Here are the best League of Legends Junglers in patch 12.21, as well as the runes and builds you should be using in order to get some LP gains before Season 13 arrives.
Season 12 is winding down, and there are some big jungle changes coming in Season 13, changes that could shift the entire meta in the role. For those trying to take advantage of the best jungle champions in Season 12, your time is running out.
What’s more, jungle isn’t as cut-and-dry as some of the other roles in League of Legends. For a role like ADC, most champions play the same role on the team: damage, and a lot of it. We have a guide to the best ADCs in League of Legends as well if being your team’s main damage dealer at all times sounds appealing to you.
Jungle has just as many viable tanks as it does damage-oriented carries, and it’s possible to carry your team by being either an unkillable tank or a damage carry. Don’t get discouraged if damage-carry characters aren’t your style, there are plenty of other options out there.
Jungle is known as one of the hardest roles in League of Legends for a reason. However, that also gives players who take the time to learn its intricacies a massive advantage. And picking the right champion for the job is half the battle.
Here are the best junglers in League of Legends patch 12.21.
Contents:
- Who is the best jungler in League of Legends?
- When should you pick carry junglers?
- Graves
- Graves runes and build
- Bel’Veth
- Bel’Veth runes and build
- Fiddlesticks
- Fiddlesticks runes and build
- Elise
- Elise runes and build
- Graves
- When should you pick tank junglers?
- Udyr
- Udyr runes and build
- Zac
- Zac runes and build
- Rammus
- Rammus runes and build
- Udyr
Who is the best jungler in League of Legends?
This question sort of flies in the face of the idea that there is no best pick for every situation, but there is a jungler that’s good in almost every situation on patch 12.21: Graves. If you’re trying to one-trick a jungle champion and learn the role while climbing, Graves should be your go-to.
His Plat+ win rate of 49.35% may make him seem like a low-tier champion, but his win rate quickly climbs as you get to higher and higher ranks. Not to mention, he has the highest jungler pick rate at 17.4%.
If we’re going by win rate, Fiddlesticks is the best jungler with a 52.76% win rate in Plat+ with a 4.6% pick rate. His point-and-click CC, vision control, and substantial AoE damage make him a jungler that relies on game knowledge more than mechanics, drastically widening his margin of error.
When should you pick carry junglers?
Carry junglers are for those willing to take over a game. If you’re confident in your mechanics, your ability to clear jungle consistently while still impacting the map, and your ability to carry in the late game, carry junglers are for you.
That said, late game is key here. Pro players can get away with picking junglers like Lee Sin and Nidalee that fall off in the later stages of the game because their teams are highly coordinated and know how to end games quickly.
For most ranked games, your teammates will make mistakes and throw games by getting picked off at the worst possible times. Climbing is much more consistent on late-game oriented champions, and that’s what we’ll be recommending you as far as carry champions go. With one exception.
Graves, the Outlaw
Graves is the jungler on patch 12.21, and has been the most popular jungler through LoL’s final patches for Season 12. He’s been dominating at Worlds 2022, and, in the hands of the right player, he has unbelievably high carry potential.
Fast jungle clear, high DPS, naturally high tank stats, great scaling, and strong early game trading potential. What does Graves not have?
Graves severely lacks gank potential. He doesn’t have much CC, and it’s the biggest thing keeping Graves players from consistently winning games. Ganking with Graves isn’t as simple as walking into a lane and getting kills. It’s about patience. Waiting for the enemy to use their dash, flash, or other mobility options before going in for the kill. It’s about looking at wavestates and finding an opportunity where the opponent is pushed up too far.
When should you pick Graves?
Graves is viable in most circumstances, it’s all up to personal preference. If his lack of easy gank potential and a “go button” that lets him immediately get on top of vulnerable champions isn’t appealing to you, Graves might not be the best pick.
That said, Graves’ build variety gives him a lot of flexibility. He’s got bruiser builds and full damage builds that are both totally viable. In lower MMR brackets, there’s almost no game that Graves can’t carry if you’re making the right decisions.
Don’t get discouraged if your first few Graves games are rough. He takes some getting used to, but the payoff is well worth it.
Graves best runes and build in League of Legends
Since Graves has strong 1v1 potential, Emberknife is usually the way to go. If you’re on top of your game and know to Smite the opponent before they do their burst damage, it can be the difference between winning and losing a fight. Starting Emberknife and a refillable pot is standard fare for most junglers.
