Garen
BY masteryi48
Table of Contents
[8.2] ( top 0,25% player garen main) (E)BAYBLADE MANIAC (in depth guide) + how to counter Garen
Garen
BY masteryi48
Summoner Spells Back to Top
: Well i think it is obvious why someone should take this spell. It is the bread and butter of nearly every champion and since garen is immobile this is mandatory to take. Be sure that you have this spell in every game
: This is the second best spell if you want my opinion . Generally speaking i will not disagree teleport is a must have for most top laners but not for Garen. Garen needs it really bad because especially in early game since the juggernaut upgrade although he has become very very stronger than before his early game is a lot weaker than prior to the update. His e has been nerfed in early game and crazily buffed in mid-late game and this is the reason that ignite is better if you ask me than teleport.Also teleport has been nerfed too hard making ignite way more efficient now than ever before. 
: Viable i won't disagree with that , according to others better than ignite as you can make more unpredictable plays by ganking lanes out of nowhere but i totally prefer ignite for the reasons listed above(teleport from 3,5 sec to cast now 4,5 sec + it is visible when you teleport in a bush , whereas previously you were invisible to opponent)
: Sometimes it is better to pick exhaust over ignite when your opponent can burst you down (like renekton or riven) or to catch ap/hybrid ranged top laners (like vladimir, teemo, kayle). Also it is way better when teamfighting than ignite as you can flash q ulti their apc and kill him and at the same time exhaust their adc winning an objective that way or a game edit: the higher the division the better the tp gets for various reasons , mainly pressure on map in addition to also surviving the lane , something that gets more and more difficult the higher the division gets for all champions but especially for garen because he gets countered by many top laners
New Runes Back to Top
Abilities Back to Top
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Items Back to Top
Starting Items
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only if you run teleport because although it is the most cost efficient choice you cannot last for very long with this start so your playstyle should be trade a bit get enemy champ at around 30-40 % before recallling without risking death and while farming decently -> then tp back to lane when you will have another 2 free pots rather than spending 150 on start for 3 red pots play recklessly and then buy more pots to achieve the same things ( aka reffilable is 150 cost when even only 4-5 pots is 250 and they do not replenish when you go back)
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I do not like it at all for the same reason i do not like sword + 3 pots . Again better endurance worse trading early on . However , it is mandatory if vs quinn or jayce(although if you see those simply dodge , it is too difficult to suvive them with even farm =gold even with jun help and they even scale harder + they can poke you for days while you can never catch them , even with storm raider's until having youmou's + swiftness boots , but up to that point they will have way more gold so you cannot trade with them )
Core Items
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Start always with black cleaver. Some may think that ghost blade is better early on and especially vs ranged match ups but statistics prove efficiently that black cleaver is the best first item garen can buy ( i guess mainly because ghost blade has no hp at all for garen early on and early on he must endure). Item path : Start with doran's shield and 1 red pot. Go back to base and buy 1 more pot , boots tier 1 , 1 ruby and a sword (= 50+300+400+350=1100g based on the gold you gain during time with back at around 45-50 cs if not with an assist or a kill). However do not risk if low hp after a succussful gank from your jungler when you killed enemy champ but do not have the gold to by all these or if you are almost dead from enemy . In that case buy boots + 1 pot + ruby(= 750g easy to buy). Then opt for second tier boots and phage in that order (boots to evade ganks and catch enemies faster) , phage for extra damage + movement + health (cost 800 left for the boots and 850 for full phage). If not enouph gold to buy both gain boots and just the sword component for phage , maybe if the lane is difficult buy 1 pot again( from 1450 needed -> 600 +350 +50 = 1000 ). Then you must finish black cleaver (1850 gold to do it) . After if you need some tankinkness early on for various reason go for dead man's always bying first health (mainly when the lane was lost) , BUT before going for the hp of ginat's belt go instead for the first component of sterak's cage jaurim's fist because it gives you scaling health with minions killed and some ad making it very cost efficient , especially if you can farm freely + it scales at the same time your w does . When lane was even or won go for youmou'us starting with Serrated Dirk and finish the item (but