Talk:Thornmail/@comment-207.81.32.143-20101231120254

Thornmail is completely brokenly strong against purely DPS characters. Generally, the only efficient option you have against Thornmail users is having your casters attack instead, while you target someone else.

1) Itemizing to deal magic damage doesn't work. Generic DPS fighters like Master Yi and Sivir have no way of getting straight Magic Damage into their attacks, other than the Bloodrazor and Sword of the Divine. However, they're pretty weak; SotD essentially adds 25 magic damage per hit, and Bloodrazor adds a minimum of 60 (when everyone is at level 18). Considering natural Magic Resistance, you can see that magic damage alone won't just cut it.

2) Itemizing for A-Pen isn't efficient as of yet. You need ALL of the four A-Pen items to counter the Armour given by Thornmail alone (though, as percentage A-Pen, Last Whisper would continually counter additional armour on top of Thornmail), and it will cripple your item build. And you still have no way remaining to counter the damage return.

3) Lifesteal most definitely doesn't counter the damage return. It depends on physical damage done, and Thornmail counters precisely that. You're only making yourself more vulnerable against it by itemizing for AD and Lifesteal. Even if you do manage to match the damage return by balancing LS, AD, and A-Pen, well, you managed to counter just the damage return, and now everything else will screw you over.

4) Getting MR works situationally. If someone like Galio has a Thornmail, even 'secondary MR items' like Hexdrinker and Mercury's Treads can completely shut down every significant source of damage from him. However, if another DPS fighter gets it, you have a problem: you need both armour AND MR if you want to kill him yourself. Your best bet is getting yourself a Thornmail, too.

Summary: Thornmail murders any DPS fighters, and your best bet is to have casters finish them; and that's way too strong for a single item that costs nothing but 2000g.