This is my guide to Garen, I haven't seen or played anyone that has started Garen with doran blades or Offense masteries.

Armor pen reds for sure
For quints I'd suggest all three movement quints, because it's much better to stay on your target than miss your entire skill sequence because you're a few seconds late.

Yello / Blue, I went AD per level because his AD modifier is really good and going CD or Dodge, isn't really benefitial since not many are going to auto attack you and when decisive strike is refreshed the fights over or you're already dead.

I stick to 21/?/?

or 15/3/12 (exp)

Doran blade x 3

More farm, more damage*, more hp, more of a threat. Spin to win is what everyone says lol xD

Boots of swiftness is a MUST

I always go 3 doran blades, even if I'm doing really good. . because once you do get giant's belt >>> sunfire
its 300 + 400 hp and still worthy dps to kill people with two spins and enough health.

Usually I don't upgrade the giants belt until I see what the other team comp is most likely going for and who I need to zone out/kill blow cds and exhaust ignite on.



If you don't go doran blades, you're gonna tank nothing because you only killsteal, or silence and stand around, than people FARM you once you get 3 killsteals that you shouldn't have for 500 gold :D




Early game laning
Do not solo a lane, garen has much more potential in ganking than babysitting
Play defensive if your team is stupid and puts you with someone that "should" be in a mid lane. Except Ashe(with runes) the slow is just beastly with Garen and since you're going doran blades, you don't need as much farm as Ashe / other player does.


Example : Garen with kennen/katarina they both have no way to farm the creep when you harass, or neither do they put enough pressure "behind" garens push

Mid Game (now you solo lanes. . to push them)
Got your giants belt yet? Time to gank or get an advantage. . try to lane and cover mid or WHATEVER because later on you're gonna tank

Got fed? Stole too many kills? Last whisper before sunfire and keep going DPS because this is a NORMAL game? -_- get into ranked already!

Your team is a let down? /surrender because you're tanking later on
(Mid lane is your level etc, no farm, feeding, 3 team fights lost(5deathes a fight)


LATE GAME
This is when you feel BAD for selling a doran blade. .

I think Garens build is complete once you have sunfire / trinity force though. buuuuut

Garen's silence, and randomens omen all that's left of him sadly -_-;
maybe an occasional nudge in a fight / backdooring but that's about it

garen relies heavily on team comp late game, but what champion isn't? :P


the standard late game item combo is Warmogs / Atmaimpaler, But I prefer Radomens/impaler or tank tank ghost blade for CD/gold/crit/pen

Here is why people buy wards. .

Lets say both teams have successfully destroyed each others "Outer" turrets, what do you do?


Most players just wait for a team fight / ace / be aced / lose and wait 40 minutes



I tell my teammates to hit top or bottom lane, and I wait in the bushes between them to cut off reinforcements

Wards prevent/aud this, and allow your team to surround 2+ players that are out of position, or lets your team push a turret(few hits) than back off. You dance with each other and whoevers best wins I guess :P

its an offense defense game

bump* BARON DRAGON GET IT DEFEND IT STEAL IT

My approach to tanking is really different than others.

I think AP is OVERPOWERED and is too expensive to tank against.
Usually the best way to tank, is 100 resistances, and being ahead in LEVELS. (for the HP)

Always pick either thornmail / force of nature because its better to tank the 4 support(ap) toss up knock ups ults, dodge past ALL of them and expect to be alive fighting the carry because you wont. .

priority is FARM - LEVELS - HP - RESISTANCES