Talk:Gragas/@comment-5211662-20140509073547/@comment-9048637-20140514205412

For me, the key breakthrough in figuring out how to build new Gragas was in realizing (as several others here seem to have) that he's now no longer even just a tanky AP bruiser (which is what I always preferred to play him as even when the full AP insta-gib build was all the rage), but a bona fide tank. I mean, he has more CC and less damage than several champs who actually have the tank tag, and his initiation certainly isn't lacking if you're proficient with the ult. So, I stopped thinking of him as a champ I needed to rush damage on, and instead started thinking of him as a champ for whom damage is a nice luxury.

As for what items specifically: in general, shooting for max CDR ASAP, whilst still getting quite tanky, is a good idea. Max CDR Graggy becomes pretty hilarious; AoE knock-back + stun every 4.2 seconds (provided you keep hitting people with it), percentage damage reduction that's up roughly half the time or more, AoE slow that's also every 4.2 seconds, max health enhanced AA every five seconds or less... yeah, it gets kind of insane. Speaking of which, given Gragas' abusively low cooldowns with CDR, Sheen upgrades are, as you might expect, gorgeous on him. Iceborn is my favourite right now, as the tankiest option which also gives you more CC and more AoE (as if you didn't have enough already), but Lich Bane can be good for more single target damage and mobility, and Triforce can still be nice situationally.

Besides that: Spirit Visage has obvious synergy with his passive (and gives CDR), so it should probably be your go-to MR choice. Big health items like Warmog's will complement your damage reduction from W quite nicely. Sunfire is, of course, nice on any tanky champion, though Iceborn, as mentioned, is also a very good armour option for him. For damage, besides the Sheen upgrade, I'd focus on M-pen, since Gragas' bases are still really, really good and pen furthermore complements his %-health on W. Sorcs are good (though if you're not in the jungle, you may prefer Mercs for tenacity, and in either case Tabi can be invaluable if they have a lot of strong AA champs), as is Liandry's; if they have a lot of MR, though, you may want to consider Void Staff. Abyssal for effective pen can also work, particularly if you're not the only AP on your team.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on building new Gragas. I hope they help somewhat.