[Top 15] LOL Best AP Items That Destroy The Enemy Team

Updated:

07 Feb 2023

Oh, AP items love them or hate them there is no outright counter to them especially if you’re playing a mage or an AP assassin that simply ignores all magic resistances on an enemy. Most of the AP items that I’ll be mentioning today have to do with increasing the damage output and blasting enemies into tiny little pieces.

Now if you thought that this isn’t fair you have to remember one fact about AP champions. Most of them don’t have a way of escaping if an assassin or tank gets too close. The only thing an AP champion can do then is to lay down and accept their fate.

15. Dark Seal (350 Gold)

“Hey kid, you like to gamble??”

Do you love gambling away all your power that you gained from battling countless enemies? If you do then this item is perfect for you. You see, this item has a unique passive ability where it will give 2 stacks per kill and 1 stack per assist to the player. Additionally, when you gain stacks you also gain ability power, you exactly get 4 ability power for each stack that you have on the item. That can go up to 10 stacks for a total of 40 extra ability power from it. That comes from its passive ability “Glory”.

At a first glance that might be insane but the item has a catch. Each time the person wearing the ring dies their stacks will be halved and they will have to get them all back up which can be very annoying and tedious. Don’t get me wrong the ring can be amazing if worn by people who have a safe playstyle and don’t die a lot but if you’re not one of those people it's best to not spend your hard earned gold on this item.

How To Get Dark Seal:

You can obtain this item inside of your shop which is located in your home base.

When Should You Buy This Item:

If you’re able to use the additional power from the ring to your advantage to win your lane way easier.
If you know you can kill the enemy laner often.
If your champion can gank lanes and get kills without a problem. Because remember the more stacks the more ability power you’ll have.

14. Doran’s Ring (400 Gold)

“There is no high risk with me :(“

If you’re not a fan of gambling your ability power away then this ring is the way to go for you. Unlike the previous ring this one gives the person wearing it a boost in base mana regeneration with its passive ability “Drain”. The passive ability “Drain” can be quite useful for champions who have to spam their abilities to win lane such as Ryze or Lux.

While having this item in your inventory it will restore your mana by 1 point each second which can increase to 1.5 if you damage an enemy. Alongside that base mana regeneration boost the item also provides the user with 5 extra damage against minions with the passive “Focus”, 70 extra health, and extra 15 ability power. While it might not seem that great by its stats but it’s the most useful item in the early stages of the match and can help out a mage suffering from mana loss.

How To Get Doran’s Ring:

To buy this ring head over to your spawn area and buy it for 350 gold.

When Should You Buy This Item:

If you won’t be able to kill the enemy laner easier.
If you have to spam your abilities a lot during the laning phase.
If your AP champion doesn’t have a lot of base attack damage and it will be hard for you to last hit minions.

13. Oblivion Orb (800 Gold)

“To oblivion and beyond!”

This weirdly shaped football can completely reduce the amount of healing the enemy team will receive. This is not an item that you will be buying every single match as it has a very specific use. You’ll want to get this one when you’re playing against a champion that can life-steal a lot or the enemy team has either Yuumi or Soraka as their main support.

The main point why it counters them is because of the passive ability “Cursed” which applies “Grevious Wounds” that lasts for 3 seconds and that debuff reduces the total amount a target will heal by 40%. Alongside that, it also gives 35 ability power to the player and can be used into building a “Chemtech Putrifier” or “Morelonomicon”.

How To Get Oblivion Orb:

To obtain this item just head back to your HQ when you have enough gold and purchase it.

When Should You Buy It:

If you’re playing against someone who has a lot of life-steal in their kit.
If the main enemy support is either a Soraka or Yuumi whose whole point is to heal their teammates.
It can be a great item if you’re playing the support role and you’re an AP champion.

12. Blasting Wand (850 Gold)

“There’s a good reason it’s called the blasting wand.”

There is no special catch with this item and it doesn’t provide a unique passive as other items do, instead this item provides the user with a raw 40 ability power. The ability power that the player gains can be used to either one-shot enemies if they are squishies or make the player's poking game insane.

