Hello and welcome to my build for Ryze. Now Ryze used to be a commonly seen champion, but since his so called "nerf" (It was more of a buff than a nerf) that stopped his ult from giving him 100+ AP and AoE damage for a few seconds was redone to give him SpellVamp and AoE, Ryze is a fairly rare champion to see on the fields of justice.

People don't think Ryze is any good anymore, however, he is stronger than ever. His abilities were redone to give them more damage based on his max mana, and his attacks are more spammable.

My item choice is an off-tank build. Off-tank is easy to pull off on Ryze because he doesn't need AP items to be powerful.

Sapphire Crystal

The first thing you should buy right when the game starts is Sapphire Crystal and Health Potion x2. The sapphire crystal gives Ryze 200 extra mana, which adds 20 damage to his Overload, which is the first spell you buy. Because of the extra mana, he can lane longer.(though you shouldn't be running out of mana because you're only targeting champs this early on)
And also because of the extra damage, he can fight much better, dealing out 100 damage every 3 seconds at level 1!

Boots

The next thing you buy is boots of speed. Now, because you're playnig a champion that depends on cooldown reduction, you should buy Ionian Boots of Lucidity. However, this can be substituted for Sorcerer's Shoes, as magic pen can be useful for Ryze. If you have cooldown reduction runes, and magic pen runes, you can also buy Boots of Swiftness. Ryze is an agonizingly slow moving champion, but if you grab these boots you'll be trapping everyone into a combo.

Archangel's Staff

I can guarentee that you will never see a Ryze in a game without one. This epic item gives you AP based on your maximum mana. And, also has the passive of a Tear of the Goddess. Which means, every time you use an ability you gain an aditional 2 mana, up to a maximum of 1000. That's 1350 mana for 995 coins, which adds 135 damage to ryze's overload. I **** you not.

Rylai's Crystal Scepter

Survivability, slow, ability power. Just a few of the things that make this item awesome for Ryze. He can spam overload on champions attempting to get away and slow them down. Also, he can stop up to 5 people from chasing him by throwing a spell flux into a group (The slow is reduced for multi target spells, HOWEVER, using his ultimate before throwing the spell flux slows all champions by 35% each because it counts as 2 spells.). This is an all around good item for Ryze.

Frozen Heart

This item, is Ryze's major item. Health, mana, armor. This item gives the 3 things that Ryze needs the most in a good quantity. This item is a complete must.

Rod of Ages

For those agonizingly long games. By late game your overload will be doing well over 700 damage every 2 seconds, even more if you combo. This item also gives health and ability power, so it's even more useful for ryze. Get this item.

Force of Nature

This item adds that off-tank feeling to ryze. Along with the Frozen heart, you'll be munchin on damage like no one's business. However, if the team is physical damage based, don't get this item, instead buy Will of the Ancients. This gives Ryze spellvamp all the time, so you'll be one force to be reckoned with.

Well, originally I had 20-0-9 masteries for this build, because the last mastery in the offensive tree makes your champion deal 5% increased damage. However, I changed the build to 9-0-21 because 1. It makes more sense. 2. I went 32-1-7 in a ranked game using 9-0-21 masteries.

What I noticed in the Utility tree is the mastery "Expanded mind" Which increases your champion's mana by 1.25/2.5/3.75/5 of his/her maximum base mana. This is great for Ryze.

Ryze now has an infinate combo, because of his passive that reduces his cooldowns by 1 second every time a spell is cast, making him the best comboing champion on the game. In order to do ryze's infinate combo, you need to have your Q, W, and E spells leveled up to the maximum, and have a total of 40% Cooldown reduction. Because of Ryze's overload's passive, this is easily done by buying a single cooldown reduction item. Ionian Boots of Lucidity should do. If after you have all your skills leveld up, you still don't have 40% cooldown reduction, just go snag the blue buff on Summoner's Rift.

Now, assuming that you have 40% cooldown reduction, and you have all your spells leveled up (i.e you're level 18), it is now time to combo someone. Ryze's infinate combo has at maximum 0.672 delay between spells, and a 1.52 second delay at the wait. His infinate combo goes as follows:

Q ~ E ~ Q ~ W ~ Q ~ R ~ Q ~ E ~ Q ~ W ~ Q ~ (wait) ~ Q ~ E ~ Q ~ W ~ Q ~ R ~ (repeat)

When Ryze was first nerf'd(buff'd) there was a glitch that using any summoner spell also reduced his cooldowns by 1 second, making him almost unkillable. His old combo was:
Q ~ E ~ Q ~ W ~ Q ~ R ~ Q ~ E ~ Q ~ W ~ Q ~ (summonerspell) ~ Q ~ E ~ Q ~ W ~ Q ~ (summonerspell) ~ Q ~ W ~ Q ~ E ~ Q ~ R ~ Q ~ etc.. etc..

