This guide provides the average player with both basic and advanced information regarding the numerous Starting Items present in the game and allows them to understand how important they are for specific champions.
In order to have a successful game of League of Legends, it is necessary to build properly by attempting to maximize your Champion’s overall attributes. Whether you are required to build damage as an ADC, Health and Resistances as a Top Laner, or Healing and Shield Power as a Support, knowing what items suit your champion the best is crucial towards the outcome of the game.
Although it may not seem like much, starting the game with the right items is very important for your laning phase, as a single attribute that an item would have provided could lead to your opponent snowballing and winning the game based on a single resource that you lacked.
In order to prevent this, I have created a guide that explains in detail what starting items are recommended for all the roles in the game, and when you should get them.
The top laners are one of the most important players of the team due to the great number of playstyles they can provide. Whether we are talking about a tank, a poke champion, a split-pusher, or a fighter, we can always count on top laners to provide something useful for their team. Because they have such an unbelievable utility, they need to make sure they itemize properly from the very beginning to avoid falling behind in lane. Therefore, we need to ask ourselves: What are the best starting items for top laners? The answer very much depends on the type of top laner that we are talking about and the attributes that an item has.
Let’s begin by having a look at some of the most popular top laner starting items and their stats:
Doran’s Blade is the most aggressive option for a top laner, as it allows you to deal extra damage and have better chances of survival during the early fights (due to the extra health that it provides). Should normally be considered on champions that have all-in potential pre-level 6 (for example, Jayce, Jax), but not if they’re laning against tanky champions (such as Malphite, Ornn) because its stats do not necessarily outweigh the benefits of a safer option.
Doran’s Shield is a safer option compared to Doran’s Blade that generates a similar value in health (+80) and deals an additional 5 damage to minions (whereas the +8 AD value applies to damage dealt to champions as well). Nevertheless, any time you take damage from a champion, you restore health and you survive in lane for longer times than with DB. This item is good for matchups that allow extended trades and against poke champions (for example, Teemo, Jayce) or champions with burst, as it guarantees that you do not die easily.
Doran’s Ring is an item usually obtained by AP top laners (such as Mordekaiser, Teemo) that enables them to poke their enemy without losing too much mana. The extra health and damage to minions are similar to the stats that Doran’s Shield provide (only +70 HP, compared to +80 HP), but the additional +15 Ability Power allows for an increased damage against champions (and minions) using spells, therefore making it a more offensive option for Mages.
Corrupting Potion can be considered one of the most useful starting items, as it allows you to stay in lane for longer periods of time AND it allows you to deal extra damage. It can be taken on almost any top lane champion, but you should consider going for a more aggressive option if you have the matchup advantage and believe that you can kill your opponent.
Long Sword and three Health Potions are a good choice in matchups that are usually melee vs ranged or ranged vs ranged, as they allow you to deal damage to your opponent and survive longer in lane. Nevertheless, a careful consideration should be made between choosing one of the other items detailed above and the Long Sword + 3 Health Potions combo, as although you can upgrade the LS into a different item, you will not receive the other stats that a Doran’s item would provide. If you feel like you do not need to kill your opponent and can win the lane by scaling, then this is the perfect choice for you.
Dark Seal is a situational item that you should only consider whilst playing an AP champion and you strongly believe that you can win the lane by getting a large number of kills. Due to its potential upgrade to Mejai’s Soulstealer, this item is high-risk high-reward and should be used carefully.
The jungler is one of the most impactful players in the game because of the way they can decide when to help the lanes and when to contest objectives during all the stages of the game. Because of their important responsibility, it is sometimes necessary to sacrifice time helping specific lanes instead of listening to everyone’s pings, as all the laners would like getting helped all the time, which can lead to some players being unhappy. Nevertheless, they still remain one of the most important roles in the game.
Unfortunately, the jungler has a very limited selection when it comes to their starting items, as they need to start with a specific ‘Jungle item’ that grants them a Companion that deals extra damage and later upgrades their Smite for additional resources.
The similarities between the three types of items are as follows:
This item is usually taken by champions that like to engage in fights pretty often, since it provides the most aggressive stats amongst the other two. The extra Slow and Max Health True Damage can be very effective against all types of champions, making this an ideal item for Junglers like Fiddlesticks or Xin Zhao.
