Giga Chad Garen Guide
Garen is the #1 champion to get to Diamond
MG
January 1st, 1 ⸱ 19 min read
Intro
"Garen is the manliest champion to ever walk the rift" - Faker, 2022
Hello and welcome to the only guide you'll ever need to get yourself to Diamond in League of Legends. This guide is for players under Diamond ONLY!
My name is Moto G. I've been playing League of Legends for a while and in Season 10 I got Diamond 1 with playing almost only Garen. In season 11 I got to Master promo's multiple times with almost only Garen. Playing Garen in Diamond and higher is very difficult but below Diamond, I consider Garen to be one of the best carry champions in the game. If you follow this guide, you will 100% increase your rank.
The purpose of playing Garen
Playing Garen will teach you how the game works while you don't have to focus on mechanics. Once you've played enough Garen and climbed you will have a much better understanding of the game than most players in your division. You will learn to split push, team fight, rotate, play around objectives, abuse vision, lane (control), track and punish the enemy jungler and while you learn how to do these things, you also learn when and how enemies do these things and you will recognise and predict enemy plays' much faster, allowing you to react and outplay.
Garen's identity
Garen is a very binary champion, perhaps the most binary champion in the game. What this means is that Garen's options are very straight forward. This is what makes him an absolute monster in low elo (until Diamond 3) and a very bad champion in high elo (above
Diamond 4). Garen is a stat checker. In fact, Garen is not just a stat checker - he is the #1 stat checker in the game. Garen's base stats and mid game scaling are one of the best in the game. Almost no champion can straight up 1v1 Garen if Garen is able to get on top of them. Garen does one thing and one thing only: you fight someone and if you're stronger than they are, you win. In high elo enemies kite around your cooldowns, understand not to go near you at low hp, have wards to prevent flanking, supports help adcs much better. All these issues are not relevant in low elo.
Garen is one of the few champions that, when played correctly (and remember this isn't difficult), can straight up 1v1 Jax, Master Yi, Yasuo, Irelia and others. The only exception being Tryndamere.
Runes (Loadout)
There are two ways to play Garen: conqueror or phase rush. I recommend to never play the phase rush style below diamond. Your opponents are not good enough for you to need phase rush. As stated before, Garen is a stat checker. The aim of this guide is not to make Garen viable in high elo. It is for you to win (and win hard) in low elo. We don't need to use some janky solution (phase rush) to make Garen viable in high elo, because that is not the purpose of this guide.
Your only choice is whether you want to take conditioning (better scaling) or second wind (better laning). Second wind is a must-have in some matchups (like Darius, because his bleed triggers second wind). Choose whether you want armour or magic resist as well based on the champion you are laning against. These runes work in mid lane and top lane.
Summoner Spells (Loadout)
There is only one choice: ignite and flash. You could definitely argue that versus certain champions (Tryndamere, Fiora, Darius) it is very beneficial to take ghost and ignite or ghost and flash. This aim of this guide is to get you from whatever division you are in to Diamond 3 or 4. This guide will not work for you above Diamond 4. By playing Garen you will learn to understand the game at a much higher level, opening up other champions.
Skill Path
Garen
Once again, there are no alternatives. Sometimes you can take e level 1 to kill 3 creeps at the same time vs a ranged champion after which you go back into the brush. Everything in this guide is set in stone: no difficult runes, summoners or skill path decisions. It's simply not needed.
Garen passive: if you haven't been hit by champions or turrets in 8 seconds, you regen %hp per second.
Garen's passive is, to be completely honest, the worst part of his kit. In difficult lanes make sure you're not hit by anything so it stays up.
In the early game you can leave the fountain at around 70% hp because your passive will regen the rest while running to lane, this is very useful because you spend less time in the base.
In late game you basically get warmogs for free so you can go sidelane after teamfights.
Garen's Q:
Makes you go faster, removes slows (very important), an auto attack reset, silences the target for 1.5 seconds, gives you some extra range and does extra damage.
Garen's Q is an extremely simple ability but has more uses than most people realise. An example is that when you're laning, if you use your Q to last hit, the speed will last even after you've already hit the minion or the enemy laner. This means you can run away so you take less harass for farming.
The silence is very important for teamfights. It interrupts channels AND makes it so that when you hit someone they can't use spells for 1.5 seconds. This puts champions like Yasuo and Riven in a very nasty scenario. If you auto + Q someone, you can spin on them because they can't flash or dash due to the silence. You can interrupt teleports and channels such as Shen ult.
