Hello, and welcome to my first guide. Teemo was not one of my first champions, but he's certainly been one of my more fun and exhilarating champions. In this guide, I will cover a useful AP carry build, as well as an AD carry build near the end. Viewers, you are free to leave your comments, questions, and suggestions for the build, because a build can only get better with the view of different people and their different playing styles.
Thank you, and I hope my build helps!

With the use of his stealthy passive and increased movement speed for getting out of sticky situations quickly, Teemo is a very able split pusher and assassin, as well as being able to hold his own lane well. With a nicely fed Teemo, you can't go wrong in a game as he can carry quite well.

On top lane, he mostly counters every melee, AD champion. As a mid lane Champion, Teemo goes well against some Champions, mostly melee casters, since his range isn't great. This can mean he can be out-harassed, certainly if attacked correctly by the enemy jungler. On bot lane, carry Teemo can struggle as his blind does not do much to an ADC. Teemo is not recommended as an ADC Champion due to how much he can struggle against others, and as such I won't focus on ADC Teemo really other than the one section.

Pros
- Brilliant escapist ( Move Quick to increase speed, Noxious Trap to slow)
- Blinding skill ( Blinding Dart shuts down enemies temporarily for much needed damage dealing or escaping)
- One of the fastest Champions (Great for split pushing, ganks, and saving turrets)
- Free warding!
- Great farming abilities
- Global Taunt (Hue~)

Cons
- Squishier character
- Almost always focused first
- Short range (in comparison to other ranged Champions)
- Can be countered with Oracle's Elixir / Vision Ward

Other Possible Choices

Destruction can be chosen if you're the kind of Teemo to split off and push the lanes pretty hard, giving you better damage dealing to turrets meaning your enemies have an even lesser chance of catching you.

If you're an ADC Teemo, you may be better off with masteries like Deadliness , Havoc , Weapon Expertise , Lethality , Brute Force , Frenzy (Link Unavailable - See Above), Sunder rather than the AP based masteries I've listed.

Being a squishy based character, however not aiming for defences but more damage, you should not really look towards the Defence section of the masteries. As well as this, most of the Utility section is based more on a supportive role, and thus should not necessarily be used by a Teemo.

Greater Mark of Magic Penetration - Marks offer the best in magic and armor penetration. As this is an AP carry build, these are the best choice to nullify any early magic resist your opponents may have, and to boost your attack to secure kills in early game.
- OR -
Greater Mark of Attack Speed - This will provide even more attack speed, if you feel you don't need as much magic penetration. I would recommend this more for an AD carry than an AP carry.


Greater Seal of Mana - If you're planting shrooms all the time, it can be difficult to hold a good amount of mana. Your ultimate uses quite a bit of your mana up, and this is perfect if you're on top and you can't just take the blue that mid lane needs. If you find yourself with a need for mana, this is the best for you.
- OR -
Greater Seal of Attack Speed - This will provide even more attack speed, if you feel you don't need as much mana. I would recommend this more for an AD carry than an AP carry.
- OR -
Greater Seal of Armor - Teemo can play any lane decently, including top. If you are running up top lane to take on that Champion, a bit of armor can make you feel a little more comfortable than mana. I do not recommended these for use in mid lane.


Greater Glyph of Scaling Ability Power - Boosting your damage for 3 out of 4 of your skills, as well as strengthening as you level up, this rune is perfect for an AP Teemo. Glyphs offer the best in AP when it comes to runes, and so your AP boosts should always come from your gylph runes.
- OR -
Greater Glyph of Ability Power - Another acceptable gylph rune, boosting your damage with 3 out of 4 of your skills. If you find you need more damage early game, this rune is better for you. It will offer you a better poke early game than the scaling gylph.


Greater Quintessence of Ability Power - Another couple of rune to boost your AP is a smart idea, since you're based on your AP damage. I take AP over Gold or Movement Speed for the boost and as I am acceptable at farming, and this will increase my poke in early games as well.
- OR -
Greater Quintessence of Gold - If you find yourself struggling to farm gold, these quintessences may be better off for you. Offering you extra gold on the side, if you can't gain it from minions then you can be sure that it won't take you too long to buy those essential items.
- OR -
Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed - If you find that your Move Quick doesn't provide enough movement speed for all those times you have to rush about or to avoid skills, this is better for you, however it is not something I recommend if you have Flash, since that can also help you with escaping and dodging.

Flash
Even though you have Move Quick to escape from enemies, it's always great to carry Flash too, to secure every escape, especially from Ultimates such as Enchanted Crystal Arrow. It can also be used to flash over walls, such as beside neutral monsters to secure your escape sooner.
Ignite
This spell is good for securing even more kills, especially when this person has Heal, a Health Potion, a healing skill, or has a healing support nearby. Not only can it kill fleeing Champions, but it can aid you in kills both early and late game. It's great for securing first blood, too.
Barrier
I only really recommend this spell if you're a new player who's finding themselves focused in team fights. That way they can take some damage and continue dishing out enough to take a kill or escape.


