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By GamGem ResearchLast updated 18 Oct 2026

Swain Build, Runes and Counters — Four Roles · Patch 26.20

the Noxian Grand General

Patch 26.20 · Stats from the 26.18 Master+ sample (2,618 games).

Swain, the Noxian Grand General, roots enemies on the return of Nevermove and drains everyone near him in Demonic Ascension. Master+ played him in four roles — the bot lane most, then support, Mid and Top — with Conqueror his usual keystone and Malignance or Rylai's Crystal Scepter first. In the bot lane, Zeri, Ezreal and Yunara beat him most often.

MageSupport

Patch 26.18 · Bot · Ranked Solo/Duo · Master+ · EUW · KR · NA · 2,618 games · Preview sample

Role snapshot (Bot)

BTier
Win Rate
50.4%
Pick Rate
4.0%
Ban Rate
0.6%

2,618

Games

High

Confidence

Win rate by lane

  • Bot52.1% · 1,054 games
  • Support50.7% · 825 games · small sample
  • Mid48.2% · 454 games · small sample
  • Top47.0% · 285 games · small sample

Most common path

66 games

53.0%Win Rate

Start
FlashGhost

Highest win rate path

38 games

68.4%Win Rate

Start
FlashGhost

Other first item

57 games

57.9%Win Rate

Start
FlashExhaust

Runes

Patch 26.18

This exact page: taken in 4.9% of games·54.7% win rate over 128 games.

Primary

Precision

Conqueror

Gain stacks of adaptive force when attacking enemy champions. After reaching 12 stacks, heal for a portion of damage you deal to champions.

Presence of Mind

Restore a small amount of mana or energy when damaging an enemy champion. Takedowns restore mana or energy.

Legend: Haste

Takedowns on enemies grant permanent Basic Ability Haste.

Last Stand

Deal more damage to champions while you are low on health.

Secondary

Resolve

Second Wind

After taking damage from an enemy champion heal back some missing health over time.

Overgrowth

Gain permanent max health when minions or monsters die near you.

Shards

  • Ability Haste
  • Move Speed
  • Tenacity

Other keystones taken

  • Electrocute21.6% taken · 50.7% win566 games
  • Summon Aery16.6% taken · 48.4% win434 games
  • Deathfire Touch5.3% taken · 52.1% win140 games

Tree pairs

  • Precision + Sorcery22.8% taken · 51.8% win596 games
  • Precision + Resolve16.0% taken · 48.3% win418 games
  • Sorcery + Resolve13.2% taken · 49.1% win346 games

Skill Order

Which ability to max first, and the level each point goes in — Swain's most common path.

Q

Death's Hand

Swain unleashes several bolts of eldritch power that pierce through enemies.

Cooldown 7/6/5/4/3s · 40/45/50/55/60 Mana
W

Vision of Empire

Swain opens a demon eye that deals damage and slows enemies.

Cooldown 20/19/18/17/16s · 60/65/70/75/80 Mana
E

Nevermove

Swain launches a wave of demonic power forward.

Cooldown 12/11.5/11/10.5/10s · 50/55/60/65/70 Mana
R

Demonic Ascension

Swain transforms into a demon and drains health from nearby enemy champions, minions, and neutral monsters.

Cooldown 120s · 100 Mana

Max Order

QWE

Max Q first, then W, then E. Take R whenever available (6 / 11 / 16).

Level-up Order

  • Q
  • W
  • E
  • R
Ability123456789101112131415161718
QDeath's HandQQQQQ
WVision of EmpireWWWWW
ENevermoveEEEEE
RDemonic AscensionRRR

Matchup map (Bot)

How Swain performs against enemy bot laners

Levels 1 – 18 · Master+40%60%Swain's win rate
≥ 60%Very favorable
55 – 60%Favorable
50 – 55%Even
45 – 50%Unfavorable
40 – 45%Hard
< 40%Very hard

Conditional build matrix

Recommended items by enemy team composition

Master+ · Patch 26.18
Mythic / CoreFirst major item
Core 2Second item
Core 3Third item
BootsBoot slot
SituationalPick as needed

