Build Guide by Ace Ventura

Introduction

First off, I apologize for my kinda mediocre English. I want to show you how Pantheon should be played and how to build him in the current meta-game. This guide is for ElO players, be it at top of it or in that much familiar "ElO hell".

Pantheon is for sure not a top tier character, as he is extremely easy to counter, especially in high ELO where players know how to counter him. He play much like psihical caster and he can do some heavy damage if builted correctly. So by that, cooldown reduction will come in handy. He used to shine early / mid game, but they nerfed his Spear Shot and Heartseeker Strike early game and make him more like mid game character, and by that they make him even harder to play in a high ELO. He can be built as DPS, which is I belive totaly stupid as he got amazing burst abilities. A lot of people just stack damage and damage, but they die even before they relase abilities, because they use not even one survability item.

A lot of people here just try builds from each guide, and if they fail at some game with it guide going to be bad, in their opinion. Example: Wow I used your build and did 23/4/9, mate your guide is amazing, or, damn I failed with your build few times and I must say your guide sux. Not probably with these words but more or less same. If you play like a fool no matter how guide is good you will fail or you will end with a lot of deaths. Guides are here to improve the gameplay on champion, but they can not ensure your success. Please do not put that kind of feedback or criticsm in my guide.

I will be apreciated if you leave any sort of comments. Be it suggestions, feedback, constuctive criticsm.

Ability Sequence

-- After some testing I decided to open my abilities with this one. My usually opening ability was Spear Shot, but look ... Heartseeker Strike deal damage to more targets and it relase five strikes so it deal more damage. Yes, cooldown is kinda longer but I still belive that is the best. After you put point in Heartseeker Strike and Aegis of Zeonia you can take half or more squishy health at level 2. Already at level 3 you can kill it easy. This is your first priority to max, no negotiating.

-- Never open abilities with this one because you'll hardly get a kill with it. But, it is necessary as a second ability. At level 2 you can brutalize their ***es like a boss. However, only 1 point in it will be enought until you finish with Heartseeker Strike and Spear Shot, cause they are much more important.

-- This is now 3rd ability to open and your second ability to max. Base damage of this ability was nerfed a bit and that is one more reason to not make it opening ability. But you still harass with it and it still scales with amazing attack damage. It's up on you, will you open Q or E first.

-- For long time I was getting this ability whenever I could, but not anymore. Because it is not like most of the ultimates so good that champion depends on its damage or whatever. It is teleport which is hard to place at right place in the right moment. It would be good if we build magic penetration or ability power on Pantheon, but investing in it is not worth. It is hard to use right on champions because you need to wait few seconds until it load. So this ability will be opened at level 6 and finished last.

Summoner Spells

- Ghost is mandatory. It will allow you to evade opponents as well as chase them. As Pantheon got no escape mechanism, this is recommended. Ghost is more effective at escaping if there is some space between you and your opponents. How many times did you tryed to get close to low health foe but he was faster then you. This is what you want, no negotiating.

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- I found Ignite as extremely good ability to your combo. It will also reduce healing and regeneration (not lifesteal/spell vamp) by 50% on champions like Dr. Mundo, Warwick, Fiddlesticks etc. This one synergies with Pantheon combo pretty good and it is my usually pick, but sometimes you will feel like you should take other spells.

Other Viable Spells

- They totaly changed this spell and makes it hard counter to Pantheon. This would be deffinetly my second spell if Pantheon had no Aegis of Zeonia. Now it counters everyone. Casters for 30%, cause they do good damage only with spells, and DPS'ers for 70%, cause they do heavy damage only with basic attacks.

- Crowd Control effects, especially stun is your biggest enemy. You need to go in and out, but without this or Mercury's Treads there is a high chance to not get out. This spell was nerfed a lot but it is still viable option for any character.

Masteries

Pantheon lacks on survability early game and you want to do that devastating combo without dieing, right? So these masteries will allow you to do that and increase that survability which Pantheon needs so badly, whole game. I've been using many different ways and lately I decided to role this one.

Runes

x9 Greater Mark of Desolation -- 14.94 Armor Penetration
x9 Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration -- 0.9 Mana Regen / 5 sec (16.2 at level 18)
x9 Greater Glyph of Magic Resist -- 13.41 Magic Resistance
x3 Greater Quintessence of Health -- 97.2 Health

This is setup which I personaly use on Pantheon. It boosts your damage, survability and faster mana regeneration. Greater Mark of Desolation are self explanatory. These runes are best choice if you want to do damage (which is highest priority as Pantheon). They will make your Spear Shot and Heartseeker Strike hit hard at early levels and at higher levels even harder. Pantheon is mana hungry character due to his abilities. Not only that we will use them like crazy, most of them cost a lot mana. In my guide I don't use some mana regen items, that brings us to Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration. They starts out kinda bad but later will solve most of your mana problems. Early game Pantheon is kinda squishy and we want bulky his early game, right? Greater Glyph of Magic Resist will make his early game a lot stronger. Ranged opponents are your biggest treat. Most of them deal magical damage. While you trying to last hit minions you will get harassed by them. These will lower their damage and give you strong survability during whole game. Greater Quintessence of Health along with Doran's Blade grants you strong 718 health at start of the game, which is amazing. I consider these to be one of the best quints in the game. Because of my aggressive playstyle, early game is very important to me, and these make a big difference. They work on any character and they are never bad, so every player should have them.

