Okay. thanks a lot for the tips! I'm doing my best to improve my games and I happily accept any tips. Hopefully i'll be able to do better solo lane now. and i know what you mean about Warwick, CDR Warwick just beasts solo lane since you can build either Glacial Shroud against ad heavy bruisers or you can buy 2 NMM and build those into Spirit Visage and Wits End. Currently WW is one of my favorite solo top champions. The main thing i've learned with him is to play passive and just keep your HP up until level 6 and then set up the ganks. But im glad i have new tips to improve my game.

 

Losing games cause the jungle and support are too retarded to ward when the carry and APs' inventories are all full. Awesome.

 

To be quite honest, warding is a balancing act. Everyone should pick up some wards over the course of the game (Unless Wriggles is a staple buy for your character/your build, in which case, feel free to never buy wards once you get it).

The support should be buying the most wards, because as I recall support items are relatively inexpensive when compared to carry items. If the support gets a last hit on a kill (This has happened to me many times with Pix's attacks) they should buy one of the items they need and a couple wards.

Jungler should buy quite a few wards, and be prepared to ward for someone who's too stupid to ward themselves. Top priorities for jungler warding is Baron and Dragon, iirc, with everyone else's wards complimenting that.

You should always have at least 3-4 wards up on the map at all times. If you don't, either you take the responsibility of buying them, or you tough it out. Randumbs will do that, however, and think it's perfectly good strategy. Lately I've been playing less and less League because of Randumbs and because I didn't add anyone from DLP. Christ, I want to play with someone who's actually good.

 

So. Why isn't Gragas played more? He's super strong. Countered by few champs, does an assload of damage, has good range on his Q/Farm, great long-term sustain, good mobility. His ult when used right WRECKS an enemy team's formation or completely destroys the notion of running away.

His ratios are awesome, his health is naturally high, he's tanky because of his W. Can chase or escape pretty well in the right hands.

I don't understand it, Gragas is borderline sleeper op. But you rarely see him, even during his free week.

I mean, is it seriously because he's a big fat, drunken, bald, ginger?

It's funny as hell to see things like "Did you just seriously belly flop me to death?"

And "Killed by a redneck's beer belly, oh god."

And "I think he just ate teemo/fizz/lulu"

or "I feel dirty/unclean now."

When you Use E to kill someone.

He's very fun to play. Not boring in the least. Requiring just the right mix of positioning, patience and aggression. He's very rewarding when played right.. and few people expect how incredibly dangerous he can be. I absolutely love just belly slamming a shaco when he ganks me, then barrel, then ult, then ignite = dead jester.

Watching people's health get CHUNKED off from as far away as he can toss those barrels is hilarious and awesome all at once. They're also great for Zoning against champs who have small and/or no range on their AAs.

He can be played both Mid or Top, so he's generally good to switch incase one of those lanes gets a bad matchup. He's got good teamfight presence with his AOE damage on his Q, Ult, and if used right, his E.

 

Gragas is just strong really. Everything you said was correct. He has insane ap ratios, really good ult (when used correctly), good lane sustain, good escape, and just strong in general. Only problem is his barrels are fairly easy to dodge, especially when thrown from a long distance, but he's a monster in team fights or when he catches somebody in the river/ jungle alone.

 

I feel like it's more because of the people he's usually on free week with. More interesting champions, ones that nobody is good with (Viktor comes to mind, here), or just champions that everybody knows are OP as fuck (Teemo). Such a thing means that Gragas becomes the Applejack of the crowd. Fading into the background when in the same room as the others. And that's when people get surprised by a player actually skilled with a champion they'd originally dismissed.

Hell, Teemo might be a fragile little fucker, but he's most definitely in the Lightning Bruiser/Glass Cannon territory. I absolutely rip people in half as AP Teemo. Since current metagame = more than one AP on the other team, get some MRes, I counter that by fast-tracking a Wit's End and rolling in laughter as their magic resist suddenly drops 20 points in the span of 3-4 seconds.

