Now that I think about it, Catalyst is probably ridiculously strong with how you level like every 20 seconds until level 8 or so.

Catalyst is really strong bottom lane, but it really depends on the matchup. If I'm going bottom lane as Ryze I'm going to look at their team and say "hey, they have Galio bottom... better grab a catalyst to outlast him" or "LOL they have an ashe bottom, I'm gonna take tear + boots because she's going to die faster than she can volley me twice". The 3 great opening combinations that I've seen bottom lane for AP have been boots+tear (late game oriented and won't get bursted down early), boots+prospectors+2pots for when you need to get in there and take care of business, and Catalyst for when it's going to be a tough matchup bottom lane and movement speed isn't essential since you'll be focusing on poking and pushing.

Nice guide man, +1.

On a side note, I see a lot of discussion regarding bans; who's strong, ban-worthy, etc.

Just want to add that people should keep in mind two points when considering bans:

1) Consider not only who's strong, but also who's more commonly picked among the strong champs, when considering who to ban. I've seen mentions like Maokai, Malzahar, Renekton, Gragas, etc. While I completely agree that they can wreck shop in the right hands, they are simply picked less commonly than champs like Yorick, Poppy, and Kassadin. So, the chances of your bans affecting the enemy team's picks are simply greater banning the more common picks.

2) More importantly, consider who you and your team plan to pick, and try banning the champs that are not only strong, but also those who could be considered counters to your picks/strategy. I believe this aspect is far more important than simply banning the FotM strong picks. I know this is significantly harder to do when playing with a bunch of randoms, but I find initiating communication as soon as champ select begins usually goes a long way in rounding out your comp and selecting smart bans.

i've replaced my p.ring opening with ruby+tome+boots+3pots, so i can build into sweeper earlier. if there was an ap champ that i didn't want to build sweeper, i'd probably still use that opening so i can get an early guise (which i think is better than p.ring by a decent margin).

i should probably play more cassi though and see what i like on her. it would probably change my opinion a little.

Believe it or not I've been playing Jarvan4 bottom lane a LOT lately and I discussed with Sauron the difference between starting boots+prospectors+2pots (1hp and 1mp), and boots+ruby+sword+3 pots, which is a pretty similar comparison to its AP counterpart. The major point of concern is the lacking power right off the bat, which usually isn't a problem top lane, but when you're in a 1v1 situation, every inch of damage counts. With the boots+prospectors+pots opening you DO have a more potent opening, and if you take promote then you're going to have a pretty easy time harassing them while they try fixing the minion wave. I think ruby+tome+boots+3pots is a great starter (especially top for the reasons mentioned), but bottom lane I'm not entirely convinced that it's better than boots+prospectors+2pots. I don't see myself grabbing sweeper much bottom, but that's mainly because I use a lot of bush checking techniques to force them out of the bushes.. and Ryze doesn't benefit much from it either (much better items).

I incorporated some of your advice into the guide because I feel the "getting a hang of it" portion is important. You can't statically ban the same champions over and over because maybe they aren't ever seen at your elo, you're absolutely right. This "getting a hang of it" sense will take a few games though, and a lot of observing other team captains.

Actually I agree with catalyst being a must bottom, one of the reason most bottom laners are the ones that can start with catalyst.

Catalyst+promote......

wow
gj

Side note on Kass, he jumps through any wall on TT and SR but NOT on CS.
The large "boulders" and and open pit style barriers can't be riftwalked over.

Fed the other team quite a few kills learning which ones I could and couldn't rift through.

That minimap picture looks like a clown's face.

Kass can rift over all walls in CS actually , I suppose I'll post a video containing all of the Riftable points.

It's on LoL replay under Nekrogen - Kassadin. I'll try and get it on youtube after I get back from handing in a paper.

Yeah I thought so too lol.

Re Kassadin's riftwalking, I made a quick clip illustrating the fact that he is indeed capable of riftwalking over anything:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYnNRCxClns

I won't put it in the original guide as it isn't really general advice, but I felt compelled to make a point about his extremely good mobility in the Crystal Scar, which sort of pertains to why he is banned so often.