Hi, my name is JuanRa and I'm known in the game as... Juanra :D. This is my first guide featuring a champ that I don't play very often since I really hate supporting (watching how somebody else takes all your farm, having no money everytime you back to base, getting income only from GP5 items, and those damn Quints of 1 miserable gold per 10 SECONDS!! OMG, that makes me mad just when I think of it...

The champ is TARIC!!! soloing the top lane with his nice sustain and damage output, making him late game a really good iniciator with beautiful AOE burst damage.


Anyway, I made this guide with the porpuse of start getting champions out of their single roles, as people have been making it with the current meta. I personally think that almost any champion that is "just a support" can do really well in another lane that fits its kit and playing style.

For this porpuse I have tried things such as mid Karma, and I have never seen such crazy ratios on main spamming abilities (150%ap on Mantra'ed Inner Flame and 3 seconds cooldown).

Whatever, I hope you like this gide, any constructive feedback will be very much apreciated and if you tried it and liked it... thumbs up! :D

By the way, this guide is just the beginning(more like just a build), I know there is a lot of missing information (masteries, gameplay, wth i chose ghost over flash, etc.) but I will keep updating it the more I test the build, thanks for reading :).

Update 06/26/2013: I just added the mastery, spell and pros/cons explanations, hope it comes handy to you, I will post the gameplay later on, thank you ;).

Update 02/08/2013: I have completely changed the build, masteries and runes, it has a completely diferent focus on itemization and overall game goals. Now he is a real AP Fighter. I will update the explanations and the Pros and Cons section eventually (since I have discovered cons about Taric Top)

Amazing Pros Nice CC. Great health pool. Resistant, especially to AD damage. Short CD ultimate. Extremely good lane sustain with Imbue. High MPEn --> True damage to almost any champ. Decent damage output.

Disrupting Cons Everybody will hate you for going AP Taric. Still have to discover his drawbacks(still testing the build :P).

This will be our main set

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Greater Mark of Magic Penetration
Honestly I don't see many other options for AP based champions than these runes, they help you deal more damage early in the game.


Greater Seal of Armor
These are the best seals to have since you will face AD tops very often and you will have to deal with the annoying ADC mid to late game.


Greater Glyph of Magic Resist
These are very good if you are facing an AP top and will always help you against their AP Carry.


Greater Quintessence of Magic Penetration
Same as marks, we aim with this build to deal true damage so our base damages and high ratios won't be wasted.

Other Rune Options

Greater Mark of Attack Speed
This marks are good if you want to spam your heal as much as you can but it kind of screws the build intention wich is dealing high damage.


Greater Glyph of Ability Power
If you want to start with more laning power and damage, these are your choice, be careful of not picking these if the enemy team has strong AP damage.


Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist
If you want more late game resistance to the damage, because the enemy team doesn't have high AP early game pressence, these will do a good job.


Greater Quintessence of Ability Power
Same as marks, if you want more early power and healing, go for these.


Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed
I personally loves these quints, because the movility is great and helps you chasing, scaping and securing targets faster.

rule
Perseverance
Helps you sustain at early levels or if you want to retreat a little while to your tower to regain some health, this will make that more effective.


Durability
As its name says, increases your durability a bit, all of LoL players can tell stories about how they scaped an almost certain death with less than 100hp.


Hardiness
Extra Armor to reduce the damage you take from minions, you lane opponent and from teamfights.


Resistance
A little of MR to reduce the damage from those AP Carries that enjoy melting champs in two seconds.


Veteran's Scars
Really nice early health, will make trades from level 1 to 3 more rewarding.


Relentless
You know, I really hate being slowed, its desperating, this will reduce the effect of that annoying experience by a nice percentage.


Tenacious
I believe this is a very OP mastery, combined with a pair of Mercury's Treads CC effects will be greatly reduced.


Legendary Armor
I choose this over Juggernaut because Taric's Shatter active benefits from armor, the more you have, the more damage you deal.


Honor Guard
Nobrainer, you already took 20 points from this mastery tree, take the last one for God's sake. Nice reduction of overall damage.

Offensive tree

I use my last points on this tree because of Arcane Knowledge wich increases your MPen.


Summoner's Wrath
If you go and pick Ghost instead of Flash, this mastery will improve both of your summoner spells, great choice.


Sorcery
A little CD reduction wich helps Taric with his huge CD's.


Blast
Free AP each time you lvl up, great.


Arcane Knowledge
Now this is why we are here, the 8% MPen, helps to close that little gap on champs that have more than 64 MR.

Explanation

The reason I choose these items is because they provide you with excellent sustain in health terms, and yet decent resistances, paired with almost 300ap and adding the fact that you deal true damage to any champion that is not stacking MR, you and your deadly combo will be completely scary, but in teamfights you won't be focused and melted, you will be focused AND endure all the damage you want with your 80%ap scaling heal and the nice armor from your W.

I will explain you each of the items, and other viable options.

Boots.

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Sorcerer's Shoes

These are main part of the reason you are dealing true damage with your high scaling and high base damage abilities, always buy these.

Ionian Boots of Lucidity

If you are kind of new to the game or you don't have that much experience yet, these boots will make your casting mistakes less punishing since you will be able to cast your abilities more often, also if you like spaming with no end, these are your boots.

Mercury's Treads

These are your option if the enemy team has some crazy CC that doesn't aloud you to do much on teamfights(but i think your insane health pool will help you enduring damage and cc and start killing anybody with your fancy hammer), however, these will end with your true damage capabilities (same as Ionian's).

Main Build.

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Rod of Ages

Since we are aiming to have stupidly high health points with this build, this is your item of choice, i love it because it is not THAT expensive and gives Taric everything he needs early game plus an amassing passive that will help you sustain in lane throughout your leveling. Also, the high mana pool it provides synergizes with Taric's passive Gemcraft Always buy this, and do it as your first item.

