Gangplank Build Guide by LeagueOfXiphos

The Lore of Gangplank , The Saltwater Scourge

Gangplank was born the son of the dread pirate captain Vincent the Shadow - one of the most wealthy and feared pirates in all of Blue Flame Island. One might think this would have spoiled the boy with a cushioned life of privilege, but the truth is quite the opposite. Growing up in the city of Bilgewater isn't easy; pirates are not known for their compassion, and that most certainly extends to their families. Vincent wanted his son to grow up tough and strong, so he was extremely hard on the young Gangplank. Even as a child, Gangplank was as mean as a snake and is said to have slept with his eyes open. As he grew, the young man rapidly became the most ruthless and feared pirate in all of Bilgewater, and his daddy was never more proud than on the day of his son's eighteenth birthday - when Gangplank stabbed his old man in the back and claimed the famed pirate ship, the Dead Pool, for his own.

The continent of Valoran, however, is a dangerous place for pirates; Gangplank could read the writing on the wall. The den of pirates known as Bilgewater would soon be pulled down by the undertow of Valoranian politics and the Institute of War. It was time for Bilgewater to have their own champion to represent them in the League of Legends, and who better than the fiercest pirate of them all? It is said that Gangplank has enough power and favor to claim the title of the Pirate King back home, but that he is simply biding his time and building his reputation as a champion before he returns to a life of piracy.

Yo ho, blow the man down. Or at least shoot him when his back is turned and steal all his booty.

Introduction

This build was heavily influenced by Chineseflame's Gangplank Build Raising Morales. You can find that build here.

Hello! Welcome to my first Gangplank build. Gangplank is an amazing champion who can dish out an extreme amount of damage at all levels. He is fantastic early game as his Parrrley ability has a low cooldown and mana cost, and hits relatively hard. Mid to late game, after building up his critical strike chance, he is simply beastlike as he can two or three hit squishy champions and take out tankier ones very fast.

Before we begin

-I am aware that most Gangplanks like to build armour penetration (Youmuu's or Last Whisper) but this build is mainly focused towards killing non-tanky champions swiftly. If you are having a tough time hitting through armour, simply purchase different items as recommended in the optional items section of this build.

-Please do not downvote unless you have actually tested the build!

-To use this build effectively you must be smart and know when you need to adjust the item choices! Don't downvote my build simply because you were versing 5 tanks and decided not to adjust your build to the situation!

-This build excels against squishy champions. If you follow this build entirely and there is a tank(s) on the enemy team, there's not much you can do about them except build some armour penetration or simply ignore them entirely. If they are lacking a thornmail, you will still be able to kill them, but if they do, you must build armour penetration or leave them alone.

Base Stats

Damage: 54 / +3 per level
Health: 495 / +81 per level
Mana: 215 / +40 per level
Move Speed: 320
Armor: 16.5 / +3.3 per level
Magic Resist: 30 / 0 per level
Health Regen: 0.85 / +0.15 per level
Mana Regen: 1.3 / +0.14 per level

Pros & Cons

PROS

-Extremely good damage at all stages of the game.
-Brilliant Harasser
-Can remove all crowd control effects on himself.
-Has a multi-target buff that increases damage and speed of allies.
-Can use ultimate to assist team while far away.
-Very fast champion.

CONS

-Very squishy.
-Ultimate is inaccurate.
-Needs a solid laning partner.
-Relatively long Cooldowns

Masteries

It is logical to run Gangplank in offensive mastery, because that is the way we are going to be building him with this guide. I prefer to grab the small amount of utility instead of defense because you can get an extra bonus for your ghost, mana regeneration, experience and gold.

Rune Choices

Greater Mark of Furor - Gives some extra critical strike damage. Works well with Infinity Edge for smashing people with Parrley.

Greater Quintessence of Furor - Same as above.

Greater Seal of Clarity - Works in conjunction with our Faerie Charms to give excellent mana regeneration in the early game stages.

Greater Glyph of Clarity - Same as above. Gives great mana regen which is important for use of Parrrley.

OPTIONAL RUNES

Greater Mark of DesolationGreater Mark of Desolation - Fairly self explanatory. A great choice if you don't like to build any armour penetration such as Last Whisper or Youmuu's Ghostblade.

Greater Glyph of Focus - Works well with Ionian Boots to give all your moves wonderfully low cooldowns.

Greater Quintessence of DesolationGreater Quintessence of Desolation - Good for any AD Champion.

Abilities

Grog Soaked Blade (passive)

Damage Type - Magical

Gangplank's basic attacks and Parrrley apply a poison that deals 4.00 magic damage each second and slows movement speed by 7%. Lasts 3 seconds and stacks up to 5 times.

This is a great passive to ensure a kill as it slows down escaping enemies and can finish off enemies that manage to escape your wrath.

