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Skarner Build Guide by

[13.17] | Skarner Diversity Builds & Guide, Season 13

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9.8

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Build Guide By 131 14

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131 14

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13 Comments

Skarner Build Guide By Updated on

Guide Discussion (13) More Skarner Guides

Runes: Conqeuror

1 2 3 4 5 6

Precision

Conqueror

Triumph

Legend: Tenacity

Coup de Grace

Sorcery

Nimbus Cloak

Transcendence

Bonus:

+8 Ability Haste
+6 Armor
+65 Base Health

Spells:

1 2 3 4

Ghost + Teleport (Personal Favorite)

Ghost

Teleport

Items

Starter (Always)

Boots

Mythics

Tear Options

AD Skarner

Consistency

Split/Duelist

Shojin Meta

Generalist

Tank Skarner

Consistency

Health Stack

Supportive

Supportive #2

AP Skarner

Magic Damage Burn

Shield Spam

Ability Order Classic Damage + Utility

Skarner Passive Ability

Threats & Synergies

Threats

Synergies

Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny

Show All

None Low Ok Strong Ideal

Extreme Threats

Ideal Synergies

Jax

Extreme

Probably the worst matchup possible if the jax is good you're toast dodge this ****.
Outscaling edge teamfights/duels: Even/Jax [Low]

Yuumi

Ideal

Especially with carry Skarner, Yuumi is the best support you could possibly have

Synergies

Ideal Strong Ok Low None

Yuumi

Ideal

Especially with carry Skarner, Yuumi is the best support you could possibly have

More Skarner Counters

KEYSTONES

The extra AD from can be quite helpful as its gonna buff your auto and Q damage as well as your damage if you built it. Considering how much you spam all three of these the damage can add up.

can be a real menace in lane, if you successfuly stack it its gonna provide you with a lot of attack speed and some AA range allowing you to spam Q in lane potentially giving you kill pressure.

Skarner can utilize this keystone like a god in many situations such as chasing somebody down or pulling somebody under the turret from a further distance. You will deal a lot less damage but get the ability to play hit and run perfectly. An easy combo for activating is E > R > Q .

gives quite a bit of trading power and sustain in the early game. Since you'll build a lot of HP from items and runes the damage from it will stack up. With it's very easy to constantly proc this rune every time your E is off CD since they can't really fight back.

RUNES

		Triumph's takedown healing can come in clutch in many situations making it superior to the other two runes especially as we get little to no benefit from them. Other than that in bloody games the bonus gold can stack up.
		Legend: Tenacity should always be our option out of the three legend runes as we mostly build Ionian Boots of Lucidity meaning we get 0 tenacity in our build, this rune makes up for it quite nicely.
		Coup de Grace or Last Stand is debatable but with all the burst your combat initiation has you're usually gonna get them low enough to proc this rune much earlier than you'd proc Last Stand.

		Nimbus Cloak alone can be a deciding factor in many situations: escapes, kills, clutch flash + ults and so on, no rune in the Sorcery tree can compare to Nimbus Cloak.
		How can you say no to extra Ability Haste? This rune is amazing for Skarner and in some builds it's a must take.
		A little bit of bonus AD/AP can never hurt, this row doesn't have amazing options but not the worst.

		Your W Seismic Bastion becomes a spammable ability at some point in the game so Shield Bash is worth taking for some extra damage as well as resistances while we have a shield.
		As Skarner has a weak laning phase Second Wind or Bone Plating may seem appealing but he has a way of dealing with both poke and all ins making them unnecessary. This rune is gonna give you around 13 - 16 bonus resistances later in the game.
		Extra HP is always welcome, mid to late game it will provide you with around 300 HP which makes your shield decently stronger.

		By not having to get early boots you can rush Tear of the Goddess together with potentially Ruby Crystal to get your mythic faster. You also gain free 10 movement speed once you acquire the boots.
		With the absence of Nimbus Cloak it becomes a lot harder to catch up to targets, this rune makes up for it quite nicely. It's also useful during lane for your turret lockdown combo.

FULL BUILD EXAMPLES

NOTE: Items with a border are core items, others are flex items and can be replaced with any item mentioned in the guide.

MIX & MATCH: With how versatile Skarner is don't be afraid to experiment and mix items from different builds together.

