Pantheon support is the lane bully of the support role. With point-click W stun and empowered Q burst, he dominates immobile supports and can tower dive at level 2. Post-6, his global R lets him impact every lane on the map.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Mortal Will
Passive
Every few spells or attacks, Pantheon's next spell is empowered.
Fully-stacked Comet Spear does massive burst damage — stack your passive on minions before engaging.
Q
Comet Spear
Skillshot · Poke · Execute
Pantheon either thrusts his spear or throws his spear in the chosen direction.
CD: 11/10.25/9.5/8.75/8 · Cost: 25
Tap Q for a quick poke, hold Q for the full spear throw at max range. Use tap Q to last-hit and harass simultaneously.
W
Shield Vault
Point-Click · Stun
Pantheon dashes to a target, damaging and stunning them.
CD: 13/12/11/10/9 · Cost: 55
W stuns even if they're behind minions — it's point-click. Combo W into empowered Q for maximum burst.
E
Aegis Assault
Cone · Block · Shield
Pantheon sets his shield, becoming invulnerable to damage from the front and striking repeatedly with his spear.
CD: 22/21/20/19/18 · Cost: 80
E blocks all frontal damage including turret shots while diving. Use it to tower dive safely at level 2.
R
Grand Starfall
Global · AoE · Slow
Pantheon composes himself and then leaps into the air, landing at a chosen location as a comet.
CD: 180/165/150 · Cost: 100
Ping your landing zone early so your team can follow up. Land on the edge of fights, not the middle.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then W, then E · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W — point-click stun for level 1 all-in | ||||
| 2 | Q — poke and execute online | ||||
| 3 | E — damage block for trading | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R — Grand Starfall unlocked | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level W | ||||
| 9 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level W | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level W | ||||
| 13 | W maxed ✓ | ||||
| 14 | Start leveling E | ||||
| 15 | Level E | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level E | ||||
| 18 | E maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter Items
Spellthief's Edge
Gold income from harass — your Q poke easily procs it every wave.
400g
Refillable Potion
Sustain through the aggressive early laning phase.
150g
Core Build
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
Ability haste lets you W stun and Q more frequently.
950g
Tiamat
Wave clear and damage amplification for roaming.
1200g
Black Cleaver
Health, CDR, and armor shred stack perfectly with your burst combo.
3000g
Locket of the Iron Solari
Shield for your team in teamfights, meeting your support item quota.
2200g
Situational
Thornmail
Grievous wounds vs heavy healing comps.
2700g
Warmog's Armor
Massive HP for unkillable frontline presence.
3000g
Frozen Heart
Attack speed reduction vs auto-heavy comps.
2500g
Play like a bruiser, not an enchanter. Your job is to bully the enemy botlane and roam with R to win other lanes.
Burst Core
Shadowflame
Magic pen synergizes with your Q's magic damage component.
3000g
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
CDR for more frequent all-ins.
950g
Edge of Night
Lethality + spellshield to start combos safely.
2900g
Serpent's Fang
Shield reduction destroys enchanter-protected ADCs.
2600g
Only viable when snowballing. If behind, default to bruiser — you need to be alive to be useful.
Runes
Resolve Primary
Aftershock
Triggers on W stun — gives you free resistances during your all-in window and AoE damage.
Font of Life
Your W CC marks targets — allies heal when attacking them.
Conditioning
Free armor and MR at 12 minutes makes you tankier for roaming.
Unflinching
Tenacity when low — lets you finish combos even when CC'd.
Precision Secondary
Triumph
Heal on kill keeps you alive through extended all-ins.
Legend: Tenacity
Stacking tenacity — crucial so CC can't shut you down mid-combo.
Shards
Ability Haste · Armor · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Pantheon
01
Early Game
Dominate the 2v2 with Level 2 All-In
- Rush level 2 by hitting the first 3 minions — W stun into empowered Q is a kill threat at level 2.
- Stack your passive on minions between trades so your Q is always empowered for burst.
- You hard-counter immobile supports like Soraka, Sona, and Janna — punish them constantly.
- If the enemy ADC is out of position, W stun them, not the support — kills win games.
- E blocks turret shots while diving — you can dive at level 3 with proper trading advantage.
02
Mid Game
Roam with R After Every Good Trade
- After a successful trade or kill in botlane, immediately look to R to another lane.
- Ping your R landing zone 3 seconds early so your team knows to follow up.
- Group mid after laning — your AoE R into W stun into Q burst deletes carries.
- Ward aggressively — your roaming pays off when you have vision of enemy positioning.
