Season 12 hasn’t been the best season for AP champions, specifically mages. The ranged AP champions got only a few mythic items that are actually useful, which is laughable when compared to all the AD/Lethality mythic items in the game.
For example, an AD assassin can choose to go for Duskblade of Draktharr, Prowler’s Claw, Eclipse, Immortal Shieldbow, and even Goredrinker in each game. All of these items give different stats and useful passive/active effects. However, the decision that almost every AP mage champion makes in the game currently is: if I’m against tanks, I’ll buy Liandry’s Anguish; and if I’m not, I’ll buy Luden’s Tempest.
Sure, some AP champions scale better than others, and they do more damage in the late game. Take Brand, for example. His passive allows him to deal an insane amount of AoE damage in the late game simply by pressing his R button. Items do help, but he doesn’t rely on them that much.
However, most AP champions do. I’ve covered the best scaling late game champions in League of Legends, so I’d definitely suggest you check out the list. It will help you understand why this is the best item order for most AP picks in the game.
That said, let’s take a look at the max AP build for AP scaling champions in LoL!
The Max AP Build for AP Scaling Champions
This is the item order that gives the maximum amount of Ability Power in League of Legends.
- Night Harvester
- Mejai’s Soulstealer (25 stacks)
- Nashor’s Tooth
- Rylai’s Crystal Scepter
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
- Void Staff
Notice that I haven’t included any boots in this build. Boots don’t increase your damage done (except for Sorcerer’s Shoes which add magic penetration), so they don’t make the list. Of course, you’ll have some sort of boots in a real match. But theoretically, this is the max AP build for AP scaling champions in League of Legends.
Also read: How To Use Jhin’s Ultimate?
1. Night Harvester
Night Harvester gives the most amount of raw AP than any other mythic item in the game. It actually adds 90 Ability Power, which is 10 more than the rest of the AP mythics. In addition, it also gives you 15 Ability Haste and 300 Health.
But that’s not all, Night Harvester scales extremely well as the match goes on. And that’s because of its passive.
You see, Night Harvester allows you to deal 125 (+ 15% AP) bonus magic damage to an enemy champion on a 40 seconds cooldown. And while the base damage stays the same, the item also has an AP ratio that grows as the match progresses. So the more AP you have, the more damage Night Harvester will do.
Night Harvester is a great mythic to have on nearly all AP champions in League of Legends. The reason why you don’t see that often is because it lacks mana and mana regeneration. But if you get your blue buffs from your jungler, you’ll have no problem using Night Harvester, even on champions such as Xerath or Ahri.
2. Mejai’s Soulstealer
Mejai’s Soulstealer is a “special” item in League of Legends. In theory, it gives the most amount of AP than any other item in the game. If you have 25 stacks of Mejai’s Soulstealer, that equals 145 AP. Of course, if you die, you’ll lose almost half of that amount, but if you don’t, you’ll deal a lot of damage.
To get the 25 stacks of Mejai’s Soulstealer, you’ll need to slay 6+ champions because every kill grants 4 stacks. However, every assist grants 2 stacks, you can build it up with assists as well.
Now, Mejai’s Soulstealer doesn’t have any added effect, so it’s a questionable item for the late game. Of course, it gives you more movement speed, but that’s pretty much it. Compared to Morellonomicon, which lowers your enemies’ overall healing, it might not be that good. However, if you like to increase your damage to the maximum, the 25 stacks of Mejai’s Soulstealer are worth going after.
3. Nashor’s Tooth
The only reason why Nashor’s Tooth is on this list is that it’s the only item in League of Legends that grants 100 Ability Power. It also grants 50% Attack Speed makes your basic attacks deal 15 (+ 20% AP) bonus magic damage on-hit.
However, not all champions work well with Nashor’s Tooth. It simply doesn’t fit the playstyle of many AP champions since they deal damage with abilities and not basic attacks. For example, you’ll never see Annie building Nashor’s Tooth. But the truth is – the item gives a lot of raw AP!
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4. Rylai’s Crystal Scepter
Rylai’s Crystal Scepter is another item you don’t see too often on AP mages. And difficult to say why since it grants 90 Ability Power, plus it also slows your enemies when you damage them. This is especially helpful to long-range mages, such as Ziggs or Xerath.
This item also grants 350 Health and can be extremely valuable in a number of different situations.
5. Rabadon’s Deathcap
Rabadon’s Deathcap is the single-best AP item in League of Legends. And without it, there is no max AP build for AP scaling champions in LoL! It’s probably the most expensive item on this list since it costs 3600 gold, but it’s a must in every single game!
Rabadon’s Deathcap grants 120 Ability Power, and it increases your total AP by 35%. In other words, it almost doubles your damage potential on any AP champion in the game. It synergizes with all other items in the game, so you should always build it.
6. Void Staff
And lastly, we have Void Staff. Void Staff only grants 70 Ability Power, which is lower than many other AP items in League’s shop. However, Void Staff also grants 40% Magic Penetration, which is a direct damage boost to your champion.
In a game where magic resist is in abundance, Void Staff is a must-have item too. It will amplify all the damage you do, even if it gives 10 or 20 less AP than another item.
Also read: How to Get Mastery Level 7
Conclusion
So there you have it! The max AP build for AP scaling champions consists of Night Harvester, Mejai’s Soulstealer, Nashor’s Tooth, Rylai’s Crystal Scepter, Rabadon’s Deathcap, and Void Staff. Of course, this is a theoretical build that gives any AP champion the most amount of AP and the best scaling for the late game. But in a real game, you’ll most likely need to purchase boots or another situational item.
However, this is the max AP build for AP scaling champions in League of Legends!
