Amumu is easily one of the best Tanks in League of Legends. His combination of hard crowd control, AoE magic damage, and easy to understand playstyle makes him a great champion that can fit into any team composition. Here’s how you can get started playing the Sad Mummy.

Amumu has everything that you could possibly want from a Tank. Durability? Check. Amumu has a built in damage reduction ability. Crowd Control? Check. Amumu has a lot of crowd control abilities that can swing the tides of battle in your favor. Numerous AoE abilities? Triple check. Amumu has three abilities that have a decent range when it comes to area of effect. Mix all that up with his straightforward mechanics and relatively easy playstyle and you have a champion that can find success no matter what the meta or elo. So what makes Amumu a great champion?

Champion Abilities

Like we’ve mentioned before, Amumu’s kit is overloaded with crowd control and numerous other things you would want from a tank. He’s perfect as an initiator and great at peeling for his team. Plus, all of his abilities are very easy to land making him a beginner friendly champion.

Passive – Cursed Touch

Amumu’s basic attacks Curse enemies for 3 seconds, causing them to take 10% bonus true damage from any magic damage dealt they take.

Amumu’s passive is as straightforward as it can get. The Curse debuff is also what makes Amumu a great team player. Whenever Amumu attacks anyone, they’ll take additional damage. Pretty handy when you’re initiating a fight or setting up a kill.

Q – Bandage Toss

Amumu tosses up to 2 sticky bandages in a straight line. If it contacts an enemy, Amumu will pull himself to it, dealing magic damage and stunning the target for 1 second.

Bandage Toss is Amumu’s gap closing ability. Since he isn’t exactly the most mobile champion, Amumu relies on Bandage Toss to get close to his targets. It’s very important that you hit this ability as it’s your primary engage tool. Luckily, recent changes gave Amumu two charges of Bandage Toss so there’s a bit more room for you if ever you miss your first attempt. 

W – Curse

Amumu cries, refreshing Curse on nearby enemies and dealing magic damage each second.

This is Amumu’s primary source of magic. You’ll be popping this ability up whenever you’re trading, clearing jungle camps, or in team fights. It has a pretty decent range so you’re pretty much guaranteed to hit at least two or three targets in team fights especially if they’re all clumped together.

E – Tantrum

Passive: Amumu takes reduced damage from physical attacks.

Active: Amumu tantrums, dealing magic damage to surrounding units. Basic attacks that hit Amumu reduce the cooldown of Tantrum by 0.5 seconds.

Tantrum is a pretty self-explanatory ability. It’s passive just basically makes you tankier and more durable. It is worth noting that the damage reduction is based on a percentage of both your armor and magic resist combined. The active part of this ability just lets you deal more damage. Use it whenever it’s available.

R – Curse of the Sad Mummy

Amumu entangles surrounding enemy units, dealing magic damage and applying Curse. Entangled enemies are stunned for 1.5 seconds and are stopped in the middle of their dashes.

This is Amumu’s signature ability and what makes him such a great addition to any team comp. Curse of the Sad Mummy is one of those abilities that can win you the game. It’s such a game changing ability to have in team fights as it can easily stun the entire enemy team if you manage to position it correctly.

Runes and Item Builds

When it comes to item builds, Amumu can actually be very versatile. While he is best used as a Tank, he can also be built like a Mage which will allow him to deal some pretty insane damage. For this guide, we’ll focus more on Amumu as a Tank. 

Starting Items

Amumu is best used in two roles, Jungler or Support. Which starter item you’ll purchase depends on which role you’re playing. If you’re a Jungler, go for Hailblade. It’s one of the two go to jungle items and gives you everything you need to survive. After 5 uses, it will also upgrade your Smite to Chilling Smite which will apply slow to any enemy you use it on. If you’re a Support, you should start with Relic Shield. It’s the best starting item for most Tank Supports and it helps you earn gold without having to steal minions from your carry. 

Mythic Items

Amumu has a very versatile build path even if he is built as a pure Tank. As such, you can make a case for every Tank Mythic to be viable on Amumu. But out of all these items, there are three Mythic items that stand out.

