Overview
A longtime staple in top lane, especially in pro play, Rumble is a champion that can be picked into almost any situation and any team comp from top lane thanks to his ability to reliably lane against most champions. And even if he struggles in lane, he’s able to provide a lot of team fight impact, especially in the mid game, thanks to his ultimate. Click here for the latest data on his best builds, including Runes, Items, Summoner Spells, and more.
Keys to Remember About Rumble
His ultimate being called The Equalizer is for good reason -- it can single handedly win team fights for you, even if you're behind. It's a ton of AoE damage in a big line that also serves as a zone control tool -- it's very much a make or break ability for both you and your team.
Rumble has a lot of single target kill potential thanks to Flamespitter [Q] -- especially if he's able to sit in a bush first. You don't always need your ult to kill someone, but you do generally need it to win fights.
Strengths
He’s the premier top lane pick when your team is lacking in AP damage, which means he can be a good pocket pick to have for when your mid and jungler both decide they should be melee AD champions (which happens a lot in Solo Queue…). Rumble has a ton of damage in his kit thanks to how Junkyard Titan [P] works with overheating -- Flamespitter [Q] can deal an immense amount of damage, for example. But the biggest reason to pick him is for his Equalizer [R], which is one of the best team fighting ultimates in the game. As long as you’re able to lay it on enemies correctly, you can deal a ton of damage and control good space -- in a pinch, it can also be used to clear a minion wave if you’re forced off the turret.
Weaknesses
Managing his passive is tricky and can be a difficult thing for new Rumble players to juggle. This means he’s going to take some practice to fully get used to his kit (let alone master it). And while he has some utility thanks to Scrap Shield [W] and Electro Harpoon [E], they’re definitely secondary to his primary role as a damage dealer -- this means he’s going to be fairly squishy at most points in the game, and if he isn’t able to land a good Equalizer [R], then he’s going to be an easy target to burst down.
Game Plan
Early Game: He has a strong lane phase, though he can be prone to overpushing thanks to Flamespitter [Q] -- be careful, as you’ll be vulnerable to ganks due to your lack of mobility.
Mid Game: Rumble has a great mid game thanks to the power of his Equalizer [R] -- you should always look to show up for team fights and objectives as you have the ability to win the fight for your team with a well placed ultimate.
Late Game: Your role doesn’t change much from mid game -- at this point, your damage will fall off a bit relative to your carries, but you can still decimate enemies with your ultimate, and you should continue to group for fights as much as possible.
