Lancelot Guide S39: Build, Combos & Tips

Lancelot sits at a 43.1% win rate on the general server in S39, but his numbers in high-ranked lobbies tell a different story. At Mythical Glory and above, he demands respect as a pick-or-ban threat when piloted well. The gap between his floor and ceiling is wider than almost any hero in the game. If you're floating between Epic and Legend and want to climb with him, this is the guide that bridges that gap.

He is not a hero you pick for easy games. You pick him because his combo ceiling rewards genuine skill investment, and because nothing else punishes backline heroes as efficiently when you get it right.

#Understanding Lancelot's Kit

Before you touch builds, you need to understand the mechanics that actually matter.

Passive: Soul Cutter

Each skill hit reduces the target's physical defense by 10% for 4 seconds, stacking up to 3 times. At 3 stacks that's a 30% defense shred, which is why landing your full combo in the right order matters more than just dumping skills randomly.

Don't blow everything instantly. Let the stacks build before your Phantom Execution lands.

Skill 1: Puncture (Your Most Important Skill)

Lancelot dashes forward, dealing damage and marking the first enemy hit. If you dash into an unmarked target, the cooldown resets instantly. This is the mechanic that separates intermediate Lancelot players from good ones.

Key mechanics:

• Minions, jungle creeps, and summons all count as fresh targets. Use the wave as a reset anchor to chain dashes through your real target.
• Near thin walls, Puncture can hop terrain. Learn the wall-hop spots in the jungle for creative escapes and ambush entries.
• After each dash, immediately auto-attack. The animation cancel gives you extra DPS in duels and stacks your passive faster.

The goal: Always have one reset target "saved" near you. A minion behind you is your free escape route.

Skill 2: Thorned Rose (Your I-Frame Window)

Strikes in a triangular AoE three times in 0.6 seconds. Lancelot is briefly untargetable during the cast. This is not just a damage skill. You use this to dodge Franco hooks, Kagura ult throws, and Khufra knock-ups if your timing is frame-precise.

Practice this in custom mode against a Franco bot. Stand in hook range, tap S2 as the hook launches. Mastering this single mechanic will save you more times than any defensive item.

Ultimate: Phantom Execution (Your Finisher and Dodge Tool)

Lancelot becomes untargetable during the full charge and dash animation. This phases through Johnson crashes, Aurora freeze, Atlas Fatal Links, and most other ultimates if timed correctly.

The most common mistake: using it as a gap closer. Save Phantom Execution as either your kill-confirm finisher or a reactive dodge against a decisive enemy ability. If you blow it too early and the enemy hasn't used their defensive item, you'll die with zero recourse.

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#Skill Upgrade Order

Max Puncture first for mobility and reset frequency. Max Thorned Rose second for damage consistency. Level your ultimate whenever available (levels 4, 8, 12).

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#Combos

Basic Poke Combo

S1 > S2 > S1 (reset)

Use this for safe harassment and passive stacking without committing your ultimate. The reset lets you dash out before they can retaliate.

Standard Kill Combo

S1 (through creep into target) > AA > S2 > Ult > S1 (reset out)

This is your bread-and-butter gank sequence. The auto-attack between S1 and S2 starts stacking Soul Cutter before Thorned Rose lands all three hits. By the time Phantom Execution fires, the target has 2-3 stacks of defense reduction and dies.

Reactive Survival Combo

S2 (dodge enemy CC) > S1 (reposition) > Ult (finish or disengage)

When a teamfight breaks messy and someone tries to lock you down, lead with S2 to absorb the key CC, then chain into the kill. This is harder to execute than the standard combo but wins fights you have no business winning.

Cleanup Combo (Post-Teamfight)

S1 > S1 > S1 (chain resets off low-HP fleeing enemies)

When enemies scatter at low HP, pure Puncture chains through fresh targets. You don't always need S2 or ult to clean up. Let the resets do the work.

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#Emblem Setup

Assassin Emblem (Standard)

• Tier 1: Agility (Movement Speed)
• Tier 2: Invasion (Physical Penetration)
• Tier 3 Talent: Killing Spree for most games

Killing Spree restores HP after a kill and gives a movement speed burst. In a game where you're chaining picks, this recovery matters. You chain a kill, heal up slightly, and immediately threaten the next target before your team even repositions.

When to take High & Dry instead: Against a fragile enemy draft where you're confident you can isolate targets in side lanes consistently. High & Dry adds more raw 1v1 damage but provides no sustain. If their team has strong peel (Khufra, Akai), Killing Spree is safer.

Fighter Emblem (Situational)

Use Bravery, Invasion, and Festival of Blood if you want spell vamp sustain through extended skirmishes. This is an option for gold lane or EXP lane Lancelot, not standard jungle.

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#Battle Spell

Retribution is mandatory for jungle. No debate here.

For the evolution, Ice Retribution is the correct default. The slow it applies on enemies you use Retribution on is excellent for sticking to mobile heroes. 90% of your games should start with Ice Retribution.

Take Bloody Retribution if the enemy team has persistent poke and you need the lifesteal in jungle skirmishes.

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#Best Builds for Season 39

Jungle Build (Standard)

This is the safest well-rounded build. Blade of the Heptaseas synergizes directly with Puncture, since you dash in and immediately trigger the out-of-combat passive bonus. Hunter Strike's CDR gets your skills back faster, which means more reset opportunities.

Anti-Tank Adaptation

Swap Blade of Despair for War Axe when the enemy team runs two or more tanks. War Axe stacks attack bonus and HP regen while you're dealing damage, making extended fights viable. You lose some burst against squishies but gain sustained output against Uranus or Barats.

