Thornmail Hecarim Build

1. You rush Thornmail and stack as much Armor as you can.
2. You become auto-attackers' worst nightmare.
3. Hit or miss. Works great if the enemy team is full of physical damage and auto-attackers. Less effective against full AP - but still viable since players auto attack anyway.

1. You get extra spikey during Spirit of Dread (W), thanks to increased Armor.
2. Armor, MR and healing from Spirit of Dread (W) indirectly increases Thornmail's damage as it increases your effective HP and you can take more hits. Use it on cooldown (even in minion weaves).

Getting started

1. Start with Bramble Vest and Ruby Crystal. Rush Thornmail #1, then keep stacking Armor items.
2. This build is aimed to counter AD comps. Since you don't know the enemy team before loading in, you need to adapt. If they are heavy AP, you can just fall back to a regular tank build.

During fights

1. Stay in the middle of fights as long as possible. The more enemies hit you, the more damage Thornmail reflects.
2. If you manage to proc Aftershock during the fight, you are gonna deal tons of damage from Thornmail, try keeping it for it, if you can.
3. Randuin's Omen is great for engagements - it slows enemies on activation and reduces their crit damage.
4. Late game, you can consider selling boots for a 6th item - for even more sweet Thornmail damage!
5. You can use Bandlepipes to give your whole team an attack speed boost whenever you CC enemies. Great synergy with auto attackers.

Runes

1. Be careful to not waste Aftershock. Try timing it and keeping it for going in. It increases your Armor greatly, which in turn increases Thornmail damage!
2. You can also take Grasp of the Undying as an alternative rune if you prefer scaling.
3. Triumph is better overall (heal + gold), but if you want to have easier time with your mana, go Presence of Mind.

1. You can use Spirit of Dread (W) before taking portal (frost-gate). You will be damaging everyone on your path during travel. Especially effective, if you are playing AP Hecarim build!
2. Engage combo: pop Devastating Charge (E), use Onslaught of Shadows (R) on an enemy team, position yourself with movement speed buff from E behind your target and E him into your team.

1. Spirit of Dread restores Health when nearby enemies take damage, including damage dealt by allies. Cast this during a large fight to maximize Hecarim's survivability.
2. Devastating Charge deals more damage based on the distance traveled. Try using Onslaught of Shadows or Summoner Spells such as Ghost or Flash to maximize this damage.