Wukong Build Guide by Nichi
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Ability Sequence
Not Updated For Current Season
The masteries shown here are not yet updated for the current season, the guide author needs to set up the new masteries. As such, they will be different than the masteries you see in-game.
Masteries
Introduction
Hello and welcome to my
Wukong, the Monkey King guide. Wukong is a very fun champion to play, with more then a few ways to cause havoc amid your opponents ranks. If you are looking for a champion that can disrupt your opponents, while dealing massive burst damage to squishy targets, then look no farther then Wukong. Weather its watching the opposing Malzahar pop all his cool downs on your clone, or dealing heavy AoE damage and CC, Wukong will keep your opponents guessing. All the while you can laugh at any attempts to actually catch you and end your mischief. Your main role is to deny your opponents farm and levels early game, and as an Anti-Carry mid-late game
Pros / Cons
Pros:
Very strong burst damage
AoE disable Ult
Extremely Mobile
Strong Ganker with Decoy -> Nimbus Strike combo
Hard to pin down due to Decoy
Takes towers down quickly
Has built in counter to Armor stackers
Stong in Solo Top Lane
Cons:
Not as Tanky as some other Melee DPS (Jarvan
, Xin Zhao
, Warwick
)
Countered by Oracles
Slightly CD dependent
Loses some of his effectiveness late game if not fed
Runes
Marks:
Greater Mark of Desolation: This is really your only option for Marks, makes you hit harder, which is always good
Seals:
: Flat armor gives you nice survivability early game, and also stacks nicely with your passive
: Dodge isn't bad, but i would recommend that you take armor over dodge. Having more armor stacks well with your passive giving you more reliable damage mitigation
Glyph:
: I take MR per level rather then flat MR because early on, your burst damage is much higher then most mages. This, with Decoy means that you can usually avoid most magic damage early on. If you feel that you can't dodge early game mages, feel free to take flat MR
: Wukong is Cool down dependent so I can see taking these for more Damage, but i prefer taking more survivability
Quintesence:
: Flat Health will allow you to harass easier and make you harder to take down.
Greater Quintessence of Desolation : More Armor Pen, these let you hit harder, but with Armor Pen Marks and Crushing Blow, you will already be hitting plenty hard, so I recommend Flat Health.
Summoner Spells
Recomended: The ones I take, both beniffiting from Mastery
Ghost: Great for Chaseing, running away, or just getting were you need to be, Ghost is a great all around spell. Great to use with Cyclone to ensure knock ups.
Ignite: Great early game, this spell can be the difference between a zone out, and first blood. Ignite can also be used while channeling Cyclone, to ensure kills on low Health targets. Also can be used to shut down that
Dr. Mundo or
Swain
Possible Alternatives: Good all around spells that are viable
Flash: My personal favorite summoner spell, Flash can be used to chase, escape, or what ever you may need, but the recent nerf and the fact you can improve ghost and ignite with the same mastery point made me take ghost instead. Take it in place of Ghost.
Cleanse: Wukong is in a tough spot is he is CC'ed, take Cleanse if you can't seem to get the hang of dodging it with Decoy.
Exhaust: Wukong has no CC, other then his Ult, so Exhaust can help to get kills early game, or shut down that
Ashe owning your team late game.
Teleport: A common pick for top lanners, this gets you back to lane faster if you get ganked, or make a mistake.
Skills Useage
Passive:
Stone Skin:
A decent passive, this makes you more durable the more enemies that are near by. Not a lot of strategy here, just keep in mind that it doesn't make you invincible in team fights, and you will take more damage in 1 on 1's
Q:
Crushing Blow:
This skill is great for quick burst damage. It resets your auto attack timer so make sure to use it right after a basic attack. It lowers armor by a percentage, but that doesn't mean that you should save it exclusively for high armor targets like
Rammus. Try to keep this debuff on what ever target your team is focusing. Also remeber that you can use this ability on Turrets. You won't lower the armor, but taking Turrets down quicker is always a good thing.
W:
Decoy:
My Personal favorite skill, proper execution of Decoy is how you know if you are a good Wukong, or an Amazing one. Decoy is an extremely versatile skill, able too be used both offensively, or defensively. It can be used from a bush to get in range for Nimbus Strike. Use it as a distraction to escape being focused.
