Ok , a guide to Alistar, my favorite champion who got nerfed to oblivion and resurrected from the dead the past month, thank god bored High Elo players.

What is Alistar? He is the definition of tank with lots of CC , babysitting abilities and able to sustain a lot of pain . Also he can relieve the carry from a lot of pressure and make some kills for himself. Oh and a Juggernaut when it comes to tower smashing.

Off with the build.

There are 2 builds out there. The tank build and the spellcaster build (Q and W share an 1:1 AP ratio which is awsome). But they share many things in terms of build.

Summoner Spells

(Tank and Spellcaster)

Flash+Ghost+ Clairvoyance. These are the most important summoner spells for you. I definately go for Flash+Ghost since they serve for initiation, kills and protect the carry in the fight and protect yourself. However if Clairvoyance is your thing , feel free to take it.

Also , since Tank or Spellcaster Alistar differantiate in item build mostly, he is quite adaptable when game starts.

Masteries

(Tank and Spellcaster)
http://leaguecraft.com/masteries/100...30140131031301

No point alternating it unless u get clairvoyance. Good Hands is an underused mastery , much better IMO than Perseverance. We aim for CD reduction all the way. We dont get any defensive masteries, since your Ulti will guarantee that you will tank anything thrown at you and if you are focused, all the better since your squishies arent.

Runes

(Tank+Spellcaster)

Red: 9x Magic Penetration , pretty common and usefull since most of your dmg comes from spells
Yellow: 9x Mana Regen/level, another common set of runes , we are shunning defense for the reason stated above and add more utility
Blue:9x Manaregen/level. Another cheap set of runes. We really dont get any defense here OR CDR since the build we go , doesnt make use of those . Also im a fan of runes that help early game , rather than late game.

Quin: 3x Movement Speed. You really can add anything here. I currently have flat health but these can be changed for Magic Penetration . However extra MS will help u close gaps faster and that all about being Alistar.

Abilities

(Tank+Spellcaster)

Q (a.k.a. Pulverize ). This is your most important spell. Your CC , dmg and farming tool . This is leveled 1st in all occasions. Even at level 1 , Q is the 1st priority.

W (a.k.a Headbutt). This is the 2nd most important spell with many uses such as disorienting the opponent and unleashing your 1-2 combo, bringing enemies to your team , relieving carry from an anti-carry hero and such.

E (a.k.a. Triumphant Roar) . This is your role player. Get one level at lvl2 and leave it here. It will help your lane tremendously and also your pushing. However since it has a long CD for a small effect and quite useless in teamfights with no creeps around u want to level it up last.

R(a.k.a) Unbreakable will. Your ulti and as such you should always get it when available. This will help you bring down towers while 5 people jump at you and survive. It will also make you survive EVERYTHING in a team fight. PROTIP that even good players ignore. Cast this in the right time in a teamfight is most crucial. This is the time when all hell breaks loose. Dont keep it for last. Use it Fast in order to survive the Onslaught. VERY IMPORTANT.

So for tank and spellcasters it goes Q-E-W-Q-Q-R-Q-W-Q-W-R-W- etc.. There is no reason strong enough to deviate from this UNLESS you want to skip 2-3 level of R for sooner dmg output.

Why level Q before W ? Cause when u manage to land it on 2 heroes it deals double dmg . Thats why. And also with some AP you can get most creeps in a creep wave. Specially the ranged ones. Really a good farming tool with enough mana regen (remember runes)


Items

Tank

Ok , what is your tanking purpose? To dish out some CC , survive and support. You can do it easily with some nice item choices.

First start with Sapphire Crystal and 2 healing pots. With your runes and masteries you should have no mana problems. But you will have mana capacity problems. Crystal mitigates it. Also it can be turned into Sheen which is a great choice for you. Do this when you feel like it.

The second most important item is the Ionian Boots. -15 CDR is the **** and i bet that they will be nerfed soon. Right off the bat , you got 24CDR with your masteries.

Now , the next item should be Spirit Visage OR soul shroud. I prefer Spirit Visage cause its cheaper however feel free to get shroud by all means.

This is your core items. Sheen+Ionian Boots+ Spirit Visage or Shroud. You can procced with aegis of the legion OR Randuins omen. If u still have mana problems Chalice of Harmony is still ok by me. I really like magic resistance and after a while you should grab some. High HP are useless with low resistances.

So after your core items you should really think about how to help your team as a tank. Randuins + Aegis and soul shroud help your teammates as well as you.

Spellcaster

Start with Sapphire Crystal + 2 health pots and aim for Sheen. You can easily throw 2 Doran Ring while you are at it if your lane is hard. Extra health and mana regen + AP will xtremely help you . Also Pulverize , since you level it 1st along with the AP from Doran Rings and Sheen will net you easy minion kills. Again , you go for the Ionian Boots. There is nothing not to like about those. After you got your Sheen+2 Doran Ring + Ionian Boots , its the time for Death fire Grasp. CDR , getting you to 39% CDR (thats why CDR runes go to waste on both builds).

Now its like you have 4 spells. Sheen+Q+W+Grasp. Get those kills. And the last item is turning Sheen to Lich bane. That was easy choice i guess. Deathcap also seems like a good choice but unless u do extremely good, it will be hard to get it. Think Lich Bane as an item that gives you a spell (your attack) with AP ratio 1:1 and base dmg you attack dmg.

Tips

Chain your Q after W to a quick 2 hit combo. You have to practice it and have no lag in order to execute it but this combo is quite devastating. Specially in lane this can really keep heroes at bay. Of course it is risky in teamfights but you cant have it all. W --->Q + hit with Sheen proc is a 3 hit combo . Straight from Streetfighter. Because of this combo and your heal , laning is quite easy and only the strongest laners can handle it. Specially since there is a decline on regenarating items such as Shield or Pendant.


Remember when i said level up Q first? Well , LEVEL UP Q FIRST. Headbutt doesnt even come close to the utility of this and the dmg output. One hit on ranged minions and Q means 3 dead creep minions + 1 random melee minion. Hitting multiple targets with Q multiplies the overall dmg of this spell. Your head butt , if you master the W-->Q combo is just the flash to land Q.

Also when people start getting banshee its kind of good for you. Headbutt wont push them back and the Q after will keep them in place for your team to gang them .

Low CD on heal , means that your push with the team will be high on HP. Very useful in a very quiet way.

Dont be afraid to hit towers. When 3 people gang at you AND the tower , you pop up unbreakable will and pulverize tower and players alike. Killing a tower>>>>>>1 death from Alistar unless you are godlike.

Dont cast ulti Late. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT. When the **** hit the fan , its your time to press R.

Ok this is my guide for Alistar. I hope it help you, specially newer players and give you some insight. For me Alistar is a very ok char and i really think he is not that UP as people say. Try him out.

Can find me in EU servers.