K'sante has just dropped in League of Legends, and he's one of the most powerful picks this preseason. Tanks and Bruisers are having their time to shine, and K'sante ticks both boxes perfectly.
If you're looking to add to your top lane pool, the Shuriman Tank is great fun to play but can be a little tricky to build. Here's everything you need to know to stomp the top lane matchup with him.
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K'sante Runes
For K'sante's runes, you'll want to build him like a traditional tank, as any stats you gain will be transitioned into offense by your ultimate.
Grasp of the Undying
Grasp is the first part of building K'sante as tanky as possible. It will give you extra max hp to transform into offensive stats with your ultimate, and increase your trading power in lane so you can grab more resources.
Shield Bash
Shield bash is a great choice for K'sante, as it synergises with the shield on his E which can be used even in isolation. As a bruiser hybrid, and additional trading power is a blessing.
Conditioning
Conditioning is very simple, in giving K'sante more Armour and Magic resist, which is a must on any tank
Overgrowth
Overgrowth is a great scaling rune, as it gives you extra max HP through laning phase. Once K'sante gets into the mid-game, he'll be able to transform this into AD and wreak havoc on any team.
Triumph
Triumph is also a great rune for mid-game skirmishes. With high CC, keeping K'sante alive as long as possible is a must to create the most impact.
Legend: Tenacity
Tenacity is great on any tank, but particularly K'sante as he has so much mobility. This will allow you to get in the enemy's face, exactly where they don't want you to be.
K'sante Item Build
For starting items on K'sante, you'll want to take Doran's shield, as it standard for any tank. It makes you very hard to kill in the early lane for bruisers, as well as sustain against poke.
Next you'll want to rush towards a sheen, or boots, Mercury's treads or Steelcaps, depending on the matchup. Once you've completed these, you can head into the full build.
As with any tank, K'sante's build is very situational, as you'll want to itemise towards armour for heavy AD teams, and MR for heavy AP. This build should give you the best of both worlds however.
K'sante Ability Order
For K'sante's abilities, you'll want to max Q first as it houses a lot of your damage for early trading power. Then head into E to reduce your dash cooldown and grant a larger shield.
W can be maxed last, as its main use is in making your champion unstoppable, and does so at any rank.
That rounds out our K'sante guide for patch 12.22 and beyond. Check out the new skins he's received here.