Hi there, I'm Nemrex, and this is first guide on Dawnbase for one of my favorite DC Heroes, Shazam! The build I list here is used for Gotham Heights, laning on Gotham Divided, and laning on Coast City (however I have not played enough of Coast City to see if this is a viable build). Shazam excels at dealing large AOE damage with his E and Ult, while he also gives a good knockdown with his Q.

The ideas for this build came from this forum post (Thanks smaddy!) and utilizes the synergy between Blue Scarab (3), [[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]], and Kryptonian War Armor (4). These three items synergize well because with Blue Scarab you deal Power Damage with your basic attacks, which with the Power Lifesteal from Eclipso's Diamond you will receive Health, and with that Health you will get an increased amount of it from Kryptonian War Armor. This also gives you good sustain with your other abilities like Lightning Field (E) or Speed of Mercury (Q) while simultaneously damaging your enemies. So far, this build has served me well, but remember that you don't have to build these items. Experiment and always change your item build according to the situation that you are in.

---

Amplifiers

Mods

1.Enhanced Cosmic Belt - +75 Health (Tier 2)
Since we're building Cosmic Belt (3) early, this will give you some tankiness during the early game phase while giving a little bit of Power Damage as well. (1.2 PD during the early part of the game, then 2.7 with a fully upgraded passive. Not much but it helps.)

2.Altered Blue Scarab - Basic Attacks deal 10 + 20% Power Damage (Tier 2)
Improving the damage output for this can be of big help, especially if you are going mano-a-mano with an opponent. It will also net you more Health, as explained above in the second paragraph.

3.Enhanced Eclipso's Diamond - +5% Power Lifesteal (Tier 1)
As with the Altered Blue Scarab (3) Mod, increasing the effectiveness of the synergy between the three items is always a good thing, as having a good amount of sustain in a team fight is key to this build.

Augments

While [[Booster Gold's Power Suit (3)]] does provide a nice amount of Cooldown Reduction, you can never go wrong with more CDR, especially considering the long cooldown on SHAZAM! (R).Scaling Cooldown Reduction is prevalent among all four slots, while scaling Power Damage and flat Power Penetration make up the rest of the stat choices. I find that scaling Cooldown works best since Shazam becomes more powerful as the game goes on (accounting on if you had a reasonable early game). And remember, you will be using his Q and E, alot, so having them up quick after you've used them is really helpful, with the only deterrent being Energy management.

SUN from S.T.A.R. Labs - +0.53 Power Damage/lvl (Max 10.07)/+0.19% Cooldown/lvl (Max 3.61%)

SPIDER from S.T.A.R. Labs - +1.8 Power Penetration/+0.19% Cooldown/lvl (Max 3.61%)

SWAMP from Lex Corp - +0.23% Cooldown/lvl (Max 4.37%)/+0.44 Power Damage/lvl (Max 8.36)

MAZE from Lex Corp - +0.23% Cooldown/lvl (Max 4.37%)/+1.5 Power Penetration

This equals up to about 16% Cooldown Reduction, 18 Power Damage (+16 Health), and 3 Power Penetration from these augments.

Optional Augments

If you feel you want a little more oomph to your build, then you can instead opt to replace SPIDER and MAZE for anyone of the Augments listed below for more Power Damage.

ORION from S.T.A.R. Labs - +0.53 Power Damage/lvl (Max 10.07)/+1.8 Power Penetration

COBRA from Lex Corp - +0.44 Power Damage/lvl (Max 8.36)/+1.5 Power Penetration

COMET from S.T.A.R. Labs - +0.53 Power Damage/lvl (Max 10.07)/+1.4% Power Lifesteal

HAWK from Lex Corp - +1.68% Power Lifesteal/+0.44 Power Damage/lvl (Max 8.36)

---

Stolen Powers

Core Stolen Powers

[[Catwoman's Teleport]]
Whether you need to get back to your lane in Gotham Divided or to defend your capped point on Gotham Heights, this is perhaps your best bet for getting anywhere that you need to go. This is due to the reduced cooldown, which would allow you to utilize it at times when other teleports won't let you.

[[Arcane Green Lantern's Healing Wave]]
This is the perhaps most defensive version of the three current Healing Waves and what I think offers the most utility for you and your team. This is due to the extra Attack Armor and Power Armor which can really help in a pinch as well as the Health you regain amplified if you have Kryptonian War Armor (4) equipped. And consider replacing this for one of the Camera Stolen Powers on Gotham Divided since the vision is far more important.

