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Thresh Build Guide by

Thresh Unchained: The Only Off-Meta Guide You'll Need!

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Thresh Build Guide By Updated on

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Choose Champion Build:

Thresh Top
Thresh mid
Thresh Support
Thresh ADC

Runes: Press the Attack

1 2

Precision

Press the Attack

Presence of Mind

Legend: Alacrity

Last Stand

Resolve

Conditioning

Revitalize

Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+9 Adaptive (5.4 AD or 9 AP)
+10-180 Bonus Health

Spells:

The best option

Ghost

Teleport

Items

Starter items & Boots

Doran's Blade

Doran's Shield

Doran's Ring

Berserker's Greaves

Plated Steelcaps

Mercury's Treads

Bruiser Thresh

Titanic Hydra rush

Splitpusher Thresh

Amazing tank items

Amazing damage items

Untested items

Fullbuild example: Splitpusher

Fullbuild example: Heartsteel

AP Thresh

Riftmaker rush

Other amazing items

AP Fullbuild example

Fullbuild example: Riftmaker tank

Ability Order Default ability order

1 2

Thresh Passive Ability

Threats & Synergies

Threats

Synergies

Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny

Show All

None Low Ok Strong Ideal

Extreme Threats

Ideal Synergies

Renekton

Extreme

One of Thresh's worst matchups. He is too slipper and deals too much damage. He has to make serious mistakes if you wish to solokill him. You need to play carefully and exploit mistakes he makes. You need to be able to run as far away as possible when he pops his ult, because there is a very high chance you will die. Even if you get under tower he is capable of diving you, so make sure to use your Q and E wisely

Thresh

Ideal

Pretty much every champion has some synergy with Thresh top (atleast in my eyes) But the main thing he wants form his teamamtes is damage. He can offer CC and damage, but not as much as some 1400 ap Veigar or fed Caitlyn, you get my point. He wants a teammate that can do damage

Synergies

Ideal Strong Ok Low None

Thresh

Ideal

Champion Build Guide

Table of Contents

Introduction

Pros & Cons

Abilities

Thresh top

Thresh mid

Thresh bot

Hello everyone, I am Niemi, a toplane off-meta enthusiast, who enjoys , and top.

was the first champion I ever clicked with, but I didn't like his traditional builds and the lane he was played in, so I started playing him top. And it was a thrill, thanks to that I got sucked into League.

By now I have nearly achieved mastery level 50 by playing mostly top , but often enjoy playing some other lanes.

The reason I made this guide was to show the off-meta ways to enjoy . If you like off-meta or you're just bored of playing normal support and want to play him in other lanes, then I'm sure I can offer you something you'll like!

And those who are a bit iffy on if this works, I can confirm it does. I have played this in ranked, semi-casually since I started. But after putting some more time into the game in general, I was able to get into platinum, which isn't too high all thing considered.
I probably could reach higher if I played more and maybe if I get my duo to run solo que with me again I will.

+Infinite scaling stats

+Amazing crowd control

+W gives optimal ganks

+High damage potential

+Useful even when behind

-No mobility

-Skillshot reliant

-Hard to master

-High cooldowns

-Mana dependance

In-depth Pros

In-depth Cons

's passive is . When something dies near , it has a chance to drop a Soul. Normal minions and jungle monsters have a 1/3 chance to drop a soul, meanwhile champion, large minion (cannon and siege), epic jungle monsters and blue/red buff all have a 100% chance to drop a soul if they die near . Each soul gives 1 armor, 1 AP and some bonus magic damage. You can pick souls with and you should use it to pick up even a single soul, since each soul is worth around 40 gold.

A secret passive

Ability Preview

is a hook ability that has alot of uses. Pulling opponents closer to allies or tower range, pulling enemies off your buddies, massive damage if you're going AP or even escaping if you use it on a jungle camp.
Also not that if you hit the ability, it's cooldown gets reduced.

