Even in the chaotic environment of URF, some builds and strategies are more likely to win games than others. And when it comes to your rune pages, the absolute best runes in URF will be the ones that grant you immediate power.
Since this game mode isn’t anything like the normal Summoner’s Rift game of League of Legends, everything scales up rapidly, and you need to be the first one on that wave. That’s why in URF, you’re generally looking for runes and items that are strong early on. This means that the first few minutes of every match are the most important ones, and winning them usually ends up resulting in a victory.
However, the number of champions in League of Legends is well over 150, and each champion might be played with a different rune. And there is no doubt that you can make each champion work with each rune. But, there are simply some choices that are so strong that no one can ignore them.
If you want to know what are the best runes in URF, here we’ve broken them down into different categories, and we’ll explain why they are so good and how to make them work on your champion. Let’s begin!
Best Runes for Tanks in URF
Tanks don’t have a hard time picking runes in URF. And any choice they go for is actually viable. However, Aftershock is the best one for passive tanks like Maokai, Ornn, and Braum. This is because it doubles their defensive stats and also explodes in an AOE damage every few seconds. Since these champions don’t deal too much damage, they usually aren’t considered as the biggest threats. So Aftershock is a nice way to complete their URF experience.
But if you aren’t looking to peel for your team and want to do damage instead, then Grasp of the Undying is a super useful rune for the AD tanks and Dark Harvest for the AP ones. Both of these runes allow an offensive playstyle and offer a very good amount of damage to all champions in URF.
Also read: Best Build For Jhin In URF
Best Runes for Fighters in URF
Fighters and bruisers aren’t as diverse as the other groups. They have one keystone that absolutely crushes all the others, and that’s Conqueror. Champions like Jax, Sett, Garen, and Mordekaiser, simply can’t be played with any other choice. Conqueror buffs their damage and healing for a tremendous amount, and that’s vital for prolonged dueling.
And Conqueror is best paired with Triumph. Triumph is another must for fighters in URF because it’s a wonderful self-healing source without a cooldown. Fights in URF sometimes last for 2-3 minutes, so having your health restores after each kill/assist is priceless to have!
Best Runes for Mages in URF
Mages also have one keystone that they can all use – Dark Harvest. This rune completely breaks the rules of League of Legends in URF because it can transform an AP champion into a one-shot death machine only a few minutes into the game. Not to mention that most mages have enough range to easily collect souls around the map, so no matter whether it’s Zoe, Ahri, Brand, or Lux, Drak Harvest will pump out the most amount of damage for them.
And if you’re looking for another OP rune, consider Ravenous Hunter. Most mage champions don’t have exceptional defensive abilities, so being able through your damaging ability is seriously a god-sent blessing! And you’re going to need it when those bruisers and tanks come charging at you!
Also read: Best Build for Ezreal in URF
Best Runes for Marksmen in URF
Marksmen don’t have a clear favorite when it comes to keystones and runes in URF. So, their usual choices work perfectly well in this game mode too. Things like Press the Attack, Lethal Tempo, or Conqueror are super strong if executed correctly.
Generally, though, for the ADC champions that deal a lot of damage with their abilities, such as Jhin or even Jinx, Dark Harvest might be the strongest rune. It will provide an initial “boom effect” that will help them get more kills. And for the champions that rely on their auto-attacks to deal their damage, all of the other Precision choices are viable for them.
Best Runes for Supports in URF
The support champions are very diverse, and their rune choices will always depend on the current champions. However, a rule of thumb is that the tanky champions like Thresh, Nautilus, and Leona will go best with Aftershock. And the mage/enchanter ones are super strong with Dark Harvest. Yuumi, Zilean, and Seraphine are all amazing at collecting souls and unleashing some unexpected and deadly damage!
Also read: Best Build for Katarina in URF
Other Best Runes in URF
If you don’t care about a specific role or a champion, there are a few particularly broken runes that you can take advantage of on any pick.
Phase Rush is an excellent rune that gives you a burst of movement speed when you hit an enemy champion three times in succession. And any champion that can quickly dish out their abilities can abuse Phase Rush in a team fight. Imagine a Ryze or a Diana with continuous 25-40% movement speed while also being 75% resistant to slow effects? It’s nuts!
Nimbus Cloak is a similar case. This rune activates a movement speed buff whenever you use a Summoner’s Spell. And since the cooldown of those in URF is very low, you can trigger Nimbus Cloak all the time.
Sudden Impact is another popular example, but it only works on champions that have a mobility spell, like a dash or a blink. AD assassins like Zed, Talon, or even Katarina should abuse Sudden Impact to continually get armor/magic penetration and deal as much damage as possible.
