Hello, my name is Trivsal. I play Wukong very consistently in both ranked and unranked and find him to be very effective solo queue champion. So many people I see build Wukong as a glass cannon, and that is simply not an effective way to build him, as he is easily focused down. He performs the role of bruiser/offtank much better. This guide shows a much more efficient way to build him. For those of you out there who like to solo queue pubstomp unranked games, Wukong can carry extremely hard this way. Wukong can carry just as hard in ranked games, but is more likely to just fill his role as bruiser/offtank.

Pros
+ Great harassment with E-Q-W
+ One of the best jukers/escape artists with Warrior Trickster
+ High damage AOE ult with a knockup
+ Deals high damage while being extremely tanky


Cons
- Squishy early game
- Item dependent
- Ult can be CCed
- Often considered boring

• Greater Mark of Desolation Great early game, mid game, and late game.
• Greater Seal of Armor Most solo top champions deal physical damage, so these help sustain early game, though fall off slightly as the game progresses.
• Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist These will outlevel Greater Glyph of Magic Resist at level 10, however it really comes down to preference between the two.
• Greater Quintessence of Desolation Even more armor pen that scales so well at all stages of the game. Many other quints are viable, especially Greater Quintessence of Health for more early game survivability.

This build utilizes 9/21/0, as the reduced disable duration and health increse of [juggernaut]], the bonus armor and MR of Resistance and Hardiness , movement speed increase of Initiator , and CDR of Enlightenment are all extremely beneficial to for increasing survivability. The armor pen from Weapon Expertise goes a long way towards mitigating the effect of armor. Also viable is 21/9/0 for more damage. 0/21/9 is not optimal because 90% of the time, someone else needs red buff more than you. The same goes for blue, except for it being 100% of the time.

Flash is quite possibly the best summoner spell in the game. Flash can be used for chasing, initiating, escaping, or diving. An all around great spell on any champion.
Exhaust is a great spell for any AD melee champ. Great for slowing enemies and, more importantly, shutting down AD carries in teamfights.

Other viable summoner spells
Teleport Good for saving towers/backdooring/returning to lane after shopping faster.
Ghost An alternative to Flash for those of you who prefer it. This spell is much better for chasing, yet a flash over a wall can save your life.
Ignite Not as good for securing early kills as Exhaust, but shuts down Sion and Dr. Mundo pretty hard.
Smite If you take this, you better be jungling. Wukong can jungle, but is relatively slow and lacks sustain.
Cleanse Not the worst choice, but Quicksilver Sash is better.

Unlisted summoner spells
Not viable. Don't do it. But you wanted Heal? Leave it to Soraka.

• Stone Skin: // This is worth 4 (8 during a jungler gank) armor/MR in the early laning phase as solo top, and up to 40 armor/MR in later game teamfights. This passive makes Wukong transition well into late game, as it can mitigate a large amount of incoming damage. The per champion bonus increases at levels 7 and 13.
  
• Crushing Blow (Q): // An armor shredder and auto attack resetter combined into one. This is great for quickly getting another swing in to get last hits more efficiently. Against champions, this can be used well in a E>auto attack>Q>W combo for great harass. In teamfights, this should primarily be used for increased damage against the champion your team is focused (your AD carry will love you), but the armor reduction debuff is extremely helpful for killing tanks.
  
• Decoy (W): // This is an extremely versatile skill, and it takes a while to get used to. Early game it has 3 uses, harassing with E>auto attack>Q>W and run, stealthing a little closer and committing to an attack, and escaping ganks. This skill can be used to juke when you are being chased. Use near a bush, run to said bush, then run the other direction. Another strategy once people realize the skill is to fake decoy. This is accomplished by just randomly stopping when someone is chasing you, as they will assume it is your decoy. Use this to make them unsure about ignoring your actual decoy. Late game, this skill can be used in teamfights to absorb some of the burst directed at you as soon as you initiate or come in after the tank.
  
• Nimbus Strike (E): // This ability is the core of your early game harass, as it allows you to instantly close the gap to the enemy champion. The attack speed steroid that comes from this can be a large increase to your damage. If you are trying to escape a gank, you can use it on a minion to gain a little distance, which can often save your life. In teamfights, it can be used for the extra damage and attack speed steroid, and to reach your focus target.
  
• Cyclone (R): // This is an extremely powerful AOE ult that both damages and CCs, it is one of the strongest reasons for Wukong's powerful late game. Early game it can be used both offensively and defensively. The knockup and damage can provide the extra time and damage needed to kill a champion. Also, when being chased, the knockup can give you that extra second to escape from the enemy Tryndamere and reach your turret. In later game teamfights, try to hit every enemy champion at least once during Cyclone's duration for the knockup, even if it means leaving your team's focus target.

