Hwei Support Build Guides, Runes, Items, and Abilities

Hwei is labeled as an artillery mage but he's also a control mage. Blocking off areas and manipulating where enemies can move, punishing those who overstep, and sniping enemies with long-range executes as a finisher is what Hwei is all about. Similarly to mages like Brand or Vel'Koz, Hwei likes to combo his spells to activate his passive: Signature of the Visionary, as it adds a lot of extra damage, especially in teamfights with grouped up enemies. With 9 different basic abilities at his disposal, learning when to use each one effectively at a moment's notice is what makes a true Hwei player shine.

As with other immobile mages, Hwei requires proper positioning, or else he'll pop instantly to almost anything. Unlike some other mages, however, he also has tools to keep himself safe and is almost untouchable when piloted properly. While his arsenal of spells may seem overwhelming at first, individually they are quite simple to understand and utilize. Throughout this guide, I will refer to his spells using letters and colors to hopefully make it easy to follow (e.g. QW, WE, EQ).

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1. Strengths

• Versatile kit; has an answer for basically every situation
• Exceptional zoning capabilities
• Mid-range control mage with a long-range execute
• Great early game with decent scaling
• Great team utility and teamfighting power
• Surprisingly low skill floor, but high skill ceiling

2. Weaknesses

• Mana hungry, especially with high AH
• Higher AH is optimal to fully utilize his arsenal of spells
• Misinputs are costly - don't spam keys!
• Almost all spells are slow-moving skillshots with cast times
• Perfect positioning is a must
• Functions best with a balanced team comp; often unable to solo carry unless ridiculously ahead

• Fight in areas of the map that are quite tight, as this allows you to deal a lot of AOE damage.
• Playing around your Ultimate and E, especially in the mid and late game, is really important.
• When possible, try to abuse the enemy with auto-attacks, as this will help you win trades. But in the Support role, you are mostly a poke champion.

• R + Q + E + E + E: Lead with your R, Then use QE, and EE to finish.
• W + E + E + Q + Q + Q: Buff up with WE, then EQ to fear your enemy, then QQ to end the combo.
• E + W + W + E + Q + W + R: Use your EW, then buff up with WE, then QW and R to finish.
• W + Q + R + E + Q + Q + Q: Pop your WQ then R, EQ and QQ to finish.
• W + E + E + Q + R + Q + Q: Buff up with WE, then EQ to fear your enemy, then use your R and finish with your QQ.
• E + Q + FLASH + R + W + E + Q + Q + A + A: Use your EQ & Flash, then R, WE, QQ and AA to finish.

When approaching teamfights, there are a few general things you need to think about, especially as an immobile mage.

Who are the priority targets? (The ADC? Enemy midlaner? Annoying Soraka?) Who should I be careful of? ( Evelynn sneaking around? Rell hexflashing?) Which abilities do I need to watch out for? (Ashe ult, Malphite ult, Syndra stun?) Do I need to peel for a specific teammate? (Protect the Kog'Maw?)

As Hwei you will usually just be hitting whoever is right in front of you, but if and when an enemy squishy champion gets low, mispositions, or breaks away from their team, you can look to catch them out or snipe them. Hwei has different spells for different situations, so it can get overwhelming and chaotic in teamfights if you're not used to piloting the champion. You need to think about these kinds of things to prepare yourself beforehand.

For Hwei specifically, the main thing you want to look for in teamfights is how you're going to land your ult. Fighting in tighter spaces - such as in the jungle - makes it easier to land your ult and group up enemies with his AoEs. It usually doesn't matter who your ult lands on in a teamfight, since hitting a tank with it helps your team kite while zoning off the rest of their team, while hitting a squishy helps you and your team pick them off specifically. Try to reduce the chance of your ult missing as much as possible by casting it off of your teammate's CC or CCing them yourself first.

Don't get stuck in the habit of spamming QE in teamfights. While the AoE slow and zoning are powerful, your QQ does a lot of upfront damage and can be just as - if not more effective when used properly. You can also tag people with QW for long-range poke or even to get vision with Horizon Focus. Be flexible with your spells. Think about which one you're using and why, until it becomes second nature and you no longer have to dedicate your cognitive energy to it.

1. Early game

• Abuse your range in the early game versus squishy and melee champions.
• At level 6, you should look for fights with your Jungler in either the mid or side lanes.
• Play safe until you’re level 3, where you get access to your primary abilities and can fight far more favourably.

2. Mid game

• After your bottom lane has rotated to the mid lane, go to the side lane, apply pressure, and start laning in the side lane instead. Make sure you place deep wards and vision to protect you from ganks.
• You will be pretty strong in the mid-game as you’re good in team fights. Thus, you should look to team fights with your teammates during this game stage.
• In the mid-game, other champions will be stronger than you (even though you will be good too). With this in mind, if you’re facing an assassin or someone with strong all-in or chase potential, focus on pushing the waves with your abilities and then falling back.

3. Late game

• Stay with your team in the late game so you do not get caught out of position and die due to low mobility.
• Look for picks with your allies. Don’t be afraid to use your Spiraling Despair R to get picks with them. You also have CC tools, so don’t be afraid to try to make plays as long as your allies can follow up.
• You’re good at fighting around objectives, so try to make plays with your Spiraling Despair R around these major objectives in the late game.

Thanks for Reading! If you want to gain more in-depth knowledge about TFT, check out many helpful articles here!

Good luck to you! – Cheng