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Sup! This is my first guide for LoL. I decided to feature one of my favorite champs, Renekton. If you enjoy playing a mobile, durable, fun bruiser, Renekton is the champ for you. Some consider him to be outshined by some other top lane champs but if played and built right he is certainly a force. So crank up some Nile (or whatever jams you want) and lock in that croc with the badass weapon!

Armor Pen MarksFlat Armor Seals
Flat Magic Resist Glyphs
Flat Health Quints

When it comes to runes I usually go with a typical tanky dps. Armor Pen Reds, Armor Yellows, Magic Resist Blues, and flat Health Quints. Going semi tanky with Renekton will allow you to stand in that pocket and trade blows with other top laners. It also goes well with his ult in terms of giving you more durability. You can also go with a more DPS based rune set, depending on what team comp your team has going. If we already have a tanky champ ill go with a little more damage in my runes/masteries. IMHO I think that going off tank is a safe way to play Renekton.

As mentioned above in the Runes section, it really depends on the team comps. I usually go 21/9/0 to give me some extra damage and a little more defense but if you are the only semi-tanky champ on your roster you may want to consider a 14/16/0 or 9/21/0 build.

For Summoner Spells i'll usually go with Flash and Exhaust. Flash works well with your E in giving you extra distance closing and escape ability. Exhaust also goes well with Ruthless Predator in keeping the enemies in your range. Exhaust is also great for giving you the upper hand in AD exchanges. You may also consider Ghost instead of Flash. I feel that these spells are usually interchangeable in their uses.

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When first playing Renekton I used to max W first. Of course as you play more and more LoL you start to figure out and realize that more damage isn't always the best path. I think that having your Q,W,E by lvl 3 is essential to keeping your opponent zoned and harassed. Cull the Meek may seem to be a little low on the damage side at first but maxing it by lvl 9 will end up paying dividends in team fights and chasing enemies. You will find yourself getting kills from Cull when it hits low life champs from a greater distance than you realize.

Maxing Q first, W second, and E last seems to be the better way to build Renekton. Of course everything about a champ build is tentative depending on how the game is going.

When it comes to items on Renekton, you have a few options.

Boots:/
This all depends on how the enemy team is built. If the enemy team is AP heavy with lots of CC you may want to consider the Merc Treads. If the enemy team isnt as CC heavy you can go with the Boots of Lucidity for some extra CD reduction. This will allow you to use your skills more often and allow you to be more useful in team fights.

Damage Items:
It is common to see a Renekton with a Brutalizer / Ghost Blade. It gives you some more CD reduction as well as some needed armor pen. I know some people frown upon Wit's End but I find it to be quite useful more often than not. It gives you some attack speed, extra burst on your W and also give you some more durability in the MR department. The Frozen Mallet and Black Cleaver are more so end game damage items if you have the cash and the game allows. Its common to see both Frozen Mallet + Atmas and Warmogs/Atmas on tanky bruisers because of the health and AD boost it gives. Either works very well on Renekton so build accordingly.

Defensive Items:
These are more common Renekton defensive items and they all work well in the right situations. I'll usually go for Warmogs/Atmas - Fratmas with a Sunfire Cape as a last defensive item to give myself that beefy hard hitting feel to Renekton.

Pros:

Great chaser/harasser
Strong early/mid game
Easy to earn multi kills with his mobility and ult
Nice persistent damage output with his combo like kit
Stong farmer with AOE skills
Can put up quite a fight with other top lane champs
Cooldowns only

Cons:

Easily harassed by ranged champs
Can be squishy without items early
Using his skills with poor placement can leave you open with everything on cooldown
Late game can be weak if he isn't farmed and can't rack up a few kills early

When playing Renekton, timing is everything. One pet peeve I have when playing DPS Bruisers is that a lot of players feel that you should be rushing in and attack enemy champs constantly. This isn't the best/smartest way to play. I engage with Renekton when I know I can put out more damage then I will receive or if I know I can get a kill. Knowing how Renekton's skills work in conjuction with fighting/chasing will help to make your engagements more rewarding. Try and take advantage of his strong early game by picking up a few kills early on (just be smart about it!). This will help you get the items and levels you need to start causing all kinds of mad. A fed Renekton is a scary croc indeed.

Tips:

- Remember to auto attack in between your skills. This will keep your fury bar filling up and will also add that extra dps in fights. Think of using a Riven/Lee Sin method in putting auto attacks between your skills to maximize damage.

- When going in for an attack on an enemy, keep the enemy minions near by. This will help to give you more distance and options with your E. It will also give you more heal/fury with your Cull the Meek (more minions/champs = more heal+fury) You can either E twice to close a large distance or Slice through his minions and then save Dice to keep the chase going. Remember that Slice/Dice is essential for escaping ganks and bad situations as well as securing kills.

- Be careful when you use your Ruthless Predator. One downside with this skill is that it stuns you as well as the enemy. This can spell death if using it while under an enemy tower or if you are in a bad lane position with a jungler near by.

- What seems to frustrate most new Renekton players is the managing of his fury bar. Jumping into a fight with no fury is far less effective than jumping in with at least 50 fury. This all ties in with the timing aspect of Renekton. If you can manage to keep your fury bar up while keeping minions around you can maximize his full potential.

- Remember that Slice/Dice can clear small terrain. This is great for escaping and chasing. If your target burns a flash over a wall you can continue the pursuit with a nice E over any light terrain near by.

- Something I like to do is to prime my W before Slice/Dicing in. This can give you the upper hand early in a fight when you know that you are committing to it. Renekton has great initiative because he can dash in and stun an enemy before they even realize what is going on. A neat trick I like using is if your E is on cooldown and you know that it is safe to keep chase, prime W and then Flash onto your victim. This can give you an edge with the chase and is also great for finishing off low life champs.

- Make sure to pick your battles. Understand your champ's capabilities and strengths when charging into battle. Some champs are better matches than others versus Renekton.

When it comes to team fights, its all about taking out the squishy carries. Cull the Meek can help to keep you alive for a little longer while pumping out nice AOE damage with your skills + Ult. Watch for any straggling carries on the enemy team so that you can focus your attention and commence the chase. Slice/Dice is great for jumping in and out of the trenches of fights. Just be patient and try to keep track of what is going on in order to be as effective as possible in team fights.

Renekton is a great champion for those who like tanky bruiser types. He has a fun kit and can certainly be viable if built and played right according to the way the game is going. The above guide is the method in which I have had the most success with Renekton. Feel free to use this guide to help you learn a few things on how Renekton can be played. Feel free to leave suggestions in the comments as I am certainly no pro and am open to suggestions of all kinds. I hope this guide can give a little insight for those hwo are aspiring to give this Croc a try. Thanks for stopping by!