Ghost, while not necessary, if you're finding yourself wanting that extra running boost when you're being attacked by quite a few enemy Champions then this is a good choice. My personally choice is to avoid it, however, since you have all that running speed from your Move Quick.

Heal again isn't something I would recommend. If you find you'd appreciate taking heal rather than potions to use repeatedly through the game, allowing you to start instantly with a Doran's Blade or Doran's Ring, or you're finding yourself taking more poke from enemy Champions, then this may help.

Exhaust isn't a spell that Teemo needs with the speed he can reach with your Sorcerer's Shoes and your Move Quick, however it can aid your team if you find they're struggling to chase down a singled out enemy, such as the enemy AD or AP carry. If you're finding yourselves in teams which just can't keep up with the enemy to secure the kill faster, this can help.

Teleport can prove to be a useful skill as Teemo if you have a mushroom right next to the turret you're split pushing, or you need to get to a team fight fast. However, with Move Quick and Sorcerer's Shoes there's not really a need for it. You have enough speed to plow on through the map without the need for Teleport.

CamouflageCamouflage
If Teemo stands still and takes no actions for 2 seconds, he becomes stealthed indefinitely. After leaving stealth, Teemo gains the Element of Surprise, increasing his attack speed by 40% for 2 seconds.
This passive is a brilliant way to escape a bunch of enemies. You can use it as you rush into your lane at the start of the game for quick poke, become a living ward, or use it for sneaky attacks. It also increases your attack speed by 40% for 2 seconds once you reveal yourself, so the surprise poking works even better. (NOTE: Remember to press "S" to prevent auto attacking anything within range.)
Blinding Dart
Obscures an enemy's vision with a powerful venom, dealing damage to the target unit and causing all attacks to miss for the duration. Deals 80/125/170/215/260 (+0.8 AP) magic damage and causes the target to miss all of their attacks for 1.5/1.75/2/2.25/2.5 seconds.
While this skill is good for poking, and leveling extends the range of the harassing while doing better damage and a longer blind, I find I like to put one point in this and leave it until 2nd. If you find your enemy is gathering more gold farm than yourself, or they're a melee Champion chasing you down, it can be better to focus on this skill rather than Toxic Shot.
Move Quick
Passive: Teemo's Movement Speed is increased by 10/14/18/22/26% unless he has been damaged by an enemy champion or turret in the last 5 seconds. Active: Teemo sprints, gaining twice his normal bonus for 3 seconds. This bonus is not lost when struck.
This skill is useful for its passive and its active. It allows you to move between nexus and turrets easily, including the lanes of other champions for ganking. The active allows you to escape pretty much most ganks. Personally I don't place too much priority over it, and I put one point in then leave it till last, however if you find you're getting ganked plenty and need that bit more of movement speed, add points as necessary.
Toxic Shot
Teemo's basic attacks poison their target, dealing 10/20/30/40/50 (+0.4 AP) magical damage upon impact and 6/12/18/24/30 (+0.10 AP) magical damage each second for 4 seconds.
I always place my first point here, maxing it first. The majority of your damage will come from the passive of this skill, as well as securing you easier gold feed should you be slightly behind with your timing. While the skill does not stack, it is refreshed upon each auto attack. This skill is brilliant for killing off enemies as they try to escape, and is even boosted by our AP which helps take even bigger chunks off the enemy Champion's health.
Noxious Trap
Uses a stored mushroom to place a trap that detonates if an enemy steps on it, spreading poison to nearby enemies that slows movement speed by 30/40/50% and deals 200/325/450 (+0.8 AP) magic damage over 4 seconds. Traps last 10 minutes, Teemo can store a maximum of 3 traps on his at once.
Since this is Teemo's ultimate, a point should be placed here whenever there is one available. As well as this, with being an AP Teemo these mushrooms can cause some good kill-securing damage. These mushrooms can fetch you kills when you're not in the area, be it if you're dead or just at another section of the map. These should always be planted whenever possible in high-traffic areas of the map. Most Teemos plant mushrooms only in bushes, however I find placing them outside works just as effectively, as some people steer clear of bushes when a Teemo is around.

AP Starter Items

Doran's Ring is a good item to start with, giving you a boost in your AP, health, and mana regeneration. However, if you feel you're going to struggle without potions, you can always buy your Boots first along with a couple of Health Potions, and maybe a Mana Potion. Your Boots will help you with escaping an enemy jungler's attack, or your enemy laner's skills. Malady will grant you both AP and attack speed, which is great for your Toxic Shot, as well as your other two AP based skills. Follow this with your Nashor's Tooth and you've already built yourself up well. Round it up with the Rabadon's Deathcap and you'll be dealing good AP based damage in no time.

