Ornn's job is to be unkillable and provide CC for his team. His E+Q+E combo is his burst and CC chain — land W to Brittle-mark, then E+Q+E for the knockup. His R is one of the best teamfight engages in the game when the redirect lands on multiple enemies.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Living Forge
Passive
Ornn gains an additional bonus Armor and Magic Resist from all sources.Ornn can spend gold to forge non-consumable items anywhere.Additionally, he can create masterwork items for himself and for his allies.
Q
Volcanic Rupture
Volcanic Rupture — Sends a crack of earth dealing damage and slowing; leaves a pillar
Ornn slams the ground, sending out a fissure dealing damage and slowing enemies hit. After a small delay, a magma pillar forms at the end location.
CD: 9/8.5/8/7.5/7 · Cost: 45
Q creates a lava pillar at the end — use E afterward to smash the pillar into enemies for bonus CC.
W
Bellows Breath
Bellows Breath — Unstoppable charge that Brittle marks enemies hit
Ornn advances, breathing fire. Enemies hit by the final gout of flame become Brittle.
CD: 12/11.5/11/10.5/10 · Cost: 45/50/55/60/65
W applies Brittle — Brittle targets take bonus CC duration and damage from your next ability or auto.
E
Searing Charge
Searing Charge — Charge that destroys terrain; dash to a target smashing pillars into them
Ornn charges, dealing damage to enemies he passes through. If Ornn collides with terrain while charging, the impact creates a shockwave around him which deals damage and knocks up enemies.
CD: 14/13.5/13/12.5/12 · Cost: 35/40/45/50/55
E smashes Q's pillar into enemies for a knock-up. E+Q+E combo is your core burst and CC chain.
R
Call of the Forge God
Call of the Forge God — Ram charges across the map; second cast redirects toward Ornn knocking enemies airborne
Ornn summons a massive elemental at a location which travels toward him with increasing speed. Enemies run over by the elemental take damage, are slowed and are made Brittle. Ornn can recast the ability to charge into the elemental, redirecting it in the direction he hits it, causing the elemental to affect any enemies it runs over to be knocked up, dealing the same damage and re-applying Brittle.
CD: 140/120/100 · Cost: 100
Cast R then immediately second-cast toward where enemies will be — pre-aim the redirect for the knockup.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q for maximum damage and pillar range. Then E for charge and pillar smash CDR, last W.
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Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter
Doran's Shield
HP sustain for early laning — Ornn wants to survive to his item power spikes.
450g
Core
Sunfire Aegis
Burns nearby enemies — Ornn stays in melee range constantly so Sunfire stacks rapidly.
2700g
Spirit Visage
MR and healing amp. Ornn's passive gives free upgrades so Spirit Visage becomes even more efficient.
2900g
Dead Man's Plate
Move speed for gap close on mobile enemies. Momentum damage on first attack amplifies CC combos.
2900g
Situational
Thornmail
Grievous Wounds vs healing comps. Armor for sustained tanking against AD teams.
2700g
Randuin's Omen
AoE attack speed reduction vs crit ADC comps. Active during R engage.
2700g
Force of Nature
MR and move speed after magic damage — essential vs heavy AP compositions.
2900g
Every completed item gets upgraded by your passive into a Masterwork version. Prioritize completing full items quickly — the Masterwork upgrades are free additional stats.
Runes
Resolve Primary
Grasp of the Undying
Free HP every 4 seconds — combined with Masterwork item stats, Grasp makes Ornn unkillable.
Demolish
Tower damage with massive HP — Ornn's enormous HP pool makes Demolish proc massive damage.
Conditioning
Free armor/MR at 12 minutes — both are amplified by Masterwork item upgrades.
Overgrowth
Permanent HP from minions — more HP amplifies Grasp proc damage and overall tankiness.
Sorcery Secondary
Nimbus Cloak
Move speed after summoner spells — Flash+R makes the Nimbus Cloak proc help position the redirect.
Gathering Storm
Late-game AP scaling adds damage to Q pillar smash and R knockup damage.
Shards
Health · Armor · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Ornn
01
Early Game
Early Phase
- Q to poke and create pillars.
- W to Brittle-mark the enemy for CC bonus.
