Medusa, Bane of the Gods

So obviously, this build is for the most part all about life steal. I find this build to be a lot of fun and frustrating to my opponents. Medusa in general with this build I have found to be a very universal build. Excellent in joust, fairly decent in arena, and playing mid in conquest with this build is my personal favorite. Now without further ado, let me explain the whole method to my madness.

Pros

+ Incredible Survivabilty + Lots of Mana + Can Handle Numbers + High Manuverability

Cons

- Easily Flanked - Large hitbox escape - Can't use ultimate effectively at close range

Sidewinder(Passive)
// No movement penalty when strafing and half movement penalty moving backward.
Medusa's passive is the reason she has good manuverability. Going backwards doesn't hurt much, but strafing faster than your opponent is very helpful in some situations.

Viper Shot(1st)
// 3 special poisonous shots that damage over time.
I'd say is her most useful ability. Deals a lot of damage and can usually secure a kill if an opponent runs and a great combo tool.
Acid Spray(2nd)
// Acid spit attack that damages first enemy hit and sprays in a cone behind them.
A very good ability for helping to quickly clear minions and/or initiate combat. Can be very useful to secure a fleeing opponent as well. Just a very sneaky and useful abilty.
Lacerate(3rd)
// Medusa dash's forward, slashing the first enemy god hit.
This ability is a decent escape and very good to catch a fleeing opponent. This ability is one of her cons as well though. As an escape, if you get flanked, Lacerate has a large hitbox and will hit the enemy. That's why I recommend sprint.
Petrify(Ultimate)
// A cone attack that does damage and stuns. Those who aren't looking at Medusa take half damage and are slowed.
Very powerful, and with Viper Shot, it's basically a guaranteed kill most of the time. Effective against many enemy gods, and if you're lucky, you can kill 2 or 3 gods by yourself. With teammates, you could get an easy deicide depending on the situation. Unfortunately, being a cone attack, it's very difficult to land it at close range.

Transcendence
I have this as first purchase just for those stacks. You will be at a slight disadvantage in the beginning, but the way Medusa eats mana later game, it's well worth it. You could replace it with something else if you wanted to, but I prefer and recommend transcendence because it gives you plenty of mana for the whole game without taking up more slots.

Warrior Tabi
Both Warrior and Ninja Tabi are good, but I myself prefer Warrior Tabi over Ninja Tabi just because Medusa already has a decent movement speed. Though in some situations, Ninja Tabi is most definitely a better way to go. But for the most part, the extra damage is better than the extra speed.
Devourer's Gauntlet
Once you get the full purchase and have this item, it's time to get busy. Take out as many minions as you can and maybe get a kill or two to try and get those stacks as fast as possible. Once you get high stacks, you're survivability goes through the roof and you'll be making less trips to the fountain. Especially when paired with transcendence.
Asi
This item has saved my life one too many times. With the passive giving that bonus life steal at 35% health, can guarantee you will stay with you'r opponent and possibly outlive them, especially with a faster attack speed.
Bloodforge
Again, a very nice passive to give you an edge when you initiate combat, and of course, more power and life steal is always nice. I could never manage to replace this one. Always came back to it.
The Executioner
I never find myself being able to part with this one either. The extra power and attack speed is very helpful when sapping health. And again, that passive helps give an edge when initiating combat.

Soul Eater
// Honestly, I should probably be using this, but I found having more stacks toward the end is annoying and in the end, i'd rather take the extra power over the extra life steal.

Hastened Fatalis
// I actually have found myself using this a time or another in certain situations. I usually have it on hand just in case.
Qin's Sais
// I like to put this one on for a more overwhelming team of opponents, it can give you a slight edge in taking down your opponents faster. Tend to use it when outnumbered or being rushed.
Hydra's Lament
// Believe it or not, it has come in handy in some situations. Mainly if I feel like chasing down my opponent.

Healing Potion
Simple one to recommend, it's just very nice to have until you get your life steal.Should definitely keep some on hand.

Ward
I mainly grab the while playing mid or solo on conquest. Being that Medusa is so vulnerable from behind, throw some down so you can react accordingly. These have saved my life on a few occasions.
SprintSprint
I don't always grab sprint, it's usually if I have to deal with a fast opponent, or if someone is keeping me from using Lacerate as an escape. Pretty simple.
PurificationPurification
This one is usually an essential I take when playing Medusa because of her vulnerablity. If you get rooted, you're pretty much dead. Later game, life steal can sometimes just barely save you, but generally, I just want to get out as fast as I can.
SanctuarySanctuary
I rarely take this one, however, there are those rare situations where this relic can save your life.
CurseCurse
The only reason I really use this is against an opponent that also has life steal or if i'm getting ganged up on and sprint isn't going to cut it.

Medusa in summary is a fantastic character, and this build I have found to be my favorite at the moment. Of course like all characters, she has her ups and downs, but as a whole, she's pretty good in both mid, carry, and solo. In my opinion, she has one of the best ultimates there is, and especially when working with your team, you can make quick work of the enemy and easily secure victory.

Now, this is my first guide on here, and I welcome and appreciate any and all feedback or advice on my builds or my editing.