Graves’ max path is typically Q > E > W, with points in ultimate when possible. But make sure you start with his E, the damage you gain from using his dash to reload his gun combined with the Grit passive on the ability far outweight the benefits of starting his Q.
Across all of Graves’ builds and playstyles, the same rune page applies. Fleet Footwork is the best choice on this champion for the extra movespeed, plain and simple. Beyond that, there’s a good bit of flexibility. If you’re going for a Goredrinker build, going Overheal and Last Stand over Triumph and Coup de Grace can do a lot for you.
Domination is the way to go in order to get your hands on the Zombie Ward rune. Sudden Impact is great for that short burst of bonus lethality, but runes like Treasure Hunter and Ingenious Hunter can both give you a lot of value. Just make sure you always take Zombie Ward.
Graves has two different build paths that have two very different goals. One is meant for high burst and lethality, giving Graves some serious one-shot potential. The other is a bruiser/drain tank build that gives Graves a good deal of staying power in fights. Both are viable, and both are worth trying out.
On most champions, rushing your Mythic item is ideal. On Graves, rushing Umbral Glaive is ideal. Vision control is an all important component of Graves dominance, especially considering his lack of gank setup. Umbral Glaive’s passive allows Graves to take over the map with ease. Not to mention, completing Zombie Ward early on gives Graves a ton of bonus damage from the Zombie Ward rune, making it incredibly gold efficient.
Eclipse will give you lethality along with a handy shield and some omnivamp for sustain, making it a great Mythic option. Maw of Malmortius is usually a strong pickup considering the armor Graves gains from his Grit passive. Plated Steelcaps alongside Maw of Malmortius will makes Graves surprisingly tanky against any opponent.
Sherylda’s is great for the pen and slow passive, while Guardian Angel is a great pickup for some additional survivability. Even Graves’ full damage build has some tanky elements to it, elements that only get amped by his bruiser build.
The main difference here is choice in Mythic, along with Black Cleaver. His bruiser build heavily incentivizes getting into the fight and making it last as long as possible. Black Cleaver’s armor pen really ramps up over the course of a teamfight and gives some great stats. Death’s Dance is a good substitute for Guardian Angel that’s a bit more useful outside of the GA passive, but doesn’t have that safety net.
If you’re playing Graves to 1-shot people, the first build is the way to go. If you want a bit more time to breathe and staying power in fights, his bruiser build is your best bet. Here’s the thing, though: Both builds start with Umbral Glaive, so you aren’t locked into one build path or the other from the start of the game.
Graves is an incredibly complex champion, and he takes time to get the hang of. There are easier carries on the list if his learning curve seems intimidating.
Bel’Veth, the Empress of the Void
Bel’Veth is the textbook definition of a solo queue champion. She has strong gank potential, high mobility, near insurmountable late-game scaling, and can make herself a win condition with ease. Her ban rate is 32.6% in comparison to a 6.8% pick rate, meaning that players despise the prospect of playing against this champion. And for good reason.
She has 4 dashes at her disposal (5 if you land her W), along with a strong knockup, an ability that has 70% damage mitigation attached to it, and unlimited attack speed scaling. To top it all off, her jungle clear and early-game gank potential isn’t too bad. And, even with some slight nerfs in patch 12.21, these nerfs weren’t big enough to knock her out of the meta.
However, Bel’Veth isn’t exactly easy. Her power spikes are very uneven, requiring her to finish full items for their passives before she truly gets any noticeable buff in damage. Item components do next to nothing for Bel’Veth, but finished items put her far ahead of the competition. Learning how to play around that dynamic is a key part of learning Bel’Veth.
When should you pick Bel’Veth?
Bel’Veth is yet another great first-pick jungler. While she does get countered by an opponent that knows how to counterjungle her and keep her from stacking attack speed with her passive by clearing camps, that’s on the enemy knowing how to play against Bel’Veth properly rather than knowing what to pick into her. She has a hard time against champions that heavily restrict her mobility like Taliyah, but she can still function well in unfavorable matchups.
Additionally, Bel’Veth has a lot of strength when you have a winning top lane matchup. If your top laner is on an early-game champion and in a favorable matchup, taking Herald is much easier. And, because of Bel’Veth’s interaction with Rift Herald related to her ultimate and her passive minion spawns, topside advantages for Bel’Veth can win the game for her team.
If you’re someone who has tried and failed to carry with junglers like Master Yi, try picking up Bel’Veth. Her ability to take games into her own hands combined with her utility and survivability make her an incredibly consistent carry champion.
