Say you were facing some murderous AD Champions in the game. They are most likely a brutalizing ADC or a lethal Assassin, capable of dishing out hundreds if not thousands of damage at once. You find yourself trapped, unable to face them and mitigate their heavy blows. Well, that’s where Armor comes in.
Armor is a League of Legends stat with the primary and only function of decreasing incoming Attack Damage. It is one of two flat defense stats, the other being Magic Resist. Armor decreases damage based on a flat percentage. A 100 Armor will give you a 50% damage reduction. You might think that means that 2 armor equals 1%, but the math is a bit more complicated than that.
I won’t bore you with math equations, and if you want to know the details check out the League Wiki page on Armor. It goes a lot more in-depth about how exactly Armor works. Armor can be bypassed with Lethality and Armor Penetration. The former ignores a flat amount of Armor while the latter ignores a percentage.
But this is not the article where we talk about general stats. We’re here to talk about items, the best items, in fact. Those that will give you the edge in the lane and later on against those high AD Champions. All of these items have multiple purposes for them and tend to be situational.
So, without further ado, let’s begin with our list.
7. Seeker’s Armguard
Stats: +20 AP, +15 Armor
Unique Passive – Witch’s Path: Killing a unit grants 0.5 bonus Armor, up to a maximum of 15.
The actual number of items that improve Armor is very limited, and I had to pick and choose from a small pool. Thus, we have Seeker’s Armguard, an item that’s not a full one but a build part. Why did I include it here when there are full items that could’ve been instead? Well, it’s the usefulness that I couldn’t overlook.
Seeker’s Armguard is one of the best early game items to have on yourself if you’re an AP Champion. Playing against high AD enemies can be difficult for a Mage, so picking up some defenses before going deep into your build is a good strategy.
The players have hated this one for a while due to its impact on Bruisers. When, say, Mordekaiser picks this item up when facing other AD Juggernauts, he can mostly insta-win fights. The +30 total armor this item can garner is insane for the early game, and it even gives AP on the side. Overall, it’s one of the best building items to have, and the item it’s part of is even better. But stay tuned for that. This item will set you back only 1000 gold, making it one of the most valuable buys early on in the game.
6. Plated Steelcaps
Stats: +20 Armor, +45 Movement speed
Unique Passive: Reduces incoming damage from all basic attacks by 12%. (Turrets not included)
In days of yore known as Ninja Tabi, the Plated Steelcaps are the Armor boots option to go for. It is one of the better anti-Fighter and anti-ADC items to buy, as it offers great damage reduction against basic attacks, apart from providing Armor.
The boots are simple items and usually offer nothing other than movement speed and something on the side. But I always considered the Steelcaps (Tabi) one of the better options in terms of boots. The Armor and Magic Resist boots are both great in their regard and stand out among the rest.
It will give you good early game defenses, that much-needed movement speed, and a chance to stand against the heavy-hitting attackers. All in all, it’s a great value for just 1100 Gold, and I suggest you build it as soon as you complete your first item. Of course, you can pick it up earlier if the need requires, but you be the judge of that.
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5. Thornmail
Stats: +350 HP, +60 Armor
Unique Passive – Thorns: Reflect basic attack damage back to attackers (equal to 10 + 10% bonus Armor) and inflict them with Grievous Wounds (40%). If you stun a Champion, inflict them with the 60% Grievous Wounds effect.
Rarely will you have any discussion about Armor and not mention Thornmail. It has been the staple Armor item ever since it was conceived years ago. It is a cheap, versatile, and great item – it is the bane of any ADC’s existence, as it offers many countermeasures to their murderous intent.
Besides providing you with a substantial amount of Armor (which went as high as +100 back in the day), it also helps you mitigate a lot of the enemies’ healing capabilities. The Thornmail is one of the best items to have when facing those insane healers like Yuumi. Picking up this item on a heavy CC Champion will allow you to keep Ignite active forever on Champions that are healing more than you could handle
It also reflects a lot of the damage back to them, and this item scales well with Champions, whose sole focus is to build defenses. If the enemy team makes the mistake of going full AD, Thornmail combined with other good Armor items will deflect a ton of damage which will certainly hurt them. The insane fact that this item costs only 2700 gold makes it one of the most bang for the buck purchases you can make in the game, so always keep it in mind when facing AD opponents.
4. Randuin’s Omen
Stats: +10 Ability Haste, +250 HP, +80 Armor
Unique Active – Humility: Unleash a shockwave around you that slows enemies for 0.25s, reducing their Attack Damage and Critical Damage for 4 seconds.
Unique Passive – Rock Solid: Reduce post-mitigation damage from basic attacks by 5 + 3.5 per 1000 max HP for a maximum of 40% reduction.