• Sunfire Aegis – This item gives Amumu all the stats he needs as a Tank. It gives him Health, Armor, and Magic Resist. Plus it has a passive that deals good damage over time that increases his overall DPS when combined with his other abilities. This is the best Mythic to choose for Amumu and can be your default Mythic item if you’re unsure of what to buy.
• Evenshroud – This is a relatively new item introduced in the most recent patch. It’s a very good Tank Mythic that synergizes perfectly well with Amumu and his kit. It gives him great tank stats plus some ability haste for good measure. It also has a great passive called Coruscation, which increases damage to all nearby enemy champions after you’ve immobilized or was immobilized by an enemy champion. This syncs perfectly well with Amumu’s passive, Bandage Toss, and Curse of the Sad Mummy.
• Locket of the Iron Solari – This should be your go to item if you’re playing as a support. It has good stats and an active shield that allows you to protect your team if they’re within your range. 

Full Build

After purchasing your Mythic, the next items you buy are essentially the same regardless of your role. Upgrading to tier 2 boots should be your priority and Plated Steelcaps is your best option. Mercury’s Treads are a great alternative especially if you’re against a magic or cc heavy team. Next, go for Thornmail for the armor and return damage, Abyssal Mask for the health and magic resist plus bonus damage on immobilized targets, and Randuin’s Omen to make you even more durable. Finish off your build with Frozen Heart and you’re pretty much set.

Other Viable Items

There are plenty of other viable items on Amumu. In fact, as long as it gives health, armor, magic resist, or ability power, you can make a case for it being a viable item on Amumu. Here are some of the best choices you can seamlessly swap for one of the items on your core build.

• Gargoyle Stoneplate – It gives you a lot of armor and magic resist. It also has an active shield that essentially functions as a second lifebar.
• Anathema’s Chains – Great when you’re playing as a support. It gives you decent health and it allows you to receive 30% reduced damage from an enemy champion of your choosing.
• Force of Nature – This item gives you health, magic resist, and bonus move speed. It’s great when you’re a jungler and allows your ganks to be more efficient.
• Warmog’s Armor – One of the best Tank items in the game. It gives you a lot of bonus health and insane health regeneration. If you feel like you just need more Health, you can go for this item.

Runes – Jungle

While your items remain mostly the same regardless of role, your runes are very different. If you’re playing as the Jungler, you need to go with the Precision tree and take Conqueror as your keystone. Since you’ll be roaming around the map looking for ganks, you’ll need all the sustain and bonus damage you can get to help you get takedowns. As a Jungler, you’ll also be in extended fights most of the time so you’ll always make the most out of Conqueror. Next, take Triumph for the bonuses, Legend: Tenacity to help you stick better to your targets, and Last Stand to help you win all ins. For secondaries, take Cheap Shot for the bonus damage when you CC an enemy champion and Ravenous Hunter for some bonus healing. For rune shards, take Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Armor.

Runes – Support

If you’re playing as a support, go with the Resolve tree and take Aftershock as your keystone. Since you’ll be laning with a ranged carry, you’re tasked with peeling and setting up kills most of the time. Aftershock helps you deal more damage while also increasing your resistances. Next, take Font of Life for bonus healing, Bone Plating for reduced damage from spells, and Unflinching to help you stick to your targets better. For secondaries, take Cheap Shot for bonus damage and Ultimate Hunter so your ultimate will be available more often. For rune shards, take double Adaptive Force and Armor.

Useful Tips

1. Amumu is a strong champion but he isn’t strong enough to take enemies out on his own. He’s very reliant on his team mates so make sure you cooperate with everyone to ensure your victory. 
2. Amumu is weak against champions like Nocturne, Shaco, and Evelynn in the Jungle while he is strong against Nunu & Willump, Rammus, and Zac. When he’s playing Support, he’s weak against Pyke, Zilean, and Zyra while he is strong against Soraka, Nautilus, and Leona. Try to ban champions he’s weak against so that you’ll have an easier time.
3. For summoner spells, always take Smite and Flash if you’re a Jungler. If you’re a Support, take Exhaust instead of Smite.

So there you have it! That’s all you need to know about playing Amumu in League of Legends. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun and we’ll see you on the Rift!