Bel’Veth best runes and build in League of Legends
Riot Games
Just like with Graves, Emberknife is the go-to on Bel’Veth. Any champion with mobility that’s heavily focused on trading will reap the benefits of Emberknife’s upgraded Smite, and get much more out of it than Hailblade.
Bel’Veth’s max path tends to be Q > E > W, with points in ultimate whenever possible. However, all of her abilities gain a ton of benefits from having levels invested in them. Don’t be afraid to experiment a little and deviate when you get the hang of Bel’Veth’s kit and her power spikes.
Bel’Veth’s runes may be a bit surprising. For someone who scales so well with attack speed, there isn’t a whole lot of attack speed in here. However, because she gains so much attack speed through her passive and build path, runes are better invested in other things.
Conquerer’s healing and bonus damage help Bel’Veth in extended fights, Triumph helps her stay in the fight longer, Tenacity helps her stay mobile, and Coup de Grace aides her E’s high potential to shred low targets. Inspiration is where things get interesting.
Bel’Veth’s build is very, very expensive. Footwear helps her save money on buying boots, and Future’s Market helps her reach her power spikes that much faster. When playing a champion who is so reliant on completing items to gain a power spike, Future’s Market is undoubtedly the best choice here. Especially for players still learning how much gold it takes to finish items in her build.
Speaking of build, let’s talk about what makes Bel’Veth so strong: on-hit effects. Kraken Slayer and Blade of the Ruined King give Bel’Veth some of the biggest power spikes in League of Legends, with each item drastically increasing her ability to trade with any opponent.
Kraken Slayer is a must for its true damage, there aren’t many instances where itemizing into other Mythic items is worth. The same can be said for Blade of the Ruined King because of its high damage. Just be wary of how expensive Bel’Veth’s best items are. Getting her out of the early game is easier said than done.
Wit’s End helps with on-hit, while Death’s Dance and Guardian Angel help with survivability. Guinsoo’s Rageblade is an item some players opt for, but Bel’Veth’s damage is so high between the other on-hit options that giving yourself a bit more survivability is much more effective than maximizing damage output.
Fiddlesticks, the Ancient Fear
Fiddlesticks is a good place to start for players who are wholly unfamiliar with the concept of jungling. His easy camp clear and lack of skillshots allow you to focus on the more complex and nuanced aspects of being a good jungler like vision control, creating an optimized path for clearing jungle camps, and waiting for the right opportunity to gank.
With Fiddlestick’s incredibly high burst damage and CC comes the caveat that he only functions well if he’s proactive. Fiddlesticks severely lacks tools that can be used to react to threats. Qing someone and running away is just about your only option. But, if you channel your ultimate in just the right spot and catch the enemy team unawares, you can single-handedly win the game for your team.
Not to mention, Fiddlesticks’ passive allows him to clear wards from level 1 while still providing vision, making him especially strong for controlling the map. For those who value planning, positioning, and outsmarting the opponent rather than outplaying them, Fiddlesticks is a fantastic choice.
When should you pick Fiddlesticks?
Fiddlesticks is a quintessential teamfight jungler, though he severely lacks the push power and objective damage champions like Graves and Bel’Veth bring to the table. He isn’t going to carry the game through winning 1v1s and taking objectives quickly. He’s going to carry by creating leads for his lanes and forcing 5v5s.
For some, this may not be an appealing playstyle. The level of planning and vision control required to get the most out of Fiddlesticks isn’t for everyone.
Before locking this champion, make sure your team has enough physical damage, tower push, and objective damage to make up for your weakness in those areas.
Fiddlesticks best build and runes in League of Legends
Riot Games
If Fiddlesticks is ahead, he won’t need any help trading. And, if he’s behind, he’ll need some help getting away from the enemy team. Thus, Hailblade makes a lot more sense on Fiddlesticks than Emberknife.
Fiddlesticks’ standard ability order is W > Q > E, with points in ultimate when possible. However, his starting order is to take points in W at levels 1 and 3, and E at level 2. Unless you’re at risk of getting invaded in the jungle, the extra points in W help his early clear speed immensely.
Fiddlesticks is all about taking out the enemy in one fell swoop with his ultimate, so First Strike is the perfect fit for this champion. That three-second window of damage amplification helps a whole lot in the later stages of the game.
Stopwatch is a must-have on Fiddlesticks, and, with the 100 gold price increase in patch 12.17, Perfect Timing is an efficient way to get your hands on the item without breaking the bank. Future’s Market helps with hitting power spikes at the right time, and Cosmic Insight is generally useful.
