Bruiser build for controlled running: Olaf wins when he turns a straight line into a problem with no simple solution, then stays in contact long enough to cash in his ultimate and sustain. The build must therefore serve approach, durability, and persistence, not only immediate offensive stats.
Three builds, one right answer per draft. The advisor reads the five enemies (and your allies) and names who triggers what — the same rule as the Draft MVP sheet and Ask Nexus.
Best Olaf build (Jungle): Sterak's Gage › Black Cleaver › Death's Dance › Trinity Force › Spear of Shojin, boots Mercury Boots, keystone Conqueror. Three variants and when to pick each are below.
Standard build maximizing damage output. Use on neutral matchups or when ahead.
15,733 total cost
Nothing dominates on the other side: the standard build maximizes your damage.
Open this draft in the tool →Anti-resist build for tanky enemies. Choose when multiple enemies build armor/magic resist.
15,700 total cost -33gSustain build leaning on heal/omnivamp to win prolonged duels.
15,300 total cost -433g
Scores out of 10: where this champion sits against the whole roster, phase by phase. The strip shows its own power ramp level by level — it does not compare across champions.
Your hardest matchups in this role, and the item from your situational list that answers each one.
Rammus
Stridebreaker
Highly mobile
Nidalee
Chempunk Chainsword
Recurring healing
Tryndamere
Chempunk Chainsword
Recurring healing
Master Yi
Chempunk Chainsword
Recurring healing
Best Olaf build (Baron Lane): Black Cleaver › Death's Dance › Trinity Force › Spear of Shojin › Overlord's Bloodmail, boots Plated Steelcaps, keystone Conqueror. Three variants and when to pick each are below.
Standard build maximizing damage output. Use on neutral matchups or when ahead.
15,733 total costNothing dominates on the other side: the standard build maximizes your damage.
Open this draft in the tool →Anti-resist build for tanky enemies. Choose when multiple enemies build armor/magic resist.
15,700 total cost -33gSustain build leaning on heal/omnivamp to win prolonged duels.
15,300 total cost -433g
Scores out of 10: where this champion sits against the whole roster, phase by phase. The strip shows its own power ramp level by level — it does not compare across champions.
Your hardest matchups in this role, and the item from your situational list that answers each one.
Teemo
Guardian Angel
Physical damage
Jarvan IV
Stridebreaker
Highly mobile
Tryndamere
Chempunk Chainsword
Recurring healing
Akali
Stridebreaker
Highly mobile
Same advisor in the Draft (the MVP sheet applies it to your real draft) and in Ask Nexus, which explains the choice. On counters pages: the variant to take against each counter-pick.
Foundational item core, without recent situational additions — kept as a base for understanding the kit. For the up-to-date build, see the section above.
Olaf wins through duration, not burst. This build maximizes his uptime in fights: armor shred for tank relevance, sustain to survive focus, and durability to outlast opponents.
Long Sword
Sheen proc between fast AAs boosted by the passive attack speed
Survivability in fights, Olaf cannot be CCed during R
MS + AS, closes the gap to stay on targets during R Ragnarok
Plated Steelcaps
Plated Steelcaps
Mercurys Treads
Glorious
›
›
attaques fast (passive attack speed) stack Conqueror to a DPS intense.
Autos and axes both carry the flat bonus — your berserker DPS starts stronger in every exchange.
Blunts duel openers — the longer you survive low, the harder your passive attack speed works.
Stacked out-of-combat speed gets you to fights first — nobody outruns a fast Olaf.
Accumulated HP to that Last Stand is triggered longer in fights.
Sterak's Gage
Mortal Reminder
Plated Steelcaps
Mercury's Treads
Sterak's Gage
Mortal Reminder
Plated Steelcaps
Mercury's Treads
Last Stand
Giant Slayer
Second Wind
Bone Plating
With two bruiser items such as Black Cleaver and Death's Dance, Olaf becomes hard to take down in extended trades. He can absorb the first burst, stay in contact, and force opponents to kite instead of freely playing the teamfight. This window is often his strongest domination phase.
