User blog comment:Zeowolf0/Champion Appreciation Week - Garen/@comment-5263329-20121203205557

Garen, or Gayren as I refer to him, is another champion that I hate (facing).

Pros:
 * Has insane early-game damage
 * Good sustain
 * Has the ability to be extremely tanky while still doing a ton of damage
 * Silence counters a lot of other solo tops, including so-called 'OPs' such as Darius or Rengar
 * Manaless so he can spam all he wants

Cons:
 * Not much team utility so he doesn't contribute much to team-fights
 * Damage can still fall off late-game if not extremely fed
 * Still vulnerable to heavy kiting
 * Sustain requires not being hit by champions to activate which can be a problem at times
 * Hate the pure tank Gayren builds who don't do anything but KS with their ulties