first also buy jaurim's fist for the reasons listed above). After build what you did not build in the previous step (either dead man's or youmou'us in the build path i proposed you should start with each item). Afterwards if you are ahead go for Mercurial scimitar (quicksilver is really strong since you already will have 50% tenacity up to this point from boots and mastery) . First build B.F following quicksilver (also item's active gives speed ) Basically with this if ahead you can murder the whole enemy team and finish game up to this point. If game lasts longer finish sterak's but know that it is russian rullette after finishing full build since garen is not the best scaling champion late and you must count on teammates to help you . With this build you get enouph ad hp tankinkness and movement speed needed to 1 vs 5 if ahead , you basically melt everything that stands in your way (aka do not 1 vs 1 yi pls just that champ is unbeatable in a duel due to true dmg and best dps in game , everyone else will get melted yi too if villain and alone or at least 2 levels below) (occasionally i will replace mercurial scimitar or ghostblade with spirit visage if it is needed to face off hyperap champ or teamcomp and build it when i would build one of the previous too 2nd or 4th item usually at least)
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extreme tankinkness build which shreds the armor of enemy chamions thanks to black cleaver for your team to do damage. Provides cc on garen which is really important since his kit has only silence (with this build he gains a slow from dead man's and another slow from randuin's) . Also makes garen a powerhouse of insane survivalbility since he can tank 1 vs 5 for around 4-5 seconds if ahead maybe even more since he reaches 7000hp has over 400 armor and 200 mr and another shield of 1500-3500 (depends if they manage to take your hp bar when passive of gargoule is up or not) . What garen lucks with this build is damage to solo carry games with this build however and he must be able to bait enemy champions or be fast enouph to oneshot enemy villain instantly and then pop up gargoule to become insanely tanky and do damage too to enemy team
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This is by far the most crazy viable carry build ever , with the maximum carry potential . Your main job is even 1 vs 5 to oneshot the enemy carry (f + q them to cacth or ambush them better to f + q bcs it is really difficult to ambush an organized team) almost instantly and then pop up gargoule to survive anything + your w . If the still chase you you have also sterak's shield to save yourself . No need for boots you gain enouph speed from youmou's + phantom dancer and you can 1 vs 1 nearly everything , except fiora , master yi and champions with 100 slows and speed ups because you never catch them(start black cleaver->youmou's->gargoule->phantom->sterak's->infinite edge)
Situational Items
Matchups Back to Top
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CamilleMedium -
Cho'GathMedium -
DariusHard -
Dr. MundoEasy -
EkkoMedium -
FioraMedium -
FizzMedium -
GangplankMedium -
GnarHard -
GravesHard -
IllaoiMedium -
IreliaEasy -
Jarvan IVMedium -
JaxEasy -
JayceHard -
KayleHard -
KennenMedium -
KledMedium -
Lee SinEasy -
MalzaharMedium -
MaokaiMedium -
MordekaiserEasy -
NasusEasy -
NautilusHard -
OlafEasy -
PantheonHard -
PoppyMedium -
QuinnHard -
RammusEasy -
RenektonMedium -
RengarEasy -
RivenEasy -
RumbleMedium -
RyzeMedium -
ShenEasy -
SingedMedium -
SionEasy -
SwainMedium -
Tahm KenchEasy -
TeemoMedium -
TrundleMedium -
VladimirHard -
VolibearMedium -
YorickEasy -
ZedMedium
VS
Camille
Medium
It is a worse version of fiora in fighting but a better version of her in mobility and got stronger with new runes/masteries. Now she dominates almost anything in early if played correctly. As garen you are very immobile and she has a ton of cc e + ultimate (from ultimate you can't escape even if you have flash :) ). Early levels her shield will let her win trades but eventually after level 10-11 you outscale her 6/10
VS
Cho'Gath
Medium
Skill match up. If he manages to harass you with his e while farming or non stop hitting you with his q you are doomed . Early you are weak and that is exactly what cho wants : to face a weak opponent so he can scale into an unkillable beast. difficulty 7/10 match up favors cho but not really hard . Remember : always go for heavy trades short trades are no problem to him he will sustain them and outsustain you eventually
VS
Darius
Hard
This is your doom. There is no chance to beat an experienced darius player he counters everything you do : you try to engage him with q ? guess what he will q you and you will bleed. you stay away and try to farm ? he will e you and destroy you since he is bully early and your e is nerfed early. you bait his q and q him ? he will e you or even w you if he is fast enouph then catch you and destroy you. only from bleeding you take 211 dmg in 4 seconds if you have 5 stacks od bleed or with 4 160 dmg. not to mention he counters your passive completely with his passive . difficulty 10/10 afk farm and beg jungler for ganks since he is immobile . if you have good jungler although he will cry (but your rest team must survive 3 vs 4 = mid vs mid bot vs bot +their jungler)