Haunting Guise - Liandry's Torment

Lately these two items are extremely powerful on ranged casters, but yes, on Taric they are also amazing, makes your stun an even more scary poke that will constantly burn down the enemy's health, and will make you able to cast this deadly debuff on all champs with your Shatter and your Radiance once you have bought Rylai's Crystal Scepter

Rylai's Crystal Scepter

Again, we are in the search for health, health and more health, the AP here is really nice and the slowdown will make every of your abilities cast the double effect from Liandry's Torment, and will really help you chasing.

Sunfire Aegis

You might provably be asking yourself "hey wth no Rabadon's Deathcap yet?" And the answer is "NO!!!" In this build we dont have that overrated and ugly cap because we are not spammers since Taric has some huge CD's so we wouldn't be able to spam our big pool of AP, so that item is kinda wasted here.
This items is sort of cost inneficient so we are building it as our 4th item (boots not included). Despite the store robery on your hardly earned wallet, this item provides you with some armor and, GUESS WHAT!?!? MORE DAMN HEALTH!! Hell yea, at this point if the game hasn't ended yet, you will be unkillable and unfocused because nobody will want to waste half of is life trying to drop your health bar down.
What it is the best think here, in my opinion, is the 40dmg per second that you WILL BE REALLY DEALING thanks to your amazing 44 magic penetration, so we give that passive the best utility it can have.

Abyssal Mask

At last but not least, we give ourselves the chance to buy and item that doesn't contain any health on it, but it does have some good stats, such as MR and even more magic penetration.
Now we are set for the most epic battle Taric can have.

Another Viable Options.

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Iceborn Gauntlet

If you are looking for a more tank oriented build, buying this would be a great option. I always prefer it over Frozen Heart because it has almost the same amount of armor, some AP, a huge mana pool wich Taric can make good use from (passive, spamming abilities), a little of CDR and a huge passive that deals some damage and slows enemies wich will really help you securing kills and reaching pesky targets. Switch your Liandry's Torment for this item.

Rabadon's Deathcap

No need of explanation for this one, tons of damage, what everyone loves *sigh*. Only build this if you are already owning the whole enemy team because you will loose tankiness and surviability.

Spirit Visage

Exchange this for Abyssal Mask. This item is a great tanky option, it gives you the best cost efficiency for its stats. You have a little health, serious MR, great CD reduction and a passive that will make your healing spell huge.

Warmog's Armor

The only reason I'm putting this here is because people is king of obssesed with raw stats, I really don't like it, the passive is amazing but it's just raw health, so you are going to lose ap, utility passives from other items and stats.

Lich Bane

Personally I think it is one of the most overpowered items in the game because it practically grows all your ability ratios by 75% of your ap. An OK pick on Taric, I still prefer AP combined with some defensive stats, but if you want to nuke your enemies down this is your item.

Void Staff

If you dare to think that 54 flat MP and the additional 8% from your mastery tree isn't enough, or you are against 5 Galios you should go for this item, lacks surviability though.

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Gemcraft
Our beloved passive, this is what makes taric viable as a top laner, given that is helps last hitting and trading with the oponnent. Rod of Ages will be our friend making this stronger early game.


Imbue
This makes up for the lack of sustain stats (life steal, spell vamp). It is a powerful heal that gets even scarier when used only on yourself. It is on a long CD (20 seconds at lvl 1) but the amazing thing about this is that it CD gets reduced whenever you autoattack!, and get three times the effect when autoattacking champs! This will turn most trades in you favor if you play them smartly. Max this second against AD oponents, and first against AP ones.


Shatter
I just love this skill, it has a great base damage, and it scales both with armor and AP!. But the most amazing and important part of this ability is the passive armor bonus to you and your teammates. This skill is what makes you resistant to AD damage through all the game. This is our main harass, pushing and defensive ability, so we will max it first.


Dazzle
Great skill to catch up with your oponents, gives you a great initiation for trades. But be careful, THIS IS NOT A POKE ABILITY. It has a really long cooldown and the more distance you have beetwen you and your oponent, the less damage it deals. In teamfights you should save it to interrupt dangerous abilities like Katarina's Death Lotus or prevent Fiddlesticks from casting Crowstorm or Bountiful Harvest. Max this last.


Radiance
This ultimate is what gives Taric amazing teamfight pressence no matter if you are going support or top. If you are going to use this ability to combo down an oponent, make sure you use it first or second because it increases your AP and AD, so you want the extra stats in your other abilities. Max it when posible.

This should be your primary spells.

Ignite
Extremely good to secure targets, watch your enemy burn to death as he can't do anything about it MUAHAHAHA.


Flash
The best and most useful Summoner Spell, great mobility and scaping tool. Stun the ganker and flash away if needed.


Ghost
I personally like this spell for melee TOP laners since it really helps you chasing and scaping, it is also a good initiation to enter a teamfight.


Exhaust
If they have an AD Assassin and the common AD Carry, this could be a really good choice to shut them down.

The only viable choice appart from spells above.

Teleport
Makes you a Shen, but you lack the shield :/. Pick this if you want to have huge map pressence.

What you should NEVER EVER choose.

Barrier
Gayest spell in the game, this is a MACHO(manly) build. Don't even look at it.


Clairvoyance
ROFL.


Clarity
If you pick this and you even dare to justify yourself, you would go full retar'd...

Never go full retar'd, bro.


Cleanse
Useless, you are not the ad or ap carry(and it is still kind of useless for mid laners).


Smite
NO.


Heal
Gay, but not as gay as barrier, you already have Imbue wich is way better.


Revive
Troll Mode? Pick this one for sure, so you can feed faster.


Garrison
Do I really have to explain this one?