Cheap Shot pairs well with Fiddle’s fear, and Ultimate Hunter is a must-have considering how important Fiddlesticks’ ultimate is to his success.
With how difficult it can be to get on top of the opponent while in your ultimate, Hextech Rocketbelt is a wise Mythic choice. While Night Harvester can be viable, those learning how to play and position with Fiddlesticks should stick with Rocketbelt. Zhonya’s is also a must-have item on this champion due to the fact that his ult’s AoE damage persists through the Stasis active. This Mythic/Zhonya’s combo is necessary for Fiddlesticks, and they should be your first two items every game.
Other than that, any items that provide raw damage are good to opt into. Sorcerer’s Shoes and Shadowflame paired together provide a ton of base penetration, while Void Staff provides percent penetration. Meanwhile, Rabadon’s Deathcap is a great option from ahead for raw ability power. All of these items are fantastic on Fiddlesticks, but the order in which you purchase them depends on what you need most at that moment.
Elise, the Spider Queen
Riot Games
If you’re looking for a bit of a challenge, Elise is the sole exception to the late-game scaling trend on this list. Having a jungler in your champion pool that can bully the opposing jungler and create massive early-game leads is very valuable, and Elise is a great entry point for that playstyle.
She’s much easier from a mechanical standpoint than other gank-heavy junglers like Nidalee and Lee Sin once you get the hang of her combos. The fact that she has a strong gank setup with her E is very helpful for easing into a more aggressive and confident jungling style than that of a late-game scaling champion that primarily wants to farm and gank where they can.
Picking Elise is an inherent risk. If you spend all your time farming, you’re going to fall behind your opponent and become irrelevant. However, if you can gank early, put your lanes ahead, and make the opposing junglers life a living nightmare, you’ll be able to dominate games.
When should you pick Elise?
Elise is the sort of jungler you pick in response to something else. While she can function in most matchups, using her to exploit junglers with a bad early game is ideal. Where a champion like Fiddlesticks requires good positioning and map awareness, Elise is the perfect champion to play spoiler and ruin his day.
Go in with a plan of where you’ll path in the early game. This requires some knowledge of lane matchup, but it’s worth it. For instance, if top-lane is a volatile matchup like Darius vs. Renekton, putting your top laner in the lead early can win the game for you.
Playing a champion like Elise will require you to analyze and predict which lanes on your team will win, where the jungler will try to gank, and how to catch the enemy unaware when they’re trying to farm. The Spider Queen was built from the ground up for pummelling the opposing jungler into submission and taking over the game.
Elise best build and runes in League of Legends
Riot Games
Considering Elise is at her best in 1v1 situations, Emberknife makes the most sense. The extra true damage from the upgraded Smite really helps push her burst combo into 1-shot territory if used in the time after you stun a target and before all your burst damage hits.
Elise’s ability order is Q > W > E, with points in ultimate depending on personal preference. The bonus stats are nice, but some prefer to max her base abilities ASAP.
Elise’s runes are an all-in affair. Dark Harvest, Eyeball Collection, and Treasure Hunter are both oriented around building as big of a lead as fast as you can, with Sudden Impact helping with burst damage. Coup de Grace and Triumph are helpful to have in all those fights you’ll be forcing.
You may have noticed that these runes aren’t too strong from behind. If you’re not confident in taking an all-in approach to get ahead, then Elise may not be the champion for you. And that’s ok! Her high-risk, high-reward playstyle certainly isn’t for everyone.
Elise’s items are all about utility. Night Harvester with Sorcerer’s Shoes is the move, with Hextech Rocketbelt being a viable Mythic if you’re having a hard time getting on top of the enemy. Shadowflame adds some base penetration, with Void Staff being a viable pickup against tanky team compositions.
Zhonya’s Hourglass and Banshee’s Veil are both great defensive options that give Elise a bit more staying power in teamfights, while Rabadon’s is a decent buy if you manage to somehow make it to 6 items. Ideally, most games will be done and dusted before you’re able to get your third item.
When should you pick tank junglers?
If you want to learn jungle but don’t like the idea of putting games on your back, don’t fret! Playing a more supportive playstyle based around starting fights for your team is an entirely viable strategy as well. While you may not have the same level of influence over the game as some of the hard carry junglers, having a good eye for when to start fights and having control over the map can be a great way to climb.
Winning without a tank can be difficult, and taking one for the team for the sake of creating a decent team composition can sometimes be your best bet. Not to mention, most tanky jungle picks have some great mobility options, allowing you to go for clutch objective steals and creative ganks.
