Please scroll down for an in-depth explanation of items to get. The items listed above are items you should definitely get.

Also most of this build is based on 5v5, but you can probably work around it and make it 3v3 and Domnion, the masteries are the biggest problem for Dominion play. You might want to go 0/9/21 instead.

Also noted, the reason I get so many GP5 and Warmogs is because this will build towards a super tanky, roll-over enemy team Late Game. A Warmog's early game can be great, but without MR and Armor, you only LOOK tanky. So please play cautiously early game.

I read all comments. :D

Updated on: 26-Feb-2012

Welcome to my Amumu guide!

Build 1 // Solo Top
Build 2 // Laning with Partner
Build 3 // Jungling

As always, do not bash the guide if you haven't tried it out. Judge it on how well you tank, not how well you carry. =P

Remember: It's your play-style. I don't expect you to follow my guide to the last detail. When you're playing a tank, it's all about adapting.

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There's a lot of debate between whether Amumu should be built as an AP caster, AP tank or full tank. I believe that going full tank is the way to go. All four of his skills requires him to be in close range with the enemies (or in the case of his Q, drags him closer to enemies). So building him squishy AP makes him at a huge disadvantage, considering he (most likely) won't be able to live during teamfights. Being tank Amumu doesn't mean you can't kill. It might take longer to kill, and you will be racking up more assists than kills, but that's a tank's job. The presence of a tank is threatening because they do big damage over time. Tanks are not only the meatshields of the team. They initiate teamfights, they save carries, and they can live through all of that. A tank is a different from an AP carry, so if you're here for 'how to get pentakills with Amumu', you've come to the wrong place.

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Flash can be used to initiate, run away, or to 'secure a kill'. I wouldn't worry about running away late game, trust me, you won't die unless you dive them in their home or 1v5 without teammate. :P

Teleport is a spell I find should honestly be used on all tanks. It's a personal preference, but it can be used to save a turret from being backdoor'd, can be used to teleport to a ward, or to save a teammate running down a lane. Remember you can teleport to Teemo mushrooms, Shaco's boxes and Annie's bear.

Smite is necessary if you're trying to jungle.

Ghost is a summoner spell some people choose over Flash.

Exhaust is commonly found on tanks. Chasing is no problem with Amumu and if you need to decrease attack speed, you can get a Frozen Heart instead.

Fortify a.k.a. 'Can't touch this.' It can be used in correlation with your stun+ultimate to kill someone via turret, especially when they try to dive you.

Garrison + Promote are strong dominion skills.

Heal + Clarity are skills I'm okay with new players using.

Revive is not something I support but it works late game for some people. (And it's actually a funny spell to be used in Domnion.)

Cleanse is replaceable with a Quicksilver Sash, which does way more than Cleanse does.

Surge - AS and AP are useless on tank Amumu.

Ignite + Clairvoyance are not appropriate for a tank's role.

(Noted that Ignite is quite useful against an all healer team/Fiddlesticks and what not. I find it doubtful that not a single person on your team won't have Ignite.)

Cursed Touch
Amumu's MR-reducing passive. It is effective against opposing tanks/anyone with MR and piles with the effects of the Abyssal Mask.
Bandage Toss
A skill-shot that stuns an enemy. Be warned, this skill hits enemies and minions alike. It take a large amount of mana and also has a lengthy cooldown, therefore it should not be used without reason. This bandage toss can be used for chasing, initiating, and running in the jungle (bandage to minion camps).
Despair
A small AoE spell around Amumu that deals more damage the more health the enemy has. This makes Amumu excellent against high-health champions (ex. Cho'Gath, Vladimir). It also makes AP needless on him, as long as you have time, you can take down anybody with just your W. However, this spell saps mana quickly. I do not recommend turning it on to farm minions in lane or to needlessly harass.
Tantrum
Deals damage in a small AoE around Amumu, passive makes Amumu take less damage from physical attacks. The cooldown decreases as Amumu is hit with autoattacks, that's why Amumu can nuke someone down when he's surrounded by enemy minions, it also makes Amumu able to destroy AD carries. This is why it's extremely stupid to focus Amumu when he's rolling about in the middle of your team.
Curse of the Sad Mummy
A large AoE spell that snares enemies inside of it. Remember, this ability snares. It will not stop Katarina's Death Lotus, Karthus's Requiem or any other spell that's channels. Your Bandage Toss (stun) will stop them, but your ult (snare) will not. A carefully placed Amumu ult can win a game or break it.

