this build is a build and a guide on how to tank as alistar. there is also a potent build for off-tanking alistar. it is not about ap alistar or qing like a truck. it is tanking turrets, adapting to your enemies, disrupting the team, and feeding and healing YOUR TEAM's carries. it is not about stoking my ego. it is here to help you. if you were helped by it, +1. if you are a vet and think it would help new people, +1. if you think i suck, go troll elsewhere. please. if you think ap ali is the only way, check patch logs. if you think that there are better ways to tank as alistar, please comment with them.

9/3/11 added screenshots section and changed skill sequence to make him much more sustainable in lane

no, i'm not a noob. it's called effective tanking. the theory (that makes total sense and is the main reason for off-tanks and tanky dps) is that-sure, alistar may be right there. but why do i care? he would spend 10 minutes trying to kill me. i think i'll go get that carry of his. or you've got the perfect off-tanky cho protecting that carry. OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S FREAKING CHO!!! I GOTTA STAY AWAY FROM HIS CARRY OR HE'LL EAT ME!!! so.... because cho can deal damage, his carry lives. much better deal, huh? so that's why he's got damage.

also, please see here if you don't know how to tank and what tanks aretanking and off-tanking

I play alistar as a tank. since his recent ap ratio nerf, there isn't any real other way to play him. therefore, these items are not set in stone. however, they do make it about impossible to kill him. normally, though, i won't end up with this build because it depends on the characters i'm laning against and on the other team.

ad = attack damage
ap = ability power
hp = health (aka hit points)
aka = also known as (or the same as)
hp regen = health regeneration per 5 seconds
mana regen = mana regeneration per 5 seconds
nerf = essentially means they reduced the character's output
buff = when i refer to a buff, it means a little picture that appears above your health bar on the bottom of the screen indicating a positive or negative effect on your character. one common one is the heal buff for alistar which will have no effect as long as you don't take Heal. when i refer to a character getting buffed, that means their damage output got increased

armor = reduces physical damage in the formula armor/ (100 - armor) = physical damage reduction

magic resistance = reduces magic damage in the same formula as above

farming - killing minions

WARNING- many players will stack either armor or magic penetration which means that the damage reduction will not be as high as it should be!!!

WARINING---

some characters such as Kog'Maw and Warwick can take a percentage of your health as damage!!!

WARNING--- many characters can heal for a percentage of the damage dealt!!!

These are fairly standard tanking runes. i just added mana since he can get a little mana hungry. you could also substitute ad or as marks, but i prefer walking into a game at just over 800 health. It sends an intimidating message to those starting at 460. and they just go **** we lost. it's fun to see.

These are not mandatory. however, when you're winning and the enemy is trying to take your outer turrets, flashing onto their nexus, popping Unbreakable Will WHEN YOUR OPPONNENTS SHOW UP and destroying it by yourself sends a message. i took ignite because you can pulverise Ignite Headbutt and early game drop a champoin 300 health. end game, you can drop them 900 as a tank without breaking out more than 2 spells. it's a sweet feeling. also you can catch a runner by Triumphant Roar activates Trample and lets you run through the minions followed by r-clicking on them, Headbutt lclick on them Ignite lclick on them. great feeling to tank and kill the runners.

All of the defense masteries should be apparent. the block physical damage and less damage from minions and monsters are for help with trample to run through the minions and also late game when you get in the middle and pulverise and then laugh cause the minions are hitting you for 2 (TWO) DAMAGE EACH. this makes you practically immune because end game you can regen health faster than they can deal it. the time not dead is so that you can stay in the lane and protect your person more. it also allows you to start the pushing or defense faster late game. the exp gained + less time spent dead allows you to out-level almost any character out there, especially important as then you get the bonus health from leveling up. Hp regen per max mana stays with you all game. I recently changed from elisa's miracle to Tear of the Goddess for the mana. the max mana is important so that you have enough to spam Triumphant Roar more often. (not to mention helps you always have the mana for Unbreakable Will.

Not vital. your main job is to stand in the way so the carry you're protecting doesn't get squished. if you're really not getting any gold grab these 3 items (only as needed though) philosopher's stone Heart of Gold and kage's lucky pick. this should have you covered. try to last hit AT MOST 1 minion per wave (unless your carry is EXPLICITLY TELLING YOU TO TAKE A WAVE). be nice. they need the gold more than you do. If your carry is back or dead, and you are allowed to push, here's how farming works.

Pick a middle minion in a wave. Headbutt it and wait until colossal strength is about to wear off and then pulverise , trying to last hit the entire time. Then as trample's abou to wear off, cast Triumphant Roar and get your hp back while wiping out the wave. end game, you shouldn't have to hit e.

NEVER USE R WHEN FARMING!!! ONLY CHO'GATH IS EVER ALLOWED TO USE R ON A MINION!!! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS!!!

