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Choose Champion Build:
- Classic
- Top Lane
Recommended Items
Spells:
Flash
Ghost
Items
Ability Order
Arcane Mastery (PASSIVE)
Ryze Passive Ability
Author's Legacy
FOXY'S WORDS
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Original author: Hawkken [EU West]
HAWKKEN'S WILL
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I WILL WRITE ABOUT MY CHOICE OF ITEMS, MASTERIES, RUNES, SUMMONER SPELLS ET CETERA.
I WILL WRITE ABOUT MY REASONING BEHIND THESE CHOICES.
I WILL NOT WRITE ABOUT ALTERNATIVE CHOICES AS THEY ARE IRRELEVANT TO THIS BUILD & PLAYSTYLE.
I WILL NOT WRITE ABOUT THINGS YOU MUST DO, BUT THINGS YOU COULD DO AS THIS IS STILL A GAME,
WHICH SHOULD BE FUN & ENJOYABLE MEANING YOU SHOULD PLAY RYZE ONLY ONE WAY - YOUR WAY.
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Ryze used to be a slow champion. Due to the recent movement speed changes he does not need all too much movement speed anymore. Although it is actually pretty good to be faster than your enemies, especially as ryze, who has no real built-in escape mechanisms. His ultimate Desperate Power does give him 80 flat movement speed, but that is about it. Flash or ghost provide a good escape mechanism while they could also potentially be used for offensive measures. In this meta, flash is actually the go-to Summoner Spell because of the outplay-potential and escaping through walls. There is only one mastery which provides a shorter cooldown for these spells: . " A BRILLIANT WAY OF HAVING MAP PRESENCE OR SPLITPUSHING, YOUR CHOICE"
" A BRILLIANT WAY OF CLOSING GAPS OR MAKING THEM BIGGER! "" FOR MORE EXPERIENCED AND AGGRESSIVE PLAYERS! "
" IF RUNE PRISON IS NOT QUITE ENOUGH FOR YOU! "Choosing buttons for Summoner SpellsWhen you are going full mobility: Ghost + Flash I think this is worth mentioning as I feel really strong about it and use it at all times!
D - Ghost
F - Flash
First of all this arrangement is extremely easy to remember, especially if you substitute the word Ghost for the word Dash which actually more accurately describes what Summoner Spell Ghost does - makes your champion faster.
D - Dash
F - Flash
Second of all when using Summoner Spell Flash I often find myself in a critical situation and the button F just seems easier to click... try it! When you are a bit nervous and are not thinking that well, which are you more likely to hit? D or F? Personally I always hit F as it feels more natural to me hence the positioning of these two Summoner Spells. Third of all it just sounds nice: dash flash, dash flash, dash flash... in that order of course :P
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M A R K S |
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Hybrid Penetration is actually really good paired with Iceborn Gauntlet & Muramana. It also helps you last-hit and harass with autoattacks in the early levels.
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S E A L S |
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Most spellcasters are pestered with mana problems and in my opinion there are 3 general ways of dealing with those:
Meaning every spellcaster chooses between building mana regeneration, building mana pool or trying to find the perfect balance between these two. Of all the champions in the League of Legends it is only Ryze who truly mastered the Way of Gigantic Mana Pool. Stacking mana not only solves his mana problems, but allows him to deal gigantic amounts of damage thus making him a true Mana Carry. Ryze benefits from stacking mana in the following ways: |
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G L Y P H S |
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Q U I N T S |
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extremely important. One could however choose runes that increase other stats, but let me
ask you: What is the point of having more spell vamp, mana or magic penetration if you
cannot even catch your opponents? It might not seem much having 4,5% higher movement
speed, but trust me: It makes all the difference!
