Smolder Pro Builds - How to Play Smolder in Season 14
Smolder – the Fiery Fledgling – is a great Marksman that is usually played on position Mid. Smolder can also be played in other roles, but we focus on position Mid in this LoL Smolder guide as it fits the current meta in S14 very well.
Smolder has a win rate of 57% and pick rate of 0.8%. There is a ban rate of 1%. Although a great champion, winning with Smolder is not a given. You need to have the right Smolder build in order to unleash the full potential on patch 14.23. There are many Smolder probuilds out there. We help you to find the right probuild, Smolder players need to win.
Latest Smolder probuilds
Here a quick view on the latest Smolder probuilds on position Mid.
How to play Smolder
We will show you what you need to do, to increase your chances of winning your lane. Smolder is strong, but if you ran into 
Irelia or 
Vex you might get in trouble. In order to win your lane and against your counter, you need the right spells, items and runes. The following Smolder Mid pro build will help you with that.
Follow our build, pentakills will follow and you will learn how to play Smolder. Since Riot Games regularly releases a new patch, Smolder builds may change from time to time. It is important to keep up to date.
Items for Smolder
Items obviously play a big role in League of Legends. Buying the right item can make the difference between winning and losing as Smolder. The order of items is also very important. Especially in early game, it is imperative to make the right decision on what to buy. You need to know the right starter item and starter trinket. But you also need to know what your final items will be. Your opponent like 
Malzahar or 
Twisted Fate can also influence your buying decisions.
Since Smolder is a powerful Marksman you should start with 
Doran's Blade and 
Health Potion. Your starter trinket should be 
Stealth Ward. You will find those in the shop under: Tools > Vision & Trinkets. Your optimal final boots are 
Ionian Boots of Lucidity. So make sure to buy accordingly. A good buy order for your items is:
Trinity Force
Manamune
Rapid Firecannon
Smolder abilities and summoner spells
Pro Gamers in LoL also gain advantage by their choice of spells and the order they use their abilities on Smolder. You also shouldn’t leave this to chance.
During champion select you have the possibility to choose two spells for Smolder. The choice of summoner spells can’t be underestimated. They can play a big role in team-fights. Countless team-fights have been decided by a well-used flash. Statistics have proven that the best choice is 
Flash and 
Teleport.
You can also gain an advantage in early game by using Smolder abilities in a certain order. Each phase of the game differs. Some abilities might be good in late game, but less in early game. Start the game with 
Super Scorcher Breath. Then you should continue with 
Achooo!, followed by 
Flap, Flap, Flap. An order for abilities of Smolder up to level 10:
| Level | Key | Champion Spell |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | R | Super Scorcher Breath |
| 2 | R | Achooo! |
| 3 | R | Flap, Flap, Flap |
| 4 | R | Super Scorcher Breath |
| 5 | R | Super Scorcher Breath |
| 6 | R |  MMOOOMMMM! |
| 7 | R | Super Scorcher Breath |
| 8 | R | Achooo! |
| 9 | R | Super Scorcher Breath |
| 10 | R | Achooo! |
Most effective Smolder runes selection
For an effective Smolder build, you also need to select the appropriate runes. Ideally, you make an extra rune page for Smolder. You have to choose a primary and a secondary path from five rune paths for the Fiery Fledgling: Precision, Domination, Sorcery, Resolve and Inspiration.
In the primary path you can choose a keystone rune and three lesser runes. The secondary path only consists of two lesser runes. There are also the three so-called shard slots. The best rune paths for Smolder are for primary 
Resolve and for secondary 
Precision. As the keystone rune on Smolder most pros pick 
Grasp of the Undying.
For your primary path – Resolve – choose these runes on Smolder:
- Grasp of the Undying
Demolish
Overgrowth
Bone Plating
For your secondary path – Precision – choose these runes on Smolder:
Legend: Haste
Presence of Mind
Champions that counter Smolder
As mentioned before, it is always necessary to react to opponents of Smolder. There are champions that counter Smolder. These champions have advantages that can be dangerous for you. Irelia for instance is strong against Smolder and has a win rate of 69%. Another dangerous counter is Vex.
When your opponent counter picks Smolder in champion select, you need to be aware. In this case, adjust your items and game to the situation.
Heavenscale Smolder is one of the 2 available skins for Smolder.
Conclusion
Many people are looking for Smolder pro builds, that players often used to win. By following our probuilds, you can turn Smolder into a beast. Especially if you also follow our Smolder guide. When you have your runes placed like we told you, Smolder will reach its full potential. Buying the items we listed will also increase your chances. Start with the abilities in the correct order to gain an advantage in early game.
When you build Smolder in League of Legends correctly, you will have a very capable champion. But as always you need to practice, especially when and how to use MMOOOMMMM!. League of Legends is a dynamic game that changes with every patch. Keep following the patch notes and keep adjusting your LoL Smolder build.
Also, keep reacting to the game itself. Do you play mid, top or bot? Who is support or jungle? Overall, a good game is the sum of the right decisions. Over time, you your skills with Smolder will grow. Once you mastered Smolder – the Fiery Fledgling – you will rule the rift.