Scaling — minute 10–30

SwainBot average

Gold

102030

Damage to champions

102030

CS

102030

Counter plan — how to beat Swain

  • Dodge the primary — its rotation is one skillshot; sidestep it and the rest is chip

  • Track the roam — it is strongest where the enemy jungler already is

  • Punish the cooldown — Swain is exposed while its rotation is down

  • Ward the flank — vision is what turns its best opening into a worse one

  • Respect the spike — Riot rates the kit 8/10, so a practised player gets more out of it than the average

Ability details

  • P

    Ravenous Flock

    Swain's ravens collect Soul Fragments that heal him and permanently increase his maximum health.

    Passive — never cast

  • Q

    Death's Hand

    Swain unleashes several bolts of eldritch power that pierce through enemies. Enemies hit take more damage for each bolt they are struck by.

    Cost 40/45/50/55/60 ManaCooldown 7/6/5/4/3sRange 750

  • W

    Vision of Empire

    Swain opens a demon eye that deals damage and slows enemies. Champions hit are revealed and also grant Swain a Soul Fragment.

    Cost 60/65/70/75/80 ManaCooldown 20/19/18/17/16sRange 5500/6000/6500/7000/7500

  • E

    Nevermove

    Swain launches a wave of demonic power forward. It then returns to Swain and roots enemies it hits. Swain can then choose to pull all rooted champions closer. This ability has a shorter cooldown during Demonic Ascension.

    Cost 50/55/60/65/70 ManaCooldown 12/11.5/11/10.5/10sRange 850

  • R

    Demonic Ascension

    Swain transforms into a demon and drains health from nearby enemy champions, minions, and neutral monsters. Swain can cast Demonflare to decimate and slow nearby enemies with a nova of soulfire. This form is indefinite as long as Swain drains enemy champions.

    Cost 100 ManaCooldown 120sRange 650

Swain balance history

Riot's notes from patch 25.S1.1 to 26.20 change Swain in 4 patches. The latest is patch 26.20, published 2026-10-06.

  1. Patch 26.202026-10-06

    Base Stats

    • Base Magic Resistance31to34
    • Base Armor25to23

    WVision of Empire

    • Damage70 / 105 / 140 / 175 / 210 (+60%)to70 / 115 / 160 / 205 / 250 (+60%)
    • Cooldown22 / 21 / 20 / 19 / 18sto20 / 19 / 18 / 17 / 16s
    Why, in Riot's words

    We're giving Swain mid a moderate buff this patch while also making an adjustment that should help normalize his mid and bot lane performance.

  2. Patch 26.42026-02-18

    WVision of Empire

    • Slow50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70%to50% at all ranks

    RDemonic Ascension

    • Damage per Second Scaling5% APto4% AP
    • Demonflare Damage Scaling50% APto40% AP
    • Demonflare Slow75%to50%
    Why, in Riot's words

    Swain is running rampant through bot lane right now and doing quite well in mid, too. His bot lane playstyle is more strongly tied to Malignance and his role as a bot laner is more about his damage output. Meanwhile in the support role, where the majority of his players are, they mostly rush Rylai's and perform as more of a pseudo-frontliner. So with all of that in mind, we're nerfing his AP-scaling ultimate damage and inherent crowd control power in hopes to nerf bot lane while leaving support as unscathed as possible.

  3. Patch 25.242025-12-02

    PRavenous Flock

    • Heal per Fragment3-6% (based on level)to6%
    Why, in Riot's words

    Swain's buff last patch didn't help him out as much as we had wanted to so we're following up to put more wind in his sails (wings? Demon wing?) We're keeping things relatively straightforward with increased healing from his passive which should be generally appreciable.

  4. Patch 25.232025-11-18

    ENevermove

    • Damage80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+ 70% AP)to90 / 130 / 170 / 210 / 250 (+ 70% AP)
    • Mana60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80to50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70
    Why, in Riot's words

    Swain is quite weak in his most-played role of support. We're giving him a little more power in his E as well as lowering its mana cost to let Swain support have more room to work with without a mana item, since he typically doesn't buy one there.

