The best League Classic Mastery page for most champions uses one deep 21-point tree and a 9-point secondary tree. Carries usually start with 21/9/0 or 21/0/9. Tanks often use 0/21/9. Bruisers and junglers lean toward 9/21/0. Supports tend to use 0/9/21. Those numbers always mean Offense/Defense/Utility.
Masteries are free and unlock at Classic level 3. Each tree has six rows, a new row opens for every four points invested in that tree, and its final Mastery becomes available at 21 points. Below are five ready-to-use builds plus every Mastery and effect. It also covers the matchup swaps that matter.
Data note: Riot's support page defines the system but does not publish every node value. The figures below are cross-checked against League Classic Archive, Esports.gg, and LoL Classic Wiki. The wiki says its fields are transcribed from current client files and flags unconfirmed data. Check the live client tooltip after a balance patch.
Common League Classic Mastery spreads by role
| Spread | Best starting point for | Main payoff |
|---|
| 21/9/0 | ADCs, assassins, AD carries | Executioner plus early Defense. |
| 21/0/9 | Mages and ability-focused carries | Executioner plus mana and Summoner Spell utility. |
| 0/21/9 | Tanks and initiators | Honor Guard plus Utility. |
| 9/21/0 | Bruisers and many junglers | Armor or magic penetration plus Honor Guard. |
| 0/9/21 | Supports and utility-heavy picks | Nimble plus early Defense. |
These are Eloking starting templates, not Riot presets. They combine current node data with spreads used in recent community guides. Treat each as a baseline, then move the flexible points for your lane, Summoner Spells, and output type.
Five ready-to-copy Mastery pages
ADC and physical carry: 21/9/0
Offense 21: Summoner's Wrath 1, Fury 4, Deadliness 4, Havoc 2, Weapon Expertise 1, Lethality 2, Brute Force 2, Frenzy 1, Sunder 3, Executioner 1.
Defense 9: Summoner's Resolve 1, Durability 4, Hardiness 3, Resistance 1.
This build reaches Executioner, adds 8% Armor Penetration through Weapon Expertise, and puts the remaining nine points into health and lane defense. Summoner's Resolve is useful with Heal or Barrier. Against heavy magic pressure, move points from Hardiness into Resistance. A caster-like physical champion can trade Fury for Sorcery.
AP mage: 21/0/9
Offense 21: Summoner's Wrath 1, Sorcery 4, Blast 4, Havoc 3, Arcane Knowledge 1, Mental Force 3, Archmage 4, Executioner 1.
Utility 9: Summoner's Insight 1, Meditation 3, Mastermind 3, Expanded Mind 2.
This is the clean AP build. Arcane Knowledge supplies 8% Magic Penetration. Archmage raises total Ability Power by 5%. Executioner makes hits stronger against targets below half health. The secondary tree adds mana regeneration, mana growth, and Summoner Spell cooldown reduction. Basic-attack mages can consider Spellsword, but a normal burst mage does not need it.
Lane tank: 0/21/9
Defense 21: Summoner's Resolve 1, Durability 4, Hardiness 3, Resistance 3, Unyielding 2, Veteran's Scars 1, Block 1, Tenacious 3, Juggernaut 2, Honor Guard 1.
Utility 9: Summoner's Insight 1, Wanderer 3, Mastermind 3, Artificer 2.
Honor Guard cuts harm from every source. Unyielding and Block reduce hits from champions and basic attacks. Swap armor and magic resistance points to match the opposing lane. Artificer is valuable on tanks with important active items; mana-limited tanks can replace Wanderer with Meditation.
Physical jungler or bruiser: 9/21/0
Offense 9: Summoner's Wrath 1, Fury 4, Deadliness 4.
Defense 21: Summoner's Resolve 1, Tough Skin 2, Durability 2, Hardiness 3, Resistance 1, Bladed Armor 1, Unyielding 2, Relentless 1, Veteran's Scars 1, Block 1, Tenacious 1, Juggernaut 3, Defender 1, Honor Guard 1.
Tough Skin and Bladed Armor improve early monster clears, while the deep Defense tree keeps a melee jungler useful when fights begin. AP junglers can replace Fury and Deadliness with Sorcery and Blast. A laning bruiser that does not fight monsters should remove Tough Skin and Bladed Armor and spend those points on Durability, Perseverance, or the relevant resist.
Support: 0/9/21
Defense 9: Summoner's Resolve 1, Durability 4, Hardiness 2, Resistance 2.
Utility 21: Summoner's Insight 1, Wanderer 3, Mastermind 3, Artificer 1, Greed 4, Biscuiteer 1, Wealth 2, Awareness 2, Explorer 1, Pickpocket 1, Intelligence 1, Nimble 1.
