RELAX.
YOU ARE TOO TENSE.

NOW YOU'RE READY FOR THIS GUIDE.

BETWEEN TWO OF MY ACCOUNTS, I HAVE WON OVER 450 DOMINION GAMES AND LOST ABOUT 350. FROM MY EXPERIENCE, THE TWO MOST POWERFUL SUMMONER SPELLS IN DOMINION, HANDS DOWN, ARE EXHAUST AND IGNITE. SINCE DOMINION IS ALL ABOUT SMALL SKIRMISHES, 1V1'S, 2V2'S, 3V3'S, ETC, THE SUMMONER SPELLS WHICH MOST EFFECTIVELY CHANGE THE TIDE OF SMALL FIGHTS ARE EXHAUST AND IGNITE. THAT ISN'T TO BELITTLE THE UTILITY OF OTHER SPELLS (I ALSO LOVE GHOST), BUT I THINK THE MOST VALUE IS IN THESE TWO.

WITH AMUMU, USE EXHAUST PRIMARILY AS A SUPPORT SPELL, THAT IS, TO SAVE TEAMMATES OR TO DISRUPT THEIR CARRY. IT IS NOT OFTEN THE CASE THAT YOU'LL NEED TO USE IT FOR YOUR OWN SAKE, SO SAVE IT TO SUPPORT TEAMMATES.

WITH AMUMU, IGNITE IS A MUST-HAVE. AS WITH ANY TANKY CHAMPION THAT DEALS SUSTAINED DAMAGE BUT LACKS MUCH BURST OR ANY SORT OF FINISHING ABILITIES, IGNITE IS THE OFTEN HIDDEN WEAPON THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO FINISH OFF LOW ENEMIES WHO ARE TRYING TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR RANGE BY KITING, OR WHO WILL SIMPLY TRY TO RUN AWAY (WHICH IS RELATIVELY EASY TO DO AGAINST AMUMU).

QUINTS: MOVEMENT SPEED QUINTS ARE SIMPLY GREAT IN DOMINION, NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE. THEY ALSO SYNERGIZE WELL WITH THE 3% MOVEMENT SPEED FROM THE DEFENSIVE TREE.

MARKS: AMUMU'S DAMAGE IS ALL MAGIC BASED, SO MAGIC PEN IS GREAT.

SEALS: GOTTA HAVE ARMOR SEALS.

GLYPHS: GOTTA HAVE MAGIC RESIST GLYPHS.

BASIC TANK MASTERIES. I DON'T KNOW WHY SO MANY BUILDS SUGGEST UTILITY TREE WITH AMUMU. THAT IS SIMPLY STUPID.

ENLIGHTENMENT GIVES YOU MORE CDR (ENDGAME) THAN UTILITY TREE. INITIATOR GIVES MORE MOVEMENT SPEED (CONDITIONALLY) THAN UTILITY TREE. AND THEN THERE'S SIMPLY BETTER TANK MASTERIES IN THE DEFENSIVE TREE.

FINISH WITH 9 POINTS IN OFFENSIVE FOR THE NEEDED SUMMONER'S WRATH, A NICE 4% CDR, AND THE BEAUTIFUL 10% MAGIC PEN.

'E' IS YOUR MAIN DAMAGE SPELL. LEVEL IT FIRST, AS IT WILL REDUCE COOLDOWN AND INCREASE DAMAGE EACH RANK.

MANY GUIDES SUGGEST LEVELING 'W' SECOND, BUT I THINK IT'S MUCH WISER TO LEVEL 'Q' SECOND. YOUR 'W' WILL INCREASE IN DAMAGE, BUT BY A RELATIVELY SMALL MARGIN. THE UTILITY IN LEVELING 'Q' SECOND IS IN DECREASING ITS COOLDOWN. NOT ONLY DOES ITS COOLDOWN DECREASE EACH RANK, IT DECREASES BY A LOT - 2 SECONDS EACH RANK, IN ADDITION TO INCREASED DAMAGE.

