As garen, Garen will gain a huge power spike and finishing ability once he manages to get to level 6. This will let him go for regular short burst trades against his enemies, let his Passive kick in after the trade, and then go for the finish with his Ultimate R after getting the enemy low. In addition, using the lane brushes to conceal Garen's approach will further solidify his position in the lane.

Garen's first item component will either let him survive the lane for a more extended time (tank build) or increase his damage significantly (bruiser build). The former will let him take part in many team fights while the latter will help him with duels.

Garen's build will dictate how he plays the game out. If he goes for the tank build, he will be nearly unkillable and can act as a perfect peel unit for his carries. On the other hand, if he goes for the bruiser build, he will be more dependent on the fog of war to catch enemies off guard and pick vital enemy carries. As garen, Garen will gain a huge peak of power and finishing ability once he reaches level 6. This will let him go to regular short-blank exchanges against his enemies, leave his passive kick after the trade, and then go to the finish with his Ultimate R after having obtained the low enemy. In addition, the use of the track brushes to hide Garen's approach will further strengthen his position in the track. Garen's first element will either allow him to survive the track for a longer time (tank building) or significantly increase his damage (burner building). The first will allow him to take part in many team fights while the second will help him with duels.