Full Burst Build (Snowball Scenarios)

Go this route only when you're ahead early and the enemy team has no tanks. Magic Shoes over Tough Boots gives you extra CDR to spam skills faster. If you're even or behind, the standard build is safer.

Item Counters

• Enemy has heavy healing (Estes, Esmeralda): Buy Sea Halberd after Blade of the Heptaseas.
• Enemy has magic burst (Lunox, Eudora): Rose Gold Meteor gives you a magic shield when HP is low.
• You need a second chance: Immortality over Malefic Roar when your team needs you to stay alive longer than one combo.

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#Jungle Rotation: Early Game

Your first 5 minutes determine whether the rest of the game is a carry or a suffer.

Standard Blue Buff Start:

1. Start at blue buff. Your team helps you clear it at full speed.
2. Clear the small camp between blue buff and gold lane.
3. Clear red buff solo. You should be level 3 with full kit unlocked by now.
4. Your first gank window opens. Check the gold lane or mid lane for an overextended target.

When to Invade Instead: If your team has a strong early roamer (Chou, Franco), coordinate an enemy red buff steal at the 1:30-1:45 mark. A successful invade puts the enemy jungler behind for the critical first Turtle race.

Turtle Priority: Contest the first Turtle (spawns at 4:00). This is not optional. If you farmed cleanly and hit level 4 with a good gank, you should have the numbers advantage to zone or take it. Missing Turtle while ahead is one of the most common mistakes Lancelot players make at Epic and Legend rank.

After First Turtle: Rotate to the weaker sidelane. Look for the enemy MM or mage overextending before their first back. One kill here, converted to a tower, wins the game's tempo battle before the 10-minute mark.

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#Matchups

Who Counters Lancelot

Khufra (43.8% WR against you) His Bouncing Ball passive cancels your dashes. Every Puncture into a Khufra player who knows the matchup is a wasted dash. Against Khufra, bait the Bouncing Ball with one Puncture, then immediately back off. Only commit your full combo after his passive is consumed and he can't bounce you out.

Chou (44% WR against you) His kick disrupts your dash momentum and can interrupt your combo mid-sequence. Don't dash into Chou when his S2 is off cooldown. S2 has a roughly 9-second base cooldown. Count it out loud if you have to. If he kicks into the air, use S2's i-frame immediately as you land to absorb whatever comes next.

Franco Hard CC that stops all your momentum. The moment Franco hooks you, you're likely dead because your i-frames can't save you from a suppression. In draft, flag Franco early and tell your roamer to keep river vision so you aren't surprised.

Ruby Her anti-dash chain means Puncture becomes a liability near her. Approach from range with S2 > Ult if possible, not a straight Puncture dash chain into her.

Who You Counter

Lunox (56.8% WR): Dash through her burst windows with S2 i-frames and finish with Phantom Execution. She has no mobility to escape your chain.

Pharsa (57% WR): Close the gap with Puncture before she sets up her ult. She crumbles to any melee pressure and has no escape if you're already on top of her.

Odette (59% WR): Her ult is stationary. Walk up, dash in, break her concentration before her ult deals meaningful damage.

Eudora and Cyclops: No gap closers, no real mobility. They're free food if you don't let them chunk you from range before you engage.

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#Common Mistakes at Epic/Legend Rank

Dashing into tanks. Your combo does nothing meaningful to a full-HP Belerick. Save your skills for squishies. If the only target available is a tank, wait or back off.

Blowing ult as a gap closer. You gap-close with Puncture. Phantom Execution is your finisher and your dodge tool. Burning it to close distance means you have no execute and no dodge for the next 30+ seconds.

Fighting when the enemy team still has key defensive tools. If the enemy mage has Winter Truncheon active and their MM has Wind of Nature ready, you have zero threat. Wait them out. Circle the fight for 2-3 seconds if needed. The best Lancelot plays look like hesitation, not aggression.

Forcing picks in the late game. After 15 minutes, your one-shot window is narrower because tanks are full build and peeling harder. Shift to objective-focused play. Threaten solo picks to draw peel, then collapse on a sidelane tower or Lord while their attention is split.

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#Tips for Climbing with Lancelot in Ranked

1. In custom mode, practice the Puncture wall-hops. The river walls and jungle walls have specific angles. Knowing three or four reliable wall-hop spots gives you escape routes no one at Epic-Legend expects.

2. Track the enemy jungler's path. If you know where they are, you know where they aren't. Counter-jungle their empty camps while they're visible ganking the other side.

3. Draft around your pick. Lancelot pairs well with CC initiators. A Chou + Lancelot combination gives you the perfect setup: Chou kicks a carry into the air, you dash in during the hang-time and delete them before they land.

4. At Legend rank and above, ban Khufra first. Not Franco, not Chou. Khufra is the hardest counter because his passive is passive. Chou and Franco require player skill to counter you. Khufra is a structural problem.

5. Don't play Lancelot on tilt. He has a difficulty floor. If you're on a loss streak and missing your combo timings, switch heroes for that session. Lancelot punishes mental fatigue with wasted dashes and botched i-frames.

His 43.1% win rate on the general server is not the ceiling. It's what happens when people pick him before they understand the reset economy and i-frame discipline. Invest the time in understanding those two systems, and your personal win rate will look nothing like the server average.

Check out the full Lancelot hero page on MLBBHub for current stats and counter picks, and the Best Jungler Tier List for S39 to see how he stacks up against the current jungle meta.