Hello everybody on Mobafire! This will be my first build on mobafire! I build Skarner in a as/ap manner which also gives you amazing survivability with lich bane, merc treads, sustainability with hextech GB, and zhonyas hourglass. (also with about 500 ap you get about a 500-600 shield you can spam). Most people think he is supposed to be played tank but i found out after winning every game so far with Skarner, this build actually works for him.

For runes i like to stick with the attack speed marks which will help very much on his jungling and getting his passive to work correspondingly. I then get some flat armor seals to help in the jungle and defensive stats, and get some flat ability power as that can help with an early shield and faster jungling. For quints i like to get flat hp mainly for the survivability you get early game with them.

PROS:
-Hard to get away from
-Amazing damage output
-Amazing survivability with this build
-Great ultimate for shutting down carries/possibly initiating team fights on their straggler
CONS:
-VERY mana hungry, even with blue i still oom in the jungle
-He has a terrible gap closer without flash or hextech gunblade leaving his ganks weak
-Has to get right up to peoples faces to deal damage

Masteries i go with a 1/19/10 to get the smite mastery for jungling, and the defensive stats that will extremely help out his jungling. also you need the 10 points in utility for the exp gains and the 30% jungle buff durations.

For items, i greatly feel that this build has it all for Skarner. The nashors tooth greatly helps out on early ap and some amazing AS that will help you throughout the course of the game.

I get the hextech revolver before the nashors tooth because that will mainly give you sustainability when spamming your Q in the jungle and actually make you feel like you can jungle.

I then finish off the hextech revolver with the gunblade to give you amazing sustainability all the lifesteal and spell vamp you get( plus the active is an amazing gap closer.)

Your probably wondering why i don't finish the sheen off with the lich bane. I used to do that, but i feel like rushing rabadons deathcap is extremely important, especially when you only be proccing lich bane with about under 200 ap at that point.

After the Rabadons i then get the lich bane which gives me some nice mr, that goes well with the merc treads, and the amazing proc that just does extreme damage with rabadons.

So for the last item i like to get a zhonyas hourglass mainly for the armor that i don't have in any of my previous items. I feel like at this point Skarner has amazing defensive stats and amazing dps.

OPTIONAL ITEMS: Abyssal Scepter( tried it and it seems great if they have heavily stacked ap team), guinsoos rageblade( i haven't really tested it out, but it seems like it could do it's job)

Ok now for why i don't get rylais crystal scepter. First off it does seem like an amazing item that will really help skarner slow people. However your still not going to get a slow off you first uncharged q as that is physical damage. The only other time your going to get a slow from it is off your E and i feel like thats just not worth it when u can just hextech gunblade. There really is items that better fit Skarner and what he does in a team fight.

For summoner spells, obviously you want smite if your going to jungle.

After smite i generally like to get flash, using that as my gap closer or to flash on an enemy and drag them to their fate with my ulti.

For the jungle route, i like to go with what Stonewall008 has to offer.
Play Video
I also found this a very good way to start off jungling, as even with a leash on blue its extremely hard to jungle on that route.

But i kind of like to switch it up. After killing wraiths, wolves, and golems. I recall and get up to 5 health pots, not wasting any money on a cloth armor. After that i still go to the blue golem.