User blog comment:Lacounty/First major damage items?/@comment-12049719-20141024140327

Well I suppose that would depend on 3 things: Who you're laning against/the enemy team's comp, which champion you're using (as you already said) and how well you're doing in lane. If you're being bullied too much in lane or are just having a hard time in lane, it's usually not a great idea to invest in something too expensive because it'll only set you back real bad.

Let's say I'm playing as Garen top lane. If I'm doing well and have a nice amount of farm, I can probably go for a Black Cleaver as a first item, then get tanky and just snowball that lane. But if I'm not doing so well, I won't bother getting damage items and just go tanky and call for the jungler's help. I can maybe get a Black Cleaver later in the game.

If I'm a Caitlyn in the bottom lane, it would be the smartest decision to just keep farming and get an early BF Sword as fast as you can. Most ADC's these days rush an Infinity Edge. I dunno why, but you should only do that when you're fed. It would be best to invest in attack speed items if you're not doing well, but should at least have a Vampiric Scepter for a little more damage and sustain in lane. If you're within range, sure, a few little trades here and there if you know you can out-trade. But if you absolutely know for sure you can kill your lane opponent, don't hesitate to do so. Early skirmishes with you ending up in defeat will only set you back and give you a disadvantage on gold so play smart.

I'm not too sure about AP Carries, though. Usually you'd get something that can help you with your mana regen via Athene's or Tear. But if you're doing really well in lane, have good farm, and you're sure you can manage your mana (if you use any, that is) You should get yourself a Needlessly Large Rod. That's a lot of AP and that will allow you to snowball your lane, provided you play intelligently.