(Editor's Note: This guide has been updated for Season 4!)

Hello! My name is Xylarboden, and welcome to my guide, MANTHEON: Let The Sky Fall!

Pantheon (or "MANTHEON!!!!" like many enjoy calling him) is a high damage dealing melee AD assassin who can be a very fun champion to play. He has both strong poke and burst, which can make life miserable for opponents in lane, and he has a high range ultimate ability that allows him to jump across the map and aid his allies at a moment's notice.

While his damage and mobility can seem unfair, there are downsides to Pantheon, most notably that his damage falls off late game. His abilities do not scale well compared to other champions, so there is a lot of pressure to end the game early. Also, making plays with his ultimate requires balls and clear communication with teammates, not always a given in the LoL community.

Needless to say, if you want to play Pantheon, you're going to have to be a man and take some risks.

In this guide, I will show you how to build Pantheon, how to play with the proper technique, and when to take the right risks. Master this knowledge and you will separate yourself as a MANTHEON among Pantheons.

:: Introduction - Pros/Cons - Why Mid Lane? :: Pre-Game - Runes - Masteries - Summoner Spells :: Items - Descriptions - Build Orders

:: Abilities - Descriptions - Skill Order :: General Gameplay - When To Choose Pantheon - Counters - Early Game - Mid Game - Late Game :: Last Words

:: Credits :: Appendix - Fun Facts - Glossary :: Guide Log

Pros + Strong poke and zoning ability with Spear Shot + strong burst with Heartseeker Strike + awesome passive/damage reduction + great roamer from mid lane + Grand Skyfall acts as free Teleport + strong laning and mid game + best joke and taunt ever

Cons - mana hungry early, esp. w/o blue buff - vulnerable to CC, esp. stun and silence - can be risky laner (vulnerable to ganks) - weak wave clear early - ultimate can be difficult to use well - damage falls off late - may wear a skirt or tidy red-ies to battle

Pantheon is a versatile champion who has been used in almost every role besides the traditional AD carry. One of Pantheon's best roles is mid lane. Let me explain why.

Grand Skyfall is a high range teleport like Twisted Fate's Destiny that gives Pantheon the potential to be one of the best roamers in the game. Within seconds, he can drop from the sky and appear at his teammates' sides, turning the tide of the battle.

Furthermore, Pantheon has a strong laning presence. His high poke and burst damage allows him to bully most AP champions out of lane, causing his opponent to lose experience.

So, the best way to maximize the potential of Pantheon's kit is to put him in mid lane, where he can have both a strong lane and global presence, putting pressure on the entire opposing team.

Ultimately, a mid-lane Pantheon has the potential to completely dominate the game. He has a very strong early laning phase, few weak matchups, and once he can start roaming with Grand Skyfall, he has the potential to snowball hard (to become stronger and stronger over time) and eventually become impossible to stop.

Basic

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Runes are used to supplement a champions' base statistics. If you're a new Pantheon player, I suggest the above set-up, commonly used to provide a well-rounded boost to offensive and defensive statistics.

Greater Seal of Health and Greater Glyph of Magic Resist add to his tankiness so that he can endure auto-attacks and magic damage from what will commonly be AP-based opponents. You can take Greater Seal of Armor against an AD-mid.

I suggest that new players take Greater Mark of Attack Damage and Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage over their armor penetration counterparts for one main reason:

• Farming: Last hitting is hard, but these runes can make Pantheon's part-time job as a farmer a wee bit easier. But really, Pantheon hates farming. He just wants to spill the blood of his enemies. Or bake.

Pro

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This is the set-up that pros typically use. There are two main differences between this and my basic set up:

• First, the pro set up uses ArP Marks and AD Quints, providing the most damage possible when fighting against champions.
• Second, it uses Mana Regen Seals to help Pantheon sustain through his mana hungry phase during early game.

WARNING: Without any bonus armor, this is a set up that is only used to lane against AP mid champions.




This is a typical 21/9/0 page, seen in AD mid laners. In the offensive masteries, you have 2 points, allocated to Butcher and Feast, that are actually flexible. Here are some of your options:

• Butcher + Feast: For easier farming and a little sustain from last hitting.
• Expose Weakness + Dangerous Game : To enhance your teammates' damage and to give you some more mana if you feel like you will be going for multi-kills.
• Spell Weaving + Blade Weaving : Useful against melee mid champions, against whom you can utilize your auto-attacks more than you would against ranged champions.

Ignite Great for securing kills. As a mid-laning assassin, you should always take this.

Flash Great for quickly re-positioning yourself during duels or teamfights.

Start

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Crystalline Flask: A pretty standard item for mid lane Pantheon. Take it with a Health Potion and a Stealth Ward, or 3 Health Potions if you want to be a man.

Early Game

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The Brutalizer: Cost-efficient and provides Pantheon with every useful stat he needs. Builds cheaply into Black Cleaver!

Doran's Blade: If you get an early kill, go back and pick up one of these. The quick power boost will make your lane opponent's life a pain.

Long Sword: On your first back, if you don't have quite enough money for a first-tier item, don't be afraid to buy 2 or 3 Long Swords, as they can easily be built into relevant second-tier items later in the game.

Hexdrinker: Sometimes you'll face a really annoying AP champion that can fight back and deals a bunch of damage all at once. First-buying Hexdrinker is a way to cope with that and still give yourself a power boost.

