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Spells:
Clarity
Flash
Ability Order
Triumphant Roar (PASSIVE)
Alistar Passive Ability
Chapter 1
Guide for Alistar - The BULL Blown Tank
Please comment and try the build and strategies before voting. Thank you.
Last Updated: 9/29/11
I. Preface
II. Introduction
III. Skill Explanations
IV. Summoner Spell Explanations
-- Considerable Summoner Spells
V. Rune Explanations
VI. Mastery Explanations
-- Utility Tree
-- Offense Tree
VII. Core Item Build Sequence
-- Situational Items
VIII. Laning & Play Style
-- Early Game Phase
-- Mid Game Phase
-- Late Game Phase
-- Late Game Summarized
IX. Tricks & Strategies
X. Closing
XI. FAQs
XII. Changelog
Abbreviated Terms
AA = Auto-attack [Basic Attacks]
CC = Crowd Control [Stun, fear, slow, snare, etc]
FB = First Blood
AP = Ability Power
AD = Attack Damage
MD = Magic Damage
AS = Attack Speed
MS = Movement Speed
MR = Magic Resistance
ArPen = Armor Penetration
MPen = Magic Penetration
LS = Life Steal
SV = Spell Vamp
DPS = Strong Auto-attacker
MDPS = Strong spells; casters
CDR = Cooldown Reduction
OOM = Out of Mana
MP = Mana
HP = Health
MP Regen = Mana Regeneration per 5 seconds
HP Regen = Health Regeneration per 5 seconds
AlistarâŚAlistarâŚAlistarâŚNot much to say about him, butâŚYOU MESS WITH THE BULL YOU GET THE HORNS!! Imagine yourself nestled into queue, your summoner spells all picked out, your masteries and runes selected and ready to go; and that jackass says, âYou tank?! Are you gon TANK?!â To which you should reply, ââFâ YEAH I AM!!â Now if that dumbass says, âAwwhh! Alistar canât tank! Build AP! Iâm really gay and enjoy the company of men,â you should probably tell him to screw off (Donât do that, itâll ruin your team chemistry because everyone will be raging.) Now, I know there is a lot of discrepancy of how Alistar can and should be played. I like playing AP and AD Alistar as much as the next guy, but this is the build and strategy that has always worked best for me. At the bottom the guide, I left a few helpful tips and tricks. Donât just skip this guide because I am sharing with you what has worked for me and has stood the test of time of the Alistar nerfs. Enjoy and Comment. Donât knock it before you try it.
Pros:
- Alistar is a great initiator.
-His ultimate makes him virtually indestructible.
-He is one of the best at diving towers.
-Alistar is a game changer if played correctly.
-He has great CC, so that during a game he can dictate which of his teammates get kills.
-Can sustain himself and a team mate in lane
-Can solo top and mid if necessary
Cons:
- He is extremely slow
-Not a great farmer
-Has issues with putting out enough damage sometimes
-Can turn a team fight against his team in a hurry.
-Tough to play early game
Trample - Each time Alistar casts a spell, he Tramples nearby units for a few seconds, dealing damage to units he walks over.
This is what is going to help Alistar farm early game. His slow attack speed and low damage make it hard to last hit, so by popping your heal and then hitting the minion will help last hitting become much easier. The only problem with it is that it doesnât last long. Usually I can only get two swings off before it goes away.
Pulverize - Alistar smashes the ground, dealing 60/105/150/195/240 (+0.5) magic damage and tossing all nearby enemy units into the air, stunning them for 1.5 seconds.
This is always the first skill you take, and the second one you max. It is great for pinning enemies down and letting your carry hack nâ slash away at them. It gives you the ability to escape multiple enemies. You can deny the pansies who are trying to flee a fight. Lastly, you can use it to farm with mid to late game after you have gained a little AP and leveled it somewhat.
Headbutt - Alistar charges at an enemy and rams them, dealing 85/130/175/220/265 (+0.7) magic damage and stunning them while knocking them back.
Hey, youâre dead. P.S. Love Alistar. This is what gives this bull so much power over a game that it almost makes him godlike. Its cooldown is relatively low so chances are in a team fight you will be able to get it off twice. Secondly, it makes for a great harasser if you are soloing a lane. But the best use, and the one your teammates will thank you for the most is saving them with a headbutt.
Triumphant Roar - Restores 60/90/120/150/180 (+0.2) health to Alistar and half as much to nearby allies. Cooldown is reduced by 2 seconds each time a nearby enemy unit dies.
This is probably the most and least important of Alistarâs abilities. It allows for great lane sustain (Iâve had times where me and my laning partner are nuked down to less than a quarter health and I tell them to stay, and we are back to full health in no time. Secondly, it cost very little mana (if you max it last), so spamming TR really helps to keep your passive and farm for effectively.
Unbreakable Will - Removes disables from Alistar, and Alistar gains 60/75/90 Attack Damage and takes 75% reduced physical and magic damage for 6/7/8 seconds.
