Before I get into the guide I just wanna thank you for looking and it would help a lot if you left a comment pertaining to what I could improve, thanks guys!



So, you wanna play Ryze? Well guess what?Ryze wants YOU to play HIM!

Bring back our boy to instill the fear of God into the hearts of his opponents! This guide will teach you how to Ryze above the others and assert your dominance!

Since his rework, Ryze has some small yet important changes

His passive is Arcane Mastery. As well as allowing Ryze's abilities to scale with mana, every time he uses a spell, he gains a stack that lasts for 6 seconds. At 5 stacks, he enters Arcane Overcharge which gives him a shield equal to a percent of his maximum mana. Along with this shield, for the next 2 seconds all of his abilities are lowered by the cooldown of his Q. Similar to his old passive, but much more reliable AND useful.


His Q is Overload. Now a skillshot, this ability has an active and a passive. The passive increases the duration of Arcane Overcharge from 2 seconds to 5 seconds at max rank. The active is simply a damage dealing spell that scales with 55% AP and a small percentage of mana, it also adds a stack of Arcane Mastery regardless of it it hits so use it as you walk to lane if you want some pre-charge!


Rune Prison, or as your enemies will call it "Permasnare", is Ryze's W. A point and click root that lasts for 1-1.4 seconds at max rank. It scales with 40% AP and a small percentage of mana, as well as adding a stack to Arcane Mastery.


Spell Flux is that annoying bounce spell, his E. It has a myriad of effects that both reduce MR and deal damage. When cast on a target a small circle appears around them. Any enemy in this circle has the orb bounce off of them and back to the original target. Those afflicted have their MR reduced by 12% each hit for 6 seconds, stacking up to 3 times. The orb scales with 20% AP on the first hit and 10% AP each successive hit, as well as a small percentage of mana. Only 1 stack of Arcane Mastery is applied on spell cast.


Desperate Power is what makes this build work so well. Ryze's ultimate gives him a multitude of free stats. Its passive adds 10%/20%/30% CDR at each respective rank, while its active adds 80 flat movement speed, 15%/20%/25% spellvamp, and adds an insane AOE burst effect to all of his spells. Every spell hit, including each bounce of his E, does 50% AOE damage in a circle around it. In team fights you shred through multiple enemies and in lane you clear waves and handle 3v1 with ease.

I wish I could really get offended, as a Ryze main, when people call me a no-skill faceroller. But...I kinda cant. Ryze doesnt require an IMMENSE amount of skill to do well with, yet he does require some decision making

But Ridley, Ryze really is no skill!

Hohoho! You may be right there, random player, but hear me out! There is a definitive line between skill and choice making. Lets discuss some differences, just for general understanding yes?

Skill
Champions that require skill, like Kalista or Zed, require a level of understanding more than just decisions. Their mechanics are on another level from that of Caitlyn or Talon, which have the same combos generally. Not demeaning these champions, simply stating that there are more mechanically inclined champions.

Decision Making
This is why Katarina mains claim that she requires some skill. This is why Ryze mains claim he is a difficult champion. No, there is no legitimate skill to these champions, but the level of split second decision making is what determines a good Ryze. If you take 2 Ryze players, one with an understanding of his basics and one with an understanding of both his basics and his decision making, the latter can 1v4 whereas the former cannot. Its not just about focusing the carry or locking down this one to kill that one. Its about understanding which spells to hit at what time to make full use of his passive, understanding how to kite and not scare off the target until your passive is back up.

Bottom Line
Forget that silly attitude of "anyone can play Ryze" and be more open to the concept that you CAN learn more than just pressing 4 buttons randomly.

But Ridley, you dont get any AP to start without a Doran's!
You've got a keen eye, you cheeky little bugger. With 8% starting spell vamp alone, this Ryze build's level 1 is unmatched by most top laners. Add on 25% from your ult and 20% extra should you splurge on a spirit visage, that gives a whopping 39.6% spell vamp, not including the 33% MR-free health from Will of the Ancients. At 0 MR, thats 72.6% spell vamp per hit. Ryze, as many know, gains damage from mana as well as AP. Due to this they build items like frozen heart as key items. This puts a dent in your late game damage, causing a falloff.

Pros

Easy to play
Hard to counter
Safe first pick
Flex pick (can easily mid)
Amazing burst and lockdown for teamfights/ganks.

