Welcome to my Bruiser Toplane Blitzcrank Guide!

WARNING: THE CHAPTERS ARE NOT ALL UPDATED!

This guide is an ADAPTATION of an S10 MASTER Blitzcrank Top build/playstyle. I myself am not master, but I have watched the twitch streamer MyPrim0 for a large amount of time, who is a Blitzcrank Top main who has hit Master. This guide represents essentially everything I have learned from my own experience as well as watching Prim0's streams and replays. Of course, s11 introduced new items so I've done my best to adjust the build to work with them. You can check out Prim0's channel HERE, however he is currently on break and the time of his return is unknown. If you would like me to ask him a question for you, leave a comment on this guide!

I've started streaming! Check out my stream on Twitch @MasonIsMediocre

Personally, I have played atleast 500 Blitzcrank Top games, so feel free to ask me about matchups or item builds!

Why in the WORLD is this Viable at all?

Although playing Blitzcrank in a solo lane sounds like an absolute int, it definitely is not (as long as you know what you're doing...). The reason Bruiser Blitzcrank is so strong comes from his core items, Goredrinker, Divine Sunderer, or Liandry's Anguish and Manamune or Muramana. These will be explained later, as well as why the optimal rune setups makes Blitzcrank Top viable.

Runes

Both Conqueror and Press the Attack are viable options. Conqueror should be taken for the teamfighting build with Goredrinker and Gargoyle Stoneplate, while Press the Attack should be taken with the Divine Sunderer or Liandry's Anguish build.

Conqueror lets Blitzcrank scale very hard, and synergizes with the items you build with the conq rune setup. Revitalize gives conqueror atleast 5% more healing, and it also gives you increased damage in extended fights. Blitzcrank is also able to stack Conq extremely fast, as each auto counts as 4 stacks when Static Field is ready, and Power Fist acts as an auto reset.

Press the Attack is one of the most vital parts to having success as Blitzcrank in a solo lane. Press the attack allows you to win trades at early levels, which Blitzcrank otherwise fails MISERABLY at. The reason press the attack is so strong on Blitzcrank is because of how easy it is to proc with your Power Fist, which should ALWAYS be used as an auto reset.

Triumph Triumph is powerful in general. This allows Blitzcrank to have extra survivability against champs with burns/ignite after killing them. It's also great sustain for teamfights.

Legend: Alacrity is always a good option for AD Blitzcrank. It synergizes with Overdrive so you get a crazy amount of attack speed. It increases Blitzcrank's dps by a load.

Legend: Bloodline is also a good option for blitz when you are going the conqueror/goredrinker build. It just adds to the amount of healing you get, which is the entire idea behind the conq build, however alacrity is also strong as it provides you with more damage.

Last Stand is without a doubt the ONLY rune you should be taking on the 3rd row of the Precision tree. Blitzcrank's Passive Mana Barrier activates when you get to low HP, which is also when Last Stand's damage kicks in. This means that you will be getting Last Stand damage for the entire time that your shield is activated. Sterak's Gage has the same effect, as well as Gargoyle Stoneplate when used correctly.

Revitalize helps AD Blitzcrank survive in close fights, which happens often. Revitalize increases Blitzcrank's healing and shielding from items like Divine Sunderer, Goredrinker, Sterak's Gage, and Gargoyle Stoneplate. Revitalize will also always increase Blitzcrank's Mana Barrier, because it only procs at low HP. Prim0 finds this more useful and safe than any other options.

Unflinching gives Blitzcrank more tenacity to help against his self slow on Overdrive and against CC in general. Revitalize is almost always a better option but if you are scared of hard CC chains then take unflinching.

Second Wind is the best option, because you will almost always take Revitalize which it synergizes with. It provides you with enough sustain to win almost every short trade... Second wind also gives you nice sustain in extended teamfights if you have built a decent amount of health items.

