If you've ever played Taric someone call you a 'noob tank', or words to that effect; they're wrong. Perhaps not the 'noob' part, as you may indeed be new, but rather; the 'tank' part. Taric is not a tank. At least not in the usual sense.

(Note: Working on builds, but this is more about tactics!)

He is definitely one tough cookie, but his main role is to 'decide'. What do I mean? Well, in a team fight or even early laning, his stun can 'decide' the fate of your opponenet, as in mark it for destruction for your team, or your lane-partner. In the early stages of the game, this can sometimes be even without a team-mate to help. (For example; I was once, quite weirdly, tower-dived by an Evelyn. She received a stun, and lots of tower to the face for bizarre kamikaze tactics. )

Taric will also lead the charge on towers. With Radiance active, your team receive attack bonuses, meaning you'll rip through a tower as if it were an overweight minion. This allows tower-charges without having to wait for the cover of a minion wave, which will throw your opponents into a panic. This isn't something I'd recommend at lvl 6 mind, unless your team are all present, which again; is not advisable. Generally I'd recommend about lvl 12 as a good starting point for 'Off-Beat' tower pushes, as by then you should have a healthy combo of defence and mana regen items. You'll notice your own team, particularly in solo-queue, will get more confident around you, and will rush with you, resulting in quicker tower bludgeonings and turning what would have been ganks into team-fights. If you aren't sure your team-mates will follow, it is worth typing 'push' before charging, though eventually they'll associate 'Taric Moving Toward Turret' with 'Awesome.' This will often net you Rift victories in under 35 minutes, assuming your team can take hints.

However, for those who are kill-hungry, and rightly so as getting the best mana/armour/AP items are expensive, you'll find that after the first couple of levels you won't be getting many kills. One way to try and raise the tally is during teamfights, hold the usage of Shatter until the enemy is very low on health then activate it and hope. It is important to hold of until the latest you possibly can in a fight, especially a team-fight; Firstly due to the buff being applied to your allies; secondly to try and secure yourself a kill or two. 'KS!' you cry, but I disagree. Sort of. As Taric you will be an assist monster. Your stun should provide your team with many, many kills, and in a lot of cases some good saves too. Your team shouldn't begrudge you a couple of kills, as every character needs gold, especially one as helpful as you.

During this guide-y thing, I haven't really mentioned Imbue. Some may find this sacrilegious, but this is the way I play Taric. Imbue is a selfish skill for me. I use it to ensure I can tank turrets, to keep me fresh in the laning phase, and if an ally is being focused to provide them with a small pick-me-up.

Why? Well:

(Early Game) Because you can hug a turret like no other. If your lane-mate goes off to help a gank; that's great. Good on him, you'll be fine. If your lane-mate dies; that's less great. Bad on him, but you'll be fine. Most importantly; your tower will be fine. You can easily hold off an advance of 2, and at a push, with some skill, 3 by yourself. Your stun and heal will (Mana dependant) make you a formidable tower guardian.

(Late Game) You will be primaried. A Taric should be a stun machine. I pick Ghost as a summoner spell purely to help chase for the stun. By lvl 2, the entire enemy team will know you have a thing for the 'E' button. Sure, they may take Banshee's veil, but that just opens them up to damaging spells from your team. So you've still put them at a disadvantage. Also Radiance will turn your team into steroid-laden pain-monsters, so generally you'll find you're not the enemies favourite drinking buddy. Imbue will keep your team buffed, and give you the chance to let loose another stun, while taking a fair amount of damage. (Yes, this is a bit tanky, but I tend to class tanks as champions with taunt, or returned damage. S nerr.)

So there we go. Taric the way I play him. Good luck.

Note: I haven't any pics, but I average about 4/2/14. Not the best stats if you've journeyed here from DPS-ville, but when they have a nice big, green 'Victory' label above them, they're alright.

Note 2: For extra awesome value, buy his pink skin. It helps. Probably.