League of Legends XXXI: I'll Start My Own Team! With TF! And Janna!

[Suedars]

Oooh. So it's more 'start out with tank stuff' rather than 'only tank stuff ever'?

Generally you want to build tanky items that still boost your damage. Stuff like Wit's End, Atma's, and Mallet. If you're doing very well in the lategame and are sufficiently tanky, then building a pure damage item is fine as a 6th item, but that's generally a luxury thing. Your #1 priority is being able to survive diving into the enemy team.

Bruisers really don't need a whole lot of bonus damage. Most of them get a decent amount from their kit, and they usually attack very soft targets. Because AD and AP carries build little to no defensive stats you can still kill them very quickly even with only a couple hybrid tanky/damage items.

[Math_Mage]

Thanks for Lee advice. Been playing him jungle, should probably stop as it's been established I don't know what I'm doing in jungle.

Also, wut, Toasty.

On a related note, Spellsy, a 2300 Elo support main, recently shared a powerpoint called "How to Support." Mandatory reading for bottom laners, suggest reading for anyone who wants to understand the game.

This is the AD counterpart. A little old, still good.

One annoying thing about that support guide is it doesn't talk about t2 boots (Mercs/Ionians/Mobility) and when to buy them, or late-game build options besides Zeke's/SS/Locket (like FH and WotA).

Man, I need more runes AND more pages.

[SlyGuyMcFly]

My Irelia's core items are Wit's, Phage, and defensive boots of some kind. And a Chain Vest because you're gonna use it for something or other and really helps against most tops. Wriggle's I try to avoid getting, since the main reason to get it (sustain) is not something Irelia should be needing more of. I usually turn the Phage into a Triforce and the Vest into a GA. But I'll admit that the boring-yet-very-effective Atmallet build is probably better most of the time. Not that you can't do both things: Boots-Wit's-Triforce-Atma's-Mallet-GA is exactly six items, after all

I kinda like Zeke's as addball 6th item though - it's not something you usually find in a team, but it's pretty nice for you, the Carry, and probably the jungler too. And it offers a decent mix of survivability via the lifesteal and offense via the AS buff. Oh, and CDR. CDR is one hell of stat for Irelia, since it gives you more stuns, more dashes, and more W uptime. All good stuff.

Oh, 21/9/0 for Masteries, and I use my AS jungler page for her because I'm too cheap to buy more runepages.

[TechnOkami]

Alright, I'm coming out of my box of League denial, and making new lists as a partial apology to some people.

People I CAN Play:
-Brand
-Heimerdinger
-Malzahar
-Maokai
-Mordekaiser
-Twitch
-Yorick
-Ziggs

People I WISH I Could Play:
-Dr.Mundo
-Fiddlesticks
-Renekton
-Skarner

[PersonMan]

Alright, I'm coming out of my box of League denial, and making new lists as a partial apology to some people.

People I WISH I Could Play:
-Dr.Mundo

What are your normal issues when you play Moon Doe? As a nationally ranked player of celestial body mammals player of the good Doctor, I feel inclined to try and help.

Oh yeah, and because Mundo is just so fun and everybody should be able to feel the happiness of running around and Mun Doing things.

[Silverraptor]

Since we're on the topic of Irelia, what skill order should we get on her and what do you focus on first over others?

People I WISH I Could Play:
-Dr.Mundo
-Fiddlesticks
-Renekton
-Skarner

The ones that I've bolded, I can help you out with. I can even teach you lanesticks if you so desire.

[fred dref]

Since we're on the topic of Irelia, what skill order should we get on her and what do you focus on first over others?

I've heard good things about QWWE, focusing W after that.

[ex cathedra]

Since we're on the topic of Irelia, what skill order should we get on her and what do you focus on first over others?

Focus W in every situation ever. Start W normally, or E for teamfighting at level 1. General skill order is WQWE, R>W>Q>E. Sometimes I focus E>Q when I think that the extra CC duration will be relevant, but that's uncommon.

[Math_Mage]

All of my money. Forget my plans to buy more junglers, I'm saving for Lulu.

(Getting to type "/all LULULULULULUL" when I make a play is just a bonus.)

[Suedars]

This'll probably be the first time I buy the full champion+double skin bundle on the day of release.

[Mirrinus]

First champ I actually want to get since Ahri. But it'll be a while, since I want to complete my 3rd runepage first before starting to save up for Lulu. I like yordles, and I like supports, so this is only natural for me to like her.

Lulu reminds me a lot of Janna. No healing, but has a shield that also augments your carry's damage, a form of hard CC, and a slow. The ult is pretty different, though.

[Nadevoc]

Lulu looks awesome. I feel like it's Xyph's second try at what he attempted with Orianna; he said one of the big goals with her was to make you think about where your abilities are coming from, but he mostly failed with it by giving players too many options to snap the ball around.