As with any champion, take R at 6, 11, and 16. The reason E>Q for Wukong is the fact that the lowered cooldown on Q is largely unimportant early game. However, the bonus to attack speed from E has a much larger effect in a 1v1 situation. The armor shredding effect from Q is the same at level 1 as 5, so E takes priority. The reason for Q>W is Warrior Trickster should not be used as a damaging ability, as it is primarily used for escaping.

• + 3 Health Potion: // A great all around starting item that makes dodging skill shots and escaping ganks much easier.
  
• + 1 Health Potion: // If you think you will receive a lot of mixed damage harass from a champion such as Yorick, this gives some sustain. Turn into a philosopher's stone and sell late game.
  
• + 5 Health Potion: // Great against any purely physical solo top champion such as Tryndamere. This can be turned into a Wriggle's Lantern if you are a big fan of the item, or you can just sell it if the game goes on long enough.
  
• : // I only pick this up in unranked games for early game killing power with a lane partner.

[*] : // Attack damage, CDR, and armor pen. This item is amazing early game, and build into Youmuu's Ghostblade later.

[*] : // This can be delayed if you feel you don't need the magic resist or 20 extra movement speed yet, though they are nice stats to have.

[*] : // This is primarily to get a stronger early defense against AD champs, but this can be delayed until you build your Atma's Impaler if you feel you don't need the armor quite yet.

• : // The tenacity and MR make this such a great pick for boots. In this build, you usually aren't high on magic resist until late game, so these are very helpful for increasing survivability against casters.
  
• : // You should get this every single game you play. Every stat it gives (except the AP part of Sheen) is beneficial to Wukong. The slow from Phage and the Sheen proc are too good to pass up. This item, along with Atma's Impaler and Warmog's Armor are the core of the build.
  
• : // Only in extremely rare cases is not worthwhile to take this item. It is extremely cost efficient and has great synergy with Warmog's Armor, Trinity Force, and Banshee's Veil. However, if you find yourself in an unranked game vs a Malzahar, Brand, Ziggs, Soraka, and LeBlanc, you should probably get some magic resist. At level 18, with this build completed and Warmog's Armor stacked, this is worth 77 AD.
  
• : // CDR, damage, crit, armor pen....what's not to like? This, along with your Atma's Impaler and Trinity Force, is the core of your damage. The active gives you the attack speed you need for your damage to be on par with your AD carry's for a few seconds.
  
• : // Health....Lots of health. This gives a massive increase to your survivability, and increases your damage through synergy with your Atma's Impaler.
  
• : // If the game goes on long enough for you to get this, you probably have realized just how much damage their AP carry can do to you. The health and magic resist helps for surviving their burst, and the passive shield is can save you from a CC or an AP nuke.

• : // This is an alternative to Warmog's Armor. It is really personal preference between the two, however I feel the slow from Trinity Force is usually enough, so I don't pick this up.
  
• : // Against heavy AD teams, it can be worth it to pick this up. If you do, you will be more vulnerable to CC and any magic damage dealers will be hitting you for a lot. The armor and passive can really help against a fed Vayne down in bot lane.
  
• : // A very underrated item, it gives decent boost to damage and magic resist, along with an amazing shield (HAHA Karthus). This can be used as a replacement for Banshee's Veil if you want to do a little more damage at the cost of some survivability.
  
• : // This can replace Banshee's Veil in a heavy AD team comp. A large loss in MR, but some CDR and nice passive and active can go along way to stopping that fed Graves.
  
• : // If you want to focus more heavily on tank and less on damage, this gives a nice bonus to both armor and MR, and allows you to pull a Zilean.
  
• : // A great item for when the enemy team has a ridiculous amount of CC. You can replace Banshee's Veil or Youmuu's Ghostblade to be more tanky.
  
• : // Unranked pubstomping, replace Warmog's Armor and get it after The Brutalizer. This item does not break even in health per cost until 10 stacks, so be SURE you can stack it if you buy this.
  
• : // Unranked pubsomping, grab after Leviathan and exclude Banshee's Veil or Youmuu's Ghostblade. Both snowball items are only worth heading towards in unranked/low elo games. Otherwise they should be avoided like the plague.

If your team is lacking a true tank, you take on the roll of initiator in all its glory (common in unranked). If you have a tank, you should be immediately behind his initiation. Whichever target your team is focusing, use your E>auto attack>Q combo on them, then immediately pop your ult and try to knockup and damage as many of the opposite team as you can. You will be a high priority for the other team to kill, which is why you build so tanky. If the teamfight has not concluded, repeat your combo and try to finish off any low health champions. Don't forget to use your active on Youmuu's Ghostblade.

This guide is still a work in progress. Thank you for making it this far in the guide, and if you have any tips/advice it would be greatly appreciated.