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League Classic · Season 3 · Tristana

Crit Tristana build & runes

Tristana buildsCrit Tristana this buildAP Tristana rank B

Classic vs modernClassic Tristana predates her 2016 update: Draw a Bead's attack-range growth and Buster Shot's knockback scale differently with stacks, and the explosive-charge detonation timing on Rocket Jump plays nothing like the current version.

Item build path

Starting items level 1 · 475 gold to spend

Doran's Blade475 g

Boots of Speed + 3

Health Potions455 g

Blade sustains and boosts her rocket jump trades.

First back first recall

Zeal +

Boots

Core build order buy in this order · ~15,435 g full build

Berserker's Greaves900 g

→

Infinity Edge3,800 g

→

Phantom Dancer2,800 g

→

Last Whisper2,135 g

→

Bloodthirster3,200 g

→

Guardian Angel2,600 g

Situational adapt to the game

Phantom Dancercore crit and attack speed spike

Mercury's Treadsvs CC-heavy enemy engage

Statikk Shivwaveclear and tower siege

Guardian Angelreset safety after a jump-in

Skill order & spells

Skill orderQ > E > W > R

SpellsFlash + Barrier / Heal

Rune page (Season 3)

9× Greater Mark of Attack Damage+8.6 AD

9× Greater Seal of Armor+12.7 Armor

9× Greater Glyph of Magic Resist+12.1 Magic Resist

3× Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage+6.8 AD

Best duos & synergies

Leonaall-in level 2 with jump + lockdown

Alistarheadbutt-pulverize covers your jump cooldown

Jannapeel for the longest-range carry in the game

Masteries 21 / 9 / 0

Offense 21

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Standard Season 3 page — late-game hyper. Hover any mastery for its name.

Counters & matchups

Who this pick beats and who beats it — pick your lane with the matchup in mind.

✓ Strong against

Kog'Mawjump gap-closes and bursts immobile carry

Asherange steroid and jump dominate lane

Siviroutranges and all-ins past her spell shield

Urgotjumps out of his Q lock and dives

Twitchjump bursts the immobile carry pre-stealth

✕ Struggles against

Corkibullies your weak mid-game

Miss Fortuneout-trades you level 1-8

Leonajump reset can't outrun point-click CC

Blitzcrankhook negates her jump-reset safety

Alistarpoint-click lockdown beats her weak early

Quick tip: Late game your range outgrows everyone — jump AWAY, not in, and buster the diver off your face.

Key combo

Rocket Jump (W) engage/reset → Explosive Shot (E) → Rapid Fire (Q) attack speed → autos → Buster Shot (R) knockback

Power spike & playstyle

Weak early, spikes hard with crit items and late thanks to her range passive; scale to a hypercarry and use Rocket Jump resets to clean up fights.

Other builds

Tristana’s other builds

% is versus Crit Tristana · how the letters are measuredEvery build →

AP Tristana →New role, new buildMid Lane · AP burst · 15,855 g

Damage rankBout-damages 12 of 20 mid lane builds

Combo+autos2,632+5%

Burst2,395+286%

Auto DPS79-87%

Eff. HP3,908+3%

Sorcerer's Shoes

Rod of Ages

Rabadon's Deathcap

Deathfire Grasp

Void Staff

Zhonya's Hourglass

Skill E > W > Q > RMasteries 21/0/9Summoners Flash + IgniteStart Boots of Speed + 4 Health PotionsRunes Magic Penetration marks · Flat Armor seals · Flat Ability Power glyphs · Flat Ability Power quints

Explosive Shot detonates for a large AP ratio and Rocket Jump resets on every kill, so she is an assassin who repositions for free after each one.

For roams and picks. Buster Shot at point blank plus a detonated Explosive Shot deletes a support outright, and the reset takes her back out.

In lane. Tristana's early game is built entirely around auto-attacks, and this build has none until Explosive Shot is maxed at level nine.

Not modelled in this number: Frenzy (10% AS for 2s after a crit — not static), Summoner's Insight, Meditation, Mastermind.

Show the damage math

Ability	How it is calculated	Raw	After resists
E Explosive Shot rank 5?	544 of a 5 second burn	544	472 −13% after MR
W Rocket Jump rank 5	250 base + 0.8 × 637 AP	760	659 −13% after MR
R Buster Shot rank 3	500 base + 1.5 × 637 AP	1,456	1,263 −13% after MR
AA Auto-attack	70.0 per hit × 1.13 attacks/sec	70 / 144	79 dps

Level 18AD 113AP 637Target 1,900 hp · 75 ar · 50 mrAfter pen 64 ar · 18 mr

Combo 2,395 + 3.0 s autos 237 = 2,632, 126% of target HP.

Only the EWR rotation is counted.

Guide

How to play Tristana in League Classic

Tristana's range grows every level until she outranges towers and everyone in them; your job is surviving until that matters. Take short jump-trades early only with support backup — Rocket Jump resets on kills make level-2 all-ins deceptively lethal. Mid game, use E on towers to accelerate sieges. Late game you are the safest carry in Classic: max-range autos, jump away from divers, buster whoever reaches your face. IE-PD crit turns every fight into a physics demonstration conducted from 700 units away.

FAQ

Tristana in League Classic

What is the best Tristana build in League Classic?

The standard build is Crit Tristana: Berserker's Greaves, Infinity Edge, Phantom Dancer, Last Whisper, Bloodthirster, Guardian Angel. Skill order Q > E > W > R, summoner spells Flash + Barrier / Heal. Tristana also has 1 measured off-meta build: AP Tristana.

What runes and masteries does Tristana use in League Classic?

Marks: Flat Attack Damage. Seals: Flat Armor. Glyphs: Magic Resist. Quintessences: Flat AD. Masteries: 21/9/0 — late-game hyper.

Is Tristana good in League Classic?

Tristana is rated B-tier adc in the launch consensus (score 50/100 across 4 published rankings). Strong into Kog'Maw, Ashe, Sivir, Urgot, Twitch; struggles against Corki, Miss Fortune, Leona, Blitzcrank, Alistar.

What does Tristana start with and build first in League Classic?

Open with Doran's Blade or Boots of Speed + 3 Health Potions. Blade sustains and boosts her rocket jump trades. First back: Zeal + Boots. Then build in order: Berserker's Greaves → Infinity Edge → Phantom Dancer → Last Whisper → Bloodthirster → Guardian Angel.

Editorial build based on documented Season 3 (2013) meta. Counters and duos are historical projections rather than live win-rate matchup data. (Tier ranking above does mix in live data where sources publish it — see the tier list for details.)

ADC tier list ← Consensus tier list