Swain skins (11)

Riot's data lists 11 looks for Swain with their own art, the base skin included and 40 chroma variants.

ARAM performance

EstimateC
Win Rate
49.4%
▼ 0.9%
Pick Rate
1.8%
▲ 5.2%
Ban Rate
3.4%
▲ 0.0%
Damage dealt
94.1%
Damage taken
106.8%
Healing
99.9%
Shielding
107.5%
Ability Haste
+11

Best ARAM build

Patch timeline

Riot’s notes

This champion’s win rate on each patch the preview sample spans, over its own games there. What actually changed each patch is in Riot’s own notes.

  1. 26.1950.1% over 766 games · small sample-0.4
  2. 26.1851.5% over 1,356 games+0.9
  3. 26.1747.6% over 489 games · small sample—

Swain's base stats against all 173 champions

  • Swain's base magic resist of 34 is the 3rd-highest of 173 champions on patch 26.20.
StatSwainRankMedian
Base health595=130th620
Health per level99=126th104
Base armor23=144th30
Armor per level4.7=42nd4.6
Base magic resist343rd32
Magic resist per level1.55=86th1.55
Base attack damage58=95th59
Base attack speed0.625=117th0.656
Attack speed per level2.11%=107th2.5%
Move speed330=117th335
Attack range525=46th175

Swain at level 1 and level 18

  • Swain reaches 2278 health at level 18 — 595 at level 1 plus 17 × 99, the 30th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20.
  • Swain reaches 893 mana at level 18 — 400 at level 1 plus 17 × 29, the 24th-lowest of 145 mana users on patch 26.20.
  • Swain reaches 102.9 armor at level 18 — 23 at level 1 plus 17 × 4.7, the 60th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20, shared with 1.
  • Swain reaches 60.35 magic resist at level 18 — 34 at level 1 plus 17 × 1.55, the 85th-highest of 173 champions on patch 26.20.
StatLevel 1Per levelLevel 18Rank at 18
Health595+992278144th of 173
Mana400+29893122nd of 145
Armor23+4.7102.9=113th of 173
Magic resist34+1.5560.3585th of 173

Riot Data Dragon 16.20.1. Growth curve: League of Legends Wiki — Champion statistic.

Riot's tips for Swain

Playing Swain

  • If you're having trouble rooting an enemy with Nevermove, try throwing it at opponents when they are near their minions so the explosion surprises them.
  • While laning, try to use Death's Hand's piercing damage to damage opponents from a safe distance.
  • Vision of Empire is quite difficult to land on its own, look for skirmishes around the map where enemies may be distracted or crowd controlled so you can land it more easily.
  • Demonic Ascension may make Swain very hard to kill but he's pretty easy to get away from. Try building items that can slow opponents to keep them in range if their mobility is overwhelming.

Playing against Swain

  • Swain's passive is very potent if you are immobilized. Make sure to be extra careful around enemies who have immobilizing effects.
  • High mobility counters all of Swain's basic abilities: Death's Hand does more damage the closer he is, Vision of Empire has a very long delay and Nevermove must start returning back to him to be dangerous.
  • Buying an item with Grievous Wounds will make Swain much easier to kill during his Demonic Ascension.

