8 Best Runes For Tanks In League of Legends

Tanks are the backbone of every League of Legends team, standing on the front lines and absorbing massive amounts of damage so their allies can focus on dealing it. Whether you’re engaging fights, peeling for your carries, or soaking up enemy ultimates, the right rune setup can make all the difference. Tank runes are designed to enhance durability, boost sustain, and increase crowd control potential, allowing you to stay alive longer and protect your team more effectively. In this article, we’ll break down the best runes for tank champions in League of Legends — the ones that help you dominate teamfights, survive the toughest matchups, and become the unstoppable wall your team can rely on.

#8: Second Wind

Second Wind is one of the most reliable sustain runes for tanks, helping them endure constant poke and chip damage during the laning phase. Every time you take a hit from an enemy champion, this rune kicks in to restore a chunk of your health over time, allowing you to recover between trades and stay in lane longer. It’s especially strong in matchups where the opponent relies on ranged harassment or frequent poke, as the passive healing adds up fast and makes it much harder for them to force you out of lane. When paired with defensive starting items like Doran’s Shield, Second Wind becomes even more effective — turning early game pressure into free sustain. While it’s mainly used in the top lane, even mid laners or bruisers who struggle against early poke can benefit from this rune. It’s simple, efficient, and one of the best early-game tools for surviving until your tank items come online.

#7: Guardian

Guardian stands out as one of the most dependable keystones for tank supports who want to protect their teammates while staying on the front line. The rune automatically triggers a powerful shield for both you and your nearby ally when one of you takes heavy damage, making it a lifesaver during clutch trades or all-ins in the bot lane. It’s especially valuable for tanks like Leona, Braum, or Rell, who stay close to their carries and often absorb the first burst of damage. As the game progresses, Guardian continues to scale well, providing even stronger shields that can completely change the outcome of teamfights by keeping your backline alive through deadly engages. While it doesn’t offer much use in solo lanes or the jungle, for support tanks, it’s one of the safest and most consistent rune choices in the entire game, turning you into both a frontline defender and a shield for your team.

#6: Demolish

Demolish is one of the most underrated runes for tanks, turning their massive health pools into raw siege power. Every few seconds near an enemy turret, it charges up a devastating empowered attack that deals bonus damage based on your maximum HP — perfect for beefy champions who naturally stack health items. While tanks are usually known for initiating fights and absorbing pressure, Demolish gives them another way to impact the map by breaking towers faster and creating split-push pressure. It’s especially effective after a successful gank or teamfight, letting you turn a defensive engage into a major gold lead for your team. Compared to its alternatives in the Resolve tree, Demolish is far more consistent and synergizes perfectly with any frontline build. Champions like Sion, Malphite, and Ornn can use it to punish opponents who leave their lane unchecked, and in coordinated pushes, it can help melt towers in seconds — proving that tanks aren’t just walls, but siege machines too.

#5: Shield Bash

Shield Bash is a clever and underrated rune that gives tanks and bruisers a surprising damage boost whenever they gain a shield. Every time you activate a shield, your next basic attack hits harder, scaling with both your bonus health and the strength of the shield itself. This makes it an excellent choice for champions who can shield themselves frequently, such as Shen, Rammus, or Sion, letting them trade more effectively in lane while staying durable. Even support tanks like Nautilus or enchanters like Renata Glasc can use it to add unexpected burst to their combos. The rune fits naturally into most tank builds since it rewards defensive play with offensive value, making every shield not just protection, but also a weapon. It may not be ideal for tanks without built-in shields, but for anyone who can reliably trigger it, Shield Bash turns every engage into a more punishing strike — perfect for players who want their durability to hit back just as hard.

#4: Aftershock

Aftershock is easily one of the strongest and most reliable runes for tanks in League of Legends. It rewards champions who can consistently lock down their enemies by granting a massive surge of armor and magic resistance the moment they immobilize a target. For frontline juggernauts like Nautilus, Leona, or Sejuani, this rune turns every engage into a fortress-level defense, letting them dive deep into the enemy team without instantly getting melted. After the brief defensive window, it even explodes in a small shockwave, dealing magic damage that scales with bonus health—perfect for turning defense into offense. Its short cooldown keeps it relevant throughout the game, allowing tanks to win trades early and survive impossible fights later on. Whether you’re starting a 2v2 skirmish in bot lane or tanking a full 5-man engage, Aftershock provides the perfect mix of durability and impact, making it a must-pick for any tank who thrives on initiating fights and setting up plays for their team.

#3: Conditioning

Conditioning is a late-game powerhouse that perfectly complements the natural scaling of tank champions. Instead of offering early-game sustain, this rune focuses on turning you into a true wall as the match progresses. After the 12-minute mark, it grants a permanent boost to both armor and magic resistance while also amplifying your total resistances by a percentage, making every defensive item you buy even more effective. It’s ideal for champions who prefer to play safe early and come online mid to late game, like Ornn, Malphite, or Sion. Once it activates, you’ll immediately feel the difference — skirmishes that used to chunk your health now barely scratch you. The beauty of Conditioning is its simplicity; you don’t need to do anything but survive until it kicks in, and from that point forward, your durability skyrockets. For tanks who love scaling into unstoppable frontliners, Conditioning is one of the most efficient and rewarding runes in the game.

#2: Overgrowth

Overgrowth is one of those LoL runes that looks modest on paper but feels incredible the longer a match goes on. Every time minions or monsters die near you, it quietly stacks up bonus health, and after enough farming, it gives a percentage boost to your total HP. For tanks who thrive on being as unkillable as possible, this extra health adds up fast, especially when paired with items like Heartsteel or Warmog’s Armor. Champions such as Cho’Gath, Maokai, or Zac can take full advantage of it, turning into massive frontliners that soak up entire teamfights. The beauty of Overgrowth lies in its passive nature — you don’t need to do anything special besides being in the fight or near the action. It rewards players for playing their natural role and staying involved in waves and skirmishes. By late game, the difference in health can be massive, giving you the extra bulk to survive burst damage and continue protecting your team when others would have fallen.

#1: Grasp Of The Undying

Grasp of the Undying is the ultimate all-rounder rune for tanks and bruisers alike, offering everything a frontline fighter could want — sustain, scaling, and consistent damage. Every few seconds in combat, it builds up stacks that turn your next attack into a health-draining punch, dealing bonus magic damage, healing you based on your max HP, and permanently boosting your health. Over the course of a game, that stacking health alone can make your champion feel unstoppable. It’s incredibly flexible too, fitting perfectly on traditional tanks like Malphite, Shen, or Maokai, but also finding use on off-meta bruisers like Gangplank or Sett who can trigger it reliably. What makes Grasp so powerful is how naturally it synergizes with tank playstyles — it rewards you for trading in lane, staying in fights, and scaling into a late-game juggernaut. Combined with other resolve runes, it turns you into a regenerating wall that not only soaks up damage but also dishes it back with every swing.

Conclusion

Tanks are the backbone of every League of Legends team, and choosing the right runes can make the difference between being a simple meat shield and an unbreakable frontline. The best tank runes not only boost durability but also add sustain, damage, and late-game scaling that turn you into a true juggernaut. Whether it’s the healing from Second Wind, the scaling power of Overgrowth, or the all-around dominance of Grasp of the Undying, each rune enhances a different aspect of tank play. Picking the right combination for your champion and matchup ensures that you can hold the line, initiate fights confidently, and protect your carries until the end. In the hands of a skilled player, these runes can transform any tank into the cornerstone of victory.