Introduction
League of Legends, a game renowned for its strategic depth and diverse champion roster, presents players with an array of gameplay styles and build options. One crucial aspect that often determines victory, especially in the long run, is a champion’s ability to withstand damage and remain a threat throughout a team fight. This resilience is often rooted in the concept of health scaling, a game mechanic that significantly impacts a champion’s effectiveness by increasing their power proportionally to their maximum health. Health scaling is more than just a stat; it’s a strategic element that shapes itemization, rune selection, and overall team compositions. For certain champions, health is not simply a buffer, it’s the source of their power.
This article will delve into the world of League of Legends champions that scale with health, exploring the various champions who benefit significantly from building health and the strategies surrounding their gameplay. We’ll dissect how health scaling works, the items and runes that amplify its impact, and how to effectively play these champions or counter them in the Summoner’s Rift. Understanding these mechanics will elevate your game knowledge and help you make informed decisions during champion select and throughout the match. The goal is to provide a comprehensive guide for players looking to master, or at least understand, these powerful and enduring characters.
Understanding Health Scaling
In the complex landscape of League of Legends, health scaling refers to a champion’s abilities or damage output increasing based on their maximum health stat. It’s not just about having a large health pool; it’s about maximizing the potential of that health to deal damage, survive engagements, and control the battlefield. This characteristic is particularly common among tanks and bruisers, but its application is expanding to other roles too.
Health scaling isn’t just about simply increasing hit points; it offers the potential to significantly increase a champion’s damage, shield strength, or crowd control duration. It is often tied to abilities or items that interact with a champion’s health, creating a unique and sometimes overwhelming advantage in combat.
Unlike traditional Attack Damage (AD) or Ability Power (AP) scaling, which typically benefit from itemization that focuses on attack damage, ability power, critical strike chance, or attack speed, champions with health scaling often thrive with items that amplify their survivability. Building items with a lot of health allows them to take more hits, and their damage or shield can dramatically increase with each health item purchased.
This scaling mechanic also encourages a different playstyle. These champions will generally have stronger mid to late game, as the scaling truly shines in the later stages of the game when they have acquired more health.
Top Lane Champions With Health Scaling
The top lane, a battleground of individual skill and strategic decision-making, sees a number of champions excel through their reliance on health scaling.
[Champion Name: K’Sante] – The Pride of Nazumah
This champion, is a premier example of a tank with health scaling that changes his damage output and survivability, specifically when his ultimate is active. K’Sante’s ability kit is heavily reliant on his health to scale his damage and defenses. [Specific Ability] scales directly with his bonus health, making him a formidable threat in both short trades and prolonged team fights. Building items that increase health allows him to deal substantial damage while simultaneously becoming incredibly difficult to take down. Items such as [Item Name, e.g., Sunfire Aegis] and [Item Name, e.g., Warmog’s Armor] are staples in his build. These items greatly amplify his survivability while simultaneously increasing the potency of his abilities.
[Champion Name: Ornn] – The Fire Below the Mountain
Ornn, the blacksmith demigod, is designed to be a tank from the ground up. His passive ability allows him to forge items at any point on the map, which is invaluable. [Specific Ability] and [Specific Ability] both scale with bonus health, allowing him to become an unyielding wall. Ornn’s ability to provide items for the entire team, combined with his innate durability and health scaling, makes him an anchor in team compositions. His core build often revolves around health-focused items like [Item Name, e.g., Sunfire Aegis] and [Item Name, e.g., Frozen Heart], transforming him into a nearly immovable force.
[Champion Name: Illaoi] – The Kraken Priestess
Illaoi, a bruiser with a unique mix of damage and health scaling, relies on her ability to utilize her health effectively. Her power lies in her [Specific Ability], which creates tentacles that deal damage based on her health. The more health she accumulates, the more devastating her tentacles become, and the more she can control the battlefield. In addition, her ultimate ability, [Specific Ability], summons additional tentacles, exponentially increasing her area-of-effect damage potential. Items like [Item Name, e.g., Black Cleaver] and [Item Name, e.g., Sterak’s Gage] are favored, balancing health with other useful attributes.
[Champion Name: Mundo] – The Madman of Zaun
This champion is a perfect example of a champion that scales primarily with health. Dr. Mundo is a juggernaut who relies on his health to survive and deal damage. [Specific Ability] allows him to drain health to deal damage, which is amplified by the amount of health he has. His ultimate, [Specific Ability], provides significant health regeneration, allowing him to sustain through prolonged fights. Mundo’s build often includes items like [Item Name, e.g., Spirit Visage] and [Item Name, e.g., Warmog’s Armor], boosting his regeneration and overall durability.
Jungle Champions With Health Scaling
The jungle position is a pivotal role in the game. Here, health scaling champions can excel by controlling objectives and creating opportunities for their team.
[Champion Name: Zac] – The Secret Weapon
Zac, a resilient and mobile tank, is a prime example of a jungler who thrives on health scaling. His health pool is both his source of durability and damage potential. [Specific Ability] scales directly with his maximum health, granting him significant damage and healing. Moreover, his ultimate, [Specific Ability], a massive area-of-effect crowd control skill, further benefits from his health, ensuring his effectiveness in initiating team fights. Building health items like [Item Name, e.g., Radiant Virtue] and [Item Name, e.g., Dead Man’s Plate] maximizes his engagement and survivability.
[Champion Name: Nunu & Willump] – The Boy and His Yeti
Nunu & Willump are a formidable duo that excels in the jungle through their objective control and crowd control. [Specific Ability], their primary engage tool, scales with health, resulting in a long duration of crowd control. Their ability to control objectives and start team fights is significantly enhanced by building items that increase their health pool. Items like [Item Name, e.g., Locket of the Iron Solari] and [Item Name, e.g., Force of Nature] bolster their tankiness.