Early Laning Phase

Early laning phase for Blitzcrank Top sucks versus Ranged matchups, but isn't half bad against Bruisers or Tanks. Ranged matchups will easily kite you at levels 1 and 2, but Blitzcrank is able to make decent trades with most melee matchups early on. Here is a list of everything you need to know to survive early laning phase:
- YOU MUST GET USED TO LAST-HITTING EARLY GAME- in order to scale, you have to farm!
- Buy Cull vs tank matchups- it's really unlikely to get a kill on a tank, so just farm and outscale them with the extra gold from Cull.
- Press the Attack is what allows Blitzcrank to win/take early trades
- Because of Power Fist's auto reset, start it first to easily proc Press the Attack.
- Cheap Shot gives you some extra damage that helps you win early trades.
- If you have a larger minion wave than the opponent and can Rocket Grab them into it and knock them up, the minions will deal a suprising amount of damage to them in early laning phase.
- IMPORTANT: You lose early trades against Darius, Jax, Garen, Teemo, and most champions with Grasp of the Undying unless you can hook them into your minion wave or bait out Counter Strike vs Jax or Blinding Dart vs Teemo.
- Against ranged matchups, ignore all of this and try to farm as best you can.
- VS ranged you will not have any kill pressure until your power spikes, and you will usually have to land a Rocket Grab or use Overdrive as a gap closer.
- Boots first vs ranged matchups can be useful for chasing or setting up Rocket Grab angles.
- Getting an early jungle gank against a ranged matchup will help you win lane.
- The best position for the wave is either a Freeze or somewhere in the middle of the lane- you don't want to be pushed up because Blitzcrank is susceptible to jungle ganks.
- Farming Under Tower: You'll find that you will be doing this ALL THE TIME as Blitzcrank. You can kill tank minions after they take 2 tower shots, you can kill casters after 1 tower shot IF: You have Pickaxe or Phage, you have Static Field up and you can proc the On-Hit lightning before a second tower shot, you set up the caster with another auto, or you use your Power Fist. Also get used to using your Rocket Grab and Power Fist to secure the cannon.

Power Spikes in Laning Phase

- Blitzcrank Top's most significant power spikes are level 2, level 6, Divine Sunderer or Goredrinker, Manamune and Muramana.
- Getting your Rocket Grab at level 2 allows you to hook the enemy behind your minions which can help you win trades harder (IF THEY AUTO YOU AND TAKE MINION AGGRO).
- The level 6 powerspike is obviously strong, as you unlock your Ultimate Static Field.
- Unlike most other champions, your level 6 powerspike makes you stronger without actually using your Ultimate.
- Blitzcrank's Ultimate has an on-hit passive which deals extra magic damage to anything you auto. This helps you win trades even harder!
- The Manamune powerspike is strong because it will consistently be stacking mana as you use abilities and use auto attacks. The mana provided will give you extra damage as well as a larger Mana Barrier.
- Sheen is a large powerspike because it gives you a nice damage boost to your Power Fist. It is a strong synergy with your E because both items make your next auto deal extra damage, resulting in a huge damage auto attack.
- Goredrinker synergizes with the conqueror rune page for more healing, and provides a ton of all in power and trading power. Build Gore when you take the Conqueror rune page.
- Divine Sunderer boosts the power of Sheen and gives several important stats like magic pen and armor pen. The Divine Sunderer + Manamune item set is when you start one shotting squishies! Build Sunderer when you take Grasp or Press the Attack.
- Muramana is a big powerspike because it deals bonus damage based on your mana. The more mana you build, the more powerful it will become.

Item Build

If you took the conqueror rune page, build Goredrinker first item, and first back if possible buy Pickaxe or Phage. If you went one of the other pages, build Divine Sunderer first, prioritizing the Sheen component. If your team is full AD, consider Liandry's Anguish as a mythic. Next, you can either complete Manamune, or build another core item like Sterak's Gage or Gargoyle Stoneplate. Your first two items synergize well and either set should give you great all in power. Goredrinker and Steraks will give you huge tankiness and sustain for teamfights, while Sunderer/Liandry's and Manamune give you huge burst damage to win 1v1s or 1v2s in side lanes. After your first two items, however, you have several decisions to make, depending on how you read the situation.

