Galio Build Guide

Galio Build

Table of Contents

Introduction

1

Pros / Cons

2

Abilities

3

Masteries + Runes

4

Items

5

Skilling Order

6

Summoner Abilities

7

Working in the team

8

• Introduction

  EDIT*
  -Added Aegis of the Legion to items.
  -Also taking suggestions on items better than Thornmail to counter heavy physical teams.
  -Made clear that leveling Resolute Smite first is to max the slow which will help benefit the team more early on for kills.
  -Added in alternate skill path.
  
  First off, this will be my first written guide. As the title says, I believe that anyone who says Galio is garbage is just too cheap to shell out the IP or RP for him though they wish they had him. Used properly he's a great support tank with balanced offensive abilities. His Bulwark and Idol of Durand really bring a lot to the table. An all around good champion who's pretty well balanced from the start.
  
  If there is anything in the guide that is unsatisfactory, feel free to let me know by leaving a comment and I will make amends as needed.

• Pros / Cons

  Pros:
  Hard-counter to pretty much all magic.
  AoE taunt which deals damage.
  Great magic resist to AP ration from passive.
  Very solid all around support tank.
  
  Cons:
  Weak damage (he IS a tank.)
  Speed boost from gust isn't too game changing.
  His ult can be interrupted if you don't play it right.
  Very team dependent.

• Abilities

  Runic Skin

  Galio converts 50% of his total Magic Resistance into Ability Power. A very good passive if you ask me. Able to keep up decent damage without gimping your defenses.

  Resolute Smite

  (Active): Galio fires a concussive blast from his eyes, 60 / 115 / 170 / 225 / 280 (+0.6) magic damage near the impact location and reducing enemy movement speed by 24 / 28 / 32 / 36 / 40 % for 2.5 seconds. Cost: 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 mana. Cooldown: 12 seconds. Range: 900 AP Ratio: 0.6 A decent spell. AoE slow, makes for quick finishes to running enemies. Can also initiate quite well.

  Bulwark

  (Active): Galio shields a friendly champion for 4 seconds, increasing their Armor and Magic Resistance by 30 / 45 / 60 / 75 / 90. Each time that unit suffers damage, Galio is healed for 20 / 32 / 44 / 56 / 68 (+0.3). (-20% healing for each consecutive hit) Cost: 60 / 65 / 70 / 75 / 80 mana. Cooldown: 8 seconds. Range: 800 AP Ratio: 0.3 Great support ability. The heal isn't even the draw here, it's the huge magic resist and armor bonus you get. I've saved lives with this many times.

  Righteous Gust

  (Active): Galio unleashes a gust of concussive wind that deal 70 / 115 / 160 / 205 / 250 (+0.8) magic damage to all enemies in its path. A directional draft remains for 5 seconds, increasing the speed of allies by 20 / 24 / 32 / 36 % Cost: 60 mana. Cooldown: 13 seconds. Range: 1000 AP Ratio: 0.8 A support move to chase people down or run away. Scales better with AP than Smite so damage improves more as time goes on. Easier to land a hit than with Smite.

  Idol of Durand

  (Active): Galio channels for 2.5 seconds, taunting nearby foes and blocking 30% of incoming damage. After channeling, Galio deals 220 / 330 / 440 (+0.85) magic damage to surrounding enemies, plus an additional 10% damage for each attack suffered while channeling. Max 80% bonus damage. Cost: 100 / 145 / 190 mana. Cooldown: 170 / 150 / 130 seconds. Range: 520 AP Ratio: 0.8 A fantastic ult. Used right it can very easily turn the tide of a teamfight.

• Masteries + Runes

  For runes I like to go with:
  
  9x Greater Mark of Insight
  
  9x Greater Seal of Clarity
  
  9x Greater Glyph of Celerity
  
  3x Greater Quintessence of Fortitude
  
  Masteries I go with a standard 9/21/0 build seen here:
  
  http://leaguecraft.com/masteries/0103400100000003033010340301000000000000000

• Items

  With Galio my current build starts out with a Meki Pendant and 2x Health Potion
  On your first trip back turn the pendant into a Chalice of Harmony and start building your boots. Chances are you'll be making Mercury's Treads since Galio benefits from them more than any other champion. I'm fond of the Abyssal Scepter next since it gives MR, lowers enemy resist, and gives Galio over 100 AP. An item that is ALWAYS worth buying on a tank is Aegis of the Legion. Pick one of these up too when you can. Try for it early. I consider that my core build. If the enemy team is physical DPS heavy I like to go Thornmail since it compliments his ult so well. (EDIT* If you have any suggestions on a better item to buy to counter a physical team, let me know.)
  
  Other very good items that you may want to get before any of there are:
  Banshee's Veil do I even have to say why?
  Guardian Angel always useful, adds both resists and the revive.
  [item=Force of Nature] this is debatable. I only used it once and I thought it was pretty good.
  Quicksilver Sash if there's very heavy CC and/or your ult is getting interrupted too much for your liking.

• Skilling Order

  To each his own. I like leveling smite first since the slow is beneficial to the team in many situations. Feel free to prioritize gust over smite if you wish. Galio is a support tank, not a DPS.
  
  EDIT* Tried swapping the leveling order of Smite and Gust. Helped much more for early game harassment and pushing. Thought like I said, it's really up to you. I think I prefer the Gust route for a better early game though.
  
  
  
  -Alternate skilling. Maxing Gust before Smite.
  
  

• Summoner Abilities

  With Galio I like taking Ghost and Exhaust. Ghost since it's always useful to chase people down or run away, and exhaust since you're going to be doing a lot of supporting.

• Working in the team

  As Galio your early game is pretty much the same as any other tank. Hold the lane as best you can, assert your dominance, and if you can help you carry by letting them get gold from killing blows to champions.
  
  Mid/late game is where things start to get fun. You're the tank, initiate and don't be afraid. Your team should follow you as long as you take proper action and don't charge headlong into impossible fights. Try to use his ult on multiple champions, especially DPS to maximize it's damage output. Also try and work your ult together with other champs such as Vlad, Annie, Fiddle, Nunu, etc. for extreme burst/magic cleave damage. Communication is key and with that being said the rest should be common sense.