I am updating the build when I either get new ideas or buffs and nerfs may happen. I am checking in every day to keep things up to date!

05/11/2011
#Updated with some more information on "summoner spells" and "Skills and uses"

#Added chapter "Preferred Laning Partners"

#Changed masteries as they've been updated.

OHAI! EmTee here. (no fancy pictures here, derp) This is my very first build ever!ZOMG! this is buildt as moslty attack damage with a dash of hp, armor/magic resist depending on the sutuation....anwyay I came up with this build while playing garen(which is one of my favorites champs atm) I tried a lot of other peoples builds and such, but I didn't feel like they fit my playing style. I think Garen can be a very good tank, yes, but I think that he deserves more than to just be tanky. That is why I came up with this build. I got inspiration from other players build's though so credit for me making this goes to them.

PLEASE VOTE, AND GIVE ME TIPS OF IMPROVEMENTS!

Pros

Dat damage
Great and Fun abilities
Can be a life saver for other champs
High damage output if played right



Cons

HOW CAN YOU SAY THERE ARE CONS TO HIM...Christ
Can get focused down and killed, but not easy.
Be carefull and don't Think your invincible at all times and you'll be fine :3

Perseverance

Garen regenerates 0.5% of his maximum health per second after not receiving or dealing damage for 7 seconds.

The most epic Passive in the game. It can make you lane forever and defend and harass at a very long rate.
Lost some hp? Go stand in that brush over there!


Decisive Strike

Garen gains 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35% movement speed for 4 seconds. His next melee attack within 6 seconds will deal 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 / 90 (+1.5 per attack damage) physical damage and silence his target for 2.5 seconds.

One of my favorite skills except from judgment. This can be used to devestate your enemies before you destroy them completely. Bonus movement speed, silence and lots of damage. That is powah! This ability can turn tides in a 1v1 or a teamfight. Eksample: I had about 10 hp left and running from a kassadin with over a thousand hp. As he chased me, I ran i to a brush and he foolishly facechecked. When he facechecked I used Decisive strike to silence him and added judgement, which resulted in me killing him and him raging. You can use Decisive strike to get faster into battløs or run away from battles.
Always target the enemy champion with the most dangerous spells and abilities and silence them.

Courage

(Passive): Garen's armor and magic resistance are permanently increased by 0.5 every time he kills an enemy unit (maximum 25) additional armor and magic resist)

(Active): Garen places a defensive shield on himself, decreasing all damage taken by 20 / 24 / 28 / 32 / 36% for 3 seconds.

This Ability is bettern than you may think. Just pop this, Decicive strike and judgment into someone while surviving like a boss. This is not very usefull at the laning phase so I choose to take it at lvl 4 and max it last.

Judgment

Garen rapidly spins his sword around his body for 3 seconds, removing all existing slows and reducing the duration of new slows by 50%, and dealing 30 / 50 / 70 / 90 / 110 (+1.2 per bonus Attack Damage) physical damage to nearby enemies every 0.5 seconds.

The bonus damage is further increased by Garen's critical strike chance. Damage to minions is reduced by 50%.

THIS.. is by far the funniest and most awesome skill in this game!
With this skill you have a lot of oppurtunities. The way I usualy do this i.. I pick Judgement at lvl 1 and rush with my teammate to the farest brush and wait for the enemy. (I usually lane with a champ with a stun of any cc that can slow or stun. Because with a stun.. GAREN IS A BEAST AT GETTING KILLS. Example: Sion stuns opponent, Garen runs in with E (Judgement) and first blood can be in your pocket right away. An other oppurtunity is to help your teammate and yourself farm and farmblock (or as my frinds call it "****block") the enemy champs. As you start spinning, your enemies will run away from you and the creeps in your way. This skill does scale with cit chance, but I don't like to depend on critical hits to do damage.
If you are running away from the opposing team, wait for them to pop their slows and then use judgment as it will remove the slows from you and decrese the income of the next. Follow up with by decisive strike (and maybe ghost) to run away.

Demacian Justice

Garen brings down Demacian Justice on his opponent, dealing 175 / 350 / 525 magic damage plus 1 additional damage per 3.5 / 3 / 2.5 health his opponent is missing.