While you can't use Decoy while stunned or silenced, you can use it while rooted by effects such as
Lux's 
Light Binding,
Ryze's 
Rune Prison, and
Amumu's 
Curse of the Sad Mummy. Proper timing on using Decoy can lead to your opponents dumping their burst damage on to your clone. Even if your opponents don't focus your clone, it's still worth using to avoid the damage until the root expires.
Decoy also can be used to block incoming skill shots, even if your opponents know that is your clone. This makes tower diving with people like
Morgana or
Amumu nearby much easier. Another notable skill that can be blocked is
Caitlyn's Ultimate, 
Ace in the Hole. After you see the channel start, just make sure that the red targeting line passes between the clone and you, and your clone will take the shot.
One thing to be careful of is any visual indicators, such as Neutral Buffs, on your character to show weather it is you or your clone. You can also have visual indicators on you from enemy players such as
LeBlanc's Sigil of SilenceSigil of Silence, or
Zilean's 
Time Bombs. That being said, you should still use Decoy when you need it. Even if your opponents know that you have used Decoy, you still are stealthed for 1.5 seconds, which can give you the time you need to escape or position yourself.
One final note concerning the idea that you can juke someone using the "S" key to stop. While it's true that pressing "S" will look like you activated Decoy, as mentioned above, any visual indicators will give you away. There is also always a chance that your opponents will still focus you, even without indicators or checking to see if you used Decoy. I would only recommend trying to juke people with stop if you have no other option for escape. If you can get away be using Decoy or
Ghost, do so before resorting to standing still, and hope you get lucky.
E:
Nimbus Strike:
Your distance closer and main harassing tool, Nimbus Strike deals a decent amount of damage. It's cool down is short, so feel free to spam it. Don't forget that using Nimbus Strike increases you Attack Speed. This makes Nimbus Strike a very good spell to set up Crushing Blow. Dash in, hit them with one auto attack, then immediately use Crushing Blow. You can also use the Attack Speed to help take down Turrets. Use it on incoming Enemy Minions and then switch back to the tower. Nimbus Strike can also be used defensively by jumping to nearby enemy minions or jungle creeps to escape a losing fight. Be careful when attempting this, because it often leaves you isolated from your team, leaving yourself vulnerable if any other enemies are nearby.
R, Ultimate:
Cyclone:
Cyclone is basically
Garen's spin-to-win, but with a 1 second knock up at the start. It can be used to finish someone off, or to escape a gank with the knock up and move speed you gain from it. One way to do this, especially if your opponent has a heal or escape, is to Decoy from the brush to get in range of Nimbus, before hiting them with Crushing, into Cyclone. Due to the steath, you should be able to get the combo in before your opponents can react. Pop
Ignite on them during the knock up, and you got yourself a kill.
This Ultimate also makes
Wukong amazing in team fights. Cyclone makes for a great follow up skill for a team mates initiation, such as Curse of the Sad Mummy or 
Unstoppable Force. You shouldn't normally try to initiate with Cyclone, it leaves you very vulnerable to CC, and the initial knock up isn't long enough to guarantee a kill. Unlike in 1 on 1 scenarios, you generally will be hitting more then one target with your ult at a time. Do not get tunnel vision however, as if you have your cool downs up, it may still be more beneficial to end it early to burst down a carry.
Items
Core Build:
These are the items I most offen aim for in a standard match.
Philosopher's StonePhilosopher's Stone:
I always lead with a
Regrowth Pendant and a
Health Pot.
Wukong is one of the best early game characters in the game, and being able to stay in lane and gain some extra gold helps. Sell later to make room for your 6th item.
Mercury's Treads:
Standard tanky-dps boots, being CC'ed sucks, and these will help with that. The extra MR doesn't hurt either.
Phage:
Early Health, Damage, and a slow for a character with no CC other then their Ult is great. The fact that this is another component for
Trinity Force, makes this a must buy.
Sheen:
This item gives you the mana you need to spam your abilities more, makes your Crushing Blow take off a quarter of a squishies health, and it is a component for
Trinity Force, need I say more?
