Lol Skarner Guide - Crystals Dont Break: A Skarner By Numbers Resource

Introduction

Skarner is one of the most versatile champions in league of legends to date and thus there may have been some confusion over the playstyle and build of this champion. He is a potent offtank with one of the highest base health stats in the game as well some of the best CC in the game. His role changes throughout the game starting off as a strong DPS moving into more of a tanky support late game. He is a viable laner and jungler as well and this guide acknowledges both as acceptable options. Ladies and gentleman I am here today not to present a closed build that you must follow every game but give more of a number based assesment of how items affect Skarner and why I think skarner should be built this way. I offer options for both the Hybrid or AP styles. I have my own views on the role of skarner which i will explain in this guide however you by no means have to follow it, I simply believe that my playstyle suits the items i recommend this this guide however if another playstle works for you go ahead. Without further ado, a more numerical based look at skarner.
EDIT: If this guide is well received I look forward to updating it frequently
Note: I put runes, masteries, skilling order and summoners spells at the bottom so that only people who are really curious will read them, they go against the spirit of the guide by offering personal opinion with no numbers to back it up therefore I do want to displease anyone with the beliefs I have in my runes and masteries and would prefer people would focus on the real information in this guide which is explaining the items and how they affect Skarner as well as his role on the team. If you take issue with summoner spells, runes, masteries or skilling order please just leave a comment and I will update the guide. Most of those are personal choices and I acknowledge that.

Pros and Cons: Why Should You Play the Crystal Vanguard

Pros
- One of the highest base health and attack damage in the game
- At low levels has one of the highest sustained damage of any champion
- One of the best chasers in the game, great with sustained damage
- One of the best roamers in the game; good movespeed, lots of CC and can push turrets
- Ultimate can win almost any team fight if used properly, especially 3v3
- Good survivability in lane and jungle
- One of the most versatile champs; can be played almost any way
- Offtank/DPS metagame. Nice.

Cons
- Small range on CC
- Tiny burst unless built AP in which case survivability and DPS drops significantly
- Complicated to understand statwise and itemwise
- Somewhat item dependent and team dependent (after you ulti its up to your team to secure the kill)

Skarner's Basic DPS stats (for reference use)

 

Auto attack damage: 54.1 + 4.2(level) which at lvl 18 is 129

Q 20/35/50/65/80 + Physical Damage 20/32/44/56/68 + (0.4) Magic Damage

E 80/120/160/200/240 + (0.7) Magic Damage

Gold Approximations

 


Here are some gold approximation which may help you to plan your build ahead of time and understand how much gold you might have at any point in the game.

General Gold per minute after minions spawn:
1. 475
2. 553
3. 631
4. 709
5. 787
6. 865
7. 943
8. 1021
9. 1099
10. 1177
11. 1255
12. 1333
13. 1411
14. 1489
15. 1567
16. 1645
17. 1773
18. 1801
19. 1879
20. 1957
etc.

Each kill offers roughly 300G
Each assist offers roughly 50G
Melee Minion @ lvl 1 29, @lvl 9 32
Ranged Minion @ lvl 1 22, @lvl 9 25
Theres about one minion wave every thirty seconds
In each wave there is roughly 193 gold

SAMPLE CALCULATION: If you can last hit about half the minions thats roughly 165.4 per minute

Experience Approximations

 

Here are some experience approximations to understand how fast you might reach lvl 6 and how solo laning will alter that time. This is a just a reference, actually playing will help you realize this time faster, this is just to show you how much exp you may be wasting by going back.

Exp to reach lvl:
2. 224
3. 312
4. 400
5. 488
6. 576
etc.

Experience per:
Melee Minion: 59 @ lvl 1
Ranged Minion: 29 @ lvl 1
Big Minion: 0 @ lvl 1
Melee Minion: 63 @ lvl 3
Ranged Minion: 32 @ lvl 3
Big Minion: 98 @ lvl 3

Sheen By Numbers:

 

Let us begin with some basic DPS calculations. I use my AP runes in the calculations here. Also when I say full damage potential I mean as if someone was standing in place allowing you to attack them so that you could get a full spell rotation in every time. Also the reason Q and E seem to come off cooldown faster than 6 or 3.5 seconds is because I take Skarners passive into account on every auto attack (1 sec less per auto attack on an enemy champ).

Full Damage Potential lvl 3 Based on the following stats:
Attack Speed: 0.63
Damage: 66.7
Q: 20+27.6 on a 3.5sec CD
E: 93 on a 6 sec CD
Channel Time Ability Damage
0.5 E 93
0.1 Q 47
1.6 Auto 66
1.6 Auto 66
0.1 Q 47
0.5 E 93

412 Damage over 4.4 seconds

In a more realistic fight scenario where your chasing/moving.

