Not Updated For Current Season
This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page
x
x
![](/images/avatars/chogath-6.png)
Did this guide help you? If so please give them a vote or leave a comment.
You can even win prizes by doing so!
Vote
Comment
I liked this Guide
![](/images/mf-thumb-icon.png)
I didn't like this Guide
![](/images/mf-thumb-icon.png)
![](/images/mf-thumb-icon.png)
![](/images/mf-thumb-icon.png)
![](/images/guides/vote-popup-heart.png)
Your votes and comments encourage our guide authors to continue
creating helpful guides for the League of Legends community.
Recommended Items
Spells:
Flash
Ignite
Items
Ability Order
Trial By Fire (PASSIVE)
Gangplank Passive Ability
Introduction
About the Author
I am a relatively new LoL player (started early 2013) but feel I can teach you a lot about my favorite champion to play, Gangplank! I'm currently in Silver IV and climbing. On top of Caitlyn as my preferred ADC, I main Gangplank top using this very build in ranked and normal games.
Who is Gangplank? Isn't he the useless champion who just spams
Parrrley everywhere?
Unfortunately enough, most Gangplank players don't know how to build him, and there are MANY ways to build him. You can go total Critplank, complete Bankplank, a mix, a support Gangplank, whatever. In my opinion, Gangplank is an AD slightly off tank, slightly bruiser champion that belongs in top lane. He has the potential to do a lot of damage but has to be careful not to sacrifice survivability. This guide gives you just that - the right amount of damage and scale but not enough to the point where you die instantly in team fights.
Pros/Cons
+ Built in red buff with ![]() + Great harass with ![]() + Great sustain with ![]() + AoE AD Steroid with ![]() + Global presence with ![]() |
- Early game mana issues - No damage without items - Insanely squishy without items - Needs to be fed to do well . |
As you can see, Gangplank is a nice team-oriented champion with lots of Pros. He fits into any team very nicely. The Cons can be very easily overcome in-game by dominating your lane and managing your mana effectively. The Pros greatly outweigh the Cons and Gangplank deserves to be recognized as a strong top laner.
Runes
![](/images/new-guide/new-runes/precision.png)
![](/images/reforged-rune/fleet-footwork.png)
![](/images/reforged-rune/phase-rush.png)
![](/images/new-guide/new-runes/.png)
Greater Mark of Armor Penetration
Gangplank relies on these to make sure that hisParrrley hurt. You could take
Greater Mark of Attack Damage but ArPen is so much more useful when poking.
Standard seals that protect against the likes of AD tops, i.e.Greater Seal of Armor
Darius,
Wukong, AD
Nidalee. The extra armor really helps out your early game sustain.
Same as armor; standard glyphs that protect against the likes of AP tops, i.e.Greater Glyph of Magic Resist
Vladimir, AP
Nidalee,
Singed. Not scaling because of the possibility of AP matchups.
Although you already buy some gp10 items, more is always better, right? It's like having a freeGreater Quintessence of Gold
Avarice Blade before you actually buy it. If you want,
Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage or
Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed can be replaced here.
![]() |
![]() |
![]() ![]() |
![]() ![]() . . . |
- We only go 9 deep into offense just to pick up
Weapon Expertise . The extra ArPen is fantastic, especially costing only 1 point.
- Take
Mastermind and
Summoner's Insight to reduce the cooldown on both summoner spells,
Flash especially.
-
Greed ,
Wealth , and
Pickpocket are a dangerous combo on Gangplank. Combined with your
Greater Quintessence of Gold, you basically have a Philosopher's Stone (5gp10) at spawn. Pickpocket provides a neat way to generate some extra gold, as well. If you Q an enemy, it's 5 free gold. Harass with your Q once every minute and it's equivalent to 0.83gp10. Pretty nice for 1 point.
-
Intelligence and
Sorcery combine to give you 10% CDR at spawn. This helps with your
Parrrley (4.5 cooldown instead of 5) and significantly reduces the cooldown on your ultimate, which is always great.
In general, the rule for skill leveling that you should follow is:
R > Q > W > E
Your ultimate is your first priority. Leveling it up reduces cooldown and increases damage. Level it at 6, 11, and 16. |
![]() |
Also known as Oranges, ![]() ![]() ![]() |
![]() |
Additionally, it's worth mentioning Gangplank's passive. It's like you have a mini-red buff the whole game, applying DoT and a slow on-hit. This is one of the most underestimated passives, potentially slowing the enemy by 21% at full stacks. It's great for chasing, and since your Q applies on-hit effects, it's like you have a ranged red buff. Perfect. |
Starting Items
Because of what you plan on building later, this is just about the only viable start. It leads straight into Philosopher's Stone while also providing a great amount of sustain and utility. Any other start and you would be wasting time getting your early gp10 items.
