Shield Tank Vi Build

Shield Tank Vi Build.

Shield Tank Vi build with runes and items. Shield Tank Vi guide offers in-depth how-to play, skill order and tips. Play Shield Tank Vi build in League of Legends Patch 26.4!

Author: OverdriverJC @EUNE

TLDR

Starting items
Guardian's Horn should be final item in your build.
Tear of the Goddess should be final item in your build.
Quick Skill Order
Vi ability Vault Breaker should be leveled first.
Q
Vi ability Relentless Force should be leveled second.
E
Vi ability Denting Blows should be leveled third.
W
Final items
Ionian Boots of Lucidity should be final item in your build.
Fimbulwinter should be final item in your build.
Heartsteel should be final item in your build.
Kaenic Rookern should be final item in your build.
Spirit Visage should be final item in your build.
Sterak's Gage should be final item in your build.
Quick Runes
Major rune Grasp of the Undying from Resolve tree.
Minor rune Precision.
Summoner spells
Pick Mark as your Summoner Spell.
Pick Flash as your Summoner Spell.

Shield Tank Vi Runes

Resolve
Resolve major tree Grasp of the Undying rune.
Resolve major tree Aftershock rune.
Resolve major tree Guardian rune.
Resolve major tree Demolish rune.
Resolve major tree Font of Life rune.
Resolve major tree Shield Bash rune.
Resolve major tree Conditioning rune.
Resolve major tree Second Wind rune.
Resolve major tree Bone Plating rune.
Resolve major tree Overgrowth rune.
Resolve major tree Revitalize rune.
Resolve major tree Unflinching rune.
Precision
Precision minor tree Absorb Life rune.
Precision minor tree Triumph rune.
Precision minor tree Presence of Mind rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Alacrity rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Haste rune.
Precision minor tree Legend: Bloodline rune.
Precision minor tree Coup de Grace rune.
Precision minor tree Cut Down rune.
Precision minor tree Last Stand rune.
Passive
Passive tree Adaptive Force rune (+9 Adaptive Force).
Passive tree Attack Speed rune (+10% Attack Speed).
Passive tree Ability Haste rune (+8 Ability Haste).
Passive tree Adaptive Force rune (+9 Adaptive Force).
Passive tree Move Speed rune (+2 Movement Speed).
Passive tree Health Scaling rune (+10-180 Health (based on level)).
Passive tree Health rune (+65 Health).
Passive tree Tenacity And Slow Resist rune (+10 Tenacity and Slow Resist).
Passive tree Health Scaling rune (+10-180 Health (based on level)).

Optional Summoner Spells

Exhaust

Exhaust

Defensive option. Exhaust for peeling against enemy divers and assassins and protecting your carries.

Ignite

Ignite

Offensive option if you are feeling spicy. Grievous Wounds + some damage. Good in early fights and you can score some kills, but reduces your going-in potential. Especially later.

Ghost

Ghost

Ghost for extra mobility - great for chasing down fleeing enemies and ensuring you can land your CC.

Optional Runes

Aftershock

Aftershock

Aftershock can be good, if you have reliable hard CC - you get tons of resistances right when you engage, which pairs nicely with Fimbulwinter shield popping and other shields: tank a hit, shield up, proc Aftershock.

Presence of Mind

Presence of Mind

Triumph is better overall (heal + gold), but if you want to have easier time with your mana, go Presence of Mind.

Demolish

Demolish

If you are into taking objectives, you can consider taking Demolish rune. Usually it is worth it and lets you push turrets quicker. Utility slash team oriented option.

Looking for another tank build? Check these:
HeartsteelViTankViIceborn GauntletVi

How it works

  1. The idea of the build is centered around getting frequent, massive shields from Fimbulwinter combined with Sterak's Gage and more.
  2. You act as a disruption tank with surprisingly high survivability.

Champion

  1. The idea of the build is centered around shielding.
  2. The shield you get from Passive scales with HP, so Heartsteel, Grasp and Overgrowth runes give it a big buff. Combine this with shields you get from Sterak's and Fimbulwinter plus the shield boost from Spirit Visage, and you basically double your HP with the shields you get!

Playstyle

  1. 🧊

    Stack Tear of the Goddess and rush Fimbulwinter.

  2. 🛡️

    Stay in fights and spam slow/CC to get big shields over and over.

