Solid guide. I usually take the items choices and the skill progression in the optional #1 maxing q first and heal last (obviously ult before all). And usually have amazing games with a few bad ones.

I'll definitely try to update this when I have time! I'm currently maining top lane, but I'll revisit Alistar again. This guide is still viable, but lacking a bit of in-depthness I want to add, but I'm lacking the time and also full knowledge for it.

Your guide helped me pull a pretty decent first non-bot game ever on Ali! Played him supportive tank, and not AP. It was very fun throwing people in walls and in the air right after and looking at my team rip them apart! Thank you keep publishing guides!! And update this one too :)

Great guide, the builds are awesome. Alistar is such a beast champion, after playing him awhile in pvp I see why he gets banned most of the time in ranked games. That feeling when you pop your ulti then dive into an enemy turret and get your team a triple kill is awesome.

Thanks for this awesome guide, keep up the great work.

Yeah I get what you're sayin, you might want to add it to the "other summoners spells" spot at least, for preference players to try out. I don't actually use it considering I dont jungle as Alistar, but I see a lot of jungles taking it now-a-days.

@Bsurma Thanks! I appreciate the remark.

And although I've tried him out as top, he is quite fun but lacking the damage he needs. Against someone who plays aggressive, or paired with a good jungler, you can wreck havoc the same way you do it in the mid lane - massive kill-combos.

@Shuru Thank you!

I now semi-main AD carry, so I understand how different it is to play support after ADC, almost contradicting roles, if not fully contrastive.

I can see your point in Ghost, and it isn't terrible. In some cases, Ghost will be greatly useful, especially when chasing and you need that speed to get to ahead of them and pull off a combo.

However, the problem is that Flash is much more universal and necessary to make plays, more so than ghost. Alistar, due to his long CDs, needs to get to the enemy and pull off what he needs, rather then stick to the enemy. Because of that, Flash gives him the '1-time opportunity' to make such a play. Ghost AND Flash together would be great except that you miss out on fantastic skills like Ignite, Exhaust, Heal, and even CV. Hence, Ghost is put out. I would use it if you prefer it, it isn't as bad as people consider it, and at times, may even be better.

So, I've been looking at this guide some, I really like it, Kinda new to Alistar (and support overall actually, I usually play in an AD/support team as Vayne with my friend.), but looking at his jungle section, wouldn't ghost be a good summoner spell to have as well? I'm not exactly sure on this, but It was just a thought.

Nice, informative, and to the point. I really like Alistar and this is a good tribute to him (as a guide, of course).

Just wanted to add something to this "Alistar goes everywhere" craze - he's actually pretty decent at top as an AD version. I've seen many rushing Triforce as their first item and it worked out pretty well, although you have to be no slouch if you want to play him in that role, not to mention it's only for fun rather than actual competitive stuff.

Thanks to all! I'd really want to update and bring in a lot of new changes, but I'm seriously short on time, packed throughout the day AND night. Eventually, at least by Winter I will!

@secondstringhero I will make sure to edit that in with pictures in the future!

@rosephoenix I build him close to that, although I often skip the DFG, many people like to build it. But apart from that, that is essentially my build as well in several games.

Your magic damage isn't phoenoemenal - a lot of magic penetration will be less effective. You are more of a 'Swain' type champion with constant AoE damage rather than a huge burst, and Swain doesn't get void staff (rarely ever) for the same reasons why I wouldn't get it.

As for the W, it used to be the thing to level, but as his ratios got nerfed, the damage on its bursting got nerfed as well, and I feel that Q>W.

However, I will make sure to test DFG when Ido get the chance.

For your AP build I'd suggest building him like Gragas (Boots 3 pots + double dorans + dfg + abyssal + raba + void / lich + zhonya)

There's no point in getting Abyssal that late into the game (Void outpasses abyssal in mpen after 80 MR or so I believe)

Also max W on AP Alistar :D

Hey,
Thanks for this guide. Upvoted! I had never really tried Alistar before reading this, and now he might be my favorite champion. I am still learning when to headbutt (or more accurately, when not to headbutt), and I was wondering if you could put something up for newer players like myself to show what walls enemies will move through when headbutted and what walls they will be bashed into and stunned. It seems that, occasionally, enemies will move through walls that they normally just get bashed into and stunned. An example would be the outer wall of the base. In one game I bashed a Dr. Mundo through it once (and my team was pissed to say the least), and into it twice. Not sure what it is I am doing differently or if it is about my angle during the headbutt, but any advice you can give a starting Alistar player would be greatly appreciated.

Here is a link to an Alistar skin idea I had. Feel free to take a look if you want!
Your text to link here...

I never knew that you could do the WQ combo by spamming or holding down Q. O.o In fact, I once used W then immediately tapped Q, and it just completely interrupted my headbut and Pulverize'd before I'd even reached the enemy I'd been about to headbut...