Hi guys, This is my very first build on Mobafire, so I hope you like it!
Thresh is one of my all time favorite supports because he brings so much to a team. He can get insanely tanky Because of his passive, Damnation. Along with being able to tank tons of damage, thresh has a ton of cc and can easily turn the tide of a fight. He is a really fun champion to play because he is relatively easy to learn, and hopefully I can teach you a few things about him with this guide!

Pros:
Can get very tanky and deal a lot of damage because of Damnation + Flay
Lots of CC
Good at disrupting enemies
Dark Passage Allows thresh to get his teammates out of/into team fights.

Cons:
Early mana problems
Squishy early
The shield on Dark Passage is very weak until it gets leveled.
Low mobility

When playing as Thresh, and other tanky supports, it is really important that you can take harass from the enemy ADC, and survive in skirmishes in lane. This is done by building both armor and health.

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Greater Mark of Armor x9 (8 additional armor) The reason that I take armor marks here instead of physical damage, or anything like that (Armor pen, Magic pen, Ability power) is because due to the passives on Flay + Damnation dealing increased magic damage as it is. Trading the armor for extra damage can work in some cases, but because Thresh tends to be squishy early on, the extra armor helps a lot.

Greater Seal of Armor x9(13 Additional armor) Is basically the standard seal for tanks. Great when playing in the bot lane especially because it reduces the damage that the enemy ADC can deal in a skirmish, or when they are just trying to harass.

Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resistx9 (24 additional magic resist at level 18, + .15 per level) Scaling magic resist runes come in handy when you're playing in the bottom lane because you usually won't be going against full AP champions until later on in the game. These can be traded out for Greater Glyph of Magic Resist, but with flat MR runes, you only get 12 magic resist, where scaling MR runes give you 24 (at level 18). I recommend taking scaling MR runes most of the time, but you can take flat MR when the enemy team has AP supports who will be able to do enough damage to be a nuisance (Sona, Annie, etc.)

Greater Quintessence of Health x3(78 additional HP) Are very important have on Thresh because of how squishy he is early. Being able to take as much damage as possible is key to winning lane and getting your team kills, and you assists.

Other Runes

Greater Mark of Magic Penetration x9(7.8 magic pen) Good for increasing the damage you can do when poking with Flay's Passive.

Greater Glyph of Magic Resist x9(12 Magic resist) Good when playing against AP bases laners, gives you a good boost to magic resist early.

Greater Quintessence of Armorx3(13 armor) Trading health for armor can work in a lot of cases, but it's really personal preference.

Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed x3(+4.5% Movement speed) Another great quint for Thresh because it helps with his low mobility. Allows him to escape more effectively, set up for team mates to escape, and position himself for fights. This would probably be my second choice.

When the pre-season started, I began experimenting with the mastery trees a lot more than I had done previously. One thing that I found is that straying away from the standard 0/9/21 or 0/21/9 mastery builds is a lot more viable than it was previously. On Thresh, I run 0/16/14 masteries because I can get a good amount of defense with just 16 points and focus the rest into the utility tree, allowing me to get some of the really good support masteries.



In the defensive tree, I primarily go for resistances (Armor and a splash of Magic resist), along with a little bit of health. But I also take Recovery and Perseverance so I can stay in lane longer because of the health regeneration I get.
The point in Second Wind is very useful for staying alive at low health, which is great for low level fights and such.

In the Utility tree, I made sure to take Fleet of Foot, as low movement speed is a problem for thresh. Taking Meditation helps exponentially in lane because thresh tends to be very mana hungry. I reach down into Culinary Master So I don't have to spend as much money on mana pots. Building all the way into Scavenger is also very helpful because it stacks with Ancient Coin - Talisman of Ascension, earning you more gold for just standing there!

Flash is a really good spell because Thresh has Very low mobility and this spell allows him to get away, but can also save a friendly carries flash. ( Flash then Dark Passage so the carry can escape too)

Exhaust is good for pretty much the same reason as flash. It can be used to make sure that Thresh and his team can escape. This is a highly underestimated ability because it doesn't only slow. It also decreases ALL damage (including spell and items) by 30%, and attack speed by 50% ON TOP of the 30% movement speed debuff. VERY effective when used towards the end of a fight when the "Fight or Flight" instinct kicks in, because it hinders the enemy either way.

Other Spells

I don't run ignite on any of my supports, but it is still a very good summoner for securing (Or stealing) kills for your team. Sometimes the little bit of extra damage helps, especially with ADCs running barrier.

