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Item guide

Itemization by problem in League Classic

Which Classic item answers armor, magic resist, health stacking, burst, auto-attackers and hard crowd control, plus component spikes, active cooldowns and what to buy ahead or behind.

Scope
Classic · Patch 26.19
Updated
2026-09-23
itemsarmor penetrationmagic penetrationtenacityactivescomponents
In this guide12 chapters
  1. 01Name the problem first, then buy the cheapest tooltip that answers it
  2. 02Against armor, choose percent or flat by how much armor they stack
  3. 03Against magic resist, flat penetration comes first and Void Staff when resists climb
  4. 04Against stacked Health, buy damage that reads their Health bar
  5. 05Against healing, there are exactly two items
  6. 06Against burst, a shield or stasis beats another 40 Magic Resist
  7. 07Against auto-attackers, slow their attacks instead of only adding Armor
  8. 08Against hard crowd control, tenacity shortens it, a Sash removes it, a Veil prevents one
  9. 09Buy the component that carries the spike and finish the item later
  10. 10Actives are cooldown budgets; order them by when the fight needs them
  11. 11Ahead, convert gold into stacks; behind, buy the 720-gold answer first
  12. 12What 26.16 changed around the shop, not inside it

Chapter 01

Name the problem first, then buy the cheapest tooltip that answers it

Classic has no item that solves everything at once, and many answers start with a single purchase of 720 to 2,700 gold rather than a finished six-item build. Before every recall, say what is killing you or what is not dying: armor, magic resist, stacked Health, healing, burst, basic attacks or crowd control. Each of those has a small set of items whose tooltip literally addresses it. The rest of this guide lists them with their live 26.19 numbers so the choice is a comparison, not a memory of 2013.

  • Armor

    Last Whisper

  • Magic Resist

    Void Staff

  • Health

    Blade of the Ruined King

  • Burst

    Hexdrinker

  • Crowd control

    Mercury's Treads

Chapter 02

Against armor, choose percent or flat by how much armor they stack

Last Whisper costs 2,300 gold, gives 40 Attack Damage and ignores 35% of the target's Armor, so it removes more the more Armor the enemy buys. The Brutalizer costs 1,337 gold for 25 Attack Damage, 10% Cooldown Reduction and 10 Lethality, and Youmuu's Ghostblade raises that to 20 Lethality; Lethality is a fixed amount rather than a percentage, so it is worth relatively more against targets who bought little Armor. The Black Cleaver adds 200 Health, 50 Attack Damage and a shred: every instance of physical damage to a champion reduces their Armor by 5% for 4 seconds, stacking five times to 25%, which every physical damage dealer on your team benefits from. Weapon Expertise in the Offense tree adds 8% Armor Penetration for one point.

  • The Brutalizer

    1,337 · 10 Lethality · 10% CDR

  • Last Whisper

    2,300 · ignore 35% Armor

  • The Black Cleaver

    3,000 · −25% Armor after 5 hits

  • Youmuu's Ghostblade

    2,700 · 20 Lethality

Chapter 03

Against magic resist, flat penetration comes first and Void Staff when resists climb

Sorcerer's Shoes give 15 Magic Penetration for 1,100 gold and Haunting Guise another 15 with 25 Ability Power and 200 Health for 1,485; nine Marks of Magic Penetration add 9 and Arcane Knowledge adds 8%. Those flat sources are enough while enemies hold base Magic Resist. Once a Negatron Cloak or Spectre's Cowl appears on the other side, Void Staff's 35% penetration for 2,295 gold removes 24.5 of a 70 Magic Resist target's resist, where a second flat item would remove 15, and it brings 70 Ability Power. Abyssal Scepter gives 70 Ability Power and 45 Magic Resist and lowers nearby enemies' Magic Resist by 20, which also serves a second magic damage dealer.

  1. Sorcerer's Shoes

    15 flat · 1,100

  2. Haunting Guise

    15 flat · 1,485

  3. Void Staff

    35% · 2,295

  4. Abyssal Scepter

    −20 aura · 2,560

Chapter 04

Against stacked Health, buy damage that reads their Health bar

Blade of the Ruined King deals 5% of the target's current Health as bonus physical damage on every basic attack, capped at 60 against minions and monsters, and its 90-second active deals 15% of the target champion's maximum Health with a 100 minimum while stealing 30% of their Movement Speed for 3 seconds. Madred's Bloodrazor exists in Classic and deals 4% of the target's maximum Health as bonus magic damage on hit for 3,800 gold. Liandry's Torment burns 2% of current Health per second for 3 seconds after spell damage, doubled against movement-impaired targets. Deathfire Grasp's 60-second active deals 15% of maximum Health as magic damage and raises the magic damage the target takes by 20% for 4 seconds. Against a Warmog's Armor on a champion with little Armor or Magic Resist, the percentage is the part of the damage that grows with the target.

