Sion Top Build 16.11
Sion Top build in patch 16.11 has a 52.2% win rate over 90 games. This setup focuses on giant's belt is a large health component purchased to noticeably raise your durability in one buy. it is mainly for champions who want a stronger raw hp threshold before finishing a tank or bruiser item.
Sion Build Guide & Strategy (Patch 16.11)
About Sion
Sion is a tank who controls space through heavy crowd control, immense frontline presence, and constant side-lane pressure that forces enemies to respect his body even after death. He is excellent at starting fights and soaking attention, but his slow, telegraphed abilities can be dodged or turned against him when used carelessly.
Sion Build Strategy & Items
This component fits front-to-back teamfighting and committed skirmishing because the extra health makes stepping into danger less risky. It supports gameplans built around soaking cooldowns, surviving burst long enough to keep fighting, and creating sturdier engage or peel windows. This item fits practical, low-risk play where a little extra health makes trading and wave contesting less punishing. It supports champions who want stronger room for error in lane without committing as much gold as a larger durability component. This item supports a more defensive lane approach by making spell trades less punishing and giving you more freedom to hold position around the wave. It fits gameplans where surviving AP pressure, preserving recall timing, and reaching a larger defensive item matter more than forcing immediate combat back. Giant's Belt is a large health component purchased to noticeably raise your durability in one buy. It is mainly for champions who want a stronger raw HP threshold before finishing a tank or bruiser item. Ruby Crystal is a basic health component that adds a modest but immediate durability boost. It is mainly bought to survive lane damage more comfortably and to start building toward items that need an early HP base. Null-Magic Mantle is a basic magic resistance component bought to cut down incoming AP damage early. It is mainly used to stabilize against mages, magic poke, or support lanes that threaten through repeated spell damage. Doran's Shield is a defensive starter item built to absorb rough early lanes and soften repeated harassment. It is mainly chosen when surviving poke, staying healthy through ranged pressure, or stabilizing a difficult matchup matters more than early damage. Negatron Cloak is a heavy magic resistance component bought when you need a clear answer to AP damage. It is mainly used to blunt mage burst, magic poke, or spell-heavy fights before finishing a larger MR item.
Sion Key Strengths
Giant's Belt gives an immediate survivability spike that is easy to feel in lane, dives, and mid-game fights where living through the first damage rotation matters. It is especially valuable when you need more room to contest space, start fights, or survive long enough for healing and resistances to matter. Ruby Crystal is appealing because its health is always relevant, helping against poke, mixed damage, and early all-ins in a very simple way. It also gives flexible build access for many tank, bruiser, and utility paths, so the purchase rarely feels dead-ended. Null-Magic Mantle is valuable because it directly answers magic-heavy lanes and champions whose pressure comes from repeated casts rather than sustained auto attacks. It also gives a cheap way to start building toward stronger MR options without overcommitting gold too early. Doran's Shield is especially strong into lanes that win through repeated small hits, because it helps smooth out constant harassment and preserves your ability to stay in experience range. It also gives a sturdier early baseline for melee champions walking into ranged matchups or anyone expecting to concede some early control. Negatron Cloak is strong because the MR spike is large enough to noticeably change how threatening enemy magic damage feels in lane and skirmishes. It is especially valuable when one fed mage or AP support can otherwise force you out before a fight even starts. Health Potion is valuable because it turns gold into reliable early endurance, which matters most when the first few waves decide pressure and recall timing. It also works across many matchups, making it one of the simplest ways to stay active after a rough exchange. Unending Despair shines when your champion can stay in the thick of a fight long enough for its sustained defensive payoff to matter. It is especially strong in clustered skirmishes and front-to-back fights where enemies cannot easily disengage from your zone of influence. Plated Steelcaps are strong because they answer one of the most common and persistent damage patterns in the game: sustained physical chip from attacks. They are especially useful into double-AD pressure, ranged harass lanes, or late-game carries that would otherwise shred you through repeated autos. Sunfire Aegis is valuable because it adds practical threat to champions that otherwise only soak damage, letting them pressure waves and contribute steady damage while frontlining. It is especially strong in drawn-out fights and against melee-heavy comps, where enemies cannot easily avoid the constant burn while contesting space. Mercury's Treads are valuable because they answer two common game-losing problems at once: heavy magic damage and chainable crowd control. They are especially useful when the enemy composition wins by catching someone first, since even a little more freedom to move or cast can completely change whether you escape the engage. Hollow Radiance is useful because it gives a tank a more practical anti-magic purchase than pure resistance alone, especially when lane control and proximity matter. It is especially strong into AP-heavy games where you still need to clear, rotate, and hold ground instead of simply surviving one burst rotation.
Best Sion Runes & Spells
Cash Back is an economy rune built around making completed purchases snowball more efficiently. Its main purpose is to soften the cost of item spikes so a champion can chain power increases faster than normal once key buys start coming through. Approach Velocity is a chase rune built to help players close distance once a target has already been slowed, controlled, or otherwise made catchable. Its purpose is to make successful setup matter more by turning partial access into full contact. Conditioning is a delayed durability rune that sacrifices early help in exchange for stronger defensive stats later on. Its main purpose is to give tanks, bruisers, and scaling frontliners a sturdier midgame and teamfight foundation once laning stops being the only thing that matters. Grasp of the Undying is a trading rune built around repeated short combat touches that slowly tilt lane and scaling in the user's favor. Its purpose is to reward champions that can step up regularly, land a hit in combat, and turn that pattern into both immediate trade value and long-term durability. Demolish is a structure pressure rune that turns time near enemy turrets into meaningful objective damage. Its main purpose is to reward lane control, roam timing, and side-lane pressure by helping champions cash in on windows where the turret is left exposed. Overgrowth is a health-scaling rune that steadily adds durability as the game progresses through normal minion and monster flow. Its purpose is to give frontliners and bruisers a passive long-term toughness boost without requiring any special combat trigger. Flash is an instant repositioning spell built around solving range, angle, and danger in a single moment. It is mainly used to create or escape decisive situations that normal movement cannot cover in time. Teleport is a map-wide tempo spell built to convert wave states and timing windows into presence somewhere else on the map. It is mainly used to protect lane economy, answer side pressure, and arrive at fights or objectives without giving up too much structure or farm.
How to Play Sion (Early, Mid & Late Game)
Sion Laning Phase (Early Game)
In the early game as Sion in the Top lane, prioritize consistent farming and map awareness. Aim to secure your Sunfire Aegis as quickly as possible to establish a lane advantage and create opening opportunities.
Sion Mid Game Strategy
During the mid game, utilize your 3 item power spikes to control lane transitions and objective contested zones. As Top Sion, your roaming potential and skirmishing power are at their peak.
Sion Late Game Strategy
In the late game, focus on teamfighting effectiveness and critical positioning. As Sion, your role is to maintain utility and pressure in final sieges, coordinated and protecting objectives with your full item build.
Sion Mechanics & Gameplay Tips
Good Sion players charge Decimating Smash from angles that cut off escape rather than from obvious front-facing lines, manage the timing of Roar of the Slayer through minions for reliable slows, and use Unstoppable Onslaught with enough distance and terrain awareness to actually threaten impact. Bad Sion play shows when he channels in plain sight, ults without considering where the enemy can sidestep, or dies far from anything worth contesting.