A tip to help hit your death sentence is to stun them with youe E first, which will slow them down and throw them in a position where they realistically can't dodge your Q without a dash or . And has a strange interactions if you recast it instanly after hitting it (works better the closer you are to the targer). Immedietly recasting Q, allows you to start auto attacking before your target can do anything, follow that up with and you'll be able to do alot of damage!

When you hit anything, will pull that something towards himself. He pulls twice before the effect ends and if you recast he will swing himself onto the enemy. This can be followed with E or ultimate, maybe even throwing lantern to the nearest teammate to get them in on the action.
Also you can cast abilities while flying, while flying press R (not too early!) and E them into it. This will not only deal alot of damage, it will also slow the target down alot. Also if you have AP, that combo will one shot squishy enemies 100% in mid-lategame

Ability Preview

is a simple ability that gives a shield to you and the lowest hp teammate if there are multiple allies in it's area. If an ally clicks the lantern, they will fly to 's location. This will also give the lantern's shiled if he didn't recieve it already.

Also remember to collect souls you can't reach with this!

Ability Preview

is 's E and it has quite alot going on. First of all it's passive is really strong, and a core reason why works in so many different places. The passive (at max level and fully charged) gives a 200% total AD as bonus damage on his next AA. This takes 10 seconds of not auto attacking (turrets don't count) to charge it. This passive is at it's stronges during the early-midgame, somewhat falling off at lategame, unless you're building damage.

(Note that this doesn't mean that Thresh himself falls off at lategame, he has his passive etc.)

The active part of is an amazing knock-up CC, that is fast and it has good AP scaling. Let's note that the ability starts from the backside, being instant if you cast it towards yourself, which will catch enemies off guard. I always, always max this ability first.

Ability Preview

is 's ultimate. It's really simple, but it has a huge AP scaling and base damage. Enemies that walk into the walls are also slowed by 99% for 2 seconds. This ability is really strong and should be used to lock down enemies, to block enemies from chasing or as simple damage. I talked about comboing in the part.

Ability Preview

So, now we get into the depths of top, my main with years of experience. I'll be explaining items, runes, summoner spells and the gameplan!

But let me start with why. Why should you play top? Well let's start things off with the fact that you're tanky and deal alot of damage. You also get the advantage of tilting your enemy laner when they lose to a top. And last but not least, playing top is really fun.

Summoners

Runes
Items

Gameplan

The summoner spells aren'y really able to be changed. We'll be taking and every single game and I'll explain why.

is way better than for top. Due to his low mobility needs . He can use it to both chase and escape and over the years I haven't been able to play without . The only downside is that you won't be able to over things like walls, cage abilities like or something like , but that is a tradeoff that is 100% worth it, since just needs the extra mobility.

is self explanitory. It's needed for your own safety as well as fast way to get to objectives or splitpush.

Precision

is the default keystone for top. Earlygame pressure with this is already great, most people retreat after getting 2 stacks applied on them and if they don't, well then you'll just punish them. I really enjoy using it.

is okay. It's mainly taken for it's sustain or if you're making a crit top build. The damage it gives is decent, along with okay sustain that does lack.

Row 1

is the best keystone for top. It's the best way for him to manage his mana usage if he can keep poking and with every takedown giving a good chunk of mana.

is taken only with for extra sustain. This rune is great since doesn't have any sustain and going for none to some is quite nice.

Row 2

is the only choice from the second row. Attack speed is way too valueable for .

Row 3

is okay, I prefer to use over this, but it's decent. Not requiring you to be on low hp to ge tthe damage bonus.

is the better option of the two in my opinion. It helps alot when you get low hp and may help you close a fight.

Resolve

isn't a good rune anymore for top. I'll list it here, but not in the rune cheat sheet. It offers decent damage and some permanent max hp, it's okay, but is superior

Row 1

is just used for tower destroying. a tip is to not get too greedy while attacking towers. When I started, I always got too greedy for demolish proccs and died under the tower.