Stealth Ward: Warding will save your life and your teammates' lives and also net you kills. Pick one up every time you go back. DO IT. DO IT NOW.

Vision Ward: Very useful for keeping your roaming patterns a mystery. Also, buy if you need to reveal stealthed champions like Akali, Evelynn, and Shaco.

Pro warding tip If you have just one ward during the laning phase, use it to ward the opposing team's wraith camp. Doing so helps you track the opposing jungler's movements and lets you see a gank coming from far away (junglers often attempt to gank mid after clearing wraiths). Where To Ward Green: Gank-Prevention Wards Yellow: Baron/Dragon Control Wards Red: Counter-Jungling Wards Blue: Buff-Defense Wards Teal: General Map-Vision Wards Purple: Late-Game Wards

Mid Game Damage Items

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Last Whisper: This item cuts through armor and should be your first purchase during the mid game phase. Having Last Whisper in addition to The Brutalizer/ Black Cleaver allows you to deal relevant damage to bruisers and tanks.

The Black Cleaver: A natural extension from The Brutalizer. Get this earlier if you have additional sources of physical damage on your team. The armor reduction stacks have nice synergy with Heartseeker Strike and allow your teammates to deal enhanced physical damage.

The Bloodthirster: This is a situational item because your AD ratios are high enough that you don't need this to deal lethal damage. Also, you won't always be able to first-buy a B. F. Sword. If you have 1550 g on your first back, go for it, but otherwise, this can be skipped. Note that the life-steal only applies to Pantheon's auto-attacks, not abilities.

Ravenous Hydra: Great for situations when you are irrelevant in teamfights (e.g. too tanky or too much CC), so your only helpful role on the team is to split push. Use and abuse that active.

Boots

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Mercury's Treads: This is pretty standard for Pantheon. You want these boots for Tenacity, which is important because Pantheon is already vulnerable to CC, so shortening the duration of any CC helps immensely.

Ninja Tabi: Great against AD team comps, especially with auto-attacking champions. Also good to pick up if the opposing ADC happens to be fed and can 1v1 you.

Ionian Boots of Lucidity: Sometimes, you may find yourself in games where you don't have access to your Blue Buff. If this is true and you still want the extra CDR, grab these boots.

Boots of Mobility: This is a fairly niche purchase since Grand Skyfall lets Pantheon forgo the walking part of roaming whenever it's off cooldown. Only buy these if you plan on roaming a lot when Grand Skyfall is on cooldown.

Late Game Survivability Items

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Guardian Angel: A common late game defense item for Pantheon. GA forces the enemy team to make a tough choice between focusing you first or last in teamfights. If they focus you first to mitigate your damage, they risk dying to your teammates without even securing the kill on you. If they focus you last, they gamble that they can kill all your teammates before you can deal out enough damage to wipe out their team.

Maw of Malmortius: A natural extension of Hexdrinker. If you needed Hexdrinker earlier, the upgraded magic shield from the Maw will be crucial by late game.

Randuin's Omen: Great against opposing AD carries and other auto-attacking champions. Remember to use the active that limits enemy movement, which you can use to pursue or to peel.

Banshee's Veil: Besides the nice anti-AP stats, the spell shield can block important spells like a Nidalee spear. The new passive is potentially life-saving as well.

Mercurial Scimitar: A must-buy against hard CC like a Warwick or Malzahar ultimate. Can also be used to nullify the effects of ultimates from champions like Zed and Darius.

Homeguard: Absolutely necessary by late game. It gets you back into battle ASAP after a recall or re-spawn so you can potentially save a tower, catch an enemy out of position, or react to a Baron rush.

Elixir of Fortitude: Always a good purchase if you've got a little left over money. You get extra health and attack damage for 3 minutes, which lasts even if you die during the period that it's activated.

Say No To

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Default Build

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Most games, I would advocate first-buying The Brutalizer, followed by a Boots, which will help you pursue opponents over long distances. You don't need to upgrade immediately: you'll be surprised at how long 380 movement speed can carry you.

You can immediately start building Last Whisper afterwards. The sooner you can take on bruisers and tanks, the better. Continue stacking damage by upgrading The Brutalizer into Black Cleaver. You can upgrade to tier 2 boots either before or after Black Cleaver; it will depend on the situation. Use your judgment. Then, get GA to give yourself a security blanket against assassins and teams with lots of CC.

To finish off your build, you will have the option of choosing one item from the first row and one item from the second row. These items are all situational: no one item is necessarily useful for each and every game.

Magic Shield

Pure Damage

Split Push

Cleanse

vs DPS

Spell Shield

Adjusting Your Build And Build Order

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The reality of LoL is that any one item might become useful at any given time during a game, and you will have to make those adjustments accordingly. Here is a short list of adjustments one might make:

• Hexdrinker: If you face a feisty AP champion, you may want to make Hexdrinker your first buy. You can also choose to buy this between The Brutalizer and Last Whisper if you decide you need the magic shield.
• B. F. Sword: If you're fed and can afford this before your first buy, purchasing this and going for a BT rush can snowball the game in your favor. However, don't force it! That is, if you have 1400 gold, don't go back to lane with nothing, trying to save up for it. Always buy something each time back to upgrade your power.
• Doran's Blade / Long Sword: After an early kill, you'll want to spend that money on a Doran's Blade or Long Sword for an immediate power boost. Also, if you happen to have 1250 gold, don't go back to lane with nothing trying to save for The Brutalizer. Go ahead and buy three Long Swords. You need the power boost, and buying Long Swords gives you flexibility with your future purchases.
• Chain Vest / Negatron Cloak: An early Chain Vest or Negatron Cloak purchase (perhaps after completing Last Whisper) can go a long ways towards keeping you alive for the purposes of snowballing the game in your favor.

