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Tryndamere is a great example of how great was the old-school LoL, and I have a great example to show you why. Let’s set the situation: You start playing League and have some matches; you won some of them, and others were a defeat. Then, you start a match and, in the enemy team, you see a Tryndamere.
The match starts, and 10 minutes after starting, you see your Top laner asking for help and the Barbarian King demolishing the Top turret. There’s no way to stop him; you run to help, but he just makes himself immortal and kills you under your own turret.
As the match continues, Trynda breaks all the turrets in his lane, and in less than 20 minutes, he gets to your inhibitor and rips it apart with his astounding Attack Speed. As soon as you get closer to him, he just ends with your champion‘s life without the need of using his abilities; Trynda only needs auto-attacks to end the match. Even killing him is a bad idea as he will have an excuse to visit the store and get some better items to destroy your team completely.
I’m sure that happened to you at least one time, no matter if you were part of the team trying to stop him or you were the Tryndamere demolishing a base with no help. That’s why Tryndamere is remembered in League.
And if you are new in the game or just want to try how it feels to end with the enemy base with only auto-attacks or kill someone with only a hit thanks to the crit damage, then this guide is for you!
Let’s get started!
Key Info Up Front
- Price: 1350 Blue Essence, 810 Blue Essence with a champion shard, 585 RP.
- Role: Fighter.
- Difficulty: Moderate.
Lore and Story
Tryndamere came from a clan that only worked for survival. They were tough and only had resources for swords, but that was enough to get rid of the wild beasts of Freljord and the raiding tribes which wanted to end Trynda’s clan.
Tryndamere grew in his clan and became one of the strongest men there. No one was capable of defeating Tryndamere in a fight.
But suddenly, on a dark night with a terrible storm, Trynda’s clan got attacked. A mysterious figure with horns arrived at the clan’s base. The warriors thought that the figure was the boar god, Ornn, that appeared among the humans, so they knelt to the figure, but the figure, instead of receiving the warriors’ gratitude with honor, killed those knelt warriors with cruelty.
The rest of the warriors attacked the figure, but there wasn’t a way to stop it. Finally, Tryndamere got his blade, roared at the beast, and ran to confront it. The figure just splatted him on the floor.
There he was, Trynda, alongside his now-dead friends, waiting for his own death. The creature knew Tryndamere was alive, so he approached Trynda and talked in an old language he couldn’t understand. The problem was when the creature laughed. That was the spark that initiated Trynda’s fury, a power that not only kept him alive but also cured him and gave him the necessary strength to go for revenge.
The warriors who didn’t take much damage after the creature’s raid happened also survived, and Trynda’s task was to take them to a safe place. The only place he could think of was to the west, where some tribes were gathering for the reincarnation of Avarosa, one of the legendary Three Sisters, who fought a war of thousands of years and got killed by Lissandra.
Tryndamere and the rest of the warriors of his clan appeared in the gathering, but he wasn’t available to stay there until he demonstrated his value. So Trynda challenged whoever he had to fight, only to save his tribe’s members. Trynda defeated every challenger that passed across him; everyone noticed the capacity Trynda had to heal his wounds between battles and thought their tribe was practicing a black magic ritual, so they turned against Trynda and his clan.
The Avarosans was about to kick him, but Ashe got into the situation. She was the warmother of the Avarosans and was looking the situation with attention, as she saw in the Barbarian an opportunity to strengthen her position with him on her side.
Ashe wanted a warrior who could handle all the battles they were about to fight and saw that spark of fury on Tryndamere. So they got together, first as a political marriage, then, with time, they started to care and grow an affection for each other. Both were warriors, and both were prepared for anything.
Now, Tryndamere spends his days as Ashe’s right-hand warrior and lover. He’s planning his revenge, so he’s waiting for the figure, the beast that ended with his clan, only to see their blood painting the floor.
Key Relationships and Quotes
- Ashe: Tryndamere married Ashe just in exchange for protecting his remaining tribe, but with time, they started to grow some feelings.
- Aatrox: Aatrox was the figure who attacked Tryndamere’s tribe.
- Braum: Part of the Avarosans who saw how Tryndamere demonstrated his value, Braum helped the Barbarian to chill out when he lost control and started severely injuring the Avarosan warriors.
“My blade calls; you will answer!”
Key Features
Now, let’s talk about Tryndamere as a champion. He’s indeed capable of making you a hyper-carry beast in the Top lane, but he needs certain circumstances for that to happen. Also, Tryndamere is almost perfect to use when trying to learn the basics of the Top lane; I always recommend using Tryndamere when starting to play to get used to the minion farming, the 1v1 fights, and the lane management.
Tryndamere highlights in certain aspects; let’s check them out:
- He’s a mechanically simple champion who doesn’t need combos to work; he can do a lot of damage with only auto-attacks. His abilities work to reposition himself from sketchy situations or create opportunities to find 1v1 duels.
- His 1v1 is god-like as he has high burst damage.
- Tryndamere is perfect for splitpushing lanes. Doing a split push or splitpushing is pushing a lane when a team fight is happening in another place. Tryndamere’s explosive damage can make him demolish a turret with ease.
