Ah Puch build help

Greetings.

I have nearly 8000 worshipers on Ah Puch and i'm still unsure what works the best with him. I've already tried all sorts of builds, be it full cdr, 100% penetration or even builds involving defense. Note that i play mostly Arena.

My current build looks like this:
Sands of Time - Gem of Isolation - Shoes of the Magi - Book of Thoth - Spear of Desolation/ Divine Ruin - Pythagorem's Piece OR Polynomicon
Then i usually sell Sands for more pen or get Rod if there's enough time left.

However i've noticed that it actually might be better to build him in a more supportive way as his job is usually zoning, clearing waves and setting up kills/forcing people to back. I feel like going full damage is a waste and i'm usually not even able to finish the build before the match is over.

I've been experimenting with support items such as Stone of Binding (procs with Gem), Jade Emperor's Crown against physical and Spectral Armor or Spirit Robe as situational options.
Travelers Shoes followed by mana sustain seem to work aswell.

So the build looked like this:
Gem of Isolation - Shoes of Focus - Stone of Binding - PP/ Spear of the Magus - whatever i didn't pick up.

Replace Sands by cdr and Stone of Binding by pen.
Assuming nobody else buys these items of course.
This way i was also able to buy the 3k potion.

So, what do you think? Is it at all good idea to rush Gem? What do you suggest?

Wow, this is a great post, Nashor! Will only consider comments with Arena in mind.

When I consider Ah Puch in Arena, I think sort of the same thing. He does a ton of damage, but that (seriously awful) slow and the huge AOE ult seem to have a huge influence on fights.

To that degree, I think Gem of Isolation and high CDR are what will be the best way to "support" the team, but of course he also needs to continue doing damage.

My opinions on the various items:


Based on your revised build, I'd consider a slightly adjusted build (willing to try and let me know how it works?).

• Sands of Time (option to just skip)
• Shoes of Focus
• Stone of Binding
• Gem of Isolation (since his 1 already has a slow, I think this can be delayed just a bit...and it's sorta expensive)
• Spear of Desolation
• Rod of Tahuti (just too hard to pass this up, because he does so much damage)
• Situational x2 (protection options, Spear/Shard, replace Binding)

Thoughts?

Thank you for your detailed and informative answer, i agree with all of your points. I'll try the build you've suggested and let you know how it works.

I'd say Gem of Isolation is core on him (most situations).

My Ah Puch build for all game modes except Conquest:

1 Shoes of the Magi-> replace with Shoes of Focus late game or start with it early game. If you don't plan on getting Spear of Desolation somewhere in your build, I recommend getting Shoes of Focus instead of Shoes of the Magi early game.
2 Pythagorem's Piece
3 Spear of Desolation-> replace with any accessory item (protections, anti heal, etc. if needed)
As Bran mentioned, the reason I delay gem of iso till 4th is because Ah Puch already has slows built into his kit. In my opinion, the above items would be more useful to him than an early gem of iso. Also, at this point, you have 20-30% CDR so you're ready to spam your abilities more frequently before you get that gem of iso.
4 Gem of Isolation
5 Obsidian Shard
6 Rod of Tahuti

Like Bran said, slowing the enemy and influencing team fights/zoning is a really good way to "support" the team.

You also have Pythagorem's Piece for giving your allies lifesteal.

I actually used to not build Gem of Isolation at all, before i realised that diminishing returns on Undead Surge are close to nothing and how much it really helps.

You also mentioned Pythagorem's Piece. I feel like this item is very underrated and almost never picked. The aura it provides is so strong, especially in a constant teamfight that Arena is. So many reasons to buy it.

Thanks for your input, swapping Magi for Focus is a great idea.

I know you said you mostly play him in Arena, but in game modes with a single lane (Joust/Assault), he has VERY strong pressure. It's very easy to hit his combos and he can easily swing a team fight his way.

Branmuffin is an Assault Master. Just ask him how much he hates playing against an Ah Puch in Assault.

Just because I historically have played a lot of Assault doesn' t make me a master...or if so, i'm just a master Assault queuer.

I absolutely HATE playing against an Ah Puch, unless he's a bad one, overextends, and his team doesn't back him up. I LOVE playing AS him. =P

And yeah, situational items in my build list above would include Pythagorem's Piece. I absolutely agree it's underrated in teamfight modes. I'm torn on WHEN to build it though...in Arena, you typically don't need lifesteal as much cuz base is close...but the aura of power it provides (not even considering lifesteal) is going to be more effective earlier. Just depends how much you value the other items. Is an earlier Gem preferred? Is more pen (almost true on squishies) what you want (Deso)? If so, Pythag's comes later. If your team sticks together and focuses gods well? Maybe Binding + Pythag's before other things.

You are right about Assault and Joust. Last time i checked i had around 90% winrate in Assault with Ah Puch. He's a beast! Unfortunately i do not like the "new" Joust.

As for my playstyle, i just try to stay behind everyone else, usually hug my support, unless he is bad or we don't have one and generally cause as much damage as i can. Ultimate for zoning/safe retreat. Sometimes i still use the ultimate to finish off an enemy, although it breaks my heart.

I have one more question. Is it ok to build Sands of Time even if it's not your first item? Let's say i want to build Shoes of the Magi and Pythagorem's Piece followed by Sands of Time as third item for that extra sustain. Or is it better to just get Book of Thoth followed by Gem and Pen?

Back to testing now.

I'd say it's up to you whether you want to build it or not. For 800 gold, 10% CDR is extremely reasonable. Normally, I'd say that most starter items are priced that way to give you an advantage at the start only. Like, for example, Bluestone Pendant or Soul Stone aren't things I'd consider picking up past the start of a game. But when you present the idea like that, I think Sands might be the only one that would also reasonably function as a type of bridge item. And in the end, it's whatever works for you.

If you get Magi + Pythag's, at that point, I'd probably skip Thoth in any case for Arena.