Going into a game with a plan definitely helps, so what can Thresh do well?

[*] Hard and soft CC enemies for a long time
[*] Stop dashes and channels with Flay
[*] Allow for insane repositioning with Dark Passage
[*] Scale enough armor to tank God
[*] Scale enough AP to KILL God
[*] Create Pac-Man with his lantern in Spirit Blossom
[*] One of the most versatile supports in all of League

However, Thresh struggles with just as many things:

[*] Isn't naturally tanky until late game
[*] Is very hard to perform adequately, let alone master (don't let this discourage you!)
[*] Skill-shot reliant
[*] Requires coordination and commitment from your team to perform well
[*] Is easy to poke out of lane
[*] Can be hard to know when to resort to being a peel machine for your team

While this is primarily an off-meta guide, I don't want it to be inaccesible to a large portion of the playerbase purely because of how hard Thresh can be to pick up.

Thus, I will include a Player Rating for every build (on a scale of 1 to 10) for who I am likely to recommend this to a player based on their experience with Thresh: 1 being for beginner Thresh players who need an essential build to learn Thresh's mechanics and 10 being for the hardened hook honchos who are looking for a new strat to challenge them.

Whether you wanted to pick up the Chain Warden because of his neat kit, insane montages, or because you like spooky scary skeletons doesn't matter, because I appreciate you for at least attempting to play one of the hardest champions in MOBA history. There is no beating around the bush that this champion is hard, but don't let that stop you from learning the ropes to be the hook master you want.

I haven't played for long, but after a lot of games on Thresh I was able to get the basics down enough to always enjoy the champ no matter the outcome of the game, because I can always have an impact if I focus. That can be you with practice and diligence.

I believe in you, even if you don't.

If you want some tips, there are several YouTube videos and other guides to look for help from, but if you want something personal, I can always answer comments or play a game or two with you if I'm not busy to help you master the Chain Warden. Of course, friendship based on the Lantern Man is free. I'm not a professional or a challenger: just someone looking to make the Rift a little brighter with all of the lantern-bearers I somehow inspire or help along the way.

Player Rating: 1/10
These are the exact builds I would recommend to a beginner in order: Aftershock, Glacial Augment, Guardian.

These are Thresh's typical builds with Glacial Augment, Aftershock, and Guardian.

All of these are as straight-forward as it gets, but Aftershock is more forgiving with the extra resistances so you can learn whether or not you can survive an engage or if reactivating your hook is worth it or not.

Glacial Augment is the meta rune because it will always slow people to a halt early game and force flashes if used properly. Seriously, with an early-game ADC like Draven, Kalista, or Tristana, using flay on one or both of the bot laners will slow them enough to allow your ADC to finish the job.

Guardian is the odd one of the group as it's mostly seen in the Korean scene, but it helps since Thresh is a pseudo-enchanter and has a shield to make sure you and your ADC do not get poked down heavily in lane before you can engage by yourself or with a jungler. DO NOT STAND NEAR THE ENEMY JUNGLER WHEN LEASHING!!! It will pop your Guardian shield and you have to wait a full minute and a half for another one.

Player Rating: 4/10
Not for a beginner Thresh, but you just need the basics down so you aren't overwhelmed with managing Thresh's kit AND the additional kit you stapled on.

This build is about supporting your team by becoming a keyboard artisan! Grab your favorite active items and a rune page aiding active item cooldowns ( Ingenious Hunter and/or Cosmic Insight), then go to town! You can outperform the enemy support by having more options, even if you aren't as effective in lane compared to them.

Items I typically build with this are:
Everfrost, Redemption, Mikael's Blessing, Randuin's Omen, Zhonya's Hourglass, and Predator Boots, but everything is viable!

Why is it called Piano Thresh? Well, what do pianos have a lot of?

Player Rating: 3/10
New player friendly with variant builds based on typical mythics!

Thresh isn't meant to be a main tank by design, since he starts with very low armor and doesn't have any defenses in his kit other than Dark Passage shield, which is low early. However, anyone can be a tank with enough items and Aftershock, and with that being said, surprisingly to some, I've had the most success with Everfrost.

