Hades' comprehensive guide to:
The Combat/Health Summoner
This guide was designed to be of use to anyone who primarily enjoys playing with combat or health based champions.
A combat champion is one that focuses more on physical damage rather than spell damage. This can be done by fine tuning the rune book, skill masteries and summoner spells to concentrate on physical damage and critical strikes. Items are then used to increase or combine with these tactics to result in a very effective damage dealing champion.
A health champion is one that simply focuses on building HP (Health Points) and relies on items to provide anything else that is needed. Health champions are typically tanks however beefing up the health of any champion can prove to be quite practical in many ways.
There are combination's of both styles of champion and the ability to mix and match anything is this guide is functional and encouraged. The trick to these techniques and strategies is to customize it to suit your needs and desires. If you find something that works for you, go for it! And I would love to hear about the results so post your replies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
*Combat Champions
*Health Champions
*Runes
*Masteries
*Spells
*Putting It All Together
*Credits
COMBAT CHAMPIONS
Combat champions can be either ranged or melee. What defines an effective combat-type champion is ultimately up to you but I would say that they should have more attack than anything else in their stats. The following is a list of champions, regardless of difficulty, who favor attack more than health or spells.
-Ashe
-Gankplank
-Jax
-Malphite
-Master Yi
-Sion
-Sivir
-Tristana
-Tryndamere
-Twitch
-Warwick
HEALTH CHAMPIONS
Health champions can technically be any champion though they are usually tanks. Obviously, health points are essential to every player, no matter what the strategy. After all, without HP, you're dead. However, to truly be a master of health you should choose a champion with more health than attack or spells, giving you a huge advantage of other people when used properly with runes, masteries and spells. The following is a list of champions, regardless of difficulty, who favor health more than attack or spells.
-Alistar
-Amumu
-Blitzcrank
-Kayle
-Rammus
-Sion
-Taric
RUNES
This rune configuration is used to give the game a bit of variety. If you are like me, you quickly tire of playing the same champion over and over again. By using 2 pages of the rune book for combat and 1 for health you give yourself a little room for variety. If you find combat champions are getting old, it's just a matter of switching to the health page and redistributing your masteries. This way you can easily switch from ranger to tank, for example, on the fly without much fuss. All the runes I use are Tier 3, for obvious reasons. Below you will find my rune book, sorted by page. Don't forget to change the name of the pages to whatever you want by clicking on "Page 1" and renaming it in your own book. This will allow you to easily identify what page you have selected during the pre-game setup.
Page 1 - Furor
Furor runes give your champion +X% Critical Damage. X varies depending on the type of runes you are using however critical damage is always static, meaning that it does not change or increase as your champion levels. These are the runes you will need for your Furor page:
9 x Greater Mark of Furor (Red, Tier 3, Primary, +2.73% Critical Damage)
9 x Greater Seal of Furor (Yellow, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.95% Critical Damage)
9 x Greater Glyph of Furor (Blue, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.68% Critical Damage)
3 x Greater Quintessence of Furor (Black, Tier 3, +5.45% Critical Damage)
This should give you a total of +55% critical damage and be extremely deadly when used in combination with certain items, particularly Infinity Edge.
Page 2 - Might
Might runes give your champion +X Attack Damage Per Level. X varies depending on the type of runes you are using. The attack damage of Might runes is dynamic. As you level up you will get more and more attack damage from your runes. The static version of attack damage is found in Strength runes which can be used as an alternative if you are having a hard time getting the runes you want from the combiner or "get runes" feature. Ultimately, you want to have all Might runes on your page because the end result will be more damage and as we know with damage, every little bit counts. These are the runes you will need for your Might page:
9 x Greater Mark of Might (Red, Tier 3, Primary, +0.09% Attack Damage Per Level [+1.62% at Champion Level 18])
9 x Greater Seal of Might (Yellow, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.04% Attack Damage Per Level [+0.72% at Champion Level 18])
9 x Greater Glyph of Might (Blue, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.03% Attack Damage Per Level [+0.54% at Champion Level 18])
3 x Greater Quintessence of Might (Black, Tier 3, +0.23% Attack Damage Per Level [+4.14% at Champion Level 18])
This should give you a total of +37 (almost 38) physical damage at level 18. It may not seem like much at first but remember this is +37 damage on every successful hit you inflict on your enemies. There are many items that will help to boost this damage even more or increasing attack speed with items is also a great idea.