Alternative Stolen Powers

If you are laning on Gotham Divided, then taking any of the Cameras can be of extreme help to ensure you don't get ganked. From what I find to be the most to least useful are:

[[Green Arrow's Surveillance Camera]]
Perhaps the most useful, considering that most junglers I find are either Nightmare Batman or Gaslight Catwoman and it can help to destroy the enemies own cameras as well. Just remember to destroy them quickly, since the effect does not last long.

[[Robin's Surveillance Camera]]
With this you won't have to recall that much to refill your charges, which can be extremely useful if you're dominating your lane and you need vision to see if a gank is coming your way.

[[Gaslight Batman's Surveillance Camera]]
Not as useful as the other two, but the extra vision comes in handy. This is usually the first Surveillance Camera you get since Gaslight Batman is probably the best ADC to start with and he comes free when you complete the tutorial.

[[Doomsday's Invulnerability]]
If you feel you are taking too much punishment during team fights (like trying to grab top cap on Gotham Heights, ugh) then you can take Doomsday's Invulnerability for the extra sustain. Since the nerf on the Invulnerability powers, I find that Doomsday’s stolen power is much more effective at mitigating damage then [[Shazam's Invulnerability]]. Even though you gain some Health from the power it won’t be enough, even with Kryptonian War Armor (4). Anyway, you can replace [[Catwoman's Teleport]] for this.

[[Flash's Super Speed]]
Since Shazam has no real escape besides his Ult, you can instead opt to replace [[Catwoman's Teleport]] for Flash's Super Speed, which can offer not only some escape but can also provide some gap closing to knockdown retreating enemies with Speed of Mercury (Q) as well.

---

Abilities

POWER OF ZEUS (PASSIVE)

Shazam's Basic Attacks restore 2 Energy.

Shazam gains 1.2 Power Damage for every 50 Bonus Health, and 0.3 Health for every 1 Bonus Power Damage. These bonuses do not stack with each other.

Power Ratio: 1.2/1.7/2.2/2.7

Health Ratio: 0.3/0.5/0.7/0.9

Energy: 2/3/4/5

This is perhaps the defining trait that makes Shazam the Power Damage latent Bruiser with some tankiness that he is. While it is possible to build a Shazam tank, the ratio from Health to Power Damage won't make your abilities as strong as a Power Damage Shazam, and the kit he has isn't as good as Atomic Poison Ivy's or Mecha Superman's for tanking. Besides, building with just Power Damage items will get you Health equal to that of [[Hawkman's Harness (4)]] to Ruby Of Life (4).

SPEED OF MERCURY (Q)

Shazam dashes to the target, dealing 50 Power Damage and knocking them down for 0.7 seconds.

Damage: 50/95/140/185 +50% Power Damage

Cooldown: 12/11/10/9

A gap closing, knockdown attack that has no skill shot that makes retreating opponents absolutely fear you. Use it to focus down the enemy team's carries, especially ones with channeled Ults like Gaslight Batman and Mecha Wonder Woman or high Power Damage targets like Flash or Green Lantern. You can also use it to peel, especially on enemies that are chasing down your team mates, however you will run the risk of you becoming their next target. Quick note on chasing down enemies is that you do not want to spam Lightning Field (E), instead wait for Speed of Mercury (Q) to come back up then knock em out in conjunction with E. Also, you will never be able to chase down Flash, not unless you're at the right place at the right time.

MYSTIC POWER, MYSTIC DEFENSE (W)

This skill toggles between Mystic Power and Mystic Defense.

Mystic Power: Gain 2 Power Penetration, and your next Basic Attack fires a bolt of lightning that strikes your target and up to 3 additional enemies for 30 Power Damage.

Mystic Defense: Gain 4 Power Armor, and your gain a Shield that blocks 40 damage for 3 seconds.

Damage: 30/55/80/105 +35% Power Damage

Shield: 40/70/100/130 +8% Bonus Health

Power Pen: 2/4/6/8

Power Armor: 4/8/12/16

Perhaps the least useful ability in Shazam's kit, you are only going to use this for either the Power Penetration or the Power Armor. Also, counting on what kind of damage your opposing champion uses on Gotham Divided as well as their jungler will decide whether you use Mystic Power or Mystic Defense. If you're facing against a PD champ with either an AD or PD jungler, then having Mystic Defense on can help mitigate some of the damage you will receive. Where in if you are facing against an Attack Damage opponent then having that extra Power Penetration from Mystic Power can help with your pokes and trades. However if the jungler uses Power Damage then it might be safer to just stick with Mystic Defense, but this is entirely up to you. On Gotham Heights I just have Mystic Defense on (unless the entire enemy team uses Attack Damage).

