Guide Sections (13)
Champion Stats
Low elo players struggle to adapt their builds. ADCs will still build Kraken Slayer/Infinity Edge against a 800 Armor Rammus. They do not stop auto-attacking when you press W (Defensive Ball Curl). Rammus exploits this lack of discipline perfectly. His ganks with Q (Powerball) are nearly unavoidable due to the sheer speed; wards don't matter if you are moving at Mach 10. You drift into lane, taunt the carry, and collect the gold.
The Taunt Roll
The 'Cheesy Roll'. Start Q (Powerball). If you see an enemy laner overextending at Level 1, start rolling from the river. Flash-knockback them into your laner. It's a high-risk, high-reward play. However, the standard smurf play is the Level 3 Rush (Red-Raptors-Gromp) into a gank. Rammus ganks at Level 3 are almost guaranteed kills if the enemy is pushed past the river line.
Powerball helps you gank from unique angles. Roll through minion waves? No, bad idea. Roll AROUND them. Flash-Taunt is your bread and butter.
When They Ban Rammus
Malphite is the armor tank. Amumu is the engage tank. Sejuani is the CC tank. Malphite shares the armor scaling.
Malphite for the armor stacking. Amumu for the press R teamfight. Sejuani for the tank CC. Malphite is the other 'I hate AD champs' tank.
Rammus's Ability Priority
Actually, max Q or E? Max Q first for the cooldown reduction and mobility—you need to be on the map. Max E (Frenzying Taunt) second for the duration increase (1.2s -> 2.0s). W max last, as the % armor increase is sufficient at rank 1 with Aftershock.
Mastering Rammus's Kit
Powerball. Accelerate into a ball. Colliding with an enemy deals damage, knocks them back, and slows them. Channeled ability (can be interrupted).
Defensive Ball Curl. The Button. Increases Armor/MR massively. Reflects damage back to attackers. You are slowed while active. Press W again to cancel it.
Frenzying Taunt. Forces the target to attack you. Grants you Attack Speed. The most dangerous CC in the game vs ADCs.
Soaring Slam. Leap into the air and slam down. Creates tremors that deal damage and slow. Damages towers. Use Q -> R to increase the slam range.
Rammus's Lane Opponents
You counter him early/mid, but if he builds Kraken/Guinsoo/Wit's End/Terminus, he shreds you with True/Magic damage. Taunt him before he stacks lethal tempo.
Free food. Your Taunt is not a projectile, so Windwall does nothing. Just roll at him and click E. He dies.
Annoying. Black Shield denies your Taunt/Knockup. You have to break the shield with R damage first or bait it.
Master Yi shreds you with true damage IF he has items. Early game you win. Yasuo kills himself on your W. Urgot kills himself on your W. ADcs kill themselves on your W.
OK Overconfidence
Do NOT pick Rammus into AP heavy teams. If the enemy has Gwen, Cassiopeia, or Karthus, you are effectively a cannon minion. Rammus is a COUNTERPICK. Also, stop engaging when your team is too far back. You are fast; they are slow. If you roll in 1v5 and die before your team arrives, you are feeding, not engaging. Wait for your team to be in range.
Don't Q into a Thresh flay or a Janna tornado. They'll stop your roll and you'll just sit there looking foolish. Wait for them to burn the CC or Flash-over it. Be a smart armadillo, not just a fast one.
When They Melt Through You
Dodge Vayne. Her Silver Bolts deal True Damage, ignoring your armor completely. She is the Rammus Slayer. Dodge Trundle. His Subjugate (R) steals 40% of your Armor/MR, making you squishy instantly. Dodge Lillia. You can never catch her, and she burns you with Magic/True damage.
Lillia and Gwen are your nightmares. They deal magic and true damage that scales with your HP/Armor. If you see them, avoid the 1v1 and focus on peeling for your mid-laner. Don't be a hero in the wrong fight.
Peeling vs Engaging
Your job is assassination via reflection. Identify the fed ADC or AD assassin. Charge Q. Flash past the frontline if needed. Press E (Taunt) on the carry. Activate W (Defensive Ball Curl) immediately. Activate R (Soaring Slam) to slow them. Sit fast and watch their HP bar delete itself as they are forced to attack your Thornmail. If they buy QSS, target the next AD threat.
Roll in, taunt the carry, and W. If they try to run, your R slow will keep them there. You are the anti-ADC weapon. If they have no AD, you're a turtle in a shell—slow and sad. Protect the carries.
The Thornmail Rush Build
Sorcerer's Shoes + Thornmail. Yes, Magic Penetration. Rammus deals almost entirely Magic Damage (Passive, Q, W reflect, R). Sorcerer's Shoes amplify your reflected damage, meaning the ADC kills themselves faster. Combined with Abyssal Mask, you become a legitimate assassin.
Thornmail is your religion. Sunfire is your church. Hollow Radiance if they are AP-heavy. Your goal is to be a porcupine that hits back with the force of a truck. Abyssal Mask makes your W reflect deal even more damage.
Bami's Cinder -> Thornmail -> Sorcerer's Shoes. Yes, Sorc Shoes. Your reflect damage is magic. Killing the ADC faster is better than being slightly tankier. Trust the pen.
Timing Rammus's All-Ins
Level 3 (Gank Spree). Thornmail Completion (The Exodia Spike). Level 9 (Max Q mobility).
Level 3 ganks with Ghost and Q are a guaranteed kill in low elo. Thornmail completion is your first God-mode spike. By Level 11, you should be unkillable for any marksman. Carry the game by being a wall.
Level 3 Gank. Level 6 R jump. Thornmail completion. You are a mid-game monster. Late game, you become a peel bot for your carry. Win early.
The OK Taunt
Typing 'OK' in all-chat after every successful gank. Standing still while a Master Yi hits you and watching him die to his own autos. Emoting 'Thumbs Up' constantly. It is the tilt of inevitability.
Standing in a wave with W active while the enemy ADC tries to hit you is the peak Rammus experience. Type 'OK' after they kill themselves. Your armor is your damage; your damage is their frustration. Simple as that.
Type 'OK' after every kill. Stand still and let them kill themselves on your W. Thumbs up emote. You are a simple armadillo with a simple job: tilt the ADC.
Recent Patch History
Recent Balance Changes
| Patch | Date | Type | Changes |
|---|---|---|---|
| V14.9 | May 1, 2024 | ADJUST | Base stats adjusted |
| V14.7 | Apr 3, 2024 | ADJUST | Base stats adjusted |
| V13.22 | Nov 8, 2023 | BUFF | W buffed |
| V13.21 | Oct 25, 2023 | NERF | Q nerfed, W nerfed |
| V13.7 | Apr 5, 2023 | NERF | W buffed |
