Mundo is a very interesting character that can be built into a very strong damage dealing tank. His abilities allow him to deal good damage through the early and mid game while he builds defensive items. Late game Mundo's synergy with [Warmog's Armor] and [Atma's Impaler] causes significant damage to the other team.

However, Mundo is a tank like character and therefore most of his items will be dependent not only on the characters he is facing but more importantly who is fed, what items they are getting and finally how well you are playing. For this reason the build up above is left a little sparse, however, it will be filled in soon.

5/29/11: Updated skill sequencing thought process

Runes:

For marks I like Greater Mark of Desolation because it is generally accepted to be the best rune choice for physical damage champions.

For seals I like Greater Seal of Evasion this is because when coupled with Nibleness and Ninja Tabi you can get a good dodge chance as well as the ability to proc an increase in movement speed. While caster heavy teams may negate this rune choice more often than not there will be enough physical dps to warrant these seals.

For glyphs I like Greater Glyph of Scaling Cooldown Reduction so that all of your cool downs are reduced. Early game you will need your abilities to be off cool down as quickly as possible to do damage.

For quints I like 2 Greater Quintessence of Health so that I have a good deal of health at the beginning of the game as well as one Greater Quintessence of Experience to get levels just a little faster.

For masteries the defense tree suits Mundo the best and therefore I take a full 22 points in it. This leaves 8 points which I feel are best spent in the offense tree to increase critical chance as well as increase attack speed.

Exhaust is necessary on Mundo. He has no hard CC { Infected Bonesaw is soft} and therefore must have some way to do his job of CCing an enemy damage dealer.

Now for your second summoner spell there is some flexibility. I prefer Flash because it offer's superior mobility: jumping in for a kill cleaver or running away over a wall.

Other viable options include
Ghost ghost also offers mobility some may say that it overlaps too much with Maximum Dosage that is simply not true a Ghost + Maximum Dosage Mundo chasing you down is a terror and on the other side you will simply be uncatchable, and if for some reason someone gets in your way you may have regened enough to simply kill him.

Cleanse also offers survivability due to the reduction of CC however, unlike ghost which I believe synergies with your ult. I think Cleanse steps on the toes of Heart Zapper.

Fortify I personally have never used fortify but it would be good to have on a team also Mundo is bulky enough not to really need two summoner spells so it would be a good fit. However, if you use it you must remember the only escape you have is your ultimate.
Clairvoyance Same as Fortify.
Ignite Same as Fortify.

Avoid: Teleport Mundo has staying power in lane; Clarity Mundo has no mana; Heal Mundo has good regen; Smite you are not jungling; Rally and Revive are inferior summoner spells.

Goes Where He Pleases: This is your passive, and while not the best, it comes in quite handy. This is why you want to stack health because the more health the more regen.

Infected Bonesaw: This is your favorite skill, if you don't like this skill than you should pick another character. It plays no favorites taking percentage of max health instead of a direct damage amount. Now you should level this up whenever you can. And when you hit level 9 and have it maxed your enemies will feel the pain.

How it should be used every time it is off cool down. It has four key purposes. Number one some Mundo's forget to do this and it makes me sad always check brush with your cleaver especially early game. It makes a very satisfying noise when it hits. Second last hit creeps, you can stand a good deal away from the creep line and still rake in the last hits (note you may not want to this if you are babysitting an carry such as Ashe). Third, harassment you can stand among the creeps and harass the opposing champions away from the experience zone. If you are lucky enough to be facing two melee champs coordinate with your laning partner the cleaver hurts at low levels and you can very effectively zone out the enemy. Finally, chasing, the slow and low CD makes it the perfect tool to run down your prey.

Blunt Force Trauma: This is a good damage dealing spell that can surprise most people getting 40 and then 55 extra damage early game is more than you as well as your enemies may think. Leveling up this early game will keep your damage output relevant.