Why E first? E is your main output of damage AND it gives you a nice passive that reduces damage dealt. It's fantastically easy to farm minions with this skill. Just walk ahead and get all minion aggro and spam. (Spamming can, however, lead to mana loss.)

Why Q last? Leveling Q only gives you lower cooldowns and more damage, what's important is the stun, which always lasts one second no matter how many times you level it.


Max E first, then W, and finally Q.
I put one point in Q at level 2 to make my jungler's ganks easier OR if I'm sure they'll dive me (if you somehow end up in a 1v2, it's highly likely, I can't explain how many double kills I get when they try).

There's a few adjustments you can make to this build, you can get W at level 3 instead of 4. You can choose to get W at level 2 and Q at level 4.

- Why E at level 1?
So you can farm minions easily without having to go right up and auto-attack. Or if you're owning your lane you can just go forward and role about in the minions. Since the cooldown is reduced as you are hit, you can spam your E. Easy farming.

Ahem. Lame memes aside...


-This build looks familiar...
Yes this is from the guide 'Amumu the Tank Slayer' by DannyMagick.

I also started learning with his guide. It is highly effective when you're laning with a strong DPS/AP champ.

I, myself, like to get Q at level 3. This way I can gank right away.
The above guide is the standard jungling guide, and I recommend going that way if you're still inexperienced and don't have armor runes. =P

I'll explain jungle routes and what not in the Jungling section below.

I do not find putting a point in Offense is necessary for jungling. But feel free to change up your masteries if you'd like.

The 0/21/9 way is effective as you get a huge amount of health early game (if you combine that with a Ruby Crystal (which builds into a Heart of Gold) your health will be about 800 at level one. :3).

If you have any questions about Masteries, just ask. :D

Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed - Movement speed is important on Amumu and most tanks. This way you can dive in battle and intiate quickly. Also this way you won't have to waste money on Boots of Swiftness and can focus on Mercury's Treads instead.

Greater Mark of Magic Penetration - Combined with your passive, it makes you a deadly threat without the need of AP.

Greater Seal of Armor - For jungling and early game purposes. You might find yourself checking a bush with an Ashe plus Tryndamere who probably thought you were dead. NOPE (Just Chuck Testa)- your masteries and armor will let you walk away from the bush like nothing happened. :D

Greater Glyph of Scaling Cooldown Reduction - Late game these babies will combine with your masteries and give you more than 15% CDR, throw in a blue buff and BAM 40% CDR (max CDR). You'll have your ult up every minute and a half. :3

Heart of Gold or Philosopher's Stone -

GP5 is generally necessary when soloing a lane or jungling. You're going to need the gold and the extra health/regen to keep you up in game.

New players tend to choose the Philosopher's Stone for the mana regen. A quick blue buff will save you the need.

I like to get both in lane and sell the PS later, but if I have to only choose one... I'd pick the HoG because I can build that into a Randuin's Omen. The PS is nice but the items it builds into Eleisa's Miracle and Shurelya's Battlesong are just not suited for his role.

The Tenacity comes from his boots, which saves more space for more tanky items. Shurelya's Reverie is a support item, and should stay that way. Plus Randuin's Omen's active is generally the same, but much more useful.

What's the deal with the Mercury's Treads?

It gives you the movement speed you need, a small amount of magic resist AND Tenacity. You don't have to use up your Philosopher's Stone to rush a Eleisa's Miracle. I don't find any need for Boots of Swiftness when you can get movement speed masteries / runes or even a Force of Nature.

What's the deal with the Warmog's Armor?

Amumu's health is nothing to boast about. Against other tanks, Amumu is way down the list at level 18. The Warmog's makes up for all the flaws in his health early and late game.

Plus remember, the only counter to True Damage is health. :3

Thornmail -
Get this when:
- There are fed AD Carries.

Pros:
- Returns part of their damage
- 100 Armor

Cons:
- If you don't have enough health to live through their attacks, then this item is useless.

Ninja Tabi -

Get this when:
- You are against a team of primarily AD / Fed Ranged AD Carry, and little CC on enemy team.

