UPDATED NOVEMBER 5TH, 2011

Welcome to my Ryze build. Ryze is the very first champ I chose, and since then, he's had a big place in my heart. I hope you can all make use of the build I've come up with, as it's served me extremely well and has made for some rather upsetting experiences for my opponents :D. This build is solid in both classic and dominion games alike, netting me tons of first-place wins in dominion :).

Pros (Classic)
Tanky, able to sustain quite well, especially while Ulting
Extreme burst damage
Very low cooldowns
Decently maneouvrable
High regen thanks to masteries
Frightful harassment in lane

Pros (Dominion)
Faster money means Ryze upscales exponentially, increasing tankability and damage simultaneously at alarming speed
Is quite capable defending towers, thanks to his Rune Prison, and his passive, allowing for heavy harassment and capture interception
Huge skill range usually overtakes terrain, which severely weakens enemy advantage around top and mid towers, when harassing with Q

Cons (Classic)
Will most likely be mana starved until after basic boots are bought
Costly item build
Requires diligent farming
No hope of facing competent tanks until endgame
Requires practise in skill rotation
Will be the main target if you're doing your job, even above other damage dealers

Cons (Dominion)
If focused early game in every team fight, Ryze will suffer greatly
Not as maneouverable as in classic
Hectic battles means you must be precise in your targetting
Must be on a team with very few Magic users. Enemy MR severely weakens Ryze as he must then purchase a Void Staff
Item build is still expensive

We're going 3-tree hybrid folks! Why? Well sirs and madames:

The obvious 9 in offensive to reach that Magic Pen.

9 in Defense. We want MR, since it's the lower of his two defenses. But we especially want Strength of Spirit. The health regen you get is based off mana. Ryze is a mana *****. 2+2=?

12 in Utility. Haste mastery is important as I've come to favour Ryze as a chaser rather than a flash-in burster. We're not going for the extra gold as the mastery point used to gain an extra 120 gold in a 20 minute game or 240 in a 40 minute game just is't worth it. It went to Perseverence instead.

Ghost and Exhaust

Ghost has become my new favourite between it and Flash. Flash is nice, but the cooldown is just too long, and its utility serves better as an escape mechanism than a gank tool. Ryze is slower with this build, so Ghost will compensate for that, with a much lower cooldown, and serve 2 purposes at once.

Exhaust is a key element to early game kills. With the help of the mastery, you'll have additional MPen, and you won't have to fear the enemy's reprisal, since they lose so much damage and AP. You can crash the opponent and most of the time, kill them off, if you're at least level 2 and they're squishy. Otherwise, level 3 would be the minimum.

Flash is still a great choice on Ryze if it suits your playstyle of course, but with the nerfs coming to Flash, I think it's best to get used to using other summoner spells.

Ignite is also fun to use on fleeing champs with low health.

Rush. That. Tear. Even if it means you won't have the money for boots, or even pots: Rush. That. Tear. You want the immediate benefit of its passive. The more you cast, the more mana you have, the more damage you deal. I start with Sapphire Crystal because the extra damage is very noticeable at level 1. You may not have the regen of a Meki Pendant, but if you don't spam your Q at early levels for last hits, you can preserve that mana for harassing champs. Use your auto-attack for last-hitting.

I'd buy at least a mana pot, as your overall reduced mana regen will require the supplement. Thankfully, you're rushing tear, so mana starvation won't last for very long.

I choose to build Sorcerer's Shoes fully before going for the Rod of Ages. I find that the magic pen serves to bolster your damage to a point that you can easily run around ganking, or get the jump on your laning opponents for a very possible double kill, if no tanks are around, and you work well with your lanemate.

Rod of Ages will be next up, because of its passive. The amount of Mana and Health it'll give you is staggering, as is the AP. While AP is pretty much useless to Ryze, it still gives a considerable amount of extra damage to your W, which doesn't seem like it matters, but hurts nonetheless. I've seen the top-rated build not recommending RoA because it doesn't offer the tankiness and CDR of Glacial Shroud/Frozen heart as early. I personally don't see why 45 armor points on a low-health champ, who at that point doesn't have enough health to sustain damage anyway is more useful than more health and mana and healing per levelup, as well as the total health and mana bonus to you 10 minutes later. If the enemy team knows what they're doing, they will not take Ryze lightly and often focus him. If you're not the tank, there's no reason why you should be in the middle of the fight unless you're a melee champ, as far as I'm concerned. Your runes give you enough edge, use the early game to get the most out of RoA, and you'll get that Glacial Shroud in no time, I promise.