In this patch, heal is a pretty good summoner to take because even though the heal is pretty low, it grants a 30% movement speed buff, allowing for escapes or even chances.

(Innate): Thresh does not gain armor per level. Instead, Thresh collects the souls of dead enemies by walking near. Souls permanently grant armor and ability power.
Champions and large minions always drop a harvestable soul. Small minions only sometimes drop a soul.

This passive is one of my favorite ones in the game, because it is so unique. The armor granted per soul is amazing because thresh is typically played as a tank, and is pretty squishy early game.
Tip:Make sure you pick up as many souls as you can throughout the game,
Tip:DON'T overextend or take any crazy risks to get souls.
Tip: Dark Passage Can be used to pick up souls, but be careful about when you use this, as the cooldown on the lantern is very high until leveled.
Tip: The value of souls goes down as you get more.

(Active): Thresh throws out his scythe, dealing magic damage to the first unit hit and pulling them toward him for 1.5 seconds.
Thresh can reactivate this ability to pull himself towards the bound enemy.
Very similar to Blitzcrank pull, but the actual pull itself is less effective. The trade off here is that thresh can pull himself into the enemy and cc an entire team rather than just pulling one champion to their death.
Tip: Combine the second Q with Dark Passage to get another team mate in the middle of the enemy.
Tip: Don't use the second Q if it isn't safe, or if your team mates won't be able to react to it, as you can get yourself killed very easily.
Tip: Can be maxed first if you need more hooks early on. If You are playing really aggressive, or you are missing hooks are good times to max this.

(Active):Thresh throws his lantern towards the target location for up to 6 seconds. If an ally right-clicks it, they pick up the lantern and Thresh pulls them both back to him. For the next 6 seconds, allies who come near the lantern (even while Thresh is holding it) gain a shield lasting 4 seconds that absorbs damage. Allies can only receive the shield once per cast. If Thresh moves more than ~1500 units away, the lantern will return to him.

Another unique ability! This can be used to save members of your team, or bring them into the fight. The shield is very weak, and the cooldown is high until you get some levels into it.
Tip: Grants vision! Throw over walls or into bushes so you don't have to facecheck.
Tip: High Cooldown, leaving you vulnerable after use.
Tip: Collects souls!
Tip:Everyone knows that this can be used to bring team mates into a fight. If the enemy is hugging the minion line, you can throw the lantern backwards or towards the river and make the enemy think your jungler is coming. This usually results in them running away from the minions, making a good hook a lot easier for you.
Tip: Can be maxed if you need a lower cooldown, or a better shield.

(Passive): Thresh's basic attacks deal bonus magic damage on each hit. The damage value is equal to the total number of souls collected plus a percentage of his attack damage, based on the amount of time since his last attack.
(Active): Thresh deals magic damage in a line beginning behind him. Enemies hit are pushed in the direction of the swing and then slowed for 1.5 seconds.
Cast forward to push; cast backward to pull.

Amazing ability for early harass in lane, and good in fights. You can use this to bring enemies just a little bit closer to you, to keep them from running, or you can knock them away with it to ensure your escape. The slow really helps either way, and the damage you get from the passive ends up doing TONS of damage.
Tip: Can disrupt enemy abilities if timed right (Leona's Zenith Blade, Ali's Headbutt and channel abilities as well Teleport)
Tip: Can't knock enemies through walls :(
Tip: Take advantage of the slow and the extra damage in lane. I tend to start fights in lane with Flay Rather than Death Sentence So I can get the immediate slow and then pull the enemy when they are farther away from their minions.
Tip: Can be maxed for added slow, damage, and lower cooldown.
Tip: Takes a bit to cast, is you are being chased by multiple people and you miss any of them, you'll probably die.


(Active): Thresh creates a prison of spectral walls around himself that remain active for 5 seconds. Enemy champions who walk through a wall take magic damage and are slowed by 99% for 2 seconds, but break that wall.
Once one wall is broken, the remaining walls' damage and slow duration is halved. An enemy can be afflicted by multiple walls


A fantastic ult for the rest of Thresh's kit. This ult can slow ALL 5 ENEMIES if used well.

Tip: Best used when in the middle of the enemy team, or when you want to block a certain path.
Tip: Very easy to flash/jump over, so don't use it if you'll only trap a champion like Aatrox.
Tip: You'll probably steal tons of kills with this on accident.
Tip: Keep in mind that only the first slow is going to be 99%, try to hit someone important with the box as soon as you put it down.