Sample Six-Item Builds

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Mantheon

Just pure Mantheon, and by that I mean a lot of damage, with just a GA to help you survive.

vs Heavy AD

Ninja Tabi and Randuin's Omen combine to reduce incoming physical damage and slow the enemy's attack speed and movement.

vs Heavy AP

Provides plenty of magic resist and gives you a spell shield and magic shield.

vs Heavy CC

Against teams with a lot of CC, get Mercurial Scimitar for its Mini- Cleanse.

Let me preface this section by saying that quickcasting (formerly known as smartcasting) is very useful for Pantheon's Q, W, and E skills. As an assassin, Pantheon needs to be able to deliver all his skills swiftly and deftly. The extra time taken to choose the skill and then aim it can actually give your opponent time to react and get away. Therefore, make sure to smartcast those skills.

Aegis Protection

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When proc'd, Aegis Protection completely blocks damage from auto-attacks and abilities that apply on-hit effects, like Ezreal's Mystic Shot and Gangplank's Parrrley, but not the effect itself (e.g. Spellblade from Iceborn Gauntlet). When used properly with Aegis of Zeonia, you can get a double block, making it a significant source of damage mitigation (especially when AD carries are trying to crit you with auto-attacks!). Tips & Tricks Make sure to proc this before initiating with an enemy. One way to do this is to auto-attack nearby minions. After farming and harrassing in lane, Aegis Protection will probably be proc'd without you even realizing it! If you have low health while running from an auto-attacking champion, it may be prudent to turn around and auto-attack/chuck a Spear Shot to proc Aegis Protection as you flee. The resulting block may save your life. Aegis Protection also blocks turret shots, making Pantheon a great turret diver and under-the-turret harasser. When performing a turret dive, make sure you proc Aegis Protection beforehand. Use Spear Shot and an auto-attack to do as much damage as you can before the first turret shot is blocked. Then use Aegis of Zeonia to re-proc Aegis Protection and proceed to use the rest of your skills and auto-attacks. Your opponent should be dead as the second turret shot gets blocked. Proceed to walk out like a boss. NEVER perform a turret dive when your opponent has some sort of stun or root ability available. If you draw turret aggro and Ahri lands her charm, you are so f***ed.

Spear Shot

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Where Pantheon becomes SPAMTHEON!!! I kid. But seriously, this skill is a very strong source of poke damage. As long as you have enough mana, you should use Q to harass and incrementally lower your enemy's health, until you are ready to go for the kill. tips & tricks Any time you opponent is among his minions, hold the ` key as you cast Spear Shot so that you specifically aim at the champion and not his minions. Try to avoid your opponent's skill shots (if any) when you harass with Spear Shot, ensuring that you win each trade. When going for the kill, try to time your final Spear Shot so that it hits when your opponent is below 15% health and crits (from the Heartseeker Strike passive). This will almost always assure you get the kill. Nothing is worse than mis-timing it and watching your opponent walk away with 100 health left. Critical strike damage enhancers affect a crit'd Spear Shot, so an item like Infinity Edge technically synergizes with Pantheon, although I really don't recommend it.

Aegis of Zeonia

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This is a gap closer that you can use on enemy champions and minions. Obviously, you use this offensively to keep the enemy champion in place while you unload your attacks onto him. The stun only lasts 1 second, so make sure you unload everything quickly or get in a better position to continue trading damage. Tips & Tricks This refreshes Aegis Protection!!! If your opponent has a blink of some sort (e.g. Ezreal's Arcane Shift), you may want to save Aegis of Zeonia until they have used that blink so that they have zero escapes from you. Especially on a gank, you will want to take an angle where your opponent cannot blink past you, and if they try to, you will be in range to use Aegis of Zeonia and the rest of your abilities. Now that W can hit minions, you should always hold down ` to target champions. This way you don't accidentally waste your stun on a minion while going all-in. If an opponent tries to turret dive you, Aegis of Zeonia is a great way to ensure that your opponent takes some extra turret shots. You may even net a kill. Sometimes, you may be able to use this defensively by stunning your opponent to get away, but obviously it depends on where your opponent lies in relation to your escape path. You will likely have to use Flash to complete your escape.