And another thing. While perusing potential AP Teemo items, I came across Ionic Spark. I've seen it a few times, and the passive seems attractive, but is it even effective?

 

I'll sometimes buy it on Warwick or Fiora just for the giggles when I ult someone, but it really doesn't seem like a good item.

 

I've seen a 0 cs Janna with that item getting a double kill with her auto attacks Those ionic sparks!

 

No, it's awful. Also I think you mean malady. Teemo is a pretty awful character imo, and while he is frustrating to play against as AD tops, I don't think he really hard counters anyone past the early game.

And Gragas main source of damage is his Q. You can't use his bodyslam to nuke people once teamfights start (real teamfights, not skirmishes when 5 people are somewhere in the same vicinity and you can fight 1-2 at a time) so you only have one damaging spell on a relatively long CD (7 seconds) and your ult which can save as many enemies as it kills. His W doesn't really make him that tanky (18% damage reduction doesn't mean much on a non-tank, you still melt in teamfights).

The problem with only having one reusable damaging spell (even though it is a wide aoe with great scaing) is that if you miss, you're spent. Since it's such a slow skillshot, it's pretty easy for better players to start dodging. He is definitely viable though, and his strongest point is around level 11 before other casters max out their second nuke.

 

I only ever really get ionic spark on Twisted Fate just because it synchs with his E passive for ever 4th auto attack. but besides that there are better items to get, just wits end is better and technically, if you do the math, does more damage to single targets. and also gives a small chunk of MR.

 

I never get spark at all. It's crap.

 

So I just saw Teemo in his Easter Bunny skin and I have to ask, how the hell I am possibly supposed to take him seriously? I crack up laughing so hard I can barely breathe every time I see him run out.

 

Bunny Teemo is adorable, right up until you smash his face in.

 

yeah i've been debating just not getting spark and instead getting wits end on TF for better single target damage and MR. and about Gragas, i love playing him and elting the enemy team down with my Ult. Yes his Q is a relatively long CD for his main source of damage but its kind of like nid's spear without the shorter CD, you use Gragas Q to poke at the enemy before a teamfight, and once the fight starts you ult to displace their team and save any of your team that got initiated on. Yes it does save the enemy sometimes but usually with enough AP and a proper build you either A) Kill them with the ult since it does a shit ton of damage or B) chase after the ones who do manage to escape with your E that can go through walls along with your teams chase capabilities, if they have any.

 

Im playing Kog'Maw this week, I ate that little bitch.

 

Just a warning about Kog, you are the ultimate glass cannon, you do a shit ton of damage, but an strong breeze will kill you. To counter this, I normally use flash and heal, and although I know that many people say that ghost is better than flash, well, I've been saved far to many times by a good flash where ghost would have left me dead. I usually start cloth/5 pots, as the increased armor is always nice for trading harass with the other ad carry, and well, 5 hp pots is basically 1000 extra health if you use them smartly, meaning you can double the amount of time you can stay in lane than if you just went dorans.

Once I reach 1650 gold, I go back to finish my wriggles and grab lvl 1 boots. Wriggles is just retardedly good on kog, not only does it help prevent you getting ganked with a free ward, but, it just gives you a massive advantage when it comes to taking baron or dragon. The extra sustain for laning doesn't hurt either. My next few items all depend on how I'm going in lane, if I'm winning lane, I may rush an early BF Sword, normally though, I'll upgrade my boots and grab a zeal before I start my IE.

Next I finish my PD, and then I have a look at the other teams items, if they're starting to stack armor, then I'll grab a LW, if they're getting health, I may grab a bloodrazor, if they're not doing either, I'll get a bloodthirster.

Kog has a fairly strong early game, you can use your W to help grab CS that should be just out of range, and you can use it to punish the other ad carry for trying to farm. Your Q is really only used for the AS bonus, sure the armor shred is nice, but 90% of fights, the other guy wont be in range to use it. Your E though... well, unless your building AP kog, don't count on it for damage, for AD kog, it's the closest thing he has to an escape but only if you use it smart. Don't just fire it straight at the enemy, use it to block off where they're trying to run through, so they're either forced to move at a crawl or they have to run around it.

