Is Thresh A Tank?
Alrighty Thresh mains, I'm gonna need your help... I've heard people say Thresh isn't a tank and I need to know if this is correct.
79 Comments
I would argue thresh is a bit of a 3 way hybrid, biggest part being Warden- b/c his flay and ult are clearly best used for peeling, Catcher b/c of the Hook and Hook/lantern combo, and a bit of enchanter b/c of the lantern (hence why in s7 ardent meta supports were building it on him).
That said, he is not a true tank because the only defenses he gets from his kit are lantern shield and tanky stats from souls, and even then he is far squishier than true tank supports like 
or even 
.
I think this is why thresh is often considered the "jack of all trades" support b/c his kit has traits of different sub classes. Also I think this is why thresh is considered one of the highest skillcap supports b/c he has great tools in his kit but it takes a lot of experience to know how/when to best use them.
infinte ap and armor scaling... he is whatever support malphite is
Thresh is what i like to call Sub- tank, same as Rakan. They are tanky late game, but other than that they are pretty squishy IMO, they just have utility that they can use defensively which make them appear tanky.
thresh is as much of a tank as rakan is. sure they can build tank items and serve as a strong engage but they generally lack the stats/numbers to build as a dedicated tank and still have ideal effect on the game. you shouldnt be building exclusivly tank or enchanter items, it should be a mix.
I'd have to classify him as a tanky utility champ really. The fact that he's BOTH is why he's been a top pick for the last like 5 seasons.
No, Thresh is actually quite squishy compared to real tanks. Without aftershock, he’s almost as easy (or easier, due to coin vs dorans) to burst down than the adc (in early game).
He’s about as tanky as your mid laner during most stages of the game (usually underleveled, doesn’t build health until solari is complete).
Compare that to someone like Blitz/Naut/Leona who are much tankier.
No, he can't draw most of enemy damage, hence he is not a tank , he can work like secondary tank, if needs to be.
He builds basically tank, is picked for basically the same reasons you pick tank supports and more importantly he doesn't fall into any class other then tank well. Like riot give champions like him a special subclass but that was dumb and doesn't really mean anything. Like bard and thresh are very fucking different and feel different.
Thresh is a tank.
Armor scaling means he is a Tank but it is optional. He can be a tank support, but I would agree he is primarily utility, secondary Tank.
He is squishy if not built as a tank though.
Thresh falls under Riot's "Catcher" category which he shares with Rakan, Blitz and others like them. While he does build tank stats i would not classify him as a tank, since he does not have an ability or effect that allows him to bolster his durability akin to Leona W, Nautilus W, Braum W and E, Malph passive and W and so on.
Well yes but actually no.
He's more a champ that defends others rather than being tanky himself.
You usually build full tank on Thresh but you'll never be as durable as Leona/Braum/Alistar etc.
No he is not a tank because he was designed to go all in and kill a target. The longer a fight is going on the more likely you are to lose it because Thresh does not bring anything to the table for that kind of fight unlike a proper tank like Mundo would.
The reason Thresh isn't a tank is because he can chain, heal, and grab an ally. From what I've seen at least
He's supposed to be a tank. However that does not mean there aren't other ways to build him. Saying he's not a tank because he can build not tank is like saying blitz or malph isn't a tank cause they can build AP.
It really depends on the items and the build you put on him. Cause there are many things that factor in to make him slightly tanky or really tanky.
I know a lot of people like to build 
but this doesn't make him tanky in particular, same goes with 
These items are just support items and not fully tank items.
Builds will always change depending on what you play against.
A champion who has scaling armor, magic ressist, or whatever defensive stat doesn't necessarely mean they have to be a tank. I mean, look at 
and 
they are all Juggernauts.
However, due to his playstyle Thresh is a Hooker Armor scaling Tank and a CC bot. But what tank specifically? It's say Vanguard, because his Tank playstyle is about securing kills with his CC so his teammates can them them and also being protective with allies because that's how you can skill express your whole kit defensively besides your W, which is the obvious elephant in the room.
I feel like tanks...real tanks usually have a good hard engage and a way to hard CC. They can put themselves in-between their adc and champs trying to get to their adc/carries. 
these are true tanks imo. They usually start the fights and help keep the adcs peeled so adcs/ carries can do their damage in the safest way possible. Thresh just doesn't fit this. He doesn't usually start the fight, although he can pull himself into a fight it isnt ideal. He can take damage, but not the same amount of a true tank. He can CC, but not like a true tank CC. He is a jack of all trades. Great at a lot of things, but master of none.
Thresh is one of the many Abominations created from the infamous CT. He is a Warden, playmaker, highly utility, ranged poker support champion, who can also be a Marksmen, and rather successfully but hard. Like all other CT champions his kit is still overloaded, however due to his popularity, and the fact that he was support, all support players were forced to learn how to face him. I was one of them, and even then it's a nightmare due to all his utilities.
He broke the support role in two to this day still, and will always be top 3 support picks. That will never change due to his popularity, and his overloaded kit. His creation spawned other questionable support creations like Pyke, and now Senna. God help you if you main a support that is countered by Thresh, you'll always have a risky pick, or forcefully ban him while other hard counters get through.
CT is a terrible champion designer but man does he know how to market like a boss. Reason all his champions are the most popular and will always win in VS matches. He knows how to sell like there is no tommorow.
he can function somewhat like a tank in small skirmishes but in an all-out team fight, it's probably best if he stays near the middle back.
Thresh I believe is what you call a Warden. A Warden TENDS to be a "TANKY" Support.
i mean his passive makes him pretty tanky, and it scales well into the late game. he's a solid engage with solid cc that likes to be in the middle of shit. if that's not a tank, i don't know what is.
I suppose that by definition he isn't a tank because he isn't that tanky inherently but the best way to build him is tanky.
Honestly a very good question
I see Thresh as a utility monster. He's really in a class of his own the next closest thing I could think of would be like Ashe in that she too has a ton of utility.
Because of that utility I think his skill cap is VERY VERY VERY high. Like when to use which abilities in a given situation. Ever seen thresh assist a gank with a lantern? It's amazing to watch.