This item is usually taken by champions that require a fast setup and increased mobility, as it provides Move Speed when ganking, making this a must-have item for champions like Skarner or Hecarim.
This item is usually taken by Tanks, as it provides an extra shield any time you kill a monster or you have not taken damage for a while. The 20% Tenacity and Slow Resist allow you to be more mobile during teamfights, making this an excellent item for Tanks such as Sejuani or Rammus.
The Mid Laners are possibly the most crucial players when it comes to getting a positional advantage and helping their teammates secure kills and objectives by roaming and rotating effectively. Whenever they are not the ones getting ahead and carrying the game, they can dictate how different aspects related to the positioning towards early objectives occur, and they can ensure that nearby opponents will end up losing a lot of resources if they decide to contest them.
Since the Mid Laners play such an important role towards the development of the game, it is critical to start the game with items that allows them not to fall behind in lane. There are usually eightoptions available for Mid Laners:Doran’s Ring, Doran’s Blade, Doran’s Shield, Corrupting Potion, Long Sword, Dark Seal, Boots, Tear of the Goddess.
Doran’s Ring is the preferred item for Mages, as it allows them to safely farm without wasting their mana. Since this item provides an extra amount of Ability Power and Health, this makes it a perfect starting item for players that want to win their lane by both scaling and getting kills. Comparing this to Dark Seal, which only provides offensive stats for combat, but allows for a better snowball, Doran’s Ring is the less risky option for players that want to play more tactically during the laning phase.
Doran’s Blade is the most aggressive option for an AD Mid Laner, as it allows you to deal extra damage to champions and minions. It is strongly recommended on champions with all-in potential pre-Level 3 (such as Talon or even Tristana), but it can fall short at times compared to other options if you do not manage to get a kill soon.
Doran’s Shield is a safer option compared to the other Doran’s items as it provides health regeneration any time you take damage from a champion. This item is good for matchups that allow extended trades and against poke champions (for example, Cassiopeia) or champions with burst, as it guarantees that you do not die so easily.
Corrupting Potion is a safe option that you should consider in matchups against champions with greater range than you, as it allows you to stay in lane for longer periods of time. It can be taken on most mid lane champions, although it is not the most recommended choice.
Long Sword and Health Potions are one of the most popular choices for AD Mid Laners, especially for Assassins (such as Zed, Talon), as it allows for that extra +3 AD at levels 2/3 when they have all-in potential and can snowball the lane easily. Since Long Sword can be easily upgraded into different items, this means that you save 350 gold (alongside the 450 gold that you would have otherwise spent getting a Doran’s item instead) pretty early, therefore allowing you to finish your Mythic item faster.
Dark Seal is a situational item that you should only consider whilst playing an AP champion and you strongly believe that you can win the lane by getting a large number of kills (mostly on champions like Sylas, Katarina). Due to its potential upgrade to Mejai’s Soulstealer, this item is high-risk, high-reward and should be used carefully, as you can fall behind if you do not manage to snowball.
Boots are a slightly unusual option for a starting item, but they can work on champions that can easily roam to other lanes (such as Twisted Fate or Katarina). Only recommended in specific matchups where you can easily get priority in lane and you are allowed to roam very often.
Tear of the Goddess is an item that allows you to scale and is usually recommended on champions that use their spells as their main source of damage (such as Cassiopeia or Ryze). Can be upgraded into Archangel’s Staff (for AP champions) or Manamune (for AD champions), making it a useful starting item that can help you finish an item faster. Nevertheless, it is still viable getting this item after your first base, as some players prefer starting with an item described above.
The life of an ADC is probably one of the most complicated and stressful in the entire game of League of Legends. By having to make split-second decisions during teamfights, trying to survive as long as possible whilst dealing the most damage, and being expected to carry multiple games, we can all agree that being a bot laner is one of the most high-risk/high-reward roles in the game.
Nevertheless, in order to reach that late-game carry potential that is well known for a marksman, it is first necessary to survive the previous stages of the game, where, as an ADC, you are still expected to be one of the most useful components of your team. Although several other key elements, such as farming and wave management, positioning, team communication, etc. are required for a complete guide of being an ADC, this article will cover the main builds that an ADC should opt for to maximize their potential throughout the different stages of the game, whilst attempting to successfully deal with the enemy team compositions.
