Build Guide by Greekjr14

Introduction

Hello everyone.I have played Rammus ever since I started LoL. He is one of the best tanks in the game and is really fun to play. I like to play him as a support tank because a tank isn't good unless they help out the team, instead of just themselves. I feel like if I do not tank most games, then the job just never gets done.

Pros / Cons

PROS
- great tank
- good for tanking towers
- can take massive damage
- almost never has to go back unless out of mana
- can save teammates
- good initiator
- can sometimes pull of a 1v1 against dps and caster champs (even though no high damage output from moves).

CONS
- not a huge damage dealer
- can be vulnerable to big nukes without shield up

Summoner Spells

Teleport

- This spell will help you jump from across the map to save a teammate, a tower, or sometimes even jump from bot to top and ult to kill the enemies tower.

Flash

- Oh where to begin with this. I have used this to jump minions, chase over walls, and escape towers in champs in a flash (no pun intended). This is a must have to Rammus as it makes him a very good mobile and dexterity tank.

OTHER GOOD SUMMONER SPELLS

Ghost

- This spell is useful for people who want to play more aggressive and chase. It can also be good for many who are not able to escape very often.

Cleanse

- Good if the other team has many exhausts, stuns, slows, etc. and can save you in dire situations.

Runes

Marks

- For marks I take magic pen. Rammus moves do magic damage, so taking magic pen. runes will only increase the damage and CC for your Tremors, puncturing taunt, and Defensive Ball Curl.

Seals

- For my seals I take flat armor runes. The reason I take flat armor is because it helps out early game for those heavy hitting DPS and crit champs. If you have trouble building armor late game, then i suggest getting armor per lvl runes.

Glyphs

- For my glyphs I take flat magic resistant runes. Again, this helps out for those heavy AP champs and casters. If you have trouble getting enough MR late game, then buy magic resistance per lvl runes.

Quintessences

- For my quints i take foritude runes. There is nothing better than starting out worth almost 800 hp at lvl 1 with that much armor. This will help you get the upper hand early game and even make a difference late game.

Items

Doran's Shield - This is the most common starting items for all tanks because it provides the extra health and health regeneration that keeps you in a lane.

Mercury's Treads - These boots provide some great amount of magic resistance for early to mid game. It also helps for the heavy CC teams and lets you do your job as a tank a lot easier.

Sunfire Cape - This item plus your ult just rapes in team fights. It also helps you farm a lot easier and get more last hits without even trying.

Force of Nature - Great health regeneration properties and lots of magic resistance. Good item for most heavy caster teams.

Thornmail - This item is like payback for the person who tries to take you on 1v1. Imagine the effect from your Sunfire Cape, plus your Tremors, plus the effect from this. This item is a MUST for those pesky DPS champs.

Guardian Angel - Amazing item that just makes the team cry for trying so hard to kill you and then just popping back up and destroying them all.

Randuin's Omen - Good item with its armor, health regeneration, and CD reduction. But the real amazing thing about this item is the activation. It slows the movement and attack speed of all the surrounding enemy champs for 2 secs plus .5 seconds for each 100 Armor and Magic Resistance. That will make them regret buying so much armor.

Item Build Sequence and Game Phases

So before you even begin the game, take a good hard look at the loading screen. See which champs the enemy team has and use that to figure out which items you will build first. Do they have a lot of DPS? Tanks? AP? AD? Any disablers? These things can help you plan out your build.

Early Game:

Start by taking a Doran's Shield and a Health Potion. If you have trouble dealing with mana then take a Doran's Ring and a Mana Potion/ Health Potion. Harass them by hiding in the bush. Now you can either run in with your Powerball and then go back to bushes (coming out of course to last hit minions), or you can wait for them to come to the bush. When you see them approach the bush, turn on your Defensive Ball Curl, go out, and then use your puncturing taunt on them. It is a great harassing technique and if you conserve your mana well, you can stay at max health and bring them down slowly. Try to make sure that if you ult by their tower, that nobody is around. Remember, if someone gets caught in your ultimate Tremors by an enemy tower, then the tower will start hitting you. So turn on your Defensive Ball Curl if that happens, just in case. Get in a few ganks for mid if you are pushing your lane far enough. You should already have your Ninja Tabi done and already working on your Sunfire Cape. If the other team is more AP than anything else, grab some Mercury's Treads instead.

Mid-Game:

Ok so by now some towers have gone down and you are getting more into some small team fights.
You should also have finished your Sunfire Cape and have almost finished your Thornmail (used for more AD heavy teams) or your Force of Nature (used for more AP and heavy nuke teams). As Rammus, it will normally be your job to initiate. First use your Powerball to roll in and hit someone from the enemy team. Then, while still they are still in range, use your puncturing taunt and Defensive Ball Curl so as not to take any more damage than you normally would. If more enemies are surrounding you, pop your Tremors off to deal some extra damage. Make sure to use puncturing taunt on enemy champs that are chasing some low health allies. Remember, you are the tank, so it is your job to protect them.

Late Game:

Push push and push. You should be tanking those towers like a crazy person. By now all of your armor and magic resistance should be at its high. You should also be working on or finishing your Guardian Angel. Keep doing your initiating combo and soon enough you will have the enemy team begging for mercy. If the game continues for longer periods of time, go ahead and sell your Doran's Shield and buy a Randuin's Omen. Thank you for reading, and happy tanking!

Conclusion

Thank you for reading my guide. Criticism is appreciated and I would like to thank all of the Rammus players who I have played ever since I started for their knowledge.

CHANGELOG:

1/29/11 - switched clarity out for flash
1/29/11 - changed Mark Runes to Magic Pen. instead of Armor Pen.
1/29/11 - changed skill sequence.