Which can result in the player stomping the enemy laner and bullying them out of their lane. Most people skip over this item or just outright build it instantly into a full item but they shouldn’t ignore it. On top of that most of the items that AP champions build require this item so why not make your life way easier and make sure that you win your laning phase.

How To Get Blasting Wand:

Once you acquire 850 gold in your bank account head over to your base and buy the item.

When Should You Get It:

If it’s still the early game and you have a massive gold lead.
If you need to push lanes quickly so you can roam more often.
If you’re playing against a squishy target that you can one-shot.

11. Needlessly Large Rod (1,250 Gold)

“Why is this rod so big?”

If you have a massive gold lead and really want to bully your opponent out of the lane or maybe you see an opportunity to snowball the match, why not get the “Needlessly Large Rod” and skip the “Blasting Wand” altogether. There are only a few certain situations when you’ll want to get this item instead of the previous one and that’s if you’re winning massively and already have gotten yourself 2-3 kills or you have way more CS than your opponent.

The item gives the user 60 raw ability power and also opens the opportunity of snowballing a match much easier and the chances of getting a kill when ganking or roaming are much higher. Also, same as with the previous one it can be used in crafting many different fully completed items such as Rabbadon’s Deathcap or Horizon Focus.

How To Get Needlessly Large Rod:

Once you have accumulated 1,250 gold just head out to your home base and buy it for yourself.

When Should You Get It:

If you have a massive gold lead over your enemy or if you have gotten yourself 2-3 kills.
If you’re planning on building an item that requires the “Needlessly Large Rod”.
If you want to make sure that you’ll increase your chances of getting a kill when ganking.

10. Zhonya’s Hourglass (3,000 Gold)

“Can’t touch me now you pesky assassins!”

This is another very situational item that you don’t want to be building every single match. The only time you’ll want to have a Zhonya in your inventory is when you’re playing against assassins and you have no other way of dealing with them or you’re being targeted by the enemy team. To completely deny them that satisfaction, just building a Zhonya will give the player or user 45 armor, 80 ability power and 15 ability haste.

It gives enough ability power that you can still destroy them while also giving you extra added protection against them which can result in saving your life. But that’s not where the story ends, if the enemy assassins get too close to you, you can activate the passive “Stasis” that this item has and turn yourself into gold which renders you completely untargetable.

How To Get Zhonya’s Hourglass:

When you have acquired the right amount of gold for the item just head back to your base and purchase it.

When Should You Get It:

If you’re the main damage dealer in your team and the enemy is targeting you specifically.
If the enemy team has a lot of assassins that can one-shot you.
If your champion has no mobility or no way to get out of a sticky situation.

9. Horizon Focus (3,000 Gold)

“There will only be ashes after you purchase this item.”

Let me be clear that you shouldn’t be buying this item if you’re not playing a burst mage as then you won’t be able to use the item to its full potential. In the hands of a burst AP champion the item can literally demolish the whole enemy team due to its high damage output.

The reason for that high damage output is because of its base stats which give the user 100 ability power, 150 health, and 15 ability haste. Alongside those amazing stats the item’s passive “Hypershot” also increases the damage that a target takes by 10% for 6 seconds every time they get hit by an ability.

How To Get Horizon Focus:

To get this dominating item make sure that you have enough gold and then simply purchase it in your HQ.

When Should You Get It:

If you’re playing a burst AP champion.
If the enemy team has a lot of champions who are ranged and staying behind their tanks.
If you’re in the late stages of a match the item can increase the amount of damage that the enemy takes.

8. Nashor’s Tooth (3,000 Gold)

“Seems like someone’s teeth are worth more than gold.”

The only champions that would benefit from this item are those whose main damage output is from their auto-attacks, for example someone like Diana or Mordekaiser are perfect for this item. It’s like a match made in heaven literally. The reason being is that those types of champions have to get up-close and personal to the enemy to kill them and this item enhances their auto-attack damage and transforms it into on-hit magic damage.

The way it transforms their auto-attacks into on-hit damage is by its passive ability “Icathian Bite”. Which basically means the more AP they have the more damage their auto-attacks will do. Alongside that insane buff the player also receives a 50% increase in their attack speed and gets an outright 100 ability power.

How To Get Nashor’s Tooth:

To get this tooth you’ll have to get 3,000 gold first and then head out to your base to purchase it.