I'm mainly adding this section because i can't post screenshots because the log-on is down, but i thought this might help. And now that i know that my code works, here goes

Colossal Strength
Your passive. apparrently it's changed recently since i keep seeing all this "now with trample". i've only been playing since about May, but i am really level 30. Sometimes it's nice to have "summer assignments." Cough Cough. Anyway, this is great. very helpful for chasing when they have to run around the dumb things. i've even cought a master yi with Highlander on because he had to run around my minions. Use it when tower attacking. Be wary of healing at a tower when their champ is right behind it. this may make a tower attack you. Still pretty freaking awesome.

If I had my way, this would be your main farming ability. OH WAIT!!! I DO!!! It's great, especially with the aoe trample residue. It also starts any good combo. With a built-in slow, it's pretty freaking awesome, as you can then run around and Headbutt then into your carry's waiting kill. It's also great as getting chaser's or tower divers shocked as all of a sudden they're behind you again or the tower just hit them 3 times and they haven't touched you yet...



This is an increadible spell as a harasser. that mean guy's chasing you? just knock him back. most will run off. Warwick has proven himself to be the dumb beast of an exception.
Feeling gutsy? combine this with Pulverize. that way you get a stun in addition to the knock back. HOW TO USE THIS: READ THIS SECTION. ALMOST NOBODY KNOWS THIS: If you are auto-attacking someone and headbutt them you go flying with them. if you are not auto-attacking them, you don't go flying with them. How awesome is that, Huh?



A cool heal. cheap at first, so i tend not to level it too much. works like Wish. just cast it and both you and everyone around got their spirits raised. much better than Heal or other support heals. even heals minions!!!



This is what most people think of as alistar. It an the recent AP nerf for him are why i go mostly ad not ap. And btw, he's a bull, not a cow. Don't believe me? in a game as him, go /t and then hit enter (in the chat area). This should always be on if you're in a big fight. end game, that can be 2v2 or 5v5 or whatever. it is also ok for escaping. although it does remove cc, i tend to use it the SECOND after i'm focused for initiating. this is why i stack health also. With a good hp pool and ok hp regen (you've still got your e) you can turret dive and take the turret too for good measure. Also handy if the turret's got 300-500 hp and you can tell there are enemies heading toward you. makes you untouchable for the rest of the tower, and speeds it's demise both by activating trample and by giving you bonus ad.

If you're doing your job outstandingly, then these should work well. i find that nukes are best disrupted with Headbutt since they won't often get close enough for Pulverize. However, Pulverize does better with melee/dps characters who like to jump in your face. Take Headbutt for ranged characters and especially nukes. once you have about 1500 max mana or so feel free to level triumplant roar. You should have at least one point in everything by level 6 though. the disruption is great, especially the guy who over extends and then you Pulverize walk around him Headbutt him back behind your lines and keep attacking him. if you're carry's any good, you should have either a kill or an assist from it (aim for the assist but still try to damage him).

FYI--- If you do go summoner's rift, start with Triumphant Roar to deny the other team the first blood in your lane at least. keep your carry alive. if you are at full health and your carry is not, HEAL YOUR FREAKING CARRY!!! THAT IS YOUR MAIN JOB!!! KEEP THE CARRY ALIVE SO SHE CAN DEAL DAMAGE. Just sayin. That's how you play the game.

This one is for tanking facing a team full of characters like these: Karthus Veigar AP ANYBODY Cho'Gath Annie Lux Ryze ect. for obvious reasons it emphasizes magic resistance. end game you should be taking 68.5% reduced magic damage with a health pool of 4351. your e also will be healing you for 207. and as a bonus you also get 1 free spell block every 45 second.
Craxy note... despite a MR build, you're taking 47% reduced physical damage!!

This build is intended to fight the all physical damage people (aka Xin Zhao Renekton Garen Jarvan IV Master Yi Jax ect. this build absolutely rocks. why? you ask. reasons follow:
(a) 25% crd without the boots. you grab the boots instead of Ninja Tabi and you get the 40%crd cap.
(b) 343 armor.this makes you take 77.5 percent reduced physical damage end game.
(c) 4197 hp. nuf said.
(d) 14% dodge. 14% of their attacks miss you. every time that happens you gain 10% bonous mov speed. NICE, HUH?
(e) their attack speed is slowed by 20% every time they get near you. way to piss them off.
(f) they hit you 5 times, their movement and attack speed is almost guaranteed to be slowed by 35%. PLUS the additional 20% their attack speed is already slowed (see point e) and you can make that happen to everyone in the area during a team fight! This item is way undervalued.
(g) you have an end game ad of about 210 BEFORE your bonus 90 from unbreakable will!!!
(h) you also damage stuff around you for 35 magic damage constantly PLUS Colossal Strength!!!