VS
Dr. Mundo
Easy
Very easy if you dodge his q , easy if you do not . Either way you destroy him do not be afraid to harass and trade much and take ignite every time . Attack him and he will die. difficulty 2/10 (as long as you bully him enouh so he doesn't scale into the unkillabe monster he is )
VS
Ekko
Medium
This is the most even match up. His shield lets him win short trades but as cd so you will win short trades too if you bait his shield. his q cancels your passive but you can dodge it. His r does high dmg and can save him from your ulti(Garen's ulti is really slow flash be4 it falls on you or cancel with zhonya even after he has clicked you and you will survive). If you can dodge q generaly speaking you win if you can't he wins most of the times it is like this. difficulty 5/10 but very slightly in favor of Garen, depends on the skill of both you and ekko player
VS
Fiora
Medium
Fiora if manages to parry your q or your ulti you simply die. if she doesn't you will most likely win as long as you trade back when she casts q on you . difficulty varies on the skill of fiora and you i would say 5 /10 but if you survive early after lvl 6 4/10
VS
Fizz
Medium
weird match up . fizz counters your passive with his w and can survive anything you do even your ulti if he casts e when your ultimate is landing. he thrives in extended fights so i would say difficulty 6/10 if he knows how to survive or 3/10 if he goes ap instead of tank. However if fizz is really experienced you stand no chance at all , since he will hit you and you will never be able to counter hit him lel
VS
Gangplank
Medium
It is all about your ability to not get damaged buy gankplangs e, barrel. If you do not get damaged by his q you literally just auto him to the death but do not forget to cast ignite before he casts w to reduce heal by 40%. difficulty 2/10 if you dodge barrels 7/10 if you do not since he outdamages you and sustains your poke with w
VS
Gnar
Hard
he just builds frozen mallet and harrasses you to death. there is no escaping or counter play to this unless he plays totally aggressive and you take advantage of his mistakes. difficulty 9/10 if he builds frozen mallet if not you stand a chance 7/10 as long as you do not get stunned by his ulty and you silence him before he transfoms to mega gnar and ulti him just that moment be4 he gets bonus hp and of course you dodge his boomerang
VS
Graves
Hard
he bullies you hard and you cannot catch him to deal dmg because of his w and e . it is a slow and painful death with no counterplay 9/10 if your jungler gives you an early gank or 10/10 alone or by getting ganked :P. Graves too op
VS
Illaoi
Medium
skill match up in favor of illaoi since she counters immobile champs. if she lands her q and most importantly her e you are doomed . generally speaking dodge e and q and you will beat him but she has the upper hand since even 1 e can mean your death 7/10
VS
Irelia
Easy
The reason i love playing Garen. Bully her out of control lvl 1 whenver she tries to last hit. play defence lvl 2 and 3 but do not stop harrassing her. lvl 4 -5 play aggressively and lvl 6 go all in and destroy her take the upper hand and snowball out of control. just at 6 do not let her ulti your minions too so she doesn't sustain the damage you do to her 3/10
VS
Jarvan IV
Medium
early his damage output is just stronger . do not trade after level 1 you lose . play defensively and later you outscale him after level 8 not 6 6/10 or more depending on whether he trades not a lot or even 9/10 if you trade a lot with that guy
VS
Jax
Easy
unstoppable harrass and you win just continue to press and press him . he will never scale , he will never beat you 1/10 easiest match up just remember that his e stops your q damage and makes your ulti less strong by 25% and paired with his ultimate he becomes really tanky and can survive Garen's ulti if he has at least 230 hp and he is not the villain at level 6. Beware only of 1 thing , his burst damage with 2 autos on minions and q +w you which is even 400 damage. A beast jax however will play hyper aggressive on you and in that case it is an even match up 5/10 depending on the enemy jax skill level actually. If he does beat you , build thronmail and kill him that way
VS
Jayce
Hard
heavy counter but very underrated . he kites for days and presses you back with his q so you cannot do more damage to him than he does to you. very immobile tho a gank can end his miserable life :P 8/10 or if your jungler can gank 5/10
VS
Kayle
Hard
with darius and gnar the worst champ you can face 10/10 she sustains q damage with her w then she q you so you can't approach her or even after your q so you never reach her and even if somewhat you get her low and go all in at 6 she uses ultimate and you do 0 dmg . also she kites for days with her e no counterplay and even if your jungler comes her high mobility ulti and ability to slow other champions saves her. definitely worse than even facing darius 10/10