Okay, just from the descriptions of this item’s abilities and stats, you can see that it is a stone wall. Having it in your inventory will make you a moving bastion, and getting close enough to enemies, you will be able to pin them down effectively. The 99% slow on your active is equal to a stun. Though it lasts only 0.25s, it is enough to lock them in their place for that split second that can mean everything during a chase/fight.
You can cast the item to reduce the enemy team’s damage by 20% in team fights. That is a substantial decrease that can severely impact their ability to perform during the fight, as well as likely save your allies from being completely eviscerated by some strong AD attacker. You will be protected greatly, as the +80 Armor and the post-mitigation damage decrease will make you essentially dodge attacks.
Post-mitigation damage is calculated after Armor has been applied already, meaning this item reduces reduced damage. Just think about that for a moment. It even costs only 2700 gold, just like Thornmail, and it is pretty obvious which of these is the better one. But, I advise you to combine the two if facing some very heavy AD reliant team, and I assure you that they will have a lot of trouble coming their way.
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3. Guardian Angel
Stats: +40 AD, +40 Armor
Unique Passive – Rebirth: If you die, get revived at the location of your Death with 50% HP and 30% of Mana.
This is one of the most important items in League of Legends. It has been the instrument of so many memorable moments throughout mine and, I’m sure, your gameplay experience. An item of this caliber certainly had to break at least the top three, and it did. If you’re a new player, you might be wondering – What the hell is he talking about? Well, let me tell you.
Guardian Angel makes it, so you have to be killed twice. That should be enough for you to hear, but I’ll elaborate. Say it is the late game, and every kill and death count towards the game’s finality, the Victory or the Defeat screen. The team-fight happens, the titans clash on the Summoner’s Rift, and you happen to be killed unexpectedly. The enemy team is low, and you can finish them off; you just needed that little extra time.
That’s where Guardian steps in. It will revive you after a few seconds, allow you to chase down the remaining enemies (and perhaps continue participation if the fight wasn’t over yet), and help you win the game. You can see how much impact it can have on everything that goes down. It can even save you from the pesky Assassin all-in and one-shot, meaning they will now have a depleted kit and be vulnerable for a counter-attack. At just 2800 gold, this item is beyond valuable, and everyone and anyone should pick it up when facing AD opponents, especially those that tend to kill fast.
2. Zhonya’s Hourglass
Stats: +65 AP, +10 Ability Haste, +45 Armor
Unique Active – Stasis: Become invulnerable and untargetable for 2.5s, but you cannot move or perform actions during that time.
The only reason this item is above Guardian’s Angel is the more intuitive build path. This is the final form of Seeker’s Armguard, an item you remember from the beginning of this list. It builds into this amazing and borderline incredible item that no AP Mage should pass on in most situations, that is.
It is the antithesis of Assassins and Burst Champions and can limit their capabilities to kill you severely. As I’ve said with the prior item, creating a complete immunity to their otherwise brutal kits makes them vulnerable to a counter-attack. They rely heavily on killing you and going out without wasting any time or spell.
If you mitigate this, they are now weak and disadvantaged and can be engaged more efficiently and safely. Apart from having a great build path, it costs less than other full items on this list – a mere 2600. This means you will be able to purchase it quickly and have a great tool against those heavy hitters that will surely be a great annoyance to them.
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1. Death’s Dance
Stats: +55 AD, +15 Ability Haste, +45 Armor
Unique Passive – Ignore Pain: Stores 35%/15% (melee/ranged) of all post-mitigation physical damage received. 30% of this damage is taken as true damage over 3 seconds.
Unique Passive – Defy: Scoring a takedown against enemy Champions removes the stored damage from Ignore Pain and heals you for 15% of max HP over 2 seconds.
Ah, Death’s dance, the bane of my existence. No, literally, this item makes me lose my mind sometimes. I JUST WANT TO DIE whenever I see it built on Champions like Graves, Jax, or some similar healing god. Apart from providing a lot of Armor that will net you about a 20% damage reduction by itself – it also makes you not take damage.
This item is one of the Best Bruiser Items I’ve talked about in an article about them, so check it out for more details. It will help you stay alive for a lot longer and prevent people from dumping obscene damage upon you at once. All of that damage, a third of it, will be stored instead and taken over time. Those extra three seconds of life that you might get instead of dying will help you do a bit more during a fight. However, if you manage to kill someone, you’ll even heal 15% of your Max HP, which can be a huge amount as a tanky Champion.
All in all, this item does everything a defense item can and then some. It gives you damage, fighting potential, and survivability like no other. It certainly is the best of the best in terms of Armor and physical defense, and I am sure most of you will agree. The only bad thing about this item is the high cost – 3100 gold. The build path is also not that intuitive and provides little other than some flat increases. But, when all of the benefits are considered, the high price becomes unmatched and remains in its own League.
Conclusion
Armor and defenses are vital for every single League of Legends game. Building a healthy balance of all defenses is pivotal, but also having a diverse-damage roster is of equal importance.
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