Samira is one of the most high-octane, skill-expressive champions in League of Legends. She combines flashy, quick combos with a unique high-risk, high-reward gameplay style. When played well, Samira can completely take over a fight. Her kit allows her to deal massive damage, dive into the heart of the battle, and outplay her opponents with her mobility and creativity. However, mastering her requires quick decision-making and precise execution of her abilities, as her full potential is unlocked through continuous combos.
In this guide, I will cover all aspects of Samira’s gameplay, from her abilities, runes, and itemization to her combos and strategies, to help you dominate your lane and climb the ranks.
Samira’s Abilities
Understanding Samira's kit is essential to playing her optimally. Every ability in her arsenal is designed to complement her fast-paced, aggressive playstyle.
Passive - Daredevil Impulse
Samira gains a Style score (from E to S) by landing attacks and abilities on enemies. Her score resets if she doesn’t hit an enemy for a while. Higher Style scores increase her damage and allow her to unleash her ultimate ability at full power. Samira’s ultimate, Inferno Trigger, can only be activated when she reaches "S" Style.
Q - Flair
Samira slashes in a target direction, dealing physical damage to all enemies in her path. This ability has a cooldown reset mechanic if it hits an enemy champion, enabling her to chain more attacks. It’s crucial for Samira’s quick combos, especially since it works in both melee and ranged forms, giving her flexibility in fights.
W - Blade Whirl
Samira spins her blades, creating a shield that blocks enemy projectiles and deals damage to surrounding enemies. This is an excellent tool for stopping incoming abilities from high-damage opponents and provides survivability when diving into the enemy backline.
E - Wild Rush
Samira dashes through an enemy or ally, gaining bonus attack damage and enabling her to follow up with an auto attack. This dash makes her incredibly mobile in fights, and it can be used aggressively or defensively to outplay or chase down enemies.
R - Inferno Trigger (Ultimate)
Samira unleashes a flurry of bullets in a cone, dealing massive damage to all enemies in range. She can only use her ultimate when she has reached S Style, meaning she must constantly perform combos and engage in fights to unlock its full potential. This ultimate is one of the most satisfying abilities in League of Legends, allowing Samira to shred through enemies in a storm of bullets.
Runes for Samira
Samira benefits from runes that boost her damage output, survivability, and mobility, enhancing both her sustained and burst damage. Here’s the best rune setup for her:
Primary Rune Path: Precision
Keystone: Conqueror
Conqueror is the essential keystone for Samira. It stacks damage as she attacks, healing her fully when fully stacked, which helps her stay alive in extended trades and maintain her durability during teamfights.
Triumph
Triumph restores health when Samira defeats enemies, helping her stay healthy, especially in teamfights. It also grants bonus gold for assists or kills.
Legend: Alacrity
This rune grants Samira extra attack speed, allowing her to stack Conqueror more quickly and deal damage between her abilities.
Last Stand
Samira thrives when her health is low. Last Stand increases her damage when her health falls below 60%, enabling her to turn fights in her favor.
Secondary Rune Path: Sorcery
Nimbus Cloak
This rune increases Samira’s movement speed, making her more agile as she uses her E ability to engage and disengage from fights.
Gathering Storm
As the game progresses, Samira’s damage scales up. Gathering Storm increases her AP or AD scaling, helping her maintain consistent damage output throughout the mid to late game.
In this guide, I will cover all aspects of Samira’s gameplay, from her abilities, runes, and itemization to her combos and strategies, to help you dominate your lane and climb the ranks.
Samira’s Abilities
Understanding Samira's kit is essential to playing her optimally. Every ability in her arsenal is designed to complement her fast-paced, aggressive playstyle.
Passive - Daredevil Impulse
Samira gains a Style score (from E to S) by landing attacks and abilities on enemies. Her score resets if she doesn’t hit an enemy for a while. Higher Style scores increase her damage and allow her to unleash her ultimate ability at full power. Samira’s ultimate, Inferno Trigger, can only be activated when she reaches "S" Style.
Q - Flair
Samira slashes in a target direction, dealing physical damage to all enemies in her path. This ability has a cooldown reset mechanic if it hits an enemy champion, enabling her to chain more attacks. It’s crucial for Samira’s quick combos, especially since it works in both melee and ranged forms, giving her flexibility in fights.
W - Blade Whirl
Samira spins her blades, creating a shield that blocks enemy projectiles and deals damage to surrounding enemies. This is an excellent tool for stopping incoming abilities from high-damage opponents and provides survivability when diving into the enemy backline.
E - Wild Rush
Samira dashes through an enemy or ally, gaining bonus attack damage and enabling her to follow up with an auto attack. This dash makes her incredibly mobile in fights, and it can be used aggressively or defensively to outplay or chase down enemies.
R - Inferno Trigger (Ultimate)
Samira unleashes a flurry of bullets in a cone, dealing massive damage to all enemies in range. She can only use her ultimate when she has reached S Style, meaning she must constantly perform combos and engage in fights to unlock its full potential. This ultimate is one of the most satisfying abilities in League of Legends, allowing Samira to shred through enemies in a storm of bullets.
Runes for Samira
Samira benefits from runes that boost her damage output, survivability, and mobility, enhancing both her sustained and burst damage. Here’s the best rune setup for her:
Primary Rune Path: Precision
Keystone: Conqueror
Conqueror is the essential keystone for Samira. It stacks damage as she attacks, healing her fully when fully stacked, which helps her stay alive in extended trades and maintain her durability during teamfights.
Triumph
Triumph restores health when Samira defeats enemies, helping her stay healthy, especially in teamfights. It also grants bonus gold for assists or kills.
Legend: Alacrity
This rune grants Samira extra attack speed, allowing her to stack Conqueror more quickly and deal damage between her abilities.
Last Stand
Samira thrives when her health is low. Last Stand increases her damage when her health falls below 60%, enabling her to turn fights in her favor.
Secondary Rune Path: Sorcery
Nimbus Cloak
This rune increases Samira’s movement speed, making her more agile as she uses her E ability to engage and disengage from fights.
Gathering Storm
As the game progresses, Samira’s damage scales up. Gathering Storm increases her AP or AD scaling, helping her maintain consistent damage output throughout the mid to late game.