Channel Time Ability Damage
0.5 E 93
0.1 Q 47
1.6 Auto 66
0.1 Q 47
1.6 Auto 66
Time spent moving = Roughly two seconds

319 Damage over 5.4 seconds

Now lets take a look how this changes at lvl 6

Full Damage Potential lvl 6 without items Based on the following stats:
Attack Speed: 0.63
Damage: 73.9
Q: 50+51.6 on a 3.5sec CD
E: 93 on a 6 sec CD

Channel Time Ability Damage
0.5 E 93
0.1 Q 101
1.6 Auto 79
1.6 Auto 79
0.1 Q 101
0.5 E 93

546 Damage over 4.4 seconds

In a more realistic fight scenario where your chasing/moving.

Channel Time Ability Damage
0.5 E 93
0.1 Q 101
1.6 Auto 79
0.1 Q 101
1.6 Auto 79
Time spent moving = Roughly two seconds

453 Damage over 5.4 seconds

Once we buy sheen at lvl 6 lets see how this changes our DPS in a more realistic fight scenario where your chasing/moving.
(I know sheen has a 2.0 sec CD however between each Q and Autoattack I am assuming there is a one second period in which you are moving)

Channel Time Ability Damage
0.5 E 110
0.1 Q 111
1.6 Auto 158
0.1 Q 111
1.6 Auto 158
Time spent moving = Roughly two seconds

648 Damage over 5.4 seconds

- This is significant because not only are you adding over 200 damage to your spell rotation, your getting mana and ability power. This was made for the permaslow on your Q.
- This is calculated with a Q charged prior to entering combat. This is something you should always do.
- This exploits your Q's naturally low CD combined with your passive to proc sheen and synergize with your naturally high AD, (attack is one of the highest base and stat gains per level in the game)

Boots of Speed by Numbers

 


I always consider my seconds pair of boots my midgame items because I do not need anything more than boots of speed for the early game and here is my reasoning.

Base MS: 320
Boots of Speed MS: 370
Level 2 Boot MS: 390
LvL 1 Crystalline Shield Bonus: 15%
Without boots of speed and the bonus I move at 368 MS
with boots of speed and the bonus I move at 425 MS
With mercury's treads I move at 448.5 MS
Clearly only the speed gained from boots of speed is needed to keep up with most other characters in the game. If you happen to be facing a Tryn with a a zeal and boots of mobility, by all means buy your boots early however I find I do not need to buy them till later when I have more money.

Tear of the Goddess By Numbers

 
Tear of the Goddess: 350 Mana + 7per5 mana regen
Base Mana: 245 + 40(level)
Base Mana Regen: 1.38per5 + 0.09(level)

Q costs 22/24/26/28/30
W costs 60/60/60/60/60
E costs 50/50/50/50/50

Without tear of the goddess you can cast each spell the following amount of times.
At level 3 you can cast Q 14 times, W 5 times or E 6 times.
At level 6 you can cast Q 17 times, W 7 times or E 8 Times.
At level 9 you can cast Q 20 times, W 9 times or E 11 times.
At level 18 you can cast Q 30 times, W 15 times or E 18 Times.

Tear effectively doubles early game mana as well as the regen bonuses however if you believe that the following limits on spell usage will not get in your way, feel free to forego your initial mana item (Philosophers Stone  is an option as well).

Regen at:
lvl 3 1.56per5 = 18 mana per min
lvl 6 1.83per5 = 22 mana per min

Tear regen at lvl:
lvl 3 8.56per5 = 102 mana per min
lvl 6 1.83per5 = 106 mana per min

- Just the regen from tear offers a bonus Q 4 times, E 1 time or W 1 time
- Leads to manamune later on so it is not a lost investment
- Abilities are crucial to skarners survival as well as dps thus mana tends to be a problem
- However if you think you can harass, heal and farm without going back this item is not needed and can be skipped

Early Game Tactics

- Harass as much as you need to maintain decent health without getting mana starved
- If you and your partner focus one enemny in a duo lane (which you should be taking) your slow and shield should be enough to slow and chase an enemy without dying
- Watch your health, dying can be a serious pain and stop you from getting your boots on the first return trip, you have a shield and a decent heal however your health still goes as fast as the next guys, especially without defensive masteries or runes.
- Till level six you should try and farm as much as possible, roughly half the minions per wave should do it and get around 1200 gold, this way youll be able to afford sheen as well as boots of speed
- When you get your ulti, if your not overextending you can net your first kill buy using ghost and shield then pulling someone into the turret with your ulti. It always catches people offguard (at least for now) and with exhaust should definitely net you a kill.
- Your midgame starts after you get your sheen and start roaming, your priorities should be take solo lanes whenever you can and otherwise lend your support/ganks to other lanes. Jungling a bit will definitely cause the enemy team to forget you for a bit and when you rush in with your shield and maybe even ghost you can pull them into the bush or towards your teammates for an easy kill.
[/b]

Nike's but which kind?

