Hey there everyone and thanks for reading my first guide. To start off, I started playing Galio because I was looking for a more situational based tank. This build if used properly will allow you to dominate early/mid game, and be extremely tank like late game(while also dishing out tons of damage.) Once again, almost every item in this build depends entirely on the situation and is very flexible. This build will create a powerful farmer, a high damage nuke, and an extremely potent late game off-tank.

Pros

Heavy damage throughout the entire game
Terrific mid game farmer
Useful to teammates
Very strong late game

Cons

Burns mana
Requires farming
Hard to solo lane when pushed to enemy turret

Greater Mark of Replenishment

Greater Mark of Replenishment
I like the mana regeneration early on because of the way I tend to play Galio. Continually spamming and tends to burn through a lot of mana.

Greater Seal of Fortitude

Galio has the unfortunate trait of being extremely squishy due to the fact that I don't choose a standard tank 9-21-0 mastery tree. To counter this I like the extra health I get from these as well as the Greater Quintessences of Fortitude

Greater Glyph of Celerity

These cool down reduction glyphs are mostly for late game purposes. Being able to use Idol of Durand frequently really allows you to help defend turrets more and excel in almost every team fight.

Greater Quintessence of Fortitude

Finally, for the same reason that I chose the Greater Seals of Fortitude , I chose these for the early health in the beginning of the game. With extra health and mana regen, you can stay in your lane for an almost infinite amount of time.

Resolute Smite

I choose to max this first because it does the most amount of damage in the beginning of the game before you get a lot of magic resistance and ability power. Depending on the situation I might get Bulwark if I'm laning against ability power heavy champions. This is rare though because it makes more sense to just buy early magic resistance instead while keeping your damage the same.

Bulwark

I get Bulwark late in the game because I play Galio as more of a caster during the early/mid game. As Galio is needed as more of a tank I begin to find more of a use for Bulwark as the game goes on. The timing on Bulwark in my opinion is the key between a good Galio and a bad Galio. I've seen many Galio cast the spell on themselves before they use Idol of Durand , which in a way makes sense except that it gives you increased armor and magic resistance, nullifying the ultimate. To fully utilize the ultimate, I will try to use Bulwark just after Idol of Durand , is finished. If my team is still taking a lot of damage I will cast Bulwark on a low health champion, but generally I will cast it on myself because I'm usually at a fairly weaker state.

Righteous Gust

I max this second for the same reason I max Resolute Smite size 19 first, It is the best way to increase the amount of damage I do during the mid game. Also, I find that the speed that I can give my teammates is more needed now that we have a better chance of chasing down stray enemies, as well as avoiding ganks. The key to Galio is using the combination of Righteous Gust and Resolute Smite extremely quickly. The fact that they are both skill shots means that it will take some time to get used to, but they are both very effective when paired correctly.

Idol of Durand

Finally, one of my all time favorite ultimates in the game. Idol of Durand may be used in a large variety of situations. You can draw damage from your teammates that may be trying to escape, you can initiate a team battle, and my favorite is that you can keep 3-4 over committed champions in a battle. Using Idol of Durand depends entirely on who the enemy champions are, and at what point during the team battle it is. As a Galio, you need to pay attention to champions with stun and make sure that you are safely casting it before, or after they use their stun. I tend to try make sure I cast it on top of the enemies with stun if at all possible. Idol of Durand is a powerful ultimate when used correctly, but in my opinion can be very easily predicted and avoided. To truly utilize Galio's ultimate, try to be unpredictable when using it. I like to use it the way I use Karthus' Requiem , which is not to get kills, but to turn the tide of battle in my favor. For example, if your team is beginning to lose in a team fight, and they begin to retreat, follow them and let them get out of the battle for a brief moment, then as you are being chased, use your ultimate as a way to effectively force the enemy team to over commit. Finally, Idol of Durand pairs terrifically with Flash .

Situational Builds

When playing...

5 AP Champions

sell 1st item then,

4 AP Champions and 1 AD Champion

sell 1st item then, or

3 AP Champions and 2 AD Champions

sell 1st item then,

2 AP Champions and 3 AD Champions

sell 1st item then,

1 AP Champion and 4 AD Champions

then either or then sell 1st item and buy the other

5 AD Champions(Scary!)

or sell 1st item, then

Chalice of Harmony

This item is simply the best early to mid game transition you can find. The mana regeneration is just enough to sustain your Resolute Smite and Righteous Gust combinations as well as provide an extra boost of magic resist, which comes into play as ability power thanks to

Mercury's Treads

Obviously the best choice for Galio almost completely regardless of the situation. The magic resist is great with Galio's passive but reduced immobilizers are even better. The only other two boots I would use are either Ionian Boots of Lucidity if you need the cool down reduction or Sorcerer's Shoes if you are fighting a full AD team and need to be more of a nuke.