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COOLDOWN REDUCTION
Ryze can cast his spells very rapidly on account of Arcane Mastery and when given 40% Cooldown Reduction becomes a truly dangerous opponent. This is achieved with the following:
00,05% | ... | .. | Intelligence |
00,05% | ... | .. | Sorcery |
00,10% | ... | .. | Overload |
00,10% | ... | .. | Iceborn Gauntlet |
30% CDR | ... | Total Cooldown Reduction |
I am aware that it is not 40%, but it is the most sensible compromise between cooldown reduction, mana runes and Strength of Spirit . You could of course cap it with either Frozen Heart (20%), Will of the Ancients (10%), or the appropriate runes. But then Ryze would have less power/mana and it would also not be so satisfying to posses BLUE BUFF and know that it gives you that last 10% of cooldown reduction :)
ENHANCEMENTS - EARLY GAME
Brute Force Investing mastery points in Brute Force is wiser than investing them in Mental Force or Butcher as it provides you with damage against champions, minions and turrets. It is especially important for the early game poking when every little amount of damage done to your opponent counts. |
Mental Force This mastery would only boost your damage against champions and minions and even that damage would prove to be insignificant as Ryze scales poorly with ability power. |
ENHANCEMENTS - ESCAPE MECHANISMS
Escape mechanisms are very important and their enhancements are the following:
Mastermind improves both Summoner Spells |
Wanderer improves Ryze his Movement Speed |
Fleet of Foot improves Ryze his Movement Speed |
SPELLCASTER BASICS
Expanded Mind and Vampirism fit well to most spellcasters. Ryze profits even further from Expanded Mind and even Vampirism fits him especially well as about 95% of his damage consists of magic damage.
The only reason you invest points in Meditation is because of Strength of Spirit , as it only regenerates 36 mana per minute. This mastery does not comply with Ryze's philosophy which is not based on mana regeneration, but rather on having a gigantic mana pool. It will however help you stall recalling in the early laning phase.
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THE REST
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Ryze does not need blue buff per se, but functions ten times better with it and
Runic Affinity
makes sure it lasts as long as possible. During that time Ryze receives unlimited amounts of mana and consequently unlimited amount of health on account of his Spell Vampirism ( Desperate Power should be spammed whenever possible). |
But there is one mastery that stands on its own and it is called
Strength of Spirit
. This mastery is perfectly tailored to Ryze who gets more out of it than any other champion: 50 extra health regeneration that is! and it just blows my mind, because you do not need to do anything else, but invest 3 points in it to receive this amazing health boost :D |
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WHY CHOOSE HEALTH POTION OVER MANA POTION ?
> Ryze has very little health early in the game and it is my experience that Health Potion comes in a lot more handy than Mana Potion. I also almost always forget to use Mana Potion, but that is just me being forgetful. Either way you do not want to spam your spells early in the game because you, simply put, just cannot afford it in terms of mana cost. WHY TAKE ICEBORN GAUNTLET OVER FROZEN HEART? > To be honest, this is a very hard decision and depends on the opposing team composition. Let's compare them: Iceborn gives 100 more mana, gives a small amount of AP, makes your autoattacks hit like a truck due to the sheen proc (& synergy with Muramana) and permanently slows your target (good for chasing & fleeing). It does however provide 40 less armor and 10% less cooldown reduction. But all and all Iceborn's stats are just a tad better. When you are up against a full AD team, you can buy both and neglect the magic resist. You can however take Frozen Heart over IBG when:
WHY TAKE BANSHEE'S VEIL OVER SPIRIT VISAGE? > Spirit Visage is a great item and has amazing synergy with your ultimate, and it will let you reach the 40% CDR cap. However, Banshee's has a spell shield. This is very important because of your short range, you litterally face danger all the time. Blocking one ultimate just because of its passive can be decisive between life and death. Personal preference. WHEN TO BUY ROD OF AGES BEFORE ICEBORN GAUNTLET ? > In the beginning of the game Ryze is plagued by 2 problems: low mana regeneration and low cooldown reduction. Iceborn Gauntlet could give you cooldown reduction and thus solving one problem. That would however still leave you with low mana regeneration. Luckily there is a thing called blue buff, which not only gives you cooldown reduction, but also crazy mana regeneration. However, if you have blue buff and Iceborn Gauntlet you are throwing away the entire cooldown reduction coming from blue buff. My suggestion is to buy Rod of Ages first and let blue buff take care of both your problems. It is also good to buy Rod of Ages first so that it starts building up as soon as possible. (This is if you can get the blue buff, otherwise see above.) |
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CHANGING THE PURCHASE ORDER
When facing champions like Brand, Cassiopeia or Swain,
start by purchasing Boots of Speed, 4 Health Potions and 1 Mana Potion.