  • Blade of the Ruined King

    5% current · 15% max active

  • Madred's Bloodrazor

    4% max on hit

  • Liandry's Torment

    2% current per second

  • Deathfire Grasp

    15% max + 20% amp

Chapter 05

Against healing, there are exactly two items

Executioner's Calling at 1,900 gold applies Grievous Wounds for 1.5 seconds on every basic attack against a champion. Morellonomicon at 2,200 gold applies it for 4 seconds when your magic damage hits a champion below 40% Health. Grievous Wounds halves healing and regeneration on the wounded champion, so the wound goes on the one receiving the heal. No cheap component carries the effect and Thornmail does not apply it. The anti-heal guide covers triggers, kit sources and timing in full.

  • Executioner's Calling

    1,900 · on-hit · 1.5 s

  • Morellonomicon

    2,200 · below 40% Health · 4 s

Chapter 06

Against burst, a shield or stasis beats another 40 Magic Resist

Hexdrinker costs 1,350 gold and, when magic damage would drop you below 30% Health, grants a shield that absorbs 250 magic damage for 5 seconds on a 90-second cooldown; Maw of Malmortius raises the shield to 400 and adds up to 35 Attack Damage as Health goes missing. Banshee's Veil blocks the next enemy ability and refreshes the spell shield after 25 seconds without champion damage. Zhonya's Hourglass makes you invulnerable and untargetable for 2.5 seconds on a 90-second cooldown, during which you cannot move, attack, cast or use items, and Guardian Angel restores 30% of maximum Health and Mana after 4 seconds of stasis once every 5 minutes. Buy the flat resist only when the damage is sustained rather than one rotation: Negatron Cloak gives 40 Magic Resist for 720 gold and Spectre's Cowl 45 with 200 Health for 1,400.

  1. 01

    Negatron Cloak

    720 · 40 MR

  2. 02

    Hexdrinker

    1,350 · 250 shield

  3. 03

    Banshee's Veil

    2,750 · spell shield

  4. 04

    Zhonya's Hourglass

    3,260 · 2.5 s stasis

  5. 05

    Guardian Angel

    2,750 · revive every 5 min

Chapter 07

Against auto-attackers, slow their attacks instead of only adding Armor

Ninja Tabi costs 1,000 gold and blocks 10% of basic-attack damage. Warden's Mail gives 50 Armor for 1,000 and cuts the attacker's Attack Speed by 15% for 1 second each time they hit you; Randuin's Omen keeps that effect, adds a 10% Movement Speed cut and brings 500 Health and 70 Armor. Frozen Heart's aura reduces the Attack Speed of every nearby enemy by 20% and carries 95 Armor, 400 Mana and 20% Cooldown Reduction. Thornmail returns 30% of the pre-mitigation damage of each basic attack as magic damage. Against one fed marksman, Warden's Mail is the 1,000-gold answer that keeps building; Frozen Heart is the answer when two attackers stand in the same fight.

  • Ninja Tabi

    1,000 · blocks 10%

  • Warden's Mail

    1,000 · −15% AS on hit

  • Frozen Heart

    2,900 · −20% AS aura

  • Randuin's Omen

    3,125 · slow active

  • Thornmail

    2,200 · returns 30%

Chapter 08

Against hard crowd control, tenacity shortens it, a Sash removes it, a Veil prevents one

Mercury's Treads cost 1,200 gold and reduce the duration of Stuns, Slows, Taunts, Fears, Silences, Blinds and Immobilizes by 35%. Zephyr and the jungler's Spirit of the Ancient Golem carry the same unique Tenacity passive. Since 26.19, so do Cloak and Dagger for 1,330 gold in the client (Riot's notes say 1,130) and Moonflair Spellblade for 2,600 (notes: 2,300). Riot's notes say the new two share their Tenacity with Treads and Zephyr, so a second of those four adds nothing; the notes do not name Golem. Quicksilver Sash removes all debuffs on a 90-second cooldown for 1,550 gold and becomes Mercurial Scimitar with a B. F. Sword. Banshee's Veil blocks one ability before it lands. Mikael's Crucible removes the listed effects from an ally and heals them for 150 plus 10% of their maximum Health on a 180-second cooldown. Cleanse is the summoner-spell version on a 210-second cooldown. Choose by who is locked down: Treads for a melee who is always hit, a Sash for a carry facing one decisive lock, Mikael's when the support can reach the carry in time.