Heartseeker Strike

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A two parter! The passive applies to both Pantheon's auto-attacks and Spear Shot. The crit helps him farm and finish off enemy champions. The active is an area of effect attack in the form of a cone extending out from Pantheon. The range is slightly longer than the graphic displays (around 600), as all skill shots tend to be. Everything inside the cone will be dealt the same amount of damage, making Heartseeker Strike an especially lethal attack if enemy champions are grouped up together. However, you do have to remain immobile while you channel the attack, so only use it when you have proper positioning. tips & tricks Only use Heartseeker Strike when you know that your opponent has no stuns or silences that can interrupt its channel. This is your major burst damage skill and you cannot afford for it to be interrupted. Similarly, only use Heartseeker Strike when you know your opponent has no more blinks. Many amateur Pantheon players prematurely use it only to have their opponents blink out of its range. It's not uncommon to combo Aegis of Zeonia into Heartseeker Strike to ensure that you land all three strikes. Like many AoE spells, Heartseeker Strike is most lethal when multiple enemies are grouped together in its range. If possible, try to lead your enemies into a choke point or jungle entrance, which forces enemies to be grouped in a small space. Note that you can cancel out of this skill by right-clicking as Pantheon channels the attacks. You should do this when your opponent is running out of range but low enough to be finished off with one last Spear Shot

Grand Skyfall

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This is Pantheon's epic ultimate where he drops his nutsacks from the sky and teabags with such force that it severely damages enemy champions in the area and emotionally scars them for life (and afterlife). There is a lot of important information about Grand Skyfall, so I have used spoilers to save some space. Click To See Grand Skyfall's Uses Ganking: This is the reason we've put Pantheon in mid lane. Use Grand Skyfall to gank top or bot lane when the enemy is out of position and get yourself an easy kill or assist. Make sure you use Grand Skyfall in the fog of war so that your opponents can't tell which lane you are ganking. Gap Closer: Grand Skyfall has an epic range of 5500. If your foe has barely escaped from your finishing blow, but you know which direction they're heading, use Grand Skyfall to stomp out their hopes of life. If they still live after absorbing the damage from your landing, continue using the rest of your attacks to finish them off. Zoning: Grand Skyfall can be very effective at zoning the enemy and forcing the enemy back towards your teammates. It is especially effective when used in tandem with your teammate's AoE spells, like Nunu & Willump's Absolute Zero, Gangplank's Cannon Barrage, or Zac's Let's Bounce, ultimately forcing the enemy to choose between two very ugly demises. Positioning: In a teamfight, your team will want to focus on killing the enemy dealing the highest output of damage, usually the ADC or APC. You can help your team do this by using Grand Skyfall to position yourself to stun the target and take the champion out by yourself or with your teammates. Emergency Escape: Caught in a bad position? See a gank coming with no time to run away? Stuck in enemy territory with low health after killing an enemy? Never fear! Use Grand Skyfall to teleport out of your predicament. Do this fast before one of your enemies can get in range to stun and kill you. Additional tips to remember A tip to landing Grand Skyfall is to answer this question: Where is the fight going to happen? For example, if the enemy bot lane is being aggressive and is pushed up, you will want to place your ult behind them, as they are likely to run backwards when they see your ult. If you have a hard initiate on your team, like an Annie's Summon: Tibbers, then place your ult directly on top of where Annie's ult pops up. If your bot lane is being pursued by the enemy, then place your ult in front of the enemy so that they are forced to run into you if they want to keep pursuing. While landing the center of Grand Skyfall directly on top of the enemy is certainly gratifying, it isn't a necessity, so don't feel like you've used it poorly if you're a little inaccurate. You're really using your ult for its teleporting ability. Also, remember that opponents in Grand Skyfall's range get slowed for 1 second upon landing, so even if your target is on the very edge of Grand Skyfall's range when you land, you should still be able to catch up and land a stun. If you feel that you may waste Grand Skyfall because you have not placed it correctly or the situation has changed, you can cancel it by right-clicking during the channeling phase. It will go on a relatively short 10 second cooldown and then you will be able to use it again. However, your window to use it in that moment will probably close, so by cancelling it, you are essentially saving your ult for a better situation. Also be aware that you can be stunned out of using this skill (it will still go on the shortened 10 second cooldown) or stunned upon landing. Know that you can actually cast Spear Shot or Aegis of Zeonia while you're in the air. As the green outline expands and animates your ETA, start mashing Q or W at your preferred target. As long as the target is still in range, the spell will land automatically the second you hit the ground, minimizing your target's escape window. If your enemy is fleeing in the top or bottom lane, try catching them in between jungle entrances. It will increase your chances of landing Grand Skyfall because your target will be trapped by the lane's large walls and won't have time to reach alternate escape paths. When ganking with Grand Skyfall from mid lane, retreat into fog of war to prevent your opponents from predicting where you will gank. This also minimizes their reaction time to your gank. It'll take some practice to land Grand Skyfall. When you first start using it, your enemies will probably manage to run out of range. Don't worry, be patient, keep practicing, and you'll get the hang of it!

Red & Green: Bushes to hide in to gank top. Green is better for turret diving. Blue & Orange: Bushes to hide in to gank bottom. Orange is better for turret diving. Yellow: Remember, always try to retreat into fog of war before you gank with Grand Skyfall. Just be wary that good opponents will have warded the "!" areas to help their team predict your gank.

Levels 1-6 > > > > > Q > W > E > Q > Q > R

Levels 1-6 is pretty standard. You want to maximize Pantheon's strong poke damage early, so 3 levels in Spear Shot makes sense. You take Aegis of Zeonia at level 2 to increase your kill potential. If you're dominant early and ready to go in for the kill, take Heartseeker Strike at level 3 to have your full combo. If you have to play it safer because you have a tough lane or have already drawn attention from their jungler, take Spear Shot at level 3. You take Grand Skyfall at level 6 to open your ganking potential.

