Disclaimer: This article contains curated tips, guides, other useful information posted on Inven KR by the users. Please note that such guides and information are not objective truths and may not reflect the latest patch or meta changes.

 *Original guide from LoL Inven KR by 만기퇴소(Mangitoeso) [Link]

◆ Statistics

◆ Runes

This is how I basically set my runes for the most cases, and it’s fine to use flat AD if you cannot spare as much IP for your runes. If you have enough IP or if Gangplank is your most played champion, refer to the rune settings below.

1. “Against generic AD” rune page

Mark - Attack Damage+0.95 x 9
Seal - Armor+1 x 9
Glyph - Magic Resist per Level+0.16 x 9
Quintessence - Attack Damage+2.25 x 3

If the enemy top laner is AD, and enemy mid laner and jungler are balanced well with AD and AP, then choose “Flexible AD” rune page.

2. “Against hard AD” rune page

Mark - Attack Damage+0.95 x 9
Seal - Armor+1 x 9
Glyph - Armor+0.7 x 9
Quintessence - Attack Damage+2.25 x 2, Armor+4.26

Use this only when you’re fighting against Pantheon or Jayce.

3. “Against generic AP” rune page

Mark - Attack Damage+0.95 x 9
Seal - Health per Level+1.33 x 9
Glyph - Magic Resist +1.34 x 9
Quintessence - Attack Damage+2.25 x 3

Use this when the enemy goes AP. (Including tanky AP champions)

4. Rune page for “Grasp of the Undying” Mastery

Mark - Attack Damage+0.95 x 9
Seal - Armor+1 x 9
Glyph - Cooldown Reduction-0.83% x 9
Quintessence - Attack Damage+2.25 x 3

This is the rune page specifically dedicated to “Grasp of the Undying” mastery.

I will explain about this rune page further below.

◆ Mastery

Above is the basic “Thunderlord's Decree” mastery build for Gangplank.
Keep in mind that you do have to change the mastery build a little according to the enemy champion.

Adjust your mastery build as shown above when you are going against the following champions:
Champions that are easy to kite, such as Garen and Nasus.
Tanky champions like Nautilus, Rammus, Maokai, Malphite, Dr. Mundo, Sion, Poppy, and Shen.

This mastery build is designed specifically with Ryze and Rumble in mind.

Top Ryze is not a common pick, but when it happens, you will be agonized until the laning phase ends because of Ryze’s strong pushing power and continuous pressure. The same goes with Rumble, and there is not much you can do about it.

This is the Grasp of the Undying mastery build that I use a lot in these days.

Use this mastery build for champions you have to keep trading attacks, or those you have to keep pressure in early game to ease things out. Such champions include Gnar, Renekton, Riven, Yasuo, Olaf, Irelia, Jax, Camille, Kled, and Kennen.

Keep in mind:

Laning phases are extremely important in the current meta.
The popular strategy is that in which you gradually build the snowball as you gain dominance in lane fights, and then roll the snowball to win the game.
Such fast-paced meta as the current one makes it hard for Gangplank to play the game in his favor.

Keeping track of the jungler’s macro is especially important, because it is even harder for a jungler to gank the lane that is already having a hard time. If the jungler forces himself to gank the lane that is already losing and even fail at ganking, it is very likely that the game will tilt.

This puts responsibility on laners that they should at least be able to set up a fair enough 5v5 fight. However, Gangplank may not always be able to do this because lane fight in top lane works like rock paper scissors. Choosing the right champion is especially important in top lane, because whoever is more advantageous usually wins.
Gangplank is a champion that’s good in lane fights, but he can become almost useless depending on how he is matched up. So, I recommend choosing Gangplank after seeing what champion comes out as the enemy’s top laner. If your Gangplank is counter-picked by the enemy top laner, queue dodging is the right choice.

Players tend to queue-dodge when their team cannot settle on the champions or when they run into a troll. However, it is the right decision to dodge when you feel like you have a bad matchup in terms of team composition or when the enemy champion can easily counter you.

This is how the system works. Don’t hesitate to queue-dodge.

"What if luck is on your side?"
"What if your enemy is awful?"

Well, it is much easier to lose when the matchup is already tilted.

Of course you can win if you are lucky enough, but I think you can never win in such circumstances if the individual skills are on the same level. I’ve also queue-dodged quite frequently when I was playing with my Diamond and Platinum accounts when I thought the picks and bans were not favorable.

After all, you can win the harshest battles if you are really good with Gangplank. Deciding whether to dodge or play is solely up to you, and making such decision is just one of the things I did to climb up the ladder.

Keeping track of jungler’s moves is really important for Gangplank in most cases. Gangplank’s primary goal is to hit Level 13 without much hassle, and he never has to overcommit himself to the laning phase. He can get the job done if he progresses through the game without much loss. Even if the game is tilted in the enemy’s favor, Gangplank can still keep calm and carry on until things start to even out. He can even go further to seek chance for a comeback at the late-game phase.

However, as you learn how to play Gangplank and become better at it, you’ll play aggressively in lanes and sometimes go too far. If you become truly good with Gangplank, you’ll learn to decide when you should play aggressively when you should not.

Being good with playing Gangplank is not all about doing triple kegs or managing them.
It’s about your ability to survive and grow, as well as your flexibility in building your items.
The laning phase also depends on how experienced you are.