> proceed normally |
When your opponents are very aggressive and require you to move around a lot,
purchase Sorcerer's Shoes earlier.
> | > | Catalyst the Protector | > | > proceed normally |
When opponent AD champions are causing you a lot of trouble,
purchase Glacial Shroud earlier.
> | > | > | > | Catalyst the Protector | > proceed normally |
When it is you who will be getting BLUE BUFF in your team,
purchase Sheen & Banshee's Veil earlier.
> | > | Catalyst the Protector | > | > | > | > | > proceed normally |
CHANGING THE SHOES
Mercury's Treads are an excellent choice for Ryze if there are many AP (Ability Power) and CC (Crowd Control) champions on the enemy team. When that happens you should not hesitate to purchase these shoes instead of Sorcerer's Shoes. |
Enchantment: Alacrity This right here is a very cost-effective speed boost. 20 flat movement speed for only 475. Last time I checked, Boots still did not stack and with this enchantment you just got yourself an extra pair of boots. |
Enchantment: Homeguard Combined with Teleport for the best ganks. You can get back to your lane faster, and when things get hot inside your base, you can get out of the fight and return full-health without losing much time! |
6th ITEM - SITUATIONAL ITEM
.................................................................................................... ...Candidates For Replacement |
................................. Banshee's Veil |
................................. Rod of Ages |
................................. Manamune |
Replacing these items:
When you have finished all of your items and think you can get a better one with all of your extra money. |
When the enemy lacks magic damage. |
When you feel like this game will not be scaling into lategame. (Stacking it after Archangel's Staff takes quite a while) |
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General
The following will explain tactics, strategies and item combinations.
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Laning phase
In the first few levels, you should only lasthit with your autoattack and use your Overload to harass your opponent when he goes in for the last hit. Be careful for long-ranged opponents. You want the lane to push into your turret because Ryze has no escape early game. Farm up and go back when you can buy Tear of the Goddess. It is very important to stack it as soon as possible. You can start lasthitting with your spells now. Every 4 seconds you can gain another stack.
Whenever your opponent has left his lane, you should push into his turret. Destroying a turret gives global gold and a better map overview. Think about that. When you win your lane really hard it might be a good idea to stall this. This way you can deny & zone your opponent even more gold & experience.
Autoattacking
With this build you will have really strong autoattacks. After your standard QWE combo you should throw an autoattack to maximize your dps. Your spells WILL be on cooldown at some point. Saying that Ryze does not autoattack is just poorly substantiated. I know Ryze is a spellspammer, but autoattacking as well only works in your benefit as about every autoattack you throw out will be enhanced due to Spellblade. Iceborn Gauntlet also permanently slows enemies. A great way to kite melee bruisers.
The passive of manamune, Awe, gives you 2% extra AD for the mana you have. That is about 80 AD when you are full build.
Moral of the story: your autoattacks hit like a truck, and you do not even have to build anything special.
More on this down below.
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Item combinations
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Synergy: . . . . . Negativity: |
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The only time you can definitely go for both items, is when you are facing 4 AD champions and a tanky support. The 10% CDR overkill isnt even that bad for the stats both of these items give Ryze. You will be very tanky while dealing huge amounts of damage.
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Synergy: . . . . . Negativity: |
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The only time you can definitely go for both items, is when you are facing at least three AP carries. Four if their support joins the "let's go full AP-club" (and I have seen supports do more damage than their midlaners these days). If their ADC is fed, then it is probably a bad idea to go for both these items. Unless you peel for your own ADC and let the others take the frontline.