Cons

If countered, can be devastating
Extremely mana heavy, being oom makes you a caster minion
Low mobility to chase/escape without the aid of items.
You're Ryze, youll probably be camped.
If shoved under tower, cannot waveclear well without ult.

Good golly gosh, Ridley, last hitting with Ryze is super hard!

Well, youre definitely not wrong there. Unless youre just clearing waves with your ult, freezing lane, especially early game, takes a lot of practice. I have to admit, hes comparable to a caster minion...or Anivia...when it comes to auto attacking. My BEST advice is go into a custom game and practice for just 5 minutes. Get accustomed to your damage output then take it to a normal game. It can be difficult to grasp at first, but once you do you can easily just sit back and farm. Here's a small video to show you what the basic laning phase should look like:


Play Video
(All credit to the original creator, Scurb)

Now, what most people think a team fight looks like it this:
Nah nah nah, youre here. So its gonna look like this:
Play Video
Do not attempt at home, these stunts are performed by trained professionals.

WARNING

TRIGGER WARNING IN EFFECT

Lets just say youre feeling...adventurous, outside the meta, downright scummy. You dont have enough sustain? You dont CARE about that keystone mastery? Then allow me to take you down a dark road, the likes of which many do not return. I call it: 11/8/11 Ryze.



Ferocity Tree: 5 in Sorcery, 1 in Double Edged Sword, 5 in Vampirism




Cunning Tree: 5 in Savagery, 1 in Assassin, 2 in Meditation




Lastly, the Resolve Tree: 5 in Recovery, 1 in Tough Skin, 5 in Runic Armor

Now you MUST be thinking, why, Ridley, why would I ever do that?

Let me explain you a thing

This thing right here makes this trolly setup seem legitimate. This impacts your passive's shield AND your spellvamp. 8% more spellvamp to start gives you only .8 more, but that jumps to over 80% including WotA.

DISCLAIMER

This setup is for FUN, not to be taken as the best Ryze build. Should you attempt this and get flamed for it be prepared, do not let it deter you however! If you want to have fun, enjoy the extra spellvamp! Break the meta, be different, but also do not be surprised when/if you are called out on it.

But Ridley, Ryze doesnt HAVE combos!

Well, obnoxious pessimist, youre right to an extent! Ryze's passive makes it very easy to spam spells, but if you dont do it right there is actually a 2 second period of time where every spell is on cooldown! Considering your passive only lasts for 5 seconds, youve lost almost half of it because of stereotypical face rolling. Follow these quick easy steps to combo infinitely!

Step 1: Micromanaging dat passive
Much like Riven, Ryze relies on his passive for sustainable damage and reliable combos. To keep this ready, always try to stay at 2 stacks. Should the situation require it, you can easily Q W E to enter Maximum Overdrive.

Step 2: Avoiding cooldowns
Here's where it gets tricky. If you just press Q W E repeatedly, youll wind up in a cooldown state. To avoid this, press Q, then W, then Q, then E, then Q, and repeat as necessary! Since your passive reduces your cooldowns by that of Q, your Q should always be up. As well as lowering the cooldowns of your other spells to make you look like a pro.

Step 3: Know your limits
Contrary to popular belief, you cannot 1v4 while also driving/doing your taxes/napping. You do need some level of understanding of your own limitations, and your enemy's coordination. If youre planning on jumping on a team that has a Nautilus, Leona, Illaoi, Vayne, and Malzahar, chances are youre going to die before they even notice the montage music building up. If you want to jump on a Nami, Jinx, Yasuo, Khazix, and Renekton, however, you stand a much better chance. Dont think youll walk out alive, but youll definitely take at least 2 or 3 with you. Knowing how much damage you do to which champion at whatever stage of the game youre in will greater increase your chances of winning 1v5 scenarios. Do you need to kite to win? Can you literally stand still and hit all your buttons and win? Do you focus the ADC first or the mid laner? Can the assassin stop you beforehand? These are all questions you need to successfully answer before you can run in guns blazing.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Youve graduated from Omega Ridley's Class of Ryze Season 6! Take your new-found knowledge and apply it in the top lane as a monster to be reckoned with! I wish you the best of luck, and if you have any further questions feel free to shoot a PM my way here or on League! I look forward to seeing you on the rift!