Udyr, the Spirit Walker
Udyr is Riot’s latest visual and gameplay update (VGU) champion, and his kit has a lot more moving parts than it used to. That said, he’s still mechanically very simple. No skillshots, no range, and no dashes. On paper, Udyr is incredibly easy, and seems like a great champion for players trying to learn jungle.
In reality, Udyr is incredibly difficult to use against players who have knowledge of more advanced LoL concepts like kiting, spacing, and zoning. It can be easy to feel useless if you’re behind on this champion, but he has a ton of redeeming qualities and a generally positive win rate of almost 52%.
What does Udyr bring to the table if he lacks so much? Why would you pick Udyr over other tanky junglers?
When should you pick Udyr?
Udyr may not have a leap or a dash, but he does have the next best thing: movement speed. Running away from this champion is something few can pull off. Between the movement speed, stun, and conditional CC immunity on his E as well as the massive slow on his R, the only thing that can stop Udyr is a literal wall.
Where other champions can juke with dashes, leaps, and teleports, Udyr only has his own two legs to get him out of trouble. With this restriction comes movement speed that scales through the game, hitting critical mass later on. Udyr is fast.
Champions like Trundle, Ashe, and Anivia who can consistently slow and zone Udyr make things difficult. But, if your goal is to focus down a low-mobility ADC or mid-laner, there are few better picks than the Spirit Walker.
Udyr best build and runes in League of Legends
Riot Games
Hailblade is the way to go on Udyr. His traiding potential is so good between the sustain on his W and the damage on his R that you’ll more often be concerned about getting on top of your target than outtrading them.
Udyr’s ability order is dependent on what you need most. While R is always maxed first with tank Udyr, E and W are both viable to max second. If you need the sustain and tankiness from W, go for that over E. If you need more movement speed, E is worth maxing second.
Udyr is all about sustained damage and staying in the fight as long as he can. Legend: Tenacity, Triumph, and Conquerer are all geared toward both keeping Udyr healthy and mobile through extended fights. And, even when if he gets low, Last Stand will give him the damage to finish people off. Sorcery secondary gives Udyr both Waterwalking and Celerity, runes that further augment his movement speed.
The bulk of Udyr’s damage relies upon Sunfire Aegis and Demonic Embrace. These two items work well with the AP scaling on his R and W. While making Q and building AD is possible, R max with AP tank items is consistently better. Beyond that, it’s all about pure tank stats and movement speed.
Frozen Heart has a lot of value on Udyr due to how much it helps with his rampant mana issues, and the attack speed slow counters ADCs well. Meanwhile, both Dead Man’s Plate and Force of Nature give Udyr even more movement speed. With how fast Udyr ends up being in the late game, movement speed might as well be a tank stat because it’s impossible to hit him. Thornmail is also a viable choice against a ton of healing.
Zac, the Secret Weapon
Riot Games
When it comes to skill-expressive tank junglers, Zac is at the top of the list. In a general sense, engage champions require a bit less mechanical prowess than carry champions due to having a simple, straightforward kit and a larger margin for error due to their high HP and protections.
Zac tosses that generalization aside and allows for those who have mastered his unique kit to thrive. If you’re into the idea of playing a tanky champion, but someone like Udyr doesn’t sound very appealing to you with his lack of skillshots and straightforward playstyle, Zac is a fantastic choice.
Not to mention, Zac’s E has incredibly long range. When maxed first (which you should be doing), his E allows him to leap over large swathes of the map and catch the enemy team by surprise. People who master this goopy warrior can easily carry games.
When should you pick Zac?
Zac’s biggest shortcoming is that he lacks burst damage. He has no lack of damage overall, and can easily get near the top of the damage chart in any given game. However, he struggles into champions that can sustain against him or kite him around. He needs to be in a fight with multiple foes to realize his full potential.
It’s rare that Zac wins an early 1v1. But, when it comes to 2v2s, Zac is an absolute monster. This is largely due to his AoE damage, and the fact that his Q needs multiple foes to target in order to gain value. In other words, Zac needs a team to succeed in fights. While he farms jungle camps more efficiently than most tanks and has some of the best Baron steal potential in the game, he’s never going to 1v5.
Ultimately, Zac is all about making things easier for your team. However, when it comes to solo queue, the old adage about leading a horse to water rings true. You can’t control your teammates and force them to follow up when you engage on the enemy. If the idea of having to rely on teammates a bit bothers you, Zac may not be a good fit.