- His resistance is wonderful, thanks to his Q and his Ult.
- Trynda doesn’t use Mana; instead, he works with a Fury bar.
Tryndamere seems like a great champion, but he can feel threatened if he is in some bad situations. So let’s check the problems Trynda can have during the match:
- He’s not useful for team fights as he can’t provide CC or something to help his teammates. So instead, it seems like Trynda needs a lot of help if he wants to engage in a team fight.
- Trynda is susceptible to CC; even with his Ult on, CC loads can make him useless.
- Trynda’s team needs to be coordinated with him if they want Tryndamere to splitpush with no issues.
- Trynda’s splitpushing can easily be controlled if the enemy team organizes their resources.
We learned that Trynda has some serious problems with CC, but that’s not the only thing that threatens Trynda. So here you’ll find some matchups to keep an eye on if you want to play Tryndamere successfully:
Malphite, Nasus, and Tahm Kench
These three champions have something in common that can make Tryndamere fall easily; they are tanky and can deal a lot of damage at the same time. Nasus is weaker than Trynda in the early game, but he’ll be unstoppable as soon as he gets some Q stacks. Against Malph and Tahm Kench, there’s not much to do as they have some great Armor and HP stats, and there’s no crit damage that could take them down before they take you first.
Akali
A match against Akali is hard because she can trade better than you while standing invisible in her shroud during all the Lane Phase. If you find a chance to engage her, she will just run away or turn the table with her three dashes.
Shen
Shen has auto-attack blocking, which completely nullifies your principal damage source. He also has a strong presence on the map thanks to his Ult, making him capable of snowballing in other lanes, while Trynda can’t roam easily.
Jax
Probably the worst matchup for Tryndamere because Jax is a combination of Shen and the first-mentioned champs. Jax is very chunky, and he gets even bulkier with his Ult, and can use his E to disengage out of battles and can get you down with his Q. Also, Jax’s scales are way better than yours and can damage better while building Armor.
Related Perks and Special Abilities
Battle Fury (Passive)
As I said before, Tryndamere doesn’t use Mana; instead, he gains 5 Fury units with each auto-attack and 10 Fury units if he lands a critical strike or kills an enemy, up to a maximum of 100 Fury units. The Fury unit makes Tryndamere gains a critical damage chance of up to 40% at full Fury.
After not dealing or receiving damage for 8 seconds, the Fury starts to decay at a rate of 5 Fury units per second. The free critical damage mechanic is what makes Trynda a serious deal in 1v1 fights, giving him a big kill pressure in the early game.
Bloodlust (Q)
Trynda’s Q is divided into passive and active.
- The passive grants Tryndamere additional AD per 1% of his missing health, making Tryndamere a big problem when he’s in low health.
- The active heals Tryndamere in a base amount of health that increases for each Fury unit he has, draining all the Fury available.
This ability gives Tryndamere a great sustain in the Lane Phase, helping you stay in the lane for longer periods or saving your life in a fight if you don’t have your Ult. Max this ability first.
Mocking Shout (W)
Tryndamere shouts to the enemies, reducing their AD for four seconds, and if the enemies aren’t facing Tryndamere, they also get slowed for the same duration.
It’s not the best CC option for helping your teammates, but it can be good because of its AD reduction, mostly with the ADCs that can be totally annoying. Max this ability last.
Spinning Slash (E)
Tryndamere dashes to a targeted location, damaging every enemy he hits on his path and gaining Fury units for every hit. This ability’s cooldown would be reduced by 1 second every time Tryndamere lands a crit attack, increasing to 2 seconds if the crit landed on an enemy champion.
This is Tryndamere’s only mobility and chasing tool as it can pass through walls and have a good range. Max this ability second.
Undying Rage (R)
Tryndamere bursts in rage, gaining Fury instantly and getting immortal, so his HP can’t go below a certain threshold for 5 seconds.
You can use this ability offensively or protect yourself in problematic situations. It’ll let you risk a lot with no problems; you can do a turret dive or get against the whole enemy team by yourself or run away if you are about to die.
This ability can also be cast when CC’d, which is great, so you’ll always have an opportunity to survive or turn the tables. As for the combos, Tryndamere is very simple, and he doesn’t need combos to exploit his damage. Just use your auto-attacks and your abilities when needed.
Champion Playstyle
Runes
Tryndamere works perfectly with a certain set of runes. You won’t want to change them as the other runes can’t be good for him.
Lethal Tempo
Lethal Tempo is, right now, the best rune you can take for Tryndamere; the attack speed buff and the extra range you’ll get with this rune once fully stacked are extremely good for the Barbarian King. In addition, landing attacks faster means that you’ll have a higher chance of getting crits, meaning that you’ll be able to use Spinning Slash constantly.
- Tip: If you need sustain, you can go for Fleet Footwork instead.
Triumph will heal and give you extra gold once you get a kill. You can combinate this rune with Bloodlust to get a big heal after killing someone.
Usually, you’ll want to get Legend: Alacrity as your third rune, but this can vary depending on the enemy team. Alacrity will give you Attack Speed, which is great, but if you face a team with lots of CC, you should go for Legend: Tenacity instead.
