Tip for laning against AD assassins; How to spend your first 2000 gold

I made this post in another thread and figured it may help shed some light on the controversy behind rushing on mages. Do you rush Seeker's and "give up" on buying a mana item, or do you tough out the lane and rush that Morellonomicon because you need to cast more spells? Let's find out.

For me personally, I almost always grab two Rings simply because it gives 100% regen and a decent amount of AP for what it's worth. The tradeoff is CDR from otherwise. But let's think about it with some math.

is 2000 gold and provides the following:

• 65 AP (more than Unholy Grail)
• 45 Armour
• ~150% mana regen (hitting 3/4 minions at +8 mana each adds ~6 mp5, roughly 50% mana regen for most champions)
• 120 HP

This isn't a bad start at all. Plenty of AP for laning, plenty of mana regen, and life's good. Depending on how well you CS, you could have a little more or a little less than 150% mana regen. Hitting half the minions would give you about 125%, for instance.

Another option for 2050 gold is starting and building and to start Seeker's. The argument here is getting some mana from starting Morello while still not committing to the entire item before starting Seeker's.

• 35 AP
• 15 Armour
• ~125% mana regen
• 60 HP
• 20% CDR

Same logic with the mana regeneration. In my opinion, this is significantly worse than double Doran's; you trade 60 HP, 30 AP, 30 Armour, and ~25% mana regen for 20% CDR. For some mages (and/or players) this maaay be worth it, but for me personally it isn't.

For 2800 gold (price of starting Ring + entire Morellonomicon), you can get .

• 90 AP
• 45 Armour
• ~150% mana regen
• 120 HP
• 10% CDR

Replace Codex with Idol (2550G), you get...

• 65 AP
• 45 Armour
• ~200% mana regen
• 120 HP
• 10% CDR

Clearly, these early stats are pretty solid. But now, let's look at rushing the entire mana item first, after starting with a Doran's Ring, of course.

Rushing for 2800 gold gives....

• 105 AP
• ~200% mana regen
• 20% CDR

I think the stats speak for themselves. Is a great way to spend 2800 gold that gives nearly the same mana regen (only slightly less) AND a good chunk of armour and health. If you really need the mana, switching Codex for Idol means trading a bit of AP for more mana regen. Whether or not this kind of starting build is worth it is up to you; for me, it's worth it 100%.

The power spike still comes, it just comes a few minutes later. However, it also demands a shift in mindset. The key factor when laning against champions like Zed is patience. Remember, eventually you'll have both an and a ; it's just about being patient enough to farm to later in the game. Play passively. Using Seeker's + Rings gives you added security (Armour + HP) while still having a decent mana pool and not losing farm because you have to back every 3 minutes.

TL;DR: Do not feel a pressing need to rush a mana item on a mage rather than Seeker's. Just pick up an extra Doran's Ring, or even two (for three total) and you'll have plenty of mana AND lane survivability so you can outlast laning phase and get to where mages really shine: the teamfight.