Hello, I am MissAbbz. Welcome to my first guide ever on Galio! I have played hundreds of games with Galio, and he is one of my favorite champions. Although underplayed, he is a very strong mid laner and can counter many mid champions with his versatile kit. He also excels in the bot lane as a support. He has great AOE damage and crowd control. His ultimate is one of the best ultimates in the game, and can change the direction of any team-fight. His passive is very unique, and helps him obtain shockingly high AP stats.

This is a guide explaining how I play Galio and how I use his strengths. I have had hundreds upon hundreds of successful games with Galio, so I feel I should share my builds and my knowledge on him. I am not claiming that my builds are the correct way, the best way, or the only way to play Galio. There is no right way to play a champion, especially a champion as versatile as Galio.


*I will post videos and pictures with gameplay soon!*
ALSO coming soon-- champion counters!

PROS: Tankier than most AP mids Game-changing ultimate Clears waves very fast Has a shield/heal Has a slow Has an escape (his E) Easy passive (just build MR) Can tank turrets with his shield

CONS: Melee auto-attack Long cool-down on ultimate Slow movement speed Very mana reliant early game Skill shot based

This is what I always use on Galio. These runes are a must for Galio or any other AP mid. They give you an edge over your opponent, and allow you to ignore some of the enemy's magic resist. I wouldn't recommend anything else.


This is what I almost always use on Galio. The extra armor helps against AD opponents, auto-attacks and in team-fights. I would also recommend Greater Seal of Scaling Health if your team is in need of an extra tank. I don't think Greater Seal of Mana Regeneration are very useful on Galio because of the mana regeneration he gets from Chalice of Harmony.


These runes work great with Galio's passive Runic Skin. They will give him early magic resist to defend against his opponent. Due to his passive, some of this magic resist will be converted to AP damage which will help him win his lane. So basically, these runes are great for Galio, and I don't really recommend anything else.


These work on Galio as well as every other AP mid. The only other thing I would recommend is Greater Quintessence of Magic Resist, but I never use those and I feel like the AP quints are a lot more useful because they give you more damage and you can build magic resist easily in-game with the items I mentioned above.

It is hard to set up a mastery tree for Galio because he falls in between an AP caster and a tank. You need the points in the offense tree for the extra damage, however, you need some points in defense so you don't feel too squishy in team-fights. I took the typical 21 in offense and 9 in defense and this is where I feel he is best balanced. I feel like these masteries give me enough damage and health I need to be successful in early, mid and late game. I don't even touch the utility tree because I don't think its necessary on Galio. Besides, Mana regeneration, Cool-down reduction, and Movement speed is covered in the builds above.

Remember, these masteries are what I use and what I recommend on Galio, but they do not have to be what you use. Every player has their own style and preferences! Galio is a very versatile champion and can be played in many different ways :)

Other than his support role, Galio excels in the mid lane. I am here to tell you the two main ways Galio can be played in the mid lane. There might be other ways, but these are the two ways that I play Galio. They are VERY different from one another, and your team comp and your own playstyle will determine which Galio role is best for you.

1. The Suicider:

Not too many tanks on your team? You should probably go for the Suicider role. You are dying for the benefit of the team. Yea, it doesn't sound to enticing, but this works, I promise... unless your teammates are a bunch of idiots and don't know how to get free-kills, then I strongly advise to NOT select this role. But basically, this is how it goes down:
This playstyle isn't for those who are obsessed with KDA. However, if you farm well and buy enough AP, magic resist, health and armor, you won't have to worry about your deaths. Also, if you are fed enough in early game farm and kills/assists, you will have enough AP and magic resist to have huge damage on Idol of Durand... to the point where you can take out most squishy targets in a Idol of Durand + Resolute Smite. So don't automatically assume your score will be terrible when playing this role.
I would recommend this playstyle for people who are very patient and selfless. I find myself playing this role more often than the other role because I enjoy helping out and feeding MY team. Don't assume just because you are playing the AP mid role you have to have the most kills or assists... League of Legends is a team game. As long as your team wins, you are doing something right!

2. The Kill-Stealer:

Do you secretly love to "steal kills"? Then you should probably play this role. Are you on a team with a bunch of idiots? Play this role. Basically, just get as fed as possible. Steal farm, steal buffs, steal kills. If you do those three things, you should be able to carry your team to victory. During team-fights, this is how it works:
Clearly, this role is for the people who love to get a lot of kills. However, this role can be stressful due to the pressure of carrying your team.