LEVEL 'W' LAST. THAT'S NOT TO BELITTLE 'W', IT IS A WONDERFUL SPELL AND IS ONE OF THE PRIMARY REASONS THIS BUILD WORKS, BUT THERE'S MUCH MORE UTILITY IN LEVELING 'E' AND 'Q' FIRST.

THE DESIGN OF THIS BUILD IS SIMPLE: OBTAIN HIGH DEFENSES AS COST-EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE, AND FOLLOW UP WITH ADDED DAMAGE AND SUSTAINABILITY FROM SPELL VAMP.

IN THIS SECTION, I WILL WALK YOU BRIEFLY THROUGH THE LOGIC BEHIND EACH ITEM SELECTION.

CATALYST / HP POTION - STARTING WITH CATALYST IS GREAT IN DOMINION. BY THE TIME YOU REACH TOP AND LAND A BANDAGE TOSS, YOU'LL HAVE HIT LEVEL 4 AND WILL IMMEDIATELY GAIN THE CATALYST PASSIVE REGEN. POP YOUR HP POTION AT THE SAME TIME, AND YOU'LL HAVE GREAT REGEN AS YOU TANK THE FIGHT. (YOUR JOB WITH THE FIRST TOP FIGHT IS TO BANDAGE SOMEONE, AND IMMEDIATELY POP EXHAUST / IGNITE ON AN IMPORTANT ENEMY. THIS REMOVES ONE PERSON RATHER QUICKLY FROM THE FIGHT, AND IF YOUR TEAM FOLLOWS YOU IN, SHOULD SECURE YOU A NICE TOP VICTORY.)

NINJA TABI - THE NEW NINJA TABI (10% AUTO-ATTACK REDUCTION) SYNERGIZES WELL WITH THORNMAIL, MUCH MORE SO THAN WHEN IT GAVE DODGE. ADDITIONALLY, IT IS SUPER CHEAP, WHICH IS ONE OF THE AIMS OF THIS BUILD. GET THESE, UNLESS THE ENEMY TEAM HAS 4+ PURE AP CHAMPIONS, IN WHICH CASE CONSIDER MERC TREDS.

NEGATRON CLOAK - YOU HAVE ARMOR FROM NINJA TABI, SO LEVEL OUT YOUR DEFENSES WITH SOME MAGIC RESIST. UNLESS THE ENEMY TEAM IS NEARLY PURE AP, DO NOT BUILD THIS DIRECTLY INTO ODYN'S VEIL UNTIL AFTER YOU BUILD THORNMAIL. THE REASON BEING, THIS EARLY IN THE GAME, CATALYST'S PASSIVE IS SUPER USEFUL AND YOU WANT TO HOLD ONTO IT AS LONG AS POSSIBLE.

THORNMAIL - THORNMAIL IS SERIOUSLY OVERPOWERED IN DOMINION. IT GIVES THE MOST ARMOR PER GOLD OF ANY ITEM OVER 1000 GOLD. ITS PASSIVE RETURNS 30% DAMAGE, FAR TOO MUCH - AND THIS IS CALCULATED BEFORE REDUCTIONS. THAT IS TO SAY, A 200 DAMAGE AUTO ATTACK WILL RETURN 60 MAGIC DAMAGE, EVEN IF AFTER MITIGATIONS THE AUTO ATTACK ONLY DEALS 75 DAMAGE TO YOU. GET THIS EVEN IF THE ENEMY TEAM IS MOSTLY AP - EVEN THOUGH THE PASSIVE MAY GO TO WASTE, THE 100 ARMOR IS KEY TO HAVE FOR DIVING TURRETS, AND YOU WON'T FIND ANOTHER ARMOR ITEM THAT OFFERS AS MUCH ARMOR PER GOLD AS THORNMAIL (BESIDES CHAIN VEST / CLOTH ARMOR).

