Garen Build Guide

Garen Build

Table of Contents

Introduction

1

Masteries + Runes

2

Abilities

3

Skilling Order

4

Summoner Abilities

5

Build

6

Important item absence

7

Game and advice

8

Update

9

• Introduction

  This guide is inspired by Westrice's guide:
  http://www.solomid.net/guides.php?g=1597
  Remember, Garen is an off-tank, build him as tank and you build wrong. Remeber Garen strength is early game, in late game you do not deal a great amount of damage.

• Masteries + Runes

  No doubt about runes:
  9 x Greater Mark of Desolation: For damage, no other runes available is better.
  9 x Greater Seal of Resilience: You need some armor in early game, so flat armor is better choice then armor per level.
  9 x Greater Glyph of Shielding: You need some magic resistance, but not in early game, because before mid game the magic damage champion do not deal an high damage. There are some exception (teemo, kog' maw). If you feel better with Greater Glyph of Warding, use them in place of Greater Glyph of Shielding.
  3 x Greater Quintessence of Desolation: You need much armor penetration as possible, so pick it.
  
  As masteries here is my choice:
  21/6/3
  masteries/3100400132330103030000000000002100000000000
  Point in [mastery=Cripple] because there isn't other choice. Your abilities do not have AP ratio and you do not jungling. 3 point in Hardiness because you need much armor as possible. Point in [mastery=Haste] because you use Ghost.

• Abilities

  Perseverance

  Great passive! You can use to stay in line! Stay in brush or under your tower and you can restore your entire life.

  Decisive Strike

  The most useful Garen's ability. You can silence a champion for 2.5 second and dealt a decent amount of damage.

  Courage

  This abilities is great passive. 25 armor/magic resistance free! With your runes and masteries mean you have a big amount of resistance without any object. Use the active form during a tower dive on when they focus you.

  Judgment

  With this abilities in team play you can devestate all enemy. You can also deal an high amount of damage in early, but after the first trip back. Remember when you start with judgment no one can stop beside you! If you get silence you can continue as normal, if you get stun you stop to move, but not to whirl.

  Demacian Justice

  Great to kill the enemy tank as last hit. Remember to use on champion that have lost a big amount of life.

• Skilling Order

  
  Start with Q so you can use your silence, than max E so you deal a big amount of damage in early/mid game. Remember to pick W at level 4!

• Summoner Abilities

  Ignite: use this spell to last hit an enemy.
  Ghost: You can use this spell in two way, to reach an enemy or escape. I prefer it in place of Flash because with flash you can't chase an enemy.
  Exhaust is not needed because you can take some damage from other champ and with your Q the enemy can't escape, because they can't use Flash.

• Build

  Normally I start with a Doran's Blade. If I know that in lane there are heavy AD I pick Doran's Shield.
  
  Then at first trip back I buy another Doran's Blade and Boots of Speed. If you have problem against the other champion in lane buy a third Doran's Blade.
  
  At the second trip back you MUST buy The Brutalizer and upgrade boots.
  Boots choice:
  Ninja Tabi: is a better idea if there aren't much CC. Remember that slow has no really effect on you, thanks to your E.
  Mercury's Treads: pick it if there are pg with high CC like Annie/Leona.
  
  Now order to pick other objects is situational, but it is a better idea to buy some damage item like:
  - Atma's Impaler (this item is great on garen because you gain survability)
  - Upgrade The Brutalizer into Youmuu's Ghostblade
  
  Object against AD:
  Randuin's Omen or Sunfire Cape or both item. Sunfire Cape is better because you gain more health and it is more cheap then Randuin's Omen.
  If there is champion that deal a great amount of AD damage (tryndamere / Master Yi) pick Thornmail of course.
  
  
  Object against champion deal magic damage:
  [item=Force of Nature] and Quicksilver Sash. Pick Quicksilver Sash if they focus you with CC. It is also available Hexdrinker, but mean there is only one champion that deal an high amount of magic damage in enemy team.
  