Now, depending on whether the opponents have more AD or AP will determine whether you build Frozen Heart or Banshee's Vail next. I'm somewhat always more inclined to go for at least the Glacial Shroud first though, for the extra (and extremely important) CDR. Granted, you will then be a buffet to AP champs, but you'll also be able to gun them down quicker in a team fight.

Now. The fun part. Here's the reason why I chose the above as the final slot:

Will of the Ancients: Imagine having Ryze's ult on all the time? Coupled with his Ut, you've got massive vamp going on. If you have other AP champs with you, this'll be a great boon to them as well!

Thornmail: If there are autoattackers on the opposite team, this'll serve you well. The health you've gotten from RoA as well as the extra defense from Frozen Heart will make you a pain to kill. Literally.

Force of Nature: Lots of enemy casters? No problem! Tons more MR for you! The extra health regen will also pretty much have you healing up to about 65 health per 5. Not bad for a caster, huh?

Guardian Angel: More Armor, more MR, and a ressurrection. If your team is competent and you find yourself being the main target, this usually spells disaster for the enemy team. You come back immediately, and since all their cooldowns are up and health is low, they won't try to target you. This is where you run in and mop up.

Another Rod of Ages: More Health and Mana. More regen, bigger mana pool, more damage. You will probably have somewhere along the lines of 5.5k-6k mana at this point, making you a natural disaster.

Void Staff: Pesky tanks be damned! Now you can smack even them! Squishies are even squishier!

Spirit Visage: Extra Health, more MR, but most importantly, more CDR. This'll bring you very close to the cap (if not cap you off outright), and you're not wasting time with AP as you would if you were to buy a Morello's for the CDR. As an added treat, your vamp's effectiveness is increased by 15%!

Archangel's Staff: While I don't usually ever have the time to build it, this would be the final item you'd build, after you've chosen your sixth slot. The AP it'll give, will give a significant damage boost to everything, since the amount of AP will be so high. Your W will gain a noticeable boost from this.

Rylai's Crystal Sceptre: Trolololololololol along as the extra health and passive make you more tanky, and add an unbelievably annoying slow to your opponent with every skill hit. Since Ryze is like a skill-minigun, Your opponent will most probably not ever escape you unless they're Olaf or Master Yi.

DOMINION

It's pretty much the same build as above. Major differences are obviously Odin's Veil instead of Banshee's Veil. Seeing as there are tons of Akali/Katarina combos in Dominion, it may be wise to buy a Negatron Cloak before purchasing Glacial Shroud. I'd limit the optional sixth slot to:

Force of Nature
Thornmail
Rylai's Crystal Scpetre
Void Staff
Guardian Angel

Very straightforward. Your Q is a minigun that fires rockets. Max that ability asap. I've seen the top-rated guide claiming that if you pick Q first, you'll be mana starved since you overuse the skill. Now, while you ARE considerably more mana-hungry with this build than with others, all it takes is a little self-control. DON'T use your Q to last-hit minions. Simple. Use that auto attack, and time it right. Your Q deals massive damage to most champs, especially mid-laners, so use it ONLY to harass enemy champs until you've got a Tear of the Goddess. At that point, spamming your skills becomes necessary, so fire away.

That is not to say that picking Rune Prison first is a bad choice. Rune prison's snare may not be long, but it can be just enough to ensure the champ won't flee in an opening gank, and secure a kill. Still, there are other champs whose stuns/snares at level 1 are far more useful. Taric and Sion, to name a couple.

Rune prison is obviously next to max, since it increases the stun time and damage per level. Rune Prison's damage is pretty high as well, and it still scales somewhat decently with AP. Rod of ages will help make this skill deal some scary damage early game, with the AP/Mana boost.

E will be maxed last, as it serves more for utility in its MPen reduction. It also serves up enough vamp with your ult when either facing a champ 1v1, or even with enemy mninions around, at level 1 due to its bounces.

Obviously, level your R the moment you're able. And don't be afraid to use it! Your passive makes its cooldown so variably low that it really doesn't matter if you use it. All that extra mana and vamp will really put the hurt on someone.

There are tons of different, effective ways to rotate your skills. I won't post giant sequences. Instead, give you these helpful tips:

Always open with a Q. It's big damage, it's on quick cooldown, and since it is, it can also be used to reduce your other cooldowns. So opening with it, and using your E, the Q again, will give a big burst of opening damage, and your snare will then, -ahem- snare, and leave a little time for your third Q. Your ult can be used whenever you feel it's time to use it. It also knocks a second off your other cooldowns, so think about that too.

