Cabrakan to the Rescue

I play Cabrakan as a support/tank with very little damage dealing ability. My primary goal while playing Cabrakan is to keep pesky assassins off my partners, while trying to catch an over-confident opponent with a well timed series of stuns.

This Cabrakan does 2 things, and 2 things very well. Taking hits like nobody's business and keeping an opponent from doing whatever they want to do (be it run away or get into a stab-happy gank)

Shadow Zone

A powerful passive that grants straight up damage reduction to all allies in range, pretty straight forward. It does not effect Cabrakan though.


Seismic Crush

Your most reliable stun, often I use this ability as my initiate. This allows you to charge right at the target without having to worry about any of those pesky roots or slows. Then apply a hefty stun. Letting your teammates come in and clean up. This can also be an effective escape ability, with the MS buff and immunity to slows and roots it severely limits an opponents options for catching you. This is the 2nd skill I max out.


Refraction Shield

Easily Cabrakan's most useful skill. The skill passively grants you stacks per hit. These stacks grant you a decent amount on protections (40 at max lvl and stacks). But its real use come in the form of its active. Deal damage in front of you in a wedge shape, and if you have full stacks it does a hefty stun simultaneously. This immediately uses up your stacks and empties your protection from the ability. So it can be a trade-off at times. This is the first ability I max out.


Tremors

Cabrakan's primary AOE. Theoretically this is your most damaging ability, but in reality it is more effective as a CC ability (notice a trend yet, every ability here is a powerful CC ability). Tremors is most effectively used as a way to let your teammates harass the opponents with minimal repercussions; at least for the rest of your team, because all the baddies will be wailing on you the whole time. This is the last ability I max out, since I personally do not use this for damage, and the CC does not scale with level.

(quick hint: tremors will disrupt/interfere with invisible baddies so if you are scared of a loki busting in just channel a Tremors until the loki shows his ugly face again)


Tectonic Shift

HIgh DMG + an effective route blocker. Tectonic shift is not the best ability in Cabrakan's arsenal, but you will be glad you have it when you need it. primary use is to interfere with retreating and chasing opponents. If used correctly it can completely shut down all paths of escape or make any attempt to follow impossible.

Support relics are the ones to choose for this build.

meditation
meditation
I ALWAYS start with this relic. Whether this is for better or worse, I don't know. This relic allows me to play a little more recklessly early in the game. Either by blowing mana on spells that aren't guaranteed to connect, or tower diving to stun-lock an opponent. As well as it allows me to get my lane buddy a little bit of assistance if they are being picked on.


curse
curse
The single most-well suited relic for Cabrakan. Pop curse then start your Tremors, effectively locking all the baddies in your CC.


shell
shell
Tremors really makes you a target, so a defensive item that buys you a little extra time in channeling the spell is a relic worth getting.

DO NOT GET sprint!!! Cabrakan does not need to be able to pursue. if you are in a situation where you want to get sprint opt for curse instead. serves your much better.

Mark of the Vanguard

Tanky starter item that gives you a bit more sustain and protections.


Heartward Amulet

A staple support item that seriously helps with Cabrakan's sustain as well as has a powerful aura that your teammates will love you for. Primarily procured for the aura. This is the first item built to tier 3.


Hide of the Urchin

Tons of protections, pure and simple. This item just kicks your survivability up to 11. This item could potentially be swapped out for one of the end game items if you are facing a heavy physical damage team, or would prefer life gain or damage over protections. I build this second because of the stack mechanic, otherwise i would build it after Sovereignty and Shoes of Focus


Sovereignty

The ying to Heartward Amulet's yang. and acquired for much the same reasons. I usually plan on building this 3rd, but if you are not going to be using Hide of the Urchin you should build this second.


Shoes of Focus

I get these for the CDR, since Seismic Crush can get you out of most types of CC (barring hard stuns). Some players see more use from Reinforced Shoes and its CCR. its all a matter of preference.


Cabarakan's core build focuses on survivability, for you and your teammates. His items reflect this goal. If you are going to vary from the bare minimum of Heartward Amulet and Sovereignty for the purpose of damage you are not playing a support/tank, and are not playing to Cabrakan's strengths, IMHO.

In most cases you will have 2 slots available for end-game items (3 if you pass on / replace Hide of the Urchin), so choose wisely, and try to make the chosen items match your needs per match as best you can.

Hide of the Nemean Lion

This is your anti-ADC item. Really high physical protection + 20% reflection can make you an ADC's worst nightmare.


Breastplate of Valor

Major CDR + phys protection. Lets you get out stuns like a mad man. This is the item to get when your team is packed with heavy damage dealers. The extra stuns and CC can really make a difference.


Mystical Mail

Physical protection + damage aura. The damage isn't really all that special, but the radius almost perfectly matches the radius of Tremors, so the two pair very well. In most cases this will give you nearly a 20% damage increase to your Tremors.


Gem of Isolation

magic power + slow. This is a beautifully well balanced item for Cabrakan. It has next to no defensive capability, but if you are finding your team is causing the opponents to scatter like cockroaches whenever they arrive en-force; rather than stay and fight like men. Then this is the item for you. Storm into the fray with Seismic Crush and drop your Tremors and you have just accomplished a quasi curse, along with making it near impossible for anyone trapped in your tremors to escape.


Ethereal Staff

The only item on the list purely for magical power. This can potentially be a big boost to attack power, and damage overall. But in most cases this will not be a primary choice for me. Cabrakan naturally has really high HP, but since this build does not focus on maxing it out, the gains will be moderate for the slot it is filling.

Now that the build is out of the way, I can focus on play style. As you have hopefully gathered by now, this build does not focus of dealing out loads of damage. As a matter of fact your auto attacks will do so little damage as to be almost worthless to use in mid and late game. Your abilities will do enough damage to be slightly annoying, but nothing that will scare anyone but the squishiest of opponents.

So what is the point of playing a character that can't hope to out damage a one legged mule?

Crowd control. Every one of Cabrakan's abilities is crowd control in one shape or another; except his passive, which is a solid support ability. So the player should embrace the crowd control mindset.

Place yourself in the mess, do your best to make yourself a target (tanking is another form of crowd control) and try to keep the pursuing opponents off of your retreating teammates.

1. Place yourself in the mess: use Seismic Crush to charge in (give out a stun if possible).

2. Make an opening for your team: wait for Refraction Shield to have full stacks and lay out a stun.

3. Gather the field in one place: position yourself to start Tremors (pop curse or shell first if possible). When using Tremors you should attempt to catch as many as possible in the radius, and the closer to the center the better.

Skillful use of Tectonic Shift makes and breaks a Cabrakan player. This ability can be used with the best of intentions for the worst possible results. I personally have used it in an attempt to separate a retreating teammate from a pursuing baddie or to trap a retreating baddie with a pursuing teammate; only to accomplish the exact opposite. One place where this ability shines best is in the jungle. The wall completely shuts down any chance of escape or pursuing if used competently in the jungle (barring a leap ability).