Trinity Force:
Unleash the pain. If you can manage to get this by the 20 minute mark, no one is gonna wanna try and 1 vs 1 you. This item gives you all the damage you'll you need to dominate through mid game.
Warmog's Armor:
Lots of Flat Health, and a great item to pick up if you want to be generally harder to kill. Combine with your other Health items makes it much harder for the enemy
Annie to kill you in one burst. Getting this right after
Trinity Force will ensure you reach the bonus health cap quickly.
Atma's Impaler
Atma's synergizes well with your other items. Giving bonus Armor, Crit, and Attack Damage, especially with
Warmog's Armor.
Banshee's Veil:
I can not stress enough how amazing this item is on Wukong. This item, combine with Decoy and
Ghost, means that your are almost guaranteed to escape any situation. Focusing carries becomes significantly easier after getting
Banshee's Veil, since you don't have to worry about being cc'ed before using Decoy. I pick it up in late game, after some of your early game dominance has started to slack off.
Black Cleaver:
This item goes well with Crushing Blow, since it applies on hit effects and lowers armor as well. Together, theres nothing stopping you from tearing apart opponents, even if they stack armor to counter you.
Situational:
Depending on how the game has been progressing, you may need to modify your build. If you find yourself being focused, try and grab some survivability. If you feel like you need more damage, take some extra damage items.
Survival Options:
Wriggle's Lantern:
Part of my philosophy with Wukong is that he is not ment to win a lane by out lasting his opponents. While Wriggle's gives you a lot of staying power, I personally feel it isn't worth delaying your
Trinity Force for it, when Philosopher's StonePhilosopher's Stone is cheaper and fulfills that need. If you really feel you need it, take it, but I am not a fan of this on Wukong.
Thornmail:
An excellent counter for a fed AD carry, take to counter that
Gangplank criting you for half your life
Wit's End:
Not a bad item to get if an AP melee is getting fed.
Singed and
Cho'gath come to mind.
Force of Nature:
This item has the largest flat MR in the game. I only take Force of Nature if an opposing AP carry is fed enough that just
Banshee's Veil doesn't cut it.
Cloak and Dagger:
If you choose a differnt pair of boots other then
Mercury's Treads, I would recomend picking this up. Most of your survivability comes from your mobility and Decoy, so having CC reduction is essential.
Damage Options
Madred's Bloodrazor:
As with
Black Cleaver, your Crushing Blow will apply the on hit. Take this in place of
Black Cleaver if your opponets start stacking health rather then Armor.
Bloodthirster:
I'm not a fan of this on Wukong, I have seen people make it work. I would recommend though only taking this if you know that you can escape team fights alive with regularity.
Phantom Dancer:
More crit, move speed, and attack speed, I like taking this to ensure that I can blitz the enemy line to get to enemy carries
Infinity Edge:
Only for those mega-fed occations, this will make
Wukong a squishies worst nightmare. Consider before buying though that this is the second most expensive item in the game, and
Trinity Force gives more then enough damage to take down a squishy.
Youmuu's Ghostblade:
I put this in here to explain why I don't recommend it on Wukong.
Wukong is meant to rush in, unload his burst and back out. The active on
Youmuu's Ghostblade is meant for people like
Master Yi or
Tryndamere who need to auto attack to bring someone down. You already have more then enough burst to take someone down. If you need a movement speed similar to the active, take
Ghost instead
Early Game
Early game is when you can set the momentum for yourself. At level one, your damage is higher then most opponents, but be careful about going in against an opponent that has crowd control. Pick up your
Regrowth Pendant and head for top. To harrass, dash in with Nimbus Strike and try to stick to your opponent for a bit. If they stand and fight, hold your ground at least until the attack speed buff from Nimbus Strike is up, adding
Ignite and/or
Ghost as needed. It may sound risky, but I have gotten First Blood in most games from this. If you aren't confident in your ability to kill your target, dash in with Nimbus followed by Crushing Blow, with Decoy to avoid counter harass. If you do this too much, you will run out of mana, so watch to see if you are doing enough damage to justify it.