Now, I know the explanation of it above is a little out dated. It isnât 75% damage reduction until the second or third level, but it is still going to make you extremely tanky. It allows you to tower dive, escape a gank, survive a team fight, and tank towers relatively early if you have teammates with you.
Flash: Allows you to escape a bad situation; Hop out of turret range after you beat the **** out of an unsuspecting ******; or initiate on top of a bunch of grouped up enemies who donât realize that they just gave you first pick of who gets to die.
Clarity: Alistar has a relatively low mana pool, so he can use all the help he can get. Especially if he is spamming his abilities early game and often even into late game. It also allows you to resore your teammateâs mana who you need in lane with you if you plan on killing anyone.
Ghost #: Flash is much better, but if you feel you have enough mana and mana regen to stay in lane then by all means get this. It will allow you to catch enemies and move around a team fight quicker.
Clairvoyance #: Someone needs to take it. Alistar is not as item and spell dependent as most so why not?
Fortify/Heal #: Youâre a secondary support after all. So, save a teammate or a tower or two.
greatermarkoffortitudegreatersealofresiliencegreaterglyphofintellectgreaterquintessenceofintellect
Greater Mark of Health Alistar is a tank, and tanks usually need a little bit of health. These just making him a tad bit beefier early game.
Greater Seal of Armor Add a âtitchâ more amour, and you have quite the tank early game (Try and kill me Monkey King!!).
Greater Glyph of Mana Now we all can probably assume that Alistar has been blessed by the gods somewhere below the belt, but that isnât the same for his mana pool so give him a little bolster early game and he wonât ever have to return to base. EVER!
Greater Quintessence of Mana MORE MANA!! :D (If you feel the need, go ahead and use move speed quints if you need too)
Definitely put emphasis in the defensive tree. Alistar needs nothing from the attack tree, whatsoever, so donât even think about it! I have my tree set as 0/21/9.
Tier 1 - Max Resistance and Hardiness and make yourself that much more resistant and hardy!
Tier 2 - Max Evasion. I know you donât need dodge, but it will negate a maybe a 100 damage in a fight and if you chasing an enemy through minions the next tear will make sure you get them.
Tier 3 - Max them all in this tier. Itâll just make you better.
Tier 4 - Take Veteranâs Scars in the next tier. It will make you much fatter early game.
Tier 5 - **** THIS TIER!
The Tier 6 â Take it, JUST ****ING TAKE IT ALRIGHT!! Who wouldnât want to say screw you to 12 damage from Trynd or Yi.
Utility â You need these masteries to allow you to keep up in leveling, get you back into the fray faster, and to keep your teammates in lane longer.
Tier 1 - Max Good Hands and take one point in Perseverance. You need to be able to be in fights protecting your carries as much as you can so the less time you spend dead the better.
Tier 2 â Max Awareness and out-level your opponent as fast as you can.
Tier 3 â Put your last two points into Insight and Greed. Alistar doesnât farm well so every little bit helps and Insight is self-explanatory if you read above on Clarity.
Doranâs Shield
Mercuryâs Treads
Bansheeâs Veil
I start off with a Doranâs. It gives me more health and armor. It also lets me laugh at the idiot who is poking at me at level one and thinking it is actually doing something sense I have +8 health regen, too. Next, it depends on the enemy team composition. If they have a lot of CC or AP nukers then I will go ahead and rush Merc Treads. If they have a Tryndamere, Yi, Riven, or any other AD, then I will rush my thornmail (IF I AM LANING AGAINST THEM). Otherwise I will grab boots of speed and start building Sheen to help me farm and harass better. If you are playing right, you should not have to recall until the beginning of mid game because you should have enough sustain. So you should be able to buy whatever items are called for then. Next, I grab Bansheeâs Veil. If I have to piece it together, then I will start the Negatron Cloak and build it from there. Finally, I finish off with a GA because, hell if the other team focuses you first, then you give your team an advantage because you will pop back up and be in control of the fight again. If the game goes long enough and you have the gold grab a Lich Bane and Zhonyaâs for the added AP damage and utility they supply.
Randuinâs Omen If the other team is AD heavy grab this instead of Bansheeâs. Along with the added health and armor, it gives you more CC with its active.
Abyssal Sceptar If you need more magic resist and damage output, grab this item. It gives you plenty of ability power and the passive works great for making you better in your support role.
When it comes to playing Alistar, you have to play to his strengths and try your damndest to not show his weaknesses. Remember from above those cons I laid out for you. Donât be over aggressive with Alistar. Let the other team make the mistake. NOT YOU!! If they over pursue or, god forbid, try and gank you from behind when you are laning with a knowledgeable partner, then it should be a quick, easy kill.
Farming with Alistar isnât easy. You should grab last hits when you can, but donât take too many from your carry. You should be half zoning half farming. Early game donât be afraid to pulverize and pop the enemy a few times that way you condition them into know that coming into range of you is a bad idea. Later in the game, you will be able to use pulverize to farm backed up waves of minions for two or three hundred gold (donât forget to use your heal to active your passive to finish of minions).