All three of these statistics are heavily significant in both roles of Galio, the Suicider and the Kill-Stealer. You need high stats in all three no matter which role you play. Ability power is a given when playing any AP mid. You need the damage to kill other opponents. Magic resist is also needed on all AP mids, but it is especially important on Galio, due to his passive Runic Skin. Health is necessary on Galio because he is considered a tanky AP mid, and he is often targeted due to his ultimate Idol of Durand and because he is an AP carry.

I will first explain the early items and the core items I always build on Galio. Then I will discuss the situational items that depend on your teammates, your enemies, and your playstyle.

My favorite item on Galio! Mana regeneration, magic resist, and early AP damage... what more can you ask for? I almost always build this item first.

The best boots on Galio. The magic resist gives him that extra AP damage. I like to build these after I build the Chalice of Harmony because Galio is a very slow champion.

catalyst the protector Another great item on Galio. Helps with his early mana problems, and also gives him some health. The passive is also nice too and helps with sustaining in lane.

A must for many AP carries, including Galio. This is the core of all your damage and I like to build this item as soon as possible, if I can.

This item has so much all in one. Mana regeneration, ability power, cooldown reduction and magic resistance. A perfect item for Galio and very necessary. If you don't have enough gold to build Rabadon's Deathcap first, I suggest building this.

I usually build this item last, but that doesn't mean it is not a great item. Many people like to build it first due to its passive, but I feel like its not really worth it since the cap is only at +180 health, +200 mana, and +20 ability power (which is not a lot in my opinion).

This is the perfect item for Galio! It contains AP damage and magic resist, which is then converted into more AP due to Runic Skin, a total of 93 AP to be exact. I always build this if I am in need of extra damage or if the other team is high in AP.

This item's passive and Galio work beautifully together because both Resolute Smite and Idol of Durand affect the enemy's movement. Even without the passive it is still a great item due to the health, magic penetration, and ability power it contains. I like to build this if there are a lot of squishy targets on the enemy team or if the other team is building magic resist.

This item really helps Galio with his slow movement speed. It helps him chase down low targets and secure those last few kills at the end of team-fights. The scouting ghosts help out a lot during late game to let your team know where the enemies are. The extra AP and magic resist are just another added bonus.

This item must be used very carefully on Galio. You cannot use Zhonya's Hourglass while Galio is casting Idol of Durand. His ultimate is a channeled ability... meaning if it is interrupted, it will STOP completely. The longer Idol of Durand is channeled, the more damage erupts, so it is important that is is not interrupted. Once his ultimate has finished, you may use Zhonya's Hourglass, but this can be tricky and takes a lot of practice. Why do I still reccomend this item if its so tricky to use? Because the item offers SO much AP damage, armor and the passive can save your life in a team-fight... you can't beat this item.

I think this item was made for Galio. It contains health, magic resist, health regen and a shield that blocks the next incoming enemy spell. The spellshield is my favorite part of this item and it is so useful when playing both Galio roles. That shield and health regen can save your life in the middle of an intense team-fight. I recommend building this when you are against a team with lots of AP enemies with crowd control.

This item works well against physical damage or auto-attacks. It has an active that slows nearby enemy units for at least 2 seconds. It also provides lots of health and armor, which will protect you when you engage into the enemy team. I like to buy this if my team is lacking CC or if the enemy team has many AD champions.

Wonderful item on Galio. Gives him magic resist, which in turn gives him some extra AP damage. The passive will certainly help during team-fights when you are being heavily targeted. If you are planning to buy this item, I recommend buying Spectre's Cowl early on, because the passive on that is very helpful and will help you during early game 1v1 battles or during ganks.

This item offers a large amount of health and armor, which you need on Galio. I really like the passive on this item too because it works great while casting Idol of Durand. It deals AOE magic damage per second to nearby enemies. Basically, this item just multiplies your damage even more and aids you in team-fights. This item works well against AD or melee enemies.

This is the perfect item for Galio when playing the Suicider role. It gives you a second chance after dying, which will certainly help when you are being targeted heavily in team-fights. This item has the power to completely turn the tides of team-fights... the enemy team bursts you down and attempts to kill you and your Guardian Angel comes up and they have nothing left to do but run from your team! The magic resist and armor are just another reason why this is one of my favorite items on Galio.

This item offers a lot of different things. First, it offers some mana and 20% cooldown reduction. This will allow Galio to basically spam his spells and he won't have to worry at all about running low on mana! Secondly, it offers TONS of armor and a really nice passive that slows the attack speed of nearby enemies. This is a great item if your team is lacking crowd control or if you are playing AD opponents.