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AD BRUISER

All rounder mix of tankiness and physical damage that you cannot go wrong with. Every item spikes hard especially once you finish your core which will massively boost your damage.

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SPLIT/DUELIST

The insane DPS + durability combo through the item core will ensure you win a large majority of duels toplane. On top of that the massive sheen damage to turrets combined with hullbreaker and muramana's AD you will shred towers as if you were Yorick especially as you can proc sheen off CD.

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GENERALIST

Your average Skarner top build you can take every game. Divine is perfect for the little hp boost, healing and dual pen (sheen as well obviously). Muramana allows you to do massive damage to everyone and the rest full tank so you don't get blown up.

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TANK CONSISTENCY

A simple tank build with a cleaver to boost your and your team's damage. Despite building tank Skarner still auto attacks a lot and who would've thought that autos have a 100% AD scaling. Cleaver will boost your AA and Q/E damage to the point where it feels like you're not a tank.

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HEALTH STACK

If you're ahead and/or can consistently stack heartsteel it can be a real menace during the midgame with all the health stacked up and damage from its proc burst and titanic hydra.

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SUPPORT HEALER

Redemption is unironically a really good item on Skarner as it has the stats he wants and he is the type of champ that can build ultimate bravery and still work. Together with RV you can provide some pretty decent heals to yourself and your teammates however this is strictly a team oriented build.

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SUPPORT DAMAGE AMP

Just like other "weird items" skarner works with Evenshroud as well as it provides the stats he needs, is VERY cheap and the passive synergizes with his kit perfectly - as long as you play with your team. If you want to be a little more aggressive early on you can rush BC first instead. In the midgame your job will be to just run through the enemy team and CC as many people as you can to apply Evenshroud, BC and Mask passive.

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MYTHIC ITEMS

3000G

Skarner's old favorite, after this item's return it's with no doubt that it will be one of his best options. Skarner is a great user and loves tank stats making this item perfect. It scales with your base AD and Skarner has one of the highest, it also provides you with a premanent slow as long as you can stick on top of your target.

2700G

Very underrated item for such a big amount of HP that it gives as well healing to yourself and your entire team. Together with Revitalize and Redemption the heals can become quite big sometimes even game changing. Skarner himself doesn't lose much power by building a "supportive" item especially as it's cheap and if he plays with his team sometimes it can even be stronger in today's meta.

3200G

Rather weak in the early game compared to when it comes to damage but the tankiness you gain is insane especially later on. With and a high damage item you can easily take over teamfights and skirmishes.

3200G

Against heavy melee comps where you can easily stack it or vs ranged ones that cannot kite you easily it can be quite good, in short if you can effectively stack it the item becomes amazing. Be wary of bork rushers and % health damage as it will completely shred you until you get 2 items.

3300G

Similar to but bruiser version. Skarner has 0 healing in his kit and this item can provide you with decent in combat healing. The mythic passive synergizes perfectly with Skarner's hybrid damage. The moment you get the item you'll get a massive power spike and can start dueling a lot of toplaners.

3333G

More often than not it is overshadowed by but you don't want to underestimate the burst this item has against squishy comps. The tower taking capabilities of this item are also insane which Skarner usually lacks. Be careful, it might be good against squishies but you'll also be rather squishy for a champion with 0 dashes.

2300G

Evenshroud may look like a troll item cuz its a support item but that's exaclty what makes it so good. A laughable price of 2300 with a toplaners' budget allows you to get it really quickly and since Skarner makes such good use out of the item passive and stats it makes him really strong in the midgame. Not to mention the damage amp given to your team together with other damage amp items.

DAMAGE

2900G

This is Skarner's best in slot damage item and it is so easily stacked. Early pretty much solves all your mana problems in the toplane. The only drawback is you're spending 400 gold on nothing but mana early on which can make it harder to survive sometimes. It is a scaling item giving you a crazy good 2 item powerspike regardless of your mythic.

3300G

Even if you do hybrid damage most of it is AD when you build a lot of AD items and specifically . Not just the 30% armor reduction but all the base stats are amazing on Skarner and is a solid stat stick item. It's great with the new + .

3300G

Skarner auto attacks a lot and likes HP so in certain builds it's amazing as a mix of offense and defensive. On top of all it provides great waveclear. Since it deals only physical damage has good synergy.

