Lumburr: Taking the Front Lines

Build and Guide Lumburr: Taking the Front Lines

Cheat Sheet
Skill Build

Grab Rampage first if paired on a lane, or Shattered Earth if alone. In a 1v2 situation, pick Rampage first as a trusty getaway tool.

Items

Mantle of Ra, Sonic Boots, Gaia's Standard, The Aegis, Asterion's Buckler, Amulet of Longevity

Arcana

Red Arcana: Attack Damage. and Max HP.

Purple Arcana: Max HP and Armor

Green Arcana: Armor, Magic Resist, Cooldown

Talents

Heal, Execute, Sprint

Introduction
Lumburr isn't champion with a badass name, but he's a tree monster that looks like he's just come straight out of a Marvel comic or an early design of Spire from Metroid Prime: Hunters. Thankfully, it's his mean demeanor that seems to dictate how he plays in game over his silly pun name.

Evident from his bulk, Lumburr is a tough as nails piece of wood that can presumably shatter the earth below and send fragments of rocks hurtling at his opponents on whim. Maybe he's using his roots? Doing what he does best makes him a perfect disruption tank thanks to his myriad control abilities and naturally high defense and health pool. Have him take up the frontline, and he'll stand tall until a team of lumberjacks finally figure out where to chop.

Skill Build
Each and every ability at Lumburr's fingertips compliments his role at a Tank/Support hybrid. When in range of any number of allies, Lumburr's passive abiltiy kicks in, granting him and his lowest-HP ally additional magical/psysical defense. Something that'll be consistantly in effect if paired up on a lane.

His first main ability – Shattered Earth – damages any living creature caught in Lumburr's low-range/wide-angle frontal strike. To incentify constant use, it's on a relatively low cooldown and lowers both the attack and ability damage of those hit for 15% for a whole 3 seconds.

Then there's Rampage. This ability is perfect in just about any situation, but using it without proper aim can flip its intended use at the worst time. A simple long-range Charge attack, Rampage throws up enemies caught in its path.

Damage is calculated right there and then, but they'll be severally slowed for a brief period when they land. Whether you're using it to fling into battle or escape from a tricky situation, running through your allies will grant them a noticable shield and increase their movement speed to boot; allowing them to mimic your idea.

Lastly, there's Lumburr Ultimate – Earth Splitter. In a case of 'doing what it says on the tin', Earth Splitter creates a fissure after a short wind-up that sends enemies flying. Just like Rampage, they'll be slowed as they land but start to take rapidly ticking damage if they stay within the scorched path left behind. It's a long-range linear attack. It takes a little practice to aim well, but it's a great move in a variety of situations.

Due to the added armor awarded through Lumburr's passive in a group situation, it's best to take up Rampage at the start of a match. This way you'll be ready to initiate combat, take a bullet for your ally and compliment them further with an extra shield from time to time. The slowdown effect paired with impressive early game defense will give you both the opportunity to play aggressive right out of the gate.

Make sure to pick up Shattered Earth as you reach Level 2. It's a decent enough aid in clearing minion waves and will regularly slow down the effectiveness of your opponent if they're caught in the blast. Perfect when facing off against melee attackers.

As ever, grab Earth Splitter as soon as possible. Focus any available points into it while alternating between slotting points into Rampage and Shattered Earth. They essentially work off each other, so upgrading them equally should keep things predictable.

Talents
Due to your own need to stay in the game as long as possible, you'll be close to one or more of your allies more often than not. Because of this, taking up Heal is typically considered the best decision you can make in terms of Talent chioces. As your maximum HP starts to pile up over the course of a match, the percentage-based restoration of Heal will grant you a bigger chunk of HP with each use – meaning any enemy hoping to kill you will suddenly have a lot of the hard work thrown away.

As a tank, you shouldn't be looking to secure kills. Your high-damage allies could use the cash to actually push the game forward. For that reason, we wouldn't usuaully recommend taking Execute. But if you're able to hold your own in a team fight yet struggle to keep the enemy team together and within range long enough to finish them off, surprising them with a quick spin of Execute in the center of the chaos could make a huge difference. Just be sure to push up accordingly if it goes well. Try to aim for that game-ending Ace so that the money wasted doesn't come to bite your team hard in the long-run.

If you're certain the jungle would be going to waste with your usual teams, it might be viable to take up Sprint. Lumburr's mobility isn't all that great, but his ability to rush into battle or slow enemies down for a retreat is pretty strong. If you like the idea of charging around the map helping out in a variety of seperate battles, Sprint could allow you to be there for more people more often. It's certainly not the best pick, but it's not completely without reason.

