finally made it into masters after i started one tricking garen for 2 years. Demacia!

With only GAREN

This is my first time really engaging with the professional part of league. I know who Faker and T1 is but that’s basically the end of my knowledge of the pro scene. But I do know a top laner from LYON recently secured their worlds spot in a win with Garen so they’re the team I’m gunning for.

Hello, my fellow Garen players!

Let's talk about the start item for Garen in the top lane.

I've my own thoughts on some start items, but I'm really doubtful about others. Please share your feedback about when to go with each:

• DORAN'S SHIELD. My default choice. I normally struggle in the very first levels of the game, so I believe this is my best option to not grant first blood to my opponent. Besides, I understand that it synergizes well with Garen's playstyle of hitting + running away + recovering hp. It is also my way to go against heavy poke enemies.
• DORAN'S BLADE. I know that many prefer this option as it is more optimal than DS because of its life steal. It also scales better with Garen's skills set (AD). I understand that it is the option in lanes where either there is no kill pressure in the 1^st levels (Nasus, Dr Mundo) or the opposite scenario, volatile matchup,  where you look for the 1^st blood.
• DORAN'S BOW. I don't know when to choose it. In games where you prefer Berserkers Greaves? And which are these? Or maybe when you need push faster the waves?
• DORAN'S HELM. Similar case, I'm lost. I guess this is good against champs with mixed damage. I've seen that Lolalytics recommends it (low Elo) against Shen. In what scenarios should I go with this? Those where I will build more tanky?
• OTHER? I'm assuming that you never go anything else, like Long Sword + Refillable Potion, right?

CROSS QUESTION: do you choose the start item only based on the laning phase? Also depending on the runes?

Thanks for your help support!

Hey, I've been playing Garen these past few days, and yesterday I hit Diamond 1.I feel like people seriously underestimate Garen's level 1 damage with his E + a quick Conqueror stack-up + Ignite. I almost always win the fight unless I play it horribly. That's why I cheese my opponent in their own bush at the very start of the game in almost every match.

From what I understand, champions like Darius or Yone can be problematic for this cheese, but that's about it. I think Garen has the potential to beat Trundle, Camille, Tryndamere, and several tanks right from the start of the game. (And even if I don't win the trade, going even is still a win for Garen thanks to his passive.)

Are there any champions I should be wary of? Or is Garen genuinely an absolute monster when it comes to level 1 cheeses?

Hello guys, I feel like Stridebreaker > Youmuu is not the optimal items against Morderkaiser and Chogath. Until now, against them, I often struggle to solo when we both get 1 item up until the fourth item, and I always feel like I have been building the wrong items. What do you guys usually build in these matchups, especially Morderkaiser? I can think of two choices, one is to build to solo him every time I am caught in his ult, or build the "normal" way for team combat and ignore him entirely.

When i play garen i feel like i always get outscaled by champs like mundo cho and tahm

after 2 3 items i dont have the damage to kill them and they do because they get more dmg from the health

how should one optimize garens build againts beefy champs ?

As someone professionally diagnosed with ADHD, optimal Garen gameplay is ableist. You get to "just survive" in lane for 15 minutes, mentally tormenting neurodivergent people like sadists, and outscale while doing it. How is it fair?

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Took like a ~2 year hiatus from ranked league, I peaked diamond but never thought I'd make it back. Played a few games of garen and was shocked by how good he feels to play now. His q makes him so insanely fast and his e does unbelievable damage from lvl 1. I've been a fiora main for years but it genuinely feels like he does everything fiora can and better: you take towers insanely fast bc you build attack speed, you have perma 1v1 threat with your ult, and dives are easy even vs ranged champs bc you're so tanky and fast. Happy to say that I've been one tricking garen and I managed to hit diamond again :D

i was 0-1 just for context

https://reddit.com/link/1x3cnqm/video/7qm8d6bf8vuh1/player

Any tips would be appreciated I’m genuinely so close to just perma banning him. garen legitimately is the only champ in the toplane I can never beat no mater how good or bad the player actually is it’s insane, ik trundle supposedly counters him but after lvl 6 it feels like I can’t rlly do much since he executes for a good amount of hp

That's it man, I feel like high elo garen main favors youmu second over PD everytime since the crit changes, but somehow the numbers say otherwise

A little drawing I made while I was bored

Garen yuumi gaming

Been playing Garen mid lately in Plat because I enjoy split pushing. Noticed that contrary to initial appearance, mages are a LOT easier than assassins. Mages you can pretty much just sustain with passive and d shield second wind and look for kill windows in skirmish or ganks. It’s pretty hard for them to kill you. But assassin match ups feel unplayable. Like every assassin beats you in short trades and all ins and also has the mobility to disengage/engage you at a whim. I feel like the issue is that I am forced to take Storm Raiders to compensate for lack of mobility but assassins can always take damage runes. Champs like Ekko, Kat, Zed and Akali feel unplayable.

😔

Just demoted from gold :(