Alistar ARAM Build and Guide

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch; ARAM balance numbers come from the League of Legends Wiki’s champion data.

An Alistar ARAM build is a tank-support path: Zeke’s Convergence to add a storm to every ultimate, Locket for the team, and resistances to survive the dive. The Howling Abyss tones him down with 95% damage dealt, 105% damage taken and 80% healing, but his crowd control is untouched.

A tank whose ultimate is a cleanse needs items that fire on that cleanse, and the patch 26.21 text made that obvious. Win rates weren’t consulted.

How is Alistar changed in ARAM?

Three nerfs, and honestly, they’re aimed at his durability more than his damage. Alistar deals 95% damage, takes 105% and heals at 80%. The healing line hits Triumphant Roar, his team heal, which charges every time he stuns or displaces a champion. In ARAM he does that constantly, so Riot trimmed the payoff. Damage dealt barely matters for a tank (he isn’t there to kill anyone). Damage taken does, which is why the build below stacks resistances early (Unbreakable Will helps too, though only for its duration).

Why does Alistar fit the Howling Abyss?

Every knock-up and knockback hits harder when the enemy can’t spread out. Riot’s patch 26.21 data:

• Triumphant Roar (passive): charges when he stuns or displaces enemy champions or when nearby enemies die; fully charged, it heals him and nearby allied champions.
• Pulverize (Q): a ground smash that damages nearby enemies and tosses them into the air. Cooldown 14/13/12/11/10.
• Headbutt (W): rams a target for damage and knocks it back. Cooldown 14/13/12/11/10.
• Trample (E): stomps nearby enemies, ignoring unit collision; damaging champions builds stacks, and full stacks make his next attack on a champion stun and deal extra magic damage. Cooldown 12/11.5/11/10.5/10.
• Unbreakable Will (R): removes all crowd control on him and reduces incoming physical and magic damage for the duration. Cooldown 120/100/80.

Pulverize tosses every nearby enemy into the air, and on a narrow lane “nearby” often means three or four champions. Headbutt can knock a carry back into Alistar’s own team. Trample builds stacks faster in a crowd, since every champion it damages counts. The passive charges from all of it, so even at 80% healing, the team heal comes up often. Then Unbreakable Will lets him stay in the middle while the enemy unloads, removing crowd control and cutting damage. The catch? With 105% damage taken, his window between engage and death is shorter.

What should an Alistar ARAM build focus on?

Items that trigger on his ultimate or help his whole team, then Armor and Magic Resist. Four items and boots.

Zeke’s Convergence goes first. Cast an ultimate while holding it and Frostfire Tempest kicks in: a 5 second storm around him, burning enemy champions for 30 magic damage each second and dragging their speed down by 30%. Unbreakable Will is his ultimate, so every time he ults in the middle of a fight, the storm slows everyone around him. It costs 2,200 gold (cheaper than most legendary items on this list).

Locket of the Iron Solari second. Devotion shields nearby allies, a burst of protection for the team right after Alistar’s engage draws the enemy’s attention. Small stats, both resistances, and one active that matters (the shield).

Jak’Sho, The Protean third, for the long fights. After 5 seconds of champion combat, Voidborn Resilience raises his bonus Armor and Magic Resist by 30% until combat ends. Alistar’s combo starts the fight and then he stays in it, so those 5 seconds pass quickly.

Bandlepipes or Abyssal Mask to finish. Bandlepipes grants Fanfare when he slows or immobilizes an enemy champion, adding Move Speed for him and Attack Speed for nearby allies, which fits a champion whose kit is mostly immobilizing effects. Abyssal Mask makes nearby enemy champions take 12% more magic damage, the better pick when your team leans on mages. Boots: Mercury’s Treads or Plated Steelcaps.

How do you play Alistar on the Howling Abyss?

• Headbutt toward your team. The knockback can send a carry straight into your allies.
• Pulverize into the middle of the group. It tosses every nearby enemy into the air at once.
• Trample through several champions. Each champion it damages adds a stack, and full stacks set up a stun.
• Pop Unbreakable Will after the enemy commits their crowd control. It removes all crowd control on him and cuts damage, and Zeke’s storm comes with it.
• Time Triumphant Roar’s heal. It charges from stuns, displacements and nearby deaths, then heals the whole team.

How do shopping and Mark work for Alistar?

You can’t recall on the Howling Abyss. The fountain is open at the start and after every death, and tanks die early by design, which works out: each respawn is a chance to finish another support item. Buy Zeke’s Convergence first, since its storm triggers from the first ultimate. Health relics on the lane are useful, though the frontline usually leaves them for the carries.

Summoner spells lock in before loading. Mark throws a snowball and gives you a dash to whoever it hits. On Alistar, that’s an engage tool: snowball, dash, Pulverize. Real talk, a landed Mark into the middle of the enemy team is one of the strongest openers he has, and Flash keeps the Headbutt redirect option.

Is Alistar good in ARAM?

Yes, despite three nerfs. 95% damage dealt, 105% damage taken and 80% healing make him a little less durable, but his knock-ups, knockback and stun are full strength, and a narrow lane makes them hit more enemies. To be fair, a team with heavy poke can wear him down before he finds an engage.

Which supports make his normal games hard? See the Alistar counters guide. Read our guide to LoL roles for what supports do normally, the LoL items database for the full item stats, and the Alistar skins page for his cosmetics.

Long story short, the Alistar ARAM build is Zeke’s Convergence, Locket of the Iron Solari, Jak’Sho and Bandlepipes or Abyssal Mask, and the plan is Headbutt, Pulverize, ultimate, repeat.

FAQ

Is Alistar nerfed in ARAM?

Yes, three ways: he deals 95%, takes 105% and heals at 80% (Wiki champion data, patch 26.21).

What items does the Alistar ARAM build use?

Zeke’s Convergence, Locket of the Iron Solari, Jak’Sho, The Protean, and Bandlepipes or Abyssal Mask, with Mercury’s Treads or Plated Steelcaps.

Why build Zeke’s Convergence on Alistar?

Frostfire Tempest summons a damaging, slowing storm for 5 seconds when he casts his ultimate. Unbreakable Will is that ultimate, so the storm comes with every use.

Is Alistar’s crowd control weaker on the Howling Abyss?

No. ARAM modifiers change his damage dealt, damage taken and healing, not the knock-up, knockback or stun from his abilities.

How was this build chosen?

We read Alistar’s patch 26.21 abilities and kept items that trigger on his ultimate, his crowd control or his team. No win-rate data was used.