It can be a little overwhelming to jump into the brand new Summoner’s Rift without first learning a bit about it. Over the next couple weeks we will be bringing you all the information you need do dive into the new Summoner’s Rift. This week we have an overview of some new and old items hitting the Rift in Season 5.
Jungle Items
The biggest changes of the offseason so far have come by way of the jungle. Everything from layout to itemization and monsters has been turned on its head.
The Poacher’s Knife is quite obviously geared towards champions who excel at counterjungling. Extremely potent for champions with great early skirmish potential.
Best Champions: Lee Sin, Shaco, Nunu
The Ranger’s Trailblazer is geared towards champions with low sustain but who excel at farming the jungle. Having the reduced cooldown on smite also allows for better objective control in the mid game.
Best Champions: Shyvana, Pantheon, Evelynn
Skirmisher’s Sabre is most effectively used by heavily auto attack reliant champions. Can also be found on junglers with a late game split push threat.
Best Champions: Master Yi, Warwick, Udyr
The Stalker’s Blade serves the purpose of giving strong ganking jungler’s a little extra punch when they get to lane. A slow and extra damage can often be the difference between a successful or a failed gank.
Best Champions: Kha’zix, Rengar, Jarvan IV
Jungle Enchantments
The enchantments available to jungle items fill the role that the old spirit items and Feral Flare left behind. While not giving conservation stacks anymore the enchantments give a slightly more customizable feel to the jungle.
Warrior fills the slot left by Spirit of the Elder Lizard. The attack damage oriented augment gives offensive junglers that extra damage without requiring an additional item slot.
Best Champions: Kha’zix, Pantheon, Rengar
Magus is the replacement for Spirit of the Spectral Wraith. AP based junglers will find this item the most useful as it also happens to be the most gold efficient of the jungling items.
Best Champions: Evelynn, Elise, Gragas
The Juggernaut enchantment is akin to Spirit of the Ancient Golem. Tank based junglers will choose Juggernaut as their primary choice. The tenacity is the major attraction to this enchantment.
Best Champions: Maokai, Nunu, Amumu
Devourer fills the void from Feral Flare. Champions who wish to AFK farm the new jungle will take this enchantment and emerge as a formidable force from the more difficult jungle.
Best Champions: Warwick, Master Yi, Kayle
Elixirs
Much more powerful than their predecessors the new elixirs can only be purchased one at a time and aid much more heavily in late game siege and anti-siege scenarios.
Elixir of Iron should be purchased by the fastest person on the team. Often for jungle or support tanks, this elixir will allow your teammates to keep up in your map rotations while siegeing.
Best Champions: Janna, Hecarim, Rammus
Elixir of Ruin will be bought by at least one member of the team solely for the Siege Commander buff. This elixir synergizes well with tanks who have strong auto attacks.
Best Champions: Nasus, Udyr, Mundo
Pretty straight forward late game buff for the AP Carry of the team. Bonus ability power, mana regeneration and turret damage are all beneficial stats in significant enough quantities that it may be worth picking up an Elixir of Sorcery around a mid game teamfight for a quick stat boost.
Best Champion: Anyone with AP Scaling and Mana
Champions that scale heavily with attack damage will always pick up the Elixir of Wrath. Late game AD boost and life steal against champions make it ideal for both AD carries and assassins alike.
Best Champions: AD Carries, AD Assassins or Offensive AD Junglers
Everything Else
A mix between Talisman of Ascension and Randuin’s Omen, Righteous Glory works well on champions with hard engages but that lack a gap closing mechanic. It is also especially potent in dive compositions when stacked with the aforementioned Talisman.
Best Champions: Skarner, Leona, Braum
The new and improved Banner of Command is now a force to be reckoned with. Instead of just empowering a cannon minion it now empowers a whole lane full of minions and provides a nice aura to your teammates. AP-based support champions should look to pick up a Banner of Command as a 3rd or 4th major item.
Best Champions: Sona, Soraka, Lulu
EVERYONE IS NOW GAREN. The new Warmog’s Armor had its max health reduced in favour of a higher percentage health regeneration while out of combat.
Best Champions: Mundo, Maokai, GAREN?!
The new intermediary item that builds into Ohmwrecker gives a small amount of armor and health regeneration. Also gives the added bonus of movement speed around turrets that is retained by Ohmwrecker.
Best Champions: Anyone who is building Ohmwrecker?
Ohmwrecker the item that you only ever built as item number six on Singed has gotten some stat adjustments to make it more practical to a wider array of champions.
Best Champions: Braum, Leona, Singed
That is most the changes in items coming into Season 5. Everything else is solely tweaks to build paths due to the removal of Negatron Cloak and changes to Chain Vest, along with changes to regeneration items that shouldn’t have noticeable effects on gameplay.
Thanks for reading and check back next week for an overview of the new jungle!