This Stratagy will likely push your lane and attract the attention of the enemy jungler. Therefore, it's extreamly important to use wards to give you some warning as to when to run. If you don't have a ward, watch how your opponent is playing. If they seem to be opening themselves up too much, or standing and fighting after you have killed them, it is probally a bait. If you are ganked, it's imporatant not to panic. DO NOT pop Decoy right away, unless you are blocking an enemy skill shot. Walk into the brush, if you can using Nimbus Strike to gain distance. If that doesn't work, use Decoy and use your best judgement. Run toward your turret if you think you can make it and be safe under it. If you don't think that you can, or you think they are goning to try tower diving, head toward the river.
I can not stress enough the impotantance of smart agression as
Wukong. You ussualy will not have more sustain then your opponent, but you almost always out damage them. Wukong is unique in that he can take the harrasser's stratagy and slowly chip away at your opponent, or he can take the melee stratagy and defeat opponets though straight combat. The key is to accuately judge which option to take against your opponent (see Common Top Lane Opponents). Don't over do it and give up a kill, but being as aggressive as possible will win almost every lane.
Common Top Lane Opponents
Akali:
Akali is a tricky opponent, know for her overwhelming burst and mobility. That said, you can still beat her in a one on one fight at level 1. Most get 
Mark at level 1, and the best way to bait her I've found is to wait for her to cast it on you before diving in. Most Akali's will take the time to trigger the mark, and will stay on you. Just be careful if she backs off, because more then likely she will have her cool downs up when you re-engage. After she starts getting up in levels, watch out for her 
Dash. If you are getting low on health, don't try and go back for her unless you are sure you can get the drop on her with Decoy.
Blitzcrank:
You most offten see Blitz go bot with an AD carry, but it isn't unheard of to seen them top. Other then a large amont of CC, Blitz is your punching bag. The only 2 things you need to be aware of is his 
grab which can be blocked with the clone from Decoy, and his passive, 
Mana Barrier which he can use to bait you into attacking when low on health.
Cho'Gath:
Cho's CC is strong, but the only major damage threat he posses is his ultimate, 
Feast. If Cho beats you, it will be by healing off of minions useing his passive, 
Carnivore. As long as you can harrass him away from the minion line, you shouldn't have a problem with him.
Dr. Mundo:
Mundo will try and harrass you with 
Infected Cleaver, so stay behind minons, or block it with Decoy. His AoE damage with 
Burning Agony will hit you through your stealth, so run in the opposite direction of him after harrassing. At low levels, you probally won't be able to kill him, as he can slow you, but keep the presure on and he will go down. When he gets to level 6, be sure to save
Ignite for when he uses his ultimate, 
Sadism
Fizz:
Most common to see in mid lane as a counter to a Mage, Fizz does occationally take top lane. This makes your job a lot easier, as he can't use 
Playful / Trickster to dodge any of your spells. Until he hits level 3, his damage out put is laughable and he is squishy enough that you are garenteed to win in a head to head fight with him at level 1. Aim for first blood, or force him back away from minions. Just be careful after he hits level 6, as his mobility and range can finish you off with 
Chum the Waters. Your Decoy can intersept the fish, which makes it a great way to bait him into blowing all his cool downs when he sees it knocked up.
Gangplank:
GP, oh GP. The up side about dealing with GP is that you don't need to worry about him breaking your CC with 
Oranges, seeing as you have none till level 6. He will try to harass you with 
Parley, but until he gets his items, you can take him if you fight him. If he starts to run, follow him with Auto Attacks, but if you have to break off, use Decoy to avoid taking Parley damage.
Garen:
Garen is a tough opponent, who is very straight forward. His 
Spin dosen't care if you are stealthed or not, so Decoy is a lot less effective. He can even us 
Silence to keep you from fighting back effectively. His passive, 
Perseverance, also gives him a lot of staying power. The best way to deal with him is to call for ganks, or wait to go in while his skills are on Cool Down if he uses them to push. A good way to counter his passive is to use Nimbus on a minion near Garen, so that one of the clones hits him. This will reset the timer on his passive, which can make the difference in killing him, or him out lasting you.