Garen W:
Shield, short tenacity, damage reduction, passive armour and magic resist.
Garen's W is perhaps his most insane skill. It's a short alistar ult, gives you tenacity for a very short while and passively gives armour and magic resist. You gain this armour and magic resist by last hitting and the stacking starts even when you haven't leveled W yet. The shield and tenacity only last 0.75 seconds while the damage reduction lasts from 2-5 seconds based on rank. This skill allows garen to 1v1 champions like Zed and Syndra in a very unfair way. Champion that have a single big burst spell that isn't true damage will suffer greatly vs. Courage. Learn to time this spell correctly (reducing either cc or damage) and your opponents will think: "WTF Garen is so tanky while building damage?", while in reality you're not tanky you just have damage reduction for some seconds. The shield lasts very short so time it perfectly.
Don't level W at level 1, it's a noob trap. Take either Q (usually) or E.
Garen E:
Garen is Ghosted (no minion block), spins, reduces armour if you spin on someone at least 6 times and does bonus damage to the closest enemy.
Garen's e is pretty self explanatory. It's perhaps the simplest skill in the game. It has a black cleaver passive built-in. Remember this well: if you cancel the spin early, the cooldown comes back off quicker. When you're done spinning, always cancel it yourself! Also, the enemy who is closest to you takes more damage!
Garen R: true damage execute with 400 (!) range.
Garen's R you simply have to learn how much damage it deals. Once you've used it enough times you will be able to almost always feel exactly when you kill someone with it or with it + ignite. Remember that this is an execute, the lower your target the more damage it does. It can be used to immediately take down someone who got caught in a teamfight or you can save it for the ADC for example.
Item Builds
Always take Berserker's Greaves. You are playing Garen to carry the game. These shoes increase dps massively.
Mortal reminder is optional: it's very good to take it, but you will also have enough damage to oneshot someone with deadman's plate. Choose between deadmans and mortal reminder. Don't skip them both for force of nature because your damage will be too low.
Force of nature is better than Spirit Visage most of the time, because of the movement speed.
Last item: when you get to six items, Garen will become a very bad champion. The last item can be anything: Sterak's, Black Cleaver, Warmog's, Randuin's, Thornmail, Guardian Angel, Spirit visage, Death's Dance, etc.
Thornmail is generally bad on Garen because he cannot use the 60% grievous wounds.
Garen playstyle
Before we even look at matchups, the most important thing is to understand how to play Garen. The truth is, as with every champion, that you have to play the champion quite a few times to get a feeling for it. Almost every guide pretends than after reading or watching it, you'll understand the champion. But the reality is that you won't. You have to play Garen against every champion multiple times before you know how much damage you do, how much damage they do, and what to do in the matchup or even the scenario (how do you play vs Tristana in a teamfight vs. how do you play vs Vayne in a teamfight?).
With Garen, you have no choice but to run at your opponents. This means that unless your enemy doesn't respect you, which won't happen above bronze/silver, you can't gapclose when the enemy can see you coming. Jarvan for example, even if you see him, he can e-q into ult. Garen can only run and flash. So what is the solution? You have to abuse vision. These three bad boys are your help:
With Garen, there are multiple things you can do. If you're very fed and you want to straight up teamfight, you can be a meatshield. However, when you want to assassinate the enemy ADC, mage, or any other squishy, you have to come from where they can't see you and where they won't expect you. The only way to do is by using vision properly. If you learn this skill, you will have a massive advantage on every single champion from here on because you will understand how, when, where and why squishies get caught and lose games for their team.
Once you've located their squishy and you know they can't see you, check for their supports. If the support is someone like Nautilus or Leona and they leave the ADC alone, it's open season for you. Don't run in and tank the CC because you will most likely die.
Matchups
As you will find out, there are hardly any easy matchups. This is because you are such a simple champion, literally every champion in the game can outplay you. You have to play this champion and every matchup multiple times. There is no shortcut.
Difficulty: HARD.
You can't dodge his early game damage because you can literally only walk. His chain will always connect. Obviously, if the Aatrox is bad you can dodge his q setup but that's up to him and not decided by you.
All in him after first base at level 6 with full combo + ignite. Wait for him to use his spells and if he misses you have to all in him very quickly. Don't trade into his passive auto, you will lose. Mortal reminder is needed.
Difficulty: HARD. Difficulty under Diamond: EASY.
