Full AP Ashe Build – LoL Season 12 Guide (Explained) – Runetarium (2023)

We can safely say that Ashe isn’t in the best spot in season 12 of League of Legends. Her standard ADC build is simply not strong enough to carry games in high elo. And so, many players, myself included, go for non-traditional Ashe builds, such as the one-shotting full AP Ashe build in season 12 of LoL.

This post will be a full guide on how to build and play AP Ashe. I’ll explain which runes you’ll need, what are the best items for this playstyle, as well as how to actually deal damage with AP Ashe.

So, even if you’ve never tried to play Ashe AP, this guide will teach you everything you need to know. Just copy my runes, items, and tips below and you’re good to go!

Is Ashe AP or AD in League of Legends?

Ashe was initially designed to be an AD marksman champion in League of Legends. Her W and Q scale with attack damage and her passive benefits from critical strike. However, Ashe’s main ability – Enchanted Crystal Arrow (R) scales only with AP and does magic damage, so Ashe can also go AP.

When you see Ashe in a LoL game, chances are that her build is AD and she has items like Kraken Slayer, Phantom Dancer, and Blade of the Ruined Kings.

However, in recent years, the popularity of AP/support Ashe has grown tremendously. With the addition of items such as Imperial Mandate and Horizon Focus, Ashe’s potential to carry as an off-meta supportive pick has skyrocketed.

And so, in season 12, you can either play Ashe with a traditional ADC build, with a lethality poke build, or with a one-shotting AP build. These 3 builds go for entirely different items and runes, but they all deal great amounts of damage. And the only difference is the way Ashe deals that damage, whether she focuses on using auto-attacks or abilities.

• Read Also: Why is Ashe Such a Good Pick In League of Legends?

Does AP Work on Ashe?

AP works very well on Ashe because it significantly increases the damage of her R. Ashe’s R is a powerful global ability that stuns the target for a few seconds. With enough ability power, Ashe can nearly one-shot an enemy champion only with Enchanted Crystal Arrow. So, AP Ashe is a pretty good deal.

Even though League of Legends players don’t always agree on this point, Ashe can really do some crazy AP damage with the right runes and items. Her ulti has good base damage and it also scales with 100% of her AP.

In other words, if you have 500 AP on Ashe, her ult will do 500 bonus magic damage. On level 16, Ashe’s R deals 600 base damage. And if we combine it with 500 AP which you can easily get in any match, we can see that in the late game, Ashe can deal 1100 magic damage with her R!

But that’s not all!

One of the biggest reasons why full AP Ashe works in season 12 of League of Legends is ability haste. With the right runes and items, Ashe’s Enchanted Crystal Arrow reaches a 20-30 seconds cooldown in the late game.

And so, dealing 1000+ magic damage every 25 seconds while also stunning and slowing enemy champions is a pretty good deal in League of Legends.

That’s why I recommend you try AP Ashe with these runes and items! Ashe can be a great off-meta mid lane pick!

• Read Also: AP Varus One-Shot Build – Complete Guide LoL (S12 Master)

Full AP Ashe Build Season 12 – Runes

• Arcane Comet
• Manaflow Band
• Absolute Focus
• Scorch

• Cheap Shot
• Ultimate Hunter

ARCANE COMET isn’t often picked up on Ashe but the keystone works extremely well on AP Ashe. It does really good damage, especially in the early game. And it’s a fantastic option for increasing your poke damage during the laning phase.

Another reason why you’d want Arcane Comet as your keystone is because it increases your initial damage. With AP Ashe, you’ll most likely start fights with your R and your ult is the main damaging ability. So, you need to channel as much power into this single cooldown and Arcane Comet helps you with that.

MANAFLOW BAND is a great rune for mana management. In the early game, this rune will increase your maximum mana when you hit an enemy champion with an ability. And its cooldown synergizes wih Arcane Comet.

Later on, Manaflow Band will increase your overall mana regeneration. You’ll definitely need mana because you’ll be spamming your W and R all the time.

ABSOLUTE FOCUS is the next rune you’ll need for playing AP Ashe. It grants bonus adaptive damage when you’re above 70% health. The amount of AP or AD you get is based on level, so it’s a great rune for all stages of the game.

