Qiyana is an AD assassin who uses terrain for different Q effects and her R stuns near walls. She's the best teamfight assassin thanks to R's massive AoE stun potential.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Royal Privilege
Passive
Qiyana's first basic attack or ability against each enemy deals bonus damage.
Royal Privilege: first auto/ability on each enemy deals bonus damage. Rotate targets.
Q
Elemental Wrath / Edge of Ixtal
Skillshot · Element Effect
Qiyana swings her weapon, dealing damage with a bonus effect based on her element.
CD: 7 · Cost: 35
Q effect depends on element: River (blue) = root. Wall (green) = bonus damage. Brush (red) = stealth.
W
Terrashape
Dash · Element Pick
Qiyana dashes to a location and enchants her weapon with an element. Her attacks and abilities deal bonus damage while her weapon is enchanted.
CD: 7 · Cost: 25/30/35/40/45
W dashes to terrain and picks up that element. Resets Q. Your main mobility tool.
E
Audacity
Dash · Target
Qiyana dashes to an enemy, damaging them.
CD: 11/10/9/8/7 · Cost: 40/45/50/55/60
E dashes to a target. Q can be cast during E for guaranteed hit.
R
Supreme Display of Talent
Shockwave · AoE · Stun (near terrain)
Qiyana sends out a shockwave that detonates whatever elements she hits with it, stunning and damaging nearby enemies.
CD: 120 · Cost: 100
R creates a shockwave that STUNS enemies near terrain (walls, river). Position near walls for R.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then W, then E · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Q | ||||
| 2 | Take W — element | ||||
| 3 | Take E — dash | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R — Supreme Display of Talent | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level W | ||||
| 9 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level W | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level W | ||||
| 13 | Level W | ||||
| 14 | W maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level E | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level E | ||||
| 18 | E maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Summoner Spells
Primary
Flash
Best repositioning tool — engage, escape and combo extension
Secondary
Ignite
Kill pressure and Grievous Wounds to deny enemy healing
Situational
Teleport
Teleport
Core Build
Duskblade of Draktharr
Lethality + invis on kill.
3100g
Ionian Boots
CDR.
950g
Edge of Night
Spell shield.
2900g
Youmuu's Ghostblade
Lethality + MS.
2900g
Situational
Death's Dance
Bleed passive.
3300g
Lord Dominik's Regards
Armor pen.
2900g
Guardian Angel
Revive.
3200g
Full lethality. R near walls for AoE stun + burst.
Runes
Domination Primary
Electrocute
E + Q + auto procs.
Sudden Impact
Lethality after E/W dash.
Eyeball Collection
Free AD.
Treasure Hunter
Gold.
Precision Secondary
Triumph
Heal on kill.
Last Stand
Bonus damage when low.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Qiyana
01
Early Game
Element Combos, Level 3 All-In
- W to river for ice Q (root). W to wall for rock Q (damage). W to brush for grass Q (stealth).
- Level 3 all-in: W (element) → E → Q → W (new element) → Q. Double Q burst.
- E → Q during dash for guaranteed Q hit.
- River element root sets up ganks.
- Roam at 6 — R near river walls for AoE stun.
02
Mid Game
R Wall Stun, Roam
- R near terrain = massive AoE stun. Fight near walls always.
- Brush element Q gives stealth for surprise engages.
- W resets Q. W → Q → W → Q for double burst.
- Roam to river for R stuns on rotating enemies.
- Duskblade invis on kill for escape.
03
Late Game
Teamfight Assassin
- R along a wall stuns everyone nearby. The best assassin teamfight R.
- Fight near jungle walls for guaranteed R stuns.
- Grass Q stealth → E → Q → R for surprise burst.
- W → Q → W → Q double burst one-shots anyone.
- Position near terrain for R threat.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Qiyana
Qiyana R near walls for massive AoE stun, then burst the carry with double Q combo.
1
Engage — R Near Wall
AoE stun
01
R toward a wall.
02
Shockwave stuns everyone near that wall.
03
Fight NEAR terrain always.
R only stuns near terrain. In open areas, R just does damage with no stun. Fight in jungle, not open lane.
2
Burst — Double Q
Assassination
01
W (element) → Q → W (new element) → Q.
02
Double Q burst one-shots.
03
E → Q during dash for guaranteed hit.
3
Escape — Grass Q Stealth
Disengage
01
W brush → Q for stealth.
02
Duskblade invis on kill.
03
W to wall for escape dash.
R along the dragon/baron pit wall stuns the ENTIRE enemy team inside. The best objective fight engage.
Video Guide
Watch the Full Guide
Credits to Edo_euw
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Qiyana.
Basic
3 Elements
River = root. Wall = damage. Brush = stealth. Pick the right element for the situation.
Intermediate
W Resets Q
W picks up a new element AND resets Q cooldown. W → Q → W → Q for double burst.
Advanced
R Near Terrain
R stuns enemies near walls/river. In open areas it doesn't stun. ALWAYS fight near terrain.
Basic
E → Q Combo
Cast Q during E dash for guaranteed hit. E closes the gap, Q hits mid-dash.
Intermediate
Grass Stealth
Brush element Q gives 3 seconds stealth. Use for surprise engages or escapes.
Advanced
R Pit Stun
R along dragon/baron pit wall stuns everyone inside. Best objective fight engage.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Qiyana struggles against tanks she can't burst and ranged poke. She excels against immobile mages near terrain.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
R suppression counters your dive.
QSS or avoid R range.
Point-and-click stun.
Bait stun first.
R self-cast counters dive.
Bait R, then all-in.
Wins Against
Dash through cage. He's free.
E through cage → burst → dead.
No escape from your combo.
E → Q → R near wall → dead.
Squishy and immobile.
All-in at 6. Dead instantly.
Team Comp
Best Synergies
Qiyana R stuns enemies near terrain, and any stunned target is treated as airborne for Yasuo's Last Breath. A Qiyana R along a wall into Yasuo Last Breath is a guaranteed multi-target execute combo.
Jarvan's E-Q flag engage drives enemies into walls or creates terrain with his R arena — both scenarios enable Qiyana's terrain-dependent R stun on the trapped cluster. Jarvan's cataclysm cage keeps enemies near terrain for the guaranteed R stun.
Anivia W wall creates instant terrain anywhere on the map that Qiyana can R toward for the stun. Qiyana double-Q burst into Anivia's glacial storm is a devastating AP+AD burst combination on stunned, grounded targets.
Malphite R drives enemies into walls and clusters them near terrain, giving Qiyana an immediate R stun on impact. The combo happens simultaneously — Qiyana R near the wall as Malphite arrives for guaranteed multi-stun.