Thought: Item Builds When Fed

Everyone sometimes plays a game where they get kills in one magnificent play after another, resulting in abnormally high volumes of gold. Playing and building as usual in these circumstances is often a mistake, one that both experienced and inexperienced players can make.

Ask almost any player about item builds and you will, in some form or other, be told, "Item builds are not set in stone." Practically every guide will include an Armor or MR item in case the situation demands it. While players are used to thinking about bending and adapting item builds based on team compositions, all too often they fail, even at higher Elos, to consider doing the same based on their gold income.

It's not entirely a mistake to simply complete a standard item build faster. For carries this is often a big enough advantage in and of itself. An AP carry who finishes a Deathcap well before their opponent can terrorize a game, as can an AD carry who finishes a quick Bloodthirster or Infinity Edge. This is a very safe way for a carry to fulfill their role when they are fed.

The potential mistake is much more obvious when playing bruisers, supports, or tanky champions. They tend to avoid building very strong offenses, opting instead for utility or defenses. Sticking to these sorts of builds when fed doesn't press the advantage, and gives your opponents a good chance to recover even if you don't make any bad plays. Changing things up by building offense, or even hybrid offense/defense, instead of tank/utility items can give these champions the ability to carry a game.

Most supports are great examples. Soraka's annoying enough as it is with a standard gp10 build, but with enough gold to finish a Needlessly Large Rod or, heaven help you, a Deathcap suddenly every teamfight is a nightmare where much or all of your AoE damage vanishes the moment she presses R. Taric can become tanky enough to sit in the middle of a teamfight, spamming heals every 3 seconds. A fed Janna can make pushing turrets impossible. By deviating from typical builds in a gold-rich situation, non-carries can carry the game.

Carries can carry harder as well, and not only through "cheesy" stacking items like Sword of the Occult or Mejai's Soulstealer. A Black Cleaver rush can be extremely deadly on a fed AD, as can rushing Haunting Guise on a fed AP. By picking an item that can be abused when flush with gold, even carries can take their gold advantage further.

The bottom line is that many standard builds, when followed religiously, can give floundering opponents the opportunity to regain their footing. "Safe" play is sometimes the same as giving away a lead. By breaking from rote habit to press an advantage, you can push it over the edge and utterly crush your enemies.