Items
When looking at itemization for Lumburr, the default 'recommended' template gets it just about right. Lumburr is a sure-fire tank designed to stay in the battle for as long as possible while acting as something of a distraction. Players typically try to burn down a low-damage bulky tank while those standing behind it use the opportunity to rain hell on without much risk to their own life. Because of that, Lumburr's item choices typically make use of his close proximity to the enemy; by burning them, reducing their resistances, and diminishing their attack potential.

If you happen to be serving as a support tank on a shared lane, you'll be getting enough early defense from your passive to allow for a Short Sword starting item. This will boost your attack power at the Cleaving Claymore phase before becoming a major source of armor in the form of Mantle of Ra – which kicks off your Tank career by passively burning any enemy within range. If you have your own lane, however, start with the two Light Armor purchases that will eventually become the same thing. Unless you're against a mage. Then grab some Magic Resist.

As a tank, the choice of boots should be obvious. Sonic Boots grant additional defense and even straight-up reduces the damage you take from auto-attacks. Handy when going up against pesky ranged attackers in the laning phase.



If you've already entered the team-fight stage by this point, work toward The Aegis first. The pre-requisite items should help fend off most physical attacks while The Aegis itself will grant your the Cooldown Speed you'll need to keep the damage reduction debuff of Shattered Earth up on your enemies for as long as possible. Paired with the attack speed decrease when hit, you'll drastically reduce the effectiveness of the opposite team in this early stage. If you're being harrassed by a mage, however, go straight for the Gaia's Standard

While the numerous stat benefits of Hyoga's Edge sound good on paper, your auto-attacks won't be used all that much – and the movement speed effects are more or less covered by your skills. Forget that and go for Asterion's Buckler. It's another item that passively hinders nearby enemies while boosting your own. On top of that, it grants a sizable 1000 HP bonus and grants considerable HP Regen – the key to staying by the side of your allies.

Aiding even further comes Amulet of Longevity – how can you go wrong with a name like that? This precious little neck piece grants even more HP and HP Regen than what came before, while increasing any healing taken (great when paired with Mganga) while further increasing your HP by a flat 10% on top of its already massibe +1700HP blessing. With that kind of HP and HP Regen, you can finish up one fight and come back as strong as ever by the next.

Arcana
You're not going to be dealing a ton of damage any way you look at it, but you'll be spamming abilities like there's no tomorrow. Thanks to each being an AOE ability scaling from Attack Damage, taking up Attack Damage red arcana will see more consistant hurt dished out across the board while helping ever so slightly in mopping up minion waves. Lumburr gains nothing from abiltiy power, so avoid anything that attempts to award it. When looking at Tier 2 and 3 Arcana, Attack Damage and Max HP combos will be your best friend.

Purple arcana follow the same base principle. You're all about survivabiltiy and being there in the heat of battle to protect your allies. Tier 1 Arcana will be nothing but a mix of Max HP and HP Regen. When dipping into Tier 2 and 3 arcana, however, things start to get confusing. We'll let the Red arcana take Attack Power / HP Combos for now, so focus Purples on Reinforce (Max HP / Armor) or Vigor (pure Max HP). Having the extra Movement Speed from Alacrity it tempting for those playing hero, but the lesser amount of HP given is a turn off. This becomes more viable with Tier 3 'Benevolence' Arcana, but not at Tier 2.

Then with Greens, you'll simply be looking at Armor and Magic Defense. The current meta seems to lean more heavily on Attack Power, so you'll likely benefit from Armor over Magic Defense most of the time. Do an 80/20 split on these in the Tier 1 days and swap out for Serenity (Max HP/HP Regen/Cooldown) later on with a sprinkle of the Armor gained from the Endurance arcana. Take a similar stance with Tier 3 picks.

Early Game
If you're taking top lane on your own, wait until you know your opponent before picking up your items; Light Armor for most, or Gladiator's Gauntlets if a Magic user arrives.

Early game is pretty boring as a lonely Lumburr. Trading blows back and forth when in a melee situation it fine, but going for the kill is rare. Instead, focus on surviving and plucking that creep cash. If you happen to find yourself in a 2 on 1 sitatuion, just do your best to wait it out. Hold the fortress.

If you're paired up on the bottom lane, however, be a friend. Choose Rampage over Stattered Earth and use it to mess with your opponents – while making sure to steer clear of any potential death situations. Charge through your ally to give them a bonus shield and aim to signal the start of harrassment by plowing straight into (and slowing) the opponent. Try to pick out a Ranged attacker if possible; otherwise, just aim to inflict as much pain on a single character as you can.

If you are fighting against a ranged attacker, try to shield your ally frequently so that long-ranged casts don't cause so much trouble. If you're fast on your feet, intercept them yourself. Use Rampage to take the first hit while shielding up for what comes after. It'll feel good.