VS
Kennen
Medium
counter thanks to his mobility but no sustain if he does a mistake and you get him low you can bully him out of lane . if he doesn't just farm you can sustain his damage 7/10
VS
Kled
Medium
Tricky . His kitt is full of movement speed steroids and slows as well as a really strong engage ability. However , he lacks your damage and ability to oneshot enemy carries . I would advise you not to engage on extended trades because of his w and not to expect that you can one shot him if he is on his mouth even if the mount has only 1 hp left because he is invulnerable when dismounting for 1 sec so your ultimate will do 1 dmg :P. 6/10
VS
Lee Sin
Easy
survive early when he does tons of damage even if you have to sacrifice some farm and after or at 6 party time 2/10
VS
Malzahar
Medium
early he harrases you to death . suvive early beg for gank do everything in order to survive and farm . it is tank meta and with their top being ap off tank and with your villain passive you will be more useful to your team 8/10 if he can harrass hard 6/10 if he harrasses medium and lower even 1/10 if he plays for the first time malzahar
VS
Maokai
Medium
level 1 bully him . level 2-5 play defensively he can cc for a lifetime and if his jungler comes it is sure kill not even flash + ghost can save you, so since you cannot engage either way wait for 6 and nuke him . later he is more of a teamfight player and you more of a lone wolf who executes anyone . 5/10
VS
Mordekaiser
Easy
just care for his third q do not let him hit you with it. other than that do not stay close to minions because he will harrass you with his e. just bully him and trade a lot or ask for a gank he is more immobile than even you and way less tankier (but care if he builds relay's you can't trade well because he cc you hard but every gank is most of the times kill) 4/10
VS
Nasus
Easy
bully him out of lane . press him hard very hard early so he loses minions under tower and after freeze lane and do damage to him every time he goes to stack his q . 2/10 but do not towerdive if he has 300 hp since he cats ultimate gets bonus hp survives ulti and you die eventually :P towerdive ony if before you have silenced him or he has less than 120 hp
VS
Nautilus
Hard
his w counters short trades and he deals heavy dmg with his autos while w is on. his e won't let you engage on him . also his shield can block your ulti(he has 100 hp you cast uti he casts w and survives very easily). solid pick he will outscale you in ane but you scale better later so avoid fighting him 6/10 early ,5/10 at 6-11 ,4/10 after level 11
VS
Olaf
Easy
get him low and do ulti . he has no passive when fighting you since if he gets low he gets terminated 2/10
VS
Pantheon
Hard
hard counter 1 vs 1 but very immobile has mana and he is not nearly as useful as you are during teamfights . do not trade at all in lane he shields al your q damage and hurts you with his q buy armor and 4 pots and wait till level 9 then go all in 8/10 lane 3/10 later (if you survive laning face if not 9/10 because he will bully you so hard that you will never scale into monster)
VS
Poppy
Medium
with new masteries her tankinkess is too much to nadle and bully out of lane . I d say it is an even match up slightly in favor of garen but only once he has black cleaver and also you should not buy phage as first component but Kindlegem 4.5/10
VS
Quinn
Hard
heavy counter as she can bully you very easily out of lane. her blind from q tears you apart and her mobiity will not let you reach her . if you do reach her however at level 6 she is dead 8/10
VS
Rammus
Easy
Very easy match up as long as you play very aggressive level 1 and level 2. Buly him every time he goes to farm a minion and continue to attack him until you see he casts his w. then leave and after it is over go again and repeat. start black cleaver for this match up 2/10
VS
Renekton
Medium
he is lane bully that falls off and you are weak early game laner with amazing come back later . survive laning face and you destroy him . start armor and 4 pots and just farm 5/10
VS
Rengar
Easy
Start with armor and 4 pots and play hyper aggressive level 1. After that stay in defence or bully him with q and then pop w and leave . if he hits you with bola and you cannot leave spin so he gets damaged. you aways win if you wait until you get level 6 and nuke him down 2/10. however especially at higher divisions rengar will have support by his jungle so do not push if you can
VS
Riven
Easy
One of the easiest match ups for Garen, however if riven is very experienced you will not defeat her . i will explain why. First of all most riven players tend to upgrade their q . This is the case when facing riven is a piece of cake gg easy. Exprerienced ones however will upgrade their e and beat you since early you want to trade a lot but not extended trades and a riven with a shield that absords whole your q and 1 auto of yours every time you trade cannot be beaten by you sorry :P 1/10 if she upgrades q 7/10 if she upgrades e, with the recent buff to her ultimate now it is harder than it used to be.