Skarner could use any kinds of boots depending on how he is played and built.

 
Berserker's Greaves: the 25 AS bonus is not really needed for his overall DPS. His faster attack animation speed might be useful while chasing but it wont proc sheen any faster which is where the real damage comes from.

 
Ionian Boots of Lucidity: your passive as well as move time should keep your Q coming as fast as you need it. More of a luxury to have on your other spells.

 
Sorcerers Shoes: 20 Spell pen is useful however as you get into the late game your role changes to more of an offtank/ support not to mention you should not be building straight AP anyway. Useful on an AP heavy carry skarner otherwise gives a very small bonus to overall DPS.

 
Mercury's Treads: Personal favorite and probably most useful overall. Because of your hybrid offtank role this offers the most benefit. Not just because MR is nice but when your running through the enemy team to impale the carry, tenacity is a welcome stat.

Mid Game Items: DPS

 

Trinity Force: Because your bought sheen this will cos 2810G. The stats gained are 5 AP, 30% AS, 30 Dam, 15 Crit, 12MS, 250 HP and the passive bonuses. The passive offers a nice boost in DPS however the effect of sheen late game wanes as armor gets higher and higher. Your DPS at the moment should be very high and allow you to roam picking up free kills. Use this to propel yourself into mid-late game and think ahead to when you wont need as much DPS. This items power lies in the utility of move speed and the passives however its NICE to have but the only reason to really get this is to build sheen into something late game.

 

Lich Bane: Ok, so I added this because someone said you do more damage with it. THIS IS ONLY TRUE FOR STRAIGHT AP. If Lich bane adds 100% of AP from an ability then each of your lvl 5 Q's will do an extra 68 base damage...If you maxed your E thats also and extra 240 damage. Now this is ok if you have bonus damage on these skills from the AP youve been building however If you follow my hybrid build thats only 25 AP which dosent even scale that well on Skarner. The passive alone on Trinity force will make your Q better than it would be with Lich Bane, not to mention to bonus speed, health, etc. Granted Lich Bane synergizes well with your E and if you can channel it then hit them it does add a good chunk of damage. This sweet bonus however is offset by the fact that YOU LOSE YOUR SHEEN PASSIVE, YES THATS RIGHT YOUR BASE AD MEANS NOTHING NOW. This item works amazingly with a straight AP build however it does not deal more damage than trinity force regardless. A good item...For an AP build.

 

Manamune: This is logistical because of it needing charging but also it should only cost 1115G after tear of the goddess. Each auto attack gives 3 mana, Each ability 4. This will be charged by mid-late game and at lvl 18 you will be packing 925 base mana + 250 sheen + 350 tear + 1000 manamune = 50 free bonus AD! or say it maxes out at lvl 9 thats 565+250+350+1000= 43 bonus AD at lvl 9!!!

 

Malady: A cost effective DPS option, best bought after sheen for best results. Increased chase speed with fast auto attack and bonus damage as well as reduced MR will make it possible to use E while chasing and increase the damage of both Q and E. Nice.

 

Guinsoo's Rageblade: Like Malady possibly better. Situationally both have moments. Stats maxed out are as follows:Guinsoo: 93 AP, 35 AD, 32%AS Malady: 25 AP, 20 AD (passive Magic damage), 50% AS, 24 Mpen. Ill leave it up to you to decide which is better.

 

Hextech Gunblade: Offers 60 AD, 75 AP, a nuke slow and some lifesteal, spell vamp for 3000G. Optional if you think you need it but skarners role will be mostly chasing and focusing carries, you should be tanky enouch not to need lifesteal and spell vamp so the money is better used on health items or cheap DPS items.

 

Wit's End: I include this simply to remind everyone that is a strong DPS/Resist Item. I do not go into resist in this guide because it is so situational however if you are looking for a good DPS item with resist early game this does very nicely. With this bonus 40% alone you should be making around 1 attack per second which means roughly 20 MR in 4 seconds.

Mid Game Items: Health/Resist

Once you build your offensive items its time for health and resist. As far as resist goes take anything that works because all of it is situational. All defensive items have their usage based on how the game is going. E.G banshees veil if your playing against a Sion or Quicksilver sash if your against a mordekaiser. One suggestion I will make is if your looking for a DPS item while needing MR or you just need MR dont forget Wit's end is an option. If you take it with guisoo's or Malady it will charge very quickly as well as stack with frozen mallet.

 VS.  