Zac best runes and build in League of Legends
Riot Games
Hailblade is your go-to on a champion like Zac. He’s not going to be taking many 1v1s, and having the ability to slow someone on-demand is fantastic considering that the bulk of Zac’s CC can be dodged.
Zac’s typical ability order is E > W > Q, with points in his ultimate when possible.
Meanwhile, Zac’s runes are meant to bulk him up and give him some additional sustain. Aftershock’s bonus damage and protections are a perfect fit for this champion, and Conditioning only adds to his tankiness. Revitalize aids the sustain on his passive, while Font of Life is a huge help in teamfights. For secondary runes, Legend: Tenacity and Triumph both help him stay active in fights for as long as possible.
While Zac has a lot of range in theory, he has to get up close to deal damage. The bonus stats from this rune setup can be the difference between life and death.
Itemization is, unsurprisingly, also all about tank stats. Even Zac’s damage items are meant to net him some tank stats, with both Sunfire and Demonic Embrace making up the bulk of the damage on this champion. Warmog’s, Thornmail, and Spirit Visage are all must-haves on this champion, but the order in which you buy them depends on what you need most.
Against a ton of healing, Thornmail is worth rushing into. Spirit Visage is a fantastic choice against heavy magic damage and provides some great sustain. Warmog’s is great almost all of the time after Demonic Embrace, but it’s a very weak first buy against teams that do significant percent health damage.
There’s a philosophy when it comes to choosing tank items that works well here: If it’s killing you in fights, you should build to counter it. If you’re dying often, check the damage charts and see what’s doing the most damage to you.
Rammus, the Armordillo
Rammus is the most niche jungler on this list. He’s a relatively unassuming champion at first glance, but he’s a high-mobility tank that can strike fear into his enemies. He’s been at the bottom of most tier lists for years, and has been a mediocre jungler for a long time. However, following a small-scale rework and recent series of buffs to the champion, Rammus has a very clear-cut place in the meta: countering carry-style AD champions.
His win rate is sitting around 51.5% at the time of writing, but that doesn’t sell Rammus’ strengths very well. For instance, his win rate against Graves is over 54%, making his matchup with LoL’s most popular jungler a favorable one. Rammus isn’t a champion you can pick all the time, but, if you can learn when to pick Rammus, he’s an invaluable asset.
When should you pick Rammus?
Rammus’ defense and offense are both built around armor scaling. If the enemy team makes a draft misstep and lacks magic damage, or if they have champions that are heavily reliant on auto attacking to do damage, Rammus is the ideal pick.
However, first-picking Rammus is an ill-advised choice. Against champions like Elise, Zac, and Fiddlesticks, he has a very hard time. AP damage counters him heavily, keeping him in his niche. Rammus is less of a champion and more of a tool to counter certain strategies. And tools are at their absolute best when they’re used for the right job.
Rammus best build and runes in League of Legends
Riot Games
Rammus differs from other tanks that take Hailblade for the slow on Smite. He has no issues keeping up with anyone and is even faster than a champion like Udyr. And, with his E taunt keeping a single target in attack range for a long time, the bonus true damage on red Smite combined with the damage reduction on the damage he’s dealt during taunt makes red Smite the best choice.
Rammus’ ability order is Q > E > W, with points in ultimate when possible.
For Rammus, his runes are focused on increasing his tank stats and giving him a little bit of bonus damage. Resolve gives him a lot of tank stats. Bonus protections from Aftershock and Conditioning not only make Rammus tankier, they also let him deal more damage. Font of Life is useful for teamfighting, and Unflinching keeps Rammus from getting CC locked.
Meanwhile, Precision is the way to go for secondary runes. Rammus doesn’t need the movement speed from something like a Celerity/Waterwalking combo from Sorcery, so taking Precision to grant additional attack speed with Legend: Alacrity and some staying power in fights with Triumph is ideal.
Rammus doesn’t need damage items to do damage, so tank items will be your go-to at all times. Sunfire Aegis and Thornmail are his core items in every game. If the enemy team has enough AP damage that you can’t justify rushing into Thornmail, then picking Rammus may have been a poor choice.
That said, there are options to defend against magic damage as Rammus. Force of Nature is usually your best bet. Dead Man’s Plate gives him enough movement speed to break the sound barrier, and Gargoyle’s Stoneplate can grant some much-needed survivability in teamfights. Randuin’s Omen can also be a great option against attack speed and crit-heavy team compositions.
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