Now if you are intending to use this ability make sure to have Mystic Defense on first, then before you initiate with Speed of Mercury (Q) activate Mystic Power so that you don't break his auto attack to activate it. However you will waste those few seconds of using Lightning Field (E), so if they are peeling off just save the Energy for another Q. Besides this, using the Shield when you need to retreat can also be of help as well.

LIGHTNING FIELD (E)

Lightning emanates from Shazam for 3 seconds, dealing 60 Power Damage over 3 seconds. Enemies in the area lose 20% Move Speed.

Damage/Time: 60/105/150/195 +20% Power Damage

Cost: 40/37/33/30

Shazam's main avenue of dealing AOE damage, with the combined effects of [[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]] and Kryptonian War Armor (4) will give you good sustain whether you are in a 1v1 or in the middle of a team fight while you expel an aura of pain. The slow, however, I find to be a tad negligible because it isn't enough to put retreating enemies to a crawl for you to finish them, with the exception being that they have horrendously low Health. Instead, as mentioned above, use Speed of Mercury (Q) to stun retreating targets then activate Lightning Field (E) to ensure the most damage and crowd control or to finish them off. However it can be used to slow enemies that are chasing you down, but don't expect to have a high survival rate if that happens.

But one of the most useful aspects of Lightning Field (E) is being a great farming tool, as you can safely last hit creeps from a distance while simultaneously denying your opponent the same. Just be careful when you damage your opponent as you will attract the ire of his/her minions.

SHAZAM! (R)

Shazam dashes to the target location and blasts the area around him, dealing between 75 and 150 Power Damage. The Farther Shazam dashes, the more damage he does.

While dashing, Shazam is untargetable and cannot take damage.

Min Damage: 75/120/165/210 +40% Power Damage

Max Damage: 150/240/330/420 +80% Power Damage

This is what truly makes the thunder and lightning with Shazam! You use this to help initiate when the enemy team is clustered, but make sure you aim for their squishes like Green Arrow and Joker, as one of your main jobs is to kill the Marksman and Blasters as fast as you can. And it is just as viable to use for such things as a surprise gank or to chase down fleeing enemies. Just make sure that you do not use it in the middle of a team fight when you’re standing shoulder to shoulder with your opponents, as you waste the full potential of SHAZAM! (R)  It can also be a viable escape as well, but you might lose the potential to use it when you need it, as while it costs no Energy it does have a high cooldown, like most Ults. Just make sure that if you are trying to escape, see if you have the chance to slip through a wall to avoid enemies.

---

Core Items

Nil Cloak
[list]

+ 75 Health (+2.7 Power Damage from upgraded passive. However by the time you would have fully upgraded Power of Zeus you probably would have sold this item by then.)

+ 10 Health Regen per 10 seconds

Toughness: Blocks 5 damage from Champion basic attacks.
[/list]
This is great as a starter item for Gotham Divided, as it provides a decent amount of Health and Health Regen for sustain, while the Toughness passive can help you win early trades against your opponent. About Mid-Late game when you need a slot to build [[Booster Gold's Power Suit (3)]], you can sell this item. Also to note is that you never want to buy a Nil item on Gotham Heights, since you generate credits faster than on Gotham Divided, and you need to use items that you can upgrade since you build your, well...build, much faster than on GD.

Cosmic Belt (3)
[list]

+ 200 Max Health (+10.8 Power Damage from upgraded passive, +13.5 Power Damage with Enhanced Mod.)

+ 30 Power Damage (+27 Health from upgraded passive)

Devastating: + 15 Power Penetration
[/list]
For building an early item like this, you cannot go wrong with Cosmic Belt. Providing a good amount of Health and Power Damage for a reasonable price, especially considering that you gain some more with Shazam's passive, while also supplying Power Penetration to shred through the enemy's Power Armor so you can get into the soft, pink insides.