Levels 7-12 > > > > > Q > E > Q > E > R > E

Here is where you have some flexibility. Traditionally, Pantheon players max Q first for maximum poke. I have occasionally chosen to leave Q at rank 3 and started maxing E for stronger burst earlier in the game. I have also skipped putting a 2nd rank in R in order to keep strengthening Pantheon's damage. It's ultimately up to you, but if you are a beginner, I would recommend playing it safe and just going with the traditional skill order.

Levels 13-18 > > > > > E > W > W > R > W > W

The rest is straight forward. Finish maxing whatever damage skill you left for last, finish maxing out Grand Skyfall when you can, and finish leveling up Aegis of Zeonia.

Here, I'm talking about drafting and ranked matches. Naturally, you can be a man and play Pantheon whenever you want, but there are certain cases when it's not a good idea. In this section I'll cover situations in which it is safe to pick Pantheon.

In terms of the enemy team, the more squishy champions they have, the better. Also, champions with few escape or disengage skills make it far easier for Pantheon to land his abilities. I'm talking about champions such as:

• ADCs: Draven, Miss Fortune, Kog'Maw etc.
• Supports: Sona, Soraka
• Junglers: Shaco, Evelynn, Rengar

And in terms of your team, you want champions that can help divert attention away from you and split teamfights into small skirmishes. Champions like Zac, Xin Zhao, Jarvan IV, Thresh, Janna can all draw the opposing team's aggro and allow you to get to your target and burst them down.


A difficult counter in lane isn't necessarily a problem for Pantheon since he can easily roam to other lanes, gain a gold advantage, and return with a power boost. However, it is good to know some common mid lane champions that can give him problems so that you can plan your game strategy ahead of time.

Pantheon's Crooked Counters

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Cho'Gath: He brings sustain, tankiness, and hard CC, all eternal foes of Pantheon. Cho'Gath is relatively weak early game, so to beat him, you should play hyper-aggressively and try for a kill. However, you're going to have to ward both sides because you will definitely draw attention from the opposing jungler. If Cho'Gath gets ahead, forget about killing him and just farm and roam.

Cassiopeia: She can be very difficult if you can't dodge her Noxious Blast, which will result in you losing every trade from Twin Fang's ultra-short cooldown. All-in's at level 4 can be difficult because she will toss her Miasma on top of herself and proceed to E you to death. However, she is mana hungry early, so if you can dodge her spells and run her oom, you can all-in her safely.

Heimerdinger: Surprisingly difficult. The biggest problem is the turrets, which make all-ins difficult. Try to get rid of them with your spears. Your best bet is to all-in him at level 2, provided he doesn't have Barrier. At level 6, he can stun you and then finish you off with his upgraded turret.

Mordekaiser: What. A. Pain. His AoE damage can be hard to avoid, and Iron Man makes it hard to trade against him with Spear Shot. 1v1, he will inevitably wear you down. Call for ganks, since he has no escapes, and make sure to get either a Mercurial Scimitar or a Guardian Angel to protect yourself against Children of the Grave.

Swain: Decrepify and Nevermove provide a slow and snare that can prevent you from ever getting in range to harass him. If you try to go all-in on him, you might never make it out alive, especially if he is level 6. Never try to 1v1 Swain when he has Ravenous Flock available, as his ravens will eat you alive and heal him too.

Ziggs: Get your boots on and prepare to dance. This matchup will test your ability to dodge all the skill shots. If you can't dodge them, Ziggs will eventually wear you out. Your best chance is to all in at level 2 or 3 before he has all of his skills and try to snowball off of that. Otherwise, he can easily disengage from you with Satchel Charge and Hexplosive Minefield and you will be pretty screwed.

Goals

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• Gain as much gold and experience as you can (i.e. Farm, farm, farm. Just keep farming.).
• Fight for a gold/experience advantage by zoning, harassing, and/or killing your opponent.
• Defend your tower.
• DON'T DIE
• Click for a visual of your mid lane safety zones

  

  Yep, that's an Ashe. Jhoijhoi's Ashe, actually.
• Where To Ward, Again

  

  Green: Gank-Prevention Wards

  Yellow: Baron/Dragon Control Wards

  Red: Counter-Jungling Wards

  Blue: Buff-Defense Wards

  Teal: General Map-Vision Wards

  Purple: Late-Game Wards

Tips

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• Try to spam Spear Shots hard on the levels you upgrade it (1, 3 or 4, 5), and save mana on the levels you don't (2, 3 or 4). The power spike is significant for each rank of Spear Shot, so you don't want to be wasting mana on less powerful Spear Shots.
• If your opponent is close enough to be auto-attacked, you should do so. And if your opponent starts to flee, you should take advantage of Pantheon's high base movement speed and pursue them as far as you can (just don't get ganked). The extra damage adds up.
• Harass with your auto-attacks and Spear Shots when your Aegis Protection is up, while chugging your consumables. Doing this consistently should leave you with more health than your opponent.
• When your enemy is low, the basic combo to get the kill is W -> auto-attack -> E -> Ignite -> Q .
• Avoid all your opponents' skill shots. Many mids have skill shots that can poke and zone you from farming. However, if you can avoid them, no harm is done and you retain control of your zone.
• Always try to be aware of where the enemy jungler is, especially if you are having early success. Your opponent will inevitably call for help. When harassing aggressively, it's easy to get carried away and lose your map awareness as you go for the kill, only to get ganked by their jungler and come away with nothing. Warding and good map awareness will help you stay alive and let you be aggressive at the same time.
• If the opposing jungler is camping your lane, that's okay, just play safe. By drawing this much attention, you are relieving pressure from your team's other lanes and allowing your teammates to play more aggressively.
• When going aggressive or for a kill, always go through this checklist. Doing so consistently will help you minimize your mistakes and capitalize on your opponents' mistakes.
  
  checklist

  • Where did I last see their jungler? Top laner?
  • Is anyone trying to gank me right now?
  • Do I have a ward up? Am I favoring the side that I have vision on?
  • Do I have Flash up? Ignite? Does my opponent have either of these up?
  • Is my jungler nearby in case things go badly?