  The sixth object:
  Normally at 40 minute you have:
  [item_icon=Force of Nature] or .
  The sixth object is very situational, but at 40-45 minute normally you can pick it (garen build is cheap).
  Damage:
  Last Whisper if the enemy have high armor.
  Infinity Edge.
  If your team do not have high CC:
  Frozen Mallet. Great item, you gain also damage thanks to combo with Atma's Impaler.
  You can also buy Warmog's Armor so you gain more survability and about 27 damage from Atma's Impaler.
  If you need some resistance pick the others item of the build you did not buy.
  
  Best choice for me as sixth object:
  
  
  
  
  Do not forget to buy a decent amount of Health Potion that permit you to stay in lane and
  Sight Ward or Vision Ward to avoid gank! Many people do not buy them, and many people feeding the enemy!
  You can also buy Elixir of Fortitude, it works very well on Garen! You damage and life, and with Atma's Impaler life = damage!
  You can also buy Oracle's Elixir if there are stealth champions. If possible is better idea tank pick and not you.

• Important item absence

  Banshee's Veil: you do not need to cancel or avoid high magic damage, because you have at least 24 (runes) + 6 (masteries) + 25 (W abilities passive) + 56 (lower resistance between [item_icon=Force of Nature] and ) + 30 (basic resistance) = 141 magic resistance! I do not consider Mercury's Treads (25 magic resistance) and [item=Force of Nature]. So you have 141 + 25 + 76 = 252 magic resistance! And you aren't a tank. Seriously how many magic resistance you need? Your goal is to cancel CC so you need . Also mana is useless and health on garen is not a priority in late game (he has a big amount of base health).
  Spirit Visage: Health and cooldows seems interesting, also the magic resistance. The problem is there are other object more interesting, and when you can buy this object (normally at beginning of mid game) you must buy object that give you more resistance.
  Any object with life steal: Garen do not use his auto-attack very much and thanks to passive do not need life steal.

• Game and advice

  In early game you are in duo lane or in solo top-lane. You can harass the enemy champion, expacially enemy like Mordekaiser (do not forgot to silence him) or caster AP. Beware enemy that deal damage over the time (Teemo) because they negate the activation of your passive and enemy that deal high amount of damage by auto-attack (Caitlyn, Tryndamere and expecially Tristana, because she can also damage over the time with E). Best partner for Garen is a champ that have immobilize or stun (Morgana, Ryze, Leona) or other champion that deal a big amount of damage (Mordekaiser, Xin Zao) or Blitzcrank because he use his grab, you silence the enemy and then you got a kill!
  You do not need a big amount of last hit, so you can go in lane with Tryndamere (and he has CC) or other champ need last hit.
  
  In mid game normally you can gank in mid lane and if you do a great job in your lane you can win 1 vs 2 fight, if the enemy do not have CC like silence or stun.
  
  Late game is critical for Garen. After 50 minutes Garen can do only silence on an enemy and use his final. He is not good as tank and can't deal a big amount of damage.
  
  Teamfight: you must target the enemy to silence, normally the enemy with the most annoying CC (Amumu or Annie) then press E and focus the same enemy or another if the previous is the tank. If the enemy focus on you press W and they lost 3 second :-). Be aware of silence and stun/suppress before activate E. If you have Randuin's Omen activate it and use Youmuu's Ghostblade to finish the job on a enemy. Rember to use your ultimate!

• Update

  v 1.2.0 change in equip, masteries and abilities. After last patch I make this change.
  
  v 1.1.0 Patch 1.0.0.125 slight nerf early game, and help a little late game damage. From this patch is a better idea to buy object to grant more damage. Remove Warmog's Armor from "Important item absence" and little rework in every section.
  
  V 1.0.1 Correct the link to masteries page. Thanks to Dudrie.
  
  V 1.0.0 Release!