  3. 🧰

    Adapt your tank items to what the enemy team is throwing at you.

How to play

Shield Tank Vi

  1. Remember to watch cooldown of your Passive! In the early game, wait for it to be up, before going in. Late game, remember that triggering W reduces your Passive cooldown. It means that sometimes you will survive longer by fighting (and triggering Passive more often), rather than running!
  2. Adapt to an enemy team. Buy items that counter them. They heavy AP? Stack MR. They heavy AD? Stack Armor. Your team does not have damage? Buy recommended items for bruiser or for pure damage!
  3. Do not be shy and do not wait for 'special moment'. You have great engaging and catching tools - Q and R!
  4. Enemy team heavy on AP? Buy MR. They heavy on AD? Buy Armor. You need some damage? Well buy that.
  5. Remember to consume your Heartsteel procs!
  6. Remember to consume your Grasp of the Undying procs!

Getting started

  1. Start with Guardian's Horn and Tear of the Goddess. Your early goal is to stack Tear as fast as possible.
  2. Rush Fimbulwinter #1. Once completed and fully stacked, every time you slow/CC an enemy, you will gain a shield.

Items

  1. Sterak's Gage is good counter against burst damage and works nicely with shield tank fantasy. (Note: Protoplasm Harness is another option that might be better in the future, but currently, Sterak's Gage remains superior for this setup).
  2. Spirit Visage heavily amplifies both your healing and shielding, it is core item.

Adapting

  1. After your core items (Fimbulwinter, Sterak's, Kaenic, Spirit Visage), adapt to the enemy team.
  2. If they are heavy on AD, go Armor (Frozen Heart, Randuin's). If they are heavy on AP, buy MR (Force of Nature).

Runes

  1. Be careful to not waste Aftershock. Try timing it and keeping it for going in.
  2. Shield Bash is incredible here because you will constantly have a shield up.

Tips and Tricks

Champion

Blast Shield (Passive)

  1. Wait for your Blast Shield (Passive) to be up, before engaging or going in. You will be more tanky and survive longer.

Cease and Desist (R)

  1. You can use Cease and Desist (R) for escaping from fights. Just target furthest enemy to get out.

Vi Combos

  1. Q Flash combo: You can do Vault Breaker (Q) (can be done in any direction), and at the very end of animation you Flash into an enemy.

Riot

  1. A fully charged Vault Breaker will deal double damage. It's great for catching and finishing off fleeing enemies.
  2. Relentless Force does full damage to anyone caught in the shockwave. Use it on minions in lane to hit enemies hiding behind them.
  3. Cease and Desist is a powerful initiation tool, just remember not to get too far ahead of the rest of your team.

Skill Order

  • Vi [object Object] ability.
    Q
    Vault Breaker
  • Vi [object Object] ability.
    W
    Denting Blows
  • Vi [object Object] ability.
    E
    Relentless Force
  • Vi [object Object] ability.
    R
    Cease and Desist

Items

Starting items
Guardian's Horn item.
Tear of the Goddess item.
Boots
Mercury's Treads item.
Ionian Boots of Lucidity item.
Plated Steelcaps item.
Rush this
Fimbulwinter item.
Core shield items
Additional considerations for these items is advised!
Sterak's Gage item.
Fimbulwinter item.
Spirit Visage item.
Kaenic Rookern item.
Good tank items
Jak'Sho, The Protean item.
Warmog's Armor item.
Good MR items
Kaenic Rookern item.
Spirit Visage item.
Abyssal Mask item.
Force of Nature item.
Hollow Radiance item.
Good Armor items
Frozen Heart item.
Thornmail item.
Dead Man's Plate item.
Iceborn Gauntlet item.
Unending Despair item.
Randuin's Omen item.
Sunfire Aegis item.
Situational - going bruiser
Sundered Sky item.
Titanic Hydra item.
Blade of The Ruined King item.
Heartsteel item.
Wit's End item.
Situational - support
Zeke's Convergence item.
Knight's Vow item.
For the last fight
Additional considerations for these items is advised!
Elixir of Iron item.
Elixir of Wrath item.
Example final build
Ionian Boots of Lucidity item.
Fimbulwinter item.
Heartsteel item.
Kaenic Rookern item.
Spirit Visage item.
Sterak's Gage item.