Heart Zapper: Another key spell, however, its health cost is quite steep. Therefore I wait until level 8 to put my first point into it at this point you have to little health to be using it and therefore it should be used to help with CC and cause a little extra damage when needed. Then after level 12 I max it. Late game you can demolish creep waves with this spell as well as causing significant damage during team fights by merely running around. Late game you should have enough health and regen to always have this on.

Maximum Dosage: Your ultimate gives you insane health regen making you simply absorb damage like a boss. The more health you have ( Warmog's Armor) the harder you will be to kill. However, sometimes it is difficult to know when to use it. If you use it to early, you will deal unnecessary damage to yourself as well as maybe not using it to full effect. Use it too late and you could get bursted down before you can recover. Early game with plenty of 1v1s, 2v2s and 3v3s you should try to save it till you get very low on health this will bait the other team into trying to kill you and can net your teammate a kill. Late game you want to pop it near the beginning of the team fight, sometimes even before so that you can get full use out of it. Also it will let you get to the top priority target very fast while ignoring most of the damage you take getting there. Then you can burn the target down with cleavers, burning agony and masochism.

Skill Sequencing: It is very important to max out [Infected Cleaver] first. I take points in cleaver every time at levels 1,3,5,7,9. Once at level 9 this skill can cause some serious hurt. Your ultimate [Sadism] should also be upgraded whenever possible levels 6, 11, 16. This spell can turn you into an un-killable machine and you need points in it.

Therefore the only argument is between [Masochism] and [Burning Agony]. I admit that overall [Burning Agony] is a more useful spell providing AOE damage and reduction in CC. However, it has too high of a health cost early game. Also Masochism provides a nice damage boost that can keep you as a relevant damage dealer with no offensive items. Also there will be no unbearable CC at low levels so you don not need Burning Agony just yet. Therefore I get points in Masochism at 2,4 (6 Sadism),10 get a point in Burning Agony at 8 just to have it but health cost is still too high. From there I max out Burning Agony and leave Masochism till 17 and 18.

I have now come to the conclusion that Doran's Shield is the best starting item for Mundo. This is because it gives a chunk of health and armor as well as a little regen which allows him to stay in his lane until he is ready to return home. Some people will tell you that by purchasing a Ruby Crystal or Regrowth Pendant or Boots first will give you a better game because these items build into more important items may be correct, I find that you will be forced back to the pool earlier than you would have liked.

During this phase of the game you should be dividing your time between last hitting creeps with cleavers and harassing the enemy with cleavers, remember not to go over board those things do cost health and your regen at this point should be just a little slower than the cool down.

Your primary goal is to not die (unless it nets your laning partner two kills) and stay in the lane until you get enough cash for Giant's Belt. Ideally you would be able to purchase Boots as well. A couple of times I have had enough presence to last until I could get Warmog's right off the bat.

What if things are going badly and you recal with only 800 gold then buy Boots and Ruby Crystal or regrowth pennant If things are really bad and you recal with only 500 get Boots and some health pots.

As the early game comes to a close you need to make you first big decision which boots should I get. As a defensive character there are three main options Ninja Tabi, Mercury Treads, Boots of Swiftness.

Ninja Tabi are usually the best choice. First, they are the cheapest way to get to move-speed 2 costing only 850 gold you can bag these and move on to bigger and better things. Additionally they provide a little armor as well as increased dodge. This increased dodge synergies well with you seals and defensive masteries. Therefore as long as 2 of the opponents are heavy physical dps definitely go for these.

Mercury Treads can come in very handy. The reduction on CC is amazing and the magic resist can save you while you are building up Warmog's Armor. However, they are very expensive 1200g and Therefore I would only recommend it if the enemy team is a bunch of heavy casters with CC Lux Morgana and a tanks like Nunu & Willump and Malaphite. In short if you can find any reason to you should go Ninja Tabi and build a Force of Nature Later to combat the magic damage.