Pros:
- Amazing damage decrease

Cons:
- You *might* lose Tenacity from Mercury's Treads, but you can get an Eleisa's Miracle

Sunfire Aegis -
Get this when:
- You need health and armor.

Pros:
- Nice combination of health and armor.
- Dat passive.

Cons:
- Do not rush this as a first item. You'll be dead weight early game when you're trying to get a turret because the turret will instantly lock down on you and you won't be able to live through its blows unless you already have your Warmogs/other armor items.

Randuin's Omen -
Get this when:
- There are AD Carries with high attack speed+movement speed. Ex. Master Yi (Noted that if he ults, this item won't effect him.)

Pros:
- Health, Regen, Armor all in one item
- Has a chance to slow and reduce attack speed when hit.
- Active slows Movement speed + Attack Speed of enemies near you. It's a like a reverse Shurelya's Battlesong.

Cons:
- n/a

Frozen Heart -
Get this when:
- Someone has high attack speed on the enemy team. (Ex. Vayne, Twitch...)

Pros:
- Slows Attack Speed
- Gives you CDR and Mana.

Cons:
- n.a

Quicksilver Sash -
Get this when:
- There are a lot of CC (Crowd Control a.k.a. stuns, slows, snares...) on the enemy team.
- There's Ignites/Exhausts on their team.

Pros:
- Free Cleanse, plus removes more debuffs than Cleanse does.

Cons:
- You have to remember that this item is in your inventory and is ready to be used any time.

Banshee's Veil -
Get this when:
- There's a lot of spell casters on the enemy team.

Pros:
- Strong against people with spells they proc such as LeBlanc and Akali.
- Dat spell shield.

Cons:
- n.a

Force of Nature -
Get this when:
- There's a lot of AP carries

Pros:
- Lots of MR
- Dat health regen and movement speed.

Cons:
- n.a

Chalice of Harmony -
Get this when:
- There's AP and you're having trouble with mana

Pros:
- Mana Regen

Cons:
- Doesn't give much MR...
- This is a good item for newer players, I really don't recommend it though.

Guardian Angel -
Get this when:
- It's late game and you're ready to finish the game.

Pros:
- Free Zilean ult.
- Pretty much unkillable. :D

Cons:
- If you are ever caught, people will crowd around and wait for you to revive and finish you off.
- Smart people will stop focusing you and move on to your carries.

Aegis of the Legion-
Get this when:
- You want to support your laning partners/teammates during a teamfight
- You want additional health

Pros:
- Nice auras.
- Strong early game.

Cons:
- Late game this item will probably be recycled.

Abyssal Mask -
Get this when:
- You have lots of AP on your team/they have a lot of MR on their team

Pros:
- Magic Resistance
- Nice reduction of MR for your whole team
- Extra AP scales for your Q (Bandage Toss) and R (Curse of the Sad Mummy)

Cons:
- Don't get it if you're pure tank Amumu and your team is not doing good. :I

Zhonya's Hourglass -
Get this when:
- You're butt-raping the other team.

Pros:
- Invincible :D
- Extra Armor
- Extra AP

Cons:
- Using it will take all the focus off of you.
- Extremely expensive, so don't get it unless you're trolling. :p

How to start the game:

Take a look at the enemy team while the screens loading before choosing what to buy.

Normally:
x Regrowth Pendant ( Philosopher's Stone) if you think you're going to be harassed like no tomorrow. (Especially in a 2v1 lane.)
x Ruby Crystal ( Heart of Gold) if you think you're okay with just the extra health.

1v1?:
x If you think you're going to need the extra health pots:
x Against Nasus, Irelia, Wukong, Shyvana, Tryndamere... AD champs, I recommend getting Cloth Armor and 5x Health Potion. Especially people who like to poke you.
x Against Galio, Swain... AP champs, I recommend getting a Null-Magic Mantle and 2x Health Potion.

Laning Phase:

You want to get last hits, but you don't want to suicide for them. Going in and getting poked is something you don't want to do. You want to stay back, let the lane push so your jungler will have easier ganks and last hit under the turret.

Caster Minion: Autoattack it once, let turret hit, autoattack it again. (Early game you might need to Tantrum it since you have low Attack Damage).

