Garen Build Guide by homxr

Garen Guide by an OTP (Classic/Predator)

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Build Guide Discussion (2) More Garen Guides

Choose Champion Build:

Classic
Predator
Glacial Augment

Runes: I will not falter!

1 2 3

Resolve

Grasp of the Undying

Demolish

Conditioning

Overgrowth

Sorcery

Transcendence

Gathering Storm

Bonus:

+1-10% CDR (lvls 1-18)
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+15-90 HP (lvls 1-18)

Spells:

Flash

Ignite

Ranked #7 in
Top Lane

Win 51%

Get More Stats

Items

Meta Start

Alt Start

Alt Start #2

First Back(s)

Situational

Defensive Options

Bruiser Build

Tank/Peel Build

Situational

Ability Order Q -> W -> E

Garen Passive Ability

Threats & Synergies

Threats

Synergies

Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny

Show All

None Low Ok Strong Ideal

Extreme Threats

Ideal Synergies

Tahm Kench

Extreme

This champ is rarely taken top, but when he is, is one of the most oppressive and annoying champions. His slows and stun make him very sticky. Be very careful. Trade when you can hide behind minions. Rush Black Cleaver.

Lux

Ideal

Sibling power!

Champion Build Guide

is a naturally tanky champion that has pretty good sustain and a decent amount of damage. He dominates a lot of match-ups tanks (thanks) to his passive, . Which heals a percentage of his health after a bit. What he does lack in CC, he makes up with a nifty mechanic where he deals insane amounts of true damage to his villain.

does lacks mobility, in the sense that he doesn't have any dashes or blinks, like a lot of other champions, and thus greatly benefits from items that grant him movement speed such as or .

was one of they very first champions I played and the one I've put in the most amount of time into. He is a very straightforward champion and can be picked up by anyone. He is great for beginners, and has a lot of potential with a bit of practice.

Decent sustain.
Manaless champion.
Great tankiness even with no items.
Villain mechanic lets him take out an enemy very easily.

Easy to kite.
Lacks hard CC.
Lacks escapes or gap closers.
His villian mechanic can't be controlled, making it unreliable sometimes.

's lets him regen damage he might take from bad trades. He does a great amount of damage while still being rather tanky. 's passive grants him bonus permanent 50 armor and magic resist after killing 150 units. Also, 's active grants him damage reduction and tenacity, which allows him to turret dive and take very little damage.

’s worst weakness is how easy he is to kite due to his lack of mobility. Which is more noticeable the higher elo you are. ’s passive, his villain mechanic, can also be inconsistent sometimes. It marks the enemy with the most recent kill as villain, so a 10/2/4 might not be considered the villain if the last kill went to the 2/4/10 .

- This is the generic keystone to take on , it helps your trades and provides a bit of sustain as well. And the fact it scales with HP and it's what you build, it goes nicely. There are other runes that can work, but if you're new to the champion, or overall to the game, take this.

- With the changes to turrets, is amazing at ensuring some early gold from turret plating. This rune also scales with your HP making you a turret taking monster later in the game. (Also, none of the other runes work on you...)

- Thanks to your W's passive granting you 50 armor and magic resist, you don't even have to build armor or MR to get a decent bonus. is useful in lanes you get poked out of. You should take against people who trade in bursts, since the duration was nerfed.

- This rune is probably the best for from these. Some bonus health even if you're not farming that greatly is always nice. You can take into match-ups that require the tenacity.

Secondary Page(s)

- This is my favorite keystone to run on , it provides you a better late game, and allows you take make roams even from top lane. It provides more utility than as the game progresses, because you won't have to rely on your to kill an enemy squishy (not that you had to anyays).

- A bit of sustain is always nice in lane, your Q does allow you to proc but the damage is not as useful, unless you're planing to get

- This rune is very nice for laning, every time you spot a ward and destroy it you get a ward and a small AD increment.

- This rune pairs nicely with because it makes your roam that much speedier. However, does have better syngergy with and but doesn't rely on these actives to be deal damage, if you prefer that or perhaps , you can take those instead. This is my preference.

Secondary Page(s)

, , , and

Harder keystone to use honestly, but there are instances where it performs better, such as against low mobility tanks. It will help you in fights in later in the game as well, but might not do much for you earlier. Good against champs like or .

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, , , and

This keystone is very strong, but it does want you to build , I personally don't like the item, so I don't use this rune page as often. It does have its match-ups where it's a good choice, like for escaping certain death from a or lanes where using anything else would be impossible.

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, , , and

This keystone is its most useful in ranged match-ups, your first auto turns into a slow, which helps you dump the rest of your kit on them. Item actives also proc this effect like and ! This rune is ideal for match-ups such as or .

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- This passive may not feel as strong in lane, but the amount of HP you regen will start making a difference when you take trades and stand back. The fact he gets a free , after level 11, is the reason he is a great tank, even if he doesn't have the CC of one.