I'm curious whether the passive still functions after using Help, Pix! or if it's basically 'you start with Help, Pix! used on yourself'. Also wondering the tether range on HP!; I feel like it'll have to be a good deal longer than current leashes for its on-enemy use to be very helpful, but I can't see them making it too long. And I could see her passive and the lance spell playing weird if Pix is too far from you

[Dogmantra]

if she's OP, she is going to make Teemo duo bot into a thing

just sayin'

[Chumbaniya]

I think the Lulu skillset looks fantastic! The passive isn't hugely interesting, but at least it should look fun. The same goes for the Q. But the W is really interesting in both forms for the combination blind/silence which hasn't been seen before, and the AP buff on allies. I wonder if it'll introduce viable AP/support bot lanes with a suitable AD going mid instead? The E is like Janna's shield but probably looks cooler, and I absolutely love the ultimate for the chance to make your tank enormous and have them wreak havoc amongst the enemies. I can see Volibear or Shyvana charging in, getting mobbed by enemies and then the Lulu ult sending everyone flying and making them big and scary :D

[ex cathedra]

I think the Lulu skillset looks fantastic! The passive isn't hugely interesting, but at least it should look fun. The same goes for the Q. But the W is really interesting in both forms for the combination blind/silence which hasn't been seen before, and the AP buff on allies. I wonder if it'll introduce viable AP/support bot lanes with a suitable AD going mid instead? The E is like Janna's shield but probably looks cooler, and I absolutely love the ultimate for the chance to make your tank enormous and have them wreak havoc amongst the enemies. I can see Volibear or Shyvana charging in, getting mobbed by enemies and then the Lulu ult sending everyone flying and making them big and scary :D

Soraka + Veigar/Cassiopeia/Karthus/Ryze are already vaguely viable bottom lanes, but that's not the point. AD carries go bottom because they just need farm. AP carries go mid because they need levels.

Unless the slow is terribly strong, I'd rather just ult my AD carry when they get jumped.

[fred dref]

The AP bonus could be useful on Tristana, though.

[Reinboom]

The passive isn't hugely interesting, but at least it should look fun. The same goes for the Q.

The Q is deceptively fun. It becomes VERY interesting and VERY entertaining if you know how to properly use her E.

Not that the second part of Q fires from Pix. When pix is on an ally or enemy, this becomes amazing.

[Neoseanster]

To be perfectly honest, the three things that most support players don't understand are "How to ward," "How to harass," and "how matchups work." Also, the amount who start anything aside from Faerie Charm and wards or rush things like Zeke's and Soul Shroud is pretty messed up. I don't have a lot of faith in support players, though.

There is one lane matchup where I'll never start faerie charm as a support. And that is vs Blitzcrank. You need to be able to dodge his pulls, and that means boots. Ever since I began starting boots vs Blitzcrank I had a far, far, FAR easier time "not horribly dying every time I vs a decent Blitz."

[Arbitrarity]

The Q is deceptively fun. It becomes VERY interesting and VERY entertaining if you know how to properly use her E.

Not that the second part of Q fires from Pix. When pix is on an ally or enemy, this becomes amazing.

I assume Pix's damage passive doesn't get given to enemies when it's on them? That would be... odd.

[Ivellius]

The Q is deceptively fun. It becomes VERY interesting and VERY entertaining if you know how to properly use her E.

Not that the second part of Q fires from Pix. When pix is on an ally or enemy, this becomes amazing.

I realized this as I was describing her to my brother, and he said after hearing about her passive, "So she's like Orianna, then." And then I read the rest of her skills and thought, "Yep, she's like Orianna." I imagine HUMMINGBIRD LAZOR coming directly off you would be really annoying as an enemy.

[Mirrinus]

I realized this as I was describing her to my brother, and he said after hearing about her passive, "So she's like Orianna, then." And then I read the rest of her skills and thought, "Yep, she's like Orianna." I imagine HUMMINGBIRD LAZOR coming directly off you would be really annoying as an enemy.

It's the second coming of LAZORBIRD!

Or, alternatively, HEY! LISTEN!

[toasty]

There is one lane matchup where I'll never start faerie charm as a support. And that is vs Blitzcrank. You need to be able to dodge his pulls, and that means boots. Ever since I began starting boots vs Blitzcrank I had a far, far, FAR easier time "not horribly dying every time I vs a decent Blitz."

Ward the brush, stay behind minions. I am a genius.

edit: @Mathmage: the number of supports I've seen that are just full retard is pretty high. Like all those people who are still playing sona. I played Sona+graves recently, its not nearly as good as it used to be. I mean, to be fair, it wasn't really ever a thing before the nerfs, but now its just plain horrible.

Stop playign Sona, start playing Soraka/Ali/Janna/Taric/Nunu/GP (SUPPORT NUNU IS SO GOOODDDDDDD)

[Litewarior]

I can make room for this in my headcanon.