VS
Rumble
Medium
Not a real counter like many say. Everything will be decided on whether he lands a decent ulti or not as if he lands a good uti he will outdamage you even with ignite. However if he doesn't you kill him every time even if the trade started with you having 300 hp and rumble has 600-700 but you must be fast. Generally speaking dodge his ulti and you destroy him 6/10
VS
Ryze
Medium
Depends totally on ryze skill and experience level. If we go just and see his kit it is obvious that you get countered since he will shred any ap resistance and freeze you with his w if you get close. But if you follow guide and go tenacity + mercurial boots you have 40% cc reduction and you will have no problem to get him until he gets full boots. After he does you will even have heavy advantage or ask jungler to help you a bit. Totally depends on whether ryze is an experienced one and on your ability to dodge his q that deals massive damage 6/10
VS
Shen
Easy
Play hyperaggressive level 1. After defence till level 4 and at leve 5 hyperaggressive get him low and nuke him with your ulti. Care . Do not let him block your q with his w that blocks auto attacks instead of w cast e so he gets daaged even when casting w . 2/10
VS
Singed
Medium
You will never kill him and he will never kill you. Just do not lose your temper ok? You see him running from your tower and farming the waves of your minions ? no problem continue to farm do not leave you lane. Other than that avoid his q (do not run behind of sinjed) and you will be fine 5/10
VS
Sion
Easy
Dodge his q that deals massive damage or at least cast w before you get hit by it and apart from that just engage on him and destroy him. Hyperaggressive start that then turns into defence at levels 3-5 and goes on to full offence again at level 6 4/10
VS
Swain
Medium
He will destroy you no matter what 1 vs1 UNLESS you get him at 500 hp and then you silence him ignite him and nuke him just before silence duration is over. No other chance he will outdamage and sustain your damage in any other scenario play defensivey and farm . most of the times even though he presses you hard you will have more farm than him 7/10
VS
Tahm Kench
Easy
Tricky match up. Save your q for when he has 2 samples of taste on you so you get away without gtting stunned or eaten when you think trade should be over. Do many short trades to get him low and try not to get much damage. CARE BEFORE YOU CAST ULTIMATE YOU MUST SILENCE HIM SO HE CANNOT ACTIVATE HIS SHIElD. 4/10
VS
Teemo
Medium
Full counter but very squishy . you do not stand a chance 1 vs 1 as he ruins your passive and you will never catch him but every gank pre six for both of you is a kill so call for an early gank get ahead and destroy him 8/10 1 vs1 3/10 if you get a good early gank
VS
Trundle
Medium
Build sunfire asap and trade only when he wants to last hit a minion so you get free harrass. At 6 go nuke him but only when a) he doesn't have ultimate , b) when you have 500 hp and he is lower than 150 otherwise no matter how weird it seems you will lose trade :P , c) you silence him 6/10
VS
Vladimir
Hard
Ap ranged champions generaly counter you, imagine one that can also sustain the damage you do. No chance here he will beat you unless he plays aggressive and he makes mistakes. His w can tear apart your whole combo 8/10
VS
Volibear
Medium
Do not fear just that. Always take ignite and when you gethim at 250 hp pop ignite to reduce his heal. Care for his bite deals massive damage. Tricky match up even 1 auto that gets someone ahead can decide laning face but at 6 you have a slight advantage even if you are 100 hp behind unless he has ignite too 5/10
VS
Yorick
Easy
He has sustain forever just play defensively and then in teamfights nuke everyone from his team ez 6/10 at lane, 2/10 later
VS
Zed
Medium
Good zed players will bully you out of control with shuriken's and build some lifesteal. In this scenario you can do nothing. The others who want to trade at close malee range are doomed you destroy them. No matter what it is better to have 2 -3 items before you decide to all - in him and leave lane when you have 180 hp or less 8/10 first scenario, 2/10 second scenario
Combos+Tricks Back to Top
