How to Play Ornn: 5 Essential Tips to Master the Fire Below

Overview

Learning how to play Ornn effectively requires mastering his unique item upgrades, combo execution, strategic positioning, and terrain utilization to maximize his potential as a versatile tank. His ability to forge items directly in lane and provide valuable Masterwork upgrades for teammates creates a natural late-game advantage that, when combined with his powerful crowd control abilities, can single-handedly change the course of games.

Introduction to Ornn

Learning how to play Ornn effectively can transform you into one of the most impactful tanks in League of Legends. As the Fire Below the Mountain, this demi-god blacksmith brings unparalleled utility, surprising damage, and game-changing crowd control to any team composition. Mastering Ornn means understanding both his unique crafting abilities and his explosive combo potential that can turn the tide of any teamfight.

Whether you’re playing Ornn in the top lane or occasionally as support, his versatility makes him a solid pick in nearly any team composition. His ability to forge upgraded items for teammates creates a natural late-game advantage that few champions can match. However, many players struggle to maximize his potential, often missing key mechanics that make him truly formidable.

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore the essential techniques and strategies you need to master how to play Ornn at the highest level. From his unique item crafting to advanced combo execution, these five tips will help you unlock the true power of the Fire Below and dominate your lane and teamfights alike.

Tip 1: Master Ornn’s Unique Item Upgrades

The cornerstone of learning how to play Ornn effectively is mastering his passive ability, Living Forge. This unique mechanic allows Ornn to purchase items directly from the lane without returning to base, giving him a significant advantage in maintaining lane presence and pressure.

Starting at level 13, Ornn can upgrade certain Mythic items for himself and his teammates through his Masterwork items. These upgrades provide substantial stat bonuses worth approximately 1000 gold each, creating a significant advantage for your team in the late game.

To maximize this passive, communicate with your team about which items they should prioritize. For instance, prioritize upgrading items for your most fed carry first to amplify their advantage. You can upgrade one item per ally, so choose wisely.

Here’s how to effectively use Ornn’s crafting abilities:

• Use your passive to craft items in lane, saving valuable time you’d otherwise spend walking back to base
• Look for safe moments between waves to craft items
• Remember you can craft consumables like Control Wards and Health Potions too
• Prioritize upgrading items for your highest-performing teammates first
• Track your level progression closely, as your Masterwork upgrades become available at level 13

By focusing on maximizing your item efficiency, you provide your team with a gold advantage that can often be the difference between victory and defeat. Similar to how Braum shields his allies, Ornn empowers his team through these valuable upgrades.

Tip 2: Perfect Your Ornn Combo Execution

To truly learn how to play Ornn effectively, you must master his powerful ability combos. Ornn’s kit offers exceptional crowd control and surprising burst damage when executed correctly. The cornerstone of his combo is understanding how his abilities interact with each other, particularly his E (Searing Charge) and his brittle passive.

The basic Ornn combo starts with Q (Volcanic Rupture) to create a pillar, followed by E to charge into it, creating a knockup. Then apply W (Bellows Breath) to apply the brittle effect, and finish with an auto attack to proc the brittle status for massive damage. This sequence provides both crowd control and significant damage.

For maximum impact in teamfights, your ultimate combo should look like this:

• Cast R (Call of the Forge God) from a safe distance
• Position yourself to redirect the ram with a second R cast
• Follow up with Q to create a pillar in the path of fleeing enemies
• Use E to dash into the pillar for an additional knockup
• Apply W to enemies hit by your ult to maximize the brittle effect
• Auto attack priority targets to proc the brittle status effect

Practice these combos in the Practice Tool until they become second nature. The timing is crucial, as is positioning your Q pillar correctly to set up the E knockup. Professional players who have mastered how to play Ornn can single-handedly win teamfights with a well-executed ultimate combo.

Remember that your W makes you unstoppable during its cast, allowing you to ignore incoming crowd control effects. This makes Ornn especially effective against champions like Morgana whose crowd control you can negate with proper timing.

Tip 3: Optimize Your Build Path for Maximum Impact

When learning how to play Ornn, understanding the right build path is essential to maximizing his tanky potential while still dealing respectable damage. As a tank with unique item interactions, Ornn benefits from specific item choices that complement his kit perfectly.

For your Mythic item, Sunfire Aegis is typically the best choice as it synergizes well with Ornn’s tendency to stay in extended fights. The immolate passive combined with your brittle procs creates substantial damage over time. In matchups against heavy AD teams, Iceborn Gauntlet provides valuable armor and a slow effect that helps you land your abilities.

