New Taric: Whaddya Buyin'?

So Taric has a new look, a new voice, new armor, new pecs, and no shield or hammer. He now has a mace and a brand new kit. There's also gems floating over his shoulders because shut up. Everything about him has changed. Fortunately his build hasn't.

[slayer-jinx-unamused]

I hope you didn't think I was serious. Of course his kit's going to be different, but the question is how? My favorite build with Old Taric was to build max CDR and grab a Frozen Heart and Frostborne, then laugh as I chunk away at assassins while I have infinite armor and mana with armor shred, healing, a damage buff and targeted stun. Assassin teams and ADCs shat their long johns at the sight of a Taric.

Shame I won't be able to do that anymore.

Still, I think even with only one offensive ability, this new Taric could still do some amazing things. Most of his damage seems to be loaded onto his passive. Already my thoughts drift to the Tiamat and its builds. Titanic Hydra is obviously the go-to for offense, since he's a tank, and he'll want the HP. His menace as a support is largely attributed to Bastion. This means that whenever he is bonded with someone, you have to treat the target as if he's right next to them. Thankfully his demand for armor is as consistent as his old incarnation (though shame he can't armor shred anymore), so Randuin's Omen, Frozen Heart, and Thornmail, they are all desirable. While his armor bonus is now limited to one very lucky ally (Malphite and Rammus wring their hands/claws with anticipation), the armor bonus is stronger, and his heal affects a crowd, instead.

Since his focus is to bond with someone and stay close to them (better not fap off in the jungle, people), there's definitely an emphasis on Zeke's Harbinger. Once it activates, it will more or less act like his old ult. Depending on his bonded ally and team as a whole, Ardent Censer may or may not be very viable on him. Casters rarely get much use from it, and it doesn't give Taric the armor or health that he needs. Righteous Glory has the raw stats that Taric will like while providing him with an easy means of closing the gap with his enemy.

I think, overall, there are two highly distinctive builds for Taric, which will affect how he's played. One is health and attack damage, where he uses his ability to cast from range to focus on defense and raw strength for when the enemies actually get close, and the other is armor, where he uses the hefty bonuses on his W and passive to casually wade through damage and pummel the enemy to paste. I can't wait to get my hands on him to try them both out.

Universal Items:

Offense (Armor):

Defense (Health and Attack Damage):