During this phase of the game, the sky falls and your reign of terror as MANTHEON begins. Your first couple of ultimates are crucial in determining how the game will play out, so here are some tips:

Goals

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• Help your team get stronger through successful ganks and accomplishing objectives.
• Let. The. Sky. Fall.

Ganking Tips

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• Prioritize bot lane. It's close to Dragon, bot lane has squishier & lower level targets, you have extra CC from your bot lane, and you have the potential of shutting down 2 players instead of just one.
• That being said, the most important thing is the success of your ultimate, so it's okay to gank top too, especially if it's a lane that can snowball and carry the team (e.g. Riven, Singed).
• You can also fake a gank and Grand Skyfall right back onto your mid lane opponent if he tries to push and take your tower.
• Don't restrict yourself from ganking only when Grand Skyfall is up. His high base movement speed allows him to roam to other lanes just as quickly.
• PLAN your ganks, especially when you use Grand Skyfall. If you don't, Grand Skyfall can take even your teammates by surprise. So do what you have to (ping, type in chat box) in order to make sure they are ready to attack upon your arrival.
• Always try to push your lane before you attempt a gank so that you don't lose minions and/or your tower.
• Any time you gank a lane, always have a timer in your head counting down the time you have to complete your gank and get out. When you land, you inevitably will draw attention from the opposing jungler and mid laner, or even a teleporting top laner. When that timer goes off, ping your teammates back to safety and try again later.
• Try not to gank if you and/or your allies have low health (unless ya'll are really sure you can stay alive). You might end up getting everyone killed, which would negate the advantage created by any kills your team gets, if any.

Objectives

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• Kills are a means to an end. The gold you get from kills is nothing compared to the global gold you get from taking down a turret or killing Dragon.
• Always use your ganks as a means to taking an objective.
• Pantheon has so much global pressure in the early-mid game that if you don't take advantage of it to take an outside turret or Dragon and gain some global gold, you're going to be kicking yourself in the butt later for not having taken advantage of your global pressure.

By this time, teams will be fighting regularly over objectives. How you and your teammates execute during these teamfights will ultimately determine which team wins the game. A couple of general rules:

• Don't get caught out. You are an important part of your team. If you get caught out and die, your team loses you for as long as a minute, which gives the enemy team time to accomplish objectives with a numbers advantage.
• Ward as much as you can for map control. There's nothing worse than getting caught out of position and being a free kill because your team didn't have vision.

Split-Pushing

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• One of the most common strategies used in solo queue to take objectives and break into the enemy base is to push out the side lanes and then re-group to push mid. Usually, teammates will push the lanes up to around the river area before re-grouping, allowing the minions to push the rest of the way on their own.
• Occasionally, a split-pusher will do a hard push with the minions past the river, forcing the enemy team to address the split-push in some way. If they don't, they will end up losing a turret.
• Split-pushers who do this have to be able to win a 1v1 or have a global ability that can allow them to re-group with their team instantaneously, whether it be Teleport or a champion's ability.
• Pantheon fits this profile, as he typically puts out enough damage to handle 1v1's, and if he cannot handle it, he can quickly re-group with his team using Grand Skyfall.
• If you choose to use Pantheon in this role as a hard split-pusher, you have to have ward coverage, be an excellent communicator and have great map awareness.
• As you push towards a turret, keep an eye out on the situation in mid.
• If the enemy responds to your push by sending one person to deal with you, you have the option to try to beat your opponent 1v1 and take the side turret or to start a 5v4 teamfight in mid with Grand Skyfall.
• If the enemy does not respond to your push and does not engage a teamfight, take the turret for free.
• If the enemy responds to your push by engaging in a 5v4 fight against your team, you need to ult into the fight to even the odds.
• Whichever option you choose, make sure you communicate with your team about your intentions so that they can react accordingly.