Row 2

is the best minor rune from the second row. It's simply extra resists.

is a rune that gives some hp when you're hit. Best paired with for surviving overwhelming poke earlygame with minimal damage taken.

is good againts champions that want to stick to you to deal damage, champions like and are prime examples or champions with the potential to deal huge burst damage.

Row 3

is decent, giving permanent max hp. It is guite simple.

is good, boosting and items that heal/lifestleal. It's really powerful.

Bruiser items

is a core item for top. The stats are nice, the cleave will help with waveclear and synergizes well with and you can reset your auto attack, allowing for faster procks of .

is an amazing item for , you get the MR he lacks and the items passive syncs super well with Titanic and , the waveclear is amazing!

is great for split pushing. Destroying towers faster is amazing and quite op in my books.

is an interesting item. It's one of the ony items that can and probably should be built before to start getting stacks for it earlier. You should buy if you can get an early lead and you're confident you can snowball your lead and get more and more Heartsteel stacks.

is a good way to get magic resist and shred the enemies magic resist by 20%. This item helps both you and your team.

is a great item that covers both damage types well, this items passive is great ofr longer fights. When this item is fully activated you gain 30% armor and mr which is huge!

is the only way to get antiheal and it synergizes well with since the items passive scales with amor, which gets ALOT.

while rarely bought, is a great item giving alot of MR, but not much else. can stack the steadfast fast tough with E and Q, so that's something atleast.

is an amazing way to get MR and the magic shield is great. It's a really powerful item that will give MR he doesn't really get otherwise.

is an amazing item for most situations, most builds use it since it provides some attack speed, strong on-hit damage and some ,lifesteal. All things he wants and needs.

is a great item, offering both attack speed, on-hit damage and magic resist. You should consider building it if the enemy team has overwhelming AP damage.

is here to help with 's lack of sustain. items like BORK already help with that somewhat, but this is picked specifically for the reason to help stay alive.

is an interesting item, to say the least. You need to be able to hit auto attacks to make this item worth the gold, as you every auto switches between giving armor and mr into giving magic and armor penetration. It should also be noted that this item should be built last, if you're building it. Due to the fact that it gives penetration to both defense types and since in the late game everyone is nearing max builds and max levels, they will (in most cases) also have the maximum armor and magic resistance possible.

AP items

is the item to rush for all fo your AP shenanigans. It's main appeal is it's first passive that gives 2% increased damage for each second in combat and at max stacks (10%) you'll get 6% omnivamp. The second passive isn't as noticeable, but does have a good base health per level. But if you're mixing it into items from the bruiser part of the guide, both passives will be quite amazing.

is amazing for . First of all you get a decent chunk of attack speed, since you won't build with this it'll be what needs. You also get ability power and haste, what's not to like?

is a big powerspike for due to his insane AP scaling. This item is quite simple.

is great, I like building it because it fixes 's low mobility and the stats are good.

for top is a bit tricky. Yes the stats it gives are great, but the passive can't be activated as easily againts the usual top enemies (tanks and bruisers) due to their high healthpool.

is a classic. If you hit a hook from afar, you can go to town on them with 10% extra damage. It's great

is simply beautiful. gets faster ults and his ults hurt more, a win-win in my book.

and both essnetially do the same thing. Magic penetration. But I'd buy over IF the enemy team doesn't have as much MR, so you can get the juicy heal!

The early laning phase pretty much decides the way your game plays out. You have to be at least somewhat aware of what your opponent's champion does and make some notes on what kind of a player they are, e.g., if they are a more aggressive or a passive player. These realizations can help you make appropriate choices, like whether to focus on poking your laner or on farming minions. These things are especially important while playing off-meta like top.

As top you have to constanttly poke your enemy, utilize or if you're in a tough matchups with , utilize the energize. Don't save the energize attack, utilize them on minions and if you can the enemy laner if you're missing hp. If you have full hp then sure try to poke the enemy instead. The damage can get kind of stupid with your E passive.