- E into the pillar to smash it into the enemy for a knockup — this is your core trade pattern.
- Buy items in lane with your passive — never back unless you're going to die.
02
Mid Game
Mid Phase
- At level 14, Ornn can begin upgrading teammates' items — use this power as often as possible.
- Look for R engages on grouped enemies.
- Your E destroys terrain, opening flanking paths through walls.
03
Late Game
Late Phase
- Masterwork upgrades give your team enormous stat bonuses.
- In teamfights, R across the map to engage, redirect for the knockup on their cluster, then E+Q+E for secondary CC.
- Your team's upgraded items win fights by stat advantage alone.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Ornn
Ornn's teamfight is R engage then CC chain. Pre-aim the R redirect for the knockup, then E+Q+E for secondary CC. His team has Masterwork items — stat advantage wins the actual fight.
1
Engage — R Redirect Knockup
Fight opener
01
Cast R from outside the fight — aim the ram where enemies are grouped.
02
Second-cast immediately redirecting toward their cluster for the AoE knockup.
03
W during the R animation — Brittle marks enemies for bonus CC duration on your next ability.
Pre-aim the R redirect — cast R then immediately second-cast toward the expected enemy position. Delayed redirects miss mobile champions.
2
Mid-Fight — E+Q+E Pillar CC
CC chain
01
Q to create the lava pillar in front of enemies after R knockup.
02
E through the enemy smashing the pillar into them for a second knockup.
03
W to apply Brittle to any enemy who wasn't caught in the R and E combos.
3
Cleanup — Unkillable Frontline
Sustained presence
01
Stay in melee range — Sunfire burn and Grasp procs deal sustained damage.
02
Q slow any fleeing targets — pillar at their escape path prevents exit.
03
E smash the follow-up pillar on any second engagement attempt.
At level 14, run toward allied champions to upgrade their completed items into Masterwork versions — this is often more impactful than participating in the fight itself.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Ornn.
Basic
E+Q+E combo: E through the enemy, Q the pillar at
E+Q+E combo: E through the enemy, Q the pillar at their feet, E again to smash the pillar into them for knockup.
Intermediate
W applies Brittle
always W before E for bonus CC duration on the knockup.
Intermediate
Your passive lets you buy items in lane
never back unless near death. Use the gold efficiency.
Advanced
R pre-aim the redirect immediately after first cast
don't wait to see where enemies are.
Basic
At level 14, upgrade teammates' items
Masterwork upgrades are the most impactful thing in the game.
Intermediate
E destroys terrain
use it to create new flanking paths through walls before teamfights.
Advanced
Grasp every 4 seconds in lane
walk up for the Brittle proc bonus damage on the Grasp hit.
Advanced
Q pillar can be created ahead of enemy escape routes
place it where they'll run, then E to smash.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Ornn is countered by mobile carries who can sidestep his skillshot-based CC chain and champions who can burst him before his CC combos can activate.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Fiora's W Parry blocks Ornn's W Brittle proc and E knockup. Her mobility makes the E+Q+E combo difficult to land.
Bait Fiora's W before committing to E. Without Parry, your CC chain is guaranteed.
Vayne's true damage scales with Ornn's massive HP stacking. Condemn disrupts E+Q+E combo setup.
Build Force of Nature — the magic damage reduction helps more than extra armor vs Vayne. Play around Condemn walls.
Tryndamere's R makes him immune to Ornn's execute threats. His AD burst cuts through Ornn's armor more efficiently than AP.
Hold W for after Tryndamere R expires. His invulnerability window is 5 seconds — wait it out then all-in.
Wins Against
Ornn's W Brittle mark + E knockup completely disrupts Darius's short-trade pattern. His immobility makes CC chains guaranteed.
W then E+Q+E combo every time Darius walks up for autos. He can't stack Hemorrhage when you're CC-chaining him.
Garen has no mobility to escape Ornn's CC chain. His silence doesn't prevent Brittle-marked knockups from activating.
W+E+Q+E combo when Garen's silence is on cooldown. Your CC chain completely prevents his spin trading window.
Ornn's Q poke harasses Nasus stacking. W+E+Q+E CC chain completely prevents close-range Q last-hitting.
Q poke every stack attempt. Your CC chain physically prevents him from being in range of minions.