1) HOW TO FINISH OFF LANE OPPONENT : FLASH + Q + IGNITE + ULTI : You get your lane opponent at 450 hp and you can't reach him after because he plays really safe? Cast q in distance from him then flash auto target him with your q if he is alone or click him asap silence him he is left with 300hp ignite him and cast ultimate immediately he will be left with 50 hp and ignite will finish his life
2) HOW TO ESCAPE FROM A SITUATION WHEN YOU KNOW THEY WILL REACH YOU AND CC YOU AND EVEN WITH FLASH YOU CAN'T ESCAPE : PLAY DEAD + F + Q : Do not use q save it after they throw every cc they have at you . After that sudden flash and q to remove any slow debuff . This way you will caught them off guard and even if they flash they will not easily get you and you will survive
3) HOW TO CATCH AN ENEMY WHO IS IN RANGE AND YOU WILL NOT REACH HIM CLOSE ENOUPH TO GET THE RANGE TO CAST YOUR ULTI IF YOU LOSE EVEN 1 SEC UNTIL YOU CLICK ON HIM THE ULTI : Target him with ulti and then f not the opposite . This is very very important to finish off enemies and can mean the difference between life and death when you towerdive and they have flash
4) TO CATCH ENEMY AND DO FULL DAMAGE WITH YOUR E(BECAUSE WHEN YOU CAST E TOWARDS SOMEONE YOU ARE 25% SLOWED BUT YOU CAN MOVE THROUGH UNITS) DO FIRST E+IMMEDIATELY Q TO REMOVE SPEED DEBUFFS
5) THE FULL COMBO : AUTO + Q + E(STOP IT AFTER 1 SEC OF SPINNING) + W + E( GETS VERY LOW CD IF YOU STOP IT IMMEDIATELY) + IGNITE + ULTI = MORE THAN 1000 DAMAGE AT LEVEL 6 AND IMMENSE TANKINKNESS SINCE YOU CAST W WHEN YOUR OPPONENT CASTS HIS ABILITIES AFTER SILENCE
6) THE FAST COMBO : AUTO + Q + E (NON STOP) + W AFTER 1 SECOND OF SPINNING + IGNITE + ULTI OR IF THEY FLASH WAIT THEN DO THE Q FROM A DISTANCE FLASH ULTI COMBO AND FINISH THEM OFF
How to counter Garen Back to Top
1) Garen cannot fight in an extended combat vs any top laner due to lack of lifesteal , heatlh gained back by hitting opponents or minions (like irelia or tryndamere for instance) and weak trading kit (e early before you have it on level 3 does less damage than most top laners and champions generally do with just auto attacks so your dps is actually better by just auto attacking as Garen before your e is level 3 or in other words until Garen is level 5 , not to mention that without lifesteal Garen must only q his enemy and leave immediately before they hit him back )
2) Tell your mid to build zhonyan's third item and generally speaking very fast this item stops Garen ulti even if it is casted because it has slow landing but you must be able to use the active fast
3) No matter what champion you play always build hexdrinker. This item is the full counter of Garen as it will absorb all ulti damage and will not let you get nuked (shields also values as extra hp which is another counter to Garen as his ultimate scales off missing health points)
4) Garen except from a movement steroid with q which lasts for around 1,5 sec has no other mobility. Be sure to stun slow or root him after he uses q so he will not cancel your slows (this can be the difference between life and death for both Garen and his opponent when they duel)
5) Kite Garen hard , he is very immobile ( that is why every Garen player makes great use out of dead man's plate and mercurial boots and black cleaver because they all buff speed ) , (black cleaver when you hit someone you get bonus movement speed and with mercurials you get both bonus speed and cc resistance and that is the reason every Garen player should really get mercurial boots 95% of the time at least. As for deadman's they give you bonus speed and a slow if you get 100 stacks which happens very often and this is probably my favourite item with black cleaver whenever i play Garen)
6) Zone Garen . Seriously this is the best counter to Garen players . Early Garen simply cannot beat ranged heavy poke champions , especially if they are also ap like teemo. This gets ranged champions very ahead and can poke him till he gets 200 hp under tower and then Keep him like this do not kill him immediately! he will be feared of dying and lose cs . after he misses at least 10 cs and he thinks he is safe then go all in and kill him. He will lose way more this way .