Also, a healthy habit for you is to buy the occasional . I personally throw them into the Baron pit or some bush in the river, to keep track of the enemy jungler. I don't throw them into the bushes near lane, because they get destroyed too fast before you get any real value out of them.

Also remember to help your jungler take the s. They are quite important for your entire team, and you don't want the enemies to get them. They help whoever kills them to destroy towers faster, it gets really bonkers with . And if you have at least 4 buffs, you'll spawn some s to help destroy towers even faster!

Now, some top tips: If you notice that your opponent is overly aggressive, turn their aggression to your advantage. Bait them into attacking you, then use your Q + E combo to drag them into tower range.

If you fall behind, prioritize farming and focus on playing safely. Once you've acquired the necessary items for splitpushing, you'll become a significant threat and get a strong power spike!

Remember to make use of your (W) to help your jungler during ganks or to escape sticky situations. It can also be used to shield yourself from burst damage. Also use it to take all the souls you can't reach!

One thing to remember is to keep up in cs. But don't just autopilot farm! Remember splitpush, contest the important objectives and help your team secure them. I'm talking about the s and the s!

In my view, the mid and late game aren't drastically different; the major distinction lies in the heightened focus on objectives like and the . These buffs become crucial for ending the game. Moreover, there's increased volatility which means a single team wipe can swiftly conclude the match.

is really good in all stages of the game, as long as you play well and don't fall behind! You have to play well and play smart, but don't let the flaming you will get from your team to get to you!

This is the end of the top part of the guide. This has been my main ever since I started the game. I hope I was able to offer you something new to try and maybe you'll also love this as much as I do! Let's also note that this, the top part is the part I'm most experienced in and the part that will get updatet the most.

Just to be clear that this is a link TO the end of the guide.

Let's get into mid now! The main appeal of playing as a midlaner is that you don't need to worry about playing as a bruisery toplaner or tanky support, no. You'll get to focus on building AP and one shotting the enemy adc, mages, assassins and whatever doesn't have enough hp and mr to survive you.

Summoners

Runes
Items

Gameplan

is and doesn't really need an explanation. But if you read the top section about you might be wondering about why I'm not recommending for mid, but the reason is simple. In midlane you'll face enemies that have abilities you 100% need to dodge/not biting the curb.

is self explanitory. It's needed for your own safety as well as fast way to get to objectives or team fights.

is good for early pressure and securing kills. You can take this if you're confident you'll win the matchup!

Precision

is a great keystone, boosting your damage, especially in earlygame and it has a short cooldown. The rune also stays releveant throughout the game, but it does start to fall off when entering lategame.

isn't a rune I like using. Your gameplan is to consistently throughout earlygame keep your enemy laner under 50% hp, so you can keep procking as soon as it's off CD. This rune offers little to none bonuses earlygame, it's main focus is mid to lategame. It's kind of a gamble, either you get alot of stacks and you're a walking nuke, or the alternative which is when you can't get stacks or your team forfeits before you can stack enough. It's solid for sure, but I don't enjoy using it.

Row 1

is simple, it boosts and . The damage boost isn't world shattering, but it helps. Also since the cooldown is 4 seconds you could Q > AA untill is off cd, then E. It doesn't make much of a difference, but hey extra damage is extra damage.

Row 2

offers permanent adaptive force for every takedown (kills and assists). It's simply more AP.

Row 3

is amazing for . Since his ult has a long cd, this along with will make it more bearable.