Mid Lane Champions With Health Scaling
The mid lane, often regarded as the pivotal lane in the game, welcomes champions who can endure and dominate through health scaling.
[Champion Name: Sylas] – The Unshackled
Sylas is known for his ability to steal enemy ultimates, and many of them rely on health scaling. While not purely a health scaling champion, Sylas often benefits from building health to amplify his overall effectiveness in fights. The health scaling of his ability combined with his innate tankiness makes him a resilient and powerful threat in the mid lane. Items like [Item Name, e.g., Zhonya’s Hourglass] and [Item Name, e.g., Rod of Ages] provide a balance of ability power and health, contributing to his sustained damage and survivability.
Support Champions With Health Scaling
Support, a role that is often thought of as the cornerstone of the team, relies on health scaling to protect their carries and control the battlefield.
[Champion Name: Braum] – The Heart of the Freljord
Braum, a stalwart support, is a champion built on his ability to endure and protect his team. His health scaling is critical to maximizing his ability to protect the team. He can block projectiles, and he can reliably engage for his carries. Building items like [Item Name, e.g., Thornmail] and [Item Name, e.g., Zeke’s Convergence] increases his health while also contributing to his utility, making him an excellent asset to his team.
[Champion Name: Alistar] – The Minotaur
Alistar, a tank support, is another great example of a champion that scales with health. He relies on his health to be able to crowd control enemies and protect his teammates. He is a strong initiator and he helps his team greatly. [Specific Ability], his ultimate, grants him increased damage reduction, and his ability to be in the middle of fights relies on the health he has. Items like [Item Name, e.g., Locket of the Iron Solari] and [Item Name, e.g., Knight’s Vow] bolster his tankiness.
Runes and Items that Synergize with Health Scaling
Choosing the right runes and items is crucial for maximizing the impact of health scaling champions.
Common Runes for Health Scaling Champions
- Grasp of the Undying: This rune, a keystone often taken on the resolve rune path, provides extra health and deals damage based on a percentage of your health. It synergizes perfectly with the health scaling of these champions.
- Aftershock: This rune is a good option for engage-oriented champions that will be in the thick of a team fight. It provides bonus defenses after immobilizing an enemy champion, enhancing survivability.
- Conditioning: This rune increases a champion’s Armor and Magic Resist after a certain time, making them even more durable during the later stages of the game.
- Overgrowth: This rune provides bonus health as you defeat minions and monsters.
Core Items to Build on Health Scaling Champions
- Sunfire Aegis: A core tank item that provides a significant amount of health, armor, and magic resistance, and deals damage based on your health and the time in combat.
- Warmog’s Armor: Provides a massive health increase and grants a health regeneration effect, which allows champions to sustain through fights and recover quickly.
- Force of Nature: Increases Magic Resist and provides bonus movement speed. It gives the champion a lot of health and helps with survivability.
- Abyssal Mask: Provides magic resistance and bonus damage amplification for allies.
- Thornmail: Increases armor and reflects damage taken by the enemy.
- Sterak’s Gage: Provides both bonus health and a shield that can save you from dying.
Strategies for Playing Against Health Scaling Champions
Countering health scaling champions requires a strategic approach to mitigate their strengths.
Identifying these champions
Identify the champions early in the game so you can adjust your strategy. Understanding their health scaling mechanics is crucial for knowing how to approach them in fights. Champions like [Champion Name, e.g., Ornn] need to be singled out quickly because of their tankiness and ability to provide items for their team.
Champions, items, and strategies to counter health scaling
- Anti-Tank Items: The most effective way to combat health scaling is with items designed to specifically counter tanks, like [Item Name, e.g., Lord Dominik’s Regards] and [Item Name, e.g., Mortal Reminder]. These items deal bonus damage based on the target’s maximum health or apply Grievous Wounds.
- Percentage Health Damage: Some champions have abilities that deal damage based on a percentage of the target’s maximum health, making them ideal counters.
- Execution Abilities: Abilities that deal finishing damage can be used to effectively take down health scaling champions.
- Grievous Wounds: This effect reduces healing received, mitigating the benefits of high health regeneration. Items like [Item Name, e.g., Morellonomicon] and [Item Name, e.g., Executioner’s Calling] apply this debuff.
- Focus Fire: Coordinate your team to focus fire on health scaling champions. Even with high health, they can be overwhelmed with focused damage from multiple sources.
- Kite and Avoid Engagements: Avoid prolonged engagements, especially early in the game. Health scaling champions become more powerful over time, so control the tempo and focus on outmaneuvering them.
Conclusion
Champions in League of Legends that scale with health represent a unique and powerful archetype within the game. They are defined by their ability to leverage their health pools not only for survivability but also for damage and utility. From the unyielding walls of the top lane to the supportive anchors of the bot lane, these champions offer distinct strategic advantages.
This guide has provided you with a comprehensive overview of health scaling, including how it works, key champions, the best items and runes to use, and effective strategies to play as or against them. Building health allows them to take more damage, and their damage or shield can dramatically increase with each health item purchased.
By understanding the core mechanics of health scaling, you can make informed decisions during champion selection, itemization, and in-game decision making. Remember that a well-built health scaling champion combined with good decision-making and team coordination can dominate in the Summoner’s Rift.
The meta is ever-changing in League of Legends. Keep an eye out for champion adjustments, new items, and rune updates that could shift the power dynamics of health scaling. Continue to experiment, practice, and adapt to stay ahead of the curve. Whether you are an experienced player or new to the game, mastering health scaling champions can drastically increase your win rate and enjoyment.
