Want to beat thornmail? HERE IT IS!

Hell Week·Feb 25, 2015·1 votes·2,937 views

Well we all know how annoying thornmail can be, specially as an ADC or squishy AD champs, such as Riven. Some of you might not be aware of what thornmail does. What it does is it reflects 30% of the physical damage dealt by the attacker ( including most on-hit effects ). So the more AD you have the worst it will get. So it's pretty simple really, if you're being damaged by the damage you deal, you just simply want to get HEALTH BACK from the same damage you deal. Also keep in mind all the damage being returned by the evil thormail is magic based, so 1 or 2 simple magic resist items will do the trick.

Items that counter thornmail - for damage.

                    ![item 3065](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.21.1/img/item/3065.png)   ![item 3102](https://ddragon.leagueoflegends.com/cdn/16.21.1/img/item/3102.png)   for MR.

If you build those first 3 AD items and a banshee, you're basicly set, and that thornmail will be close to useless. Hope this was useful for anybody out there having trouble with those nasty thornmails, specially for Riven players... man those thornmails can really pack a punch.

32 Comments

KamaiFeb 25, 20155 votes

A beating thornmail post that doesn't have LW? 1.5/10

Hell WeekFeb 25, 20151 votes

Good point, i just assumed people would build at least 1 armour pene item with their regular build. I hope they do lol.

KirynDawnMay 19, 20151 votes

Wait what. This is what thornmail does quoted by OP: What it does is it reflects 30% of the physical damage dealt by the attacker ( including most on-hit effects ).

If you use LW. Then you penetrate more armor and gain more AD. Thus dealing more damage. Thus taking more damage from the thornmail.

that increases the effectiveness of thornmail imo

Duke AnaxMay 19, 20151 votes

Thornmail works before armor, that means it always deal the same damage per hit, but with penetration you kill them faster, taking less damage from thornmail.

KirynDawnMay 19, 20151 votes

I can't seem to find the formula for that anywhere but I believe you are right since master yi with one 1 armor pen item can eat through thornmail.

Even though there are some other factors like true damage (which is considered a separate damage type) I'll take your word for it

Duke AnaxMay 19, 20151 votes

it's in the items description: returns 30% of the incomming damage (before being reduced by defenses).

So if you have 200 AD then Thornmail will deal 60 damage. If they have 200 Armor you will deal 66 damage. At that point it only depends who has more Health (usually the tank) and you kill yourself.

KirynDawnMay 19, 20151 votes

Oh alright I guess that makes sense. However, the damage it (thornmail) deals back to you still affected by magic resist from what i've read. so if the ADC has 0 magic resist and 200 ad. Then thornmail will deal 60. otherwise damage from thornmail is miniscule and the only beneift from it (thornmail) is the massive armor it provides. correct me if im wrong

Duke AnaxMay 19, 20151 votes

You are right, but most adc only have 30 natural MR. That's still 45 and even at 100 MR it is still 30 damage.

CritkeeperMay 19, 20151 votes

{quoted}

Wait what. This is what thornmail does quoted by OP: What it does is it reflects 30% of the physical damage dealt by the attacker ( including most on-hit effects ).

If you use LW. Then you penetrate more armor and gain more AD. Thus dealing more damage. Thus taking more damage from the thornmail.

that increases the effectiveness of thornmail imo

no, thornmail returns 30% of the damage you do before armor penetration is taken into account. In other words, it deals 30% of the damage you deal to minions back to you, regardless of how much armor the wearer has.

Faith BreakerFeb 25, 20154 votes

3-4 items dedicated to countering a single defensive item. I think you're missing the point.

Hell WeekFeb 25, 20151 votes

The point here is, if you're having trouble with a team that has built thronmails all around, with this items it will definitely help out A LOT. Not just for the game i just showed as an example but for any other future games. Iv'e had games where EVERYONE builds a thornmail, just to counter my Riven, and you can really feel it's presence. If you're having problems with thornmails, this is the way to go, that's my point. I think you're paying too much attention to the example i showed and forgetting the whole point for this post.

Faith BreakerFeb 25, 20152 votes

Then it's a good point you make.

Major SparklesFeb 25, 20152 votes

Instead of building lifesteal out the butt you could always let your AP Mid get some farm so they nuke the baddies for you...