When Should You Get It:

If your champion’s primary damage comes from their auto-attacks.
If the AP melee champion you’re playing doesn’t have a lot of attack speed.
If you have to get really close to the enemy team to kill them or to deal damage.

7. Banshee’s Veil (2,600 Gold)

“Your abilities can’t do anything to me now!”

I swear only AP items can give the player defensive and offensive stats and such is the case with this one. Oh, God damn I hate seeing this on the enemy team when I’m playing Evelynn or any burst mage but I also love using it if the time is right. If you don’t know this item has the passive ability “Annul” to block any incoming skill shot or ability that was aimed at you. You don’t have to do anything; the item does the whole job by covering you in a purple bubble and that bubble is your protection against abilities.

After it blocks an ability the purple bubble will burst and go on a 40 second cooldown. That’s the item's defensive side, while on the offensive it allows the user to pretty much jump head first into battle and gives them 80 ability power, 10 ability haste, and 45 magic resistance in total. The item does wonders for those who have an aggressive playstyle and with this one in your inventory you can completely annihilate the enemy team!

How To Get Banshee’s Veil:

To obtain this headache of an item just get yourself 2,600 gold and head over to the base to buy it.

When Should You Get It:

If you’re playing a champion that always jumps into battle first like Diana or Azir.
If the enemy team has a lot of stuns or crowd control abilities that don’t hinder your performance.
If the enemy team has a mostly AP team composition and you need the extra magic resistance against them.

6. Rylai’s Crystal Scepter (2,600 Gold)

“I am taking away your running privileges!”

If for some reason the enemy team has picked at least 2-3 assassins or champions who can easily get close to you then it’s going to be a massive problem. To counter that simply purchase this item as it comes with a unique passive effect “Rimefrost” where if they get damaged by an ability their movement speed will be lowered by 30%. Which completely counters them and their kit and makes it harder for them to either run away or get close to you.

The slowness effect lasts for 1 second but if you keep hitting your abilities the slow effect will be extended. Along with the annoying debuff the item also gives 400 health and 75 ability power to the player, which can be quite crucial if the enemy team can one-shot you easily. At least this way they’ll have to deal with the slowness effect and with the extra 400 health that you have gained from the item if they get close to you.

How To Get Rylai’s Crystal Scepter:

If you want to remove running privileges from the enemy team just go back to your base and purchase this bad boy.

When Should You Get It:

If the enemy team has a lot of agile or mobile champions.
If you need the extra HP to survive during team fights or against assassins.
If your champions has the ability to chain their abilities or they have low cooldowns.

5. Everfrost (2,500 Gold)

“Hah, you can’t completely move now.”

If the enemy team has decided to play a lot of assassins or agile champions that you need to deal with then get this item as soon as possible as it will completely freeze them in place with the active ability “Glaciate”. Not only that but it’s a great combination with Rylai’s Crystal Scepter. As with Rylai’s you can slow them down before using this item making it easier for yourself to land the ability.

The freeze effect will deal 100 damage plus 30% of your current AP, so if you have a ton of AP you can expect that damage to be 200-400. And since it’s a mythic item it has its own “mythic passive” which grants you extra 10 ability power for every legendary item in your inventory. The item is great at crowd controlling enemies, especially separating them from one another and destroying the enemy’s formation.

How To Get Everfrost:

To obtain this mythic item for yourself all you have to do is head over to the game’s shop and purchase it for yourself.

When Should You Get It:

If the enemy team mostly consists of agile or mobile champions that you need to deal with.
If the enemy team is constantly coming way too close to you and you can’t run away from them.
If the enemy team has a lot of melee champions at least 2 or 3.
The item gives a significant boost in ability power due to the “mythic passive”.

4. Archangel’s Staff/Seraph’s Embrace (3,000 Gold)

“No more mana issues.”

Archangel’s Staff is primarily used by champions who have to cast a lot of abilities and primarily build items that give them a lot of mana. The item Archangel’s Staff gives the user 500 mana, 80 ability power, 10 ability haste, and 200 health. Along with these great stats the item can also be upgraded into a Seraph’s Embrace which gives the user 850 mana and 250 health in total.

