About three weeks ago I got really interested in Leblanc because of her recent changes. 330 Leblanc games later, I feel pretty comfortable with the champion. I’m going to talk briefly about the most important changes.

Buff – Ultimate doesn’t cost mana

This is a really helpful change, I don’t feel punished using my ultimate to farm with mimic distortion. Even post patch Leblanc has terrible mana problems. Since Leblanc can’t afford to spend money on mana items this is a significant buff.

Buff – Clone automatically moves

Clone saves me quite a bit now, still easy to identify which Leblanc is real due to buffs not displaying on the clone.

Buff – Distortion cooldown change

This is really nice for juking, and is a significant buff for those with the multitasking and creativity to use it effectively. Not only did they take 2 seconds off the W, they made it so cooldown starts on activation of the skill.

Buff – Ultimate has a bit more versatility

Mimic distortion is awesome for wave clear if you need it. 2Chainz is really good for kiting heroes like Tryndamere and singed. Still though, your primary ability for damage will always be Q.

Nerf – Q R combo less effective and needs follow up

Now this REALLY sucks late game. No longer can Leblanc pick off squishies from 100 to 0 instantly; you’re pretty much designated to tank killing. With Zac bounces, Zyra ults and Ashe arrows, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to get a W or E to proc your mark. This is a significant nerf to counter-act the buffs.

Nerf – Trades at levels 8-10 significantly reduced

Leblanc really needs to keep up in levels and this change forces her to play more of a laning phase and focus less on roaming. Level 16 isn’t as much of a priority because of your rushing DFG (which you always should). A proper combo will kill a squishy regardless of the extra rank in R. Pre-DFG hitting 11 is critical since your DFG is usually not completed by then.

Summary

All in all the changes were definitely a buff and a step in the right direction! Not significant enough to push Leblanc into tournament play but it makes Leblanc feel so much better. She still has problems sustaining mana costs and her damage is relatively low from what it should be. I play against tons of Gragas players and even if they eat every single combo will full AP runes they just sustain the damage like it was nothing.

Leblanc is such a rewarding champion and just the feel of using her kit effectively has got me spamming her all day. Within the past three weeks I’ve gone from Diamond 1 40LP to Challenger 550LP almost exclusively playing Leblanc.

Runes

Reds – Magic Pen, Yellows – Armor, Blues – Flat AP, Quints – Flat AP

Masteries

21-0-9. Three points in Havok. Spell Sword. Two points in last hitting.

Playstyle

Level 1, level q first and start Dorans ring. Always spam q harass in lane because because Dorans ring will allow you to sustain your q harass. Always look to auto attack and q harass; Leblanc is a lane bully.

In solo queue, don’t leash for your jungler, just start pushing the wave as soon as it comes out. You want to hit level 2 before the enemy. Once you clear the first wave, auto the meleee minions and once you get level 2, take w and combo your lane opponent for harass to establish lane control.

To harass effectively, stand in the creep wave. When the enemy comes up to cs, q and then w immediately to follow up. If they don’t come in range of your q, don’t walk past the minion line to harass them because it will compromise your position to harass them, and then you can get ganked and die.

Max r> q > w > e

Once you hit level 6, the matchup changes. You’ve probably already gone back to base by this point. Buy another Dorans ring (two total), health pots, a ward, and if you’re against physical damage in mid lane, rush an Armguard. If you’re against AP, rush needlessly large rod.

After you put your ward up, you can do w, q, r, e combo safely. This is a chunk to get them lower and take over the lane. Anytime that the mid laner is scared of you and he’s hiding too deep into his tower, you can roam and gank other lanes.

When you have blue buff, use your q to push the wave faster if the enemy is being very passive. This allows you to control the lane, map vision, and take over the map.

Your first big purchase is going to be DFG, ALWAYS. Look for areas where you think it’s unwarded or you know your support has cleared. Venture off into those areas alone and try and catch squishy targets out so you can one shot them. Always use your w to get over walls because you can reactivate your w immediately to get back if you went somewhere foolish. The mobility of the ability allows you to transverse the map quickly and avoid common ward locations.

Depending on what the enemy team comp is like, if they have all physical champions and mediocre MR, build a Rylai’s. The health pool synergies well with your Armguard. If the enemy team has an annoying tank line with high resistance values, rush a void staff because you will likely be unable to avoid the tank line, so you need to take them down.

Against a high magic damage team, get Deathcap, Void staff, and Banshee’s veil. The voidstaff is almost always more effective than the Deathcap after finishing DFG.

If your team comp doesn’t allow for good teamfighting, you can split push as Leblanc. Her excellent dueling abilities can allow her to split, but you need to make that assertion on your own. It’s really important that you sell one of your Doran’s rings to buy wards in order to split push if you choose this route.