These innovative builds can give you a significant edge in your games.
We're one week into League of Legends (LoL) Patch 14.14, and players are discovering new OP builds that are taking the Summoner’s Rift by storm. These innovative builds have often emerged from player experimentation in various regions or have been sleeper builds gaining traction in high elo.
In this article, we’ll delve into seven of these underrated champion builds that you should try out. These are especially great for throwing a curveball at the enemy team.
Ornn (Top Lane)
A fresh Ornn build is making waves in Korea, though it’s yet to become mainstream elsewhere. This starts with Sunfire Aegis as the rush item, but the rest of the build diverges significantly.
Instead of the usual Thornmail and Jak’sho, Korean players are opting for Warmog’s Armor as the second item, followed by Abyssal Mask as the third.
Despite Warmog’s Armor being nerfed in this patch, it’s still an excellent item for tanks when not rushed. On the other hand, Abyssal Mask is particularly effective for Ornn, as it reduces enemy magic resist by 20% within 600 units, enhancing both Ornn's and his teammates' damage.
For this build, use the following Runes: Grasp, Demolish, Second Wind, and Overgrowth.
Briar (Jungle)
There are a ton of experimental Briar builds circulating, but a standout these days revolves around Overlord’s Bloodmail.
Start with Blade of the Ruined King, then pick up Black Cleaver, and finally Overlord’s Bloodmail as your third item.
Blade of the Ruined King provides a strong early game, while Black Cleaver and Overlord’s Blood Mail offer durability and damage in the mid to late game.
Briar's healing and damage reduction abilities complement Overlord's Bloodmail's passive, which grants her additional AD depending on her health bar's remaining health. Runes such as Triumph, Last Stand, Press the Attack, and Alacrity are suggested for this build.
Sejuani (Jungle)
Sejuani is a top-tier tank jungler with this emerging build, which you should capitalie on this patch.
A two-item core consisting of Zeke's Convergence and Warmog's Armour is currently outperforming the traditional Sunfire Aegis and Thornmail build for Sejuani mains.
For optimal stat boosts and a devastating passive that synergizes with Sejuani's engage to slow enemies and add bonus magic damage with her ultimate, Zeke's Convergence is a great choice.
The third item to take in this build is Knight’s Vow as you’re building Sejuani more like a support rather than a jungle.
This build is starting to trend in high elo, but is virtually unknown in lower ranks so take advantage of it.
Galio (Mid Lane)
Galio is an excellent counter to AP mids with his meta build that rushes Hollow Radiance, but there’s a new variation gaining popularity.
Sunfire Aegis has seen a resurgence on Galio, performing exceptionally well alongside Hollow Radiance.
This adaptability allows Galio to be an effective blind pick, countering both AD and AP threats.
For the Sunfire Aegis build, follow up with Riftmaker and Frozen Heart to counter AD-heavy comps. This versatility has given Galio one of the highest win rates among mid laners in recent patches. The optimal Runes for this build are Aftershock, Shield Bash, Second Wind, and Overgrowth.
Ezreal (Bot Lane)
Spear of Shojin has long been the go-to third item for Ezreal, but Bloodthirster is now taking its place. Although the ADC item changes have been around for a few patches, Ezreal players have only recently begun experimenting with Bloodthirster.
This build, which gained traction in Patch 14.13, benefits from the added durability and sustain Bloodthirster provides.
Coupled with Barrier, Ezreal becomes incredibly hard to kill due to his mobility and tankiness. To complete the build, prioritise Trinity Force into Manamune, with Bloodthirster as the third item.
The best Runes are Press the Attack, Presence of Mind, Legend: Alacrity, and Cut Down.
Jhin (Bot Lane)
With The Collector nerfed in recent patches and Statikk Shiv buffed, Jhin’s build has shifted significantly, especially among South Korean solo queue players.
Prioritising Statikk Shiv over The Collector has yielded better results. Combine Statikk Shiv with Rapid Firecannon for burst damage and add Infinity Edge as the third item for mid to late-game power.
This build offers Jhin more mobility, crucial against dive-heavy compositions. Recommended Runes are Fleet Footwork, Presence of Mind, Legend: Bloodline, and Cut Down.
Karma (Support)
Although there is a well-known build that prioritises Malignance and built into Imperial Mandate for Karma support, a newer build that has been doing well for a few patches has recently come to light.
The combination of rushing Echoes of Helia and Moonstone Renewer is now much more effective, particularly with her E shield's recent buff.
Earlier patches also improved Echoes of Helia, and Karma is the ideal champion to give it top priority.
You acquire soul shards from Echoes of Helia whenever you deal damage to an enemy, and Karma is the type of champion who would benefit best from it. You will, therefore, be able to stack shards with relative ease.
These Soul Shards get consumed when you use your E to shield your teammates and give them an extra heal and magic damage.
If you equip Moonstone as your secondary item, it will increase the shielding effect even more, giving you a significant advantage in team fights when it comes to protecting your carries.
This build allows you to combine Karma and Ezreal's new builds. Adding Karma to Ezreal's already formidable build will make him nearly impossible to kill in team fights by increasing his movement speed and shielding, making him virtually indestructible.
You should use Aery, Manaflow, Transcendence, and Gathering Storm as your runes for this.
These innovative builds can give you a significant edge in your games. Try them out and surprise your opponents!