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Since the Formless Artifact was introduced, it has been a hot topic for players experimenting with new builds. Many marksmen believed Aileen was a perfect fit for its effects, leading to many related build developments. However, nearly a month into the new season, I took a quick look at the top Aileen players' item builds and noticed an interesting trend: the vast majority have dropped the Formless Artifact and uniformly returned to the Orb Flow. So why is the Formless Artifact no longer appealing for Aileen?

Formless Artifact (Marksman Version)

Looking at the Formless Artifact across all five roles, it seems only the top lane, mid lane, and support role can make good use of it. Junglers and bot laners rarely pick it up, mainly due to insufficient power. The mid lane version is the strongest, becoming a must-have core item for heroes like Wu Zetian, since a 20-second cooldown on her ultimate is incredibly comfortable. As for the marksman version, its performance is mediocre; the base stats are decent, but the passive effect is lackluster. If the attack speed stat were replaced with critical strike chance, the result might be completely different.

As for Aileen, she actually has decent synergy with it, but having played Aileen often myself, my biggest feeling when using the Formless Artifact is that the handling feels off. For instance, if taken as the first item, the basic attack feel of the Lightning Dagger is very smooth and fluid, but the Formless Artifact feels sluggish, as if no item has been equipped yet. Later in the build, the Formless Artifact typically needs to be paired with the Sage's Banner and the Endless Edge to achieve good results, which really delays the power spike. After all, Aileen needs to gain momentum around the ten-minute mark; if she can't suppress the enemy by then, it becomes very difficult to come back later.

Why the shift back to the Orb Flow?

The core advantage of the Orb Flow is one word: smoothness. The build focuses on attack speed and on-hit effects, with core items being the Lightning Dagger and the Devourer. The Lightning Dagger provides attack speed and movement speed, and its basic attacks carry an arc, making wave clear and team fights comfortable. The Devourer offers attack speed and percentage-based damage, effective against tanks. Combined with the Arcane Boots' magic penetration and the Void Staff's percentage magic penetration, the Orb Flow maintains a stable feel throughout the early, mid, and late game, and also allows for fast development.

The current top players' build order is clear: Lightning Dagger, Arcane Boots, Devourer, Void Staff, Windwalker, and a flexible last item. If the enemy has heavy healing, add the Nightmare Fang or the Executioner's Blade. For better survivability, choose the Death's Blade or the Blood Fury's Wrath.

Of course, after completing the Void Staff, the Arcane Boots can be swapped for the Resilient Boots. Later in the game, the Resilient Boots can be replaced with the Sage's Protection. Also, a special note about the Void Staff: usually when you need to build it, the enemy hasn't started building magic resistance yet. So it's not for the penetration; rather, it's mainly to boost the damage of Aileen's ultimate by providing some AP scaling, since Aileen is fundamentally a hybrid physical and magic damage dealer.

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