Galio is one of those champions that rely heavily on abilities. Two of his abilities are skill-shot based and his ultimate requires good timing and patience, so you will find yourself practicing his abilities A LOT when you first start playing him. I am here to help you a bit and make that process go even smoother :)


Runic Skin
This is Galio's passive, and boy is it a good one! Basically it converts 50% of his magic resist into ability power. It is one of the easiest passives in the game... all you have to do is build magic resist and you end up with extra damage! This is why Galio is one of the best counters against an enemy team with lots of AP damage. However, his passive is easy to abuse... don't forget to buy armor!


Resolute Smite
One of Galio's skill shot abilities. It deals AOE damage and also slows the enemies that it hits. This ability scales largely throughout the game and has insane damage once maxed out fully. This is your main ability while farming and pushing out your lane, along with Righteous Gust. This also is your poke/harass ability, and will annoy your teammates to death. Use this ability to focus squishy/low-health targets or aim it at that last enemy trying to run away. Overall, this is a great ability on Galio because it offers so much: powerful AOE damage and crowd control.


Bulwark
Galio's shield that increases his or an ally's magic resist and armor for 4 seconds. If the target with the shield on is taking damage, Galio is healed a certain amount. This comes in handy during team-fights. You can potentially save a heavily targeted teammate from dying. It also is helpful during laning phase. You can use this on Galio to heal him by taking minion aggro. Another awesome thing about this shield is that you can tank turrets, which is a main reason why Galio is a great split-pusher. Remember to always cast Bulwark before you ult to give you extra protection and health regen, but also to give you extra AP (from the extra magic resist)!


Righteous Gust
Another skill shot ability of Galio that does AOE damage. It does pretty decent damage and I like to use this ability to farm and push my lane. After this ability is casted, it offers extra movement speed to the champions who walk through it, including Galio. That is why this ability is a perfect escape or engage aid. You can use it before casting Idol of Durand to get closer to the enemies before engaging OR you can use it to run away from being chased. It is also a perfect chase mechanism for that one who got away...


Idol of Durand
Now lets be honest, this is the whole reason why you want to start playing Galio right? Well it is one of the best in the whole game, so I don't blame you. Galio's ultimate is an intense, powerful, and forceful volcano of damage. It takes a while to erupt, but once it does... there is massive devastation. It takes some practice to land it successfully, however. The key is to place yourself in the center of a team-fight. Try to attract the enemies towards you and then cast Idol of Durand. If you can at least trap 3 or more enemies in your ultimate during a team-fight, you have done your job and your team (if they are doing THEIR job) will win that fight. Remember, Idol of Durand is a channeled ability. This means it CANNOT be interrupted for it to function properly. The longer it channels, the more damage it deals. Be careful though, there are some abilities (knockback, stuns or silences) which can stop Galio's ultimate.

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My usual skill sequence on Galio. This provides the most damage and will help you push your lane faster. I like to take a point in Bulwark at Level 4 because it helps with health regen and also can save your life in threatening situations early game. Also, maxing out Resolute Smite over Righteous Gust is a lot more efficient because it has way more damage and also contains crowd control. Obviously, always take points in Idol of Durand whenever possible.


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I use this skill sequence when I am playing an assassin ( Fizz, Ahri, etc) or a very aggro AD opponent ( Talon, Zed). Maxing out Bulwark gives you extra health regen and extra protection during laning phase. Just make sure to use the shield right before you sense the enemy is coming in at you, and it will save you from a lot of damage.

A great item for AP casters. It works especially well with Galio because he is a melee auto-attacker and always is in range to use Ignite. Use it to secure kills on low-health targets or to scare away your opponent during laning phase.

The most essential spell on Galio. You will use this repeatedly along with Idol of Durand. It is important for engaging, escaping and chasing during team-fights. A good Galio knows when to Flash in and use Idol of Durand.

Other Spells on Galio:

Similar to Flash, but you cannot travel through walls. Also, the enemy has an easier time predicting your movement using Ghost. Also, this is not the best engaging item because your champion is still prone to stuns and slows while "ghosting". One good thing about Ghost, however, it does have longer range than Flash and a shorter cooldown.


I would actually recommend this spell if you were playing the Suicider role. You can use it after you have engaged the enemy and casted Idol of Durand. It might not save your life, but it will lengthen your life a few seconds for you to cast Resolute Smite and do some extra damage to the enemy team.


I don't think this would work well with AP mid Galio. I see this as more of a support or top item. It might be useful against an AD opponent, but Ignite and Flash are a lot stronger.

Galio is an underplayed, but not under-powered champion. He has many strengths and can carry a game with his versatile abilities and high AOE damage and crowd control. He is one of my favorite champions and is very fun to play!


Thank you for checking out my first guide ever on Galio! Please leave any feedback or comments so I can improve the guide.