Teamfights

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• Teamfights can be one of the more difficult phases of the game for Pantheon since it requires patience, proper positioning, and good communication with your teammates.
• In general, your highest priority targets are the opposing ADC and/or APC, whom are usually their team's biggest damage dealers. However, they can be difficult to reach because they usually fight behind their teammates, which means you would have to run through a wall of angry tanks and bruisers to get to them.
• Grand Skyfall could potentially negate this problem by allowing you to land right next to the squishy ADC/APC, but this also means that you would be fighting by yourself behind enemy lines - a dangerous and risky business, especially if your team is not ready to follow up with you.
• So unless you can coordinate something like this with your team, save Grand Skyfall until you know the enemy team is not focused on you, making it easier for you to kill your targets quickly before they can focus you down.
• If you don't have your ult, you should essentially act as a second ADC (i.e. stay behind your front liners and attack whomever comes closest to you).
• If you didn't catch that, I'm going to say it again. Stay behind your front liners and attack whomever comes closest to you. By following this principle, I guarantee you will increase your team's chances of winning the teamfight from the sheer fact that you are living longer, which subsequently lets you output more damage.
• You should still communicate with your team about which enemy champions you want to focus. As a general rule, if multiple enemies approach your backline, target the one who outputs the most damage (e.g. if a Jax and a Singed run up to you, kill the Jax first. Please. For me.).
• Remember that Heartseeker Strike is an AoE attack. If your positioning allows it, try to catch as many enemy champions in your Heartseeker Strike as you can.
• During teamfights, you have an obligation to save your stun for certain channeled spells. Miss Fortune's Bullet Time, Katarina's Death Lotus, Nunu & Willump's Absolute Zero, and an AP Master Yi's Meditate are all good examples of spells that you MUST INTERRUPT with Aegis of Zeonia.
• Late game teamfights will decide which team wins the game, so be patient, play confidently and aggressively, and always be communicating with your teammates!

Answer: Help Graves kill Malphite (this is a mid-lane AP Malphite, not a tank).
Explanation: In this scenario, players from both teams are in their proper positions on the front and backlines. However, Hecarim was caught out by Red Team and is about to die, leaving Blue Team without one of their front line members.

Given this fact, Pantheon absolutely MUST stay by Graves's side and fight off the Red Team's front liners, starting with Malphite. While the highest priority target is Ezreal, Pantheon cannot dive in on him. Being one of the two high damage dealers remaining for his team, Pantheon would be focused and killed immediately by Red Team, leaving Taric and Graves in an even more vulnerable position. Rather, Pantheon should leave the diving to Jarvan IV (his specialty) and instead focus on helping Graves damage the Red Team's front liners, starting with the one closest to them: Malphite.

Assuming his team has successfully eliminated Malphite, Pantheon should continue to help his back line kite and repel Red Team's front line by order of highest damage ( Olaf, Shyvana, and lastly Blitzcrank), and when possible, take down Ezreal, their ADC.


Answer: Help Graves kill Wukong.
Explanation: In this scenario, Red Team is forcing Baron. Seeing Blue Team arriving to contest, they disengage from Baron and focus on Blue Team. Blue Team, and Pantheon for that matter, are not in an ideal position. Blue Team has less health than Red Team, and Pantheon, who should be on the back line, is out on the front line because Malphite is too low on health.

Assuming that Jarvan IV goes and does his thing (e.g. separate as much of the enemy team as possible with Cataclysm), it is of utmost importance that Pantheon remain where he is between the enemy team and Graves. If Pantheon jumps in with Jarvan IV, then the enemy team has a straight shot to the three backliners, all of whom are at 50% health or lower. Therefore, Pantheon needs to use his spells on the biggest damage dealer that comes his way while his backline supports him with their damage.

The order of priority here is Wukong, Jax, Caitlyn, Nunu & Willump, Amumu. Also, if Nunu & Willump uses Absolute Zero, Pantheon should use Aegis of Zeonia to stop the channel.


Got all the way through? Good! I'm really glad because Pantheon is my favorite champion, is just so darn fun to play, and I'm happy I could just share some of his awesomeness with you. But now you have no excuse. From now on, I expect you to dominate like a MANTHEON. Now go out there, and remember...

• Here's a shout out to jhoijhoi for creating that amazing guide to crafting guides.
• Parts of this guide were heavily influenced by Atrioc, who has probably created the best overall Pantheon guide out there. Thanks for your great work.
• Credit to Astrolia for helping me create the custom Table of Contents.
• The excellent map of where to ward came from an old version of Nusaik's Leona Guide.
• I found the picture of "Baker Pantheon" on a tumblr site called itumblenudebro.tumblr.com, but the picture itself was credited to someone named xSoran. I hope it's okay that I used your picture! If not, let me know and I will take it down.
• Finally, thanks to EVERYONE (you know who you are) who has reviewed my guide and/or provided helpful feedback. You guys helped make the guide what it is today. Ya'll are the best!

• Pantheon was designed by Shurelia. Yes, the same person that Shurelya's Battlesong is named after.
• Oh and by the way, Shurelia and Randuin (of Randuin's Omen) are married. Crazy!
• Pantheon was childhood friends with Leona. Aww adorbs.
• Pantheon's lore had previously stated that he was of the tribe "Stanpar" (an anagram of "Spartan"). But when Leona was introduced to the game, his lore had been re-written to replace all mentions of his tribe's name "Stanpar" with "Rakkor." Lame, I know.
• Pantheon's joke refers to this scene of 300:
  
  My profession?!

  Play Video
• Pantheon's taunt refers to this scene of 300:
  
  Getting kicked into a well...

  Play Video
• Pantheon's dance is a reference to Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock
• One of Pantheon's regular quotes (i.e. when you right click to move him) refers to this scene of 300:
  
  They will not enjoy this!

  Play Video
• Has anyone seen the following lore before? I found it on Team Curse's website.
  
  Pantheon Old Lore?

  
  The outer cities of Rakkor were under siege by the Noxians that came in great numbers. Although the Rakkor forces were outnumbered at the ratio of one to one thousand, Pantheon took upon his holy relics with pride, wearing his full metal set of armor and steered out to face his enemies.
  
