Sylas How to Play: Tips & Power Spikes

When Sylas Top gets stronger, in the order it happens in a typical ranked game: ability unlocks from the most common skill order, item spikes at the median minute players finish them, and the game length Sylas wins most.

1. Lv 3
   All three basic abilities at level 3

   Sylas's full combo is online — the first point where trading all-in is realistic.
2. Lv 6
   Ultimate rank 1 at level 6

   The biggest early spike: look for a kill or a roam as soon as Sylas hits it.
3. Lv 11
   Ultimate rank 2 at level 11

   Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Sylas can start or win.
4. Lv 16
   Ultimate rank 3 at level 16

   Lower ultimate cooldown means more fights Sylas can start or win.
5. 11.4 min
   First item at 11.4 min

   Hextech Rocketbelt is done — Sylas's first real damage or durability spike.
6. 20.6 min
   Two items at 20.6 min

   ›Hextech Rocketbelt + Riftmaker: the window to group and take objectives.
7. 25 min
   Strongest in games of about 25 minutes

   Sylas wins 56.7% of games that end around this point.
8. 27.3 min
   Three-item core at 27.3 min

   ››Hextech Rocketbelt + Riftmaker + Zhonya's Hourglass completes Sylas's core build.

Item timings are medians: half of players finish later. Fall behind in farm and every item spike moves back with it.

Sylas plays an even lane: no extreme in gold, leads or scaling, so the matchup decides how hard to push. On average Sylas Top is 16 gold ahead of the lane opponent at 15 minutes and ahead in 52% of games. A 1,000-gold lead at 15 turns into a 68% win rate; a 1,000-gold deficit leaves 32%. Sylas averages 1.75 solo kills by 15 minutes.

Sylas win rate by gold at 15

• 1,000+ gold ahead67.8%
• Ahead58.7%
• Behind37.0%
• 1,000+ gold behind32.1%

Lane matchups that decide the plan

Press these lanes

Malphite+618 gold at 15

What Sylas does better or worse than other champions after laning, from this patch's ranked games — percentiles where 100 is the highest of every champion.