resting at an isolated inn, Taliyah heard that the Ascended
Emperor of Shurima had returned to his desert kingdom. Rumor had it this emperor turned god sought to gather his people, the disparate tribes, back to him as slaves. Even with her training unfinished, there was no other choice; she knew she must return to her family to protect them. Sadly, she and her mentor parted ways.Taliyah returned home to the sand-swept dunes of Shurima. As the punishing rays of the sun beat down on her, Taliyah pushed farther into the desert, determined to find her people. Hers was a will of stone, and she would do whatever was necessary to protect her family and her tribe from the danger that loomed on the horizon.
Taliyah was
outrunning the sandstorm when she first noticed the water. In the beginning, it was faint, just a cool dampness she felt as she lifted the stones from deep beneath the sand. As she drew closer to old Shurima, wet streaks dripped from each new stone as if they were weeping. Taliyah knew the rock had stories to tell as she sped across the desert, but she didn't have time to listen, to hear if they were tears of joy or sadness.When she was close enough to be covered by the shadow of the great
Sun Disc, water from underground aquifers began to pour off the stone she rode like little rivers. And when she finally arrived at the gates, Taliyah heard the deafening water rushing along the bedrock. The Oasis of the Dawn, the Mother of Life, roared beneath the sands.The people of her tribe had followed the seasonal waters for hundreds of years. The best chance of finding her family was to follow the water, and to Taliyah's dismay, the water in Shurima now flowed from a single source as it had in ages past. The tragic remains of the capital city had always been avoided, almost as much as the great
Sai and deadly creatures that hunted there. Even thieves knew to keep their distance from the city. Until now.Taliyah brought the rock she rode to a sudden halt, nearly stumbling from it as she pushed the stone quickly below the desert's surface. She looked around. The woman from Vekaura had been right. This place was no longer a forgotten ruin, haunted by ghosts and sand; indeed, the makeshift camp just outside the walls scrambled with life, like an anthill before a flood. Not knowing who these people were, she decided it might be best to reveal no more than was necessary.
It seemed there was tribal representation from all four corners of her homeland, but as Taliyah searched their faces, she saw none that were familiar. The people here were torn. They argued about the merits of staying in their temporary camps versus seeking shelter within the city. Some worried that just as it rose, the city would fall again, burying any caught inside. Some saw the storm that bristled with unnatural lightning and thought their chances were better within the walls, even if the walls had once been lost to the sand for generations. All of them moved quickly, packing haphazardly and worriedly glancing at the sky. Taliyah herself had won the race with the tempest, but it wouldn't be long before the sand lashed against the gates.
"Now's the time to decide." A woman called out to her, her voice almost lost to the noise of the churning oasis waters and the rising storm. "Are you going in or leaving, girl?"
Taliyah turned to face the woman. She was Shuriman, but other than that, unknown to her.
"I'm looking for my family." Taliyah gestured to her tunic. "They're weavers."
"The Hawk-father has promised protection to all those within the walls", the woman said.
"Hawk-father?"
The woman looked at Taliyah's concerned face and smiled, taking her hand. "
Azir has returned to us Ascended. The Oasis of the Dawn flows again. A new day has come for Shurima."Taliyah looked around at the people. It was true. They were hesitant to move far into the massive capital, but the fear that worried their faces was more for the unnatural storm than the city or its returned emperor.
The woman continued, "There were weavers here this morning. They decided to wait out the storm inside." The woman pointed to the throngs of people pushing in toward the newly beating heart of Shurima. "We must hurry. They are closing the gates."
Taliyah found herself being pulled toward one of the capital's great gates by the woman, and driven from behind by a crowd of strangers who had decided at the last minute not to brave the sands by themselves. Still, there were a few groups clustered near their circled beasts, determined to face the storm as Shuriman caravans had for generations. In the distance, strange and threatening bolts of lightning crackled at the edge of the whirlwind. Old Shuriman traditions might not survive the storm's passing.
Taliyah and the woman were pushed across the golden threshold that separated Shurima from the desert surrounding it. The heavy gates swung closed behind them with a resounding thud. The immensity of old Shurima's glory stretched out before them. The crowd hugged the thick, protective walls, unsure where to go. It was as if they sensed the empty streets belonged to someone else.
"I'm sure your people are somewhere within the city. Most have kept close to the gates. Few are brave enough to go farther than that. I hope you find what you are looking for." The woman let go of Taliyah's hand and smiled. "Water and shade to you, sister."
"Water and shade to you." Taliyah's voice dropped off as the woman disappeared into the milling crowd.
The city that had been quiet for millennia now pulsed with life. Silently watching over Shurima's newest denizens were
helmeted guards that wore 
desert cloaks in gold and crimson. Though there was no trouble, Taliyah continued to feel there was something not right about this place.Taliyah reached out to the thick wall to steady herself. She gasped. The stone throbbed beneath the flat of her palm. Pain. A terrible, blinding pain overwhelmed her. Tens of thousands of voices were etched into the rock. The fear and torment of their last moments, before their lives were cut down and their shadows were seared into the stone, screamed in her mind. Taliyah tore her hand from the stone wall and stumbled. She had felt vibrations in stone before, reverberations of memories long since past, but never like this. The knowledge of
what had come before felled her. Wild eyed, she stood and stared, seeing the city anew. Revulsion washed over her. This wasn't a city reborn. It was an empty tomb risen from the sand. The last time Azir had made promises to the people of Shurima, it had cost them their lives."I must find my family", she whispered.
Echoes in the Stone
About me! Back to Top
So, my name is currently Donald Trump LUL and i play on EUW. I'm Platinum 2 and I've fallen in love with Taliyah since when she came out and never really stopped playing her even after all the nerfs. I also play a lot of Kindred and most of the assassins like Talon (For who i wrote I guide that i stopped updating a while ago), LeBlanc, Akali and Ekko.
I'm from Italy, so English isn't my first lenguage. Forgive me!
You can contact me anytime even just to tell me some tips to improve this guide. Bye!
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