Quick answers about Swain

How does Swain do against Zeri?
Swain won 41.0% of 61 counted Master+ games against Zeri. Zeri is one of the opponents that beat Swain. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Swain do against Ezreal?
Swain won 43.9% of 57 counted Master+ games against Ezreal. Ezreal is one of the opponents that beat Swain. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Swain do against Yunara?
Swain won 44.3% of 88 counted Master+ games against Yunara. Yunara is one of the opponents that beat Swain. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Swain do against Kai'Sa?
Swain won 46.2% of 78 counted Master+ games against Kai'Sa. Kai'Sa is one of the opponents that beat Swain. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Swain do against Jinx?
Swain won 46.3% of 54 counted Master+ games against Jinx. Jinx is one of the opponents that beat Swain. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Swain do against Caitlyn?
Swain won 51.2% of 43 counted Master+ games against Caitlyn. It is close to even. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
What class is Swain?
Riot classes Swain as Mage and Support. This site files the champion under Bot.
How hard is Swain to play?
Riot rates Swain's difficulty 8 out of 10.
What resource does Swain use?
Swain's abilities spend Mana.
What is Swain's attack range?
525 units — the 46th-highest of 173 champions on patch 26.20 (shared with 17 others).
What are Swain's abilities?
Passive — Ravenous Flock, Q — Death's Hand, W — Vision of Empire, E — Nevermove and R — Demonic Ascension.
How many skins does Swain have?
Riot's data lists 11 skins with their own art, the base look included, plus 40 chroma variants.
How much health does Swain have at level 18?
2278 — 595 at level 1 plus 17 × 99 per level, Riot's own values, before items and runes.
What is Swain's ultimate cooldown?
Demonic Ascension (R): 120 seconds by rank, before ability haste, in Riot's Data Dragon 16.20.1.
When did Riot last change Swain?
Patch 26.20, published 6 October 2026 — the latest of 4 patches that change Swain in Riot's notes from 25.S1.1 to 26.20.

Swain at a glance

Swain, the Noxian Grand General, is a Mage and Support champion in League of Legends. Riot rates the kit 8/10 for difficulty, 2/10 for attack, 6/10 for defense and 9/10 for magic. Swain spends Mana and has 11 skins with their own art. Swain's base magic resist of 34 is the 3rd-highest of 173 champions on patch 26.20.

Attack2/10
Defense6/10
Magic9/10
Difficulty8/10

Swain's story

Jericho Swain is the visionary ruler of Noxus, an expansionist nation that reveres only strength. Though he was cast down and crippled in the Ionian wars, his left arm severed, he seized control of the empire with ruthless determination… and a new, demonic hand. Now, Swain commands from the front lines, marching against a coming darkness that only he can see—in glimpses gathered by shadowy ravens from the corpses all around him. In a swirl of sacrifice and secrets, the greatest secret of all is that the true enemy lies within.
— Riot Games, Data Dragon 16.20.1. League of Legends Universe

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Methodology

Data window
Preview sample — a one-time snapshot of 65,406 ranked games (Master+, EUW/KR/NA, patch 26.18), counted by GamGem while our Riot production key is under review. Figures will update daily once it is approved. Counted 26–27 Sept 2026; patches 26.18 (35,477) · 26.19 (18,580) · 26.17 (11,048) · 26.16 (293) · 26.15 (8); by server EUW 22,382 · KR 21,922 · NA 21,065 · EUNE 20 · TR 17. 642 games without a result — remakes ended by vote in their first minutes, and games recorded with no winner — were not counted.
Rank aggregation
Master, Grandmaster and Challenger, pooled — the three ladders the count read its players from. Splitting further leaves samples too small to separate a real effect from noise.
Role assignment
A champion is filed under every lane that holds at least a tenth of its counted games — the position the match itself reports, not the champion’s class. Its headline win rate is across all of them; each lane’s own win rate and games are counted too, and a lane’s tier list ranks by them.
Counters
The two champions in the same position on opposite teams, over that pairing’s own counted games — ranked on the edge pulled toward zero by its sample size, printed raw.
Minimum sample
None — no figure is hidden for being thin. Every rate prints its games, and the confidence band is its 95% margin: Very High within ±1.5 points, High ±2.5, Moderate ±3.1 (1,000 games), Low wider.
Why a build is not a cause
An item is counted when the match ENDS with it, so late items show long games and an item bought when already ahead shows games that were being won. Correlation is what a rate can show; it is not evidence that buying the item caused the win.
Where the numbers come from
Names, classes, abilities, items and runes are Riot Data Dragon. Win, pick and ban rates, builds, keystones, spells and matchups are counted by GamGem from Riot's ranked match records. An estimate, not a count: this panel is not in the preview sample, and is labelled so.

Swain on video