Gragas:
This guy can be annoying if you let him. He has great escapes with 
Body Slam, and good sustain with 
Happy Hour and 
Drunken Rage. What he doesn't have is a way to deal damage to you. The range on his 
Barrels is only slightly longer then Strike. As long as you constanly look for oppertunities to dash him, he can't predict your movements unless he comstanly throws the Barrel directly under him. You may not be able to get a kill on him, but you can easily force him back from minions. Just watch out when he gets his 
Explosive Cask that you don't get knocked into a tower.
Irelia:
Anyone who has seen a farmed Irelia knows why you she is such a common pick for top lane. Luckly, you are the right monkey for the job to make sure she can't get minion kills. You out damgage her in a standing fight, even with the stun from 
Equilibrium Strike. The only way she can beat you is if you let her heal of minions with the passive portion of 
Hiten Style, or if you take too long to finish her off and she repeatedly stuns you after dashing to her.
Jarvan:
Jarvan can be argivating if you don't know what you are doing. His passive, 
Martial Cadence, makes poking engagements dangerous, so try to stick with him as long as possible when on the offensive. If you see him place 
Demacian Standard behind you, immediately Decoy and run 90 degrees from him, to avoid the knock up from 
Dragon Strike. If he uses his 
Cataclysm on you, you can dash to a minion or player outside of the ring with Nimbus, or Decoy to mimamize damage while you can't escape.
Lee Sin:
Most common in the jungle, he can give you problems if he takes top. His damage is solid in both bursts and sustaind fights, so you need to be careful when attacking. The biggest thing to keep in mind is that 2 of his skills, 
Sonic Wave and 
Tempest, will reveal you in stealth from Decoy, so don't bother trying to use it until the debuff wears off. You can block Sonic Wave with your clone and bait him into attacking it, which gives you an opening to come in with your burst combo.
Mordekaiser:
Morde is reletively easy to beat thanks to his mega-nerf. Just Nimbus him when his shield is low, and stick to him. If he tries to get his sheild off of minions, wait for the shield to tic down before going in. He doesnt really have the damage or the sustain to beat you, so the only thing to watch for is ganks from the jungle.
Nasus:
Easy mode. Nasus has no relible harrass and will not be trying to fight back as much as farming his 
Siphoning Strike. At level 1, wait for him put Siphoning Strike on a minon then dash in with Nimbus and start chipping away at his life. If he trys to fight you, the only thing to watch out for is his 
Wither. If he uses it on you, Decoy toward the end of the slow to prevent him from catching up with your damage while your attack speed is lowered.
Renekton:
Every one of Reneketon's abilities is annoying to you. His 
Slice and Dice gets him away from your harrass, 
Cull the Meek heals him from your harrass, and his 
Ruthless Predator stuns you, preventing from you from dealing damage or escaping. He is as close to a hard counter as I've found. Play it safe, and last hit rather then try and take him on.
Riven:
Depending on how the first few levels go, Riven is either annoying as hell, or a pushover. Her 
Ki Burst will stun you after you go in and disrupt your combo. She also has a large amount of mobility from 
Broken Wings and 
Valor. The easiest way to deal with her is to shut her down at levels 1 and 2. You out damage her until she gets her full combo, so do your best to force her out of lane. If you can get a level or two on her, she won't stand a chance when she come back.
Rumble:
Rumble's are typically agressive if you get close to the minion line. Use this to your advantage by kiting 
Flamespitter, and using Decoy to block 
Electro-Harpoon if you can't juke it. After 1 or 2 of his skills are on CD, follow up with your own spells before backing out to avoid his AoE. At level 6, try and bait him to drop his 
Equalizer in a bad direction by swaping directions after using Decoy.
Singed:
You are accually a decent counter to Singed as long as you play smart. At level 1, try to see what he got first. If he picked up 
Fling, your job is easy, just Nimbus him and stick to him best you can till he dies or recalls. A level 1 
Poision Trail is slightly harder, but same general consept. Rush him with Nimbus, stay with him until he activates the poison, then back off till your cool down comes back. When he gets 
Insanity Potion, the best way deal with it is to try and force him to pop it, then Decoy away and wait out the duration before going back in.
