How to Make the Perfect Build

Making a solid build is one of the most deceptively hard things in LoL. Just like with all other theorycrafting, you have to keep your eyes on what’s practical and not just on which numbers look better.

When you are making an item build, you are not always looking for the six items that, combined, give you the strongest possible late game. That might sound counter intuitive, but it’s the truth. Why? Yes, you should be looking to scale throughout the game with stat multiplicity, but you have to make sure that you can actually get through the game. And, even before considering that, you have to remember that most games don’t last longer than 40 minutes. Especially in solo queue, games often rest on the early and mid game, meaning that a late game focused build is not likely to swoop in and save the day. It’s the same reason why Kog’Maw is not the top solo queue AD pick.

Because of this, you need a solid core build.

Core Builds and You

The idea of a core build is simple: you should try and get as many of the stats that you want within your first two, major items (things like Infinity Edge, Warmog’s Armor and Rabadon’s Deathcap). This core build is something that, in general, you will be able to achieve in every game, hopefully giving you the leverage you need to win.

Late game scaling is great, but what these first items should really do is make your character as strong as possible as fast as possible. One of the best examples of this is Zhonya’s Hourglass on Kennen, Morgana and Fiddlesticks. Getting this one item gives you the ability to make the big plays those characters are expected to make.

It’s important to remember that your core build defines your playstyle. Current trends favor some sort of utility pick in one of your first items -- the stats that don’t give direct damage lend themselves to unique styles as opposed to the old “rush Deathcap every game.” A good example of this is the rise of Twisted Fate players rushing Lich Bane. As I’ve shown, Lich Bane probably won’t do more damage than a Deathcap for most players, but it gives TF a stronger roaming presence with its movement speed and greater power in straight-up fights (as opposed to poking).

Examples

To give you a better idea of what I mean, let’s go in-depth with two examples.

Top Bruisers: Like I’ve mentioned in my earlier articles about the one damage item bruiser and physical defense rush items, top bruisers like Jax will commonly pick up an item like Trinity Force and then a Warmog’s Armor. Not only are these some of the best one-off choices for both offense and defense, but they are formed from powerful components (the three from Trinity Force and the Giant’s Belt of Warmog’s) that can really help you in lane. What makes them even more perfect is that you’ll never want to replace them -- they scale perfectly throughout the entire game. Providing first a power spike in lane and then a smooth transition into tanking for your team is essential for bruisers.

Blade of the Ruined King and Sunfire Cape stand in as cheaper alternatives that can be finished quicker in lane for an earlier power spike if you’re struggling. Against heavy physical damage, Randuin’s Omen is the best defensive item rush, especially against enemies that rely on attack speed (like those that buy a Blade of the Ruined King). Bruiser play, more than any other role, is about balancing your offense and defense so you can go from dominating your lane to dominating the game, so your first item choices are usually going to reflect that mix unless you’re winning (buy more offense) or losing (buy more defense) hard.

AP Mids: AP mids have a lot of item variation in Season 3. There has been a lot of buzz around the Diana play of Ryu ‘RyU’ Sang-ook of KT Rolster B and William ‘scarra’ Li of our own Team Dignitas, so let’s use her as an example.

Diana is a flexible champion, and recently her three most common starting builds have been Zhonya’s Hourglass with either Haunting Guise, Nashor’s Tooth or Abyssal Scepter. Zhonya’s is an obvious choice for a melee assassin like Diana. When you’re dashing into fights with your ultimate, you need some way to stay alive and divert damage. Zhonya’s is the best tool for an AP character to do this.

The other choices center around Diana’s passive and the mechanics of her abilities. First, as scarra loves to demonstrate, Diana’s passive makes her an amazing pusher, so buying a Nashor’s Tooth can make her a split push machine while also giving other, beneficial stats on the side.

Haunting Guise and Abyssal Scepter are popular on assassin APs for good reason. Diana is melee, has relatively low cooldowns, has a reset mechanic on her ultimate and usually has to commit to the middle of a fight to do most of her damage. These items combine AP and penetration with some early defensive stats that let you dive in.

A Haunting Guise gives you an early boost in power while letting you finish your Zhonya’s faster. Thus, you go from an early power spike into being able to team fight effectively earlier. This is the build that RyU used in the finals of the MLG International Exhibition this month against Curse. On the other hand, you can buy an Abyssal Scepter. This item combines MR with a larger amount of offense by way of both AP and AoE penetration. It takes longer to get to it, but this item gives more dueling potential and will help more in 1v1 fights mid lane.

When making a build, you can’t assume you’ll be able to assemble that perfect metagolem ensemble every game. It’s an exercise in economics: how little do I have to spend to get what is most important to me? With an efficient core build, you can become effective quicker than other players and be that much stronger in any game you play.