7) Make sure that you have someone with heavy disengage tool in your team , anyone fits. For instance Gragas, Janna, Amumu , Maokai, Sion , Braum and Karma are champions that will not let Garen get close to bully and kill adc or apc making him useless in teamfights . Especially Gragas and Janna will be your nightmare if you play Garen you will never get close and even if you flash into the adc they will cc you, slow you, stun you , take you away with ulti or even more simple janna will shield her adc and your ulti will do nothing unless he is villain but even then you will not kill him you will just get him very low
8) Play very aggressive champions in early game that dominate like Darius. This type of champions will bully Garen out of lane for sure even if the player who uses them is way less skilled than the Garen player. But care this type of champions usually have no mobility either to make up for their crazy damage (like Darius) so they must use wards as Garen will ask for a gank to survive
9) Trick Garen so he pushes minion wave to your tower. Garen cannot poke and under your tower you are safe and free to farm as long as Garen is not level 6 or you have more than 270 health points when he gets level 6 ( or if he has ignite too at least 320)
10) Garen has no form of cc except a soft cc ability , his silence . So in teamfights he is either foced to kill apc or adc or his opponent , (since we are in tank meta) otherwise any tank with cc will be way more useful to his team thanks to the crowd control he can provide for his team (Maokai the best example)
11) Be sure to tell your support to build mikael's so if Garen silences you mid laner in a teamfight he can remove the silence which would make mid laner useless.
12) Build armor garen does only ad damage and must get his opponent low to cast his ultimate which is magic damage. But if you are the villain he does true damage to you with ulti and can nuke you hard
13)If you are the villain make sure you do not die . This way garen's passive on ultimate will be useless and he will do significantly less damage
14) Do not fear him. Early on , after his first level is over and you both are lvl 2-5 play as aggressively you can and hit him every 7 (7,9 if possible) seconds at least so he doesn't get his passive = regenaration making him having no sustain in lane (passive needs 8 seconds to start again after Garen gets hit)
15) Pick late game champions, that scale even better than garen if you can't do any of the above (pro) tips.
Counter items to Garen Back to Top
Every time you play Garen and you see these items i understand your pain and despair my friend :
Frozen mallet : It simply counters every immobile champion but Garen even more because :
a) Well it will not let Garen ever get you, or even if thanks to miracle he does you will not get the whole damage his e would do to you as you will simply walk faster than him ( the slow from frozen mallet passive = op just auto after he uses q so he will not cancel the slow debuff)
b) Provides with tons of health and Garen has no dps , he wants to do big amount of damage with his q and e and then cast ultimate after his q and e are on cd if his enemy is not low enouph he can't nuke him and will lose fight. And what is better to do than to have frozen mallet with the tons of health that it provides that will not let him get you low + give you ad to have way higher dps after he finishes his combo? .
Zhonyan's Hourglass : Complete pain for Garen he will flash into apc despite 4 people that will peel for the apc in a teamfight and he will die before he does damage to the apc or even worse , apc will cast zhonyan's before Garen's ulti executes (one of the slowest ultimates to land second only to braum's ultimate from my experience) .
Hexdrinker: This is the worst thing of them all , it is the cheapest so everyone can have (ok except support and adc) and completely cancels more than 80% of Garen's ultimate UNLESS it is true damage if you are the villain .
Any mr item : Anything even just some mr not even an item for when you lane vs Garen because his ultimate does magic damage unless you are the villain and with a 50% (around 100 mr) you will get half damage from his ultimate . This means that at level 6 in a scenario where you have this reduction Garen's ulti would not kill you even if you had 190 hp at least if your max hp is 1000 .
Thornmail : Full counter to Garen since he does only ad damage till he is level 6 and must get his enemy low before he casts ultimate. He has only passive to sustain himself so by hitting you , the damage he will get will be very bad for him .
Sterak's : This will not let Garen ever kill you actually, i think that sterak's + hexdrinker is full counter to Garen willlet you win every trade with him and only cost 4000g .
Guardian angel : Even if you get nuked by garen's ultimate this will revive you and you can make some tasty plays .
Archangel stuff : Shield yourself before garen casts ultimate . It will save your life since shield counts as bonus health for Garen's ultimate .
Locket of the iron solari : Must have on supports and tanky junglers alike usually , the shield and mr will save you from garen's ultimate and e that can damage multiple people .
Zz Rot portal : Provides with both armor and mr it is just so good versus garen who deals physical damage to get you low and magic damage to finish you off ( ofc if you are the villain it will not help much because the damage you take is true) .
Mikael's : This will save the apc or adc still it removes the cc from silence and they can cast flash and also it gives some health back to the one it is casted on so it can save you from both being useless in a teamfight (if you are the mid and get silenced in a teamfight or adc and you cannot use abilities to escape or juke abilities to kite it is gg+ the health it gives can save you the last moment from garen's ulti) .
Iceborn's Gauntlet : Garen does not have much mobility and the slow from gauntlet + the armor (and cd) it gives will be pain for any garen .
