Wukong utilizes invisibility alongside clones to outsmart and out damage enemy opponents. To help those players looking for an effective way to play the trickster monkey, here are two build paths for Wukong: one centering around Armor Penetration and the other around bruiser items.
Armor penetration works as a burst build. Only build this when wanting to play as a glass cannon, as this build leaves Wukong very vulnerable to damage. Zhonya and Guardian Angel in this build help Wukong evade burst damage, which will be this build’s greatest counterplay.
All the items here either provide armor penetration in some form or another or give Wukong invulnerability. Armor penetration Wukong is rarely the most optimal build for him, so be sure to mix and match items according to matchups.
Ability upgrade priority:
1st ability
3rd ability
2nd ability
4th ability
3 > 1 > 2 > 1 > 4 > 1 > 1 > 2 > 4 > 2 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 3 > 3
Bruiser Wukong fits Wukong’s most conventional role: a tanky damage dealer. Trinity force first item gives Wukong a foundation for damage, synergizing wonderfully with his abilities. For the rest of the items, build choices that help survivability and tankiness.
For boots, in cases of both builds, build according to the match up. Armor boots, cool down boots, magic resist boots, and even omnivamp boots all work well with him. He also has many alternatives for active items, so do not view these items shown here as set in stone.
Ability upgrade priority:
1st ability
3rd ability
2nd ability
4th ability
3 > 1 > 2 > 1 > 4 > 1 > 1 > 2 > 4 > 2 > 2 > 3 > 4 > 3 > 3
Wukong should always run conqueror as his keystone. With the amount that Wukong spends spamming abilities, conqueror stacks incredibly quickly on the monkey king.
For secondary runes, Brutal gives Wukong extra armor penetration, which is essential for his kit, especially in the armor penetration build. Hunter – Titan gives Wukong extra tankiness, and Hunter – Genius gives Wukong more ability haste. All of these stats are very important for Wukong, so highly consider going these secondary runes.
Wukong should always take flash. Flash provides great utility for dashing an extra distance towards enemies for the biggest possible wombo combo and allows an over the wall escape as well. The second summoner spell should be smite or ignite, depending on whether Wukong goes jungle or Baron lane. Take smite for jungle and ignite for Baron lane.
But, regardless of whether he goes jungle or Baron lane, Wukong needs flash.
Courtesy of League of Legends Wiki
Youmuu’s Ghostblade is an excellent item for Wukong. The extra movement speed it provides and the burst of damage on the first hit gives Wukong great chase potential. With the base stats, Youmuu’s Ghostblade sets Wukong up to snowball in the early game. Building Youmuu’s first on Wukong synergizes well with his kit, so be attentive to the item when playing him.
Courtesy of League of Legends Wiki
Trinity Force, often times, gives Wukong the most utility. Spellblade synergizese excellently with Wukong’s first ability, maximizing his damage output in skirmishes. The extra health and AD align perfectly with Wukong’s bruiser incentive. When in doubt on what to build for a core item, opt for Trinity Force.
Courtesy of League of Legends Wiki
Black Cleaver serves as an alternative for Trinity Force. Reducing the target’s armor, the item functions great when fighting tanky enemy champions. Not only does black cleaver help counter tanks, it also helps Wukong become tankier. Offering 350 health, 50 more than Trinity Force, Black Cleaver is the tankier option between the two.
But be wary, never build both of them at the same time. As Black Cleaver and Trinty Force both have unique passives, half the items’ utility will be useless when Wukong has both items.
Be sure to mix and match the items presented to better fit the scenario. Both builds are very bare-bones, and Wukog build path is highly dependent on team compositions. The builds presented are the extremes of both ends. Bruiser path is the tankiest a Wukong should ever build, and Armor penetration is the most glass cannon a Wukong should ever build.
For example, Wukong can build Ghostblade first, especially when playing jungle. The item gives a burst of movement speed extremely beneficial for ganking. Second item after that may be Trinity Force, as the spellblade proc helps clear jungle camps. Depending on what the enemy team is playing, a tank item may benefit Wukong.
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