Inspiration

is amazing, you extra sustain and mana during the earlygame.

is great for chasing enemies you manage to hit with either E or Q. This rune is simply amazing

Precision

is the best keystone for . It's the best way for him to manage his mana usage if he can keep poking and with every takedown giving a good chunk of mana.

is okay, extra damange on enemies under 45% hp is always nice, I prefer alot more though.

is the better option of the two in my opinion. It helps alot with bursting enemies down, with your hook combos.

is amazing for mid , since all the mages, marksmen and assassins are squishier than the toplane bruisers and tanks, you'll be able to procc it way easier. Also the stats it gives are super juicy!

is a big powerspike for due to his insane AP scaling. This item is quite simple.

is great, I like building it because it fixes 's low mobility and the stats are good.

is a classic. If you hit a hook from afar, you can go to town on them with 10% extra damage. It's great

is simply beautiful. gets faster ults and his ults hurt more, a win-win in my book.

and both essnetially do the same thing. Magic penetration. But I'd buy over IF the enemy team doesn't have as much MR, so you can get the juicy heal!

This is just a modified version of the top gameplan

Just to be clear that this is a link TO the end of the guide.

Let me start with the AP support version first. The appeal of AP support is the same with midlane. Hitting powerful hooks. After an item or two, one good hook can mean a dead ADC or a support. I've enjoyed playing this alot, and my premade has enjoyed playing with it.

Now for the ADC . It's not the best, it isn't what I'd bring to my ranked games, it's for some draft pick fun. The main problem is the inconsistency of playing as ADC. 's abilities weren't made for that and the only thing even keeping the idea afloat is the passive of . Still it is fun to one-shot your enemy ADC with one auto attack.

Summoners

Runes
Items

Gameplan(WIP)

is and doesn't really need an explanation. But if you read the top section about you might be wondering about why I'm not recommending for botlane, but the reason is simple. In botlane, againts 2 enemies you just have to be able to quickly get some distance, simple as that. I tried running a good while ago and out of all the matches I played, it didn't bring in favourable results.

is good for early pressure and securing kills. This is for support, to be clear.

is surprisingly good. This season was the first time I ever touched . I first tried and it was the same as ever, but I saw everyone else running and I decided to try it. The difference was huge in my book. A big shield in a pinch and a shorter cd. Simply superior.

If you read the mid and/or top rune part, you'll get nothing new

Support items

The choice between Realmspike and the Sleigh is pretty matchup dependant. If you're againts a super easy matchup why not just take Realmspike for the extra damage? If the matchup is tough, 100% take the Sleigh, no doubt.

Nothign new if you read the mid items

ADC Item time!

is great for due to his low-ish attack range. You also get a good chunk of attack speed and more energize damage

is not the greatest, but with the lack of our lord and savior , there is a big lack in Energize items. Still it's decent

while not being an energized item anymore, still seems quite powerful and I've had some good fun with it. You'll be building it with the Enerize build, simply because I don't think the crit build really has room, unless you can spare LDR.

for the execute
for the crit damage
for armor pen

and are here to fulfill one job. And that is to help you survive.
normally, but if the enemies have too much AP damage, then you'll build Maw. Simple.

is here because it's Bork and it's awesome.

Thresh ADC and AP Support Gameplan

The early laning phase significantly influences your overall game experience. It's crucial to understand your opponent's champion and their playstyle, whether they're aggressive or passive. This awareness helps you make strategic decisions, such as whether to focus on poking your laner or farming minions. This is especially important when playing off-meta picks like as both ADC and AP support.

Early Laning Phase

As ADC, your goal is to constantly harass your opponent using your abilities and auto-attacks while ensuring you last-hit minions for gold income. will help you sustain in lane with healing and movement speed. As AP support , your role is to apply pressure with your abilities, using for burst damage in trades.

1. Positioning and Harassment:
- Thresh ADC: Use your long auto-attack range to poke the enemy while staying safe. Position yourself to avoid skill shots and maximize your poke.
- Thresh Support: Look for opportunities to land your Q (Death Sentence) and follow up with E (Flay) to proc for additional damage.

2. Farming:
- Thresh ADC: Prioritize last-hitting minions to maintain a good gold income. Use your W (Dark Passage) to shield yourself or your support when under pressure.
- Thresh Support: Focus on harassing and zoning the enemy ADC and support, while also helping your ADC secure last hits when possible.

