In Season 2 the answer to this problem was Guardian Angel. Its strong defenses and incredibly useful passive made it ideal for surviving burst or protracted fights. In Season 3 it is no longer a complete solution. The combination of nerfs to the item itself and buffs to assassins, bruisers, and their itemization has made Guardian Angel ineffective on its own.
To survive now requires more thought, care, and attention paid to the circumstances of the game. Before I regale you with math, here are three simple rules for survival:
- Health is the most effective defense in the early-game.
- Armor/Magic Resistance are best when you already have a lot of Health or very significant sustain.
- If you can only afford to build one defensive item, it should be Warmog's Armor.
To understand the first rule let's examine a fairly simple scenario. You are level 9 with 1100 Health and 47 Magic Resistance, facing a threatening LeBlanc. You also have 1000 gold. To calculate the raw damage your opponent needs to kill you (Effective Health) we use the following equation:
Effective Health = Health * (1 + (Magic Resistance or Armor)/100)
To defend against LeBlanc there are three potential options: Giant's Belt, Negatron Cloak, or Null-Magic Mantle + Ruby Crystal. In our given scenario these work out like so:
(1100 + 400 [Giant's Belt]) * (1 + 47 / 100) = 2205 Effective Health
1100 * (1 + (47 + 45 [Negatron]) / 100) = 2112 Effective Health
(1100 + 180 [Ruby Crystal]) * (1 + 47 + 20 [Null-Magic Mantle] / 100) = 2138 Effective Health
The values are close, but Giant's Belt has the edge. It's slightly less cost-efficient than Negatron Cloak in this case, but at the same time it provides survivability against both physical and magic damage. Unless the only threat to you is that LeBlanc, Giant's Belt is the more versatile, sound purchase.
The second rule comes into effect as the health gains from leveling (or purchases) skew the math more toward Armor/Magic Resistance. Consider a level 16 champion with 1700 Health:
(1700 + 400 [Giant's Belt]) * (1 + 47 / 100) = 3087 Effective Health
1700 * (1 + (47 + 45 [Negatron]) / 100) = 3264 Effective Health
(1700 + 180 [Ruby Crystal]) * (1 + 47 + 20 [Null-Magic Mantle] / 100) = 3140 Effective Health
Because another 600 Health was gained through leveling Magic Resistance became a much stronger defensive option. Health still defends against all damage types, but if you're only worried about one type then the Negatron Cloak is definitively better.
You can think about sustain in a similar fashion. In a protracted laning situation sustain is equivalent to Health, save when you're at full Health. Armor/Magic Resistance will thus scale the value of your sustain just as they would Health. High sustain champions are therefore better off with Armor/Magic Resistance, provided they can survive the burst and hang around to heal back up.
Regarding the third rule, it's generally best to have at least two defensive items. Health and Armor/Magic Resistance increase each other's effectiveness the more of each you have, but it's difficult to get significant amounts of each from a single item. Two items can easily double your survivability or more.
However, when you can't afford the item slots Warmog's Armor is the single simplest and most effective option. It grants 1000 Health in addition to significant Health Regeneration, and while your opponents can cut into Armor and Magic Resistance with Penetration, they can't reduce your Maximum Health. Combined with runes, masteries, defensive steroids, and aura items on allies, Warmog's is the best one stop shop for survivability.
Season 3 and all its changes are still causing huge ripples, but one of the persistent waves is a much greater emphasis on champions who can afford to build tankier. Tank Katarina is seeing play, Warmog's and Frozen Mallet are appearing on AD carries, and even assassins are buying defense. The days of pure glass cannon builds are quite possibly over.
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