  • Mercury's Treads

    1,200 · 35% tenacity

  • Quicksilver Sash

    1,550 · remove all · 90 s

  • Banshee's Veil

    Blocks the next ability

  • Mikael's Crucible

    Ally cleanse + heal · 180 s

  • Cleanse

    210 s

Chapter 09

Buy the component that carries the spike and finish the item later

Some components hold most of their finished item's effect. Sheen at 1,200 gold already gives Spellblade, the next basic attack after a spell deals bonus physical damage equal to your base Attack Damage; Trinity Force doubles that to 200% but costs 3,628. Phage at 1,250 gives 200 Health, 20 Attack Damage and the Rage movement speed. Hexdrinker at 1,350 gives the full magic shield mechanic; Maw only raises it from 250 to 400. Kindlegem at 850 gives 200 Health and 10% Cooldown Reduction for five different finished items. Bilgewater Cutlass at 1,400 already has the 100-damage slow active that Blade of the Ruined King and Hextech Gunblade build on. Pickaxe pays 875 for 25 Attack Damage and B. F. Sword 1,550 for 45, which is 35.0 against 34.4 gold per point, so the price per point barely moves; buy the one the next recall can afford.

  1. Sheen

    1,200 · Spellblade

  2. Phage

    1,250 · Rage

  3. Hexdrinker

    1,350 · full shield

  4. Kindlegem

    850 · 10% CDR

  5. Bilgewater Cutlass

    1,400 · slow active

Chapter 10

Actives are cooldown budgets; order them by when the fight needs them

Youmuu's Ghostblade gives 20% Movement Speed and 40% Attack Speed for 6 seconds on melee and 4 on ranged champions every 45 seconds, so it returns between most fights. Deathfire Grasp is a 60-second opener, Shurelya's Reverie a 60-second 40% Movement Speed burst for nearby allies, Randuin's Omen a 60-second area slow. Zhonya's Hourglass, Quicksilver Sash and Blade of the Ruined King sit on 90 seconds, Ohmwrecker on 120 and Mikael's Crucible on 180. Press the long cooldowns on the decision that wins or loses the fight and the short ones as early as they are useful; an Hourglass saved for a second engage that never comes was wasted.

  • Youmuu's

    45 s

  • Deathfire Grasp

    60 s

  • Shurelya's Reverie

    60 s

  • Zhonya's Hourglass

    90 s

  • Mikael's Crucible

    180 s

Chapter 11

Ahead, convert gold into stacks; behind, buy the 720-gold answer first

Mejai's Soulstealer, Sword of the Occult and Leviathan cost 1,235, 1,200 and 1,275 gold and grant 8 Ability Power, 5 Attack Damage or 32 Health per stack, two stacks per kill and one per assist up to 20, losing a third on death. They are the Classic way to turn an early lead into a bigger one, and without stacks they are 20 Ability Power, 10 Attack Damage or 180 Health for the price. Behind, Negatron Cloak and Chain Vest each give 40 of the relevant resist for 720 gold and both keep building, so the cheapest way to stop dying fits a single recall. Against mixed damage, the two plus a Rejuvenation Bead finish Zz'Rot Portal: 2,700 gold for 50 Armor and 50 Magic Resist. Passive gold now opens at a higher rate and early death timers are shorter, while ambient gold starts 25 seconds later and minions pay one gold less: a player who is behind still collects income while the lead is converted.

  • Ahead

    Mejai's · 8 AP per stack

  • Ahead

    Occult · 5 AD per stack

  • Behind

    720 · 40 Magic Resist

  • Behind

    720 · 40 Armor

Chapter 12

What 26.16 changed around the shop, not inside it

No Classic item changed on live in 26.16 except Eleisa's Miracle; what changed is the economy around the shop. Passive gold, minion gold, Homeguard, death timers and the tougher turrets are covered in the first-ten-minutes guide. Warmog's Armor, Sorcerer's Shoes at 15 Magic Penetration and every item above are unchanged. The Tiamat change in the same patch notes is the modern Summoner's Rift item; the Classic Tiamat still carries 40 Attack Damage. Since then, the 26.18 client raised Shadow Mending's regeneration on Banshee's Veil from 9 to 45 per 5 and on Spectre's Cowl from 3 to 15. Riot's notes do not mention it, and whether play changed or only the tooltip is not settled.

  1. 01

    Warmog's

    Unchanged

  2. 02

    Sorcerer's Shoes

    15 penetration

  3. 03

    Tiamat

    Classic: 40 AD

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