Melee Minions: Let the turret hit it twice, then you autoattack / Tantrum it.

As soon as you get 300-800 gold, go back, get your GP5 item. If you don't have Teleport, get your jungler to hold your lane for a bit before waddling back in lane.

When your jungler come to gank:

You have to decide if you should intiate or if your jungler should. I usually pop Despair, Bandage Toss them and Tantrum the **** out of them. Then my jungler comes and kills them off while I go back.

There's a teamfight going on! What do I do?
Keep your eye on the map, if your teleport is up, don't just leave your lane and let Nasus free farm while you waddle down there just to watch them die. You're going to want to teleport in there if you realize that it's a fight your team can't win or if your squishy get's isolated. Worse comes to worse, teleport in, bandage toss the enemies offending your team and roll around and/or ult them.

What happens when I get their turret/they get mine?
Now you either push down their turret or start going around ganking. Around this time, teamfights are going to come into play.

How to start the game:

I can usually start off right away with a component ( Regrowth Pendant / Ruby Crystal) for one of my GP5 items because I have a partner to take care of and who'll take care of my lane when I'm gone. Plus you're going to need to give the farm to your lane mates, instead of taking it on your own.

Picking a lane partner:

I recommend some RANGED AD because bot lane is usually Support + AD Carry, you're going to lose out and get harassed if you go bot with a Xin Zhao. Someone like Ashe and Caitlyn really compliments you.

Or you can choose someone AP to make the most out of your passive, which reduces MR. Someone like Fiddlesticks, whose passive also lowers MR, would be awesome or even Galio. (Plus both their ults are AoE which synchronizes with yours.)

Laning with that partner:

Talk to your partner in skype or in chat. Be sure they're ready whenever you initiate. Ping if you have to. Know when to back off and don't die. Tanks might have more deaths in a game but there's a thin line between an honorable sacrifice and suicide.

How to start the game:

(In the jungle, at LEAST one GP5 is essential because you won't get a steady income of gold like you were laning.)

If you have your runes set up and a Cloth Armor and 5x Health Potion you won't need a leash at blue buff, but you will need someone to help you watch for ganks. Make sure they stand on the other side of blue buff and keep watch.

The problem with Amumu is that he's one of the champs that *has* to start at blue buff or he can't jungle. So you will get ganked one day, that's why it's easier to jungle with a premade friend.

Jungle Route:

1. Blue Buff
Start here with Despair, this is essential to your jungling, if the enemy team does gank and take it, then you're going to have to start at golems and be set back a bit. Worse comes to worse, especially when your leash failed or you don't have the right runes, ask if you can lane with top.

You should hit level 2 by the time you kill it. Get Tantrum.

2. Wolves

3. Wraiths
You should reach level 3.
Note: If you're confident enough, you can put a point in bandage toss and start ganking, if not, move on to golems.

4. Golems
I don't recommend using smite here, but if you have to, then go ahead.

Rather, rinse, repeat.

Go back once you have enough for boots and when you have enough to get a GP5 item.

RED BUFF
This buff is not as beneficial to Amumu as it could be to an AD champion. Ask an AD Champ from top/mid lane (or have bot lane go home and run to red) to get it instead, smite it for them and pass it on to them, it will help them greatly during their laning phase.

Dragon
Keep this warded if bot lane doesn't have it covered. You'll want to get this whenever you can, and you can probably start around level 8 with help from someone.

Keep working until it's midgame.

Teamfighting isn't as simple as bandage toss in and ultimate. There's times that will make things easier for your team, and times that will make it harder.

It's all about positioning.

If your team has a someone with an AoE ult and they ult the enemy team, you should flash in there and root them there (if most of your team is there and it's not a 2v5 lol). Common sense comes into play too.

Flashing in, ulting and then bandage tossing their biggest threat is effective too if you're trying to isolate that person, such as a fed Xin Zhao or Annie. (You want to react quickly before they can flash away. You have 2 seconds (unless they have Tenacity items) to stun them.

Your job as Amumu is to also lower the health of the enemy team by using Tantrum and Despair while you're in the middle of them. Trust me, you don't need AP to melt them. =)

Your Despair will be devastating to the enemy tank, the more health they have, the less chance they stand against you.

Finally, if you got any questions, just ask! I'll put it right here and reply to your comment! =)