This build adds move speed and shorter Summoner Spell cooldowns. It also grants more starting resources, an Explorer's Ward, and Nimble's 3% move speed. Pickpocket rewards safe attacks on enemy champions. A mana-hungry support can replace Wanderer with Meditation; a support built around item actives can move another point into Artificer.
Offense tree: damage breakpoints
| Offense node | Ranks | At full rank |
|---|
| Summoner's Wrath | 1 | Improves offensive Summoner Spells such as Ignite and Ghost. |
| Fury | 4 | 4% Attack Speed. |
| Sorcery | 4 | 4% Cooldown Reduction. |
| Butcher | 2 | 4 bonus basic-attack damage to minions and monsters. |
| Deadliness | 4 | 0.664 Attack Damage per level. |
| Blast | 4 | 1 Ability Power per level. |
| Destruction | 1 | 5% more damage to turrets. |
| Havoc | 3 | 2% increased damage. |
| Weapon Expertise | 1 | 8% Armor Penetration. |
| Arcane Knowledge | 1 | 8% Magic Penetration. |
| Lethality | 2 | 5% Critical Strike Damage, doubled for melee. |
| Brute Force | 2 | 3 Attack Damage. |
| Mental Force | 3 | 6 Ability Power. |
| Spellsword | 1 | Basic attacks deal magic damage equal to 5% of Ability Power. |
| Frenzy | 1 | 10% Attack Speed for two seconds after a critical hit. |
| Sunder | 3 | 6 Lethality. |
| Archmage | 4 | 5% increased Ability Power. |
| Executioner | 1 | 5% more damage to targets below 50% Health. |
Weapon Expertise and Arcane Knowledge are the key nine-to-thirteen-point breakpoints for many offensive builds. A current community guide argues that these penetration effects can be more efficient than filling Havoc, so do not max Havoc automatically when a better route opens the next row.
Defense tree: lane and fight tools
| Defense choice | Ranks | Full bonus |
|---|
| Summoner's Resolve | 1 | Improves defensive Summoner Spells including Heal, Smite, and Barrier. |
| Perseverance | 3 | Up to 6 Health regeneration per five seconds based on missing Health. |
| Durability | 4 | 6 Health per level. |
| Tough Skin | 2 | 2 less damage from monsters. |
| Hardiness | 3 | 6 Armor. |
| Resistance | 3 | 6 Magic Resistance. |
| Bladed Armor | 1 | Returns 6 damage to attacking monsters. |
| Unyielding | 2 | 2 less damage from enemy champions. |
| Relentless | 2 | 15% less effective slows. |
| Veteran's Scars | 1 | 30 Health. |
| Safeguard | 1 | 5% less damage from turrets. |
| Block | 1 | 3 less damage from champion basic attacks. |
| Tenacious | 3 | 15% shorter crowd-control duration. |
| Juggernaut | 3 | 4% maximum Health. |
| Defender | 1 | 1 Armor and Magic Resistance per nearby enemy champion. |
| Legendary Armor | 3 | 6% more bonus Armor and Magic Resistance. |
| Good Hands | 1 | 10% less time spent dead. |
| Reinforced Armor | 1 | 10% less damage from critical strikes. |
| Honor Guard | 1 | 3% less damage from all sources. |
Block and Unyielding are strong lane tools because they reduce repeated champion attacks rather than waiting for late-game items. Legendary Armor only scales bonus resists, so it needs substantial purchased Armor and Magic Resistance before its percentage is worth more than flat defensive points.
Utility tree: gold, movement, and cooldowns
| Utility option | Ranks | What it gives |
|---|
| Summoner's Insight | 1 | Improves utility Summoner Spells including Teleport and Flash. |
| Wanderer | 3 | 2% movement speed while out of combat. |
| Meditation | 3 | 3 Mana regeneration per five seconds. |
| Improved Recall | 1 | Recall channels one second faster. |
| Scout | 1 | Wards gain 25% more vision range for their first three seconds. |
| Mastermind | 3 | 10% shorter Summoner Spell cooldowns. |
| Expanded Mind | 3 | 10 Mana per level. |
| Artificer | 2 | 15% shorter active-item cooldowns. |
| Greed | 4 | 2 extra gold every ten seconds. |
| Runic Affinity | 1 | 20% longer neutral-monster buffs. |
| Vampirism | 3 | 3% Lifesteal and Spell Vamp. |
| Biscuiteer | 1 | Start with a regenerative Biscuit. |
| Wealth | 2 | 75 extra starting gold. |
| Awareness | 4 | 5% more experience earned. |
| Strength of Spirit | 3 | Up to 3 Health regeneration per five seconds for each 400 Mana. |
| Explorer | 1 | Start with an Explorer's Ward. |
| Pickpocket | 1 | Gain gold after attacking an enemy champion, with a five-second cooldown. |
| Intelligence | 3 | 6% Cooldown Reduction. |
| Nimble | 1 | 3% movement speed. |
Utility is stronger than its label suggests. Mastermind affects Summoner Spells. Intelligence supplies Cooldown Reduction. Nimble gives permanent move speed. Supports also gain early economy tools, while junglers can use Runic Affinity to hold neutral buffs longer.