Generally, you'll want to ult after your opening combo, since you will likely have taken significant damage. It'll reduce your cooldowns, undoubtedly refresh your Q, if it isn't already up, and will add more damage, vamp and AOE damage. If you rush in an enemy champ with a few of his minions around, the extra vamp from AoE damage can be used to secure your survival. With this build, it's not as required as with other squishier builds, but it's still recommended to include the R in your rotation, just in case the opposing team has a trick or two up their sleeves.

NEVER open with W. The cooldown is still long, and it won't allow you to gattle Q as effectively. The only time you should ever use your W without having used Q>E>Q first, is to snare a fleeing champ at low health, either for you or a teammates.

Gattle your abilities. Throw them at the enemy like no tomorrow. All the CDR going on while casting will leave plenty of hurt on the opponent. Don't be afraid to cast spells. Also, you'll probably be boosting your mana throughout the entire game, thanks to Tear of the Goddess, so really, bombs away man.

Try not to get overzealous. It often seems like you're able to tank damage and mow down enemies, but this will often cost you a death. Play smart. Be aggressive, but don't overcommit, even to a single opponent. You never know what runes the enemy's packing to negate your edge, nor who's hiding where.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's imperative you rush that Tear. This item will bring you so much extra mana and damage that you'll be frighteningly powerful with just the tear and boots, if you unleash your skills and farm. Take the time to push the lane for the first couple of minutes upon building the Tear to reap the benefits.

Don't open with your stun. Ever. This leaves a long cooldown, even with your passive, and will often lead to your opponent being able to escape.

Try to isolate an enemy champ when using your E. Multiple bounces will cause for decent damage, and if you're Ulting, lots of extra vamp as well. Very helpful to sustain the enemy barrage when it's time to throw down.

Use your ult as often as possible. Remember, even your ult is affected by your passive, so it'll be back up VERY soon. At level 3, it's a 40 second cooldown. With your passive, your ult can be back up within 20 seconds or less if you're in a prolonged team fight.

Use your Q to harass the enemy when laning. You deal serious damage, you'll discourage the enemy from approaching minions. You have awesome range on the Q, so it's very worthwhile.

DOMINION TIPS

Don't get caught alone. Your cooldowns will almost never allow you an escape unless you're right beside a speed-boost and are an amazing juker by nature.

Your Rune Prison is way more valuable in dominion since it can be used to simply cut off one of the enemy champs in a group rushing to a position. Try to use it to seperate the tank from the carry, or just to keep the hard nuker out of the fight for a second or two, it can make all the difference.

Your E gets more use in Dominion as well since there are usually less minions around to eat up those bounces. If two champs crash a tower you happen to be defending, that E will deal some mean damage to them. Try to catch them with it while they try to capture.

Gattle your abilities. Throw them at the enemy like no tomorrow. All the CDR going on while casting will leave plenty of hurt on the opponent. Don't be afraid to cast spells.

Try not to get overzealous. It often seems like you're able to tank damage and mow down enemies, but this will often cost you a death. Play smart. Be aggressive, but don't overcommit, even to a single opponent. You never know what runes the enemy's packing to negate your edge.

I've said it before and I'll say it again: It's imperative you rush that Tear. This item will bring you so much extra mana and damage that you'll be frighteningly powerful with just the tear and boots, if you unleash your skills and farm. Take the time to push the lane for the first couple of minutes upon building the Tear to reap the benefits.

Don't open with your stun. Ever. This leaves a long cooldown, even with your passive, and will often lead to your opponent being able to escape.

Try to isolate an enemy champ when using your E. Multiple bounces will cause for decent damage, and if you're Ulting, lots of extra vamp as well. Very helpful to sustain the enemy barrage when it's time to throw down.

Use your ult as often as possible. Remember, even your ult is affected by your passive, so it'll be back up VERY soon. At level 3, it's a 40 second cooldown. With your passive, your ult can be back up within 20 seconds or less if you're in a prolonged team fight.

Use your Q to harass the enemy when laning. You deal serious damage, you'll discourage the enemy from approaching minions. You have a decent range on the Q, so it's very worthwhile.

Hope you all enjoy this build! I'll be posting up scoresheets soon. I would have if not for the recent *****treak. I enjoy playing for fun, rather than for keeps, so it happens that I go on a losing streak. Still do well, but I'd rather post up convincing scores ;)

Please comment and rate! I'm open to any feedback!