Ryze General Guide by Rapidstar

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League of Legends Build Guide Author Rapidstar

Dominate Mid with Azubu Frost RapidStar's Ryze

Last updated on January 22, 2013

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Build 1 (Cheat Sheet)

Champion Build: Ryze

Recommended Runes

Purchase Order

Ability Sequence

Guide Table of Contents

Introduction

Runes

Masteries

Items

Skill Sequence

Ranked Play

Introduction

There is a new trend where mid champions meta’s are gradually changing. I think Ryze is beginning to lose ground in the mid category so here’s how to maximize his strengths and keep up with the pack.

I don’t always pick Ryze but I am becoming increasingly bothered by the recent notions that Ryze is a garbage champion. This couldn’t be further from the truth, as Ryze is a champion that can be utilized by anyone to dominate the game.

Considering my extensive experience playing with Ryze. I will delve into my own personal experiences and thoughts regarding gameplay. This guide will help you get started towards leaving any potential competition in the dust.

Runes

x9 - 8.55 magic penetration
x9 - 12.69 armor
x9 - 12.06 magic resist
x9 - 4.5% movement speed

I use the same rune set against all AP mid champions. There are times when I switch from Flat Magic Resist to Scaling Magic Resist. Keep in mind though, don’t neglect your armor just because you have armor seals. The seals combined with the +6 Armor Mastery should be more than enough to get by on early game.

Masteries

I tried various Mastery combinations such as 0/21/9, 9/0/21, 9/12/9, but 9/21/0 is definitely the way to go.

Items

Ryze is a relatively easy to use champion so I think the majority of gaming skill is determined by the item tree.

- Starting Items -

- Core Items -

Building order isn’t crucial but you would be wise to pick up a Ruby Crystal as soon as possible.

Sustaining Blue Buff is essential when you consider that blue = tear stacks = damage. From this point on, unless the team is trailing considerably or your health and mana have been reduced to less than half of it’s full capacity, continue to focus on farming. Recalling for Sapphire Crystal or Null-magic Mantle will cause you to lose more ground and disturb natural growth.

- Early Items -

Invest your money wisely when you recall after building Boots of Speed, Catalyst the Protector, and Tear of Goddess.

400 Gold : or
740 Gold :
1525 Gold :
1710 Gold :
2650 Gold : (1910 with Negatron)

Continuing to farm and accumulate gold in order to buy full sets is the ideal strategy. This is a rather universally applicable tactic but its relevance is multiplied many times over for Ryze. There are a lot of recipes featuring Ryze’s core items and various purchases, but they are not as efficient.

If you can’t fulfill the aforementioned conditions and have only 400~500 Gold when you recall, admit that you screwed up and proceed to transform into a troll. :)

- Finished Items -

The main items are , , , , , and Randuin’s Omen.

Normally, I build before and combine Randuin’s Omen as the last item. If you take your position at the front of the line, Randuin’s Omen itself places enormous pressure on the enemy. Recognizing how tanky your champion is and calculating an enemy’s potential damage range are important aspects of a gamer’s skill. Keep these in mind and act accordingly.

- Other Items -

: Don’t buy this item even if you have more than 860 Gold, Negatron Cloak is the superior choice. Ryze’s advantage at 40 AP is less than half that of other AP champions. You can also opt to buy a Rod of Ages or Abyssal Scepter at once time.

Don’t build during the early stages of the game, as it is not a very cost efficient item. Mercury’s Treads is solely combined for Tenacity, and never before obtaining a complete item.

: The item specs are solid, but Ryze is better with regards to aggro and gaining health with spell vamp when he loses health represent his ideal team fight situations. Health specific items are better than those focusing on Armor or Magic Resist like Guardian Angel. Additionally, Ryze’s damage dealing is mana dependent as he is very ineffective with 375 mana after reviving.

: This is another decent item, but Rod of Ages is a better option to upgrade from Catalyst the Protector. Negatron Cloak is also more suited to upgrade Abyssal Scepter.

Building theses items is an option if you are carrying the game and gain a lot of gold from kills.

The reason I don’t buy as the last item is due to its relative lack of impact as the final selection and the fact that survival is crucial to fulfilling Ryze’s essential role.

Skill Sequence

Ability Sequence
1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18

If Jungler wants to gank mid, learn W at around level 2-3.