How rows and prerequisites work
Each tree contains six rows. Every four points spent in one tree opens its next row. Points in another tree do not count toward that progress. Some nodes are connected: the lower node must be maxed before the higher one can be selected. Examples include Tough Skin before Bladed Armor, Unyielding before Block, Greed before Wealth, and Biscuiteer before Explorer.
To select Executioner, Honor Guard, or Nimble, first invest 20 points above the final row in that tree. The twenty-first point then buys the final Mastery. You do not need one point in every earlier row; you only need enough total points in that tree and any stated prerequisite.
How Classic Masteries differ from Runes
Classic Runes give direct starting stats through four slot types. They are Marks and Seals, plus Glyphs and Quintessences. Marks often suit offense, while Seals tend to cover defense. Glyphs handle magic or scaling stats. Quintessences provide larger, flexible bonuses. Masteries instead add conditional modifiers, such as Executioner's bonus against wounded targets or Block's reduction against basic attacks.
Set both systems before the game. A physical carry might pair an AD or penetration Rune setup with 21/9/0 Masteries. A mage can combine magic-penetration Marks and AP Glyphs with 21/0/9. Standard modern League uses Runes Reforged; this guide applies only to League Classic.
What to change by matchup
- Physical lane: favor Hardiness over Resistance.
- Magic burst lane: move early Defense points into Resistance.
- Frequent crowd control: prioritize Tenacious on deep Defense pages.
- Critical-strike threat: Reinforced Armor becomes a useful late defensive point.
- Mana pressure: take Meditation or Expanded Mind in Utility.
- Important item actives: Artificer can matter more than a small raw stat.
- Monster clearing: Tough Skin and Bladed Armor belong on jungle pages, not normal lane pages.
How to test and tune a page
Do not judge a setup from one win or loss. Keep the same champ and role for three games, and buy the same first item. Use the base build in game one. Change one small group of points for game two, then keep the swap in game three only if it helped. This makes the result easier to read.
Start with the lane and note your health at the first recall. Track whether you can farm with ease and whether you run out of mana. Ask if you live through the first all-in. Low health against basic attacks points to Armor, Unyielding, or Block. Low health against spells points to Magic Resistance, while poor mana use points to Meditation or Expanded Mind.
Next, check your main job in a team fight. A carry must hit hard enough to make foes back off, while a tank needs to live long enough for the team to act. A support should reach the right spot and use a key spell or item more than once. Any point that rarely helps that job may not earn its place.
Change the build when the draft calls for it. Save one Armor setup and one Magic Resistance setup for the same tank. Keep a safe ADC build for hard lanes, plus a full attack build for calm lanes. A support may want both a mana setup and a roam setup. Clear names such as “ADC vs AD†or “Tank vs AP†prevent mistakes.
Make one swap at a time because a nine-point change hides what helped. A two- or three-point move is often enough: shift Hardiness to Resistance, trade Wanderer for Meditation, or add Tenacious into a team with many stuns. Remove jungle-only points when you return to lane.
Check the live tooltip before each test since a patch can change a rank, value, or spell link. The client is the last word on live play. This guide gives you a sound base, while your match notes show which setup fits you best.
League Classic Masteries FAQ
When do Masteries unlock?
Masteries unlock at Classic level 3 and are free to use. You can save multiple pages.
What if I forget to choose a page?
League Classic assigns a default page, so you will not enter with no Masteries.
What do spreads such as 21/9/0 mean?
The order is always Offense, Defense, Utility. A 21/9/0 build spends 21 points in Offense, nine in Defense, and none in Utility.
Is there one best Mastery build?
No. The five spreads above cover common roles, but the best build depends on your output type and lane foe. Summoner Spells matter too, as does the need for more force, toughness, or team aid.
Are Classic Masteries the same as modern runes?
No. League Classic restores separate Rune and Mastery systems. Modern standard League uses Runes Reforged.
References
Quality
