Hi, my summoner name is EQUlNOX and this guide is for Wukong top solo lane. I've been playing Wukong ever since he came out and tried various builds on him. I have had a lot of success with Wukong, but I never really thought about making a guide until I saw Dyrus play Wukong one time on his stream. I tried imitating his build and adjusted it a little to fit my own playstyle. Overall, I believe that this guide will help new and present Wukong players to understand and play Wukong more effectively.

Wukong is a very versatile champion which allows him to be built differently depending on different situations. His early game is mediocre but against the right opponent, he can completely bully and dominate them. His ability to win exchanges with his poke and deceive makes him a pretty strong laner. Last but not least, his ultimate is boss. Even if you're doing bad in the game, his ultimate is always useful as long as you use it correctly.

Pros:

• Strong Poke
• Strong Deceive
• Does a lot of damage late game
• Tanking it in the face w/o complaining
• Boss Ult
• Has a long stick
• He's THE Monkey King

Cons:

• No sustain
• Countered in lane by high sustain champs

Ever since the new masteries patch was released, the offense tree is the way to go. I chose to go Vampirism instead of maxing out Deadliness to get Leathality because Wukong has no sustain so Vaympirism helps this problem a little. In my oppinion, Wukong does not benefit much from Leathality because his item build does not focus or capitalize on critting.

I put one point in utility to reduce the cooldown of .

For the Defense Tree, I put 3 points into Hardiness instead of Resistance because you will most likely lane against an AD Bruiser like yourself top. However, if you find yourself laning against an AP top, you can always switch those around. For the Rest of the points, I put it in Durability because it's too good. It's basically a whole set of HP/ Lv Seals.

For runes, I take:

• Armor Penetration Marks for the extra damage which also scales great into end game.
• Armor Seals are for the AD champs you will usually face against top. Also, it helps with the agro minions that hits you when you harass your opponent. If it happens that you are going against an AP character top such as , you can switch your seals for HP per Level.
• Magic Resist per Level glyphs because you won't need the MR until mid/late game.
• Flat Attack Damage Quints for the early damage which can lead to FB for you. You can also change these for more Armor Pen, Movement Speed, or HP Regen/5 (Preference).

I chose to run mainly because of solo queue. In solo queue, winning your lane greatly increases your chances of winning. With ignite, your killing threat is a lot greater than without it.

If you feel like running is a better idea, then go for it, but is just my preference.

You can also go with if none of your teammates are carrying it on them. Because a lot of AD carries are starting to carry on them now, you may have to pick up to shut down the enemies' carry in the team fights.

You also might be thinking, wtf would u use , it just got nerfed? Yes, it has a smaller range and longer cooldowns, however, it is still a GET OUT OF JAIL FREE card. If you are not feeling the , you can replace it with depending on your preference.

Wukong's armor and magic resistance are increased by 4 / 6 / 8 for each nearby enemy champion.

Range 1400


Strong passive that allows you to be extra tanky in team fights. Because you are usually the one who initiates into the enemies group, this passive is perfect for Wukong. In a team fight with 5 enemies around, you get a 32 stat buff to your armor and magic resistance which is huge.






Wukong's next attack deals 30 / 60 / 90 / 120 / 150 (+110% of Attack Damage) physical damage and reduces the enemy's Armor by 30% for 3 seconds.

Cooldown 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 / 5 seconds

Cost 40 mana


This skill is like Talon's "Noxian Diplomacy" or Shyvana's "Twin Bite". It allows you to perform another auto attack, but this time, with bonus damage as well as reducing the target's armor for a short time. This ability is very useful in last hitting and taking towers quickly. If you're forced to last hit at your tower, you can either let the tower hit a melee creep two times and you auto attack it once and use this skill if it still has that 1 hp left. For caster minions, let the tower hit the minion once, then auto attack and use Crushing Blow if necessary. When hitting a tower, auto attack then use this skill right away for faster damage on the tower. When harassing, use first when possible then use for maximum damage on the poke. Because this ability shreds the enemy's armor, Nimbus Strike will do more damage. Furthermore, use this ability on the champion that your team is focusing in team fights.




Wukong becomes stealthed for 1.5 seconds. An uncontrollable decoy is left behind that will deal 70 / 115 / 160 / 205 / 250 (+60% of ability power) magic damage to enemies near it after 1.5 seconds.