  Pantheon took charge of the offensive strikes along with his most trustworthy squad of soldiers while Leona rallied her small battalion to defend the evacuating citizens of a small Rakkor village.
  
  As Pantheon entered the vicinity of the fight with eyes blazing red and his blood boiling for vengeance in battle, he witnessed the corpse of his own people, burning and decaying. The scene was grotesque. Many normal soldiers might have broken in madness but Pantheon was no ordinary soldier by any means. Realizing that dark magic had been casted on the dead as an act to bind their souls from resting, Pantheon had no choice but to relinquish them of their curse.
  
  It was twenty men including Pantheon himself against roughly two-thousand Noxian soldiers but the fierce champion fought on without giving into any doubts. His spear pierced the Noxian soldiers like fire against paper as his shield deflected the blunt blades of his enemies. The fearless phalanx led by Pantheon surged forward but as time passed, all but Pantheon himself had died in honorable duty.
  
  The lone warrior, tired, battered, and wounded with multiple punctures along his body, took the time to analyze the battlefield. The sun was setting and the tall bloodied grasses swayed smoothly as the wind blew along the plains of the battlefield.
  
  Something was still wrong however… Pantheon still felt that the evil curse was left undone. The source of the curse still lingered along the vicinity. He felt the presence of his ultimate foe draw closer by the heartbeats.
  
  Pantheon gazed upon the corpses of his enemies and let their lifeless forms give him energy. He then glared upon his fallen comrades and let their honor fuel him with a righteous rage. His grip tightened on his equipments once more with life and motivation. The heavy armor he wore felt light yet again. Whoever this foe was, Pantheon was ready for combat.
  
  The dark and large figure stomped closer. Pantheon immediately recognized his enemy. It was Mordekaiser. The Rakkoran soldier understood that his foe was left untouched. In truth, Pantheon was still exhausted. For the first time, he felt fear and doubt. For the first time, he understood what it meant to face certain death.
  
  The two metallic soldiers stood face to face for a moment. Their eyes both burned in hatred except Pantheon stared up at Mordekaiser, standing only four feet away from each other. In a lightning fast reflex, Pantheon gave his first thrust as he twisted in a circular motion for maximum torque but it glanced off Mordekaiser’s shoulder plate. As punishment, the evil warrior swung his gigantic mace, throwing and shattering Pantheon and his armor alike across the plains.
  
  Mordekaiser laughed. His deep voice echoed amongst the field. He then casted a shield that continued to shred Pantheon as metallic shards slit into his exposed skin. The Rakkoran warrior brought upon his shield and carefully moved in, only to be casted in the air once more as Mordekaiser used another spell that caused maces to emerge from beneath the grounds.
  
  The wounded warrior uncontrollably twitched a couple times then regained his balance back on his feet. His breathing grew heavier in utter exhaustion.
  
  Pantheon hurled his spear at his enemy’s chest. The first one pierced through Mordekaiser’s thick armor as the tip of the spear exited out the back of the hulking creature. Pantheon immediately focused his power as the spear transitioned into particles of golden dusts then appeared back in his hand. He threw it in the same fashion as Mordekaiser approached him, taking the hit once again. It was apparent by now that Mordekaiser did not care about pain.
  
  The colossal mace struck down upon Pantheon. He blocked the first blow with his shield, bearing the sheer weight of the metallic weapon on himself. The second strike shattered Pantheon’s torso plating and sent the warrior bloodied back on the grass.
  
  The triumphant foe gave his dark laughter. Mordekaiser took off Pantheon’s helmet then pulled his lifeless body up by his head as his grasp came close to fracturing Pantheon’s skull and eventually crushing it.
  
  A light came beaming from the sky abruptly and struck Mordekaiser just in time before Pantheon was executed. Confused by what it was, Mordekaiser glimpsed around the area, only to find another equally battered foe similar to the one he intended to kill. It was Leona.
  
  Delighted by even further entertainment, Mordekaiser charged in, smashing his mace at Leona immediately. Had the fight been a fair one, Leona would have held on but she too was weak at this point.
  
  Before she knew it, Mordekaiser had his foot on her belly, crushing her down as she moaned in demise.
  
  Pantheon could no longer watch as the scene unraveled. He stood up, took a deep breath as the world slowed down and threw his spear towards Mordekaiser’s head this time. Miraculously, it went through.
  
  Though he thought that Mordekaiser was dead at last, the daunting figure merely twisted his gaze towards Pantheon and laughed. He then disintegrated and disappeared into the shadows before anyone could cease him.
  
  Leona was unconscious and she had risked her life to save her dear friend since childhood. For the first time, Pantheon felt something other than the urge to kill and win. The warrior felt humility and sadness, watching down at Leona’s broken form as he carried her on his arms. Tears of sorrow poured down. This day, he had failed to protect his people and almost lost his best and only true friend.
  
  As Pantheon carried Leona back to the inner cities of Rakkor, all he felt was failure…
  
  And failure was what drove Pantheon to become even stronger… he joined the League of Legends to hunt down Mordekaiser and to seek other evil doers to bring them to justice.
  
  “No evil shall stand before me ever again.” –Pantheon as he entered the League of Legends.
  
• If that's a real thing, then gosh darnit I KNEW Mordekaiser had to be Pantheon's arch-nemesis! Maybe Mord's his long lost evil twin too! I mean look at them. They look alike, right? It's the eyes, definitely the eyes.