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Recommended Items
Runes: Conqeuror
+8 Ability Haste
+6 Armor
+65 Base Health
Spells:
Ghost
Teleport
Items
Ability Order Classic Damage + Utility
Threads of Vibration (PASSIVE)
Skarner Passive Ability
Threats & Synergies
Jax
Probably the worst matchup possible if the jax is good you're toast dodge this shit. Outscaling edge teamfights/duels: Even/Jax [Low]
Yuumi
Especially with carry Skarner, Yuumi is the best support you could possibly have
Yuumi
Especially with carry Skarner, Yuumi is the best support you could possibly have
KEYSTONES |
The extra AD from ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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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 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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RUNES |
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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 ![]() ![]() | ||
As ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||
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 ![]() ![]() | ||
With the absence of ![]() |
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. |
AD BRUISERAll 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. | ||||
SPLIT/DUELISTThe 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. | ||||
GENERALISTYour 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. | ||||
TANK CONSISTENCYA 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. | ||||
HEALTH STACKIf 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. | ||||
SUPPORT HEALERRedemption 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. | ||||
SUPPORT DAMAGE AMPJust 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. | ||||
MYTHIC ITEMS | ||
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 ![]() | ||
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. | ||
Rather weak in the early game compared to ![]() ![]() | ||
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. | ||
Similar to ![]() | ||
More often than not it is overshadowed by ![]() | ||
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 |
This is Skarner's best in slot damage item and it is so easily stacked. Early ![]() | ||
Even if you do hybrid damage most of it is AD when you build a lot of AD items and specifically ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||
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 ![]() | ||
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. | ||
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 ![]() | ||
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. | ||
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. | ||
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 |
The tank version for ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||
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. | ||
Shreds enemy magic resist which can be useful for builds with ![]() | ||
Against attack speed reliant champions and especially against ones buying ![]() | ||
Similar to ![]() | ||
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. | ||
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. | ||
This is AMAZING with the new tank items specifically ![]() | ||
Terrible item, try to avoid it when possible. If you have an enchanter ask them to build ![]() | ||
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 ![]() | ||
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 ![]() ![]() | ||
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. ![]() ![]() ![]() |
+ 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 ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
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 |
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#2 |
You can cancel your AA animation if you use ![]() | |
#3 |
Using ![]() ![]() ![]() | |
#4 |
Be wary of your ![]() ![]() | |
#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. |
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 ![]() |
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 ![]() Added ![]() 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 ![]() Added a new ability order Polished threats and synergies 12.1 Added ![]() 11.23 FULL GUIDE RELEASE |
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