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- This is 's engage and disengage tool, and carries a decent punch. It can help ensure those last hits if you need the help, and removes any slow. This ability can save you from a gank, or help engage. For example, when facing a , you can wait until after he s you to cast this ability and completely negate the slow.

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- This is your BEST ability, this is 's bread and butter, this is what makes so damn hard to kill (active and passive). This ability is extremely useful when you want to negate someone's burst, negate someone's CC, or reduce the damage taken from turrets while diving. This ability gets increased duration by leveling it, which is why I sometimes get this second.

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- This is your main damaging ability. It lets you through units which is useful in team fights to damage everyone and also be able to slip out when necessary. The reason I sometimes don't max this, is because the scaling is hardly affected, and the number of ticks increased based on your total level anyways. Maxing your W increases the duration of the damage reduction, which is sometimes more useful.

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- This ability does damage based on how much HP the enemy missing, so make sure to use it AFTER you've dumped your entire kit on them. I've seen it so many times where people use it too early and deal no damage because of it. This is ability is undodgeable! This ability also carries a passive, it marks the enemy with the most recent kills as the villain, which makes your and do bonus true damage (+1% of their HP). It also places a mark on top of them, which flashes when your ult will execute them.

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Starting Items
Early Damage Items
Early Tank Items

Boot Options
Common Damage Items
Common Tank Items

Niche Items
Situational Damage Items
Situational Tank Items

Starting Items

is a great item to start on . It provides some healing and protects you against some harass. Sell this item when you need gold to buy an item, or when you're about to get your last item!

is a good item for lanes that have a lot of ability spammers like or auto attackers like which helps you build into your first armor item, such as or .

's extra bit of health could for be good for AP lanes. The reason for this, and that I don't say a is because with this item, you can decide for or depending on what you'll need. It provides more options.

is a very gold efficient item, especially in lanes where you want to rush or . This start is good against people you beat, or in tank match-ups for a bit more damage.

start has felt like the strongest start against champions that have constant and non-stop harass, the sustain it provides is so good. And they can be sold individually, unlike . This paired together with your passive and provides infinite sustain.

Early Damage Items

is a great item to get on , it grants some health, some AD, and a small speed boost for trading better. It also builds into either of your core items.

Take in games where you're decently ahead in kills and/or farm, and you feel you're starting to begin your snowball. It gives you CDR which is nice on a manaless champion and will vastly help your damage.

is also a great item to get when you're ahead. The lethality greatly improves your damage against squishies and ensure you snowball if you do begin snowballing.

is a situational item, and should be built when against champs that can sustain without auto attacking you. Some examples can be like or .

is not always the item you want against AP lanes, but it is a good item against comps which have a lot of AP damage overall, or maybe an AP mid laner who got fed. Getting this implies you're building it into , which is inferior to , so only get it when the above conditions are met.

Early Tank Items

is best against AD casters, yes they can auto attack you, but they won't as often as they spam their abilities. Some examples are and .

is a great item to build because it builds into which is one those items that you excel with, as it improves your healing even further. It also counters AP champs like and .

is amazing against auto attackers, get this item if you're against a champion that stacks crit or attack speed. and for example.

is the item you want against those champions that have lifesteal, or a lot of sustain in fights. Getting this item means you're also getting , so even if they're auto attackers, best to start with this one. Perfect against and .

Bami's Cinder and Sunfire Cape are exclusive to a Phase Rush build and aren't recommended otherwise. These items do help you CS if you're not too used to last hitting, but it's better to use your if you need the help. However, they do let you proc faster.

Boots

are insanely strong boots, having an item that straight up negates 12% of the damage from auto attacks is just such an ADC cuck. I build these every single game I can.

are very good on you when you're facing an AP heavy team that has a lot of CC. Most of the time, taking would be enough, but you can build these to still take and .

- These boots are extremely useful for when you want to roam a lot, it does provide limited move-speed while fighting, but this should be made up by the rage passive that the items have. Don't build these too late into the game, they tend to fall off.

- These boots are really good anti-slows, unlike that reduce the duration, these boots reduce the power of the slow. Good against and .

Damage Items

is your core item, this item may seem inferior to because the mana is wasted, however the spellblade passive is extremely strong because of 's high base AD. The attack speed also helps you take turrets extremely fast.

is a great item on but only used at its maxed potential when facing 2 or more tanks on the enemy team. In those cases the armor shred will be super useful, especially for peel, but other than that, is the way to go. It's also the tankier item.

is a great on and it works exceptionally when you take , as you'll be the fast. This is a good item to rush if when you have an lead and want to keep snowballing.

is an item you want to consider in most games, especially against high burst enemies. It makes you that much harder to kill and also grants you extra damage (71 at level 18), which is always a nice perk.

is used at its max potential when facing a team that has a lot of AP damage and want the extra MR on top of the lifeline. Giving up isn't always your best bet, but this can help so you don't get bursted by an APC.