Banshee's Veil

Another terrific item for Galio in every situation. The extra health, mana, and magic resist is a must have for this champion. The added cc is also perfect in helping Galio's ultimate, Idol of Durand and is also just extremely helpful in general.

Force of Nature

This is Galio's heavy hitter hands down. A Galio with this against almost any champion composition is a very scary sight indeed. The insane amounts of magic resist on top of the the much needed health regeneration is a must have for Galio.

Spirit Visage

A great low cost item that makes you stronger on multiple levels. The cool down reduction helps you cast your Idol of Durand and Resolute Smite and Righteous Gust combinations much faster and the extra health and magic resist are both very useful.

Guardian Angel

Another good item to pick up a long the way because of the magic resist AND armor. Hopefully you wouldn't be dying too much but the extra boost that this item gives you can't do anything except help.

Abyssal Scepter

A terrific late game item because of the scepter's unique passive. The combination of magic resist AND ability power gives you that extra late game boost to put your damage and magic resist through the roof. Careful in ganking however because talented players will pay attention to their aura's and see that you are near.

Zhonya's Hourglass

An odd choice for many reasons, but over the past few months this has easily become my favorite item for Galio. The biggest problem when playing AD champions is the fact that you almost have to sacrifice building your ability power to match their damage. But with Zhonya's Hourglass you can get a solid amount of armor while not sacrificing an item slot and lose ability power. Not to mention Zhonya's activated ability which can be used in multiple situations.

Thornmail

In a situation where you are fighting multiple AD champions, this item pairs nicely with your ultimate. It gives you a boost of survivability as well as dealing damage as it comes along.

Sunfire Cape

In my opinion this is a step down from Thornmail but the armor AND the extra health can prove very useful. This item also pairs very nicely with your ultimate.

Clarity

Clarity is such a terrific option for Galio because of how fast he burns through his mana. Even with his mana potions, and mana regeneration, he desperately needs the added mana. I've had countless times where I couldn't get the kill because I was out of mana and couldn't land a Resolute Smite or Righteous Gust .

Flash

I believe that Galio should never be without flash. It will give you the added boost that you may need whether you are escaping or attacking. Flash paired with Idol of Durand is a lethal combination. I mentioned earlier that as a Galio you need to be careful about stuns, but with Flash it allows you to position much better and surprise your enemies(hopefully enough so they can't stun before you use your ultimate!)

Exhaust

Another good choice as a Galio but not as useful for this method of play style. Exhaust is good for chasing people down, as well as getting away but I'd strongly recommend Flash for both. One advantage that Exhaust has over Flash is that it can be more useful against DPS characters and especially melee DPS characters.

Teleport

Not the best option for Galio but it can allow you to go back more and keep laning. Another option is obviously to have teammates use wards so that you can use Resolute Smite and Righteous Gust to gank.

Heal

Playing as a caster in the beginning makes this fairly useless. The only viable use for this is maybe as a support or you could Flash and Idol of Durand into a battle and use Heal if you or a teammate is about to die. I recommend against this summoner spell.

Ghost

A some what useful option, but once again, Flash is much more useful for ganking. Plus, using Righteous Gust correctly will give you all the speed you need anyway.

Important Please Read This!

Having such high cost items means that farming is a must and you have to be able to do it. Balancing the right amount of harass and the right amount of farming is what makes Galio the hardest to play in my opinion. To do both effectively you need to harass when the enemy champions come up to the caster minions. Timing this correctly may be one of the hardest things to do but if you can master this, by the time your Resolute Smite and Righteous Gust are around level 3 or higher, you should be getting all three caster minions while also doing damage to the enemy champions. Earlier on, however, try to use one Resolute Smite to last hit 1-2 minions.

Summary

After reading this build, regardless of whether you use it or not, I hope you learned something about Galio. Remember that this build requires Galio to be played as a caster and then transition his play style into an off-tank. Galio, when used effectively, can control lanes, and turn the tide of a battle.


Thanks for reading my first build! I appreciate all comments and criticism so please don't be afraid to speak up! Galio is one of my best and favorite characters and I would love to hear how everyone else plays him as well!

~~End