You can only win vs. Akali if she lets you give her your full damage. Good Akali players will put q on you, hit you with an auto that has extended range and back off. You have no counterplay to her because if you run in with Q on she can E. Spinning on her while she is in the shroud is coinflip.
In your elo: go into the bush and surprise her with q into combo. You will if you can put your full damage on her.
Difficulty: IMPOSSIBLE.
You can't win without your jungle. Farm as safely as you can and possibly all in 100-0 him if he uses his spells on the minions.
Difficulty: IMPOSSIBLE.
You can't win without your jungle. Farm as safely as you can and possibly all in 100-0 him if he uses his spells on the minions.
Anivia clears waves while you watch. You can't run at her because she can stun you. If she uses ult on the wave, flash q on her to interrupt her ult and try to oneshot her. It's a big gamble. Anivia top players are rare but undealable.
Difficulty: HARD.
Camille can harass you from range and engage/disengage whenever she pleases. You will never win a proper 1v1 when she has divine sunderer. However, the truth is that below Diamond, she will not use her auto attack resets, shield or divine passive properly. This means you can stat check her. Bait out the shield and then go all in.
Difficulty: HARD.
Same as Anivia but she has way more kill potential on you.
Difficulty: HARD.
Cho'gath is usually to tank to straight up 1v1. His spells are almost undodeable because you don't have a gapcloser. Learning how to move as Garen is essential because a common theme in these matchups is that Garen doesn't dash so he can't dodge anything easily.
Difficulty: MEDIUM.
If you can get on him and make him miss his big range q, you can 100-0 him with r and ignite before he can get 5 stacks on you. Take second wind. Don't get poked by big range q. Don't trade autos.
Difficulty: HARD.
You can't get on him because of his slows, he usually outtrades you. Where you shine is teamfights: ignite him and ult him if he's below 40% hp. He will immediately die and hate you.
Difficulty: IMPOSSIBLE. Difficulty under Diamond: MEDIUM.
She has to parry your q. If she can't you win. If she ults you, hug the wall so she can't get the fourth hit. Take mortal reminder. If you ever fall behind it's done. Use the bushes in the lane to get q on him.
Difficulty in challenger: IMPOSSIBLE. Difficulty under master: EASY.
Don't get hit by barrels and every all in after level 3 you win. Be very careful level 1-3, don't take free q, give cs to remain healthy. You will win but you need patience.
Difficulty: MEDIUM.
Dodge his boomerang and his w in big form. You usually want to trade with him when he goes mega gnar and uses a spell on the wave. You won't be able to get on mini gnar. If you flash after he e's as mini you can kill him 100-0. Better to fast clear the wave and roam.
Difficulty: MEDIUM.
Time your w right and fight him in a smart way. Gragas has many tools to deal with you, if he ever gets ahead he'll be too tank to 100-0.
DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM.
Gwen is also a stat checker and one that scales way better than Garen. Her ult is like Riven ult, they always want to fight you when they have it and they usually win. The reality is that the better player usually wins this match up. There's nothing to say about this champion, Gwen is also a very binary champion but just has better numbers and more useful skills. She's basically a squishier better Garen that deals more true and AP damage and actually has useful mobility.
Dodge the e (spooky tentacle) and you win.
DIFFICULTY: ???
Irelia is a ridiculous champion. Don't trade with her if she has passive stacks, if she has botrk, if she hits e, if she has w up. You can stat check her because of your ult + ignite. If you don't have both of these you will always lose. Don't walk into the walls of her ult, just stand still in it. Dodge the e and you can win.
Difficulty: MEDIUM.
Start your trade with e. Don't ever activate q and run at him. If he e's you will die. If you spin on him while he e's and then you activate q when it's done you win. Use your w to reduce either his w burst, e stun duration or w+ult passive third auto damage. Once you have Stridebreaker you can slow him during his e, which can actually make you dodge it if you run out with q activated.
Difficulty in challenger: IMPOSSIBLE. Difficulty under master: EASY.
Use the bushes, you can 100-0 him with ult + ignite. If you're ahead you will always be able to stat check him. Jayce is an incredibly difficult champion to play, no one under Diamond should even think about playing him. Just farm while he is in ranged and if he ever brings out hammer form beat him up.
DIFFICULTY: EASY.
Don't step on the daggers and 100-0 him. If you silence him he's stuck. Stop his ult in teamfights if it's necessary.
Difficulty: IMPOSSIBLE.
