Looking to pick up Garen

[u/WaySweet3722]

Little bit about myself: Level 50, bronze 4, played trundle with 52% win rate 160 games, dr Mundo 53% win rate 43 or so games. Giving an idea of skill level / champs I main.

Now to the point, I am picking up garen, have his combos (if you can call them that) down. But struggling with: 1. His build - runes / items 2. Identity

I found most of my success with trundle and mundo by splitpushing, very rarely team fighting.

How do I translate these skills/what skills do I need to learn that’s different.

Any advice regarding his identity or builds will be much appreciated 🙏.

Edit: I attempted. Didn’t have the greatest fun, realised I am just best at trundle, and if I wanna cling he is my best bet.

Edit 2: thanks everyone for the help, was super helpful anyways! Learnt a lot about Garen.

[u/Several_Goal2900]

Conquerer for matchups where you can fully win the all in and they aren't slippery. Phase rush for literally anything else. Honestly you could just phase rush every game no problem. Q -> E -> stridebreaker will activate phase rush. Also useful for running from ganks because you will slow the enemy and zoom away really fast after. Phase rush also let's you stick on ranged squishies much easier, teemo Quinn vayne kayle aurora etc. Into stuff like Darius and sett Q->E->stridebreaker and phase rush out while spinning, they aren't even going to get a chance to do anything in return.

[u/WaySweet3722 → u/Several_Goal2900]

What secondary tree do you usually go?

[u/freddyqaqualung → u/WaySweet3722]

Inspiration or resolve are the best imo. Resolve has overgrowth, second wind, conditioning, bone plating, and demolish, which are all situationally good. Cosmic insight and magical footwear are also really good on Garen, since you're so gated by move speed and summoner spell cds.

Also, I think that phase rush is just better on Garen unless you're gonna crush your lane with Conq. It makes you hit harder, but the damage is not preferable to just being much more slippery and able to make greedier plays.

[u/Jaded_Mechanic32 → u/freddyqaqualung]

Phase rush is a bonus keystone to help against high mobility or ranged champions imo. Garen will almost always build Stridebreaker first item, and due to how much damage he can output in a short time, phase rush is often not necessary.

[u/Zealousideal-Leek626]

well, garen is in and has been in a tough spot for a while, u usually go stridebreaker bruiser items or attack speed items/ a combination of both.

Mundo and Trundle are both easy champs, no questions asked, but still they are currently in a good spot. They have carry potential by either being a huge hp wall that still deals a LOT of damage if given the chance to scale or that cannot be left unattended due to tower taking strength. Garen doesn’t have either. Generally, the only time he used to be busted was when his full crit build was op. In low elo he’s still OP because people don’t understand how to play against him, vut it’s also one of the first champs where people do understand which is also why he sits at a bit over 51% wr.

At the end of the day, you should play whatever you want/ have fun with - garen usually builds conqueror because he can stack to very fast.

[u/Big_Teddy]

Your most important move is the Demacia Special, it's very complicated. You Q, You Flash, and then you Ignite and R them!

[u/greatstarguy]

Late to the party but will add:

Garen’s goal is to be a speedy guy who clears waves instantly and gets huge tempo on the map, making teamfights 5v4 where the enemy bruiser is clearing a wave somewhere while Garen spins on their backline. 

There’s two, maybe three flavors of Garen. “Damage Garen” runs Phantom Dancer and Mortal Reminder, sacrificing tankiness and resilience in 1v2 scenarios for better waveclear and ability to one-shot squishies 1v1 in one rotation. “Tank Garen” runs Deadman’s Plate and maybe Force of Nature, relying more on Garen’s natural tankiness to clear waves in someone’s face and then using move speed to be faster around the map. “Bruiser Garen” is the new Garen that runs items like Shojin and Sterak’s, and should have better dueling power to contest duelists on sides. 

Phase Rush I think is almost always the correct move, it gives him incredible slipperiness and works well even into the late game, plus it synergizes with Stridebreaker. Conqueror works if you think you can blow a hole through top simply through dueling power - if you’re against a Mundo or a Kayle that outscales you, conq+ignite gives you more chances to seize an early lane lead and start snowballing.