Rammus, The Counter Of The Devourer Meta?
Ok.
I feel like I've seen this meta before. Feral Flare anyone? In this article, we will take a quick look at why the devourer meta has returned and its one nightmare, Rammus.
We've reached this point again in the season. Once again, stacking junglers have returned and this time, they're even worse. After a few weeks of break from League, I finished my Provisionals only to realize that the last 20 games I've played contained the same 3 junglers. Shyvana, Yi, Xin Zhao. 95% of the games that were won were the ones that had one of those junglers. Although I was playing in a lower elo (Platinum 5), it bothered me that these junglers were so favorable to those from the past, like Lee Sin, Gragas, RekSai. Currently, the jungle is absolutely riddled with these Sated Devourers and they do the same thing every game. Stack up. Tank up. Win game. However, a solution has emerged, Rammus. However, to specifically understand why the Sated meta is so rampant, let's take a look into the items.
The Items
Guinsoo's Rageblade: Remember that nerf that completely decimated this item? No? Me neither. The fact of the matter is that while the item has fallen out of favor as first item rushes on laners, it remains as an absolutely insane and synergetic item with Sated Devourer. Along with its extremely cheap total cost of only 2800 GP, Guinsoo's stacks twice as fast with the passive from Sated Devourer. On junglers such as Master Yi, this is a paramount item to purchase.
Pros:
- Stacks twice as fast with Sated
- Cheap and efficient
Cons:
- Doesn't scale well with those who have no AP scaling
- Requires stacks to be actually relevant
Titanic Hydra: Recently, there has been a gradual surge of junglers who build a tanky version of Sated Devourer junglers. Shyvana and Master Yi seem to be the prime candidates for this build path. Generally, this will be there 2nd or 3rd item depending on the outcome of the game. Who am I kidding? Everyone is buying this item. Titanic Hydra remains as one of the strongest items in the game and the Sated meta only cements this as one of the must buys.
Pros:
- Innately Tanky
- More damage than you'd expect
- Amazingly cost efficient on tankier junglers such as Shyvana
Cons:
- Attack Speed Reliant
- Needs health to be more cost effective
Skirmisher's Sabre: If you already thought that it was difficult to duel a Sated Devourer jungler, try going against one with challenging smite. The Sated meta has left many laners at an immediate disadvantage already with the double on hit but with the usage of challenging smite, it is nearly impossible to lose a duel to anyone on the same level of items as you. Skirmisher's Sabre is a must buy for all Sated Devourer junglers.
Pros:
- Never lose duels again
- Shred tankier champions
Cons:
- Does take time to stack
- Attack speed reliant
The Solution... "ok"
Before I mention anything about Rammus, I must warn you that Rammus is NOT meant to be put into a carry position. The current difficulty with the general trend of sated devourer junglers is the inability to successfully counterplay due to the innate tankiness of modern day sated junglers. Before the introduction of items like Titanic Hydra and Sterak's Gage, one faulty sidestep into a Morgana Q would mean the end of that sated jungler's life. The current meta grants sated junglers too much reward for too little risk. Whether or not Riot wants to continue this trend is up to them but until then, we can either join them or counter them. We've even seen many players even incorporate Rammus into the top lane as well. Not only is Rammus rewarding against melee tops, Rammus paves the way against the likes of Devourers.
The Build
This only serves as an example but let this act as a schematic for creating your own builds in the future. This build serves specifically to directly target sated devourers. Boots will always depend on the team comp that you're going against. Lots of CC? Merc Treads. A lot of AD? Ninja Tabis. Gotta go fast? Boots of Swiftness.
But that's not fun. What else can we build?
Explanations for some of the weirder items
Skirmisher's Sabre: Preferable when jungling. Allows you to duel sated junglers early.
Dead Man's Plate: Surprise opponents with movements speed and the innate damage that comes along with it is nice against squishies.
Thornmail: Self-explanatory. Always get this on Rammus.
Banshee's Veil: Gives Rammus an easier time when attempting to engage the enemy.
Zz'Rot Portal: Gives a good mix of both defenses and gives Rammus a better time during split pushing
Sunfire: Good for dueling and split pushing.
Banner of Command: Very strong item against mage comps and grants enough base stats that it's worth on Rammus.
Mercurial Scimitar: Weird Right? Due to Rammus's kit without a gap closer other than speed. The QSS allows Rammus a way to get past that first wave of CC that the enemy may throw at you. This is a very situational item that can definitely surprise the enemy.
Play Style
As Rammus, your goal is disruption. Similar to Poppy's playstyle, your goal is put out as much CC and peel for your carries if the opportunity presents itself. Unfortunately for Rammus, he lacks a reliable form of hard engage, but with the correct play style, Rammus becomes a scary threat. For aggression, start with power ball and if needed, flash and taunt the most valuable target. The combination of your Cinderhulk/Sunfire + W and Thornmail will do a surprising amount of burst for the initial engage. Along with your ult, a good Rammus will score an astonishing amount of total damage dealt to champions at the end of the game. AOE is key on Rammus after your first initiation. Another issue of Rammus is that after the initial engage, there isn't much for Rammus to do other than using his passive AOE and ult. Taunt has a relatively high cooldown and typically your enemy won't give you a second chance to taunt their carry. When playing a defensive role, you only have one objective, save your taunt for those pesky Devourer junglers that are preying on your poor little ADC and mages.
Good luck and enjoy the tears of the Devourers!
Are you into fantasy leagues? Then check out AlphaDraft and put together your allstar lineup!
