Garen Build Guide by DEWO

Haha thanks leo.
Sure I have no problems explaining a couple of things. I am gonna try to be honest in a flat out manner seeing as Garen suited to a full DPS build with no method of survival is straight out bs with no offense to Dewo.

I think what happens is that people mistake Garen to be either built as a full out Carry like Yi with perhaps one defensive item like Frozen Mallet in the long run or build him a pure tank like no reason. I hate tank builds with a passion too but Garen does have some tank elements in him and needs a couple if not few tank items along with DPS items to be built so you can atleast feel his presence in team fights without being too Squishy (Glass Canon Build) or almost having no Damage output at all (Tank Build).

What the nerfs did for him basically stopped him from tower-diving and the ability to make it out alive while doing so. They also nerfed his base movement speed from 420 to 415. Even though it doesn't seem like a lot, you can notice Garen has problems keeping people in his judgement early games now, but nothing that can't be solved with 1 Movement Quint, which is almost necessary in my opinion now. It brings him back to 420 movement speed.

Anyways I will leave a couple of builds I have found useful so far, in the end its all up to your playstyle that matters the most but I tend to play Hybrid.

Build 1: Boots of choice -> Sunfire -> Omen/Thorn Mail -> Force of Nature -> Youmuu's -> Last Whisper

Build 2: Ninja Tabi (reccomended) -> Giant's Belt (Warmogs) -> Atma's Impaler -> Negatron Cloak (Force of Nature) -> Warmog's -> Starks -> Force of Nature -> Last item can be anything you like Omen/Youmuu's/Black Cleaver/Last Whisper.

Build 3: Boots of Choice -> Sunfire -> FoN/Banshee's -> Youmuu's -> Last Whisper -> Black Cleaver

Build 4: Boots of Choice -> Frozen Mallet -> Guardian Angel -> Youmuu's -> Last Whisper -> Black Cleaver

Though the builds aren't perfect I run something along those lines whenever playing Garen.
I''l post more later

Thank you very much for the reply :)

How about masteries and runes?

Winner Guide! Nice work!

@ Leonteus

TBH you should feel like paper. This is NOT a tank build. Still it prios Mallet which should give you more than enaugh survivability that is accualy needed. You should feel just the way you play Yi or Trynd.
With all those tanking Garens ppl tend to overdo it. While tanking Garen is very VERY viable and still dishes out great amounts of damage i personaly dont like offensive tanking with him. This means making a squishy guide. If you want to be an offensive tank, this is not a build for you. Search for some build based on sunfires and so on.

On the nerfin and patching. I finaly got some free time at work after almost 3 weeks of intense **** happening here. I am gonna update ALL the guides ASAP now. Starting out with Yi->WW than this one. Panth should be ok after last update.
Than i am gonna make a scetch of Gragas build.

@ koh11
Thank you for your review. I will look into that. The think i will probably change is getting a defensive item in the build faster. Thornmail/Sunfire/Force. This will need some testing if last item should be Thirster or PD.
I know he is not "THE" carry in lategame. I simply dont like the idea of sunfire's here and there. I rather be a glasscannon than a tank waiting to lasthit som1 with ulti.

@ Leonteus
This site contains some tanking/hybrid builds. If you feel like it go check them out. As i said this is not a tank build so ppl that are used to this type of Garen playstyle might not see this effective.

@ koh11
If i get forced to tank as Garen i go
Boots (+3/merc/Tabi)->Sunfire->Thornmail/or/Force->Sunfire->Guardian Angel
Runes for ArP/Armor/Mres/HP

Did i help you? Click that +Rep

with the flash dude i just do my best to make his helth so low if he ran i just flash ult boom head shot :)

you still sticking with arp runes after the nerf?

@Dewo
The thing is with your build, any competent player should know how to shut you down as you are literally a glass canon. You have no methods of escaping any CC like Olaf or Yi. And well the thing is, even if you are planning to play a Carry Garen, what's the point in knowing that the other Carry on the team will out perform you. Honestly, I wish Garen was much more viable as a carry but he's simply not. Its like playing Olaf with no HP items whatsoever.

On the sunfires part, I just want to confirm (I have tested this) that items such as Infinity Edge and Blood Thirster are probably one of the worst items you can get on Garen. You are wondering why? Because a Sunfire outdamages either one of them in terms of DPS. I can understand getting Blood Thrister for the lifesteal but seeing as you are going to be spinning in middle of your enemies, you want to take the most advantage out of that, and for a cheaper cost as well. That's why adding in one sunfire atleast should give you actually more of a damage output than either of those items. I don't want you or anyone else to be under the impression that getting Sunfires automatically means you are tanking, its like a big bonus on adding on top of your judgement damage constantly which in turn is very viable for someone like Garen, almost necessary for a higher amount of damage output.

If you are however, looking for an item that really gives you that damage boost, Black Cleaver is a much better option than Infinity Edge IMO because its proc stays on even while you are using judgement. By that I mean after getting your initial 6 hits with Auto-Attacking, the proc of -60 armor doesn't wear off even when judgementing afterwards.

since it seems all your items add attack damage, and with the 200% buff, what do you think of damage marks/quints since arp got nerfed?

I have a couple of questions regarding the build:

Would you suggest getting a Last Whisper or Black Cleaver against tanks? I noticed a lot of armor really shuts down Judgment.

I'm also wondering whether armor or magic resistance will lower the damage of Demacian Justice. From what it seems like, the set damage will be affected by magic resist, but the extra damage is not typed.

To the poster above ^

Getting a last whisper on any carry is always good considering if they are stacking armor items because it penetrates up to 40% of it, especially now it effects Judgement too that is. Black Cleaver is also very nice since it gives -60 armor reduction after 5 hits which continue to proc with your Judgement afterwards.

Demacian Justice's Damage is reduced by magic resist not armor.