[2.2] Alistar Guide - ABCs of Alistar
Pros
- Great at Initiating Fights
- Great Utility
- Heal From Passive
- Can build almost any tanky items
Cons
- Weak lvl 1
- Alistar depends mostly on his Headbutt + Pulverize Combo
- Is Countered by Mobile champions
- Alistar REALLY needs help in engages
Alistar Build
Best Build Guide for Alistar
Item Build Description
Additional information on the items
STARTING ITEMS:
Null-Magic Mantle if your enemy team or enemy support deals mostly ability damage;
Cloth Armor if enemy team consists of assassins(Zed, Yasuo) or Auto Attack damage(ADC basically)
BOOTS:
Want more armor = [ninja tabi] + Gargoyle Enchant /[locket enchant].
Want less Crowd Control time(when you don't have [alistar:ult] ) = Mercury's Treads + Redeeming Enchant / Gargoyle Enchant .
CORE ITEMS + SITUATIONAL:
Zeke's Convergence and Protector's Vow are a must have for utility tank support like you, after that it mostly depends on damage you get.
You get too much Magic Damage? Get Abyssal Mask and Spirit Visage . Also Abyssal Mask provides you bonus AP Damage(Alistar's abilities do AP damage, so yes, you can build AP Alistar)
Dying from Auto Attack while you haven't even started teamfight? Build regular armor items like Sterak's Gage , Sunfire Aegis , etc.
Warmog's Armor is good on last slot, if you don't know what to build,
Randuin's Omen decrease some crit damage, which is good from Crit Damage ADC like Jhin or Kai'sa.
Alistar Runes
Best Runes for Alistar
Aftershock
: best rune right now for Alistar. Some damage after engage won't harm
Weakness
: Pick it because you are doing crowd control
[backbone]: Good for giving you bonus stats, pick loyalty if you want to give your closest ally some armor, but I personally don't use it.
Pack Hunter
: pick it because gives you gold if you take assists(or kills with ally). Basically, more gold for team = good.
Skill Order
How to distribute skill points
Summoner Spells
When to take which summoners
Alistar Matchups & Counters
Detailed information on how to play matchups and counters
Main Advice: Place wards in lane bushes, catch her when she tries to poke, play after she loses Wish
Combos
1)
Headbutt
+
Pulverize
= Initiation combo, Alistar's main combo that you should learn first. Basically, you use
Headbutt
as a dash, then use
Pulverize
to cancel the knock out from
Headbutt
;
2)[flash] +
Pulverize
+
Headbutt
behind target enemy = Lee Sin Insec in a nutshell, after flash use
Pulverize
;
3)[flash] +
Pulverize
=
Headbutt
+
Pulverize
, but greedy
4)[flash]-
Pulverize
-
Trample
(+exhaust if you have it)-Stun-
Headbutt
behind target enemy = Basically Flash
Pulverize
+
Headbutt
, but secured
5)
Headbutt
+ [flash] +
Pulverize
+
Trample
is really hard combo, however you don't have to know it, as it will be useful only when enemies stay together
Early Game
Level 1-3 Alistar is not that great. Also, please note that I'll refer by combo number(see above.)
For first ability, you should level up
Pulverize
. Why? Because with
Headbutt
there's nothing really that you can do except zone enemy ADC from his XP,
Trample
won't show full potential from far away(no stun stacking basically), and you can do Combo 3 in early game If enemies are really weak from lvl 1.
Wait until level 3, and do combo 1 when Enemy ADC or Support that's not really tanky(Example: Sona) will go near your
Headbutt
range.
For hard matchups, you might need to play more safely, or play from enemy ADC mistakes, as mobile support like Janna will run away in ~75% engages
Pay attention to your and enemy ADC gold difference as it will make a difference during mid-game.
While tower diving, use ultimate to get bonus armor, push enemy against the wall and let your Carry do job for you.
Mid Game
After you've built at least 2 items and some side have destroyed a turret on your lane first, a mid-game starts. Or maybe when you've started roaming around the map, haha
In teamfights your main role is to engage and knock up enemies. Focus enemy team's main damage dealer(Mostly, It's ADCs or Assassins) and make sure your teammates are around you to support your engaging. Your main combo to engage is Combo 1, so when enemy team groups, It might be a good time to engage. Also, don't hesitate to engage on 1 enemy(when he wanders around a map alone) when your teammate is around, as It might make future teamfight 5v4 instead of 5v5.
As I mentioned in builds section, if enemy's main damage dealer is a mage, build
Abyssal Mask
. Overall, late game happens when you get tankier
Late Game
Basically, It's a stage of game that really ties your team and enemy team's advantages.
Engage teamfights like in a mid-game, focus ADC and stun assassins from
Trample
to make their life harder. It mostly depends on teamwork and how you communicate with your team.
Overall, Late game is in your and your team's hands and your victory depends on how do you work
Conclusion
Alistar is currently in the best condition possible, but he mostly depends on his engages and how your team will handle it.
If you want to main Alistar, then you should practice some combos. His combos are beginner-friendly and you will learn them in a ~30 mins or so. Please remember, that you can mess up combos and it comes with experience, so don't let your ADC's toxicity go near you(just mute him lol).
Also, I've learned a lot from Alicopter from PC, so you might to! If you want to play Alistar, i recommend to watch some of his videos(His playstyle is mostly around roaming)
I wish you best of luck in the Wild Rift! Remember:
"Nothing can hold me back!"