The first building options are available right from the moment the game loads, where an ADC has to consider several key aspects regarding their lane opponents: The type of composition the enemy laners have (poke-P, engage-E, sustain-S), the type of composition you have (poke, engage, sustain), the attack range and ability range of your opponents, and the necessity to leash for your junglers. Several matchups can be described here:
Doran's Blade - Most effective if you believe you can have a higher percentage of hitting your skillshots compared to your lane opponent, or you have higher attack range and can auto-attack without your opponent being able to actively respond.
Doran's Shield - Most effective if you believe your opponent will have the advantage (either increased ease of hitting their skillshots/land auto-attacks), or if they have a champion like Zyra/Brand/Teemo/Heimerdinger, etc. that can proc the shield's passive repeatedly.
Long Sword and 3 Potions - Situational, recommended if you want to be aggressive in lane but still believe you will get harassed whenever you do so.
Tear of the Goddess - Recommended on champions like Ezreal/Seraphine/Sivir. Great item if you want to rush Manamune during later stages.
Doran's Blade is recommended in this matchup, as you need to focus on hitting Level 2 first and engaging on your opponent. Nevertheless, if you do not think you can reach Level 2 first, then a Long Sword and 3 Potions should be the most optimal choice for this lane.
Doran’s Shield is recommended if you believe that you do not have enough damage or range to kill your enemies at Level 2, since the extra HP regeneration should allow you to survive in lane for a longer time and get better recall timings than Doran’s Blade.
Long Sword and 3 Potions should be the best choice here, as you will already have damage from the Long Sword, and you can use the potions to save mana in lane. Doran’s Shield is recommended as well for increased sustain.
Doran’s Blade is recommended if you are confident that a fight will occur at Level 2, as the extra health should be very important in this type of matchups. If not, Long Sword is a good alternative, but you risk getting killed early due to having lower maximum health than if you would have opted for Doran’s Blade.
Doran’s Blade only provides +7 AD as opposed to +10 that Long Sword provides, but the extra HP allows you to stay in lane longer if your burst is not enough to kill the enemy laners. Nevertheless, it is still recommended to choose it in this matchup.
Sustain vs Sustain
You can go any item previously mentioned here. However, Cull could be one of the best options in this matchup, since there is a low kill threat in this lane, and the extra +350 gold should allow you to get ahead at the end of the laning phase.
The Support players are one the most important members of a team, being responsible for vision and shotcalling throughout all the stages of the game. Their starting items present a Quest that allows the Supports to earn extra gold, which upgrades after its completion into an item that enables them to get free wards any time they reset.
Spellthief’s Edge is an item for AP ranged Supports that mainly use their spells and auto-attacks to poke the enemy laners. The extra +8 Ability Power and +25% Mana Regeneration over its AD counterpart (Spectral Sickle) allows Mage Supports to easily use their spells to deal damage in lane without worrying about mana issues. This item is ideal for AP Supports such as Janna or Karma.
Relic Shield is an item usually taken by melee AP tanks, as it provides AP and Health Regeneration, but some AP ranged Supports can opt for it as well. This item has a unique passive that allows its owner to execute minions below 50% HP (melee) and 30% HP (ranged), which can be useful in specific matchups to reach Level 2 first by executing the first two melee minions of the second wave. This item is excellent for champions like Rell or Nautilus.
Steel Shoulderguards is an item usually taken on melee tanky Supports that have high early cooldowns due to its extra 3 AD that can be used to deal more damage with your auto-attacks. This item has a unique passive that allows its owner to execute minions below 50% HP (melee) and 30% HP (ranged), which can be useful in specific matchups to reach level 2 first by executing the first 2 melee minions of the second wave. Steel Shoulderguards is the perfect item for champions like Thresh or Pyke.
Spectral Sickle is an AD alternative for Spellthief’s Edge, and it is usually taken on champions that use their range to poke enemy laners, such as Senna or Ashe.
Knowing the way starting items can be used to get an advantage in lane can be very useful towards helping you win your lane. Depending on your champion and matchup, you should always think proactively and build according to your strengths AND weaknesses. Nevertheless, a starting item is not going to definitely win or lose you the lane, but it can certainly help towards reaching an outcome.
Individual skill and team communication still remain the most important factors during the laning phase, therefore making sure that you improve both your game knowledge and game mechanics should remain the main priority. As always, you should remember that League of Legends is a 5v5 game and you should always try to improve both as an individual, but also as a team player.