Boots of Swiftness are nice but have no cool passives and are more expensive than Ninja Tabi I won't fight you over it because I have used them and the move speed is addicting; however, I feel as though they are not the strongest choice.

Now that you have selected your boots you start to complete your build. Nine times out of ten I will go out and finish Warmog's Armor as quickly as possible. After this I see three possible routes:


If you don't quite yet have that invincible feeling and the enemy team is well balanced then pick up a second Warmog's this will greatly increase your survivability as well as increase the damage you will eventually get from [Atma's Impaler].


If you are taking way to much magic damage then this is your best bet. I love taking this item and much the same as [Ninja Tabi] I usually look for excuses to take it. The health regen is amazing and helps you keep up [Burning Agony] at lower levels. Also the move speed should not be over looked. This extra speed will give you an edge in positioning.


If you are facing a lot of [Phantom Dancer] stacking enemies than Thornmail quickly becomes your best friend. If you ever see two of these champions such as Ashe Master Yi Xin Zhao Caitlyn as well as others in the new off-tank physical dps craze keep Thornmail in mind. Note I said in mind. If these character's are underfed or using no traditional builds than get a Warmog's instead but if there are at least two of them who are fed then pick this up to get a lot of survivability and a lot of armor.


If your having a great game and got a few more early kills than you expected then you may want to head straight for Atma's. This will give you critical damage which when combined with Blunt Force Trauma can cause some serious damage. In this variation it is preferable to max out Blunt Force Trauma first to get that 100 bonus damage you can continue following this logic for a tank like build; however, in some cases it makes sense to go full out dps that will be covered in a later chapter.

Important variation: {However against caster heavy teams you simply cannot take that long and you must get a Negatron Cloak and a Regrowth Pennant If you continue to take too much magic damage you can finish a Force of Nature before your first Warmog's Armor}

You should sell your Doran's Shield now to speed up the purchasing of this item. If you purchased a defensive item you should pick up Atma's Impaler now. If you chose Atma's Impaler you can transition back into a more tank like build by choosing a defensive item most preferably a second Warmog's Armor to increase both survivability and damage.

These two items are based entirely on the feel of the game. Some good options are as follows:

3rd Defensive Item: want to absorb still more damage then a third damage soaking item is the choice for you. Take a 2nd Warmog's Armor if you all ready have 2 Warmog's Armors than take either a Force of Nature or a Tornmail {note I find that by this point in the game FON is almost all ways the best choice however if the other team is getting HARD carried by that annoying Xin then go Thornmail).

If you go for a third defensive item I highly recommend completing your build with Phantom Dancer to give you added DPS.

Completed Build Defensive Balanced Team or Magic based with not a lot of CC:


Completed Build Defensive Balanced Team or Magic based with a lot of CC:


Completed Build Defensive Physical Team:


Phantom Dancer: with Atma's and 100 bonus damage from [Masochism] the only thing that keeps you from dealing damage is attack speed. This one item will transform you. You will be able to run in and make squishy characters fear you while they do next to zero damage with your ult activated. Getting this item as your fifth also gives you greater flexibility in your final item.

From Phantom Dancer you can either fall back to a 3rd defensive item given above or you could move onto Youmuu's Ghostblade. The Ghostblade active will give you an offensive ultimate that when combined with Sadism can make you into very fast killing machine.

Completed Build with Ghostblade

Now the finished builds above assume that for the most part times are good. Sure you may have had a few deaths, but you are farming well and your team is doing well.

However we have all had times when this statements are not true. You have been zoned by the opponents and you are under-leveled and more importantly don't have the gold to spend 3000 on a Warmog's 2000 on a Thornmail 2610 on a Force of Nature 2355 on Atma's Impaler.

The answer is you need to build cheaper Items that can still have a big impact or items that have multiple purposes.

The answer is Spirit Visage at a mere 1550 it is easily attainable and provides a huge increase to Mundo's healing power. The reason it isn't included in the main guide is that it is not as good as it use to be and therefore if you have the money it is better to get a big name item. This item will increase the potency of your ultimate and the cool down reduction helps out a lot. This will let you get back into the game.