Page 3 - Vitality
Vitality runes give your champion +X Health Per Level. X varies depending on the type of runes you are using. The health of Vitality runes is dynamic. As you level up you will get more and more health from your runes. The static version of health is found in Fortitude runes which can be used as an alternative if you are having a hard time getting the runes you want from the combiner or "get runes" feature. Ultimately, you want to have all Vitality runes on your page because the end result will be more health and for tanks we know that every little bit counts. The exception to this rule is for the black runes. The rune of Greater Quintessence of Vitality provides your champ with +2.81 health per level (+50.58 at Champion Level 18). The Greater Quintessence of Fortitude however is static and gives you +40.91 health right from the start. When we do the math we can see that, with all 3 black runes in place, there's a difference of approximately 30 health at level 18. The difference of 30 health points at this point in the game is insignificant. If your champion has well over 4000 health points (like mine often does) 30 health points will not make a significant impact on the game. On the other hand, the 3 runes of Greater Quintessence of Fortitude provides your champion with almost 123 health points from the start of the match which can make a huge difference in your ability to survive early on. These are the runes you will need for your Vitality page:
9 x Greater Mark of Vitality (Red, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.56 Health Per Level [+10.08 at Champion Level 18])
9 x Greater Seal of Vitality (Yellow, Tier 3, Primary, +1.13 Health Per Level [+20.34 at Champion Level 18])
9 x Greater Glyph of Vitality (Blue, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.56 Health Per Level [+10.08 at Champion Level 18])
3 x Greater Quintessence of Fortitude (Black, Tier 3, +40.91 Health)
This should give you a total of +122 health initially and +364 health at champion level 18. A champion with increased health is more likely to survive and is best used on a tank but is also useful for almost any champion. Health runes offer the most benefit to low level champions but are just as handy at level 18, allowing the hero to take a few extra hits, depending on the turnout.
MASTERIES
Rather than giving a detailed description of every skill in the masteries section (which you can read at your leisure anyway) I will simply put my 2 builds here. Again, like everything else, this is very interchangeable and customizable. Do whatever feels right and works best with your favorite champion and everything should work out fine. When using a combat champion you must first respec your masteries to suit combat. Likewise, when using a health champion, you'll want to respec your masteries to suit health and defense. These are my 2 favorite builds for combat/health champs (respectively):
Combat Champion + Offense/Utility Master
Offense (23)
-Deadliness (3/3)
-Cripple (1/1)
-Sorcery (4/4)
-Alacrity (4/4)
-Sunder (3/3)
-Offensive Mastery (2/2)
-Brute Force (3/3)
-Lethality (3/3)
-Havoc (1/1)
Utility (7)
-Spatial Accuracy (1/1)
-Perseverence (3/3)
-Awareness (2/4)
This is pretty self-explanatory. As far as I know there's little you can do to improve your damage with offensive masteries other than this. The rest depends solely on your skills and abilities as a player, in addition to your item set.
Health Champion + Defense/Utility Mastery
Defense (23)
-Mender's Faith (1/1)
-Resistance (3/3)
-Hardiness (3/3)
-Strength of Spirit (3/3)
-Evasion (4/4)
-Nimbleness (1/1)
-Harden Skin (3/3)
-Veteran's Scars (4/4)
-Tenacity (1/1)
Utility (7)
-Spatial Accuracy (1/1)
-Perseverence (3/3)
-Awareness (3/4)
As you'll notice I didn't put any points into Ardor in the defensive tree. The reason for this is that I personally prefer to get my damage from items which frees up a few more points I can use for utlities. Utility skills can be very helpful to your champ but once again, this is all based on taste.
SPELLS
This is purely a personal choice but, based on the runes/masteries, I like to use:
Combat
-Exhaust (with the mastery skill this can be a debilitating takedown for your foe on a gank, tower rush or base invasion)
-Teleport (lets you whip around the map at will and gets you back into combat fast)
Health
-Heal (you can never have too much healing stuff)
-Teleport (lets you whip around the map at will and gets you back into combat fast)
Some people use Cleanse and Revive for their tanks. I personally find those to be a waste of a spell. Just play conservative, heal instead and don't die. Easier said than done I suppose. But if you decide to opt for one of these spells make sure to get the corresponding skill mastery to increase its effectiveness.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
From my experience I can safely say that this build works exceptionally well with the following champions:
Combat
-Ashe
-Tristana
-Twitch
-Warwick
Health
-Blitzcrank
-Rammus
-Kayle
-Warwick
Other champions may be perfect for this build but I have not had a chance to try them out yet. If you have had success with other combos, please let me know.
At times you may think that there is not much benefit to these runes/masteries. It may very well appear that way but trust me, once you start rolling a level 30 summoner with full runes + masteries set up and get your champ to level 18, you will notice a big difference. A lot of it has to do with how you level and what items you get and when. Timing is key. (But I'll leave that for another thread
)
Also, one very important thing I would like to suggest is to try out health runes on your favorite combat champ and vice versa. That's how I was able to find new and exciting combinations for many of my preferred characters. Mix and match until you're blue in the face! There's no telling what you can come up with
CREDITS
Author is Hades
The Combat/Health Summoner
This guide was designed to be of use to anyone who primarily enjoys playing with combat or health based champions.
