Galio is finally getting a rework, and now he is so ripped, and tall, and built, and handsome, and I just want him to...take me out to a nice dinner and drop me off back at home before 11. Because that is just the kind of gentleman New Galio is.

A proper introduction? Fine.

(burns Galio FanFiction)

Ok, here we go.

New Galio seems to hold a lot of what made old Galio cool, like high MR builds for mid lane and nice crowd control. However, old Galio always seemed to struggle to find a place in the game, only being viable when he could nuke someone out completely with his Q, or flash ultimate five enemies. New Galio, on the other hand, maintains all that cool stuff while also giving him a solid identity and consistent team interactions. And now he looks damn fine doin’ it.

Anyway, here is what new Galio can do and what you should build on him.

The Kit

Passive - Colossal Smash

Riot’s Tooltip:

Surrender@20

What does it do:

Galio gains a buff every eight seconds that makes his auto attacks do additional magic damage as well as strike all enemies in a small area. When Galio uses his abilities, his passive cools down by four seconds instantly.

This is an AoE basic attack passive through and through, not completely dissimilar to Nocturne. Basically, this is a great way to get extra damage out in a teamfight. It is worth noting that Galio is a melee champion, and as such, he will struggle when farming against ranged champions. Colossus Smash should provide him with an easy means of CSing under tower if it comes to that, which it probably will. As long as you are building AP (or MR, which Colossus Smash also scales off of), you won’t have to think about this ability too much, other than to weave basic attacks between his abilities.

Q - Winds of War

Riot’s Tooltip:

Surrender@20

What does it do:

Galio flaps his wings and makes two tornadoes that move in a crescent shape towards a common meeting place. When the two tornadoes collide they form a small area of “bad” on the ground. This area deals damage to all enemies inside.

Winds of War is some weird amalgamation of old Galio’s Q and E. This is Galio’s main damage dealing ability as well as his only form of ranged farming. As such, it is crucial that Galio is able to make the most of this ability. The cooldown isn’t terrible, but it isn’t spammable by any means. This means that you must be cautious when using this ability casually, as you may find yourself starving for a ranged means of damage, especially in the mid lane.

What is most interesting about this ability, is how it behaves when you fire it. Essentially, you choose the location of where you want the vortex to land, and the tornadoes shoot out accordingly. This means that with enough practice, you should be able to hit multiple targets with the tornadoes and the vortex. That being said, the vortex is going to be the main source of damage in situations that force your target to stand still inside of it. Kinda like this next ability...

W - Shield of Durand

Riot’s Tooltip:

Surrender@20

What does it do:

Passively, Galio gains a null-magic shield after not taking damage for an extended period of time. When Galio firsts casts Shield of Durand, he will become slowed but gain extra damage reduction. On a second cast, Galio will taunt all enemies within a certain radius and for a certain amount of time, both depending on how long between the first and second cast of the ability.

This sounds a lot more complicated than it actually is. First, the passive. This shield grants him some extra staying power against mages, his primary opponents, and forces his enemies to continue to try and poke him down if they don’t want his shield to return.

On the taunt side of things, this ability will not be particularly useful for chases, but provides incredible lock down for teamfights. If there is ever a situation where Galio finds a way into the entire enemy team, that teamfight is as good as over. This is an extremely powerful CC ability, and it grants Galio frequent opportunities to make big plays. However, it is important to note that this ability is not particularly helpful outside of teamfights and lane ganks. If enemies choose to split you down, Galio will have some trouble catching up to them.

E - Justice Punch

Riot’s Tooltip:

Surrender@20

What does it do:

Galio dashes in a targeted direction. If Galio collides with a champion or terrain, he will stop at the collision point. If Galio collides with a champion, they will take damage and be knocked up.

This is like a little baby Malphite ultimate for just one person. Justice Punch is an awesome engage tool for a melee magic gargoyle to have. Combined with his other abilities, it can also provide a pretty exceptional 1,2, punch. Place Winds of War around your enemy, knock them up with Justice Punch, and then taunt them into the vortex. It requires a pretty precise situation, but it should be fairly deadly. This is also a great ability to use to dash away from ganks and into them, just keep in mind that you can’t cross walls. Justice Punching your way into a teamfight is also a nice way to get yourself into a battle, unless you have your ultimate available to you.

R - Hero’s Entrance

Riot’s Tooltip:

Surrender@20

What does it do:

Galio jumps up into the sky and flies towards an allied champion that he has selected. His target gains damage reduction until Galio reaches them. When Galio reaches his friend, he smashes into the ground around them, dealing damage and knocking up all enemies in a large radius. Enemies right under Galio are knocked up for longer.

This is a cool ultimate for a cool gargoyle. Basically, Galio gets a cooler Shen ultimate (Stand United) that is good for teamfighting. Do you see a pattern here?

Hero’s Entrance provides Galio with an opportunity to arrive late. Maybe you backed before a fight? Maybe you died before a fight? Maybe you are split pushing before a fight? Maybe you feel like smashing into the bot lane at 12 minutes? The possibilities are endless. Like most global ultimates, this one exists to give the player and their team options. No matter where your team is, if they are right next to you, or across the map, Galio can find his way into a fight or even a skirmish within seconds.

The Build

Galio is an AP anti-mage that scales off of both AP and Magic Resist. It looks like he can also be played in both the top and the mid lanes. As such, I am going to suggest two different builds. The first is the mid lane build, and will be focused mostly on damage with only a little bit of MR. The second build will be far more tank focused with a little bit of extra damage.

The mid build:

In the mid lane (or top if you want to be risky), you want to make sure you are building an appropriate amount of damage. As such, we should start off with a Morellonomicon just to get the ball rolling. Next, or first depending on how hard your lane is, go for the Abyssal Scepter. For three and four we are gonna go Hextech Protobelt-01 and Rabadon’s Deathcap. Finally, round out your build with a Spirit Visage for some extra tank and damage. As with most AP mid laners, you want to buy Sorcerer’s Shoes, although Mercury’s Treads look great on Galio as well.

The top build:

In the top lane, you should probably be building a little more tank. Lucky for Galio that for him, MR = damage. That being said, for a lower damage build, I would suggest a Rod of Ages first, just for the lane sustain and tank stats that is provides. Next, grab that Spirit Visage and the Dead Man’s Plate. After that, you probably want to buy a Banshee’s Veil and a Randuin’s Omen. Keep in mind that if you want a little more damage you could trade either of those out for an Abyssal Scepter or a Iceborn Gauntlet, depending on the situation. For beefy Galio, you are almost always going to want to build Mercury’s Treads.

Conclusion

As I said before, old Galio was pretty fun, but felt real crusty around the edges. New Galio is just so much better. From his personality, to his abilities, to his overall look, Galio feels so good now. Not only that, but he seems to have a genuine place in the game. He is a good pick as long as there is any kind of AP on the enemy team and there is some potential for teamfights. His anti-mage reputation finally feels realized in this kit, giving him both the tools to deal with magic damage and be useful outside of those clutch scenarios. I think that people will really like the new Galio when they get the chance to play with him, and he is probably the rework that I am most looking forward to seeing in pro-play.

And in my dreams, Galio would show up for our aforementioned dinner date looking positively debonair. Kinda like this: