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I hard forced Fiddlesticks to Master and I wanted to share how.

Hardforcing this comp was inspired by two comments on this subreddit. The first comment said that rod start is objectively the worst start this set. As I love AP comps, I decided to prove this comment wrong. The second comment said that Fiddlesticks carry with knights played like Vanguard/Mystic. This comment inspired me to try Fiddlesticks, however, I felt that 6 knights was very weak. After some experimenting, I saw Fiddlesticks pop off with Ironclad/Mystic 2/3 shot an entire enemy board and I knew this comp was going to take me to master.

How it works

Here is an example of an ideal lvl 9 board with the items I consider BiS:

https://i.imgur.com/RNTjlAz.png

The idea behind this comp is pretty simple:

1. Put AP items on Fiddlesticks

2. Add Ironclad, Mystic and Revenant units to buff Fiddlesticks

Units

There are 3 units I consider core in this comp: Fiddlesticks, Thresh and Jax. All other units are mostly there for their traits and util.

Core

Fiddlesticks

Fiddlesticks teleports behind his target and deals damage in a 2 hex AoE. He will be the main source of damage in this comp.

Thresh

I miss set 4 Aatrox. Luckily we have Thresh, aka set 4 Aatrox at home. Fiddlesticks's teleporting can be very inconsistent. Thresh's ult will pull unreachable cornered units into Fiddlesticks's AoE. I do not play this comp without Thresh.

Jax

Jax is a great secondary carry. Because of all the defensive traits is this comp, he becomes very tanky and is often able to ramp up to max speed. With a shiv, he will do a surprising amount of damage and the MR reduction helps with Fiddlesticks damage.

Other units

• Ivern: Revenant + stun.
• Garen: MR reduction. I don't usually play Garen, but I do consider playing him temporarily if I don't have MR reduction items.
• Gwen: Mystic + aura + damage. 2* Gwen can output an insane amount of damage. If I have any leftover AP/mana items I put them on Gwen.
• Lux: Mystic + shields.
• Lulu: Mystic + stun. I don't think Lulu's ability is very useful in this comp so I would replace her with Gwen or Nocturne.
• Nautilus: Ironclad + stun + knight
• Nocturne: Revenant. Usually replaced by Ivern/Voli.
• Rell: Ironclad + stun + shields.
• Volibear: Revenant + stun + useful shield break against Nightbringers.

Items

Fiddlesticks

BiS item sets:

1. JG + IE + Ionic Spark
2. JG + DeathCap + Ionic Spark
3. JG + IE + DeathCap

The most important items in this comp are items that make Fiddlesticks go boom. I recommend at least 2 AP items. I usually go for JG + DeathCap or JG + IE. I have not tested Archangel's but it seems playable. If I cannot get two AP items and I'm desperate, I may also go for GS, Morello or Titan's. For the third item, I would say Ionic Spark is BiS. If I want to see Fiddle one-shot squishies, I go for item set 3, but this build can have trouble killing Dragon's Claw/Bramble tanks.

True damage

Between Morello and Sunfire, I think that Morello is the best item late game on Volibear. However, other than Voli, this comp has no good holders. I do not like slamming morello on Fiddle because I prioritize his other items. Therefore I almost always opt for Sunfire. Sunfire is a great early slam and will help burn through units that Fiddle might get stuck on. I usually put it on Thresh, but I don't think it matters too much on which unit you place it. Once I have all my other items I do sometimes go for Morello on carousel if I already have a Voli.

Other items

I consider Shiv a core item in this comp. It can carry early game and late game can turn Jax into a secondary carry. Moreover, it gets rid of components I don't really need (tear and bow).

Other good items to build with leftover components are Trap Claw, Locket, Redemption, Warmog's, TG, Chalice and tank items in general. You can also consider BT, GA, RFC, QSS and HoJ to improve the secondary carry potential of Jax.

Priority

Here is the priority with which I build my items:

1. JG or DeathCap
2. Ionic Spark or Shiv
3. Sunfire

I always start rod on the first carousel (always uncontested). Priority on other carousels depends on the items I already have.

Spatulas and emblems

Spatula drops feel kinda useless for this comp. I usually hold my spats in hope of finding a FoN, because the extra unit can add a lot of value (an extra Mystic or Revenant).

Other playable spat items are Redeemed (instead of DeathCap or on Jax), Cavalier (I like it on Jax) or Renewer.

My favourite emblems are Revenant, Mystic and Ironclad.

Radiant items

I usually use the radiant armory to complement the items I don't have at that moment. For example, if I have one AP item and one MR reduction item and no Sunfire components, I might go for radiant Sunfire. If I don't have MR reduction items I will look for an Ionic Spark or Shiv. Otherwise, the radiant armory is a good opportunity to find a secondary damage item. Some good radiant items are:

1. JG, DeathCap or IE
2. HoJ, Archangel's or Chalice
3. GS or Titan's

If I can't find any of these items I like Trap Clap, GA (for Jax), Locket, Dragon's Claw or TG.