*(NEVER TAKE A KILL FROM A TEAMMATE IF THEY CAN MAKE THE KILL)*
At levels 1-3, In the first three levels of Alistarâs life, you are taking a level in each of his three abilities. So work on keeping health up and using very little mana. Try not to get into any fights until you are level three if you want to get a kill so you can combo pulverize and headbutt.
At levels 4-5, HARASS! HARASS! HARASS! You should be working your opponent back into their tower (unless they have a jungler, then be a tad more cautious). DO NOT TRY TO DIVE ANY TOWERS YET!!
At levels 6-11, Now that you have harassed the hell out of your opponent, go ahead and dive the idiot with low health who thought he could stay by his tower and get experience. This takes a little skill. Wait until your minions have taken the towers attention. Then work your way around to the back of the tower (if he runs the abort) if not headbutt him so he is our far enough that your teammate can hit him without taking turret fire. As soon as you headbutt, pop your ultimate and continue to hit the enemy. If he still isnât dead and attempts to run, nail him with pulverize. During this whole time, you should be spamming heal. Once the opponent is dead either flash out or run out if you have enough health. (If the enemy flashes away, donât chase; chances are he will get away and youâll be the one who dies. So de-initiate out of tower range like explained above. If you are low on mana and donât have clarity up then, recall. If you have Clarity up, then use it and heal yourself with triumphant roar while you continue to push the tower. (Make sure the enemy team is accounted for, however, because you are most vulnerable right now, because your Ult and Flash on both on CD. For the remainder of this time frame, work on getting your laning partner fed especially if you are with a carry.
At levels 12-15, At this point you should have established who your carry is going to be and you should be stuck to him like a fly to ****. Follow him wherever he goes and make sure you communicate with him. A full carry is a scary carry (and usually a 20-minute win for your team).
At levels 16-18, you should be an item or two away from finishing your build. If you have GA now, then donât be afraid of jumping into a fight, too early. If the opposing team has any towers left, you should grab teammates and go tank them like a champ. Make sure you go in under jungle cover, though. If the enemy team knows where you are going then it is pointless. This is where you should, however, STAY THE **** ALIVE. If you die then, there is a good chance the rest of your team is going to die unless you are valiantly sacrificing yourself so your team can get away.
Late game is where Alistar can hurt you or guarantee a win. If you have fed your carry well enough, then chances are you should be winning unless your entire team is incompetent. In which case, you should take a deep breath and not rage. RAGING IS BAD! There is always next game. When in doubt of what you should do, find your carry and follow him to the end of the world and back.
*Be careful of where you lead your laning partner early game and mid game. In most cases they will follow you wherever you go because they know you will hand feed them kills. Just make sure you donât over extend at the wrong time and hand feed the other team.
*When diving a turret always be wary that it is an opportune time for the opposing team to come in unannounced so only use flash to dive a turret if you know you can run out safely.
*If you find yourself in a team fight that you know you will lose, make sure your teammates get away safely and take the death if it means saving a few of your teammates (even if everything is on cooldown and you just stop running so the enemy team will focus you). If you do this, make sure your teammates know to get out. Otherwise, you will all end up dying.
*If you think you are going to headbutt an enemy away to safety donât do it. Itâll only piss your teammates off. But if no one else can get to them and you think you can finish them with a headbutt then pop them hard. If you donât kill them, then no harm is done anyway.
*If you donât have over 5 assists in 40 minute game, you either better be the carry, or go back to AI coop until you get your **** figured out.
*Okay Alistar Score: 2/7/9
Good Alistar Score: 2/5/13
Great Alistar Score: 5/3/17
Legendary Alistar Score: 7/2/23
Godlike Alistar Score: 10/0/35 ď I did that!
A good average to shoot for: 3/4/15
When it comes to playing Alistar, it is a situational âchallengeâ. He is not an easy champ to master. It takes practice in knowing how to position him. It takes experience to know what items to get and when. I have played over 250 games with Alistar and at one point, won 15 in a row, but I am still learning the intricacies of him. Your build will change from game to game. Your play style will change from game to game. But your mentality should never change. Never rage. Never criticize. Never point fingers. Always take the blame for your mistakes. A team with good chemistry means a team with a great chance of winning, and it starts with you. *I find that people who play Tryndamere tend to rage more often than people who play other characters, so make sure he eats well. Good Luck! Have Fun! And Wrap It Before You Attack It! (Unless you are Unchained Alistar, no one can say no to you because you are just one sexy, big horned, alpha male, bull!) ((HE IS A BULL, NOT A ****ING ***** *** COW!!))(((No offense to any women who play League.)))
I would like to thank xUberNoobzx for helping me with name for the guide. I would like to thank the guy who made the format for the guide. Thanks to Weenarg for playing with me even though I know some games it was probably pretty painful. Thanks to the DSG gang for all of their help!
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