Note you may have to replace this item late game.

Now if the opposing team is very caster heavy there are two items to keep in mind Wit's End and Hexdrinker these two items come at bargain prices and can transform you into a damage dealer. This items should only be built if you finish your first Warmog's Armor reasonably early. And you are doing well. You should build Wit's End first because Mundo needs attack speed more than attack damage.

This could lead to a very strong mid game build that would look like


To complete this build you should choose two of the following Warmog's Armor Atma's Impaler Force of Nature Phantom Dancer

Ah the new craze the off-tank DPS so you completed your Warmog's Armor and times were good so you said hey lets build Atma's Impaler now instead of later. But, then instead of feeling the hurt of having too few defensive items the kills start racking up. Now if you drop your offense and dutifully head back to the bulky items suggested above, you not only might miss out on an opportunity to be a total boss but your team may loose as a result of having one of there top damage dealers turn around and build a Force of Nature and a Warmog's Armor.

Therefore in order to apply the pressure you should first build a Zeal later to be upgraded to Phantom Dancer.

After this you should build Youmuu's Ghostblade and your near finished build should look as follows:

5 items of a DPS build


For your 6th item you could consider getting another Phantom Dancer or a defensive item for this defensive item i highly suggest Warmog's Armor because it will provide attack damage through Atma's Impaler.

I have yet to mention replacing your boots but with a DPS build you may generate enough money to replace your boot with a Phantom Dancer should a game go on long enough this applies to all other builds as well.

Stark's Fervor is a great item to complement a team. Mundo himself will benefit greatly from the attack speed life steal and armor reduction. If your team has a couple of physical damage dealers it may be prudent to switch out one of your offensive items most likely Phantom Dancer for Stark's Fervor.


Sunfire cape is an adequate replacement for a defensive item. If your first two defensive items are two Warmog's Armors it doesn't make much sense to get a third and if you can't justify getting a Tornmail or a Force of Nature than a Sunfire Aegis could be a viable third item. However, in this situation I would most likely get an additional offensive item instead.


This item provides attack speed extra damage as well as extra magic resist for the bargain price of 2000 this means that it can easily be implemented if you need that extra boost but don't have the money to spend. It along with Force of Nature causes you to laugh at enemy casters.

Now some items that some people use on Mundo but I disagree with:


Ah snowball items I disagree with snowball items because they make you way too worried about your own skin than the good of the team. You need to be soaking up damage instead of focused on building stacks. The only time it is viable is if your team is dominating early game and you purchase it instead of your first Warmog's Armor.


Guardian Angel is OK however I feel that other items of its price provide more survivability or damage potential. Also it will cause people to avoid attacking you which is not what you want. Also I find that usually if you die, especially as a melee character you will be in enemy territory and will be quickly bursted down upon rebirth. The only time it could be viable is in the DPS build.


Frozen Mallet simply does not have much to offer. The health is a paltry use of a Giant's Belt which could have been Warmog's Armor or even a Sunfire Aegis. Also the slow can all ready be achieved with cleaver hits and therefore is unnecessary.

Thank you all for reading, if you've made it this far; this is my first guide so please take that into consideration. Secondly, I would like to thank the Mobafire community for providing me with a lot of information over the past few months; without that I would not have been able to make this guide.

That being said, all feed back good and bad is very welcome. I will admit that my knowledge of runes is limited and I am open to criticism in that department. I hope to expand this guide including chapters on AP Mundo which a few guides have explored this build would be centered around Rylai's Crystal Scepter. Also I would like to explore the possibility of jungling as Mundo. Finally I would like to write a chapter on 3v3s which I have recently started playing and have found that while in 5v5s Mundo may be a slightly underpowered champion in 3v3s he is one of the strongest.

Again feel free to comment.