After your Mythic, prioritize these items based on the enemy team composition:

• Thornmail: Essential against healing and auto-attack heavy teams
• Abyssal Mask: Great for amplifying your team’s magic damage while providing MR
• Randuin’s Omen: Excellent against crit-based ADCs
• Force of Nature: Superior choice against AP-heavy compositions
• Gargoyle Stoneplate: For late-game teamfight survivability

For runes, Grasp of the Undying is typically your best keystone as it enhances your trading potential and scales with your health. Secondary runes should include Demolish for tower pressure, Conditioning for scaling defenses, and Overgrowth for additional health scaling.

Much like how Malphite builds against AD threats, adjust your build based on the enemy team’s damage profile. Against heavy AP, rush Force of Nature; against AD-heavy teams, prioritize Thornmail or Frozen Heart.

According to Riot’s official champion stats, Ornn players who adapt their builds based on enemy composition maintain a significantly higher win rate than those who follow static builds.

Tip 4: Position Strategically in Team Fights

Mastering how to play Ornn in team fights requires understanding your role as both an initiator and peeler. Your positioning will determine whether your team capitalizes on your powerful crowd control or whether you get kited and rendered ineffective.

As an initiator, look for flanking opportunities where you can unleash your ultimate from unexpected angles. The ideal engagement involves catching multiple enemies with your ultimate, following up with your Q-E combo to create chaos in the enemy backline. This creates space for your carries to follow up with damage.

However, remember that Ornn can also excel as a peeler for your backline. Against dive compositions, stay close to your carries and save your abilities to counter enemies jumping on them. Your Q-E-W combo can stop assassins in their tracks, while the brittle proc provides enough time for your carries to reposition.

Here are key positioning tips for team fights:

• Hover near choke points where your ultimate can have maximum impact
• Position near walls to ensure your E has knockout potential
• Stay within range to upgrade your teammates’ items during lulls in the action
• Create distance before casting your ultimate to ensure it travels far enough
• Position between enemy divers and your backline when playing defensively

Your ultimate is most effective when coordinated with your team’s follow-up. Similar to how Leona times her engage, communicate with your team before unleashing your full combo to ensure they’re ready to capitalize on your initiation.

Advanced players studying how to play Ornn effectively will often use vision control to set up unexpected engages. According to Pro Guides analysis, Ornn players in higher elos secure 35% more successful engages when initiating from fog of war.

Tip 5: Utilize Terrain to Your Advantage

One of the most overlooked aspects of learning how to play Ornn is understanding how to use terrain to maximize your effectiveness. Ornn’s kit is specifically designed to interact with the environment, making map awareness a crucial skill for mastering this champion.

Your E (Searing Charge) gains tremendous value when used near walls or terrain. Unlike champions that need to create their own terrain (like Maokai with his saplings), Ornn can leverage existing terrain for knockups. This makes jungle corridors, the dragon and baron pits, and base entrances particularly powerful zones for Ornn.

When fighting near walls, position yourself so that a quick E will collide with terrain, creating an unexpected knockup. This is particularly effective in the narrow pathways of the jungle where enemies have limited room to dodge.

Here are terrain-focused strategies to enhance your Ornn gameplay:

• Look for fights in the jungle rather than open areas where possible
• Use your Q to create artificial terrain when natural walls aren’t available
• Position your ultimate so the return path forces enemies toward walls
• During lane phase, position trades near walls to threaten an E knockup
• Memorize spots in common fighting areas where your E can connect with terrain

Your ultimate also becomes significantly more powerful in confined spaces where enemies have limited dodging options. Narrow jungle corridors and river entrances are perfect for landing your ultimate on multiple targets, similar to how Nautilus uses terrain to land his hook.

By making terrain awareness a priority in your Ornn gameplay, you’ll find yourself creating opportunities that less experienced players might miss. The difference between an average Ornn and a great one often comes down to how effectively they use the map to enhance their abilities.

Conclusion

Mastering how to play Ornn effectively transforms you into a versatile tank that can single-handedly change the course of games. From his unique ability to forge and upgrade items to his devastating combo potential, Ornn rewards players who invest time in understanding his mechanics and playstyle.

Remember that Ornn’s strength lies in his versatility. He can be a formidable lane bully, a reliable team fighter, and a scaling advantage through his Masterwork upgrades. By focusing on the five tips we’ve covered – mastering item upgrades, perfecting combos, optimizing builds, positioning strategically, and utilizing terrain – you’ll see significant improvement in your Ornn gameplay.

What sets apart great Ornn players is their ability to adapt. Sometimes you’ll need to play as an aggressive initiator like Alistar, while other games call for a more defensive approach similar to Jax’s counterplay style. The flexibility to adjust your playstyle based on team compositions and game state is crucial.

With practice and application of these techniques, you’ll soon be unleashing the full potential of the Fire Below the Mountain. Whether you’re looking to climb the ranked ladder or simply want to add a powerful tank to your champion pool, Ornn provides depth and impact that few other champions can match.

Frequently Asked Questions