3rd Item

Your third item should almost always be a tank item. Blitzcrank does not have much of an escape tool, so you want to have at least some survivability while in the frontline of a team fight. Some tank items have mana which provides a boost to your passive Mana Barrier. Not only will these items give you extra resistances, the mana from them will increase your damage, thanks to Manamune.
- Frozen Heart should be built when the enemy team is majority AD, or they have a lot of champions reliant on attack speed ( Master Yi, Jinx, Twitch, Kog'Maw, Warwick, etc.) The cooldown reduction is helpful for blitz and also gives you a lot of mana to boost your damage+shield and a lot of armor.
- Gargoyle Stoneplate is good if you went the conqueror build, as it synergizes with the passive of Goredrinker when used correctly. Use the Stoneplate active when Mana Barrier or Sterak's Gage procs, to ensure that you are getting maximum extra damage out of Last Stand and Goredrinker.
- Wit's End is a good option if you are against champions with more spread out damage (not burst). It gives you a lot of extra consistent damage and magic resistances. The on-hit passive makes your auto attacks do bonus magic damage, so combined with your Static Field on-hit passive your autos will be doing massive AD and AP damage.

Other Options

Build these items after your 3rd/4th item(s). These either provide more damage, or make you more tanky. Only build more tank items if there is only 1 tank on your team (besides you).
- Death's Dance is always a strong option, I build this 4th or 5th item every game. It gives you great sustain in extended fights, and gives you healing from your abilites and autos. It also prevents you from getting bursted pretty well, and gives you some nice AD.
- Thornmail is a good option against healing champions. I usually just hold on to Bramble Vest until the lategame, and Thornmail is the last item I complete. I don't like to build this early because it only gives you armor and health- no mana or damage.
- Randuin's Omen is a good buy when you are against 2+ champions with critical strikes, or a very fed Jhin or Caitlyn. Build Randuin's if the enemy ADC is building crit and they have a Graves, Yasuo, Garen or any other champ who is building crit. Most of the time it is not worth it if one of their "crit" champs has 25% or less critical chance.
- Quicksilver Sash / Mercurial Scimitar are good buys if you are against a long stuns or cc chains, like Cocoon, Dark Binding, Nautilus, Leona, Ornn, Skarner, etc. It's also what you should rush against Urgot at level 6. It allows you to get out of his Fear Beyond Death, and then win the 1v1.

Mid game is where Blitzcrank Top/AD Blitzcrank shines the most, if you are not EXTREMELY behind. His most powerful attributes include: ONE SHOTTING ADCS AND MAGES, GETTING PICKS WITH HOOK, AND WINNING 1V2S IN SIDE LANES. It takes a LOT of limit testing, but Blitz Top can take a lot of fights that seem like he would lose. E with just Triforce/Iceborn + Manamune almost always does over 400 damage. That paired with your Q and R and Press the Attack is an ~1000 damage combo. The MASSIVE passive shield that scales with mana is super clutch for what would have been close fights, and while your shield is up you will be getting huge damage boosts from the Last Stand rune. Overall, I'd say play ~20-30 norms of Blitz Top to learn the limits- you'll be very suprised, as are my lane opponents when I chunk them with a few autos.
If you go even in lane(or you were a little behind), you will be able to 1v1 the enemy ADC with ease, as long as you can land hook and they do not have strong CC like Ashe R to kite you. Even if they are super fed, your damage from Press the Attack and first 2 items will kill them very quickly, and they won't be able to output enough damage to beat you unless they kite you perfectly.
If you are losing lane, and the opponent freezes, look to get picks to put your team ahead, or even catch up yourself. Try to help your jungler as much as possible, especially during scuttle/objective fights. Your cc helps junglers with high damage output a ton.

Lategame as bruiser blitz, you should want to sidelane. If you are ahead, you can draw a lot of pressure because of your 1v2 capability- just be cautious about the locations of the enemy, and make sure you have adequate vision when pushing. If you are not ahead and do not win 1v1 vs the other toplane, you should teamfight. Try to peel for your fed carries (damage midlaners / adc) by hooking opponents away from them or knocking them up before they get on top of your squishies. Although you have a lot of damage, you'll still have more survivability than your ADC. If you can hit a hook on a non-tank you and your team can blow them up. Also, use your ult a lot because in the lategame the cooldown is super low so you should use it for almost every kill/fight. If a fed squishy mage or adc is caught out, don't be afraid to flash E-Q-R them to blow them up, and if they live use W to chase. Make sure to put some thought into your 5th and 6th item choices.

Hey everyone! Thanks for checking out my first guide! It is strongly based on MyPrim0’s diamond/master blitzcrank top build. He used to stream on twitch and will hopefully he coming back soon- he has some great clips you can check out though! If anyone has any questions leave a comment and I can ask Prim0 himself for an answer! I will try to keep updating this as often as I can! Thanks for reading and good luck on the rift!