Starting with two points into shadow lock and one into siphon leads to an explosive entrance into any game. With the right teammate to swoop in or a player caught off guard you can secure the first kill in most matches. Running the spear of the magus first also ensures you provide targets throughout the match and allows you take over the lane with your CC and the passive boost to damage you can apply to any who push too far in. Afterwards build based on the need for the particular game. The other items are the ones I use most commonly. I stopped building stacks on Nox a long time ago and my game has improved dramatically as I can build for support or simply power/penetration. This build also works well with another mage on the field.