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Synergy: . . . . . Negativity: |
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Homeguards must be rushed if you intend to use them with Teleport. This way you can surprise gank the bottom lane together with your jungler (or just by yourself). When you do this, make sure you can get the turret AND the dragon. Most likely the enemy top laner/midlaner will hardpush your own turret and try to take it while you are busy bottom lane. By securing two ebjectives and a few kills, you come out ahead pretty far.
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Synergy: . . . . . Negativity: |
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Why on earth would you take both of these items? Well, Ryze is a lategame champion. By having both of these fully stacked in the very lategame, You will be an unstoppable force. 2000 extra mana. Attacks are enhanced, and you get a free manashield. When you used all of your combo and get focused out, you can expend 20% of your current mana to prevent yourself from dying. You should however wait to buy another tear until you are at 740 stacks on your first one. Else it is just a waste of money. But when you buy it too late, you will never reach your full potential. Timing is a must.
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Synergy: . . . . . . Negativity: |
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So I did the math. The real math can be found in the spoiler below but I will make it short here. Your autoattacks, with every enhancement, deal 549,6 damage. Even more at maximum mana and with the
Expanded Mind
mastery. When you take the armor in the equasion this is a little less. For my calculations I took 60 armor with 4380 maximum mana, at a current mana pool of 4000. The multplier for 60 armor is 0,67. This means that you will deal 340 true damage with every enhanced autoattack. This means you can deal up to 1000 extra damage with a full spell rotation!
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The Calculations
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OVERVIEW
Your abilities and how to use them properly:
Arcane Mastery is your passive. Spamming skills is Ryze's trademark, and this makes it all possible. Every spell's cooldown is reduced by one second for every spell you cast. |
Overload is your bread and butter. Always cast it as first of your burst combo as the cooldown will be refreshed after you casted your other spells. Use it to stack Tear of the Goddess, poke your enemies & lasthit the minions. |
Rune Prison is a ROOT. Not a stun & not a snare. This means that people inside are unable to move (0 MS). They can however still use their auto attacks and abilities, as long as they are not displacement ones. Max it second for its better mana scaling. |
Spell Flux is a bouncing spell which deals damage to enemies up to 6 times, and prioritizes enemy champions. It also reduces a flat amount of armor and magic resistance. You can max it second when enemies stack defensive items. |
Desperate Power turns Ryze into a monster. You deal AOE damage with all of your spells, you gain 80 movement speed and an additional 15%-25% Spell Vampirism. Use it whenever possible to stack your Tear of the Goddess beacause of the ridiculously low cooldown in addition to his Arcane Mastery. |
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COMBOS
There are many ways to combo Ryze's abilities, but I find 2 in particularly good:> | > | > | > | > |
Can kill opponents with full health, but leaves Ryze a bit defenseless.
STANDARD COMBO
> | > | > |
Your bread and butter so to speak and the most used combo.
SUSTAINED COMBO
> | > | > | > | + BURST COMBO |
Does tons of damage, but takes longer and opponents might run away before you go trough the entire thing. Do not get me wrong it deals more damage, but starts slower and less impressively.
WHICH TO CAST FIRST?
OVERLOAD (Q). or .DESPERATE POWER (R)
The main concern some might have with casting Overload first and Desperate Power second
is that R's effect does not apply to Q. Let me clarify that this is simply not true, which you can easily test in-game. Casting Q first and R immediately after grants Q all the AoE damage and Spell vamp that it would if cast the other way around. Consequently it is better to cast Overload first and use Desperate Power second to lower Overload's cooldown.
RUNE PRISON (W). or .SPELL FLUX (E)
This decision is completely dependent on the situation meaning you need to determine whether your opponent will stand still or run away. When you are dealing with a stationary opponent use Spell Flux first in order to reduce his/her Magic Resistance and consequently
deal more damage. But when you are dealing with a runner use Rune Prison to hold him still. The ultimate goal however is to bounce Spell Flux of your opponent(s) as many times as possible to deal the most damage. Use whichever order helps you do that best!
