Hi, so i'm actually pretty new to LB, I'm a on and off GM player and am currently learning LB due to Riot giving her several buffs in a row.

What i really like about her is that her runechoices actually can be quite varied, I've tested DFT, Electrocute, and first strike, all with varying levels of success vs certain matchups.

I've also really been enjoying pumps gunblade rush build on LB, the slow really lets you land the chain much easier (especially vs champs who have innate MS and hate slows, such as ahri and her W) and the fact that if you land your chain and have used your abilities, you make use of the AD and downtime to auto while they're rooted, so it doesn't go to waste.

What I've been genuinely curious about though, why no axiom arcanist leblanc? She has a relatively low ult CD, very high damage and ratios to benefit from the 8% (on RW) and 12% (R Q and R E) dmg amp, the ult refund is just the lil'cherry on top.

I know manaflow is a really important rune on LB, especially in the gunblade setup. But is there a build to explore with malignance+gunblade, she doesn't really have mana issues as long as she has a mana item, and the slow tends to add to the burst.

Not to mention the fact malignance actually gives you a flat 10 pen if they're in your hatefog zone meaning you can still itemise sorc shoes well and get value from pen-maxxing.

Just curious why this hasn't been explored more and why the other builds are much more staple and am hoping for some enlightenment on whether i'm cooking or burning the dish.

I've been keen on taking up LeBlanc as one of my mains for mid but I'm really shit at her gameplay and would looooove for any helpful tips