Vision and Map Awareness

- Control Wards: Purchase s and place them in the bushes near the river to monitor enemy jungler movements. This vision can help prevent ganks and secure objectives like the dragon.
- Warding: Place normal wards around the dragon pit and the river to keep track of enemy movements and prevent them from sneaking a dragon. This is crucial for maintaining control over the bot lane and mid-game objectives.

Synergy and Coordination

- Dark Passage (W): Use your lantern to assist your jungler during ganks or when they need assistance in your vicinity. The shield and the lantern's mobility can be crucial in securing kills or saving your jungler from dangerous situations.
- Jungle Coordination: Communicate with your jungler to secure early dragons. Your mid lane influence and vision control can significantly impact dragon fights. Work with your jungler and bot lane to place wards around the dragon pit and the river to track enemy movements.

Dealing with Aggression

If you notice your opponent is overly aggressive, use their aggression to your advantage. Bait them into attacking you, then use your Q + E combo to pull them under your tower or into your team for a counterattack.

1. Thresh ADC: Use your poke to bait the enemy ADC or support into an unfavorable position, then coordinate with your support for a kill.
2. Thresh Support: Use your abilities to peel for your ADC and set up kills. Your Q and E can disrupt the enemy and create opportunities for your ADC to secure kills.

Mid to Late Game

As you transition into the mid and late game, your role will evolve:

- Thresh ADC: Continue to focus on dealing damage while positioning safely in team fights. Use your Q () and R () to control the battlefield.
- Thresh Support: Provide utility and crowd control for your team. Land key hooks and s to disrupt the enemy and protect your carries.

By following these strategies, you can maximize 's potential in both the ADC and support roles and contribute significantly to your team's success. Remember to adapt your playstyle based on the matchup and the flow of the game.

Welcome to the end of the guide and first of all, thank you for reading!

I hope I was able to offer you some new and interesting ways to play .
It is one of my mains, and I highly recommend trying it out. Don't flame someone if they are playing it because it really is a viable pick. If you have any questions, suggestions, or anything similar, feel free to comment, and I'll do my best to help!
(I know the guide is a bit cluttered and annoyingly long, I'll be working and testing to find a way that looks good and readable!)

And I know the guide was a bit messy to use, I'm working on ironing out the bad parts!

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Thresh Unchained: The Only Off-Meta Guide You'll Need!

Table of Contents

Thresh Unchained: The Only Off-Meta Guide You'll Need!

Thresh Unchained: The Only Off-Meta Guide You'll Need!

Choose Champion Build:

Recommended Items

Runes: Press the Attack

Spells:

Ghost

Teleport

Items

Ability Order Default ability order

Damnation (PASSIVE)

Death Sentence (Q)

Dark Passage (W)

Flay (E)

The Box (R)

Damnation (PASSIVE)

Death Sentence (Q)

Dark Passage (W)

Flay (E)

The Box (R)

Threats & Synergies

Renekton

Briar

Camille

Darius

Lillia

Fiora

Illaoi

Trundle

Sett

Gangplank

Jax

Malphite

Mordekaiser

Nasus

Olaf

Volibear

Warwick

Yorick

Pantheon

Thresh

Thresh

Recommended Items

Runes: Electrocute

Spells:

Flash

Teleport

Flash

Ignite

Items

Ability Order Default ability order

Damnation (PASSIVE)

Death Sentence (Q)

Dark Passage (W)

Flay (E)

The Box (R)

Threats & Synergies

Malzahar

Viktor

Vladimir

Fizz

Yasuo

Yone

Akali

Ahri

Thresh

Thresh

Recommended Items

Runes: Support Thresh

Spells:

Flash

Ignite

Items

Ability Order Support Ability order

Damnation (PASSIVE)

Death Sentence (Q)

Dark Passage (W)

Flay (E)

The Box (R)

Threats & Synergies