Rammus ARAM Build and Guide

Updated for patch 26.22. 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.

A Rammus ARAM build is pure Armor and Magic Resist, because his damage, his reflect and his survival all scale with resistances. ARAM leaves him untouched: Rammus sits at 100% damage dealt and 100% damage taken. That’s fine by him. A taunt plus a damage reflect is exactly what you want against random teams stacked with marksmen and fighters.

The build follows his patch 26.22 ability text item by item. Win-rate numbers had no part in it.

How is Rammus changed in ARAM?

Same armadillo as on the Rift. Both values sit at the neutral setting, so every point of Armor converts into the same Spiked Shell damage and every Ball Curl reflects the same amount. What changes is who he faces. Random teams tend to carry several attackers, and Rammus is at his best when the enemy has to attack him. Does a neutral sheet mean he’s average here? Not really (it means Riot didn’t think he needed help). The mode does the rest.

Why does Rammus fit the Howling Abyss?

Because Frenzying Taunt and Defensive Ball Curl turn an attacker’s damage against them, and every ARAM team has attackers. His patch 26.22 kit:

• Spiked Shell (passive): bonus Attack Damage from his Armor and Magic Resist.
• Powerball (Q): rolls toward enemies, picking up speed, then damages and slows on impact. Cooldown 12/10.5/9/7.5/6.
• Defensive Ball Curl (W): curls up to multiply his resistances, and attackers take damage back. Cooldown 7.
• Frenzying Taunt (E): forces one enemy champion or monster to attack him. Cooldown 12.
• Soaring Slam (R): a leap that slams an area for magic damage and a slow, plus a knock-up near the centre if cast during Powerball. Cooldown 120/105/90.

The combo writes itself (well, it rolls itself). Roll in with Powerball, cast Soaring Slam mid-roll to knock up the group, curl up, then taunt the enemy marksman into attacking a spiked ball. They hurt themselves; he barely notices. Honestly, on a single lane where the enemy carry can’t walk around the frontline, that taunt lands far more often than on the Rift.

What should a Rammus ARAM build focus on?

Resistances, then more resistances. Spiked Shell turns them into damage, Ball Curl multiplies them, and the reflect scales with them. Funny enough, he’s one of the few champions whose damage build and tank build are the same thing.

In practice, Thornmail goes first. It has 75 Armor, and Thorns deals magic damage to anyone who attacks him while applying 40% Wounds for 3 seconds. Taunted champions attack him, so the Wounds land automatically on whoever he taunts.

Frozen Heart is second. Its aura, Winter’s Caress, saps 20% of the Attack Speed from champions standing near him, on top of 75 Armor and 20 Ability Haste. Fewer attacks against a curled Rammus means fewer chances for the enemy to burst him before Ball Curl comes back.

Third, a Magic Resist item. Force of Nature’s Steadfast adds 70 Magic Resist after 8 instances of magic damage from champions, and in a long ARAM fight that happens quickly. Kaenic Rookern is the alternative, with 80 Magic Resist and a magic shield after 15 seconds without magic damage.

Randuin’s Omen finishes it. Resilience reduces critical strike damage by 30%, which is perfect for a taunted crit marksman, and Humility slows nearby enemies by 70% for 2 seconds. Boots are Plated Steelcaps, cutting damage from attacks by 10%.

How do you play Rammus on the Howling Abyss?

• Cast Soaring Slam during Powerball. That’s the only way it knocks up enemies near the centre.
• Taunt the marksman, not the tank. Frenzying Taunt makes the target attack him, and attackers take the reflect.
• Curl before taunting. Defensive Ball Curl has to be active for the returned damage to work.
• Use Powerball to reach the backline; it gains speed as it rolls.
• Avoid curling against mage-heavy teams. Spells don’t trigger the reflect, so save Ball Curl for attackers.

How do no-recall shopping and Mark affect Rammus?

ARAM has no recall. You buy items at the fountain at the start and whenever you respawn, and the lane’s relics are the only refill in between. No self-heal. Still, his resistances mean he loses Health slowly. Watch the gold anyway (a full item sitting unspent is wasted Armor, and wasted Armor is wasted damage on him).

Mark throws a snowball, and connecting gives you a dash to the target. The choice is fixed before loading. Rammus has Powerball, so Mark is an extra engage for reaching someone behind the wave. Snowball, dash, taunt. Is that enough to justify it over Flash? To be fair, it’s close. Flash plus Soaring Slam is a stronger surprise; Mark gets him there more reliably.

Is Rammus good in ARAM?

Yes, especially against teams full of attackers. His 100% damage dealt and 100% damage taken values are neutral, but the taunt and reflect combo punishes marksmen and fighters harder on a single lane where they can’t avoid him. His weakness is mage-heavy enemy teams. Spells don’t trigger Ball Curl’s reflect, so against casters he’s a regular tank.

The junglers who handle him best are covered in our guide to who beats Rammus. On the Rift he’s a jungler, a role our League roles guide walks through in plain terms for anyone new to it. Want every number behind these items? See the LoL item database. And if you’re curious how the armadillo can look, every one of his cosmetics is gathered on the Rammus skins page.

The Rammus ARAM build in one line: Thornmail, Frozen Heart, Force of Nature and Randuin’s Omen on Plated Steelcaps, then roll in, curl up and taunt their carry.

FAQ

Does Rammus have ARAM modifiers?

No. His patch 26.22 ARAM values in the League of Legends Wiki are 100% damage dealt and 100% damage taken, the neutral setting.

What items should Rammus build in ARAM?

Thornmail, Frozen Heart, Force of Nature and Randuin’s Omen, with Plated Steelcaps. Kaenic Rookern can replace Force of Nature.

Why Thornmail on Rammus?

Thorns damages and applies Wounds to attackers, and Frenzying Taunt forces enemies to attack him, so every taunt applies the Wounds.

How does his knock-up work?

By casting Soaring Slam while in Powerball. The slam then knocks up enemies near the centre of its area.

Where does this build come from?

From Rammus’s patch 26.22 abilities matched to each item’s passive. Win rates weren’t used.