Season 14 significantly reshaped Teemo builds and playstyles. Hybrid AP/AD itemization used to thrive, but most hybrid options were nerfed, pushing our yordle scout towards distinctly AP-centric paths. Two primary directions stand out:

• **AP Burn** – Building around Liandry’s Torment and other damage-over-time effects. This setup maximizes your mushrooms’ burn damage and sustained poke. Core items like *Liandry’s Torment*, *Malignance*/*Shadowflame*, *Demonic Embrace* and *Rabadon’s Deathcap* will melt tanks and deal insane damage in extended fights.

• **On‑Hit AP Bruiser** – Leveraging the attack speed from *Nashor’s Tooth* alongside mythics like *Riftmaker*. This playstyle blends sustained auto attack damage with Teemo’s poison and scales exceptionally well into late game. Items like *Wit’s End* and *Shadowflame* can round out the build for extra durability and burst.

With the right build, Teemo can pump out eye‑watering amounts of damage – I’ve seen games where he comfortably exceeds 140,000 damage within 40 minutes. The goal of this guide is to provide a clear framework for picking the right runes, items and play patterns so you can replicate that success.

Teemo’s rune choices vary depending on your build and the champions you face:

• **Press the Attack (Precision)** – Excellent for AP on‑hit or bruiser setups. After three autos it amplifies all damage and synergizes with attack speed items like *Nashor’s Tooth*. Combine it with Domination secondaries (e.g., Taste of Blood, Ultimate Hunter) or Resolve for extra durability. When running PTA you typically max **E → Q** or **E → W** to maximize DPS.

• **Fleet Footwork (Precision)** – A blend of sustain and mobility akin to Phase Rush plus Grasp. It’s ideal when you expect heavy poke or sustained trades against fighters. It pairs well with items like *Riftmaker* or *Wit’s End* to survive difficult lanes.

• **Summon Aery (Sorcery)** – A safe poke rune for new players or match‑ups where Teemo can bully ranged opponents. Aery enhances your **Q** poke and provides a small shield on ally hits. It’s great for snowballing early but scales poorly into late game.

• **Dark Harvest (Domination)** – A high‑risk, high‑reward rune for snowballing. You need to constantly collect souls to make it worthwhile. It offers little survivability and is hard to come back with when behind. Only choose it when you’re confident you can get frequent kills. *Electrocute* is an alternative burst keystone.

Other options include **Grasp of the Undying** (Resolve) for tanky/bruiser approaches, but those are niche.

**Summoner Spells**: Always take **Flash** for positioning and escape. Pair it with **Ignite** for kill pressure or **Teleport** when you need global presence. **Cleanse** can be useful against heavy crowd control compositions, while **Exhaust** helps punish melee assassins. Adapt your secondary spell based on the lane and your team’s needs.

Teemo’s damage output depends heavily on his core items. Choose your build path based on the rune and playstyle you’ve selected:

**AP Burn Build:**
• *Liandry’s Torment* – your go‑to first item. Its health melt and percent‑damage burn synergize perfectly with mushrooms and poison.
• *Malignance* or *Shadowflame* – great second items that provide magic penetration and an additional burn on ability hit.
• *Nashor’s Tooth* – even in a burn build you often pick this up for attack speed and on‑hit AP scaling.
• *Rabadon’s Deathcap* and *Void Staff* – late‑game damage boosters that turn your poke into lethal bursts.
• *Zhonya’s Hourglass* or *Banshee’s Veil* – provides survivability and lets you bait divers.

**On‑Hit Bruiser Build:**
• *Riftmaker* – grants omnivamp and makes your sustained damage scale over time.
• *Nashor’s Tooth* – core for attack speed and on‑hit magic damage.
• *Wit’s End* – adds magic resist and more on‑hit damage; especially effective versus AP‑heavy teams.
• *Demonic Embrace* – adds a burn and extra durability.
• *Blade of the Ruined King* or *Titanic Hydra* – situational picks for mixed damage and health shred if the enemy is stacking HP.
• *Liandry’s Torment* can still appear here if you’re facing very tanky teams.

**Boots:** Choose *Sorcerer’s Shoes* for burst/AP builds or *Berserker’s Greaves* for on‑hit builds. *Boots of Swiftness* and *Plated Steelcaps* are situational when you need more movement speed or armor.

Adjust your build order based on match‑ups. Against healing champions, slot in *Morellonomicon* early. When facing heavy crowd control, consider *Banshee’s Veil* for a spell shield. Don’t be afraid to adapt – flexibility is key to squeezing out every advantage.

