League of Legends Skarner Guide: Best Build, Runes, Items, Combos

Skarner’s rework in League of Legends has turned him into a powerful and versatile pick, especially in the jungle role. With strong crowd control, tanky stats, and a unique ultimate that can single-handedly swing team fights, Skarner is a force to be reckoned with when played correctly. In this guide, we’ll break down the best Skarner builds, the most effective rune setups, ideal item choices for different matchups, and the key combos you need to master to maximize his impact throughout every stage of the game.

Skarner Abilities Overview In League of Legends

Here’s a full breakdown of Skarner’s abilities after his rework:

Passive – Threads of Vibration:
Skarner’s basic attacks and abilities apply stacks of Vibration to enemies. At a certain threshold, they become Disrupted, reducing their damage and giving Skarner bonus effects on his abilities. This passive rewards consistent aggression and combos.

Q – Shattered Earth / Upheaval:
Skarner slams the ground in front of him, damaging enemies and slowing them. If cast again within a short window, he hurls a chunk of earth that detonates on the first enemy hit, dealing damage in an area. This is his main trading and wave clear tool.

W – Seismic Bastion:
Skarner gains a shield and empowers his next few attacks with bonus damage. This ability is excellent for trading, surviving burst damage, and maintaining pressure in fights or while clearing camps.

E – Ixtal’s Impact:
Skarner charges forward, grabbing the first enemy champion hit and carrying them forward. Upon slamming them into terrain, it stuns and damages all nearby enemies. This is a strong engage and pick tool, especially when coordinated with your team.

R – Impale:
Skarner’s iconic ultimate returns with a twist. He can now impale and suppress up to three enemy champions in a line, dragging them behind him for a short duration. This game-changing ability is incredible for initiating fights or isolating key targets.

Mastering each part of Skarner’s revamped kit lets you control team fights, engage effectively, and peel for allies with powerful crowd control and disruption.

How To Play Skarner In League of Legends

Best Summoner Spells For Skarner

The best summoner spells for Skarner are Flash and Smite when played in the jungle. Flash is essential for engaging with your ultimate or escaping bad fights, while Smite is mandatory for jungle clearing and securing objectives. If you’re playing Skarner in a solo lane or off-meta role, Flash + Teleport can be a solid combo for map pressure and teamfight presence, but for jungle—Flash and Smite are the top-tier pick every time.

Best Runes For Skarner

The best runes for Skarner in the jungle focus on durability, consistent engage, and teamfight control. Here’s a strong and reliable rune page for him:

Primary – Resolve
• Aftershock: Activates after Skarner CCs an enemy with E or R, giving him bonus resistances and a damage burst—perfect for frontlining and surviving in fights.
• Font of Life: Allies heal when attacking enemies you impair, synergizing well with Skarner’s crowd control.
• Conditioning: Grants bonus resistances after 12 minutes, scaling well into late game.
• Unflinching: Provides tenacity and slow resistance after using summoner spells—great for sticking to targets post-Flash engage.

Secondary – Inspiration
• Hextech Flashtraption: Pairs excellently with Skarner’s ult, letting you threaten flanks from brush or walls when Flash is down.
• Cosmic Insight: Gives ability haste for both summoner spells and items—perfect for more frequent Flash + Ult plays.

Stat Shards
• Attack Speed (for smoother jungle clears)
• Armor (early jungle sustain)
• Health Scaling (to scale into mid and late game)

This setup maximizes Skarner’s tankiness, pick potential, and overall reliability in teamfights.

Best Build For Skarner

The best build for Skarner in League of Legends focuses on turning him into a tanky engage monster who can lock down carries and survive extended fights. Here’s the recommended core and situational item setup for jungle Skarner:

Core Build
• Sunfire Aegis: Great for clear speed and consistent damage in teamfights while granting tank stats.
• Plated Steelcaps or Mercury’s Treads: Choose Steelcaps against heavy AD/auto attackers or Mercs against CC/magic-heavy comps.
• Thornmail: Builds from Bramble Vest, adds healing reduction and gives armor—ideal vs. lifesteal champs.

Situational / Late Game Items
• Dead Man’s Plate: Gives Skarner extra movement speed and burst damage on first hits—great for catching targets.
• Force of Nature: Go-to MR item against AP-heavy comps or poke mages, especially if you’re being kited.
• Frozen Heart: Strong vs. auto-attackers; provides mana, armor, and attack speed slow.
• Jak’Sho, The Protean: Viable mythic alternative for extended fights—scales well with resistances.
• Abyssal Mask: Useful if your team is AP-heavy and you want to amplify their damage while increasing your own sustain.

Final Full Build Example
• Sunfire Aegis
• Plated Steelcaps
• Thornmail
• Dead Man’s Plate
• Force of Nature
• Jak’Sho or Frozen Heart

This tanky setup makes Skarner a frontline threat who can dive backlines, absorb damage, and control fights with his ultimate and crowd control.

Best Combos To Learn For Skarner

Here are the best Skarner combos to learn for jungle plays and teamfight control:

1. Flash + R (Ultimate Surprise Engage)
• Combo: Flash → R (Impale)
• Use: Great for catching carries off guard. Flash into the enemy and instantly ult to pull them into your team.
2. E + Auto + R (Standard Engage Combo)
• Combo: E → Auto attack (to stun) → R
• Use: Tag them with your E to slow, then auto to stun, and immediately ult to drag them away. This ensures no chance to dodge or flash before being grabbed.
3. W + E + Auto + R (Shielded Engage)
• Combo: W → E → Auto attack → R
• Use: Use W before going in to absorb damage while closing the gap, then proceed with the stun and ult. It’s the safest way to initiate.
4. E + Auto + R + Q Spam (Full Combo for Burst)
• Combo: E → Auto (stun) → R (while dragging, use Q repeatedly)
• Use: Once you grab someone, keep spamming Q for extra DPS during the drag animation.
5. Hexflash Engage (When Flash is on Cooldown)
• Combo: Channel Hexflash from a bush → E mid-air → Auto → R
• Use: Great for surprise picks if regular Flash is down. Make sure you’re hidden to get full value.

Mastering these will let you consistently lock down high-priority targets, peel for your team, and control the pace of teamfights.

Conclusion

Skarner may not be the flashiest champion in League of Legends, but with the right build, runes, and combos, he becomes a powerful tank and crowd-control machine that can completely shut down key enemies in teamfights. By mastering his engage tools, optimizing his item path for each matchup, and knowing when to pick your fights, you can turn Skarner into one of the most reliable and disruptive jungle picks in the game.