Hi, my name is Bizzleberry and I am a longtime League of Legends player, playing since before Season 1. Over the years I have achieved high ranking in solo queue, from Platinum in Season 1 (the highest at the time) to Challenger multiple times throughout the years. I used to stream in season 4-5 and stopped playing League for a year during season 6. I have now returned and am currently in Diamond 1 on EUW as a support main. You can catch me on my stream or my Youtube channel. I try to explain what I am doing in most situations; feel free to ask any questions on stream or leave a comment on the guide!

Blitzcrank is one of the best playmakers in the game. With the option to roam around the map to help out the jungler / Mid-laner in the early stages of the game, or to pluck out a squishy before a late-game teamfight Blitzcrank has the opportunity to destroy the enemy team before the fight even gets going!

Blitzcrank's Advantages

He is able hard engage to dictate when a fight starts.

Against the correct opponent, is extremely deadly and can set-up for easy kills.

The option to roam with Mobility Boots makes him great when you want to find an advantage elsewhere / or to reinforce a snowball.

Mana Barrier is a great tanky passive that sometimes catches the enemy off when they are expecting to finish you off.

His Static Field is great at instantly stopping channelled casts.

Blitzcrank's Weaknesses

If you are unable to land hooks, you will struggle throughout the game.

Can be countered by the likes of Morgana, Ezreal and Sivir. They can negate your Rocket Grab with either shields or blink abilities.

Weaker in lane, when playing with ADC's that require scaling, such as, Vayne and Kog'Maw.

Going Resolve with Inspiration is very standard currently. You can swap Hextech Flashtraption for Magical Footwear or Time Warp Tonic.


Resolve

Aftershock

Aftershock provides you with a fair chunk of resistances and adds a tiny bit of damage with the burst potential Blitzcrank brings when he uses all of his abilities when landing a Rocket Grab. Allows you to be in the front line and survive on the front line a little longer.

Demolish

The only viable option here for Blitzcrank. May help in taking off turret plating a little quicker.

Bone Plating

Bone Plating is currently one of the best abilities at negating burst damage, which is particularly helpful against jungle/mid lane assassins early in the game.



Unflinching

Unflinching Provides tenacity when you have used a summoner ability. A little extra bonus if you get locked down after a Flash + Rocket Grab. The other options are not viable for Blitzcrank in my opinion. Also helps with Overdrive slow.

Inspiration

Biscuit Delivery

Biscuit Delivery Provides you with extra lane sustain by giving you both health and mana in lane. Also on use provides you with maximum mana, so works well with your passive Mana Barrier. Use a biscuit if you need to cast a spell but you are needing a tiny bit of mana eat one and you will the mana for it!

Hextech Flashtraption

Hextech Flashtraption gives you another option to engage when your Flash is on cooldown. You can use this in the fog-of-war, such as brushes, and then pop-up and surprise your enemy! Works best when you have a Control Ward in the bush. If you don't like Hexflash then you can take the below -

Magical Footwear

Magical Footwear provides you with free boots and saves you a little gold, however, getting these boots late will make it harder to engage earlier in the game as having access to Mobility Boots increase your roaming potential greatly.

Time Warp Tonic

Time Warp Tonic works nicely with Biscuits for increased lane sustain. Gives you extra movement speed during early stages of the game to try and engage. Not really viable late game however as you will not have potions.

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Bread and butter, use Ignite before they use Heal to prevent half of the healing on target. Use Flash to engage with a hook or to disengage.

Note if you have Hextech Flashtraption then if your Flash is on cool-down you will have access to it. This allows you to Flash but with a channel. Ideally use in a bush that the enemy does not have vision in to ensure a surprise hook for a kill!

Mana Barrier

Mana Barrier Provides you with a little extra shield depending on what your current mana is. Can be useful into baiting enemies to burn Flash or other long cooldowns to try and kill you to enable your team to pick that player off. Works well with any Max Mana items you pick up. For example Zeke's Convergence.

Rocket Grab

Rocket Grab is your main ability and engage. If possible close the gap with your Overdrive to reduce the area in which the enemy can dodge your hook. Be aware you will want to generally avoid grabbing tanks, particularly if you are grouped for a teamfight, as it will effectively give them a free 'flash' to engage on to your squishies. You will want to level this first and be sneaky by using fog-of-war to increase grab chance.


Overdrive

Overdrive is a temporary movement and attack speed buff, which at the end of the duration slows you. This slow can be mitigated by Unflinching from resolve runes. Activate when you are about 2s away from hook range to have enough time to jump your enemy, but avoid being slowed before you grab. level this last, as the level-up stats are weak.

