Pantheon is an extremely OP Solo Top as well as Mid champion who is hard to counter and can ensure victory if played well! Via this build I am suggesting an alternative Pantheon a little less TANKY MONKEY but way more brutal! Through my experience using this build I realised that if you get fed in your own lane durng early laning phase which is rather easy thanks to the great combo damage that is explained on this build, you can bully other lanes with Grand Skyfall and control the match till 5v5 teamfights start. You will probably have completed your build by then, thus owning items that help you thrive during a 5v5 battle as well! Even if the enemies, blinded by desparation caused by your SCORE, decide to focus you, you can hold em, kill some and help your teammates score the so craved for ACE! I hope you enjoy!

Having just a few worthy counter picks Pantheon is a MUST PICK champ for solo top!
PROS: 1. Best turret diver ever!
2. Amazing R that offers great fun, serious damage and ganking power!
3. Passive ( Aegis Protection ) that blocks away turrets, normal basic attacks and empowered basic attacks such as Jax's Empower and Nasus's Siphoning Strike!
4. Targeted Stun via Aegis of Zeonia
5. Great Kill securing potential thanks to Spear Shot's fine range Aegis of Zeonia's gap closing asset, Heartseeker Strike's tremendous passive and his movement speed as he is, together with yi, the fastest champ by default!

CONS: 1. Siege minions destroy passive...
2. Champions with empowered basic attacks can bypass Passive simply: First they strike a normal attack and then they cast the empowering ability leaving Pantheon vulnerable to a big amount of damage...
3. Grand Skyfall is hard to aim and deal damage as it warns the enemies about Panth's arrival long before he slams in!
4. Pantheon has no skillshot ability which would add fun and provide bush check.

Nothing special about runes... Bear in mind to include defense power which is helpful at early game as well as AD and Armor Penetration so that your early SpearShot will do your job!

Although many people disagree with 22-8-0 or the 23-7-0 that I use, I strongly believe that you must not expect your masteries to provide Pantheon the sustainability he requires!!! Let the boot rush and Crystalline Flask. Try to focus on the masteries that enforce your attacks such as Executioner that stacks with E's passive!

Spear Shot - Rank it first, max it first. This skill is the main source of Pantheon's damage against his enemies. It has an 1.4 bonus AD ratio and utterly penetrates any of your opponent's possible "hole" xD. By hole ofc I mean a lack of Armor or health!!! Not to mention the 2.1 ratio against champions with health below 15%! If you want to use it to kill creeps cast it only against siege minions as it consumes 45 of Panth's scarce Mana. Even when you want to poke always remember to keep some Mana for a grand skyfall or THE ULTIMATE TARGETED COMBO! In siple words poke till your mana drops to 180, then stop unless you throw it to kill!

Aegis of Zeonia - Rank it 2nd at most of games but always max it last! Although it provides targeted stun, the damage it deals is not serious and unfortunately ranking it up does not increase the stun duration... Also bear in mind that it deals magic damage! You can use this skill to : stun someone during THE ULTIMATE COMBO ( refer to the THE ULTIMATE COMBO chapter to find out what this is ), kill someone ( not suggested ), immobilize a target during teamfights and engage a fight, stun someone to escape ( especially now that it can be casted on minions too ), gap closing ( targeting a minion near your almost dead enemy ) so you can secure a kill with Q or Ignite.

Heartseeker Strike - Rank it last and max it 2nd. It is good for wave clearing and deals 50% of the damage dealt during THE ULTIMATE COMBO.

Grand Skyfall - Nothing to say about it!!! It is impossibly strong! Mind to cast it during teamfights when enemies are too busy to escape the circle that indicates your landing or somewhere between the enemies and their turret so as to block their escape from your allies when ganking! Also don't rely on its damage as it is magic and has an AP ratio!

W then E ( fully channelled ) then Q. Repeat this combo 2-3 times against a single enemy then Ignite him and 99% you got a kill!!! If not, flash and Spear Shoot him to his GRAVE ( Graves xD ) !!!!! You will see your enemy fleeing away from terror and their life diminishing down to 0! You will either get fed to the max or push your lane extremely fast as your enemy will recall a hundred times!

That's it... The final chapter.. It's been a real pleasure to share my opinion about my 2nd main champion. Now it's time for the real controversy!!! Let's analyze each main item separately! As for the order it works fine for me in 90% of my games and as for the rest I make a few changes! Here we go:

The Brutalizer - Not a main item but it gives Pantheon the early game strength that makes you curse when playing against him. Rush it and you will remember me!

2nd Tier Boots - A nice portion of magic resist or armor combined with the fine unique passives that grant you ALL the sustainability you need during early game!

Black Cleaver - Pantheon's must buy item basically cause of the 25% Armor Reduction that is achieved via Heartseeker Strike and increases a lot Spear Shot's damage in the end of the combo. The HP, cd reduction and flat armor pen it gives are also very helpful especially during early game.

Bloodthirster - An idea I had when I saw Panth's great wave clearing with E. I suggest this item basically for the 100 AD it gives since panth can stack the passive real quick! However since pantheon's AD shall be particularly high at the moment you stack this to maximum, his basic attacks are strong enough to heal him through the 18% lifesteal that Bloodthirster gives. I know that you disagree with this item but at least try it once! If I prove wrong to your eyes stick with the Typical Ravenous Hydra that has its own advantages! If I don't go in front of a mirror and curse yaself for not buying it all this time!

Randuin's Omen - Welcome to the late game! You are now asked by your team to control the teamfights and secure the ace! I can see the agony in your eyes!!! Wanna relax? Buy this item, W on the enemy adc and maybe kill the enemy adc with your combo then click the Omen's active and job is done! "Honor Pantheon after this" - Send All . That's what you will probably see. However, your resistance against magic damage is not yet achieved so try to avoid spell casters or assasinate them before it's too late!

Last Whisper - Now that the game is yours after the previous teamfight the enemy team starts to split push! Not knowing what else to do you start going to lanes alone feeling sure about yourself in order to hault their march. But then you realise that you can't kill them quickly enough as they have built armor! Not to mention what you do against tanks! Don't worry don't cry, Get Whisper and FLY! 35% armor reduction that stacks with Cleaver's armor pen and reduction making the strongest tank a sack of flesh against you!

Spirit Visage - WARNING! You may buy this before Last Whisper if the enemy team is full of magic damage freaks or if their apc is fed and likes bullying you! Whenever you buy it a massive health regen, health and magic resist amounts will bring an extra 20% increase in your already bought Life Steal thus turning you into an undying KILLER with high potential of going 1v5 and surviving! ( do not try this however! )

I hope you enjoyed this guide and that i helped you assure a couple more victories while playing Pantheon! It's been an honor for me that you read the build down to the summary so THANK YOU! Feel free to share your thoughts on this guide as well as point out things you disagree with by commenting! And remember: They are privileged to die in your feet ! GL AND HF!