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Thresh Build Guide by Niemi

Top Thresh Top Unchained: Your S15 Off-Meta Guide

Top Thresh Top Unchained: Your S15 Off-Meta Guide

Updated on January 24, 2025
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League of Legends Build Guide Author Niemi Build Guide By Niemi 39 2 65,038 Views 2 Comments
39 2 65,038 Views 2 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author Niemi Thresh Build Guide By Niemi Updated on January 24, 2025
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Runes: Grasp of the Undying

1 2 3
Resolve
Grasp of the Undying
Font of Life
Second Wind
Overgrowth

Precision
Presence of Mind
Legend: Alacrity
Bonus:

+10% Attack Speed
+2% Movement Speed
+10-180 Bonus Health

Spells:

The best option
LoL Summoner Spell: Ghost

Ghost

LoL Summoner Spell: Teleport

Teleport

Ability Order Default ability order

Threats & Synergies

Threats Synergies
Extreme Major Even Minor Tiny
Show All
None Low Ok Strong Ideal
Extreme Threats
Ideal Synergies
Synergies
Ideal Strong Ok Low None

Champion Build Guide

Thresh Top Unchained: Your S15 Off-Meta Guide

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

Thresh was the first champion I ever clicked with, but I didn't like his usual 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 over 500k mastery by playing mostly Thresh top, but often enjoy playing him in other lanes.

The reason I made this guide was to show the off-meta ways to enjoy Thresh. If you like off-meta or you're just bored of playing normal support Thresh and want to play him in top lane, 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


Thresh's passive is Damnation. When something dies near Thresh, 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 Thresh. Each soul gives Thresh 1 armor, 1 AP and some bonus magic damage. You can pick souls with Dark Passage 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



Death Sentence 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 Flash. And Death Sentence 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 Flay and you'll be able to do alot of damage!

When you hit anything, Thresh 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



Dark Passage 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 Thresh's location. This will also give Thresh the lantern's shiled if he didn't recieve it already.

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



Flay is Thresh's E and it has quite alot going on. First of all it's passive is really strong, and a core reason why Thresh works in so many different places. The passive (at max level and fully charged) gives Thresh 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 Flay 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



The Box is Thresh'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 The Box in the Death Sentence part.
Ability Preview
Let’s dive into why you should consider playing Thresh top, a pick I’ve mastered over years of experience. I'll cover items, runes, summoner spells, and your gameplan to help you make it work, but first, let’s talk about why this off-meta choice is worth your time.

For starters, you’re tanky while dishing out surprising amounts of damage. Thresh’s scaling is incredible, and as the game progresses, you’ll transform into an unkillable menace with powerful attacks and utility.

Another reason? It’s downright fun. You’re not just another predictable meta pick, you’re a wildcard. It's super satisfying to tilt your opponents when they realize they’re losing to a “support champ” in the top lane.
The summoner spells aren'y really able to be changed. We'll be taking Ghost and Teleport every single game and I'll explain why.

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

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

Precision



Press the Attack is the default keystone for Thresh 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.

Fleet Footwork 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 Thresh does lack.
Row 1




Presence of Mind is the best keystone for Thresh 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.

Absorb Life is taken only with Fleet Footwork for extra sustain. This rune is great since Thresh doesn't have any sustain and going for none to some is quite nice.
Row 2




Legend: Alacrity is the only choice from the second row. Attack speed is way too valueable for Thresh.
Row 3




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

Last Stand 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



Grasp of the Undying feels amazing. If you're againts a melee champion that doesn't have alot of movement, then you can just poke with Grasp. Gaining permanent hp and dealing a decent chunk of damage that adds up. This is currently my favourite keystone to use as Thresh
Row 1




Demolish 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.

Font of Life is a new rune, that will never get picked unless you're using Grasp as a keystone. The healing is pretty bad early, but it gets decent and it's really helpful giving Thresh a little bit of sustain.
Row 2




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

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

Bone Plating is good againts champions that want to stick to you to deal damage, champions like Sett and Renekton are prime examples or champions with the potential to deal huge burst damage.
Row 3




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

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

Bruiser items




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



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

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



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



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



Jak'Sho, The Protean 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!



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



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



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



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



Wit's End 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.



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



Terminus 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

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 Thresh top.

As Thresh top you have to constanttly poke your enemy, utilize Press the Attack, Grasp of the Undying or if you're in a tough matchups with Fleet Footwork, utilize the energize. Don’t save your Energize attacks, use them on minions if you’re missing health. If possible, prioritize using them on the enemy laner instead. If you have full hp then sure try to poke the enemy. The damage can get kind of stupid when combined with your fully charged E passive.

Also, a healthy habit for you is to buy the occasional Control Ward. 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 Voidgrubs. 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 Hullbreaker. And if you have at least 4 Touch of the Void buffs, you'll spawn some voidmites to help destroy towers even faster!

Now, some Thresh 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 Dark Passage (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 Rift heralds and the dragons!

Atakhan is a new objective introduced in season 15, spawning in a fissure at 14 minutes in either the top or bottom river.

Ruinous Atakhan (high kills/damage games): Boosts all Epic Monster buffs by 25%, strengthening snowballing teams or enabling comebacks. It also spawns alot of Bloody Petals for you to collect, so remember to get them.

Voracious Atakhan (low kills/damage games): Grants 40 gold per takedown and a one-time death mitigation, allowing players to respawn at base after dying. This one is really important, since it's so strong allowing you to do some risky plays ontop of the extra gold per kills.

You should always be there to help your team secure Atakhan. I usually save my Teleport for this, just so I can guarantee that I'll be there in time.

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

Thresh 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 my Thresh top 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!

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