Cooldown 18 / 16 / 14 / 12 / 10 seconds

Cost 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 / 70 mana


Wukong's #1 ability when you are talking about making it to Protato's Top 5 Plays. I see a lot of players get to the Top 5 Plays simply from juking out the enemy team by using this skill in smart and creative ways. Using this skill correctly will ensure your safety 99% of the time :D.

How to use it correctly?
When in a tight situation, use this ability and run the OPPOSITE direction of the enemy to get a big head start. You can also juke enemies a lot of time if you use the S button correctly. If you're in a situation where more than 1 enemy is coming for you and it seems like you have no way to escape, you can run and then all of a sudden press "S" to stand still and your opponents may think that you used your decoy when in reality you only just stood still. From this point, you would have to access your situation and think on your feet.

You can also use this ability to harass or initiate effectively. When dominating a lane and your lane opponent is playing super passive and not getting in the range of your Nimbus Strike, you can just stand still whenever you're not taking any CS and put pressure on him. If you see him stay around the same range, you can then use to get close enough to use and . If you feel like you can kill him, then you should use this combo then him afterwards.

In a team fight, you can use this ability to get close to the enemy's carry without them realizing it and ULT on their face. Make sure that your team is ready to back you up though.



Wukong dashes toward a target enemy and sends out images to attack up to 2 additional enemies near his target, dealing 60 / 105 / 150 / 195 / 240 (+80% of attack damage) physical damage to each enemy struck. Upon hitting his target, Wukong gains 30 / 35 / 40 / 45 / 50% Attack Speed for 3 seconds.

Cost 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 / 65 mana

Cooldown 8 Seconds


Nimbus Strike is Wukong's main ability throughout the game. It allows him to harass early game, farm middle game, and make plays end game.

To harass an opponent in lane, you can either go up to their face, use , , then out for an exchange in your favor. However, your opponent will most likely not allow you to get close to them most of the time for you to use that combo. In that case, you can use first, then and end with . If you're completely dominating your lane and they're playing too passive, you can do what I said below the "Decoy Section". [NOTE: If you feel like you can kill your enemy and you're already close to him/her, save this ability and use your first and use for the gap closer after your Ult wears out.]

This skill gives Wukong very strong pushing power. Not only does it do a lot of damage to the 3 creeps it hit, but it gives him a big attack speed bonus which will help him clear a whole wave in about 3 seconds. You should also use this ability on minions when you're at the enemy's tower to get the attack speed bonus so you can get the tower down faster.

During team fights, Wukong uses this ability to "close the gap" between him and the enemy's carry. With this move and the huge CC on his ult, this initiation allows your team to follow up and wipe out the remaining enemies.






Wukong's staff grows outward and he spins it around, dealing 20 / 110 / 200 (+120% of attack damage) physical damage per second and knocking up enemies he encounters. Wukong gains speed over the duration of the spell. Lasts 4 seconds.

Cooldown 120 / 105 / 90 seconds

Cost 100 mana


This ability is what makes Wukong Boss. A lot of people underestimates the damage output of this skill early in the game. With this Ult, you can kill a lot of top laners at lv 6 if they are about half health and not a lot of people realizes this. This ult alone should about 350 damage if your enemy is stuck in the Spin To Win circle of death. Along with , , and , most champions would fall.

[NOTE: Expect them to right after you ult, so you can either make the choice of flashing towards them (If you feel like you will kill him and that you won't die afterwards) or just simply save your flash and go back to farming while zoning him. He'll be pretty scared after you show him how boss you are with the ult.]

Explanation:

R>E>Q>W

Some people may choose to get Q first to last hit easier, but I usually choose E. E also allows you to last hit more easily, but the only downfall is you push the lane a little. If you feel like the opponent's champion outmatches and sustain you, you can get Q first and just farm farm farm.

You can choose to either lv up Q or E at lv 2, but if you feel a lv 2 gank coming your way, get W just in case so you don't have to burn any summoners to get away. Leave the W at lv 1 until everything else is maxed.

Prioritize E over Q since it has higher poke damage.

Obviously Stack R whenever you can.

or



If laned against champs such as or , cloth armor 5 pots works well against their harass so you can stay in lane a bit longer.

You can go boots 3 pots if laned against champions like or because these champions does magic damage and has high harass if you can't outrun or dodge their skill shots.