To successfully upgrade the item from an Archangel's Staff into a Seraph’s Embrace you have to charge up its passive ability “Mana Charge” to 360 mana first. The way that it’s done is by doing damage to enemies with your abilities. Additionally it also comes with a second passive ability “Awe” which basically gives the player ability power depending on how much bonus mana they have gotten from items. With this item in your inventory there is no way that you’ll be running out of mana anytime soon.

How To Get Archangel’s Staff/Seraph’s Embrace:

To obtain this item all you have to do is purchase it in its standard form which is Archangel’s Staff and later by damaging enemies it will upgrade itself into Seraph’s Embrace.

When Should You Get It:

If your champion mainly deals damage by casting abilities and they run out of mana quickly.
If your build consists of a lot of mana items and your champion has a large mana pool.
If you can damage enemies easily to upgrade the item quickly into a Seraph’s Embrace.

3. Lich Bane (3,000 Gold)

“Forged in the fiery pits of hell!”

When the player has purchased the item it will improve their next auto-attack after they have casted an ability and this is the item’s unique passive called “Spellblade”. Alongside this passive, the item will give the player or user 75 ability power, 15 ability haste, and increase their movement speed by 8% in total.

It’s perfect for those AP champions who love to get up close and personal to the enemy team such as Diana or Jax. Additionally, the amount of damage that the item will deal depends on how much AD and AP the player has in total. The higher the AP and AD stats the higher the damage output of this item.

How To Get Lich Bane:

To make your auto-attacks deadly and cause brain damage to enemies head over to your base and purchase it if you have cash!

When Should You Get It:

If you’re playing someone whose majority of damage comes from auto-attacks.
If you’re building an on-hit magic build.
If your champion has a lot of AD and AP in their kit like Jax.

2. Luden’s Tempest (3,200 Gold)

“They won’t know what hit them.”

This item is primarily all about bursting people down and reducing their bodies to atoms as it buffs the burst potential of AP champions to the next level. Squishy champions or champions that don’t have a lot of magic resistance in their kit don’t stand a chance against the player who buys this item especially during the late game stages.

That’s because of its “mythic passive” which grants 5 magic penetration for every legendary item in the inventory. Additionally, its base stats give 80 ability power, 20 ability haste, 600 mana, and 6 magic penetration. Alongside those great base stats that it gives the item’s passive ability “Echo” deals an extra 100 damage +10% of the player’s total AP and 15% bonus movement speed for 2 seconds whenever they hit an ability on an enemy.

How To Get Luden’s Tempest:

To obtain this item just head over to your base and buy it for 3,200 gold!

When Should You Get It:

If you’re playing a burst AP champion.
If the enemy team has a lot of squishy champions in their composition.
If the enemy team is building a lot of magic resistance items.

1. Rabadon's Deathcap (3,600 Gold)

“I sort you into the losing team!”

This weird looking cap is primarily a late game item because of the amount of gold it costs to buy and because of its passive ability “Magical Opus” that increases the total amount of AP the player has by 35%. Along with that insane increase of the total ability power it also gives 120 raw ability power.

Without this item burst mages and other AP champions who only rely on dealing damage with abilities would fall out immensely in the late game due to the fact that magic resistance items exist. So to counter the enemy team building magic resistance you’ll want to build Rabadon’s Deathcap and increase your damage output. Also, the item works perfectly well with any other item mentioned on this list!

How To Get Rabadon’s Deathcap:

To acquire this beast of an item you’ll have to kill a lot of people to get the right amount of gold to buy it! After you have enough money just head over to your in-game shop and purchase it.

When Should You Get it:

If your damage is starting to fall off in the late game.
If the enemy team is building a lot of magic resistance items.
If you’re a burst AP champion who needs to increase their damage output quickly.
If you have a lot of ability power in your stats.

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Mumin T.

As one of many people who sold his soul to Riot Games and spent many sleepless nights playing their game, Mumin has managed to keep his sanity and has learned to control his anger and rise above.

Gamer Since:

2008

Favorite Genre:

MOBA

Currently Playing:

League of Legends

Top 3 Favorite Games:

League of Legends, Rainbow Six Siege, Fallout 4

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