Teemo’s kit is straightforward but potent when optimized:

• **Q – Blinding Dart:** Single‑target nuke that blinds enemies, causing their basic attacks to miss. Take **Q** at level 2 or 3 and max second in most lanes. Max **Q** first only against heavy auto‑attackers like Tryndamere, Jax or Yasuo.

• **W – Move Quick:** Passive movement speed that doubles when activated. Use it to sidestep skillshots or chase/escape. Put one point early then max last unless you are using Press the Attack with an on‑hit build; then you can max **W** second for kiting.

• **E – Toxic Shot:** Passive poison on‑hit. This is your bread‑and‑butter ability; max **E** first in almost every game for maximum DPS and lane poke. The bonus damage applies on each auto and the DoT stacks with items like *Liandry’s Torment* and *Demonic Embrace*.

• **R – Noxious Trap:** Plant mushrooms that explode to slow and poison enemies. Take a point whenever possible (levels 6/11/16). Use them to control objectives, scout bushes and zone opponents.

**Recommended Skill Order:**

– **Standard:** **E > Q > W**. Start **E** at level 1, pick **Q** at level 2 for the blind and **W** at level 3. Max **E**, then **Q**, then **W**.
– **Versus High Auto‑Attack Champs:** **Q > E > W** for a longer blind duration early. This helps against champions like Tryndamere, Riven, Yasuo or Jax.
– **On‑Hit Press the Attack Build:** **E > W > Q** to maximize attack speed and mobility.

Adapt your skill order based on the matchup and your chosen rune page, but as a rule of thumb you should almost always max **E** first.

Teemo thrives on lane dominance and map control:

**Early Game:** Abuse your range advantage to harass opponents with autos and **E**. Use **Q** to blind them when they try to retaliate and maintain good vision control. If the enemy jungler is missing, play cautiously – Teemo is fragile. In difficult lanes, focus on farming safely and look for poke opportunities under your tower.

**Mid Game:** Your first mythic should be complete by now. Start placing mushrooms in defensive patterns around objectives, choke points and jungle entrances. Roam mid or help with Rift Herald/Dragon with **Teleport** if necessary. Secure side‑lane vision with control wards and use **W** to rotate quickly.

**Late Game:** Teemo becomes a map‑control menace. Lay mushroom minefields around Baron, Dragon and flank routes. Use stealth to set ambushes; with enough AP and burn items, a single shroom can chunk out half a team’s health. Always be aware of sweeper trinkets and Oracle Lens. In teamfights, stay on the edge, poke with **Q** and **E**, and kite backwards while your mushrooms zone the enemy.

**General Tips:**
• Always watch the minimap for missing opponents; Teemo dies quickly to ganks.
• Use mushrooms defensively when behind and offensively when ahead (e.g., enemy jungle entrances).
• Place mushrooms along common pathing routes and in brushes to maximize hits.
• When split pushing, leave a trail of mushrooms behind you to deter chasers.
• Don’t face‑check without a mushroom ready – Teemo can’t escape hard CC and assassins.

While a full matchup list would be enormous, here are a few patterns drawn from the attached reference:

• **Bruisers/Fighters (Aatrox, Akali, Camille, etc.):** Play around their cooldowns. Against champions like **Aatrox**, bait out his three‑swing **Q** and sidestep his **W** pull; then trade when his abilities are down. Use **Fleet Footwork** for sustain or **Press the Attack** if you’re confident. Against **Akali**, respect her level‑6 burst and untargetability – an early *Oblivion Orb* helps when she builds *Riftmaker*.

• **Mages (Ahri, Syndra, etc.):** These champions rely on abilities, so blinding them is pointless. Focus on dodging skillshots and poking when their spells are on cooldown. **Press the Attack** with a burst‑focused build (e.g., *Liandry’s* + *Shadowflame*) works well. Save **Q** for auto‑attack reliant champions instead.

• **Stealth/Marksmen (Akshan):** Vision is vital. Use Control Wards and mushrooms to track his movements. Max **Q** early to blind his revive‑reliant all‑in and save your **Q** for him in teamfights.

• **Tank Supports (Alistar, Leona):** Don’t waste your blind on them; focus their carries instead. Keep your distance to avoid their flash combo and drop mushrooms defensively to cut off engages. **Summon Aery** or **Press the Attack** will help you chip them down.

These examples reflect larger themes: understand what each champion wants to do and tailor your rune, ability and item choices accordingly. Don’t hesitate to swap between PTA, Fleet Footwork, Aery and Dark Harvest based on the matchup, and adjust your skill order (max **Q** earlier versus auto‑attackers, etc.).