Amumu Build Guide by OniRyuuko

Introduction

I've seen a number of Amumus making a bad gamble with their build. Sometimes it works, but often it doesn't, and I didn't even realise how bad it was until I was recently watching a high ELO tournament, and the jungle Amumu played an absolutely horrible game. Here I just thought it was a result of my low ELO, but apparently that's not right. So here's a guide to lead people into my sort of matches.

Pros / Cons

Pros +Extremely powerful +Controls late game +Can single-handedly fend off a team, if fed +Some of the most powerful ganks of any jungler FF

Cons -Weak early game -Jungle easily invaded -Heavily mana dependant -Weak counter jungle FF FF FF

Overall, so long as you're patient, and understand that you won't go into a pre-six (perhaps even pre-ten) team fight destroying the enemy team, this guide should, hopefully, pull both yourself and your team to victory. Keep in mind though, given that Amumu is a late game champion, you don't want a late game heavy team. He'll control the lanes, feed the carry (if played properly), and lead the team into a snowball all the way until he's ready to shine, but this will be impossible if no one on your team can compensate for your poor early game.

These cons are the very reason you don't often see Amumus. Few people understand how to keep up a jungle when you're rarely grabbing jungle creeps, outside of buffs, or when a mana hungry champion is left without their blue buff. However, even losing his first blue, and giving all subsequent blue buffs to the mid, you can manage a decent jungle regardless, because of the amount of mana regen this guide gives you. And blues win a mid for a mana champion, so it's important your mid gets them. FF

Runes

Masteries

Over all, masteries for Amumu are pretty simple. You'll often times be a high priority target, as a result of your constant damage output with Tantrum/ Despair and Curse of the Sad Mummy, along with Bandage Toss, so in general, it's a good idea to take it as tanky as possible.

However, there are alternatives.


This set of Masteries is basically a typical AP Carry set. It gives you a good bit of magic damage output, with nine points in the defence branch, to increase your tankiness. I've done this before, and I wouldn't much suggest it without Greater Quintessence of Spell Vamp.


This set of Masteries is Tankier than the AP Carry set. In fact, it's nearly completely tank. However, it has nine points in the support branch that aids in your clearing of the jungle, by increasing mana/regen and decreasing summoner spell cooldowns.

Summoner Spells

Skill Sequence

Jungling

Jungling on Amumu is pretty simple. Take Despair first. You start off at blue, hopefully getting some aid from the laners, though you can take blue alone, if they're being stingy. Wolves start is a possibility, with a leash, but unless the lanes are aiding heavily with blue, this will only screw you up. After blue is taken, assuming wolves are still there, you should have your second level. Place your point in Tantrum, and clear, according the map above, wolves, then banshees, then golems.

Make sure to drink Health potions whenever you're missing 150hp or more, or else you might well wind up executed, or killed by an invade.

At this point, you should be level three. You have two options now. If your closest two lanes aren't in any particular danger, you'll rank up Despair again and take red buff. However, if they need a gank, you'll want to take Bandage Toss early in order to be of any use in the lane. If you're taking red, you should have smite ready by now, and have an easy take down, followed by wraiths, putting you at four for Bandage Toss and a gank mid, unless another lane is in a particularly high level of danger.

At this point, assuming you've had a kill or assist, assists being preferable, since they give the lane the kill, you should have the money enough for a Philosopher's Stone. If not, take one more jungle camps, or a few minions from a lane, if the lane is missing, and recall.

At this point in the game, you'll be mostly focused on ganking. Thanks to the GP10's you should be buying, you'll have plenty of income to buy your items, when supplemented by the occasional jungle camp, assists/kills, or minion kills. The large advantage of this build is the overwhelming lane presence you can have when you're not worried about income.



Crest of the Ancient Golem

Blue buff is important to the beginning of Amumu's jungle, but after that, it's nothing more than a luxury. The second blue buff can go to either the mid, or yourself, depending on the mid's champion. If they were, say, Katarina, who has no mana, you may take it yourself, though there's the option to give it to the support, if their lane is closest to blue, or the solo top, if they're closest. Your build will provide you with more than enough Mana regen to not need blue buff.


Blessing of the Lizard Elder

Red buff isn't necessary, at all, to Amumu's jungle. You only grab it on the first clear, for the gold and experience it offers. After that point, it's usually better to give red buff to the closest lane, though don't expect them leave a busy lane to swipe it, and don't be afraid to take it to prevent an enemy from taking it.


Further Tips

+ Even if you know a lane is warded, you can enter the nearest bush (watch out for a countergank!) in order to scare off the enemy. If they've warded outside the bush, you can begin recalling, and they will assume you're there for a good bit of time.

+ If the river isn't warded around the lane, and you fail a gank, you can always leave, take a jungle camp (mostly to waste time, but the gold+exp is nice) and immediately return. Often times, the laner doesn't expect a second gank so close to the first, and they can become cocky.

Team Work

Skirmishes

Skirmishes would be anything you wouldn't call a teamfight or a gank. Usually, you'll be in these with at least one other person on your team, and, unless they're a support, you'll try to give them the kill. However, at the same time, you don't want it to get away or to let yourself or your team mates die, just because you wanted to feed someone, so you may have to be ready to go ahead and take the kill anyways. Keep in mind not to chase to far, either. Once an enemy has been chased for long enough, chances are, their team are close by, and that could easily end up in kills for you opponents, which are never a good thing.


Teamfights

As far as teamfights with Amumu goes, it's rather simple. Usually, you'll be the initiator in any team comp by using Bandage Toss followed up by Curse of the Sad Mummy, but forcing it may not be your best bet. Waiting too long will likely lead to your team being poked to death, but going in too soon may mean your team either isn't all there, or isn't ready for it, wasting your ult, and possibly ending up killing yourself and others on your team.


Compatible Champions

There are a number of champions that work well with Amumu. Keep in mind, however, forcing someone into a champion they can't play may be worse for your team than having them choose something that's an ideal match.

The biggest reason she's a compatible champion is the main reason a number of champions will be compatible. Quite simply: Her ultimate, Bullet Time.

Curse of the Sad Mummy followed up by Bullet Time means that you'll have nearly a full ultimate from Miss Fortune hitting their entire team, dealing a large amount of damage before they can even begin to fight back.

Nunu may have to Flash in order to line up his ult with yours, but either way it's done, his starting then yours to keep them their, or yours to hold them, then he starts, Absolute Zero, if fully charged, can kill entire teams on its own.

Katarina's ult will recharge if she kills anything with it, so if she Shunpos in, starts her ult, and then you ult, she'll likely get a kill. Each kill decreases her cooldown significantly, which can result in multiple Death Lotus as a result of their inability to do anything to stop her, assuming they don't try to run away in terror. Katarina in mid also means you can swipe a few extra blue buffs.

All of their ults work with Curse of the Sad Mummy in order to force on a second layer of AoE Crowd Control. If the enemy can't move for the entire team fight, it's as good as won.


Summary: Almost anyone with an AoE ult is a good match for Amumu. Ziggs, Fiddlesticks, Malphite, Kennen, and others are amongst the ones I haven't mentioned.

Summary

In conclusion: This guide isn't a terribly in depth guide, nor is it meant to cover every eventuality. It's purpose is to be as short as possible, with little variance, so that a person can make a quick read and jump right into their first time jungling Amumu, and develop a style that works best for their own experience.

Credits

Jhoijhoi for her guide on writing a proper guide.
http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/making-a-guide-101506

xMaster Maniac (North America Server) for proofreading the guide.

My team mates for helping me to develop this guide by bearing with my experimentation.