Death's dance : 15% of damage is dealt in 3 seconds so you can survive garen's ultimate by lifestealing while getting the bleed damage .
Mercurial scimitar : Removes all the cc and gives movement speed . Perfect to avoid garen who has low mobility or even if he reaches you cancel the silence and move furious and fast + the lifesteal it provides will make it harder t get nuked(the less health you have , chances are Garen's ultimate will nuke you) .
Morellonomicon : You thought Garen's passive makes him immortal by regenerating? Get this and his passive will be 40% weaker and this is a huge amount trust me .
MANY OF THE PROBLEMS LISTED ABOVE ARE TREATED OR SEMI TREATED WITH FULL AD GAREN BUILD WITH STROMRAIDER'S , HOWEVER TANK GAREN HAS NO CHANCE VS THE ABOVE COUNTER ITEMS
ABOUT ME Back to Top
I have been a player for around 1 and half a year and i have mained Garen since level 1 . Currently diamond 3 player i think i am close to mastering the hypercarry juggernaut :P . Also i liked to troll with my previous name which was masteryi48 when i did not even play yi :D .
a)If you want to support me add me i am WorstGarenWorld and donate me some rp or a skin so i continue to update the guide constantly.
b)If you want to ask me anything that guide doesn't include or you disagree with what i say write below in the comments section , give me some feedback.
Keep calm Back to Top
With Garen you are likely to win your lane if you have taken ignite . If you lose after it means that you did not push your advantage hard enouph or you got peeled off or sth else to be honest unless your team was really bad (imagine a scenario with mid 0-5 at 12 or bot 1-10). This is very important . Do not flame or rage because you won lane and lost game pls. It is mostly due to your lack of crowd control in most cases , the most important 'ability' in game . I used to blame all the time until i realised it and i totally want you to be aware of this too . Besides , flame never won game and bad mood because of a lost game or even more (recently i lost 7 games in a row mainly because of my bot keep losing in every single game really hard) is not good for your general morale and behavior :P . So do not get frustrated because it is mathematically certain that if you worth to climb the ranked ladder you will for sure . ELO HELL DOES NOT EXIST and it is an excuse of people who are unworthy to climb the ladder. I personally started from s4 this season and in 7 months got diamond(second season that i play). Do not be the guy who says my mid and bot or top and jungle or whatever sucks in every game it is 99% certain that if you can't climb it is your and only your fault.Surely not every game is winnable but at least 70% in every division and tier even in challenger is possible(why you think almost every single booster has over 70% win ratio?).So improve your gameplay and you will climb the ladder for sure.
Not top lane enemy champions countered by Garen Back to Top
When enemy team has these champions in their compilation things are way easier for Garen:
Very immobile champion that gets almost into malee range to do damage. Garen loves this playstyle 
Hyper squishy with no real peeling abilities that could destroy your combo even if her ultimate gets you
Hyper squishy who counts on ultimate to do real damage and your q destroys it completely + she is also villain usually so you can just q ignite and oneshot her with ultimate after 
Attack damage mid lane means that garen is most likelyto be immortal 
No escape means you simply have to find the moment she is alone and oneshot her + as an adc she will be villain usually
Attack damage means means that garen will be immortal
Hypercarry but completely squishy , a champion that will be villain most likely too. Fairly easy to oneshot him as long as you silence him before he casts ultimate and pulls you awayAll these champions are highly beneficial to garen if they belong to the enemy team and boost his victory chances for up to 5% something which is huge
Ty for the 700000 views :) Back to Top
You are awsome guys :)
You have any other questions? Back to Top
Add me if you are on eune and i will try to answer them or write in the comments section below
Really important Back to Top
Especially when higher than gold v pls whenever you pick garen and they pick gnar , jayce , quinn , kayle , darius (maybe teemo too) just dodge. It is really difficult to win and better lose 3 than 15+ lp . No reason to get your team down and yourself down . Wait 5 min and boom you can play another game with even or good match up. This is extremely important and from my experience after over 800k mastery points on garen i can assure you statistically that you have a way better chance of winning when not vs those champs , at least 12% more which is enormous at least(aka this means that instead of let's say with the most difficult match up , kayle you will win around 30% vs a main kayle player but vs a jax you are likely to win around 65% of games if you are a garen main player of course)
Sorry for this Back to Top
You know what is the best thing when you play Garen?
That victory is GAREN-TEED
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