First Back (or two)
Preferably, you would want all of this on your first back. You should have a kill or at least an assist from a gank, and enough farm and extra gold to buy all of this (1490 gold). This can be considered your early game core, providing enough sustain, critical strike chance, and most importantly gp10 to carry you to late game.
Note: You are going to need to sell your Philosopher's Stone sometime later to make room for other items. I recommend selling this soon after you build Atma's Impaler. Philo's primary purpose is to give you early game sustain and gold, so it makes sense to sell it for a
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
Mid-Game Core
These items provide the perfect mix of poke, damage, and sustain.
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
Boots!
These are the only two viable boots I see on Gangplank.
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
Late-Game Core
These items really make Gangplank shine late-game. They allow his damage to scale really nicely and make him a formidable force in the final stages of the game.
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
Full Build
Early Game / Laning Phase
During the laning phase, Gangplank is weak. Not terribly weak, just no where near as strong as he will be later. Because of this nature, early game Gangplank is passive. Your focus should be on farming and harassing, but not killing. Obviously, if the chance arises (the enemy is out of position, low on health, etc.), you can take a free kill, but don't be too aggressive. Especially in levels 1-4, your Q doesn't do enough damage to be useful. Harass once in a while, but generally farm. See the next chapter (How to Farm as Gangplank) for more specifics.
Mid Game / Eating Phase (after level 6)
The reason I call this the Eating Phase is because this is when you get fed. Off of assists or kills - it doesn't matter, as long as you're raking in the gold. Now that your
![](/images/spacer.png)
But, you also need to be focused on your lane, too. Don't push too much; your goal is not to take the turret unless it's free. At this point, you have much more harassing power. Feel free to continually poke your opponent, maybe pushing them out of lane. If they're low enough, you have the strength to take them 1v1. However, don't take kills or towers unless you're absolutely sure you can. A feeding Gangplank is not a happy Gangplank. You need to be fed!
Late Game
I like to think late game begins when there are repeatedly 5v5 or 4v4 fights happening wherever they happen to occur. You should be with your team during fights, but it's alright to push top lane because of your
![](/images/spacer.png)
Late Late Game and Your Role in Teamfights
This phase is at 40+ minutes. Both teams are "all mid", pushing back and forth, maybe taking Baron, and team fights usually result in Aces or just one survivor. Any fight can change the game. As Gangplank, you scale nicely into Late Game, but not quite Late Late Game :P Your role shifts now to an off tank, and not so much a bruiser. Pop a
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
In short, your role in teamfights is to
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
One of the absolute best things about
Parrrley (besides the insane crits) is the extra gold. By dealing the killing blow on a unit with
Parrrley, you gain 4-8 extra gold depending on the level of the skill. Additionally, you regain half the mana cost when you kill a unit with
Parrrley, which makes farming a breeze without worrying about mana. Of course, sometimes your Q is on cooldown, and you will have to autoattack sometimes. Often, your opponent will try to poke when you move up to farm. By this time,
Parrrley should be off of cooldown. Show them who's boss by returning their poke with a nice Q and maybe an autoattack. See the following video for a nice explanation of farming/trading:
(still need to record a video :/ )
Another advanced technique is farming with your
Statikk Shiv. The extra magic damage is proc'd when you
Parrrley, allowing you to pick up some EXTRA gold when it kills 2 or more units. See the following video for an example of farming with
Tiamat,
Ravenous Hydra,
Iceborn Gauntlet, and
Statikk Shiv. Jump to 2:17 for
Statikk Shiv.
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
(still need to record a video :/ )
Another advanced technique is farming with your
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
With this build, I've received many comments about how I'm "the first good gp" and that "you built him very nicely" (actual quotes from in-game, authors unknown). Gangplank has built up such a reputation as being a bad champion because so many people play him for trolls sake. He can do so well.
So! First off, some of my games with Gangplank :)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
If you want your own awesome scores here, feel free to PM me an image or two :)
So! First off, some of my games with Gangplank :)
![](/images/spacer.png)
![](/images/spacer.png)
If you want your own awesome scores here, feel free to PM me an image or two :)
This is my first published guide on MOBAFire. I say published because I made an unpublished guide (just items) for my own reference in the past. I would like to thank you for reading through and I wish you luck on the Fields of Justice! ARRRRRR!
As always, if you have comments, criticism, or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below. Always appreciated! Thanks again!
As always, if you have comments, criticism, or feedback, feel free to leave a comment below. Always appreciated! Thanks again!
You must be logged in to comment. Please login or register.