Will also apply additional damage with every auto-attack you apply.


Power Fist

Power Fist gives your next basic attack 100% more Attack Damage and knocks up the target. It is also a basic attack reset, which can increase your damage against opponents. Once you use Rocket Grab you will want to Power Fist ASAP, to ensure a knock up so they can't get away and increase the chase of them dying. Damage is very good during laning phase, but generally scales off later in the game. Take this ability second.


Static Field

Static Field is your low cooldown aoe burst. Very good at securing kills when you land a Rocket Grab as the enemy will be taking around 600 damage with your full combo (not including ignite / your ADC) at level 6. For mid-game you will need to decide if you need it to interrupt enemy channelled spells such as Nunu & Willump Absolute Zero and Katarina Death Lotus.

In longer drawn out fights, let the passive part of this ability do as much damage as possible, for maximum DPS. You will need to land auto-hits with or without E to proc these zaps off. To activate the damage passive of the ultimate, just simply attack the enemy and they will get zapped.

NEW: This ultimate now REMOVES SHIELDS then applies damage. Against certain champions this can be devastating, such as Tahm Kench Morgana Lux

Relic Shield

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Relic Shield Steel Shoulderguards allows you to execute minions so that you and your laning partner will get guaranteed gold in lane. You will no longer get healing for yourself or your partner when you last hit minions, so sometimes it can get tricky to last hit a minion and get out without taking a few hits.

Zeke's Convergence

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Zeke's Convergence provides your ally that you have chosen to do bonus damage to however you Hook or Knockup. Can be vital in ensuring a kill on a grabbed target!

Shurelya's Battlesong

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Shurelya's Battlesong a really cheap item in which gives you and your allies movement speed to ensure your team can follow up on a Rocket Grab. Cheap Mythic and will empower your allies attack slightly.

Boots of Mobility

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Mobility Boots most of time you will want this to be your first purchase if you have the money for it as it allows you to have amazing early map control and can open up potential to gank the enemy mid-laner.

Locket of the Iron Solari

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Locket of the Iron Solari Currently the best Tank Mythic in the game. Provides strong sustain in teamfights, just make sure to use the active AoE shield in combat.

Thornmail

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Thornmail provides your team grievous wounds when the enemy attacks you. If you only purely want the anti-heal you could purchase Bramble Vest then seek to complete other items before finishing Thornmail

Frozen Heart

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Frozen Heart decent in the late game against any auto attack heavy champions which requires nothing of the user, so takes something off your mind. Gives you huge chunk of cooldown reduction and flat mana, but be mindful of the lack of HP this item gives you.

Knight's Vow

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Knight's Vow is a good way to make sure your ADC can have a better chance surviving in fights. Requires no effort of the user, but bare in mind if your Knight's Vow target dies in a fight, you can always put it on someone else during a fight to help mitigate damage on your team.

Randuin's Omen

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Randuin's Omen A suitable option instead of Frozen Heart but because of your passive, the extra mana you would otherwise have is stronger.

If possible push for level 2 and engage quickly as this is the best chance at killing the enemy before they also hit level 2. You can save 1 or 2 Relic Shield stacks for the second wave, to help burst down minions to get to that point. Getting to level 2 requires, one full wave and 3 melee minions.

Closing the gap with Overdrive can make all the difference between missing and landing a Rocket Grab.

Sometimes it better to NOT use your Rocket Grab and use the fact it is ready and a zoning tool that the enemy has to take into consideration. If you miss Rocket Grab it gives the enemy a good window of opportunity to attack you which will leave you a sitting duck.

Roaming around with your jungler (especially at higher elo) will be key to ensuring you can kill the enemy mid-laner. You can use Hextech Flashtraption over chicken wall to have surprise access into mid-lane!

Be on the constant look out for opportune moments to grab a high priority target.

You may need to save your Static Field to interrupt enemy channelled spells such as Nunu & Willump Absolute Zero and Katarina Death Lotus.

Be constantly buying Control Wards to deny vision and give you more Rocket Grab chances.

Try not to Rocket Grab tank targets. Even if this means you never end up engaging. You can use Rocket Grab as a peel instead in this situation.

When your Rocket Grab is on cooldown, you should be pritosing helping out your squishies from assassins and tanks with Power Fist.

If you have any questions with either Blitzcrank or any support, feel free to drop into chat www.twitch.tv/bizzleberry and I will do my best to help you out!

Also I provide Daily guides / Gameplay videos / Tier lists on support champions on my youtube over at www.youtube.com/bizzleberry

Hope the guide helps you and good luck on the rift!