Amumu, The Sad Mummy

Amumu is, in my opinion, one of the best tanks in the whole game. The combination of CC skills and decent damage output puts him up as my personal favourite. To some, my views on play style and items may be unorthodox, as I have seen many passive Amumu players. This is a warning right off the start, this build is not intended on having you carry with Amumu, though the potential is certainly there. The rest is up to the player controlling this sad and misunderstood mummy. Just make sure you don't /suicide in the process... He needs your friendship, not the assisted suicide.

Is Amumu right for you?

Start at the basics... Amumu is a very tanky character. At least that's how this build will work, so if you're looking for a jungling build or an AP build, I'm sorry to say you have come to the wrong page. Amumu is an amazing initiator, and thus, you will not always make it through team fights. However, a single kill for them and an ace for you is a more than decent trade off. Amumu is an amazing lane, and can be affective in both farming, and harassment of melee based characters.

This Build, Well?

This build, as I've stated before, is NOT an AP build. Item choices make that fairly clear. Now, that in no way means you have low damage output and are useless outside of team fights. We'll get to that later...

Why no Dorans?

Based on the last patch notes, Dorans items are getting a boost, but are also increasing in cost. Personally, I don't believe Dorans are necessary on Amumu... Your flat HP, Defensive Mastery Tree, and Rune Page should be able to keep you in a lane without worrying about survivability. Also, Dorans don't build into anything, and late game, become next to useless.

Your Item Sequencing... What if...?

Obviously the sequencing in this build is situational, as there would be no reason to get a Thornmail on an AP extensive team. Here are several examples:

Thornmail Vs. Force of Nature
AD extensive or AP extensive, you make your choice.

Banshee's Veil
Personally, not as useful as you may think... Consider this, Amumu is a tank and initiator (at least in this build he is). The Flash->Ulti combo I will explain will put you in the centre of the enemy lines, if done correctly. Now... You will be focused, and not because their team is dumb enough to target a tank, but because you are putting yourself in harms way. The Veil will protect against a single spell, but it will not protect you from the barrage to come. The only reason I would recommend this item is if you like to solo lane against champions, or if you want the HP/MP and Magic Resist. Since you are being targeted regardless, I don't think that a space for an extra 375 HP is as effective as other items.

Ninja Tabi?
I've seen this one before, and quite frankly, I get confused every time. Tantrum is your main mobbing and farming skill, along with harassment of enemy champions. The cooldown is lowered if you are hit, and thus, it makes the spell spammable in a team fight or large minion wave. Adding dodge will not improve your game, but if you feel it necessary, go ahead...

Sunfire?
Yes, yes, yes. That is all. Okay, really? You'll love this item. Considering you are a melee and a tank, you will most likely be in close combat with your enemies. This item in combination with Despair deals quite a substantial amount of damage.

Guardian Angel
Is the love of my life. Although your job is to initiate, it is not to suicide. Although Amumu is pretty depressed to start with, he doesn't need your help to kill him. The fact that you initiate and AoE snare using your ulti alone should be reason enough to get this item. It allows your team more time to join the battle, and, if done correctly, will allow you to survive while picking up a few assists. The theory is that if your team is good enough, they will have pushed the enemy team back far enough for you to escape after your revival. On the otherhand, if your team is bad, you'll want this item to make sure you don't die in team fights for no reason.

So, If I get the Force of Nature, do I NEED Thornmail?
No... That is all situational. I realize that I have stated above exactly six items, the last being optional between Thornmail and Force of Nature. If you wish, you can sell Philosopher's Stone to buy both to feel more secure. If either one is not needed between the two, then selling Philosopher's Stone to purchase other items such as Randuin's Omen or Zhonya's Hourglass are both viable (or Banshee's... if you STILL think you want it...)

Now, The core build, or my personal average build is everything up to Thornmail. I have added the fact that Eliza's has been added and no long truly "NEED" the CC reduction from Merc, opening up a spot for different boots.

Frozen Heart, a past favourite of mine, has been downgraded a bit. Not because of the item, but because I'm beginning to prioritize other things over it. Randuin's has been a possibility, as the slow is generally good to keep up. Zhonya's is for those who want more AP, and the Flash->Ulti combo with Zhonya's makes you the target of attacks which won't hit. I've also seen Warmogs for those who want more base HP, which never hurts.

Runes

Although I stated this is NOT an AP build, your runes may beg to differ. "Why?" may you ask, as I have clearly stated this is NOT an AP build. Did I mention, this is NOT an AP build? Your items alone should be able to give you the survivability you need. I don't believe that any runes for the tankiness of Amumu are necessary. Yes, unorthodox, yet, it works (for me, at least).

Marks: Insight
Magic Penetration. All of your spells are AP based, need I say more?

Seals: Potency
AP? You LIED to us xNamida... Sigh* As stated, the build on items is your survivability, not the runes in this build.

Glyphs: Clarity
Mana Regen. Helps early game, regardless of the nerf to regen.

Quintessences: Potency
More AP? YOU LIED AGAIN. Le sigh*.... Again... Items = A-OK.

OR

Fortitude:
HP is nice early game, gives you an edge as you have to get in close to deal damage.

