Domination Tree is one of the most popular Rune Trees in League of Legends because of the wide variety of offensive options it provides. The second row of this tree offers free Adaptive Force which can be easily stacked by anyone. But no matter how good they might be, you can only take one of the three.
Eyeball Collection relies on Takedowns and does not provide any benefit outside of the stats. Ghost Poro relies on your own wards, while Zombie Wards rely on the enemy’s wards which you clear. These two runes continue providing additional vision alongside the stats even after rune completion.
Choosing between Eyeball Collection, Ghost Poro, and Zombie Ward isn’t a perplexing task. However, it is still for your own benefit to understand what these runes do and how well they suit your playstyle. This will allow you to take the one that suits your needs the best.
Eyeball Collection
Eyeball Collection is the third rune (right-most) in the second row of the Domination tree. It is a rune that needs stacking to provide value. The rune states that scoring takedowns against enemy champions grant you 1 Eyeball. You can collect a total of 10 Eyeballs this way. Each Eyeball provides AD and AP, and completing all 10 stacks provides you additional AD/AP.
Since the rune provides bonus AD or AP, it will provide one of these stats based on which stat you already have the most bonuses for. You gain 1.2 bonus AD or 2 AP for every Eyeball collected. So at 10 Eyeballs, you will have 12 bonus AD or 20 AP. Once this collection is completed, you will gain an additional 6 bonus AD or 10 bonus AP. This makes the total value of this rune 18 bonus AD or 30 AP at completion.
Ghost Poro
Ghost Poro is the second rune (middle) in the second row of the Domination tree. The rune states that when your wards expire, they leave behind a Ghost Poro. Ghost Poro is untargetable and provides vision around a smaller area for the next 90 seconds. Ghost Poros provide bonus AD or AP upon spawning and spotting enemies.
If your ward is destroyed by an enemy champion or simply replaced, it will not spawn a Ghost Poro. Furthermore, once a Ghost Poro has spawned, it can be scared away by an enemy champion. This will make the Ghost Poro disappear after alerting your team and revealing an area around that champion for 6 seconds.
You can gain 10 stacks in total from spawning Ghost Poros and from spotting enemies using said Ghost Poros. Every stack provides 1.2 bonus AD or 2 AP, for a total of 12 bonus AD or 20 AP at 10 stacks. Upon completion of these 10 stacks, you will also gain an additional 6 bonus AD or 10 AP. Thus, the total value of this rune comes down to 18 bonus AD or 30 AP at maximum stacks.
Also check: Does Grievous Wounds Stack in League of Legends?
Zombie Ward
Zombie Ward is the first rune (left-most) in the second row of the Domination tree. The rune states that taking down enemy wards summons an allied ward in its place. These wards last for 120 seconds and have 1 health. These wards are untargetable for your team but not for the enemy team.
Destroying a Zombie Ward grants 1 gold. Getting a last hit on the enemy ward isn’t necessary. Simply damaging the ward within 10 seconds of it being taken down counts as a takedown for Zombie Ward. Achieving a takedown on an enemy ward (and spawning a Zombie Ward as a result) will grant you 1.2 bonus AD or 2 AP.
You can complete the rune by spawning 10 Zombie Wards, which will grant you a total of 12 bonus AD or 20 AP. Upon completing the 10 Wards, you will also be given an additional 6 bonus AD or 10 AP. The total value of this rune ends up being 18 bonus AD or 30 AP upon completion.
Gamemodes Without Wards
While all of these runes offer great value, remember that two out of the three runes do rely on wards to provide any sort of benefit. So what happens if you take these runes in game modes that do not allow warding? Well, the answer is simple: The game automatically swaps Ghost Poro and Zombie Ward for Eyeball Collection so your runes do not remain worthless.
This is important because, in ARAM, the Domination tree is a very popular page (Mainly because of Dark Harvest and Treasure Hunter). If you are taking Domination Tree primary, you should always opt for Eyeball Collection over Ghost Poro/Zombie Ward. If you forget to do it yourself, the game will do the job for you.
Pros And Cons
When choosing between the three options available to you, you must consider which one is easier for you to stack and gain value out of. All of these runes will provide you with equal value once stacked, so you must compare how easy they are for you to stack.
Eyeball Collection
Eyeball Collection only requires takedowns to stack which means that in practice it is the one that can be stacked the fastest. Early Invades can give you a headstart when stacking this rune. If your champion has abilities that provide easy assists, then this rune can be worth taking.
Ghost Poro
Ghost Poro relies on your wards which are limited for everyone in the early game. Even if you put wards in obvious spots, it will take time for them to stack. This rune does reward you for placing wards by providing extra vision, unlike Zombie Ward which depends on your opponents’ ward placement. Ghost Poro’s stacking speed is as fast as your Trinket’s cooldown (Excluding Support Items). Remember that enemies can kill your wards to prevent them from spawning Ghost Poro.
Zombie Ward
Zombie Ward is probably the most popular rune out of the three. This is because it allows you to convert the enemy’s vision into yours. Zombie Ward relies on the wards placed by the enemy champions, so the stacking speed of this rune is just as fast as your enemy’s ability to place wards. If you are running this rune, you may want to buy Oracle Lens as early as possible to unlock your ward clearing potential.
One last thing worth mentioning about all these runes is that Eyeball Collection relies on kills but only provides AD/AP as a benefit. Ghost Poro and Zombie Ward, on the other hand, have benefits even after being fully stacked. You can continue to sprout Zombie Wards from enemy wards even after completely stacking the rune. The same goes for Ghost Poro which allows you to gain vision for longer even after your wards expire.
Which One Is Better?
There is no clear winner from these runes. If you fear that your enemies might not ward a lot, then you should not opt for Zombie Ward as it requires help from the enemy to complete. Ghost Poro gives you guaranteed value but takes much longer to stack. Eyeball Collection is the most reliable source of AD/AP but it can be troublesome to stack in games where you are behind or simply not getting enough kills.
Some items can help with these runes. Any item that allows you to easily get assists will make it easier to stack Eyeball Collection. Support Item allows you to place multiple wards which is a great way of stacking Ghost Poro. Umbral Glaive and Oracle Lens allow you to efficiently clear wards and stack up Zombie Wards faster.
Also check: Is Garen AP or AD? – Everything You Need To Know
Conclusion
While all three of these runes provide essentially the same value once completed, you must remember that some provide faster benefits in exchange for long time benefits. The rune you pick depends on which champion you are playing and how quickly you need the bonuses to win you the game.
Also check out this article on Cheap Shot vs Sudden Impact.
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