This thing is probably the single, most awesome ultimate in this game.
This is kind of a execution skill. The lower your enemies are, the more damage it takes.
But it sadens me at times... as I play I see sooo many Garens that uses it when Im at full hp, which results in a

EPIC FAIL

so please... do not use this when your enemy have half of their hp or higher

Skill Combo

-> -> continue spamming abilities and autoattack ->

I use Exhaust Because it helps garen very much as it slows the enemy down for you to spam your abilities, escape an enemy or save a teammate.

With Ghost, Garen is a speed demon combined with Decisive Strike so LET THE RAPING BEGIN!

You can also use flash if you are unsure of how you will do if do not have flash, or just loves it so much that you can not be apart from it.
#UPDATE#
Flash is now being nerfed and is now even more useless with this build

I wouldn't recommend using any of the other summoner spells than these with this build, but if you think one of them suits you then be my guest.

*Updated 5/11/11*

I go with 21/9/0
The 21 in the offence tree gives you higher damage output early and late game. Putting Ability power aside, I only take 1 point in Deadliness because this build does not specialize in crital hit damage, and 1 point in damage done to towers is mostly useless to me.
I take 3 points in resistance, hardiness and vigor in the defence tree making me more durable during the lane phase.

I choose Desolation Marks for extra armor penentration, which is needed since garen only has ad skills and attacks.

I go with Resilience seals because of the extra armor it gives me and IT IS quite usefull for your early game laning.

I also go with Warding glyphs because of it's Magic resistance. It makes you more balanced agains a mixed ad and ap team

AT last I use Greater Quintessence of Desolation Desolation quints because of the massive bonus you get in armor penetration armor pen will help you deal very much damge with all of your skills.

I start with a Dorans Blade becuase it makes you both more durable and gives you more starting damge. (both hp and damage easily explained)

I most likely go with merc threads but if their team is pure AD I would buy Ninja Tabi, or depending on who you're laning against or the future teamfights. I buy one boots of speed and then buy the brutalizer before I buy merc threads

I get a brutalizer as a start of a later Youmuu's ghostblade. I start with this mostly to get some more Cooldown reduction, but get attack damage and armor pen at the same time

I either choose sunfire cape or maybe Force of Nature depending on the enemy team. Ofc of defensive reasons.

I am not choosing many critical strike items as I do not want to rely on critical hits to do all the damage.

Infinity edge is a must for a high damage Garen, since you get both attack damage and critical strike for

and next, I finish the ghostblade. I pick youmuu's ghostblade because of all that it gives.( it is so very very saucefull) Attack damage, Critical strike, armor pen and cooldownreduction. All of this is perfect on Garen!

Time to add more armor and hp with randuin's omen, and also to add more health regen and Colldown reduction.

And I end it of with the Black Cleaver for some more Attack damage and if needed, you get the armor reduction when you land hits. Other good damage items (or even defence items if the teams are even) are also optional.

Garen work very well with a lot of champions. With this build, he does not need very much minion farm so keep that i mind.
I really don't have any trouble laning with any champions at all. From Squishy carries to tanky dps's if they actually know how to use their champ.

Morgana is a very good laning partner for Garen in my opinion. It's an easy first blood if you and your parnter advances to the brush nearest to the enemy tower quickly after the round starts. Dark Binding and Judgment will easly ensure a kill if the enemy decide to facecheck.

Sion Is also a good choice as laning partner. He got his shield and stun that makes the opponents easy targets for your Q and E combo.

Teemo can be a good laning partner at times. If he have placed some shrooms in the brush stand and wait for the enemy to walk in it and Q and E combo. Remember: The brush is Garen's best friend.

Champs whith long ranged auto attacks or abilities like Caitlyn can make a good combination of harass and make your lane easy to farm in.

Quick tip: I hear so many complaints about caitlyn being OP with her range. What do I say to that? You are totally wrong my friend. GET IN HER FACE AND RAPE HER WITH ABILITIES AND SPELLS! An Akali and Katarina laned and had trouble killing Caitlyn becasue they didn't get in her face, which resulted in us losing the bot turret in under 8 minutes.

So I asked my good friend to try this build out, and this was the result
And here are some of my games:

Maybe.. maybe not... Hope you liked it though!
and I hope that this build wanst a complete waste of my time and gets some positive votes and comentaries.
Feel free to critisise and tip also.
DO not worr,y I take critisism as a man and just take it in and improve on it :
AND PLEASE! Try the build out a few times befor you vote.