Parrrley

Cost - 40/45/50/55/60 mana
Cooldown - 5 Seconds
Range - 625
Damage type - Physical

Gangplank shoots a target unit for 20/45/70/95/120 plus 100% of his attack damage as phyiscal damage. Gangplank gains 4/6/8/10/12 extra gold if Parrrley deals a killing blow. This ability can crit and applies on hit effects.

This move is Gangplank's bread and butter. Without it, Gangplank would be nothing. It has a cheap mana cost, low Cooldown, applies Gangplank's passive (see below) and any on-hit effects (eg Frozen Mallet) and hits A LOT. It is a brilliant way to harass enemy champions early game and execute them later on. We level this skill up first because it is amazing. Simple.

Remove Scurvy

Cost - 65 mana
Cooldown - 22/21/20/19/18 seconds

Consumes a large quality of citrus fruit which clears any crowd control effects on him and heals him for 80/150/220/290/360 (+100% of ability power) health.

This is a very useful move as it clears any crowd control effects and heals Gangplank for a reasonable amount. This is Gangplank's "oh ****" button that, along with your ultimate, you can hit for a quick escape.

Raise Morale

Cost - 50/55/60/65/70 mana
Cooldown - 25 seconds
Range - 575

Passive: Gangplank gains 8/10/12/14/16 Attack Damage and 3/4/5/6/7% Movement Speed.

Active: Gangplank fires his pistol into the air, disabling his passive boost but increasing his Attack Damage by 20/28/36/44/52 and Movement Speed by 14/18/22/26/30% and nearby allied champions' Attack Damage and Movement Speed by half that amount for 6 seconds.

This ability is spectacular as it is perfect for initiating a fight, catching a fleeing opponent or helping yourself / teammates to escape a situation. The bonus movement speed is a great way to help your team run away or just move around the map faster.

Cannon Barrage

Cost - 100 mana
Cooldown - 120/115/110 seconds
Range - Unlimited
Damage Type - Magical

Signals Gangplank's ship to fire upon an area for 7 seconds, slowing enemies in the area by 25% for the duration. Cannonballs rain upon the area, each causing 65/110/155 (+20% of Ability Power) magic damage.

Gangplank's ultimate is a very powerful tool at your disposal. It can be used to slow down an enemy team chasing after an ally, farm a minion wave on the other side of the map, or finish off an enemy champion recalling behind their turret.

Skill Sequence

To start off put one point in Parrrley. This is an absolutely essential skill to have early game as it allows you to harass effectively. I level this up first as it simply gets stronger and stronger late game and having it at max level early game is a very good idea. After Parrrley comes Raise Morale. I tend to level this skill up beforeRemove Scurvy because the heal provided by Remove Scurvy isn't sufficient to sustain you for large periods of time, even at max level, and Raise Morale is a brilliant way to gain some extra damage and speed.

Summoner Spells

Ignite

- Ignite is a brilliant spell as it is crucial for Gangplank to obtain some early game kills. Along with Grog-Soaked blade, this spell is ideal to add some extra damage during a fight, or shut down a healer such as Soraka or Sona.

Ghost

- Ghost is a great spell for a speedy champion like Gangplank, as combined with Grog-Soaked Blade, Raise Morale and Cannon Barrage, it is almost impossible for any champion to escape you and your speed. Is also a great spell to be used in conjunction with Raise Morale to escape a situation.

Optional Spells

Exhaust

- Exhaust is a very useful spell as it is great at shutting down an enemy in a fight or ensuring a kill on an escaping enemy. I'm not saying that is a bad spell, just that there are better options for Gangplank.

Heal

- Heal may seem a bit strange on Gangplank, but it is actually a very useful spell combined with Remove Scurvy. Because Gangplank is squishy, this spell helps to get some extra healing and works as a panic button in a life/death situation. Can also be used with Cannon Barrage and Raise Morale to save a teammate from death.

Flash

- Flash is a great positioning tool that can be used to escape, chase or initiate, but with this current build, speed is not an issue so this spell isn't really worth it. However, if you really like having this as an escape option, feel free to pick it.

Not Recommended

Revive - Just no.
Rally - Maybe next time.
Clarity - Mana isn't really a problem in this build due to the Faerie charms.
Smite - Unless you are jungling, no.
Teleport - Teleport is a great spell but due to Gangplank's movement speed it is not necessary.
Fortify - Not a good spell for Gangplank. Save it for a support champion.
Cleanse - Not necessary due to Remove Scurvy.
Clairvoyance - Save this spell for a support character.