Skarner:
Skarner is agrivating due to his 
Crystalline Exoskeleton. It lets him shrug off your burst and lets him have enough attack speed to beat you in a standing engagement. Try to get some good damage in early as most Skarner's start with 
Crystal Slash. After he gets the shield, try to bait him into using it by either getting near enough for him to attack you, or Nimbus onto him. Decoy out when it comes up, and rush back in as soon as it times out. At level 6, watch for 
Impale that you don't get trapped under a turret or ganked from the jungle.
Tryndamere:
Tryn is agrivating for anyone without range to lane against, which means he is hell for you. Theres no question that he deals more damage then you in sustained fights, and he can heal through your poke from his 
Bloodlust. Play it safe and just take last hits, don't bother trying to do much more, unless you can get your jungler to gank.
Yorick:
Kinda simalar to
Riven, he is going to be easy or impossible all depending on the first few levels. His harrass with his Ghouls is solid, but his sustained damage at low levels isn't nearly on your level, so do your best to force him to recal. 
Omen of Famine will heal him, but you should be durable enough with
Regrowth Pendant that you force him back.
Xin Zhao:
Xin is only strong is he can land the knock up portion of 
Three Talon Strike. That said, it's not a bad idea to pick up Decoy at level 2. Just wait till he starts the combo and pop it right before the 3rd hit comes. This works almost everytime once you get the timing down. After that, just follow up with auto attacks and you spells till he goes down.
More Coming Soon
Mid Game
This is when team fights begin. By this point, your goal should be to have your
Trinity Force complete, and started on your
Warmog's. Typically, you want to be near your team at this point, taking farm were you can, covering when lanes need to be covered, and ganking as much as you safely can.
With Nimbus Strike, you can quickly push a lane and take a tower if given the opportunity. Watch your mini-map so you know when you can safely push, but also keep alert for ganks. Keep in mind that turrets can see your stealth if you use Decoy, so if an enemy comes to stop you, try and save it till u get out of turret range.
If attempting to gank another lane, keep in mind that you can Decoy from brush to get into range to use Nimbus Strike so that your opportunity doesn't see you coming. After that, just follow up with your Crushing Blow, using Cyclone and
Ignite as needed to ensure the kill.
You also can clear out the Jungle very quickly at this stage of the game, using your Nimbus Strike and Decoy to do AoE damage to the entire camp. If you get the chance, try and take your opponents Jungle as well, especially Blue and Red buffs.
Your Role in Team Fights,
Wukong is amazing at rushing past the front line to get to enemy mages and carries. Stay near your tank until the initiation, then Nimbus Strike->Auto Attack->Crushing Blow the squishiest target in range before starting Cyclone. Use Cyclone's movement speed and/or
Ghost as needed to get in close with the enemy carries. As your Ult ends, follow up with Nimbus Strike, Crushing Blow, and
Ignite as needed, targeting the most important squishy target. Remember to watch for incoming CC, especially if
Banshee's Veil is on cool down. If you see the CC or focus fire coming, Decoy out of combat long enough for your cool downs to come back up, before jumping back on the squishiest target with Nimbus Strike and Crushing Blow.
Keep up the pressure as long as possible. If you need to retreat, try to to use Decoy at an intersection. This will give you the most time to get away, and occupie your persuers. If you manage to force you target to fall back, use your best judgment on whether to follow. Chasing down a kill does NOT, I will say it again, NOT take priority over helping your team take down the remaining enemies if they need help. As a rule of thumb, before you follow ask your self the following questions; Do I know were all of the opposing players are?, Are 1 or more of my teammates being pressured by an opponent?, Is there a reasonable chance that you can even catch the runner? Think about these things before you leave your team to chase.
Late Game
By this point, you should have finished your
Warmog's and
Atma's Impaler. You also are most likely not the biggest threat in terms of damage, but that doesn't mean that you can take down carries and squishies by blitzing the front line, and Decoying through CC. Stay with your team, don't be afraid to take a bullet to save an ally carry, and watch for an opportunity to disable the opposing team with Cyclone. Keeping Baron warded is a priority at this point, so if you have spare gold, pick up a ward or two. You also can push lanes quickly and take towers so keep an eye out for opportunity to do so. Stay smart, don't tunnel vision and get that Ace for the final push.
Conclusion
I hope you have enjoyed my
Wukong guide. Leave any comments or constructive criticism in the comments. Good Luck, and remember to have fun!
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