Starter items

Core items

Defensive items

Situational items

Hello Protector!

Let me start off by first thanking you for giving this guide a view. Please provide any and all feedback. Second, let me preface this
guide with a little background and general info.

When I played by first IC game those many moons ago, Star Sapphire happened to be a free champion for the week, and having
little experience with MOBAs and even less experience with IC, she was very difficult to play, so I naturally swore I would never do
that again. Eventually I decided I was ready for a challenge and wanted to take SS, the ugly duckling of blasters at the time, from
lvl 1 to 20 and hopefully master a champ who was frequently labeled as 90% difficulty. Ironically, as I learned her kite more, I fell
in love with her. She definitely requires a slightly different play style, but she also brings a lot to the table once mastered, so stick
with her. My guide is but one flavor of play, so I hope you gain something from it and perhaps mix it into your own, the variety of
course is what makes it fun. I will however lastly note that I run this build routinely for all of my pd based champs, so I consider it
to be pretty stable.

I can talk/suggest/breakdown Star Sapphire "ad nauseam" but I want to keep this guide digestible,
so with that being said, lets get into it...


Build (Items/SPs/Mods/Augs) Overview
Skill Order
Your High Burst is going to come primarily from your Q -> R -> E early on, and with Q's low cooldown, you will want that
prioritized. R > Q > E > P > W

I have been seeing people prioritizing (P) over (E), and I will admit it will allow you to bleed more with your Q (and will cost is less as well). However, I tend to still rush my E because I like to poke with it and the single target dmg burst is much greater if you are solo lane. If you are duo, then maxing P before E will give more lane dmg presence.

Items
I typically start off with Tier 2 Doctor Destiny's Dreamstone. I then rush to Tier 3 and then don't completely until late game.
The reason I choose DDD over other will regen or max will items is because I like to harass alot with blasters, which means I
burn through will quite fast. The base Regen plus the Will Balance effect helps me stay in lane and prevent farming/pushing.
This is also coupled with my item enhancement of +15 pd and a secondary reason is for the cooldown reduction. I then move
to Fatality's Energy Lance Tier 3 for similar reasons : item enhancement +15 pd, cdr, decent pd dmg and once again I dont max
until late game. Next I max out Cosmic Staff, and this items enhancement really starts to bleed champs because of SS's quick
Q cooldown. This also will stack with the DoT of your W. Next up I max Starheart for the raw damage. After Starheart is where
things can differ for people, I typically then max Book of Eternity for the Penetration and Power Damage and round it out with
Eclipso's DIamond for more damage and slight lifesteal.

--Alternatives--
1.) Psi Scimitar
Due to the recent changes to this item, it has significant Will Regen and nice damage potential, which if chosen over
dreamstone, it can provide alot of damage early while still providing lane sustain.

2.) Neron's Contract
I recommend this item 5th or 6th slotted if the opponents are running a lot of high burst ad champs, or if you just
want the ad armor and a free panic button while your predator runs rampant, there are definitely a lot of utilities
for the shield if used properly.

3.) Atlantean Royal Seal
I will run this sometimes in my 6th spot for a little more health and the slow crowd control for your team, since your
Q skill has quite a small cooldown and a skill burst with slow effects can really cripple opponents.

Build (Enhancements/Augs/SPs) Variations
--Enhancements--
As already stated in the item review above :
1.) Enhanced Doctor Destiny's Dreamstone (+15 pd)
2.) Enhanced Fatality's Energy Lance (+15 pd)
3.) Empowered Cosmic Staff (Disintegration)

--Augs--
Unfortunately the Lance no longer provides decent cdr, so 40% is not as easily obtained but I tend to pick Augments
that will provide 10% cdr while supplementing with as much power damage as possible. There are plenty of ways to
choose, I see some people go heavy penetration while others may go a mix of everything, have some fun with it but
for me the cooldown is key for all my blaster builds because in my opinion it gives a large advantage (one less second
on a skill versus 30 extra damage, you weigh it out).

1.) Forest - 1.97% Cooldown Reduction, 3.51 Power Damage
2.) Icarus - 2.52 Move Speed, 0.15% Cooldown Reduction/lvl (Max 2.85%)
3.) Sun - 0.53 Power Damage/lvl (Max 10.07), 0.16% Cooldown Reduction/lvl (Max 3.04%)
4.) Swamp - 0.2% Cooldown Reduction/lvl (Max 3.8%), 0.44 Power Damage/lvl (Max 8.36)

--Stolen Powers--
1.) Cameras - Once you play experienced players you will want the additional lane visibility
2.) Mecha Traps - I am a silent supporter of this SP, it is the best SP IMO
3.) (Alternative) - Healing Wave
4.) (Alternative) - Invulnerability

General Lane/Map Practices
1.) Use that Q
Star Sapphires Q range and harass potential should be leverage to it's fullest. As you become familiar with her pacing
you will be able to anticipate your opponents better, but your Q should always be out in front of you when possible to
keep laners at a distance and also provide you with visibility. All of your skills leverage your Q primarily, so once
positioned, you can W to create a DoT area to keep people at bay, you can E the crystal to zip them back or prevent
pursuit and you can ult to root and burst.

2.) Q -> W Harassment for Objectives
Star Sapphire is probably top tier champ for harassing objectives. Her DoT from both Disintegration (Cosmic Staff) and
her W will bleed and keep people at bay, acting almost as a mini Joker nuke at your command, which can't be stressed
enough.

3.) Escape Options are limited...
That being said, she has no panic escape (minus her Predator Ult) and while she has decent speed from her passive if
not harmed, her E skill shot is usually what will determine if you escape or get melted quite fast. You will want to be
fairly preemptive with your E skill shot, if they get within melee range you are more than likely going to be dead.


Star Sapphires X Factor
This is the exciting section in my honest opinion. You have gotten your feet wet with Star Sapphire, you definitely have
some familiarity with her set and utility and now you want to show people why she is high risk, high reward...

1.) Bonds of Love (E)
I will start here because this ultimately will determine your Star Sapphire skill level. It is a skill shot for a reason, but this
skill in particular can quickly make you priority target #1 on the other team. Firstly, it hurts, and it hurts a lot, and will
be your main source of single target damage. Secondly, you can hit your target from so many angles with this skill.
-You can directly hit your target
-You can aim at your crystal and hit your target, effectively doubling the range
-You can hit a pursuing or fleeing champ by hitting others nearby, including drones (both receive damage!)
-*** You can hit your predator, both when fleeing or pursuing (This is very important)

2.) The Burst
My personal preference on her burst is as follows, I Q to the champ, instantly R(ult) for the root and damage and then
fire my E, practically shooting fish in a barrel. I then rapidly W if possible and the predator will pursue quite intelligently,
using Q if needed. If attacking a group, you may want to W soon after R to make them scatter and create the bleed and
then pursue a particular champ with your Q.

3.) Q Control
As mentioned in the above, you need to play a little bit of a poker game. If you wait until they are on your doorstep
you will get bullied, use your Q's range to dance around and chip where possible while you farm with your auto and
keep them worried of the burst threat.

4.) Turret Advantage
Due to your wonderful Predator's health and range, keep in mind that if your opponent is weak under a turret you
will be able to burst and pursue while your Predator gets the aggro from the turret. You also can root opponents
under your turret and keep them there with your E stun, while your skills do DoT and the turret assists.


I think that is enough to digest for now, I hope I helped shed some light on Star Sapphire and encouraged one or
two people to give her a shot. Feel free to PM or chat in game, name is the same. Goodluck, Love is on your side!