What's the best way to approach item building in general? I know that this can change from situation to situation, but I just want to know if there is a viable approach to building your items in general. I usually rush my first full item and repeat the following unless I need another stat (like defensive ones) right now. Sometimes though I buy lower cost items of multiple items and build it slowly.
How do you all approach building items?
Just depends on matchup o.o If I feel like im going even, and against a bursty AP i rush abyssal and 2 dorans, but if I'm winning i just rush a ludens
if i'm ahead i usually build straight into my best offensive item (usually 
for a lot of my picks) and I'll generally get a second offensive item if I get even further. If they're catching up or it's a close lane I try to get a defense item second or third
if i'm behind it's usually straight into defense or, at worst a hybrid item like Hexdrinker
I usually just set out a standard build path and alter it slightly based on the situation.
Like my standard AP Caster Build is 
, however sometimes I might swap Grail for Nomicon or maybe take out Luden's for a Rylais. Really it all depends on what the champion I'm playing benefits most from or what the situation calls for.
If I'm in the lead, I just go straight for my strongest offensive build path right away to really solidifiy that lead.
It all really depends on a number of factors, including how well you're doing in lane and who you're playing against. Sometimes just buying part of an item is better than completing it right away (
), whereas sometimes you want to complete something as soon as possible (
). Your first item will also likely vary depending on the above factors, which may or may not put you behind.
Generally though, you want completed items as soon as you can get them. The unique passives/actives of completed items make them far more valuable than just their stats would suggest, so choosing one item and trying to complete it as quickly as possible is usually a viable approach. I would however suggest that you make a point to get tier one boots early on the game, as the bonus movespeed makes returning to lane quicker and can help you survive otherwise lethal ganks. Upgrading boots from there depends on the role, but can be put off for a while depending on how well you're doing.
So, to tl;dr myself: yes, "rushing" one item first is a good idea, provided you threw boots in there somewhere.
Usually when I build items, I don't rush anything unless it's greatly needed. Example: I'm laning against a Riven so I rush Thornmail to keep from getting my ass beat. Otherwise just take it smooth.
