I'm not going to waste your time with a super in-depth how-to-do-anything-in-LOL guide: I'm merely going to explain the choices I make in this build and how they work. As such, I am assuming that readers have knowledge of Annie and her mechanics already - this is not a beginner guide. This guide is specifically meant for gameplay on the Twisted Treeline, and with it's bruiser-oriented meta, offtank Annie seems to me the most viable build. This is my first guide, and I don't pretend to be a pro, so if you want to comment your feedback please do. Just keep in mind that out of all the builds I've tried, this one gives me the most consistent results, and non-constructive criticism will be ignored.

Flash is one of the most useful spells in the game, and it is a rare champion that I don't use it with. For Annie, this spell is crucial for repositioning in team fights so you can stun as much as possible.

I use ignite on every tanky build I make. Why? Because as a tanky character you can survive getting close enough to pop it. Using this even at the start of a team fight is useful because it prevents lifesteal heavy champs from gaining back health, allowing you to kill them faster. Since this build isn't too AP heavy either, it helps to have a little extra burst if you get caught in a 1v1.

Like just about every other Annie guide out there, I recommend maxing out her W first for its intense burst potential. Unlike some, I like to get my Q first to help with farming ASAP, and I max it second. Her ult I upgrade whenever available, and I finish with her E last. Remember that, combined with the health and survivability this build gives her, Annie's E makes her really hard to kill, so pop it whenever someone attacks you. I max her E last because, although it helps her live, the damage she can put out is what makes this build work - she isn't full tank after all.

I use the standard APC mastery tree since the item build gives her enough tankiness as is.

For runes I use flat armor yellows to help with early game survivability. I use scaling magic resist blues because they help counter the late game burst some casters have. Flat AP quints help with early game so you can better zone enemies and get fed faster - without a solid early game, you'll need to play catch up, which is possible but not as fun. Magic penn reds will keep you doing damage even if the enemy starts stacking MR. This is essential since this build doesn't give her as much AP as a squishy build would, so her damage output will be slightly lower anyway.

Rod of Ages is a perfect choice for Annie - you get all the mana you will need, a bit of health, and AP. With it's passive, this is a perfect starting item as it will lessen your dependance on health pots, and also keep your stats scaling while you farm up for your next items.

Boots of Lucidity are perfect for this build - you will have less burst because of the tanky items, but CDR will allow you to spam your abilities in a constant stream, getting more stuns and more consistent poke damage off on your opponents.

For this same reason, I build Nashor's Tooth third: combined with the 4% CDR from masteries and your boots, this will give you 39% CDR (almost at the 40% cap). Once you have this item, you can harass like a boss, and if timed right you can get off a stun multiple times per confrontation. The attack speed and bonus magic damage also add to her sustained damage, and work well with her long auto attack range.

This is when you have a choice - continue on to Rylai's and Liandry's, or choose one of the tankier options. I don't recommend breaking up the original sequence of three just described since the CDR will help your survivability more early game than tankiness would. For these options, my general rule of thumb is if the enemy team has any CC or magic damage, go with Moonflare, and otherwise go with Wooglet's, but don't go with either unless you are having a lot of trouble staying alive. This is important, because Rylai's will help with survivability as well, and will also be more helpful to your team with it's added CC, and is thus the ideal item to get after Nashor's Tooth. In most games, I don't get Moonflare or Wooglet's.

Finally, if the game lasts this long (which is quite rare), pick up Liandry's Torment. With Rylai's slow, this will result in massive damage over time with every ability you use. Picture for a moment Tibbers walking in the middle of your opponents as they attempt to flee, all of them being slowed by Rylai's from Tibbers AOE damage and taking percentage damage to their health while your team slowly picks them off in your order of choice - that is what late game should look like if you play your cards right.

Thanks for reading, and happy gaming :)