[Sapphire Crystal] [Refillable Potion][Corrupting Potion]
Going against your average Nautilus, Poppy, and Maokai tankers, take Sapphire Crystal and Refillable Potion and use Thunderlord's Decree mastery. Item choices depend on the enemy champions and what mastery you chose, Thunderlord's Decree or Grasp of the Undying.

For Kennen, whom you will meet frequently, go with “Average AD” runes and Grasp of the Undying mastery. Trade damage as often as possible with your Q. The enemy will give you much pressure if you lose your lane dominance, and that leads to even more trouble.

Keep trading shots to gain dominance in the lane. Keep doing so even when it seems like you might lose the lead. Don’t be afraid to do this because you have to at least make a fairly even 5v5 matchup. It is hard to expect jungler to come help out the tilted lane

Jax, Irelia, and Kled will also make things harsh during the phase when your level is around 5 to 6.

You should keep solid pressure on them with Grasp of the Undying and the rune setting centered around that, and also use Corrupting Potion to further press them harder. After that, talk with your jungler and plan a good dive. Even if the dive does not work out, keeping pressure on your enemy in early game will ease things out in later phases of the game.

In situations like above, use Cannon Barrage only when you are certain that it will pick up kills. Otherwise, don’t waste your ultimate. Gangplank is not the type of champion that supports his teammates with global ult and get carried. Ideally, Gangplank would only use his ultimate when he can do it without any risk. If that’s not the case, focus on developing your champion or use the ultimate in your lane to fight your opponent.

You can still use the ultimate in the bottom lane if the bottom lane is doing well enough to win the game. If you decide to do so, farm the minimum CS and run away to the second tower if you feel like you’re about to get tower-dived.

1. Our jungler hugely benefited at the bottom lane.

2. Enemy jungler is nowhere to be seen.

3. There is a huge wave of minions in my lane.

4. 90% certainty of incoming enemy dive

5. Give up the first tower and run to the second tower.

That would be the process. Anyone playing Gangplank would know and has been in this situation before; you decide to farm CS because they looked so tasty, then you get killed by the enemy dive. If there were benefits from the bottom lane, Gangplank would help the team most by not dying.

Playing top lane is not about getting solo kill and the first tower. A top laner should play his/her role in the team and be able to get carried as well as carry the game. Carry the game as a top laner instead of carrying the game as a loose cannon.

1. Keeping track of jungler’s moves is very important to Gangplank.

2. If allied jungler gains profit from other lanes, playing passively is the best approach. Depending on how experienced you are and how the game unfolds, you can try to fight back and withstand enemy dive.

3. Gangplank is not meant to be carried by others. You should reach Level 13 without trouble to perform 1 person’s worth of play. It’s necessary to play aggressively until you reach Level 13.

4. Gangplank is not meant to be carried, but should grab the opportunity if the situation warrants it. A good top laner knows when he should benefit from his allies.

5. Don’t hesitate to dodge when it looks like there is a low chance to win.

◆ Summoner Spells

[Teleport]
[Flash]

◆ Skill Build 

◆ Items

▷ Starting Item
- Sapphire ruby
- Refillable potion
- Corrupting potion

▷ Core Item
- Trinity Force

I am always flexible with my item build, but I normally go with the items listed below:

Trinity Force, Youmuu's Ghostblade, Maw of Malmortius, Lord Dominik's Regards, Guardian Angel, Boots of Swiftness

This build works in most situations, but I always change my build and the order of how I build my items in every match.

It’s always hard playing Gangplank when there is no front liner (Tank) in the team. In such cases, you need to prepare from the beginning of the game.

Trinity Force, Youmuu's Ghostblade, Titanic Hydra, Jaurim's Fist, Guardian Angel, Ninja Tabi

I use this build a lot when there are no front liners.

It synergizes well with Grasp of the Undying, allowing you to be tanky with raw HP while also dealing damage.

Team composition without a front liner can never have too little damage.

Deal some damage with your skills and tank the damage, live off with your [Remove Scurvy], and Flash out. Keep dealing damage with your powder kegs.

The order of ult upgrade

※ Thunderlord
- Death’s Daughter ▷ Fire at Will ▷ Raise Morale
Enhances the synergy with Death’s Daughter

※ Death
Fire At Will ▷ Raise Morale ▷ Death’s Daughter
Constant Damage rather than nuke damage (It’s more of a global slow than damage)

At full build fights, you need to take Elixir of Sorcery. The powder kegs and ultimate damage will increase, along with the amount of healing from oranges.

◆ Counter picks

▷ Hard champions to fight: Top 3

Pantheon

What more can I say? Use the queue dodge system. It’s there for a reason.

Jayce

Yeah, queue dodging is a good system.

Rumble

This Yordle bastard pushes lanes like crazy.
You are not fighting Rumble, you are fighting with the minions.
His pushing power also poses threat of tower dives.
Survive through the early game, and support the bottom lane with your ult when a fight breaks out. If an enemy jungler dives to you, run immediately to the second tower.

And pray that the bottom lane has won.

▷ Easy Champions to fight: Top 3

Nasus

You can train this dog to sit at your whim.

Poppy

Good Poppy players were hard to beat.

Poppy just became a sandbag since the nerf.

Thanks, Riot.

Singed

Singed is now a common pick.

Maintain your distance and don’t waste your kegs. Spare them just in case.
I’ve met a lot of good Singed players, but never found them to be so difficult in 1 vs 1.

◆ Video clips