Masteries

0-21-9

No need for Offensive, as this is a tank build.
Defensive tree, no dodge for the same reason we don't have ninja tabi. The rest of the non-selected ones are summoner spells, which I will get to in the next section.
Utility, Ghost for the increased speed and cooldown of the spell, early regen for obvious reason and lane prowess, and EXP and Gold increase for obvious reasons.

Skill Order

While Amumu's bandage toss has quite a large amount of AP damage, it is not your main source of power. I start by trying to max Tantrum first, while giving 1 point to each skill early game. Tantrum is your mobbing and harassing skill. Although Amumu doesn't not have a very large Mana Pool, Tantrum is still semi-spammable early game, and should be used to last hit minions. Even last hitting a single minion is worth the gold gain, as once you get your Philosopher's Stone, you should be able to spam it regularly.

Bandage Toss is the last spell I max, only because the main function (in my opinion) is to be able to either; A) Position yourself for an Ulti if you don't have flash/ghost up. B) Escape by wall hopping in the jungle (tossing over to jungle monsters in order to pass through walls, valuable escape mechanism). Or C) Catching up to Enemies that have escaped the team fight. Also, a technique I explain below allows for almost flawless positioning.

Despair is an amazing spell. Not only do you deal magic damage per second, but (and the main point) you can remove a set amount of HP based on percentage, not on magic damage. In this sense, you can become a fairly good tank slayer, because regardless of how much HP that Cho'Gath has, he's feeling the pain.

Finally, Curse of the Sad Mummy. This is your arguably the BEST skill you have, and possible even the best skill in the history of the game. It is an AoE (Area of Effect) snare, and deals magic damage. Setting up this move to snare an entire enemy team will almost guarantee a few kills, and the chance to push a lane past it's limits.

Summoner Spells

Ghost: Some people don't see the merit in Ghost... I do. Remember, you are a melee character, and thus, need to be next to a champion to be successful. The combination of Despair, Sunfire and Ghost allows you to keep up with fleeing champions while dealing damage regardless of actually hitting them. I have had countless occasions where, by simply running beside the enemies, I have cried them to death. (The phrase QQ Moar doesn't even begin to explain how much I love to QQ)

Flash: This is a must. Flash allows for perfect placement of your Ulti. No questions asked. One strategy I have encountered is to Bandage Toss a minion and flash over to position yourself effectively. Though not common, this strategy almost always works.

OTHER OPTIONS:

Teleport: I don't see it being as useful as Flash/Ghost, but if you want the lane dominance at all times, go for it.

Cleanse: Same reason I don't get Banshee's. Optional

Clarity: No need... I mean, it shouldn't be needed.

Anything else: Not so much needed... Honestly...

Early Game

Farm, farm, farm. Don't be afraid to use Tantrum to get a single kill on a minion. The gold you earn by the time you recall should be enough to get your Philosopher's Stone, and return for lane presence without worry of too much mana consumption. A single point in each spell to start, followed by Tantrum being maxed. If you are in an arranged team, and you trust in your teammates, then getting early kills is very viable if you can get the stun off of your Bandage Toss correctly. Otherwise, don't be too passive, and don't allow your teammates to take all the minions.

Mid Game

By the time you have your ulti, you have a few options... A) Remain in your lane and try to pick up the two enemy champions against you. A strategy is to let the enemies push and Flash -> Ulti to snare them beside your turret. If you can get the placement without Flash, even better for you. B) Head Mid or the opposite lane to you to gank the enemies in those lanes. Be warned, at this time, you will not have a lot of movement speed. Therefore, if you are planning on ganking, be aware that if the enemies are on the ball, they will call MIA's (Missing In Action *left the lane*).

*NOTE* If your team doesn't have characters which need the buff that Golem gives (blue buff) Then take it at any time. You can pretty much take it after level 6 without any major issues, though I tend to get it after level 9 or so, to allow time for my team mates to take it if they need it.

Late Game

Amumu's time to Shine! Your Ulti becomes a HUGE game changer. This is where your Flash->Ulti combo is put to the best of use. By now, teams should be bunching up more, pushing single lanes at a time and trying to avoid initiating team fights. Why don't you just pop in and start it for them? Flashing into the crowd and using your Ulti to snare all enemies will initiate pretty much any fight. Your team should know beforehand that you are using this tactic, so "Ping" it on the mini map to indicate your intentions. As I said, this is not a suicide... so don't go in if your team isn't ready. You can push out any large enemy minion wave with ease using your Sunfire/Despair/Tantrum, and jungling for blue buff, dragon, or just farming for gold are just as easy.

Amumu is NOT for players who want to gain as many kills as possible, and is NOT for players who like to solo by themselves a whole game. Being a part of the team is mandatory.

Please leave your comments below, and I will try my best to update this build as necessary. If you find any other options, feel free to share below, and I will add some of your opinions in another "Chapter". If you vote at all, please state why you feel that way, and I'll try to keep up with the comment box. I would like to note that this is my first build, though I've played Amumu for quite a while.

I will be adding screen shots to assure you that my build works... At least for me... I've had games where I've never died and stayed WAY positive, and games where my kills were slightly above my deaths, with many, MANY assists.

This build is my personal choice. I hope that this build works for you, and that you see how wonderfully amazing this little mummy is... Happy summoning, I wish the the best of luck while playing, and most of all, have fun! ~la

~xNamidaAme