3300G

This is perfect for heavy AD comps especially the ones relying on burst a lot, the healing in teamfights is great and is overall a solid well rounded purchase. It fits well with full AD builds.

3000G

The main focus of the shield build. The burn damage adds up cuz you'll stay in combat for extended periods of time. In the late game the item's passive gives a bunch of AP and Skarner's W has a 80% AP scaling.

3100G

This can be used as a nice damage/MR boost, the attack speed feels really smooth and gives you some extra hybrid damage. Overall a good anti mage item that you can pair with nearly every build.

3100G

Skarner's base AD is one of the highest in the game making this item very efficient when built later into the game. Recent buffs to this item made it even better for survivability so you can consider getting this in many builds that already have haste.

3000G

If you plan on permanently splitpushing and dueling this item is really good as it will give you the needed resistances assuming you went full damage with your core. The bonus tower damage together with off cd sheen procs will melt towers really fast.

TANK

2600G

The tank version for . Similarly to it's also amazing for the mana it provides but the real reason you want this item is the shield you can get every 8 seconds. It becomes pretty big especially if you have multiple enemies around. Pairs perfectly with runes such as .

2700G

It's an alright item for more damage, pairs nicely with things like demonic embrace + abyssal mask for microwaving people to death. It should only be used in burn focused builds as it's whatever on its own and there are better options.

3000G

Shreds enemy magic resist which can be useful for builds with or magic damage in general. It's also good against magic damage as well as it can give you up to 85 MR (5 enemey champions around you).

2700G

Against attack speed reliant champions and especially against ones buying this item shuts them down with ease. It gives juicy 20 ability haste which is great.

3000G

Similar to but it gives no haste which can make it harder to fit into some builds. Haste aside it's the best anti crit item so consider it against crit carries like Aphelios, Jinx, Yone etc.

2900G

With a 25% increase in shielding/healing it'll always be a great item for Skarner especially the shield focused builds and the ones with sustain.

2900G

You'd only really need this against heavy magic damage comps and it's really good against mages with sustained dps (ex. Zyra or Heimerdinger). 0 Haste makes it hard to build this item so it is situational.

3200G

This is AMAZING with the new tank items specifically . The sheer amount of resistances you can stack up is just insane. Can be paired with nearly every build.

2700G

Terrible item, try to avoid it when possible. If you have an enchanter ask them to build which is actually a pretty good item right now.

Abilities

		This is a pretty degenerate playstyle theme for a champ to have in the current league but that doesn't mean that it's not cool, strong and unique. They might be useless in the laning phase but in the later stages of the game you should consider them as your win condition because you become twice as dangerous to the enemy team if they fight you within the spires.
		The most underwhelming ability ever for the early game however it makes up for it with its mid to late game power, well not really alone but when paired with Muramana you'll be having the most DPS out of any juggernaut.
		A small shield to help you with poke and a movement speed boost why not? Not the best shield I'd say but the movement speed helps quite a bit especially once maxed.
		This ability assembles your kit together, a slow, a stun and some bonus damage on the next auto. The thing about this ability is if you stun somebody with it you're gonna get attack speed buff from the spires which then proceeds to continuously reduce your Shattered Earth's cooldown with every auto to 0 once you get ability haste. Now you know what this all means when you finally get that sweet Muramana.
		This ability is what most people know Skarner for and with a good reason it's impact is huge at all stages of the game. You can pull somebody under your turret, eliminate targets before a fight even starts and many more uses - all of that with a low CD. Quicksilver Sash is supposed to be it's counter but if you landed your Ixtal's Impact beforehand they'll get stunned right after they use Quicksilver Sash.

PROS

CONS

+ High item and build diverstiy

+ Relatively safe laning phase

+ Strong scaling

+ Great gank setup

+ Great at both dueling and teamfighting

+ Late game 1v2 potential

+ Impactful ult (always keeps you relevant)

+ Fast Baron/Drake

+ Scorpion

- Spires.

- Item dependant

- Low kill pressure early game

- Weak vs control

- Low AA range

- Tilts enemies too often

- Mana hungry without tear

- Bad early waveclear

Early Game

This is your weakest point in the game, you should try your best to get as much CS as possible and if your opponent is too dangerous to approach try to stay in the XP range. This is the hardest part about mastering top you'll have to learn to manage your CS under the turret: you can manipulate which minions come first by slowing others with . also has terrible base damage making CSing difficult as hell. Learning to use AA and at the same time to cancel your AA animation is important to learn, learning its damage is also important (I recommend practicing this in customs a lot). Your early game short trades are alright at least so as long as you're against a champion that has a hard time extending the trade you can win lane from early on.