Item Build

STARTING ITEMS

A lot of people prefer to start off Gangplank with a more crit-based build, but I prefer to save this for later. Start off with two Faerie charms for mana regen, which will help you harass with Parrrley to an amazing extent. Also grab 3 . If you are laning with a good partner, you should rack up some early game kills. After recalling, your next items are two Philosopher's Stone Philosopher's Stones. Due to a recent update making their passive ability unique, it is suggested to upgrade one stone to either a Shurelya's ReverieShurelya's Reverie or an Eleisa's Miracle. It is possible to buy both, but unless you are VERY fed this is costing you too much money, which could be spend towards your Infinity Edge.

CORE BUILD

Philosopher's Stone OR Philosopher's StoneShurelya's Reverie OR Shurelya's Reverie +
After buying either Shurelya's ReverieShurelya's or an Eleisa's (or both) you should have excellent health and mana regeneration which allows you to lane for extended periods of time (Remove Scurvy can be used frequently to aid Health Regeneration). After getting enough money to buy your selected boots (see below) then you should begin saving up for an Infinity Edge. As Gangplank, it is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to start your Infinity Edge with a Cloak of Agility for the great Critical Strike chance, followed by a B.F. Sword for the attack damage and finally Pickaxe to finish off.

BOOT CHOICES

Ionian Boots of Lucidity - These are the preferred boots for Gangplank as the reduced cooldown is great for ALL of Gangplank's moves, but especially Parrrley. You want to be able to spam this move and the reduced cooldown helps greatly.

Boots of Mobility - These are another good choice for Gangplank as they vastly increase his movement speed while moving around the map. These are great for running down the map as when combined with your Raise Morale your movement speed reaches a very high amount and allows you to rush to the aid of your team.

Mercury's Treads - These boots are a good choice for Gangplank if you feel that your Remove Scurvy is not enough to reduce crowd control. If you are facing a very CC heavy team then these boots are a good option.

LATE GAME

Ionian Boots of Lucidity - Explained above.
Infinity Edge - This item is ABSOLUTELY VITAL to Gangplank. The crit-damage increase from 200% to 250% is absolutely amazing for GP. The extra attack damage and critical strike chance are also very good.
Phantom Dancer - This item is a crazy good item for Gangplank. The increased Critical Strike chance, Attack Speed and Movement Speed are perfect for Gangplank's play style.
The Bloodthirster - The increased attack damage and lifesteal are very good for any AD champion and great at keeping Gangplank alive and killing.

ALTERNATE ITEMS

Eleisa's Miracle - As explained above, you have the choice between upgrading one Philosopher's Stone to either an Eleisa's Miracle or a Shurelya's Reverie. If you are facing a CC heavy team and don't want to buy Mercury's Treads, then this item is a good idea.

Shurelya's ReverieShurelya's Reverie - This is option #2 for one of your Philosopher's Stones. Get this item for some extra cooldown reduction if you don't want to buy Ionian Boots of Lucidity, or if you did by Ionian Boots but want some extra CDR. The active is also very useful in combination with Raise Morale for a quick escape.

Youmuu's Ghostblade - A great item when facing a tanky team or if you want some extra critical strike chance.

Last Whisper - Another great item when facing a tanky team.

Banshee's Veil - Pretty self-explanatory. Pick this item if you want some extra HP or Mana, or if you are having a difficult time against enemy abilities such as Ashe's Ultimate or Lux's Finales FunkelnLaser.

Trinity Force - A good item for Gangplank that boosts almost everything. I prefer to use a more focused item but if you want some extra critical strike chance, tankiness or attack speed then this is an acceptable choice.

Frozen Mallet - Gives good health and has an effective slow, but movement speed isn't an issue with this build so unless you want some extra tankiness then this item isn't necessary.

Warmog's Armor - I have never built this item on Gangplank before, but I have seen it done and it has worked quite effectively. If you have already secured a large amount of kills and you want to be less squishy but still bring the pain, then this item is a good choice.

Laning Partners

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

These Champions are the most recommended partners for Gangplank. They each have ideal moves to get Gangplank and themself a kill, such as a very good early game harass or taunt. If one of these Champions are in your game, prioritise laning with them. If you have a premade friend who plays League of Legends with you, ask them to play one of these champions if you are playing Gangplank and you are almost guaranteed to play well if you do your jobs correctly.


TANKS

Teaming up with tanks is always a good option for any squishy champion. It allows them to distract or control the enemy while you pick them off with your Parrrley. The best choices are ones with particular moves such as a taunt ( ) or a pull ( ).

SUPPORT

Support champions are a decent choice for Gangplank, but there are some better options in characters that can harass brilliantly. Support champions are still good because they can help maintain the lane and prevent the need of recalling until you are at least level 6. They also have useful abilites such as shields and auras that give you extra defensive stats and help you in a fight. Because Gangplank is quite prone to ganks, they can also provide useful slows or speeds up ( ).

Proof

This is the best game I can muster up. It was a ranked game in which I was laning with my buddy Shen who could easily feed me kills by use of his taunt.