How to eat Oranges: Gangplank insight

Gangplank is a straight up bruiser. He is widely known for an ability of his, to "eat oranges and make everything k." Gangplank is by far my favorite champ for what he has to offer, a CC, AoE buff, heal and a pistol shot that does a godly amount of damage. Today I want to take a look at his abilities and what they have to offer as a whole to a team composition. When I say he eats oranges and makes everything k, I mean he really does make everything k.

Gangplank's passive is Grog-Soaked blade; it does damages based on your current level plus some to the target every second for 3 seconds, and slowing them by 7%. This ability makes getting your team to the enemy so much easier, it's a very small damage over time spell but nonetheless, can pick up a kill at the right times.

Gangplank's Q ability is Parrrley, yes, with three r's. It's because he’s a mighty pirate. Anyway, this ability fires a pistol shot at the target, applying quite a bit of damage to the target, the catch with this ability is the fact it applies on-hit effects. Sheen, Trinity force, Iceborn Gauntlet, Frozen mallet, all these types of items process after an ability was used, usually in the form of an auto attack. With Gangplank’s Parrrley, the instant the pistol is shot, it processes these different items, and the ball is considered an auto attack, meaning when the ball hits them, it applies normal damage, plus the on hit effect of these items. An example of this is Trinity force, it's the most popular use of Gangplank’s pistol, but it does its normal damage, plus 150% of your base attack damage as damage together.

Gangplank's W is called Remove Scurvy. It's what made the Gangplank meme so popular because of its effect. Remove Scurvy removes all forms of Crowd Control effects, and heals you for a certain amount, plus more based on AP. This ability in the current meta is every ADC's dream. It's a Cleanse, and heals at the same time; you can never go wrong with that. It's cool down unfortunately is around 20 seconds before you level it beyond 1. Be sure to save it unless you need it for both abilities. Late game, when you’re not CC'ed because of your oranges, you will want to marry them, they will make getting to the enemy carries so easy! Another ability it does is, well, what it says it does, when your oranges are ready to use you have a debuff called scurvy, it doesn't do anything really. It's just when you eat them, you remove it until it comes off cool down again.

Gangplank's E is called Raise Morale, it has a passive and an active, the passive is that it increases his attack damage and movement speed by a little bit permanently. The active is that he disables the passive, raises both stats just a bit more and half of that to nearby allies, kind of like a Shurelya's Reverie for movement speed, just not as powerful. It's good to catch someone who’s just barely out of reach to use Parrrley on to slow them down and catch them easier. In a team fight it's obviously very good because it gives nice bonuses to your allies to chase of have more damage overall.

Gangplank's R or Ultimate ability is Cannon Barrage, he signals the ships outside summoner's rift to barrage a target area with, well, cannonballs. It’s an AoE CC effect, very good at initiating fights, not a lot of damage on it sadly. The AP ratios it holds doesn't help with the damage either, you need a lot of AP for it to do any significant damage, but it’s not optimal.

Your build order depends on how role you play on your team. As a top lane bruiser, you will want to build a combination of tanky and some damage to make sure you’re not completely useless. Depending on the top laner will factor in what you build. Attack damage bruisers, you will want to build armor, and health. If you can farm, build health as it will be more useful then armor at that point. If your being harassed out of lane and falling behind, build gold per 10 items like philosopher’s stone and avarice blade to insure gold output with less minion farm. Also build more armor then health as you will be able to take more harass then if you build health.

If you solo top against an AP tank, build straight into mercury treads, as this will reduce how long you will stay CC'ed for. Plus with your oranges, you can escape any form of it, but I recommend not using oranges if you’re still pretty healthy. It does cost a lot of mana to use and can quickly make you run out. After your mercury treads, build a hexdrinker, as this will keep your damage up, and your resistance up as well. As "Tankplank" you will focus more on tankiness then damage, so build up the resistance you need the most, and then focus on adding damage.

In season 3, I predict Gangplank will come out as a midlaner if bruisers go into the mid lane. Against other AP carry mids, Gangplank has the ability to farm with his Q, and if he gets caught badly by a Veigar or someone with CC, he can just eat the oranges, and escape quickly from said CC. As a mid laner, I recommend Gangplank should build around the same as his solo top against an AP build with more focus on getting damage as well. Normally, AP mids don't take additional armor into the lane, so you will have a lot of damage without really trying for it. Unless you’re getting really beat in lane, I recommend also that you rush a sheen in mid lane, that way you have more ability power for his oranges and his pistol shot can still hurt the little AP carry quite a bit.

I really don't recommend he should jungle for that fact that he’s slow in it. Though it isn't impossible, it's not the best, but he can do it. I'll show how to do it.

In the Jungle, Gangplank is truly a force to reckon with if done correct. His ultimate proves to be a great way to initiate ganks into lanes and most often, force the enemy to flash. Start at blue buff in the jungle with him, get a good enough leash, and smite it, proceed to taking your oranges for added survivability. Head to wolves, wraiths, and if you have enough health, you can try to kill the golems. After which, recall, by then you should have enough to either buy parts or the complete Madred’s razors. Madred's is invaluable on Gangplank as it helps clear the jungle so much faster. Continue to clear the jungle until a lane needs help. Before level 6 however, your ganks aren't incredibly strong as you have no good form of ranged CC to get into the fight with. After you hit level 6 however, go to the lane needing most help that also has your teammate with the most health. After all you cannot gank alone, and will need some help. Now your goal is to get your lanes fed as the jungler, if your teammate can get the kill, let them get it. If you’re sure they cannot, then do your best to get it, after all its kill securing. You take into the late game as you would a solo top laner.

Gangplank has a better chance passing off as a support then a jungler, but I suppose it is completely based on preference. I will explain the process of the Gangplank support.

Gangplank support unlike other lanes is built completely tanky. Build gold per 10's and wards, Max your E, as it is your best bet as a Gangplank support to help your carry, proceed to then build up your Q or W. Parrrley gives Gangplank slightly more damage, but isn't needed as much. A new mastery was added down the utility tree to help supports with gold income, every time a champion is hit by the support, the support generates 5 gold (3 if ranged.) As I said before, Gangplank's Parrrley applies on-hit effects, and melee is on hit, so Gangplank generates an additional 5 gold per pistol shot. Gangplank unfortunately can't share oranges and they are good only as cleanse as a support. So what you max 2nd is all up to you, of course though, you always put points in your ultimate when available. As support Gangplank, use your ultimate as a means to help the jungler engage. Almost 100% of the time, will flashes go off, and gives your lane a chance to be pushed. As a support you must also build into the late game as all other supports do. Aura items that benefit your team; Aegis into bulwark, Locket, Zekes etc.

Now, people will be asking stuff like "why no crit gangplank guide?" Well I sure didn't forget about him either. Crit Gangplank is using Gangplank’s Parrrley for the fact it can cause a critical strike. There are 2 kinds of critplanks out there, true critical gangplank, and Russian roulette Gangplank. True crit Gangplank is basically, building up to 100% critical strike chance, and then damage, which isn't much. Every one of your auto attacks and Parrrleys will critically strike, every single one. Now, Russian roulette Gangplank on the other hand is building items up to 50% critical strike so you have a half and half chance. You sacrifice the other critical stick chance for a ton more damage. The crits when hit will be truly large, very good for harassment by poking. It's just like true Russian roulette, and in my opinion, the more fun option.

Thanks for reading my guide on Gangplank now, and what he could be in the future, leave your comments if you have any further question below the article!