A combat champion is one that focuses more on physical damage rather than spell damage. This can be done by fine tuning the rune book, skill masteries and summoner spells to concentrate on physical damage and critical strikes. Items are then used to increase or combine with these tactics to result in a very effective damage dealing champion.
A health champion is one that simply focuses on building HP (Health Points) and relies on items to provide anything else that is needed. Health champions are typically tanks however beefing up the health of any champion can prove to be quite practical in many ways.
There are combination's of both styles of champion and the ability to mix and match anything is this guide is functional and encouraged. The trick to these techniques and strategies is to customize it to suit your needs and desires. If you find something that works for you, go for it! And I would love to hear about the results so post your replies.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
*Combat Champions
*Health Champions
*Runes
*Masteries
*Spells
*Putting It All Together
*Credits
COMBAT CHAMPIONS
Combat champions can be either ranged or melee. What defines an effective combat-type champion is ultimately up to you but I would say that they should have more attack than anything else in their stats. The following is a list of champions, regardless of difficulty, who favor attack more than health or spells.
-Ashe
-Gankplank
-Jax
-Malphite
-Master Yi
-Sion
-Sivir
-Tristana
-Tryndamere
-Twitch
-Warwick
HEALTH CHAMPIONS
Health champions can technically be any champion though they are usually tanks. Obviously, health points are essential to every player, no matter what the strategy. After all, without HP, you're dead. However, to truly be a master of health you should choose a champion with more health than attack or spells, giving you a huge advantage of other people when used properly with runes, masteries and spells. The following is a list of champions, regardless of difficulty, who favor health more than attack or spells.
-Alistar
-Amumu
-Blitzcrank
-Kayle
-Rammus
-Sion
-Taric
RUNES
This rune configuration is used to give the game a bit of variety. If you are like me, you quickly tire of playing the same champion over and over again. By using 2 pages of the rune book for combat and 1 for health you give yourself a little room for variety. If you find combat champions are getting old, it's just a matter of switching to the health page and redistributing your masteries. This way you can easily switch from ranger to tank, for example, on the fly without much fuss. All the runes I use are Tier 3, for obvious reasons. Below you will find my rune book, sorted by page. Don't forget to change the name of the pages to whatever you want by clicking on "Page 1" and renaming it in your own book. This will allow you to easily identify what page you have selected during the pre-game setup.
Page 1 - Furor
Furor runes give your champion +X% Critical Damage. X varies depending on the type of runes you are using however critical damage is always static, meaning that it does not change or increase as your champion levels. These are the runes you will need for your Furor page:
9 x Greater Mark of Furor (Red, Tier 3, Primary, +2.73% Critical Damage)
9 x Greater Seal of Furor (Yellow, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.95% Critical Damage)
9 x Greater Glyph of Furor (Blue, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.68% Critical Damage)
3 x Greater Quintessence of Furor (Black, Tier 3, +5.45% Critical Damage)
This should give you a total of +55% critical damage and be extremely deadly when used in combination with certain items, particularly Infinity Edge.
Page 2 - Might
Might runes give your champion +X Attack Damage Per Level. X varies depending on the type of runes you are using. The attack damage of Might runes is dynamic. As you level up you will get more and more attack damage from your runes. The static version of attack damage is found in Strength runes which can be used as an alternative if you are having a hard time getting the runes you want from the combiner or "get runes" feature. Ultimately, you want to have all Might runes on your page because the end result will be more damage and as we know with damage, every little bit counts. These are the runes you will need for your Might page:
9 x Greater Mark of Might (Red, Tier 3, Primary, +0.09% Attack Damage Per Level [+1.62% at Champion Level 18])
9 x Greater Seal of Might (Yellow, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.04% Attack Damage Per Level [+0.72% at Champion Level 18])
9 x Greater Glyph of Might (Blue, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.03% Attack Damage Per Level [+0.54% at Champion Level 18])
3 x Greater Quintessence of Might (Black, Tier 3, +0.23% Attack Damage Per Level [+4.14% at Champion Level 18])
This should give you a total of +37 (almost 38) physical damage at level 18. It may not seem like much at first but remember this is +37 damage on every successful hit you inflict on your enemies. There are many items that will help to boost this damage even more or increasing attack speed with items is also a great idea.