ODYN'S VEIL - THIS OFFERS THE MOST RESISTANCE TO MAGIC OF ANY ITEM, WITH ITS 50 BASE MR AND ITS 10% REDUCED MAGIC DAMAGE. ADDITIONALLY, IT PROVIDES HELPFUL HP AND MANA. AND FURTHERMORE, IT GIVES YOUR AMUMU AN ADDITIONAL WEAPON - ITS ACTIVE. AMUMU DOES NOT HAVE HIGH BURST, EXCEPT IN RARE SITUATIONS ( Q -> R -> E ). BUT IN MOST SITUATIONS, YOUR DAMAGE COMES FROM 'W' AND 'E'. IF YOU TIME YOUR 'Q', 'E', OR EVEN 'R' CORRECTLY IN UNISON WITH ODYN'S VEIL'S ACTIVE, YOU CAN UNLEASH HIGHLY UNEXPECTED BURST DAMAGE THAT CAN WIN YOU A FIGHT.

WILL OF THE ANCIENTS - WITH ODYN'S VEIL AND THORNMAIL, YOU'VE ACHIEVED A HIGH AMOUNT OF DEFENSE FOR A FAIRLY LOW COST. BUILDING MORE TANKY WON'T YIELD MORE DAMAGE, IT WILL JUST YIELD SOME MORE SURVIVABILITY. BUT, BUILDING WILL OF THE ANCIENTS WILL PROVIDE SURVIVABILITY AND EXTRA DAMAGE, IN ADDITION TO A NICE AURA FOR YOUR TEAMMATES. IT IS ALSO CHEAP, SO IT IS A BEAUTIFUL PURCHASE, AND IT IS THE ITEM THAT REALLY ROUNDS OUT THIS BUILD.


CORE BUILD: NINJA TABI, ODYN'S VEIL, THORNMAIL, WILL OF THE ANCIENTS. THIS IS YOUR CORE. IT GIVES YOU ~225 ARMOR LATE GAME, WITH THE 10% REDUCED AUTO ATTACK DAMAGE FROM NINJA TABI. IT GIVES YOU ~100 MAGIC RESIST, WITH THE 10% REDUCED MAGIC DAMAGE FROM ODYN'S VEIL. IT GIVES YOU AP AND SPELL VAMP, ALLOWING YOU TO STAY IN THE FIGHT LONGER. IT IS THEORETICALLY SOUND, AND IT WORKS WONDERS IN PRACTICE.


WHAT TO BUILD NEXT?

AFTER THE CORE IS FINISHED, WHAT YOU BUILD NEXT IS MOSTLY SITUATIONAL. IF THE ENEMY TEAM IS MOSTLY AD, THEN YOU HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH ARMOR, AND DON'T REALLY NEED EXTRA MAGIC RESIST, SO IN THIS SITUATION I LIKE TO FINISH WITH A HEXTECH REVOLVER FOR 15% MORE SPELL VAMP AND EXTRA DAMAGE FROM AP, FOLLOWED BY A VOID STAFF TO MAKE SURE YOUR 'W' % DAMAGE CUTS THROUGH THEIR DEFENSES AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.

IF, HOWEVER, THE ENEMY TEAM IS MOSTLY AP, IT IS A GOOD IDEA TO FINISH WITH EXTRA MAGIC RESIST. PARTICULARLY, A FORCE OF NATURE OR AN ABYSSAL SCEPTER WORKS NICELY. IF THE ENEMY TEAM IS SUPER POWERFUL IN THE MAGIC DEPARTMENT, I LIKE TO PICK UP A FORCE OF NATURE AS IT OFFERS MORE MAGIC RESIST, AND THE 40 HP REGEN + 0.35% HP REGEN PER SECOND ADDS UP TO ABOUT ~80 HP5, OR IN OTHER WORDS ~16 HP REGEN PER SECOND (SEE SUMMARY BELOW FOR DETAILED EXPLANATION). THIS SYNERGIZES WONDERFULLY WITH YOUR SPELL VAMP AND TANKINESS, MAKING YOU VERY TOUGH TO KILL. IF, HOWEVER, THE ENEMY TEAM IS MORE TANKY-AP THAN CARRY-AP, AN ABYSSAL SCEPTER SYNERGIZES BEAUTIFULLY WITH AMUMU'S PASSIVE, WHICH REDUCES ENEMY MAGIC RESIST BY 35 AT RANK 3. THUS, THE PASSIVE AND ABYSSAL SCEPTER WILL STACK TO 55 REDUCED MAGIC RESIST.

