Gangplank has been a favorite of mine for quite some time. Before I wanted to buy someone else like Jarvan IV to really step up my fighter game, but then I bought GP and it was k.

I really loved his style, but I was upset at the fact that he was nerfed down to most of his damage coming from critical chance plank. This makes him really powerful, but also very weak and worthless without a good farm. He has some sustain, but I felt as though he needs more to match his needs. A quick double CC can easily kill him and his team fight capability is rather situational because of the build. Critplank may be a viable build, but like others it has its flaws.

My build is made for practically infinite sustain and power. You will be slightly weak without your first item as you are forced to rush your items, but when you get them they will know PAIN.

This guide is made for fun and I would recommend treating it as such. I don't think you should try this if you are terrible at last hitting, money management, or don't understand when or when not to engage. EVERY SECOND COUNTS with this build and that means you have very little room for error when it comes to ranked and normal matches. If you do fail with this build then I would recommend the fall back builds or some extra sustain like potions and life steal.

Many of you may wonder why I went with this EXPENSIVE build. It relies on you being able to get that cash way too much in the opinion of others. That is one of the best parts though. With the

Ravenous Hydra you can farm like crazy and have lifesteal sustain.

If you run low on health and can't afford to give up your lane to your enemy laner, just pop into the jungle (IF PURPLE TEAM TOP/MID) and clear out wraiths or golems as you won't be interrupted.

I suggest apologizing to your jungler afterwards if he becomes upset over the fact that you took his farm so that you can stay in lane at full HP. A team that is cooperative and forgiving is an ideal thing, even if you don't think it is necessary. If they whine then just give a quick, but straight to the point explanation.

EX:

[THE STARTING ITEMS]

Note that each build is situational and you must spend your gold accordingly.

[UPGRADES SECTION]

At this point you should have Tiamat, Avarice Blade(or cash blade as I call it), Vampiric Scepter, or Ravenous Hydra. Next you will want a Zeal for speed or Boots to increase your movement. These are important to your survival and without them it causes the printer to stop printing money.

[THE UNION OF LIFESTEAL]

These items are made for you. With these your life steal will be so high the enemy might as well focus you 5v1 or give up the lane you have claimed for your own.

The Ravenous Hydra will permit your auto-attacks to deal AoE damage along with your Q. This will be your tool that you will use to destroy your enemy with most of the time.

The attack speed and lifesteal along with powerful active and passive will allow you to chase down your target and break his bones. The 15% reduction in health is great for those that focus on building Warmog's Armor or have insanely high armor. You should be dealing tons of damage right now and are a threat 1v2.


(Suggested by NFF Newby) The double buff of pushing and dueling. I did not think about this item too much at first but then I noticed some great things about it. Not only does this item give 40 AP and 30 AD, but it grants you 20% attack speed, 10% life steal, and 10% spell vamp when below 50% health! What's better is the fact that the more you attack the higher your attack speed and damage becomes (Up to 8 stacks anyhow).

Lastly is the Bloodthirster. With 70(+30) AD and 12%(+6%) lifesteal you do outrageous damage and best of all, increase your health regain.

[BUY WHEN YOU PLEASE]


This item will buff you at all points in the game. I generally buy it a little after Ravenous Hydra, but getting it when you have high attack speed makes it greater because of its passive. The only real reason not to buy it early is because of the Avarice Blade you give up in return for a burst of damage.

Now you might be thinking, "GASP! A COMBO OF DOOM WORTHY OF USE FOR THE WALKING CANNON?!?!?" I said might be thinking. I'm sure a large percentage of you are going "meh" at the title.

With your core item (Hydra/Tiamat if you have it and still need to upgrade) ready you should be able to pull off some strong damage with this fairly simple combo.

Note: You want to be close range for this combo to deal tons of damage.

E > Q > Hydra > Auto Attack > Q (and a W if low on health or if they use a CC)

Now you can practice that and mix it up a little bit, but I have found this combo to be a burst damage worthy of fear. The moment your enemy's health drops you can keep attacking and abuse your Q until Hydra is back up to deliver your message again or just back off. It is a situational thing at this point and I generally back off if they still have over 50% health.