It makes up for the lack of CC on your team, has a quick AoE active, gives mana, gives health, and ability haste. It's the best you could hope for.

Player Rating: 6/10
Not for the faint of heart, but roaming is something you have to learn in order to master support as a role. This takes it to another level and helps cement your macro knowledge up until now.

This build is about being everywhere you think action will happen before it starts, or starting it yourself! This is my personal favorite way to play Thresh as you can always count on the unexpected appearance of the Chain Warden to spook enemies off of their wave or stop a trade in its tracks.

Using Teleport with Nimbus Cloak gives bonkers move speed for an engage early on! I've used it to save top lane or mid lane dives, or stop bot lane from being dived while I was else where!

Hextech Flashtraption with Nimbus Cloak and Celerity is severely underrated and can be used for sudden engage more aggressively and can bring your ally further with Dark Passage.

Player Rating: X/10, where X >= 5.
This isn't a build meant to be taken seriously but DEFINITELY is NOT for learning Thresh on.

This class is purely meant for meme builds based on "Microwave Renekton" and similar burn builds from various champs. The goal is to keep people next to you and cook them with Jak'sho and Co.

Make Gordon Rammus proud by serving him the World's "Okay"-est Midlaner!

Player Rating: 8/10
This is not for anyone made even slightly uncomfortable at the thought of abandoning your ADC. Best have 300 or more games AND a friend in at least Bot to even think about this.

I know what you're thinking, but you're not Him, okay? This is meant for the biggest of Big Daddies still in Rapture.

You're going to be the Bot-side River Warden by supporting both Mid and Bot by roaming up and down to catch as many cannons, clear as much vision, and clap as many enemy cheeks as possible.

You rush Mobility Boots for the need for speed, Umbral Glaive to clear river vision for good and for extra AD to take down Scuttle Crab as soon as it spawns, and Dark Seal for extra AP on assists to make escaping the entire enemy team easier.

Good luck if you attempt this, but please send clips of it working if you do! PLEASE DON'T PLAY RANKED GAMES WITH THIS WITHOUT SERIOUSLY THINKING ABOUT IT! Best to have a full-party outside of Top with you when trying this.

Player Rating: 4/10
Consider this an "advanced" new player build since you are considering Thresh's damage instead of his support capabilites.

As any noble fisherman would say, you need bait and patience to catch your supper. Well, luckily for you there are two mentors for this:

1. The Spellmaster of Baiting himself, Wizard Thresh, who specializes in AP one-shots.
2. The Hillbilly Bubba that mastered how to bap a fish dead in one strike so it's ready for cookin': AD Energized Thresh.

Sit in a bush, place your bait, and wait for them to clear the ward so you can hook them and kill them immediately. Then, go back into your hole like a trapdoor spider.

Player Rating: 7/10
I would call this a 7 as playing Thresh in lane is hard enough alone, but playing an auto-attack carry can be difficult for someone playing Thresh as only support up until now.

I am by no means an expert on AD Thresh for the sustain-DPS archetype; that would be Cryo.

The typical trend is to build Blade of the Ruined King since it's OP and build full-tank. Lethal Tempo is the best rune for attack speed, but there's a catch with Thresh: he can't kite and attack at his max attack speed.

If you want to whip someone at the Speed of Light within a Michelson Interferometer filled with Xenon gas, you need to stand still and hope the enemy stays in your auto radius like the housefly they are.

Use Flay to CS caster minions with and feel free to take trades with your lantern shield!

Now you can be the ambulance you've always dreamed of!

Step 1: Find someone in critical condition.
Step 2: Rush at them as fast as you can.
Step 3: Lantern them to safety.
Step 4: Book it or use The Box to proc Radiant Virtue and peel for your team to evade better.
Step 5: (optional) if still in a teamfight, use Redemption, Radiant Virtue and Mikael's Blessing to keep your team alive and well while you take hits so others don't have to.

Thank a local EMT today! They don't get enough appreciation.