There are some occasions where I would buy . I would go these starting items if I am laning against because his high harass and sustain makes it difficult to last hit by auto attacking. To last hit safely, I would have to use Nimbus Strike constantly and try to push the wave back also. I would take the regrowth pendant to turn it into a for the extra health and mana regen and the GP5's a bonus too :D.






Buy Dorains Blade first trip back and start building your Frozen Mallet starting with either your or .

• If you started with and feel like you need more sustain, then build it into .

After you finish your core, you have to build according to the situations you are in. If going against an AD heavy team with minor CC, get Ninja Tabi's.

• Atmas Impaler is perfect against AD heavy teams because it gives you Armor and Attack due to the health from Frozen Mallet.
• Frozen Heart is the next To Get item because of the massive amount of armor it gives as well as the good passive against AD heavy teams. AD heavy teams are bound to have champions with high attack speed which Frozen Heart will be very beneficial for your team. Also, the bonus 500 mana and 20% CDR will make you even more boss than you already are.
• You want to build a GA next because by this point in the game, you do a LOT of damage and is a very impactful part of your team. You are the initiator so you are most likely going to die first, so GA can bring you back to life to clean up after your team rapes your enemies while you were resurrecting.

Against AP heavy teams, you would take 99% of the time because of the mass amount of CC AP champions has.

I take the BV because of the MR that it gives as well as the bonus health for the Atmas Impaler that comes afterwards. The Spell Shield is also very nice to have.

Depending on the situation, I would consider if I should buy the Atmas Impaler or the Force of Nature next. If the enemies are bursting me and kiting me for too much damage, I would take the FON. If not, I would take the AI for extra damage.

I intentionally left one spot left for a 6th item.




After your 5 item builds are finished, you can choose to get one of the items above (except the wriggles). I usually go for Trinity Force because it makes him almost unstopable at that point. However, if your opponents has too much armor you should take the last whisper or if they have too much AD that's wrecking your face, get the Thornmail. It all depends on you and what you think is best for the situation.


If any of you is wondering why I make my build around Frozen Mallet, it is because Wukong has no type of CC in his skillset other than his ultimate. With the Frozen Mallet, he is able to easily pin one champion down and facerape them until they die. Why not get a Trinity when in WestRice's guide, he says that he rushes Trinity Force? It is simply just our own preferences. However, I believe that rushing Frozen Mallet is better than rushing a Trinity.

• First of all, Trinity Force is roughly 800 more gold than Frozen Mallet. By building a Frozen Mallet, I can use that 800 to purchase a chain vest which makes me super tanky against AD characters during the Mid Game.
• Second of all, Frozen Mallet gives me a much larger health boost compared to Trinity Force which will give me more attack when I build the Atmas Impaler.
• Lastly, Trinity Force only gives a 25% chance of slowing the enemy while a Frozen Mallet gives a 100% chance.

I still believe that Trinity Force is a very strong item on Wukong, but not something that Wukong should be built around.

FARM FARM FARM

All the Pros do it, why not you?

So your main priority is to farm as much as possible. Poke when it is safe to poke. Your killing threat at lv 6 is super high with a gank, but if your jungler is busy somewhere else. You can poke your opponent down to a little less than half health and you can kill him. However, DON'T trade kills or risk getting killed just to harass. *Regi's Voice* "Other than that", FARM!

This is where Wukong becomes the BOSS!

• Be there for Dragon fights.
• Initiate for your team.
• Decoy out when you're almost dead.
• Keep farming when nothing's happening.
• WARD WARD WARD WARD!!! Always have Baron warded at this time. Also try to have their Golem Buffs warded to contest them if your team has the upper hand.
• BE A BOSS!

This is when your team should always be grouped up.

Chug a red elixir.

Stay close to Baron.

You should NOT be split pushing in any way because you have to be your team's front line and be a shield for your carry.

You should use your skillset to get to the enemy carries and ULT to initiate the team fights, HOWEVER, after you ult, it is your job to PROTECT your own carry. Don't chase the enemies to leave your carries vulnerable! If you die while protecting your carry, oh well. You will die like a BOSS.

Also, you can tell me your opinions on what I can do to make this guide better.

AND if you need to ask me something that you don't get on the guide, I'll try my best to answer.