Hybrid Starter Items

Personally I prefer Doran's Blade as a hybrid starter item, if I'm on mid or top lane, however if you're struggling, you can always start with Boots and a couple of Health Potions, and maybe a Mana Potion. The Recurve Bow gives a good boost in attack speed, before leading up into your Runaan's Hurricane for easier gold farming and an excellent attack speed boost. Add in your Malady before adding the rest of your AP items, and you've already got an attack speed for people to be considerate of.

Final Items

With these items, not only will your attack speed be great for dealing numerous damage with the passive of your Toxic Shot, but your Blinding Dart and Noxious Trap will just as easily grab you those kills in team fights or chases, as well as getting enemy Champions to fall back when chasing you if they run into too many shrooms. This also leaves 1 spot open for an item of your choice, so that you can choose what kind of stats you'd like to finish off with.



Later on in the game, you'll have a better idea on what your 6th item can be, based on the damage or defenses you're looking for. You can see your enemy's final build much better at this point, and you can focus on what's necessary for how the game is being played. For this, you can switch your Liandry's Torment or Runaan's Hurricane out for something you may find more applicable for your game.

Void Staff not only boosts your AP, but will give you better magic penetration than Liandry's Torment too. This is best if you want to be that little yordle bundle of terror who ignores their stacking magic resist.

Morellonomicon is good for a boost of AP, while reducing your cooldowns and giving you some more mana regeneration. While it is not something I recommend personally, it is something to consider if you're finding you're becoming that monster that never stops planting mushrooms. As well as this, it's passive also helps you secure even more kills from running enemies as they're taking more of that damage over time.

Rylai's Crystal Scepter is my recommendation if you find yourself struggling to survive a bit in team fights, and need that boost of health. As well as the AP and health, it comes with it's passive to slow the enemy down, which can help the rest of your team when the enemy is running from you.

Zhonya's Hourglass is another item I'd choose for surviving in a team fight, however I would not recommend it over Rylai's Crystal Scepter. While it boosts your defense slightly and has it's unique active to prevent damage to yourself temporarily, I find that this is not a great item to use, especially if your enemy has packed up some armor penetration, which will most likely come from their AD carry, who will indefinitely focus you as a squishier team member.

Guardian Angel is one of those items that some people find useful, and some don't. If you find you're dying at the start of a team fight and your team struggle without you, if you think you can deal some kill-gaining damage once revived by this item then it can help you. However, if you're dying too often for it's cooldown or you're finding yourself surviving long enough to deal the damage needed for your own or ally kills, I wouldn't recommend it.

Statikk Shiv is an item you can always buy instead of your Runaan's Hurricane if you find it useful. While Runaan's Hurricane focuses on mostly attack speed, and that extra 2 arrows to attack your enemy on the passive, Statikk Shiv has a lower attack speed, yet gives you a better chance of a critical hit, and has that 100 magic damage charging passive which can deal a good amount of damage on four of the Champions or minions in front of you, which is why I offer this as a swap item.

While these may be probably the most used rune combination among AD carries, I am recommending them for Teemo too. While offering survival tactics from the enemy AD carry, their support and ganks, it also offers sufficient attack to start off your poke.





AD carry Teemo is not something that is recommended, and is quite rare due to his disadvantages against other Champions that roam the bot lane as an AD carry. Since none of his abilities scale with AD, this gives him more reason to be pushed back from this role for a recommended AD carry Champion. However, if you wish to try this build, these are the items I would recommend. These items give much needed life steal for constant poke wars, as well as necessary attack speed and damage.

One thing that a few Teemo players do is only plant mushrooms within the bushes themselves. I don't find this a smart idea, personally, and find it best to plant in areas nearby the bushes should enemy champions deliberately avoid bushes due to your presence.

Some people don't consider stealth when they're trying to run from an enemy, or think it's too risky. Don't forget about this useful passive when you have Champions chasing you down - It can be life saving. You're better off using this in the middle of an open area, however, than in a bush.

You can use your stealth to pretend you're not in lane, then sneak behind your enemy with good burst damage. This kind of damage is a great way to lower your enemy's health for an attack later on, or to secure a kill on a weakened champion.

Thank you for taking the time to read through my guide! Please vote, comment, and leave a suggestion. I am open to changes on the build. Remember to support the Teemo revolution. Feel free to message me or leave a comment on your gameplay with this build, including screenshots or video footage of your gameplay.

18th March 2013 - Guide was created.

19th March 2013 - Hybrid Starter items have been re-ordered slightly. Greater Seal of Scaling Mana switched to Greater Seal of Mana. Detail on alternative Summoner Spells has been added. More information on the finishing and situational items has been added.

20th March 2013 - Liandry's Torment moved into the finalized build as my highly recommended item.