League of Legends’ Season 12 is underway, and we’ve already seen some off-meta builds that are taking the rift by storm. One of the picks that have been dominating both solo queue and pro play is the new tank Ryze build. It is easy to execute but at the same time very hard to deal with in games.
Ryze is a hyperscaling champion that has a relatively weak early game. He thrives in the side lanes and can effectively solo push. The damage potential of the champion is very high, but it takes a while for him to scale and get items. Building tank items on Ryze instead of standard AP items not only boost his sustain but also makes him harder to kill.
When it comes to runes, you just need to take the standard AP ones. Pick Phase Rush from the Sorcery tree as your primary rune stone. This should be followed by Mana flow band for Mana sustain, Transcendence for additional Ability Haste, and Gathering Storm for bonus AP. You can also replace Transcendence with Celerity for bonus movement speed.
Take Magical Footwear and Biscuit Delivery from the Inspiration tree for the secondary rune path. Magical Footwear will grant you free tier 1 boot, while Biscuit Delivery will help you sustain in the lane.
Tank Ryze Itemization
When playing tank Ryze, you’ll only need one AP item; hence, take Everfrost or Crown of the Shattered Queen as your choice of Mythic item. Start the lane with Corrupting Potion and buy a Tear of the Goddess on your first back. The main objective in the early game should be to farm efficiently and hit item spikes quickly. Once the Tear is full, turn it into a Fimbulwinter rather than Seraph’s Embrace. Fimbulwinter will grant you Ability Haste, Mana, and bonus health, making you tankier.
Build Frozen Heart next, which will help you deal with AD champs and act as a frontline. Once done, build Dead Man’s plate and Force of Nature. For shoes, go with Mercury’s Treads or Ninja Tabis, depending upon the enemy team composition.