Kayle's kit completely counters your. She can slow you, speed up herself and highly out-dps you once she gets to level 11 and 1-2 items. If you can get ahead early you can easily keep killing her, otherwise it's done. Once again, use vision.
Even lane, farm it up and use w to stop his passive or q harass. You usually can't all in him because his e lasts forever. You can only go even most of the time. Hyper fast clear the wave and roam.
Kled out stat checks you. He's like Gnar. You have to play this one by yourself to figure it out. Dodge his abilities, but that's true for every champion.
DIFFICULTY: EVEN.
Use your w on his q spam or ult. You can 100-0 him before he gets 1 armour item. Use bushes so he cant spam q on you easily. Use your q to remove his q slow.
DIFFICULTY: EASIEST.
Maokai sucks.
DIFFICULTY: IMPOSSIBLE.
Mordekaiser out damages and outtanks you. You have to dodge his grab or you die. If you can't dodge his q, at least stand in the minions so you take less damage. This champion is not winnable.
DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM.
If you can beat him early, you can win. If not you cannot win vs. him ever again. Use your q to remove his wither. Walk up to him menacingly and then when he withers, remove it. This is also great when you get ganked. Your armour shred will make him a lot weaker in teamfights. Don't push early because the wave will be in front of his turret and you will die to the gank.
DIFFICULTY: IMPOSSIBLE.
Ornn is more tanky and does more damage than you. Your entire combo without ult does less than his w auto.
DIFFICULTY: HARD.
You can't outdamage her and she will tank your entire spin like it's nothing. Luckily her playrate is low. Don't go near walls, if she combos you, you will die.
DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM.
Quinn can interrupt your q with her e. She can blind you. You can't do anything. Use jungler and/or flash q ignite spin ult.
DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM.
Play safe, don't trade when he has fury because his empowered w removes your w shield, you outscale him 1v1 big time but you need to be careful. His cooldowns + fury are very important.
DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM.
She will outdamage you if she lands her full combo. The important thing is to not run at her with q activated like a dumbo. Let her use her spells for farming and then rush her. At 6 you can 100-0 her faster than she can you.
DIFFICULTY: IMPOSSIBLE.
The entirety of season 10 I banned Sett. You can't trade him, ever. If you ever see your chance to kill him, q him so he is silenced so he can't use his shield and execute him immediately with ult. This is your only chance.
DIFFICULTY: HARD.
Shen can outtrade you, can cc you for ganks and has way better map presence than you. You can interrupt his ult with (flash) Q. Don't use your q when he has his anti-auto-attack zone down. When he puts down the zone just walk away and walk back in. You can definitely 100-0 him before 10 minutes, but his short trades outtrade you so be careful.
DIFFICULTY: MEDIUM.
You have no way to dodge his e into q, but you can remove the slow and use w to block his damage. You can usually execute him with combo + ignite and run away with q while he is in his passive. Never fight his passive, some champions can win it, Garen can't.
DIFFICULTY: HARD.
If Teemo knows to place shrooms behind/under him so you can't go on him, you can't ever do anything. If he plays aggressive you can all in 100-0 him. Use the bushes. Don't take free harass. This lane is decided by how good Teemo is. All you can do is be the best Garen you can.
DIFFICULTY: IMPOSSIBLE.
I recently got 1v1d at level 1 by a silver 4 Tryndamere player (who didn't even main Tryndamere). Lethal Tempo is an incredibly busted rune which makes him win every 1v1. In the old days you would build sunfire, ninja tabi and thornmail and he would not win the 1v1. Now it doesn't matter, he wins. Don't 1v1 him. You will lose.
DIFFICULTY: SKILL.
The player who knows the matchup and their champion better will win. You have to dodge his fling or he obliterates you. You can 100-0 him. Play the game more.
DIFFICULTY: EASY WITHOUT LETHAL TEMPO, HARD WITH LETHAL TEMPO.
You can out stat check him. Not with lethal tempo.
DIFFICULTY: EASY.
Play very safe level 1-3. From level 4 you will win every trade. Just dodge his tornados and he literally can't do anything until he's level 13 or so. Then you just lose.
DIFFICULTY: HARD.
He outranges you, can shield your initial damage and scales much better. If you can get on him early game you do win, but if he kites you properly it's terror.
DIFFICULTY: VERY HARD.
You have to dodge the thing he throws. If you ever get stuck in the cage you lose. You can stat check him if he misses his throw. Dodge it at all costs.