Like I said above, you’ll often be the ones starting the fights with AP Ashe, so having extra AP while aiming your R is definitely helpful.

SCORCH increases your poke damage in the early game. The rune fits well with Arcane Comet and allows you to play aggressively in the lane. However, you can also swap it for Gathering Storm if you want more damage in the late game.

CHEAP SHOT is another rune that synergizes with the playstyle of AP Ashe. Basically, it increases your damage against targets that are already stunned or slowed. You can proc this effect with either your W or your R. And the best thing about it is that it only has 4 seconds cooldown.

ULTIMATE HUNTER is a key rune to have on AP Ashe. It significantly reduces the cooldown of your ultimate and it’s what makes this whole build viable. Ultimate Hunter works on collecting stacks from champion takedowns, so make sure to get at least a couple of assists early on in the game.

• Read Also: Lethality Caitlyn Build – LoL Guide (in-Depth)

Full AP Ashe Build Season 12 – Items

• Manamune
• Imperial Mandate
• Horizon Focus
• Rabadon’s Deathcap
• Void Staff
• Ionian Boots of Lucidity

MANAMUNE should always be your first item on AP Ashe. Despite this being an “AP Ashe build”, Manamune is simply too good of an item. It fixes Ashe’s early game and allows her to play the poking playstyle with a lot of success.

Basically, Manamune provides you with a lot of mana, raw attack damage, and ability haste. It also increases your AD passively, making your W hit really hard in the early game.

IMPERIAL MANDATE is simply the best mythic item for AP Ashe. Besides its beneficial stats, the item synergizes a lot with Ashe’s kit. It increases your initial damage and marks the enemies so your allies can also deal bonus damage to them. Ashe can even proc this effect with every W!

Imperial Mandate only costs 2500 gold which is much less than any other mythic item for this champion. It should almost always be your go-to mythic item, especially if you’re playing AP Ashe as a support.

HORIZON FOCUS is the third item you’ll want to complete. Its passive allows you to reveal an enemy champion when you hit them with Ashe’s R and deal more damage to them. This already fits well with Imperial Mandate, so it’s a natural power-up.

However, Horizon Focus also grants tons of AP and ability haste, so you’ll definitely want this item in your inventory.

RABADON’S DEATHCAP is a simple yet effective purchase in the late game. It increases your total ability power by 35%. And thanks to it, Ashe’s R start to hit like a truck! You’ll definitely want to prioritize building Rabadon’s Deathcap every game, especially if you already have a lead.

VOID STAFF is another late-game item that you’ll want on AP Ashe. No matter the situation, Void Staff is always a great purchase because it grants 40% magic penetration. So, it’s a particularly useful item against tanks in League of Legends.

IONIAN BOOTS OF LUCIDITY is the best boots option for AP Ashe. I’d recommend you to upgrade your boots early on as well, maybe even on your first recall. Movement speed and ability haste are really crucial on Ashe, so it’s a great item overall.

• Read Also: Full Lethality Jinx Build – LoL Season 12 Guide (in-Depth)

Optional Items

Depending on your role and your enemies, there are a few different items to consider.

First of all, both Liandry’s Anguish and Night Harvester can be good mythic items. The first one is recommended against tanks and it’s great because you can activate its burn effect through Ashe’s W. Night Harvester will improve your initial burst, so you can sometimes go for it.

Morellonomicon is a good item against champions with a lot of healing. And Zhonya’s Hourglass is the safest option against assassins.

Build these items according to the situation at hand.

• Read Also: Full AP Lucian Build – Complete LoL Guide (Master)

Conclusion

Playing AP Ashe is honestly a blast. It’s one of the most fun playstyles I’ve ever tried in League of Legends. And I’m happy to say that my runes and items work very well for both supporting and carrying games yourself.

I must say that this build is very similar to the AP Miss Fortune build. I also recommend you to check that one if you’re into off-meta ADC builds.

That said, I hope you enjoyed this guide and learned more about AP Ashe in season 12 from it! Good luck!

• Read Also: Full AP Kog’Maw – Complete Build Guide (Master)