THE GOAL OF THIS BUILD: OBTAIN HIGH DEFENSES AS COST-EFFECTIVELY AS POSSIBLE, AND FOLLOW UP WITH ADDED DAMAGE AND SUSTAINABILITY FROM SPELL VAMP.

THORNMAIL OFFERS THE MOST ARMOR OF ANY ITEM, AND AT THE LOWEST COST OF ANY HIGH-END ARMOR ITEM, AND ITS PASSIVE WORKS WONDERS WITH AMUMU'S SKILL SET. ODYN'S VEIL OFFERS EVERYTHING AMUMU NEEDS - HP, MANA, THE HIGHEST MAGIC DEFENSE OF ANY HIGH-END ITEM (DUE TO 50 MR / 10% REDUCED DAMAGE), AND AN ACTIVE THAT, IF USED INTELLIGENTLY, WILL OFFER AMUMU SURPRISING BURST DAMAGE. WILL OF THE ANCIENTS OFFERS EXTRA DAMAGE ON ALL OF AMUMU'S ABILITIES, AND OFFERS HIMSELF AND HIS TEAMMATES SPELL VAMP, INCREASING SUSTAINABILITY.


ONE MAY BE CRITICAL OF THE LACK OF HP THIS BUILD OFFERS. INDEED YOU'LL FINISH WITH AROUND 2400 OR SO HP. BUT THEREIN LIES PART OF THE DECEPTION THAT MAKES THIS BUILD WORK. OPPONENTS ARE MUCH MORE INCLINED TO FOCUS A TANK WITH A SMALL HP POOL THAN A TANK WITH A HUGE HP POOL. IN ADDITION, YOU WILL BE SURPRISINGLY TANKY DESPITE YOUR LOW HP, AND THE SPELL VAMP WILL GIVE YOU THEORETICAL HP THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF A FIGHT THAT PEOPLE SIMPLY CAN'T SEE BY LOOKING AT A HEALTH BAR. THAT IS TO SAY, IF YOUR SPELL VAMP HEALS YOU 250 POINTS THROUGH THE COURSE OF A FIGHT, THAT IS 250 THEORETICAL HP THAT OPPONENTS DON'T SEE WHEN THEY LOOK AT YOUR HP BAR.

THIS THEORETICAL HP GOES EVEN HIGHER WITH A FORCE OF NATURE. THE FORCE OF NATURE OFFERS 40 HP REGEN PER 5 SECONDS. IN ADDITION, THE PASSIVE OFFERS 0.35% OF YOUR MAX HP EVERY SECOND. THUS, WITH 2400 HP, THE PASSIVE REGENS 8.4 HP PER SECOND. THIS IS EQUAL TO 42 HP REGEN PER 5 SECONDS. ADD THIS TO THE EXISTING 40, AND FORCE OF NATURE YIELDS A HEALTHY 82 REGEN PER 5 - OR, 16.4 HP PER SECOND. GOING BACK TO THE PREVIOUS EXAMPLE, IF YOU HEAL 250 POINTS IN A 10 SECOND FIGHT FROM YOUR SPELL VAMP, THEN YOU'LL ALSO HAVE GAINED 164 HP FROM FORCE OF NATURE. THAT IS A THEORETICAL 414 HP THAT ENEMIES DON'T SEE BY LOOKING AT YOUR HEALTH BAR. DECEPTION WINS FIGHTS.


SUCCESS: