Garen
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Good (6/10)
Rare Relics OK
Low Investment
Garen is the definition of reliable simplicity. He excels in low-to-average difficulty adventures with a straightforward 'stat-check' playstyle. However, he struggles significantly in Nightmare-tier content where enemies outscale his initial board presence before he can ramp up.
Titanic Might
Provides an essential mana ramp and stat boost. Garen can easily reach the Titanic threshold (8+ Attack and Health) when paired with stat-boosting relics.
Ensures Garen meets the Titanic condition for Starforged Gauntlets immediately by boosting his health, while also granting Sharpsight.
Garen creates large units but lacks evasion. This relic grants Overwhelm to the entire board, preventing him from being chump-blocked.
Strategy
This build accelerates Garen's deployment and ensures his stats are impactful immediately. The combination of early mana and board-wide Overwhelm solves his two biggest issues: speed and finishing power.
Double Strike
Triggers Garen's strike-based scaling immediately upon summon.- A second copy allows for an instant Level Up in many scenarios and clears two enemy units, stabilizing the board instantly.
- Essential for converting Garen's massive stats into Nexus damage via Overwhelm. If unavailable, Troll King's Crown is a viable substitute.
Strategy
This is the standard, highly effective setup for most players. By striking twice on summon, Garen often flips immediately, granting the Rally effect on the same turn he is played.
The Moneymaker
Garen's high stats and Challenger keyword allow him to secure kills consistently, generating mana and stats for each enemy slain.
Generates a Fleeting copy of Garen's Judgment (or Single Combat in deck) to force more strikes and trigger the purse.
Provides the spell mana necessary to cast the strikes generated by GGC or his deck.
Strategy
An alternative strategy that capitalizes on Garen's ability to clear boards. By generating mana on kills, you can cheat out expensive spells or flood the board, though it requires more setup than the Stalker's build.
Other Relic Options
Grants a 0-cost copy of Garen's champion spell, Judgment, upon leveling up. This acts as a one-sided board wipe.
A standard alternative for granting Overwhelm if The Beast Within is not available.
Constellation
Garen's powers are focused entirely on board-based combat and stat scaling. While effective in standard play, they lack the defensive utility or mana cheating required for the hardest modern content.
Demacian Might
When an ally strikes, grant it +1|+1.
Justice
+1 Starting Mana. Round Start: Create a Fleeting Single Combat in hand.Review
Standard +1 Starting Mana. Essential for getting Garen out on turn 4 (or earlier with relics).
Demacian Might II
When an ally strikes, grant it +2|+2.Review
The core of his kit. +2|+2 on strike allows his board to snowball rapidly. However, in Nightmare encounters, units may be destroyed before they can strike, neutralizing this power.
Gameplay Tips
Mulligan for the Champion
Garen is the engine of the deck. Without him, the deck is a collection of average units that struggle to scale. Aggressively mulligan to ensure he is in your opening hand.
Strike to Scale
Your units only grow when they strike. Prioritize spells like Single Combat to trigger these buffs proactively. Do not wait for the enemy to attack; force engagements to ramp up your stats before the enemy outscales you.
Draft Overwhelm Aggressively
Garen's primary weakness is being chump-blocked by small units. If you are not running The Beast Within or Troll King's Crown, you must prioritize finding the Overwhelm power or items during the adventure.
The Single Combat Interaction
Be aware that powers which grant stats 'when allies gain stats from a spell' do not trigger with Single Combat. The stats gained during Single Combat come from Garen's star power (the strike effect), not the spell itself.