Hell WeekFeb 25, 20151 votes

Our priorities were on check as well! it was crazy haha, we went lulu > than our APs took out hec, while everybody just focused either me or ez. Great teamwork that game. Good advice.

Extreme TrollerFeb 25, 20152 votes

usually as a adc when someone have thornmail i buy last whisper, botrk, malmortius and mercury thread. my dps is still decent and it counter hard thornmail because i have 100+mr and my 400hp shield protect me from thornmail.

Hell WeekFeb 25, 20151 votes

Nice! this build sounds even better tbh.

bandgeek05Feb 25, 20151 votes

wut happens when they get grievous wounds? on you?

FedAsFukFeb 25, 20151 votes

I suppose that's when the FF vote comes

Hell WeekFeb 25, 20151 votes

go on a minion rampage, if you can survive long enough lol. Honestly i haven't seen a team counter me with grievous wounds yet when i build Lifesteal so i haven't had any experience with that yet. Ignite is basicly the only popular form of grievous wounds that i see in every game, nothing you should worry about if you know what you're doing.

BeatzBoyFTWFeb 25, 20151 votes

You're playing a broken shiet champ who gets free crits during battle. This thread is highly invalid, especially to all ADCs, since they have item 3046 item 3087 item 3031 to rush with.

Only Play DariusFeb 25, 20152 votes

Not to mention thornmail has limited effectiveness vs tryndafag, since he can ult and it wont kill him anyway.

BeatzBoyFTWFeb 25, 20151 votes

tryndafag

I lol'ed xD

Hell WeekFeb 25, 20151 votes

You can see EZ followed my advice, look at his build. Don't get mad for no reason man. If he didn't had gone with that build, the little changes would've determined the game for sure.

BakedLotionFeb 25, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Hell Week,realm=NA,application-id=WEuoGbmp,discussion-id=Y5R8Q2Xk,comment-id=00010001,timestamp=2015-02-25T19:04:16.835+0000)

You can see EZ followed my advice, look at his build. Don't get mad for no reason man. If he didn't had gone with that build, the little changes would've determined the game for sure.

Um, ezreal builds like that regardless... LOOOL dumbass. You're like bronze. One mr item and one lifesteal item is enough to outlast thornmail

Hell WeekFeb 25, 20151 votes

you don't have to call me a dumbass.... but w/e you say man. He wasn't building this build till we all decided to go ham. But you know more, you were in the game with us and you're gold so that makes you superior than everyone else by law, and nothing anybody says that's below gold counts. BUT OKAY!

BakedLotionFeb 25, 20152 votes

[{quoted}](name=Hell Week,realm=NA,application-id=WEuoGbmp,discussion-id=Y5R8Q2Xk,comment-id=0001000100000000,timestamp=2015-02-25T21:58:07.640+0000)

you don't have to call me a dumbass.... but w/e you say man. He wasn't building this build till we all decided to go ham. But you know more, you were in the game with us and you're gold so that makes you superior than everyone else by law, and nothing anybody says that's below gold counts. BUT OKAY!

lol. That Ezreal was clearly terrible if he doesnt build like that. Unlike other ADCs, Ez literally has one build path, with maybe one item that can vary.

Wow Lifesteal and **armor pen **counters armor, better make a thread about it. As if no one knew

Hell WeekFeb 25, 20151 votes

stay jelly my friend, he was a great ez.

Hell WeekFeb 25, 20151 votes

got rid of the example, because obv it's brining haters to the thread. When the thread should be a simple guide to beat thornmail without any type of aggression.

BeatzBoyFTWFeb 25, 20151 votes

.......that's because it's his core build for a blue Ez, and he only builds half of your build advice, which technically everyone is already building now. Plus, he also bought item 3035 , which also helps him overcome the Thornmail tankiness.

Hell WeekFeb 25, 20151 votes

the build he had was for hec, trust me when i say that. and it worked out more than great. he didnt even get time to finish his i-edge. all he had to do was beat hec( because he focused on both of us as the teams engager ), and just stay behind the line with as much AD as possible. easy peasy lemon squeezy. why do you think he didn't die at all. sigh...

CritkeeperMay 19, 20151 votes

this strategy doesn't work fine sir, for thornmail is clearly op as the math will show.