Mid Game

This is where Skarner starts to show his true potential, you should try getting to an objective before the enemy to capture the spire as they bring so much power especially if you're already ahead. If you can't teamfight due to your/enemy comp or you are all behind you should try to force duels in the sidelanes or if you're the only one behind opt for a more supportive build.

Late Game

You play this relatively the same to mid game with an exception to your positioning. Still try your best to capture spires around objectives and determine wether you want to play as peel for your carries or you want to head on walk up to everybody and cause massacre.

Tips & Tricks

#1		Skarner isn't great early game but your short bursty trades are (E > AA > Q) and you should try and trade if your opponent has a hard time extending the trade.
#2		You can cancel your AA animation if you use Shattered Earth the moment after the auto lands, this will make your CSing a little easier as the damage from both comes out pretty much at the same time if you can time it well.
#3		Using Ixtal's Impact before you use Impale is important to do and you should make it a habit, without landing your Ixtal's Impact first people are more likely to escape after your ult's duration expires.
#4		Be wary of your Ixtal's Impact's cooldown because it gets reduced equal to the amount of time they're CC'd for (ex. your ult lasts 1.75s, if your E has 4s remaining by the time your ult finishes it will be 0.5s), you keeping the track of it's cooldown by heart will naturally come as you play more games with Skarner.
#5		Skarner is a scaling champion so don't be pressured if you're getting pushed out by lane bullies, play safe and eventually you will outscale them to oblivion.

The End of The Guide

I will try to update the guide as soon as possible every patch if there is something new significant enough to change the build/runes (Bigger patches may take a few days).

NOTE: I am aware of the upcoming VGU however it will most likely take Riot over a year to be done with it so I was just thinking why not make this

Changelog

13.17
General guide update due to outdated information

13.3
New build added
Small changes to item section

12.22
Item section formatting updated
New items added
Runes updated
Builds updated
Pros & Cons section updated
Small rune section adjustments
Small spell adjustments

12.14
Small update to Runes section

12.13
Added AP Hybrid
Fixed some mistakes in item sequence

12.10
Added a new build path (durability changes)

12.9
Moved items and runes around a bit
Fixed some typos

12.7
Added a new build path (Runes, Items)

12.6
Fixed the unintended gap between guide sections
Added Situational Options to Item section
Changed the item order

12.4
Added to builds
Added to builds

12.3
Completely reworked guide visuals (Banners, coding, formatting)
Added a new main build due to 12.3 changes
Added new guide sections (Game Phases, Tips & Tricks)

12.2
Added to runes
Added a new ability order
Polished threats and synergies

12.1
Added due to its buffs

11.23
FULL GUIDE RELEASE

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[13.17] | Skarner Diversity Builds & Guide, Season 13

Runes

Itemization

Abilities

Pros & Cons

Game Phases

Tips & Tricks

The End of The Guide

Changelog

[13.17] | Skarner Diversity Builds & Guide, Season 13

[13.17] | Skarner Diversity Builds & Guide, Season 13

Recommended Items

Runes: Conqeuror

Spells:

Ghost

Teleport

Flash

Ghost

Ghost

Ignite

Flash

Teleport

Items

Ability Order Classic Damage + Utility

Threads of Vibration (PASSIVE)

Shattered Earth (Q)

Seismic Bastion (W)

Ixtal's Impact (E)

Impale (R)

Threats & Synergies

Jax

Fiora

Olaf

Darius

Gwen

Volibear

Garen

Dr. Mundo

Irelia

Mordekaiser

Aatrox

Malphite

Teemo

Kayle

Camille

Yone

Yasuo

Sett

Sion

Yuumi

Lulu

Ivern

Aphelios

Leona

Karma

Annie

Galio

Malzahar

Lissandra

Yuumi

Lulu

Ivern

Aphelios

Leona

Karma

Annie

Galio

Malzahar

Lissandra

KEYSTONES

RUNES

FULL BUILD EXAMPLES

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AD BRUISER

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SPLIT/DUELIST

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