Talk:Swain/@comment-24621775-20141016103157/@comment-9048637-20141030051437

Flash + Ghost is something I've been meaning to try. I can definitely see the appeal. Obviously, trading out Ignite means you lose some laning power, and Swain does want to bully his lane if possible, but the extra mobility may well be worth it.

I have a few issues with your item build, though. RoA + Zhonya's are obviously core, no problems there, but the rest... Rylai's is not an item I like on Swain. It can work, but Swain doesn't get that much out of the slow, so unless you really need every little bit of slowing power you can get, and you also want another HP item, then I'd pass it up. Deathcap is just redundant on Swain, to be honest. Liandry's is better for your damage while making you a bit tankier, not to mention building out of Haunting Guise, which is one of the best early- to mid-game items out there. Void Staff is definitely worth considering situationally, but I wouldn't consider it standard, especially since Swain usually tries to gun for the squishies (usually). Besides those quibbles, the lack of MR disturbs me slightly; alright, obviously if the enemy are full AD you don't need it, but that's not standard right now; if anything, the meta is moving in favour of more heavy AP teams with the rise of AP top-laners like Ryze and Maokai. So Swain will probably be in lane against AP, and even after that, AP is likely to be their biggest burst, which as Swain is usually what you have to fear the most. And honestly, why wouldn't you want Spirit Visage or Abyssal on him?

As for CDR - my favourite 'standard' option is Athene's, since it gives a little extra MR (granted noticeably less now), a modest dose of AP and freedom from mana concerns 90% of the time. I often pair it with an SV (as mentioned above); that plus the 10% I run from runes and masteries brings me up to the cap, even without blue or elixirs. Other options: Morello's is one to consider if they have a problematic sustain champ of their own. Frozen Heart can be very strong against heavy AS teams (ohai Yasuo); the mana and CDR I find compensate for the lack of direct offensive stats, not to mention how tanky it makes you. Lucidity boots... I can see if you can't fit much CDR into your build otherwise, but I feel Swain doesn't usually lack for CDR options, so I nearly always go with Sorcs unless I really want Mercs or Tabis.