Leveling Order

Thresh has a really good kit, and any of his abilities can be maxed first for different reasons.Adapt your level order to suit your needs!
Starting Death Sentence Works really well, but Flay Can be just as effective if you just want to poke early instead of going for hooks. Again, you have to know what you can and can't do, and try to play adaptive so you can be as effective as possible.
Maxing Q: Reduces the cooldown and increases the damage done.
Maxing W: Reduces cooldown and increases shield amount.
Maxing E: Increases passive damage, reduces cooldown and increases slow %.

If you are in a lane that you can easily auto attack harass, (Like vs melee support) maxing your Flay will give you a ton of almost free harass.
If the other lane is harassing you, maxing Dark Passage will let you collect souls and shield more damage.
And if you feel like you need more hooks (Because you are missing or because they are out of position often) then maxing Death Sentence can be beneficial.


The Box should be leveled up at 6,11, and 16 no matter what.

Thresh is a very versatile champion, and can be built many different ways. But for the purpose of this guide, I'll be showing you ways to build him as a utility based tank, which still has a lot of different options. These are the items that I tend to build, but it is very important to ALWAYS build based on what you need, instead of following a set build.

Starting Items

Very basic for supports right now. Gives you two wards, a potion(Biscuit) and a gold item with health and mana regen. Good for passive lanes.

Trinkets

This is a good starting trinket because early on, gold for wards is scarce. If your ADC takes the same trinket and you cycle between yours and theirs, you'll always have a ward in the river free of charge. Sell or upgrade after getting , as sightstone gives you three wards, so there is no point in keeping the basic trinket

This trinket is pretty good because it saves you money on pink wards if they keep getting destroyed.

I usually don't start with this trinket because early vision is really important. But if you need to counter ward, this is a good option. I trade my Warding Totem for this trinket after getting

My upgraded trinket of choice. After Sightstone, you have all three stealth wards available to you, and oracles lens is amazing for clearing wards on objectives for your team.

Core Items

These, in my opinion, are the best boots you can get on thresh as long as you aren't taking too much damage, or being cc'd too long. Thresh has extremely low mobility, and these boots allows him to position for hooks better, get around the map to clear faster, and escape once he leaves combat. You can trade for ninja tabi or Merc treads if you need to.


Important for all supports, because vision can change games. I don't recommend upgrading this until later in the game unless you need more HP and fast. The basic sightstone allows you to place all 3 wards, and upgrading just gives you hp.

Talisman of Ascension Another good item to help with mobility, except it moves all friendly units (Including minions). Great for chasing or fast engages.
Tip: You can use talisman then flash hook for a great engage.

Defensive Items

Grants health, CDR, and armor, as well as AoE Magic resist and Health Regen. This a really good defensive item because of the stats and the AoE shield it gives has been known to save a few lives(:

Gives armor and HP, and slows enemies movement and attack speed when they hit you. The active also gives an AoE slow that makes it easier to chase them down, or keep them in fights longer. The length of the active also scales off of your armor and magic resist, which makes it work even better when playing a tank like thresh.

CDR, HP, HP regen, and Magic resist. AMAZING item, as it allows you to take more damage,(even from casters) and keeps you from going back as often because of the ridiculous amount of Health regen.

Armor, Health, and AoE damage. Good for dealing a little extra damage to the enemy when you're standing on top of them, and keeping waves from pushing. It also gives you a little extra pushing power if you ever need it.

Health and Magic resist. The passive shield on it comes up really fast, and is a really good item for super bursty casters who just blow you up.

Armor, CDR, and Mana. Really good for thresh because of his high cooldowns and low mana pool. It also reduces the attack speed of enemies by just being near them.

Utility Items

This item is really good with a lot of supports, but it is quite underused. Every time you heal or shield a unit they get an attack speed buff. This with Dark Passage and a makes for 2 speed buffs for your entire team. Also gives AP, Mana regen and movement speed! All great things for Thresh.

Clears all CC from an ally and heals them for (x+ 10%) of your maximum health. Grants CDR, massive mana regen and Magic resist.

Zeke's Herald Great when your team needs a little more sustain. Gives CDR, health and has an AoE lifesteal buff which is great.

Other Items

Good against heavy AD teams. The added armor really helps.

Good against AP heavy teams, or teams that keep you CC'd.

Gives your allies a movement speed boost. Champions get it when running towards you, which means if you are ahead of them, they move faster, or if they are running from the enemy, towards you, they run faster. Saves lives, and helps chase enemy team.
Massive speed boost when leaving fountain. Great when you're on defense.
Bonus movement speed can come in handy!