*Note: Ryze can do a 10 hit combo as low as level 8! You have been warned.

In ranked matches Ryze seems to be an easy target, which is true because Ryze is a mage, and therefore squishy. However, this build is an effective offtank build for him. He only wields about 3000 health, but the 176 armor and the 111 magic resit seems to make up for it.

Early Game

Levels 1-5
0-10 minutes in
Inventory:Sapphire Crystal, Health Potion x2

Early on in the game, ryze is very squishy, so you should stay back behind your creeps and last hit enemy creeps. Whenever the enemy champion gets close, hit them with an overload, try not to move yourself into range, because at this stage of the game, creeps deal a massive amount of damage to ryze even alone, let alone a full wave. If you're ever in a team fight (unlikely but possible this early in the game), you don't have your comboing skills or your ultimate to deal out damage to all enemies huddling together, so blast enemy champions that stray from the group with overload, rune prison those who try to chase or run, and if they're close enough together, toss your spell flux in. Any kills at this stage of the game will buy you boots or a tear if the goddess.

Goals:
Try not to die
Stay in the exp range of creeps at all times
Harrass champions
Do not chase

Spell Sequence:
1.Overload ; 2.Spell Flux ; 3.Rune Prison ; 4.Overload ; 5.Overload

Mid Game

Levels 6-14
11-25 minutes in
Inventory:Tear of the Goddess,Ionian Boots of Lucidity / Sorcerer's Shoes, Catalyst the Protector

Now that you're past level 6, you have your ultimate, which means you can now do a combo of up to 7, depending on the level of your overload. You can also easily solo the blue buff in Summoner's Rift in less than 15 seconds. IF anyone in other lanes need help you can actually go and be an effective ganker. Still, however, you should stay near the back in team fights, as you are still extrememly squishy. However, you should find farming minons easier because you have the mana to last hit them with overload or rune prison(this skill instantly damages the target, useful for last hitting). You can be a little more independant now, but you should stick to your own lane. In team fights, target their highest dps and start off the combo. This is what you do to your target:
Q ~ E ~ Q ~ W ~ Q
Now, if your target is by the enemy team and hasn't died yet, add this to the end of the combo:
R ~ Q ~ E ~ Q ~ W ~ Q
That should massivly damage anyone hit by it, leaving you to simply clean up by rune prisoning and overloading the leftovers.

Goals:
Get kills, but don't chase
Stay in your lane unless nesicary to leave
Stay within the exp range of creeps
Last hit everyone and everything
Skill alot on minons to stack your tear of the goddess.

Skill Sequence:
6. Desperate Power ; 7. Spell Flux ; 8. ; 9. Rune Prison ; 10. Overload ; 11. Spell Flux ; 12. Rune Prison ; 13. Spell Flux ; 14. Rune Prison

Late Game

Levels 15-18
26+ minutes in
Inventory:Archangel's Staff, Ionian Boots of Lucidity / Sorcerer's Shoes, Frozen Heart, Rylai's Crystal Cepter, Rod of Ages, Force of Nature

As soon as you hit level 15, you can be completely independant, not needing to hide behind teamates as often in team fights, and able to 1v1 most champions. Ryze can now do his infinate combo and is very dangerous. In team fights, target their high dps and combo them, then when you hit "R", start targeting the rest of the crowd if they're close together. You should be rackin up kills now. At level 18, things get fun. Once you have your full build, you should be extremely hard, if not impossible to take down alone. Even in team fights, Ryze is a force to be noticed, with suprisingly high survivability. What was I saying about being squishy before?
If the enemy team only deals physical or magic damage, then you can substitute an item for will of the ancients.(i.e. if the enemy team is Caitlyn, Tryndamere, Udyr, Ashe, and Master Yi, you can get rid of the Force of Nature.) Will of the ancients is one of Ryze's best friends, as it gives him cooldown reduction AND spellvamp.

Goals:
Kill the enemy nexus
Kill enemies and make them surrender
Dominate the battlefield
Grab Baron whenever possible.

Skill sequence:
15. Desperate Power ; 16. Rune Prison ; 17. Spell Flux ; 18. Rune Prison

Well, that's all. I don't think I need to explain much more (This is my first guide, gime a break.)

However, the key points are:
Stay in the back and farm early game. (If you're soloing a lane with 2 enemies, at least try to stay in the minon's exp range, and last hit the minons at the turret. This will give you a level advantage against the enemy champions.)

Don't overextend mid game.

Kick *** late game.

Remember to help your teamates out.

Start your combo off on the enemy team's highest DPS.
(Q ~ E ~ Q ~ W ~ Q the enemy dps, then hit R ~ Q ~ E ~ Q ~ W ~ Q which will hit their whole team)

Don't surrender and win.