For health you can choose Rylai's or frozen mallet. I believe frozen mallet is better because the 15% bonus slow on your Q is almost nothing because your Q already have a slow your Q.The slow from the auto attacks make it IMPOSSIBLE for your target to escape and when chasing a fleeing target out of a teamfight can make the difference. It also offers 700 health over 500. The way Rylai's is better than frozen mallet is to take the 80AP over 20 AD. This is a viable choice because if your building straight AP it is a strong boost and if you maxed your E having that 15% slow may help you out and is a viable choice. Just remember that the channel time of E is 0.5 secs and the slow from Rylai's may be only a very marginal help however choose as you see fit. Another thing to keep in mind is that as the game progresses your role as DPS becomes to change into more of a support/ offtank and you need to be able to survive pulling the carry during the middle of a team fight.

 Note: Warmogs is viable if you do not need the utility of an additional slow however the slows are recommened, as well as the offensive stats
 Note: Sunfire cape is more armour and a resist item, thus I did not consider as a Health option or at least not recommended as a health item because it does not offer enough by itself. If taken as a resist item it offers a nice health bonus.

Mid-Late Game Tactics

- Once you take your first health item your role becomes more that of an offtank support.
- Follow your teammates to lead turret pushes and if theyre in a tight spot use your AoE slow to stop pursuers and your ulti if necesarry, its pretty funny when you catch two half life pursuers on your carry whos sprinting away then popping out of the bushes to say hello.
- By pulling the carry before or during every teamfight the carry should die almost instantly (watch my montage/guide to see how this is done) and you should win almost every teamfight
- Pushing with sheen and your W should net you a turret every now and then and eventually your team should get to the point where your winning every team fight and pushing turrets is easy
- If your losing teamfights do not despair, when your defending your nexus turret its time to make your big comeback, pull whoever is causing the most trouble onto your summoners platform with ghost AND W. Proceed to kill a turret/nexus. Either way you should win eventually.

Runes and Masteries: Which Ones Benefit Me the Most?

The answer is none. Im not going to sit here and tell you my personal preference is better than yours without concrete evidence. Skarner seems to be a very versatile and flexible champion so Id say youd be safe without about anything depending on how you play and what you think he lacks

Personally, I find mana per 5 seals  are always useful no matter what you can also go with armour per lvl or MR per level. For marks on hybrid I go with AD per lvl  . Glyphs on Hybrid I like to go AP per lvl  . Quintessences HP  . These stats benefit you the most overall in both the early and late game. For AP I would suggest Magic Pen Marks, AP glyphs, AP Quints and Mana per 5 Seals.

For masteries the same rules apply. Taking 9 in offense is nice for the 15%spell pen  and it really boils down to personal choice whether taking 21 in utility or defence. Personally I find defence has a much stronger effect late game  than utility however when building AP I find utility is useful because of its reduced cool downs. If your going for pure survivability I find 1 | 21 | 8 also works very nicely.

Ability Skilling

     

I start with one point in E then level up Q first while putting 2 points into my shield by level 7. This time I have evidence to support my playstyle. Some may criticize my low use of E and W however here is my reasoning. E is most potent in the Lane and utility really only lies there unless building serious AP. The heal is lacklustre and it can only be used for harrass and basic sustain. Q is more effective than E because of its utility which is a slow and its low cooldown meaing you will be using it a lot. Personally I like the slow on the Q and the bonus damage considering sheen ynergizes with this ability amazingly. If you wish to have more burst damage and use Q only to proc sheen then by all means level up E first however keep in mind you may find yourself using Q much more often, remember E has a 0.5 sec channel and may be just enough to make you miss your weaker slow in early game ganks. I put two points into E early on however I do not worry too much about its breaking. As long as it allows me to LAND my slow it becomes merely a luxury. In calculations you will see below you can see that as far as speed goes you will have enough to outrun most champions. To escape most of the time you can spam Q as you run away or you can suppress as you run to your teammates, either way I dont find myself getting chased down very often.

Summoner Spells

 Ghost: Synergizes very well with your ultimate. Gets you in faster. Gets you out faster. Gives you longer pull distance. Really almost a necessity. The one reason I say get this over flash is because you cannot flash while suppressing someone.
 Exhaust: Can be replaced for Ignite, Fortify, Heal or Clairvoyance. Personally I like this because you have a very limited range on your CC and this can lead to catching that elusive teemo or fleeing enemy. Not to mention that because you deal sustained damage, if you find yourself in a solo fight vs an enemy early game, you can pop this during their initial burst or really anytime and your guaranteed a kill. However because you act as a tank late game this can also be replaced by another spell e.g Fortify or Clairvoyance. You probably have enough CC as it is.
 Flash: Although this does not stack with your ultimate it works great with your abilities. Because of Skarner's limited range on his abilities it can be difficult to land the initial slow or impale however with flash, when it is up you increase your zone tremendously by putting your opponents under the constant threat of being pulled away from their teammates and being perma-slowed. 
 Teleport: Can be replaced as well, I find more useful on the AP skarner simply for mana, survivability and ganking reasons.