Bad items

I never go for mana items (Shojin or BB) because with revenant, frontline Fiddle will always ult. Rather than a mana item I rather have an item that increases his damage output. With Fiddle in the frontline, he builds mana quickly by tanking damage.

I also do not like HoJ and Hextech because the healing feels wasted with the self-healing included in Fiddle's ability.

I do not like Zz'Rot as I do not want to pull too much aggro off of Fiddlesticks.

Positioning and matchups

General positioning

Here is the reasoning behind my positioning:

I want Fiddlestick in the frontline. In the second row, it takes too long to ult. In the corner, Fiddle will usually teleport towards the middle or straight to the backline. However, in the leftmost or rightmost spot, he will be targeted by cornered carries and die before he can cast. Therefore I will play Fiddle in the second spot from the edge.

I want Thresh next to Fiddle to pull in units into Fiddle's range.

I want Rell on the opposite side of Fiddle to make sure Fiddles gets shielded. Similarly, I want Lux right behind Fiddle.

Matchups

Frontline-backline comps

In general, I always try to be on the same side as enemy carries. Fiddle can often catch corner carries when he teleports behind the frontline. If I am on the other side, I run the risk of Fiddle getting stuck on tanks and Thresh pulling on bait units in the corner. This seems to work well against Vel'koz, Lucian, Zyra, Aphelios and Heimer/Teemo.

Clumped comps

If the enemy team is clumped up, it is hard to predict where Fiddle will jump. In general, I still like same side, however, Fiddle might jump to the opposite side of the clump if there is no space inside. Sometimes I go for opposite side and try to pull out their carries with Thresh.

Nocturne/Assasin

I put Ivern in the backline and pray.

Yasuo

As a rule, I try to be on the same side as Yasuo and try to kill him before he ramps up. However, in some cases, Yasuo kills Fiddle before he can cast and then kills him again as soon as he revives.

Jax

Similar to the Yasuo match up, killing Jax before he ramps up is crucial here.

Tristana and Akshan

Tristana and Akshan are the most problematic units for Fiddle. Because of how they jump around, they can avoid the AoE and melt Fiddle as he chases them around the map. I found the best way to kill these units is to try to kill the rest of the team as quickly as possible such that as many units as possible gang up on the remaining Tristana or Akshan.

Playstyle

Early game

As you might have noticed, this comp has two major flaws that might make it hard to play.

1. The units are very expensive: It contains many core 4/5 costs.
2. The units are contested: Everyone seems to be playing Ironclad/Revenant.

Therefore, I think the early game is crucial to this comp. It is important to reach lvl 7/8 with enough gold to roll for and buy all units.

I have tried open forting with mixed successes. The best lvl 6 comp that can hold Fiddle items is Forgotten/MF. But if that is what you are rolling for, it may be better to just play MF (see this guide)

I have had the most consistent success with strongest board/trying to win streak. How to play strongest board is not really in the scope of this guide but I will share some lvl 6 boards I try to play around early game.

https://imgur.com/a/nq3sRlk

I normally roll on lvl 7 to hit a Fiddle and 2/3 2* units before I pivot. Then, if I'm healthy enough I try to go 8 and roll for upgrades. In some cases, my lvl 7 board was strong enough to go 8 (for example 6 redeemed Vel'koz) so I decided to hold units I natural and pivot in lvl 8 once I find enough upgrades.

When rolling it is important to scout and look at what others are playing. If there are many abom players or players holding Ironclad/Revenant units, it may be worth to level and roll a little earlier to try and hit before others start rolling. There are also cases where it is best to wait for other players to die (usually Nocturne players) before you rolling for 2* Fiddle.

Late game

Honestly, with this comp, I'm often playing to top 4 instead of playing to win. Against 3* Yasuo, 3* Lee sin, 3* Velkoz, 3* Nocturne and capped Heimer/Teemos, sometimes all you can do is watch as your units disappear. But with 2* units, I found this comp can consistently top 4.

The units in this comp are very flexible. Against AP comps I feel like >2 mystic is not really needed. So as long as you keep in 3 Revenant and 3 Ironclad (and Thresh) you are free to swap in some spicy tech units (like Invokers or Garen or Heimer). I never swap out Ironclad as I that can really make the difference against all the AD comps in the lobby.

Should you play this comp?

If you want to win as many games as possible, probably no. I think MF and Vel'koz are much more consistent AP comps. If you are in a spot where you can play Fiddle, you are probably in a good spot to play Vel'koz too, which is usually less contested. Even if you hit all your units, Fiddle might still grief your game by jumping in a random direction and killing 1 unit.

If you want to see Fiddle go boom, then yes.

PS

Bonus advice: Morello and Hextech do not work on Ivern don't ask how long it took me to realise this.

Edit: Changed DC to DeathCap for clarity. Don't put Dragon's Claw on Fiddle.