Arcane Mastery (Passive)

When Ryze casts a spell, all other spells have their cooldown reduced by 1 second.

Overload

(Passive): Ryze gains 2 / 4 / 6 / 8 / 10 % cooldown reduction.

(Active): Ryze throws a charge of pure energy at an enemy unit, dealing 60 / 85 / 110 / 135 / 160 (+40% of ability power) magic damage plus additional damage equal to 6.5% of Ryze's maximum mana.

Rune Prison

Ryze traps an enemy unit, preventing them from moving for .75 / 1 / 1.25 / 1.5 / 1.75 second(s) and dealing 60 / 95 / 130 / 165 / 200 (+60% of ability power) magic damage plus 4.5% of Ryze's maximum mana.

Spell Flux

Ryze unleashes a bouncing orb of magical power which bounces to enemy units or himself, up to 5 times (for a total of 6 hits). Each bounce deals 50 / 70 / 90 / 110 / 130 (+35% of ability power) (+1% of maximum mana) magic damage and reduces the target's Magic Resistance by 12 / 15 / 18 / 21 / 24. Prioritizes enemy champions.

Desperate Power

Active: Ryze becomes supercharged for 5 / 6 / 7 seconds, gaining 15 / 20 / 25 % spell vamp, causing his spells to deal 50% AoE damage, and granting him 35/45/55 movement speed.

Ranked Play

Early Game:

When you start off with Ryze, it’s very important not to act hastily. Continue to maintain concentration and focus on farming without making any rash decisions.

Ryze has lower skill damage compared to others but a higher mana cost than other AP champions at early game. Due to these factors, you need to play defensively in regards to lane management while focusing on dealing the last hit.

If you use a skill to deal the finishing blow on a minion, you will find your mana being exhausted rapidly which can enable the opponent to farm and harass without facing any resistance. This highlights why mana management during early stages is absolutely critical.

Pull the lane a little out of turret range, since you can manage lanes by hitting minions when the enemy attacks. If you push the lane from poking with E, act like you are oblivious to the situation and let yourself get hit by basic attacks. This could compel the opponent to take minion aggro at which point you can pull the lane.

You must preserve mana exclusively for use on enemy champions and use E only when you have a great chance to land 2 or more hits after judging the minion’s positions. Quickly use Q after E because the magic resistance reduction effect will enable you to deal more damage with same amount of mana.

You shouldn’t use W at laning except as a ganking reaction or an opportunity opens up to score a kill. Even if you hit snare, it’s not a non-targeting skill with strong damage and ends up just being a waste of mana.

Right after both champions hit level 6 is when Ryze is most vulnerable. Most AP champions have offensive ultimates whereas Ryze’s is for survival purposes. If you have less than 60~70% hp and the opponent has enough mana, choosing to recall can be a tactically sound decision.

After hitting level 6, makes sure to recall using QER. Returning with 1 Ruby Crystal is the right way to play it safe.

Mid Game:

After completing a Tear of the Goddess and Catalyst the Protector, build Null-Magic Mantle, Negatron Cloak, or Rod of Ages. This will give you an advantage in health exchanges against all AP mid champs.

Once you pass level 9, Ryze attains comparable damage to other AP champions while also having a tanky item and the aforementioned advantage when dealing with health exchange. Finally, use ultimates for skill combos or Spell Vamp.

Late Game:

To put it in a simple and straightforward manner, rapping on the keyboard until it’s on the verge of breaking is Ryze’s basic role during the latter game stages. Although Ryze possesses tank items, in the end he is still an AP champion so if you are hit from targeting cc you may find yourself biting the dust before you know it.

The most important factor is determining whether to Flash forward or not. For example, when you are facing Morgana and the enemy AD or Supporter is exposed at the forefront, if you try a flash-snare combo to catch him your whole team will most likely end up being effectively baited. Don’t flash forward until your team has a big advantage, approach flash much like you would with an AD carry.

Additionally, there is a big difference between start skill combo with QW and WQ. To the naked eye, the difference may be just a single Q at the dealing route but you have nothing at your disposal after WQERQ. All skills will be on cooldown which will force you to hold back until they become available. Start with QW unless you are faced with a 2:4 or 3:5 situation where you need to pursue the enemy.

--- I can’t be completely sure about the mid champion Meta after the latest nerf of Abyssal Scepter, but I know I’ll still be using Ryze to dominate the game regardless.