(g) You should never finish this build, or 1 or 3. sorry. with a tank this awesome, your team either sucks really badly or you just made them surrender as 5 people tried to gank you... and you survived for 10 seconds until they all died from your team running across the map to help you...
YOU ARE THE UNBREAKABLE TANK.

This is most of the time what you will have to go with. This build is still pretty amazing. Why, you ask. I'm soooooooooooooooooooooo glad you asked. now let me explain.

(a) 4285 hp. More health than anybody but my off-tank build and mabey Cho'Gath and Olaf will ever have. I have this much health because Unbreakable Will does nothing for you if you have no health to defend

(b)197 armor... 66%reduced physical damage... You would have to get dealt 12855 physical damage to die (assumes no armor pen or magic damage taken) (this doesn't count your ult...)

(c) 170 Magic resist. Look above. Now look back. That's 63% reduced magic damage. Take that, all ye overpowered champs. (and you've still got your ult)...

(d) free revive and spell block. It doesn't hurt to add these to your build

(e) you're helping your team!!! ( ageis of the legion helps them AND you!!!

(f) 15% crd. adds to the fun!!!


This is a crazy tanking build. it makes you virtually untouchable. and sorry, but i don't have to time to give you a hp regen range for this. it's very dependent on your max mana thanks to your masteries. but if you bug me i will...

This one is tons of fun. end game this is what you look like:
slow on all your abilities (including trample) and your attacks
Health of 5037
Ad of 320 and then there's Unbreakable Will which gets you to 410!!!
Ap of 80
you could replace the manamume with the Archangel's Staff since that's just a matter of personal preference. but for an off-tank this build is where it's at for alistar. you've got massive disruption and almost a permaslow. you'v e got at least as much ad as the normal carry and a slow. Plus you've got more than twice of the carrys out there and 1500-2000 more hp than the other team's tanks AND some ap AND CRAZY Crowd Control. Try it. it looks crazy and almost a tank build, but that's where the pure awesomeness comes in. This build is anything but normal. that's why it works. Seriously, try it. you will get laughed at until you penta-kill or save your entire team or both at the same time. Good luck and have fun!!!




Why you will get mocked:
(a) it's an ad build. people love ap cows. RIOT SAID NO AP COWS, PEOPLE!!! LOOK AT HIS ULTIMATE AGAIN!!!
(b) too much health, not enough resistance... LOOK AT HIS ULT!!! IT'S ON FOR 8 of 68 seconds with this build. you won't have team fights TWICE A FREAKING MINUTE!!! Trust me. you will have unbreakable will for the core of every teamfight. just pop it when you get focused

(c) You don't need 2 slows. WHY NOT!!! They work on attack damage and spells respectively. you've got a slow on everything. MORE SLOWS THAN NUNU??? ASHE!!! HOW DARE YOU!!!. Wait... isn't this build A DISRUPTION KILLER BUILD!!! trust me. this build will give you better stats than the other team's tank for the fights and more damage than the carry AND slow everybody down with every time you move OR EVEN HEAL!!!

(d) you don't need a slow. That's what pulverise is. Why can't i slow on headbut, huh? or my heal, huh? or ANYTHIHG I FEEL LIKE, HUH???

(e) atama's impailer is the most WORTHLESS ITEM OUT THERE!!!........................... It just gave you 110 ad, armor, and a crit chance....
not even their infinity edge gives that much damage or even the fully stacked Bloodthirster....... let alone provide armor....







Ignore the haters. at the end when you get accussed of kill stealing at the end, ask your opponnents over /all chat 2 things. first, who delt them the most damage. second, who they want dead the most. The answer comes back.... "WE WANT THE @Y&@$%@$^#@ COW DEAD!!!"
Nuf said. have fun. Respect the cow.

Is pretty fun. Not much work, and the pay's great!!
You should be soloing your lane, and if so, grab all the last hits there are to be found. try to keep trample always on, and watch for ganks.

W to a middle minion. SAVE pulverise for later in case some nasty Master Yi or something thinks they're going to jump on top of you and kill you. then hit e as often as necessary to keep your hp and trample up (While watching your mana). you should always have enough in reserve to go through q, e, w, e, and r immediately. (hence the tear. otherwise you don't have enough max mana to do that anyway.)

Next wave. W still on Cooldown? fine. walk to the middle of the minions and q. (this keeps w fairly ready). repeat above.

Check on the other lanes. you about as far ahead as the others? good. feel free to kill that tower. You way ahead? pull back STAYING IN YOUR LANE then go help push another lane.

used #4. all 5 of us were tanks/off tanks:early game was rough, but xin zhaou and i dominated top. ashe tried to solo rammus mid, and at level 1, she killed him when she had 22 hp. win. i killed 5 towers and 3 inhibitors as well as taking baron on with xin and rammus at level 15