Just hold out. Initiate harass attacks and attempt to shield your ally as much as possible. Early Game is a watiing game; and you're a great tool for the job.

Middle Game
Your health will surely be stacking up at this point. You've been taking individual shots for a while now, but it's time to take even more. Once lanes are starting to get pushed out, you're best roaming around the battlefield helping to secure whichever has the enemy team's attention. Keep on your toes, but don't depend on Rampage to get you from place to place. Instead, use the river and brush to Rampage through enemy groups and into your allies – hurting and slowing assailants while shielding your own. Then immediately turn to strike with Shattered Earth, reducing their effectiveness furhter. The barrage should see at least one person turn to attack you instead in a panic.


Whenever the enemy starts to get low on health, try to angle your Earth Splitter so that it closes off their escape route. Straight up is best as it denies the more obvious movement back to the base. If a tower is still up, firing at an angle could prove more useful. The movement speed hit on top of the burning damage should give more than enough time for the team to follow-up if possible.


Just focus on distracting the enemy as much as possible while using Rampage to top up shields and reposition. Spam Shattered Earth whenever possible. If things are looking dicey, keep Rampage off cooldown and use to signal a getaway. Charge through to shield your ally once more and grant that speed buff – but try to cover them still; they'll typically be killed far before yourself. You're the distraction that should allow other lanes to push out more effectively.

Late Game
This is where you'll become the martyr – hero of your team.Once bulked up with bonus health, regen and armor, it's time to take one for the team.

With enough staying power to take a thousand bullets, Lumburr takes on the role of team sandbag. Running straight into battle with Rampage, the aim is to be the centre of attention. Spamming Shattered Earth will reduce the damage output of the enemy team while subsequently giving your own the ability to strike back. Going in from the back with a Rampage/Shattered Earth combo will be the perfect time for your allies to go on the offensive, with Earth Splitter typically best saved as a way to set up a team attack from afar or join the fray in an emergancy if used with your standard opener.

Again, your aim is to cuddle up to your enemies. This allows items like Mantle of Ra and Asterion's Buckler to do their work. Similarly, anyone who decides to take up arms against you over your allies (which will happen a lot) will have their Attack and Movement Speed reduced by The Aegis. The enfeeblements by both your items and abilities should be enough to help you and yours dish out maximum carnage.

Thanks to your HP Regen, you can typically enter the Tower area of influence and take the shots during enemy downtime if a sufficent amount of your allies are around to blast down the structure in record time. If you haven't popped Heal already, these situations are a great time to do so.

Just be the biggest nuisence you can be. You've stacked defensive stats to stay on the battlefield and your ability cooldown rate is enough to aid your allies in a bunch of ways at once. Stay on top of Shattered Earth and attempt to cancel (or initiate) a retreat with a well-aimed Earth Splitter.

The greatest difficulty will be knowing when to use Rampage. If your allies aren't taking damage, they don't need the shield. But if you're expecting a retreat to be on the cards, it's best saved as a way to secure a safe passage out. Don't get too distracted by your own distraction, either; you should have enough time to read the situation.

FAQ/Tips

If taking Gaia's Standard, purposefully get hit by minions or jungle monsters on occasion to trigger its 8% regen passive. Use light damage as a way to heal up.
Try to angle Rampage so that you affect both your allies and enemies when struck
Weigh up the situation when preparing to use Earth Splitter. It's great for preventing enemy retreats, but great for initiating your own
Most of your item picks benefit from being close to both teams. Use them as motivation.
Shattered Earth is on a 6-second cooldown, but its effect only lasts for 3. Aim to apply it when you know a burst attack is coming.

Matchups
Due to our reliance on rock-solid defenses, Lumburr isn't all that great when facing off against a magic-based attacker. Early laning phases can prove difficult against characters like Preyta. Ignis can also benefit from an opposing Lumburr as his emphasis on staying in front means a long-range conal attack is an easy shot. Krixi's long-range and wide-spreading Mischief can tear through Lumburr, but the hit should mitigate the damage sustained by those behind. His large size makes dodging aimed attacks more difficult, but this can be both a good and bad thing depending on the situation.

It's obvious Lumburr has a good time against melee attackers, but his numerous control abiltiies typically leaves ranged attacks open to an ambush if they're not careful. Not only can his Rampage be use to rush headlong into battle, but it can be aimed to single out a particular opponent – like a tricky Mage or Support time. If you're one of these, focus on staying on your toes to reduce the likelihood of Lumburr pinning you down.

Consider the fairly lengthy charge-up time of Earth Splitter, too. Opposing players can use this to their advantage to close the gap, retreat away or stun the cast altogether – resulting in a wasted ultimate ability. Allies should learn to spot the animation and ready their follow-ups.