- If you're behind, stay in lane and farm gold income instead of forcing bad roams.
03
Late Game
Flank and Burst Their Carry
- In teamfights, use R to flank from an unexpected angle rather than engaging from the front.
- W stun their carry the moment the fight starts — your job is to eliminate damage dealers.
- E blocks projectiles including Caitlyn R and Jinx R — use it to protect your ADC when they're targeted.
- Use R to contest objectives from across the map — enemies can't fight dragon if you appear from fog.
- When ahead, play assassin. When even, play bruiser tank for your team.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Pantheon
Pantheon's teamfight identity is bursting priority targets. Use W to lock down carries while your team collapses. Your R is best used to appear from unexpected angles, not frontally.
1
Pre-Fight — Flank Position
Before engage
01
Find a flank angle in fog of war before committing to the fight.
02
Identify the carry. Your W stun is wasted on tanks — save it for their ADC or mid.
03
Stack your passive to empowered state before engaging.
Do NOT use R into the middle of the enemy team. Land on their backline or use R to rejoin a fight you were split from.
2
Engage — W into Q Burst
Fight opening
01
W the carry — point-click stun guarantees the lockdown.
02
Empowered Q immediately after W lands for maximum burst.
03
E to block incoming skillshots while your team follows up.
04
Stay in range to keep threatening the carry if they Flash away.
3
Aftermath — Re-engage with W
Mid-fight
01
Reset W stun CD and apply it again to whoever is causing the most damage.
02
Use E to peel — block incoming damage for your team when they need it.
03
Don't chase — reset to a safe position once you've used your burst combo.
E blocks the entire front cone including turret shots. If your ADC is being dived, stand in front of them and press E to absorb the turret damage.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Pantheon.
Basic
Level 2 Tower Dive
At level 2, if your ADC hits minions alongside you, you can dive a low-HP enemy under turret: W stun, empowered Q to kill, and E blocks the turret shot. Practice the timing.
Basic
Passive Stacking on Minions
Every 3 basic attacks or abilities stack your Mortal Will passive. Always auto minions between abilities to maintain an empowered state before trades.
Intermediate
Tap vs Hold Q
Tap Q for close-range burst or to proc Spellthief's. Hold Q for max-range poke when the enemy tries to play safe. Both have completely different uses.
Intermediate
R Landing Zone Timing
Ping your R landing circle 3-4 seconds before you land. Teammates who don't see the ping won't follow up and your roam is wasted.
Intermediate
Counter Immobile Supports
Target Soraka, Sona, Janna, and Yuumi — they have no reliable escape from your point-click W. Avoid picking Pantheon into Morgana (Black Shield) or Leona (she out-engages you).
Advanced
E Frontline Absorption
E blocks ALL frontal projectiles and spells including Jinx R, Caitlyn R, Ezreal R, and even turret shots. Rotate E to protect your ADC in critical moments.
Advanced
R Edge Landing
The outer ring of R deals less damage but still slows. Land on the edge of enemy clusters to hit more targets, not in the center where enemies are most likely to Flash out.
Basic
Spellthief's Poke
Tap Q charges Spellthief's gold — use it to poke the enemy support or ADC every time they walk up to CS. You generate gold while pressuring simultaneously.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Pantheon struggles against champions with CC immunity or long-range poke. He excels against immobile, squishy supports who can't escape his all-in.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Black Shield completely nullifies your W stun — your entire all-in pattern relies on it. Without W stun, you deal no burst and can't engage safely.
Bait out Black Shield with a fake W approach, then W when it expires. Time it carefully — it has a short duration.
Leona out-engages you and wins extended trades. Her E-W-Q combo locks you down before you can execute your burst pattern.
Play defensively and poke from distance. Don't try to match her engage — let your ADC win the 1v1 while you disengage.
Lulu's Whimsy polymorph during your W-Q combo stops your burst entirely. She also heals and shields her ADC through your poke.
Force trades before she can react with Whimsy. Short trades with empowered Q only — never extended fights.
Wins Against
Soraka has no escape from your W stun and dies to one empowered Q combo. Her healing can't keep up with your burst damage.
W Soraka the moment she walks into range — kill her first and the ADC heals from nothing.
Sona is squishy with no mobility and relies on staying alive. Your point-click W guarantees a kill if she's even slightly out of position.
Zone Sona from CS using tap Q poke. She runs out of mana trying to sustain through your harassment.
Yuumi attached to her ADC can't dodge your W — but you kill the ADC instead. Without a mobile ADC, Yuumi has no escape.
Focus the ADC, not Yuumi. Once the ADC is dead, Yuumi is a free kill on her own.