Once you hit 6 though, that's when you start to dominate in terms of harass. Aim your R such that when they're going in for CS, they have to choose between taking the damage and getting a single CS, or dodging it and falling behind. Also, don't forget that it can be used to check bushes since it reveals a small area. Finally, the only time you should be spamming your R is when you either have blue, or when you're chasing somebody down and they're out of range of your auto-attack and they only have a sliver of health.

I just have to say it again though, Kog's big weakness, is that he depends on having a good team so much. If your team doesn't protect you, you will die and there's very little you can do about it. It doesn't matter how fed you are, if you get jumped, you will die.

 

Although, body slam isn't as hard to use as you may think in team fights. It's true you won't be body slamming at the beginning of the fight (will mainly be barrel pokes), but once it starts a little, Gragas can throw his ult to spread them out more, thus allowing for much safer body slams. Not to mention, it's not uncommon for there to be AD bruisers in front line trying to kill or cc the carries. The Body slam is OP against single targets.

 

Reginald got two kills out of a penta with body slam.

It's very capable of dealing a fair amount of damage. It's not as much damage as say, his Q. But it's got a slow built into it. 2.5 seconds of 35% slow. That's not exactly anything to sneeze at. It does a fair amount of damage and makes it easier to hit your Q as well. It's great for skirmishes, and great for cleaning up after teamfights or slowing down people's retreat.

You know, churchey, the game isn't made entirely of 5v5 or 4v5 or 4v4 etc etc. There are also skirmishes and 1v1 and chasing and various other parts of the game. Body slam's CD is fairly short, it's got soft CC built into it, gets you in range for auto attacks, and makes landing your other abilities easier even if they flash away.

Is it's damage huge? No. But it's not inconsequential either. It's ratio is .5. If I've got 500 AP (A common number to reach by endgame) that's 250 damage added onto it. At max rank that's 500 damage and a slow. If I hit two+ people people it's 250 damage and a slow to tall of them.

But it's real use is it's mobility. Great for traveling through the jungle. Escaping ganks, initiating ganks, etc.

Is 18% damage reduction a hell of a lot? No. But I've lived with less than 18% in a hell of a lot of teamfights on him. Meaning that without it.. I'd be like any other squishy. Dead.

 

It's more than just .5 ratio per ap. Also adds +.66 per attack power (not bonus attack power). Gragas has high base attack power already, which only gets increased a little bit more with his W (30/40/50/6070). It's a strong nuke. Other than that, his ap ratios for his Q and Ult are ridiculous too.

 

Like four tournaments and eight months ago. He didn't pick gragas once in IPL4 because he just isn't as effective as other mages.

And if you use it, you melt. I realize it's great for skirmishes, which is why I put in the whole goddamn disclaimer about real teamfights. And as you start playing against better opponents, there are a lot fewer skirmishes and a lot more teamfights.

I'm aware of this, but even in low elo games if your teammates or opponents are smart enough to realize "We should stop running out and dying alone," it isn't useful in a teamfight except to reposition, because bodyslamming the bruiser or tank is not helpful 90% of the time. And in most games, it's the teamfighting that decides it, even in games where the laning phase gave one side a substantial lead. If you pick a mage that has 2 total spells for damaging in teamfights, you should be aware of how useless that is. I'm not saying he is useless at all, I'm saying he is a bit weaker than other mages when it does get to the teamfight phase.

It's inconsequential in the teamfight phase because it won't hit carries who position properly. Gragas isn't an assassin or something, it's pretty rare to have any use for it in a teamfight.

True, but once again, that isn't that good in the teamfight phase, and it's surprisingly easy for junglers to body block since it doesn't pass through units.

It isn't much, because if you are a threat, you get focused, and it won't save you. It's nice in the early game, but it's not going to save you in teamfights most of the time.

There's a reason I ended my post with

I don't know why you jump down my throat because I say he isn't as useful as other mages in the teamfight phase, which is what every game (that isn't one-sided stomping) will end in.