NOTE: Once you get all of your items your entire set plus combo is a kill or extreme wound for pretty much anybody including tanks, granted you must use BoTRK on them to scare them and if they still persist just shut them down.

Once you have acquired your core items it is time to jump into team fights as a peeler.

I know, you wanted to be a ruthless killer without any support. 5v1 Gangplank is possible at its fullest potential, but the bottomline is that there are easy ways to rid yourself of a solitary target.

In a team fight you should never be the initiator unless it is a 2v2 or 3v3, but even then they are situational and dependant on if they have counters to your items and skills.

In a teamfight you will fight in front of your ADC. The reason for this is to protect him/her from incoming damage as you fight the enemy front lines. You have tons of lifesteal and a fair percentage of lifesteal with just your core items. Attack and Q those just within the radius, or squishy targets to push them out and reduce the numbers of enemies quickly.

I will explain certain scenarios where you may have to play differently and effectively.

Note that your role can change multiple times in a team fight. Study each one and determine which tactic is best for the current situation. Follow your instincts after reading and know that EVERY SECOND counts.

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ADC/APC Protection Level: High

The Duelist

Taking the role of The Duelist is to stand within your ADC and enemy's range of fire. You must fight at least one target in this mode. Your Ravenous Hydra makes this strategy even more effective if you spam your items and skills on multiple targets as the AoE damage will grant more damage and healing per strike.

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ADC/APC Protection Level: Medium

The Support

As The Support you MUST NOT BE TARGETED FIRST. If you are then you have to force yourself into a situation where you can be focused and killed quickly. Wait for your initiators to move in then hit your E and target someone that you know you can help kill easily. You are a captain, as such you must stay alive and help your men in the fray. Q your primary target and follow up with the standard combo to peel and kill quickly. Note that if your target runs out of your auto attack range and flees, YOU SHOULD NOT CHASE HIM.

This is not only a chance for escape for him, but it is also a bait for you. No matter how tempting that 5 hp is, DO NOT ENGAGE. If you chase your quarry you will face a number of possible outcomes.

1)

You chase and kill your target, but leave your team open and the broken formation allows the enemy to rush your team. They gain the upper hand and slaughter your team.

2)

You rush to kill your target. The enemy uses their crowd control and kills you quickly because of your off positioning. Next they focus your team. Your team is in a frenzy as they try to defend themselves while keeping an offensive but are overwhelmed as they are picked off one by one.

The Support: Phase 2.

Assuming you haven't been the predator your blood thirsts for, it is time for phase two. Keep close to your team and peel another target. Don't pay too much to your carry as assisting your team in killing key targets is more important than being his/her body guard.

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The Initiator.

Difficulty: Hard-Extreme

I know that i said you should never be the initiator, but if the enemy is poorly coordinated or they are struggling to keep together you should use E to give your team the active buff and rush for the target closest to you and within the enemy carry's path. The slow from your Q will give your team enough time to rush that target and remove a potential threat. Make your way forward and if the ADC is within your Q range at a point where they are poorly defended, instantly target them and use all you have on them. You will start a fight that you may or may not win. You must understand that you might not live and charge in anyway.

The reason I tell you to "suicide" is because with poor protection you might be able to kill the enemy ADC or wound them so badly that he/she is forced to flee. If their damage dealer is out of the picture then the rest of the enemy team will be ripe for the picking. Focus them one at a time and proceed to finish off lanes.

If you do die then make sure you did a few things before death.

1)

Damage the enemy ADC/prime damage dealer as much as possible.

2)

Engage when rather close to your team. You want them to be able to jump into the fight right after you get within auto attack range.

3)

Make sure the enemy waste their skills on you. Dodge as many skillshots as possible and remove CC after you think they expended what they had and rush the prime target after.

If you did these things then congratulations, you have sacrificed yourself for your team without being an idiot about it.

Your team may question your motives and call you an idiot, but if you did your job then you either secured some kills or gave your team time to finish off the enemy.

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Other roles coming soon...

Coming Soon...

July 15,2013 :
Update 1: Guide was created.

July 17,2013:

Update 1:Guide was published.

Update 2:Will continue to update and experiment...

Coming Soon...