Item Selection

Item Start

-- This is deffinetly best starting item on Pantheon. It grants you health... Some people may say "bah 100 health wtf, I'll rather get...". I know it sounds poor but in game, especially early when you run away with 100 HP you will realize how much it is important and that will happen a lot of times. Same item offers you that much needed attack damage. One more reason why I love this item is because attack damage is strongest at early levels and we are using armor penetration runes. So, we are going to hit hard, really hard. Last attribute of this item is lifesteal, but it doesen't keep your health unless you're auto-attacking. Treat it like a nice bonus. I know some people will use x2 or even x3 of it which is not bad thing, but Elixir of Fortitude cover its attributes. Sell it only when your inventory is full or you need gold to build a better item.

Boots Selection

-- These are the most expensive boots with reason. They won't save you from a stun or any other Crowd Control effect, but reducing it's duration will save your life more often then you will realize. Also these boots are only item that reduces CC effect on champion. You should get these most of the time.

-- These are caster/support boots and I know... For many people it looks ridiculous. But I found it as extremely useful cause Pantheon is caster too, just physical. You want Q and E off cooldown as soon is possible, right? They became my usually pick. If you got no compelling reason to get Mercury's Treads, these are great choice.

Advanced Items

/ -- Armor penetration is absolutely necessary on Pantheon. It will make your Spear Shot and Heartseeker Strike hit harder. This item offers you that and it should be built early in the game. Same item grants you cooldown reduction and attack damage. Youmuu's Ghostblade is epic. It offers you a bit of damage, critical chance, armor penetration and cooldown reduction. Did I mention that amazing active, enought said. It got everything you want on Pantheon.

-- I prefer that damage item over others. At mid game you will start farm greatly with Heartseeker Strike and then you should get this. You can farm up to 100 damage and 25 lifesteal but, at death you losse all stacks, which is bad. Still solid portion of damage and heavy damage item on Pantheon. Lifesteal is kinda useless on you as you not auto-attacking, but bonuses are always nice.

-- This item is amazing if you're doing facepaml, otherwise if you fail getting this can be crucial most of the times. No negotiating on this if doing well. If you can keep up at last 5 stack, keep it. Replace one The Bloodthirster with it. If you can net bunch of early game kills while having it, you will be pain in the ***.

-- This item is like it was made for Pantheon. Not recommended to use together with Brutalizer / Ghostblade, because its effect is lowered by flat penetration. It is great if you got few tanks in a opponent team with bunch of armor. More armor they have, more damage you will deal.

-- This item synergies well with Pantheon and it makes stronger late game, plus it solves all your mana problems but, it should be builted early in the game to max its passive and that will make your early game weaker. Pantheon is extremely early / mid game and while this item is good it stopping you a bit from that. All things considered, not bad item. Get it if you don't have mana regen seals or if you really got problems with mana, which will be because you spamming abilities too much.

-- Like 90% of all champion guides I recommend this baby if you got problems with magical damage dealers. Heartseeker Strike is a chanelling ability and it can be interupted by every stun/silence etc. That brings us to this item. Its passive blocks Ashe's Enchanted Crystal Arrow, it blocks Gangplank's Parrrley, it blocks almost everything. It offers you health, damage and nice amount of magic resistance.

-- Best defensive options against DPS'ers. If grants you strong mana (great bonus to your small mana pool) and cooldown reduction (we want it badly), plus add in that high amount of armor and passive which reduces opponents attack speed by 20%. What is there not to love.

-- Pantheon shines when playing with team, he is not a solo beast who can handle few of them. That means you want some aura items. Here is one for you. It will boost your and yours team survability as well as a little bit of damage. Before getting it ask your team if someone planing to get it and if they do, don't get it. Most usually this is pick by tanks but it is good on anyone. It is well balanced and extremely effective mid game item.

-- This item is good on Pantheon thanks to his chasing potential. Well, it's kinda expensive to get it early and damage is your first priority, but later in the game this thing will grant you a big chunk of health, a reliable slow and a bit of damage. Great choice once you got high damage to output to increase your survability.

Costumables

-- This is amazing, not like before, but still... They nerfed these elixirs and make Pantheon even harder to play in a high ELO. They are still viable, but not recommended to use when past one expires anymore. Get it every now and then, especially early game. Huh, at last they are cheaper.

-- Keep getting these your whole early game. Make sure you got always few of them. There is one trick with it. If you consuming more of it faster they will heal.

Sight Ward -- Get these to cover bushes and to avoid annoying ganks. They can be used on different ways but find it by yourself.

Item Build

Core Item Build:


or


Situational Offensive Items:



Situational Defensive Items:

Change Log

10 January - Guide Published!! I will keep updating every week. There are many things to come...