Despite nerfing tanky supports, to the detriment of enchanters whose heals and shields are very effective in this League of Legends meta, Ornn may be more than viable, and to see him come out in this position at Worlds during a cheese is not impossible. A player hands the God of the Forge to this position, and performs well in Summoner’s Rift, to the point of having already reached Master rank. But what are Ornn’s strengths in this position, and how can you exploit them well?
Level 1 is very important
For this character to have the most impact during the lane phase, level 1 is key. With Ornn you will have to be very close to the minions and he throws, practically as soon as the spell is up, the Magmatic Fracture (A). With this spell, it is possible to separate your minions by isolating your first melee minion, letting it take aggro from the entire wave of opposing creeps. This allows him to die quickly, which can cause an experience deficit for your opponents, if they have lingered to help their jungler.
Then, you have to continue to manage the waves in a classic way, in order to pass level 2 first thanks to this deficit of xp for your opponents. Ornn’s A and E combo is very strong, especially on such a narrow track, with two CC targets. This can usually lead your opponents to use a summoner spell(s), or even offer you first blood.
As if that weren’t enough, the Traveling Blacksmith passive greatly helps with lane holding. Ornn can therefore take a few bold trades without much consequence, or simply shift to another lane while your ADC is away buying stuff at the base.
Runes, spells to max and itemization
At the level of the runes, it is obligatory to choose the Glacial Enhancement, since she combos extremely well with the champion’s spells while giving him more than interesting statistics if combined with the Redemption object . In the rest of the runes we will choose boots, cookies and Cosmic Inspiration. The second branch will be the Domination branch, with the Phantom Poro and the Ultimate Hunter.
The skill upgrade order, not counting levels six, 11, and 16, in which the ultimate will be upgraded, is as follows:
- First three levels: A, E, Z
From the fourth: Max E, then Z and finally A
As for items, you’ll start by buying two potions and the classic tanky support shoulder pads. When you exceed 400 gold coins, you will buy a ruby of life by remaining on the lane. The rest of the purchases will be as follows:
- Mythic Item: Frostfire Gauntlet
- Purchases required: Chains of anathema, Redemption,
- Boots : mercury or tabi, depending on the opposing composition
- Objects that can enter your build (always depending on the game): Knight’s Vow, Abyssal Mask, Thorny Coast, Mikaël’s Crucible, Force of Nature, or Guardian’s Stone.
It should be noted, however, that Ornn has some weaknesses at the lane level (especially against champions with a lot of range and poke, or the Blackshield of a Morgana), and that he does not play with the same way as an Ornn top. With your lag in xp (since you’re on the duolane), you can’t really serve as a frontlane unless you have fed yourself well early. You can still engage in combat, but rather than throwing yourself into the heart of the fight first, it is better to wait until the opponents have advanced to place the rest of your CCs in a safe way. Likewise, your xp delay will make you improve your allies’ items later (always prioritize those that are good in the game, not necessarily your ADC).