[Zen Master]

I am recently convinced that Nunu/Yi is the best lane on TT - and possibly everywhere else.

[Eldariel]

Ward the brush, stay behind minions. I am a genius.

edit: @Mathmage: the number of supports I've seen that are just full retard is pretty high. Like all those people who are still playing sona. I played Sona+graves recently, its not nearly as good as it used to be. I mean, to be fair, it wasn't really ever a thing before the nerfs, but now its just plain horrible.

Stop playign Sona, start playing Soraka/Ali/Janna/Taric/Nunu/GP (SUPPORT NUNU IS SO GOOODDDDDDD)

Hey, don't knock my songbird ._. She's still got some of the better early game damage out of all the supports making for darn strong harass lanes and while the early auras are pretty darn weak, the Q aura is all you really care about in laning and it gets strong pretty fast. And her kit overall is pretty decent with the damage mitigation/slow Power Chords and the stun and a decent regeneration aura in W.

[TechnOkami]

The ones that I've bolded, I can help you out with. I can even teach you lanesticks if you so desire.

What are your normal issues when you play Moon Doe? As a nationally ranked player of celestial body mammals player of the good Doctor, I feel inclined to try and help. Oh yeah, and because Mundo is just so fun and everybody should be able to feel the happiness of running around and Mun Doing things.

Well, the main issue with Fiddlesticks, Mundo, and Skarner is I don't jungle, and when I lane them they basically collapse. I can't get enough farm as Fiddles to make things matter, which is why he should jungle, except I don't. Skarner is somewhat better on that end, but not that much better. I'm still tooling around with him and items, so he's still kind of iffy atm. I've tried dps Mundo, but nothing I do with him on that end seems to ever work. Renekton... eh, I like Renekton a lot, but he too I can't get the hang of surviving. I think with all of these champions (except maybe Mundo) I'm waiting for a buff which will never come.

[Math_Mage]

There is one lane matchup where I'll never start faerie charm as a support. And that is vs Blitzcrank. You need to be able to dodge his pulls, and that means boots. Ever since I began starting boots vs Blitzcrank I had a far, far, FAR easier time "not horribly dying every time I vs a decent Blitz."

Your definition of "a decent Blitz" must be a lot stronger than most of the Blitzcranks in my games, then. And I still hate starting with only 1 ward. I can see Boots+2wards with support masteries being reasonably safe, though.

edit: @Mathmage: the number of supports I've seen that are just full retard is pretty high. Like all those people who are still playing sona. I played Sona+graves recently, its not nearly as good as it used to be. I mean, to be fair, it wasn't really ever a thing before the nerfs, but now its just plain horrible.

Stop playign Sona, start playing Soraka/Ali/Janna/Taric/Nunu/GP (SUPPORT NUNU IS SO GOOODDDDDDD)

I don't play much Sona, but I play even less Nunu, so I might as well start fixing that. I don't think Sona is bad, though.

[Lix Lorn]

So I tried out Irelia!
I don't think the enemy team were greeaaat. I was vs a Garen top. Opened with cloth+5, won every harass-although I did get ganked successfully at later levels, I think once, but I did outfarm him, and got his turret. I ended up 7/7/10. Built Wits End, Trinity, Ninja Tabi and Zeke's Herald. My planned last two items were a GA and an IE. We won.

[ex cathedra]

The Q is deceptively fun. It becomes VERY interesting and VERY entertaining if you know how to properly use her E.

Not that the second part of Q fires from Pix. When pix is on an ally or enemy, this becomes amazing.

Reina, you can't just hijack people's Lykaeus' redposts. That's rude.

Well, the main issue with Fiddlesticks, Mundo, and Skarner is I don't jungle, and when I lane them they basically collapse. I think with all of these champions (except maybe Mundo) I'm waiting for a buff which will never come.

Mundo is much more likely to receive a nerf than a buff, Skarner is in a balanced place and shouldn't be touched again for the foreseeable future, and Fiddlesticks is a poor jungler in the first place. His laning is situational but not entirely unviable. Also, if you "want enough farm to make things matter" the last place you go, disregarding support, is the jungle. Laning provides optimal gold income.

So I tried out Irelia!
I don't think the enemy team were greeaaat. I was vs a Garen top. Opened with cloth+5, won every harass-although I did get ganked successfully at later levels, I think once, but I did outfarm him, and got his turret. I ended up 7/7/10. Built Wits End, Trinity, Ninja Tabi and Zeke's Herald. My planned last two items were a GA and an IE. We won.

Garen is one of those few matchups where I would actually suggest Wriggles+Phage core. He's kind of a bully.

[Mirrinus]

Well. This explains a lot.

Now I'm waiting for that Batman Teemo skin.