Sona

Sona is a 5-cost Commander, Psionic and Shepherd champion that usually plays as a backline damage dealer. Its crowd control matters most when the first cast happens before the enemy board fully ramps up. Sona appears in The Big Bang and Contract Killer lines, so keep copies when those boards are open.

Consider playing around Sona when your health and economy let you reach late levels and the board needs a high-cost capstone. For items, Spear of Shojin and Void Staff are strong signals that Sona can become a real carry. For team direction, it fits naturally when you are already moving toward The Big Bang and Contract Killer. If it stays one-star, the traits do not activate, or the items point elsewhere, treat it as a transition unit instead of forcing the line.

Spear of Shojin, Void Staff and Giant Slayer are recommended. Spear of Shojin speeds up repeated casts, Void Staff helps magic damage punch through resistance and Giant Slayer helps cut through high-health frontliners. The point of the setup is to give it enough uptime to convert its damage pattern into round wins.

When the perfect setup is not available, use Blue Buff, Nashor's Tooth, Adaptive Helm and Jeweled Gauntlet as substitutes. For damage substitutes, match the damage type and cast tempo instead of forcing random stats. If Sona is only a trait slot, one useful item is enough and the premium items should go to your real carry or main tank.

Early: preserve health and economy instead of waiting for an expensive unit. Mid game: keep items flexible while leveling. Late game: Sona is a capstone piece, so once upgraded, build the final board around Commander, Psionic and Shepherd and support its cast pattern.

Place Sona in the back two rows with a clear line to the enemy frontline. Spread it away from your other carry unless you need same-side focus fire. Its mana bar is short, so surviving lets it cast repeatedly.