There are many many combos and they depend largely on the situation so feel free to explore and improvise, but always remember that it is wise casting Overload first and reducing its cooldown by using other abilities after it.
SKILL SEQUENCE
Level 1 | . |
Level 2 | . |
Level 3 | . |
Afterwards follow this priority list:
> | > | > |
Meaning you first check Desperate Power
if available take it, otherwise check Overload
if available take it, otherwise check Rune Prison
if available take it, otherwise check Spell Flux and take it.
WHY CHOOSE THESE 3 ABILITIES AT FIRST LEVELS?
When you wish to kill an opponent it is hard to do so with anything less than 3 abilities. Lets say you are at level 3 and your opponent is very low on health, so you run to him and use
followed by so that he does not go anywhere. You then cast and because of Overload's low cooldown, Ryze's passive and the fact that you casted 2 spells after Overload you are now able to cast another and get a kill. That would be impossible without all three abilities. If it is your preference you could of course throw one in there to ensure the kill.
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Advice No. 1 Buy Tear of the Goddess as soon as possible. Casting spells while not possessing Tear of the Goddess should be considered wasteful! Advice No. 2 Do not use abilities on minions early in the game. Save your abilities and mana for harassing your opponents, zoning and denying them their farm and experience. Advice No. 3 Farm as much as possible, but do not steal minions from your teammates, especially when they tell you not to. Advice No. 4 Use Overload every 4 seconds to build up your Tear of the Goddess as fast as possible, if you can afford spending that much mana. Advice No. 5 You should always carry at least one Health Potion with you to counter Ignites, poisons and similar attacks. Advice No. 6 I find always having Health Potion in the same inventory slot very helpful as it is just easier to remember. + If you did not know already, you can reposition your items after purchasing them! When I found that out I was sooo freakin' happy because it made the positioning a piece of cake. Advice No. 7 When you have blue buff be very careful not to die as by doing so you not only die and give your opponents gold, but also buff them and significantly lower the survival chances of your teammates, especially if a good mana user gets the buff. Advice No. 8 Learn Smart Casting! It is ideal for Ryze as all of his abilities require you to choose one specific target. This way of casting is also seriously faster and lets you spam abilities, which Ryze does throughout the entire game, at your will. Advice No. 9 Buy one single Stealth Ward and position it in one of the middle brushes. That brush should then become your safe side and you should stick closer to it rather than the other non-warded side. This way you will be a lot safer from ganks. Advice No. 10 When you buy Stealth Wards, buy only one and position it as soon as possible so that your opponents do not see your inventory while you are carrying this item. Advice No. 11 Try to chill when you play as it is simply more fun than raging. Advice No. 12 Use your autoattacks. They are powerful and you should not let them go to waste. Advice No. 13 You can buy a Elixir of Fortitude or Elixir of Brilliance before major fights or when you are going for dragon/nashor. It can mean a world of difference! To be continued... I cannot think of anything more right now |
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Ryze when played right is a killing machine and I think this build comes as close to perfection as I have ever seen. I do not want to say that it is the only way to play Ryze, the Rogue Mage, but I personally do not see any other option... and I tried quite a few :)
THANKS TO...
Sagasu - pioneer in the proper way of playing Ryze
Sagasu's guide
LoLomod - host of all champion portraits
LoLomod's website
Thanks for constructive criticism, suggestions & everything else:
- Anil
- boning2010
- ChrissyDoc
- CombatJack1
- Sevresth
- X Gouki X
- The Evil Friend
- truskawki
- Vort
- Zultan22
- NotJosh5
- EVERYONE WHO UPVOTED
I need to tell you that it took me quite some time to learn how to play Ryze properly. I remember for instance my friends telling me to buy Rod of Ages and I refused to do so for 1 or 2 months before I finally realized that it might actually not be a bad idea :P
So... I wanna thank all the people who played and still play League of Legends with me for their patience and advice. You have been the biggest help of all although you sometimes piss me of, but nonetheless :P
Thank you guys and also thank YOU Summoner for reading my first guide!
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