Talk:Varus/@comment-25148748-20150807042157/@comment-24621775-20150825160118

You could go Tri Force first for an early power spike. You could also take Hybrid Pen runes, that would make some more use of his mixed damage. Honestly though, the base values on his W passive are pretty solid on their own right, I don't think it's all that necessary to include significant amounts of AP or Magic Pen in his build. Especially if you look at his ratios - sure, his R has a 1.0 AP ratio, which is huge; but his Q at full power has a 160% AD Ratio and you can spam it every few seconds.

THAT is why he's seen in competitive games as a viable mid lane choice. Because the range and scaling of Piercing Arrow are so huge that he can chunk out enemy carries.