Skill Order

Normal Skill Order

R > Q > E > W

This is the standard path for 90% of Lulu games in Mayhem. You max Help, Pix! (E) first because the shield value is massive in a mode where poke damage flies constantly. A maxed E keeps your carry alive through burst that would otherwise kill them instantly. You also gain a reliable damage nuke when you cast it on enemies, which helps you contest wave push.

Take a point in Wild Growth (R) whenever available. The health burst and knockup are your best panic buttons.

Max Whimsy (W) last. The ability is incredible for its polymorph and speed boost, but the duration does not scale with rank. Putting points into W only gives cooldown reduction and movement speed, which is nice but less impactful than the raw shield power of E or the poke damage of Q.

Augment-Influenced Skill Order

R > W > E > Q (Heavy Disengage/Peel Comp)

If you roll an augment that specifically buffs Whimsy (W)—such as adding a stun, extending the polymorph duration, or granting massive attack speed—swap your priority. Max W second instead of leaving it for last. The lower cooldown lets you polymorph enemy assassins or divers on repeat. In Mayhem, where cooldowns are already short, a maxed W with the right augment makes a diving carry completely useless.

R > Q > E > W (Poke/Burst Augments)

If your augments turn Glitterlance (Q) into a nuke—by adding extra slow, damage, or a second shot—max Q first or second. This shifts Lulu from a pure enchanter to a poke mage. You use E to set up the Q hit, then chunk enemies for half their health. This order is riskier because your shields are weaker, so only take this path if your team has another healer or if you are snowballing early.

Main Max Reasoning

E is the default main max because it is your most consistent tool. It shields allies, damages enemies, and sets up your Q for easy hits. In Mayhem, the game is decided by who wins the early poke war. A fat shield wins that war. It allows your teammate to face-tank a skillshot and keep pushing.

Q max is tempting because the damage feels good, but the mana cost is high and the projectiles can be dodged. E is point-and-click. You cannot miss a shield on an ally, and you cannot miss the damage on a target you click. Consistency wins in chaos.

Adjustment Triggers

  • Enemy has multiple reset champions (e.g., Master Yi, Katarina, Tristana): Prioritize E shielding to deny resets. If they dive deep, save W for the polymorph and do not waste it on the speed boost.
  • Enemy is full poke (e.g., Xerath, Ziggs, Lux): You must max E first to survive the opening bombardment. If you try to trade damage with Q, you lose the exchange because they outrange you.
  • Ally has a hyper-carry augment: If your Kog'Maw or Jinx gets a god-tier damage augment, your job is to keep them alive. E max is non-negotiable. You exist to buffer their health bar.
  • You get a W-centric augment: Check the tooltip. If it adds crowd control or significant utility to Whimsy, move W to second max immediately. The utility scaling outperforms the raw shield stats in this specific case.

Cost of Choosing the Wrong Order

Maxing Q first when you lack the augments to support it leaves your team vulnerable. Your shields break in one hit, and you run out of mana trying to poke. You become a mediocre mage instead of a top-tier support. The enemy engages, your carry dies, and you have no tools to save them.

Maxing W first without an augment trigger is a trap. The polymorph duration stays the same at all ranks. You gain speed and cooldowns, but you lose the shield strength needed to survive the burst. You end up with a fast teammate who dies instantly anyway because your E shield is paper-thin.

Ignoring R points is never correct. The health increase and knockup radius scale with rank. A level 11 Lulu with level 1 Ult is significantly weaker than a level 11 Lulu with level 2 Ult. The AoE knockup is often the only thing stopping a full enemy dive.