Page 3 - Vitality
Vitality runes give your champion +X Health Per Level. X varies depending on the type of runes you are using. The health of Vitality runes is dynamic. As you level up you will get more and more health from your runes. The static version of health is found in Fortitude runes which can be used as an alternative if you are having a hard time getting the runes you want from the combiner or "get runes" feature. Ultimately, you want to have all Vitality runes on your page because the end result will be more health and for tanks we know that every little bit counts. The exception to this rule is for the black runes. The rune of Greater Quintessence of Vitality provides your champ with +2.81 health per level (+50.58 at Champion Level 18). The Greater Quintessence of Fortitude however is static and gives you +40.91 health right from the start. When we do the math we can see that, with all 3 black runes in place, there's a difference of approximately 30 health at level 18. The difference of 30 health points at this point in the game is insignificant. If your champion has well over 4000 health points (like mine often does) 30 health points will not make a significant impact on the game. On the other hand, the 3 runes of Greater Quintessence of Fortitude provides your champion with almost 123 health points from the start of the match which can make a huge difference in your ability to survive early on. These are the runes you will need for your Vitality page:
9 x Greater Mark of Vitality (Red, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.56 Health Per Level [+10.08 at Champion Level 18])
9 x Greater Seal of Vitality (Yellow, Tier 3, Primary, +1.13 Health Per Level [+20.34 at Champion Level 18])
9 x Greater Glyph of Vitality (Blue, Tier 3, Secondary, +0.56 Health Per Level [+10.08 at Champion Level 18])
3 x Greater Quintessence of Fortitude (Black, Tier 3, +40.91 Health)
This should give you a total of +122 health initially and +364 health at champion level 18. A champion with increased health is more likely to survive and is best used on a tank but is also useful for almost any champion. Health runes offer the most benefit to low level champions but are just as handy at level 18, allowing the hero to take a few extra hits, depending on the turnout.
MASTERIES
Rather than giving a detailed description of every skill in the masteries section (which you can read at your leisure anyway) I will simply put my 2 builds here. Again, like everything else, this is very interchangeable and customizable. Do whatever feels right and works best with your favorite champion and everything should work out fine. When using a combat champion you must first respec your masteries to suit combat. Likewise, when using a health champion, you'll want to respec your masteries to suit health and defense. These are my 2 favorite builds for combat/health champs (respectively):
Combat Champion + Offense/Utility Master
Offense (23)
-Deadliness (3/3)
-Cripple (1/1)
-Sorcery (4/4)
-Alacrity (4/4)
-Sunder (3/3)
-Offensive Mastery (2/2)
-Brute Force (3/3)
-Lethality (3/3)
-Havoc (1/1)
Utility (7)
-Spatial Accuracy (1/1)
-Perseverence (3/3)
-Awareness (2/4)
This is pretty self-explanatory. As far as I know there's little you can do to improve your damage with offensive masteries other than this. The rest depends solely on your skills and abilities as a player, in addition to your item set.
Health Champion + Defense/Utility Mastery
Defense (23)
-Mender's Faith (1/1)
-Resistance (3/3)
-Hardiness (3/3)
-Strength of Spirit (3/3)
-Evasion (4/4)
-Nimbleness (1/1)
-Harden Skin (3/3)
-Veteran's Scars (4/4)
-Tenacity (1/1)
Utility (7)
-Spatial Accuracy (1/1)
-Perseverence (3/3)
-Awareness (3/4)
As you'll notice I didn't put any points into Ardor in the defensive tree. The reason for this is that I personally prefer to get my damage from items which frees up a few more points I can use for utlities. Utility skills can be very helpful to your champ but once again, this is all based on taste.
SPELLS
This is purely a personal choice but, based on the runes/masteries, I like to use:
Combat
-Exhaust (with the mastery skill this can be a debilitating takedown for your foe on a gank, tower rush or base invasion)
-Teleport (lets you whip around the map at will and gets you back into combat fast)
Health
-Heal (you can never have too much healing stuff)
-Teleport (lets you whip around the map at will and gets you back into combat fast)
Some people use Cleanse and Revive for their tanks. I personally find those to be a waste of a spell. Just play conservative, heal instead and don't die. Easier said than done I suppose. But if you decide to opt for one of these spells make sure to get the corresponding skill mastery to increase its effectiveness.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
From my experience I can safely say that this build works exceptionally well with the following champions:
Combat
-Ashe
-Tristana
-Twitch
-Warwick
Health
-Blitzcrank
-Rammus
-Kayle
-Warwick
Other champions may be perfect for this build but I have not had a chance to try them out yet. If you have had success with other combos, please let me know.
At times you may think that there is not much benefit to these runes/masteries. It may very well appear that way but trust me, once you start rolling a level 30 summoner with full runes + masteries set up and get your champ to level 18, you will notice a big difference. A lot of it has to do with how you level and what items you get and when. Timing is key. (But I'll leave that for another thread
)Also, one very important thing I would like to suggest is to try out health runes on your favorite combat champ and vice versa. That's how I was able to find new and exciting combinations for many of my preferred characters. Mix and match until you're blue in the face! There's no telling what you can come up with
CREDITS
Author is Hades