Tank Items

is the armor item that best suits . It provides a slow and a bit of mobility which can do wonders on you. There are other armor items that may work better according to the situation, but if none are mandatory, you can't go wrong with this.

is another item that does wonders on , the bonus pairs with your which makes you heal that much more. It's also the best item against most AP champions. It also provides some CDR which is also nice.

is a situational item that you'll build more oftenly than not so I'll add it on this list. It's the best counter for crit champs like , , and . It also an item active that can be super useful against mobile or ranged champs.

is another situational item on that you'll build more oftenly than not. It's great against comps that have a lot of sustain and auto attackers. Or just a large amount of AD champions overall, as this item provides a crazy amount of armor.

is an item that can be viable on but it depends on your playstyle. Most of the time you want to flank to pop a squishy and leave, but if your thing is more about diving and shredding all the armor you can, and then retreating, this may be for you.

Situational Damage Items

is good if you didn't build , and built . It'll make the grievous wounds last a bit longer and also give you a bit of extra damage with the armor pen.

is just like , you only really want it if you didn't build to give some instant armor penetration. This is more suited for an aggressive build and shouldn't really be built in a tank focused one.

The new is even better on than the other one was.

Situational Tank Items

is good only if the enemy has a lot of constant AP harass, sometimes getting might still be worth it, unless you're against a top, mid, support who got fed, and NEED the extra protection.

is an amazing item if you plan on roaming a lot, is similar to that, but this item has it's niche as it also has an AoE slow. Definitely gives you a bit more use in team fights, but a bit mundane if you went or built .

Niche Items

These

are

placeholders.

Items that are common, but I do not build nor recommend

is an item that everyone thinks is OP on , but it's slightly wasted. Yes, it does provide a shocking amount of HP, but it basically gives you your own passive. Getting some armor or magic resist is more gold efficient.

is a good item, if you're not good at last hitting and need the help. But, the last thing you want to do is push waves. It's better to practice last hitting, because if your having starts shoving you're going to have a hard time getting any good trades. Exception: Phase Rush

The items could be good on , because of the AoE damage, but you have for waveclear. It doesn't provide the essential stats you need early on. The exception to this is, if you're going for an assassin playstyle that hard shoves the wave and then roams.

is a decent item, but it's just not great on . The reason and beat is because they delay your passive, with this item you do it to yourself. The spellvamp you get from AoE is also tragic. Don't build this item. If you want more damage, get some lethality.

Q: Decisive Strike -> E: Judgment

E: Judgment -> Q: Decisive Strike

The disgusting full-kit-dump Garen execution.

darius, the hand of noxus

teemo, the swift scout

First thing, don't run you won't be able to proc it enough for it to be useful. Take to burst him down quicker, to slow him down and not have him run away, or for when he does try to run away you'll right next to him. Whichever rune you take, run secondary and take and , and don't forget to pick up double MR runes.

-> -> -> -> ->

Rejuvenation Bead - Starting 3 beads + pot is a lot more healing than just Doran's Shield.
Phage - Get this for when you do get the chance to be on Teemo, he can't Move Quick away.
Boots of Swiftness - More useful for the shroom slow. Get Oracle Lens and Control Wards.
Spectre's Cowl - This item's passive (150% regen) refreshes with Toxic Shot's poison!
Black Cleaver - Cheaper item, earlier spike, this is better than Trinity Force vs Teemo.
Spirit Visage - Adaptive Helm can be built if there's more champions it does well against, only then.

The best way to actually get some damage on (don't do this at level 2 for obvious reasons: you'll lose the trade), activate your and run at him, then run away and hit whatever minion is nearest.

Yes, that's right. What you want to do, is bait out which has a longer cooldown (17s) than your Q (6s). You might take some autos but that's fine, because you're going to wait for your Q to come back, and then go back in (activate your if you took that after his poison wears off (4s)).

If he throws his blind, try to activate your before it hits you to lower the blind duration, then instantly go into your . If he doesn't blind you then, Q him and then go into your E, and save your W for when he does blind you or if you're going to dive him (not recommended until you have a clear advantage or he's low enough). If this is pre-6, you should win this trade. And if it's post-6, he should be dead, with an and .

My original plan was to make all of them, and then upload them all at the same time, but my new plan is post them whenever I make them. My order is going to go like:

Common Counterpicks
Meta / Overplayed
Uncommon Counters
Other Top Laners
Off-Meta Laners

Next on the list:

Changelog

Patch 9.3 - This patch reverted the crit changes and made even better on you, and made it so building isn't completely troll.

Patch 8.24 - This patch ~~changed~~ buffed to get healing from all damage, making it slightly better on you, since your ultimate and damaging the true villian deal a considerable amount of damage.