Dual-form duelist who flips into a burst assassin or tank bruiser.
Sora is an EXP-lane fighter/assassin hybrid whose ultimate, Shifting Skies, reshapes him for 10 seconds into Thunder (converting 30% of his Max HP into Physical Attack for an assassin-style burst) or Torrent (converting every point of Physical Attack into 10 Max HP for a tank-style bruiser). His passive Mystic Surge builds Cloudstep stacks from hitting heroes, and 5 stacks unlocks a heavier True Art version of that ultimate.
Committing to Thunder or Torrent before knowing how the fight will develop, then tracking Cloudstep stacks toward the True Art window, both require reading the fight ahead of time.
Matchups
No matchup data for Sora yet — the upstream data lags new releases by a patch or two. Skills, builds and analysis below are complete.
Max Sundering Strike first for its low 5-second cooldown and repeatable Cloudstep generation, then Windstride for mobility and slow uptime; take Shifting Skies at 4, 8 and 12.
Sora ascends to Thunder or Torrent via Ultimate. Dealing damage to heroes grants Cloudstep stacks (5 = True Art unlock). Thunder Form: Converts 30% Max HP into Physical Attack at 10% ratio, adopting an assassin style. Torrent Form: Converts each point of Physical Attack into 10 Max HP, adopting a tank style.
Always active — no cooldown
Default: Strikes twice (140-220 + 50% PA), lunges forward (240-440 + 5% HP). Can dash after. Thunder (Thunderflash): Strikes four times (140-220 + 50% PA), lunges forward (240-440 + 5% HP). Free movement during. Torrent (Overwhelm): Strikes twice with 40% slow (140-220 + 50% PA), lunges with 0.5s stun (240-440 + 5% HP).
Default: Leaps forward (140-200 + 55% PA), slams ground with 40% slow 0.5s (140-200 + 8% HP). CD reduced 2s on hit. Thunder (Thunder Rush): Leaps forward (140-200 + 55% PA), summons storm with 50% slow 0.5s (140-200 + 8% HP). Recastable within 4s on hit. Torrent (Skyfall): Leaps with knockback (140-200 + 55% PA), smashes ground with 0.5s airborne (140-200 + 8% HP). CD reduced 2s on hit.
Thunder Ascent: Becomes untargetable briefly, summons 3 lightning strikes (140-200 + 50% PA each). 10s duration. Torrent Ascent: Pulls nearby enemies after delay, deals damage (250-450 + 8% HP). 10s duration. Thunder True Art (Heaven's Wrath): Leaps and strikes area 15 times (60-100 + 40% PA per hit). Free movement. Torrent True Art (Stormbind): Leaps and strikes area 5 times (100-150 + 6% HP per hit) with stun. Free movement, ignores terrain.
Signature combo
Core items in buy order, with the emblem, talents and battle spell that go with them.
6,740g total
Default pick when you can pressure an exposed backline and want Shifting Skies to dive as Thunder form.
Battle spell
Purify90s CDPurify does not clear suppression (e.g. Franco's Bloody Hunt or Khufra's ultimate) — a common mistake is trusting it to escape a hook combo it can't actually cleanse.
Swap in when needed
Sea Halberd — Against enemy sustain or lifesteal heroes you have to out-trade in lane or in dives.
Blade of Despair — Once ahead in gold, for maximum burst on top of the True Art finisher.
Winter Crown — Buys the burst window Thunder form needs to survive before its own damage lands.
Immortality — Second life for the squishier Thunder form when diving as the primary engage.
7,050g total
When drafted to hold the EXP lane and initiate teamfights as a durable frontline threat instead of a diver.
Battle spell
Flicker120s CDThe 'Flicker combo' — blinking in right as a hook or stun lands, or blinking out the instant an enemy ultimate is cast — is the single most common high-elo outplay moment in the game.
Swap in when needed
Antique Cuirass — Against skill-combo fighters and assassins stacking burst on him.
Athena's Shield — Against a magic-burst-heavy enemy team.
Immortality — Insurance for a Torrent Ascent engage that draws focus fire.
Beyond the swaps listed in the builds above.
The heroes that make this matchup hard, and the mechanic that does it.
No counter data for Sora yet.
Upstream matchup data does not cover this hero — usually a very recent release.
Winter CrownThe damage-immune window survives the True Art finishing blow, whether it's Thunder's 15-hit barrage or Torrent's Stormbind stun-and-strike.
Tough BootsCuts the duration of Sundering Strike's and Windstride's slows, plus Torrent form's Sundering Strike stun and Skyfall airborne.Antique CuirassSora's damage comes from repeated skill hits across Sundering Strike, Windstride and Shifting Skies, which is exactly what Deter's stacking reduction punishes.ImmortalitySora's kill windows are single Shifting Skies rotations on a 24-second cooldown; the revive shield lets a target survive one and disengage before he resets.Duo partners whose kit completes this one.
No synergy data for Sora yet.
Upstream matchup data does not cover this hero — usually a very recent release.
Scout the fight before casting Shifting Skies — pick Thunder to dive an exposed backline, Torrent to initiate into a grouped enemy team you need to lock down.
Weave Sundering Strike and Windstride onto enemy heroes even outside a real engage; every hit builds a Cloudstep stack toward the 5-stack True Art unlock.
In Thunder form, use Thunder Ascent's untargetable window defensively to dodge an incoming stun combo, not only offensively to reposition for the lightning strikes.
Chain Windstride's Thunder Rush recast within its 4-second window to close distance twice in a row before the enemy can react to the first leap.
In Torrent form, lead with Sundering Strike's lunge for the 0.5s stun before Windstride's Skyfall knockback, so the airborne doesn't scatter a target you already pinned.
Not ideal — deciding between Thunder and Torrent before a fight develops, and tracking Cloudstep stacks toward the True Art ultimate, both take practice to read correctly. His constant dashes are forgiving to execute but hard to use with good judgment.
Tough Boots into Hunter Strike, Blade of the Heptaseas and Malefic Roar is the default aggressive Thunder-form build for diving backlines. Switch to Brute Force Breastplate, Queen's Wings and Dominance Ice when playing Torrent form as a durable EXP-lane bruiser.
Hard crowd control that lands before he can dash away is the biggest threat, since Thunder form has no CC of its own to fight back with. Anti-heal and burst damage also hurt, since he has no shield or sustain skill to fall back on outside items.
Both, depending on which form of Shifting Skies you cast. Thunder form converts 30% of his Max HP into Physical Attack for assassin-style burst, while Torrent form converts every point of Physical Attack into 10 Max HP for tank-style durability — the choice is made fresh each time the ultimate is cast.
