TankOdin

Odin is typically played as a hard-hitting melee skirmisher: he's great at jumping in, dishing out damage, then fleeing before things get too hairy. However, his kit also makes him a prime initiator - and he is naturally tanky - which is why I like to play him as a tank.

The purpose of this guide is to give an overview of how Odin works, and how he can be a huge help for your team. I have put together a basic item set for end-game, and suggest building the items as needed, instead of any particular order. EXCEPTION: I have found that the best starting items are: Tier 1 of Bloodforge, Greaves, and a mana potion.

As stated, Odin is naturally tanky, but can still dish out a significant amount of damage. Because of this, combined with his leap, aoe, and cage, he is one of the best initiators you will ever find. HOWEVER, he has no real CC, and is slightly more squishy than your straight-up tanks like Ysmir or Hades.

As mentioned above, I have found that Tier 1 of Bloodforge, Greaves, and a mana potion are best for starting out. This is because at the very start of the game, you are going to be jumping in, popping Gungnir's Might (3), and running back out as a means of harass for whoever you are laning with. This will dish out tons of damage, and, thanks to Greaves, you won't take much in return. However, it eats up your mana hell-a fast, so you're going to make good use of that mana potion.

After that, finish off your Greaves and Bloodforge for early tankiness and sustain, then build according to need. Base your item choices on what kind of damage you are taking most of. (Typically this will be physical until later in the game.)

As far as actives are concerned, you will want to get Meditation ASAP as Odin is very mana-hungry. Plus, it can be upgraded to provide a decent heal for you and your team-mates. Girdle of might is there to give you and your buddies an extra damage boost to finish off those enemy carries before they can do much beyond s**t their pants as you come flying through the air.

The bread and butter of Odin is his initiating power. His first ability - lunge - will send Odin flying through the air toward a target destination, dealing AoE damage wherever he lands. Following this up immediately with either Ring of Spears or Gungnir's Might, depending on the situation, deals a significant amount of damage before the enemy team can react.

Let's take a look at the skills:

LUNGE - Odin lunges to target destination, dealing 140 / 180 / 220 / 260 / 300 (+40% of your physical power) to all enemies within 20 yards of where Odin lands. Costs 70 / 75 / 80 / 85 / 90 mana per cast. (Can also be used as a great escape tool, if necessary.)

Odin's Shout - Gives a 15 / 25 / 35 / 45 / 55% attack speed buff to all allies (including Odin) within 35 yards. Lasts 7 seconds. Costs 60 mana.

Gungnir's Might - Odin spins in a circle, dealing damage twice to all enemies within 20 yards. First attack: 40 / 65 / 90 / 115 / 140 (+40% of your physical power) damage. Second attack: 50 / 80 / 110 / 140 / 170 (+60% of your physical power) damage. This ability also slows enemies hit by 50% for 2 seconds. Passively - not on cool down - this ability gives Odin +10 / 15 /20 / 25/ 30 to his defenses. Costs 65 / 70 / 75/ 80 /85 mana.

Ring of Spears - Summons a 30-yard wide ring of spears around Odin, trapping all players caught inside the ring. (The spears are impassable, except for leap or teleport abilities) While inside the ring, Odin and his allies gain a +25 / 40 / 55 / 70 / 85 bonus to all protections, and Odin gains a +35 / 55 / 75 / 95 / 115 bonus to physical power. Costs 100 mana. Can be re-activated to end the effect early.

Teamwork, as with virtually any champion, is critical to pulling off a good Odin tank: your team will rely on you for good initiations, and strong scare tactics. As Odin, you MUST keep a keen eye on your opponents, to single out carries and destroy them with your leap-and-cage combos.

WARNING! Even though basic attacks and movements cannot penetrate your ring, ranged AoE's and dashes / teleports (from the inside) can. This means that if you are not careful, you could A) create 1-on-1 scenarios with you and enemy carries. B) Inadvertently kill your allies by trapping them inside an enemy AoE / Ult. C) Waste your ult, with the only advantage being having momentarily burned your enemy carry's escape.

Some cool tricks 1) Lunge can send you over / through walls, which means quicker lane entries, easy escapes, and surprise attacks from the jungle.

2) Lunge can also enable you to escape your cage, which enables you to run in, trap someone, and leap out - leaving them helpless inside a nice little bubble while you and your team clean up someone else.

3) Odin's Shout scales well with champions that already have high attack speeds, and damage buffs like Girdle of Might. Use this to your advantage!

4) Gungnir's Might inflicts a 50% slow for 2 seconds. Use this to peel for your carries / assist ally skill-shots and AoE nukes by limiting your foe's (foes') ability to move around the area.

Odin is highly mobile, strong, and durable. USE THIS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE!

ALWAYS keep a watchful eye on the ENTIRE enemy team. You DO NOT want to inadvertently harm your team's chances of success by messing up your ult. As also, you CAN get across the map rather quickly due to Lunge. Just be careful to not mana-starve yourself before the fight ever happens!