Finally, Last Stand is the best option for this row as it’ll give you extra damage if you are low in health, combining perfectly with Bloodlust’s passive, making you stronger if you are about to die.
The secondary runes will harshly depend on your playstyle.
- If you need sustain, you can go for Second Wind and Revitalize.
- If you are against heavy CC threats, you can go for Unflinching.
- If you want to be aggressive, go for the Sorcery Rune Tree and use Nimbus Cloak and Celerity to boost your mobility when using Summoner Spells.
Summoner Spells
Trynda can use various Spells, depending on your playstyle:
- Flash is a must for Trynda. Don’t go for a match without it!
- I also recommend using Ghost with Tryndamere because you’ll need the extra mobility it gives. If you combine this Spell with Nimbus Cloak, you’ll be almost impossible to get away when attacking someone.
- If you have an aggressive playstyle, I recommend going for Ignite then; also, it’s great for champions with loads of heals.
- Lastly, I recommend Teleport in case you want some global presence. I always use this rune when split, pushing to run away, or surprising the enemy team.
Recommended Build
No matter the situation, you’ll always want a Critical hit-based build because Trynda’s kit works with it. Not using Critical hit objects will make his potential go significantly down.
Kraken Slayer or Galeforce
Both of these items are the best mythic options for Tryndamere, but using one of them will depend on the enemy team.
- If the enemy team has tanky champs, I recommend Kraken Slayer because of the True Damage it gives.
- Galeforce is a better option if you need mobility and there aren’t tanks on the enemy team. Also, it can help you finish the enemies off with its active.
Berserker’s Greaves
These are the best option for Tryndamere as they’ll give you 35% Attack Speed, letting you have an early power spike.
If you need more sustain, I recommend going for the Plated Steelcaps or the Mercury Treads.
Navori Quickblades
This is a wonderful item for Trynda because of how its passive works; every time you land a crit, the cooldown of your basic abilities will get reduced by 20% of their remaining cooldown.
This item, plus the Spinning Slash’s cooldown, will let you spam Spinning Slash whenever you want.
Lord Dominik’s Regard or Phantom Dancer
This item will depend on which mythic item you chose.
- Lord Dominik’s is perfect if you chose Galeforce as it gives you a percentage of additional damage based on the health difference between you and your enemy, up to 15% damage.
- Phantom Dancer is perfect if you go for Kraken Slayer because it’ll give you the Ghost effect, a 7% of Movement Speed, and a 30% Attack Speed if you use an auto-attack for four consecutive times.
Mortal Reminder
This item is perfect for those champs with heals as it stacks up to 60% of Grievous Wounds once you land three basic attacks on the enemy, which is easy with Tryndamere.
Infinite Edge
This will be your last item because of the high cost it has. It gives you high amounts of AD and increases the damage of your critical hits by 35% if you have at least 60% of crit damage.
Laning and Teamfighting Tips
I’ll give some recommendations for those starting to play Top or Tryndamere as it can get complicated sometimes.
- For the Laning Phase, I recommend farming or getting some kills as Trynda’s early game, combined with the Berserker Greaves, is very good. However, if you find yourself against a champ that counters you, play it safe and farm under your turret. Go for the kill only if you see a chance or get ganked, but be careful; staying behind when using Tryndamere is very problematic.
- When it comes to teamfighting, you can’t do much as Tryndamere is a perfect champion to be apart, splitpushing. Nonetheless, you can use your W to reduce their AD and work as a distraction, making your enemies waste important abilities on you but not kill you thanks to your Ult.
- Your main objective in the match is to provide map pressure by taking turrets down and doing objectives like Dragons or the Baron. Tryndamere can take turrets very fast, so it’s better to coordinate with your team, informing them about what lane you’re going to push so that they can work as a distraction for the enemy team. Communicating properly with your team is key to being a successful Tryndamere.
FAQs
Question: Why did Aatrox attack Tryndamere’s tribe?
Answer: There’s not a certain answer to that question because Aatrox just loves the war and fighting. So he probably found Trynda’s tribe randomly and attacked it without mercy.
Question: Why did Ashe marry Tryndamere?
Answer: Ashe needed an ally to rule within the Avarosans. She found in Tryndamere a great opportunity to have a fierce warrior as a company, while Tryndamere only accepted the marry because his tribe needed help. Eventually, Ashe and Tryndamere caught feelings for each other, and Tryndamere discovered why Ashe was ruling the Avarosans; she was a fighter, just like him.
Question: How good is Tryndamere? Can I Climb with him?
Answer: Well, Tryndamere is very good only in certain situations. You can climb with him on Ranked Matches in low elo because people aren’t used to Tryndamere and don’t know how to stop him properly, but in high elo matches, you’ll find players who can stop Tryndamere’s strategy by constantly CC him.
Tryndamere Guide: Conclusion
Tryndamere is hated in the community because of his easy kit, but I personally don’t feel like he is an OP champ; it’s more about learning to play against him.
I actually like him because he remembers me of the great times I spent in the Summoner Rift, and I hope this guide helps those who want to play League and don’t decide on a champ.