Garen
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Poor (5/10)
Low Investment
Rare Relics OK
Garen offers a straightforward, combat-focused playstyle that excels in standard encounters. However, his slow scaling and reliance on unit strikes make him highly vulnerable to the massive stats and hard removal prevalent in Nightmare-level Adventures.
Strike and Scale
When I'm summoned, I strike the weakest enemy.- When I'm summoned, I strike the weakest enemy.
Power: Allies have Overwhelm, and if they have a subtype, +1|+1.
Strategy
A classic aggressive setup. Double Stalker's Blade allows Garen to immediately strike twice upon being summoned, instantly fulfilling his level-up condition and removing two enemy units.
The Beast Within provides Overwhelm, ensuring his massive stats translate into direct Nexus damage. This build is highly reliable for standard adventures where Garen can easily overpower enemy units.
Mage Garen (High Difficulty)
Power: Game Start: Grant a random spell from your deck an item with "-1 cost and draw 1". Create 4 copies of it in your deck.
When you play a spell, if you have 6+ mana gems, copy it with the same targets.
Round Start: Create a Fleeting copy of me in hand.
Strategy
This build transforms Garen into a late-game spellcaster, designed to tackle harder content like Aurelion Sol or Baron Nashor where his standard strike scaling falls short. Searing Brilliance is considered Best-in-Slot for this approach, allowing you to ramp mana quickly by repeatedly casting discounted copies of Sharpsight.
The Grand General's Counterplan ensures a steady supply of his champion spell, Judgment. Once you reach 6 mana crystals, Chemtech Duplicator doubles the board-clearing effect of Judgment, allowing Garen to completely wipe wide enemy boards and stabilize the game.
Rare Relics Only
- When I'm summoned, I strike the weakest enemy.
- When I'm summoned, I strike the weakest enemy.
When I level up, Rally.
Strategy
This build relies entirely on Rare relics to maximize tempo and is perfect for players without access to Epics. The dual Stalker's Blades guarantee an immediate level-up upon summoning.
Crownguard Inheritance triggers a Rally effect exactly when he levels up, allowing for an immediate, devastating attack phase. This setup provides excellent board control and burst damage in early to mid-difficulty adventures.
Other Relic Options
Power: Game Start: If I'm in deck or hand and Titanic, +1 Starting Mana. You can find Level 2 Champions when you Invoke or Manifest.
When I level up, create a copy of my champion spell in hand. It costs 0 this round.
+2|+0 and Overwhelm.When I kill an enemy in combat, create 2 Coins in hand.
Round Start: Refill your spell mana.
Starforged Gauntlets is excellent for accelerating his deployment, provided you use other relics like Luminous Orb to boost his base stats to the Titanic threshold. The Deceiver's Crest generates a free Judgment upon leveling up, offering a massive tempo swing without the heavy mana investment. Champion's Purse capitalizes on Garen's ability to consistently secure combat kills, generating substantial mana to cheat out expensive cards. Archangel's Staff is a solid alternative for Mage Garen builds if Searing Brilliance is unavailable.
Constellation
Garen's baseline kit is straightforward and effective for early to mid-difficulty Adventures, but it struggles significantly against the inflated stats of late-game encounters. His units require strikes to scale, which becomes a liability when enemies deploy big units that easily survive combat. While his simple mechanics are reliable in standard play, his scaling is considered too slow for modern, high-difficulty content. There is widespread anticipation for future constellation upgrades to address his mana efficiency and scaling issues.
Demacian Might
When an ally strikes, grant it +1|+1.
Justice
+1 Starting Mana. Round Start: Create a Fleeting Single Combat in hand.
Demacian Might II
When an ally strikes, grant it +2|+2.
Gameplay Tips
- Draft Overwhelm
Garen easily accumulates massive stats, but lacks innate Overwhelm. Prioritize powers or items that grant Overwhelm to prevent his damage from being mitigated by small blockers.
- Mulligan Aggressively
The deck's win condition relies heavily on deploying Garen. Always mulligan hands that do not contain him to ensure you do not fall behind in the early turns.
- Leverage Free Strikes
Use spells like Single Combat strategically to force favorable trades and scale your units' stats before the opponent can develop a threatening board.
- Beware of Hard Removal
Garen is highly susceptible to spells like Vengeance or Recall. Play cautiously against regions with heavy removal, as losing a heavily invested Garen often results in a loss.
- Avoid High-Stat Stat Checks
Garen's units need to strike to grow, making him exceptionally weak against "Deadly" mutators or Nightmare adventures where enemies start with massive stats. In these encounters, prioritize defensive relics and spell-based removal.
- Cut the 6-Cost Spell
Garen's 6-cost spell is generally considered inefficient and too slow for his game plan. It should typically be the first card you cut at a Healer node.