Blue Scarab (3)
[list]

+ 30% Attack Speed

+ 30 Power Damage (+27 Health from upgraded passive)

Charged Armor: Your Basic Attacks steal 5 Power Armor for 5 seconds (max 5 stacks)

Charged Attack: Your Basic Attacks deal bonus Power Damage equal to 10 + 10% of your Power Damage.
[/list]
With this you will have more of an impact when you’re trading damage during the laning phase and in team fights. The Charged Armor has its uses, especially against other Melee PD champs like Flash or Wonder Woman, but the most important feature of this item is Charged Attack. With this your basic attacks become power punches, and with [[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]], the more you punch the more you heal. And don't forget about applying the Altered mod, so that you can make your power punches Super Powered Punches.

[[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]]
[list]

+ 50 Power Damage (+45 Health from upgraded passive)

+ 40 Power Armor

+ 20% Power Lifesteal
[/list]
Almost any PD champion worth his/her salt will build this, as it provides a good amount of Power Damage and some Power Armor for good measure. But most importantly, it gives a large amount of Power Lifesteal, the most out of any item so far. This is especially useful during a fight, as Blue Scarab (3)'s power punches now give you Health, Speed of Mercury (Q) and Lightning Field (E) will also supply you with more Health, while this is all rounded out with Kryptonian War Armor, which amplifies the Health you receive from the Power Lifesteal by 20%.

Kryptonian War Armor (4)
[list]

+ 25 Health Regen per 10 seconds

+ 60 Power Armor

+ 30 Move Speed

Vitality: + 20% Healing Received
[/list]
Now with this item you will get a great amount of sustain with the Health Regen, high Power Armor, and Move Speed that can help to chase down opponents for you too knockdown with Speed of Mercury (Q) or to better position yourself to use SHAZAM! (R). But this is all peanuts compared to the insane sustain you will get with the Vitality passive, as explained previously. (The other stats aren't peanuts; they're just as important actually.) However, if you like to improve the synergy between Beetle-Armor-Diamond (S.A.D.), then you can replace the Enhanced Cosmic Belt (3) Mod for the Empowered Mod, which will net you +30% Healing Received instead.

[[Booster Gold's Power Suit (3)]]
[list]

+ 200 Health (+ 10.8 Power Damage from upgraded passive)

+ 50 Attack Armor

+ 15% Cooldown Reduction

Shield Boost: Increase the magnitude of temporary Health Shields you receive by 10%.

Real Hero: You take 10% reduced damage from turrets. Be a hero.
[/list]
Providing the Health and Attack Armor you need to help survive against Attack Damage latent champs like Green Arrow or Batman while also allowing you to use his abilities more often with the extra Cooldown Reduction. The Shield Boost passive is also a plus, as it can improve [[Doomsday's Invulnerability]] or Mystic Defense (W) if you intend to use it. However, a note on the Real Hero passive; even though you will take less punishment from turrets it does not justify a dive. Making a turret dive is akin to suicide (especially on Gotham Divided). But it can come in handy when you need to take a point on Gotham Heights while you have to deal enemies standing on said point. Just make sure that your team mates are there to back you up.
 
The Starheart (3)
[list]

+ 120 Power Damage (+108 Health from upgraded passive)

Power Feedback: + 30% Power Damage (About +74 Health from upgraded passive.)
[/list]
The Coup de Grâce, this one will give you an insane amount power with a good amount of Health to boot. If you have trouble figuring out what the hell Power Feedback or +30% Power Damage means (like I did), than what it simply means is that you get an extra 30% of the amount of Power Damage you have. For example, 30% of 120 is 36, so you receive 156 Power Damage alone, while with 275 you get an extra 82.5 PD, adding up to about 358.

---

Optional Items

To Replace Cosmic Belt (3):

Atlantean Royal Seal (4)
[list]

+ 300 Health (+16.2 Power Damage from upgraded passive)

+ 50 Power Damage (+45 Health from upgraded passive)

Skill Harrier: Targets damaged by your skills lose 20% Move Speed (10% for area of affect skills) for 1.5 seconds.
[/list]
I use to build this item early instead of Cosmic Belt, but since I can build it faster than Atlantean Royal Seal and in my opinion the Power Penetration is more useful than the slow. However it does provide more Health and Power Damage, so if you want you can replace Cosmic Belt when you have completed the rest of your build and if the game has dragged on long enough.

[[Two Face's Coin (2)]]
[list]

+ 20 Power Damage (+18 Health initially to +72 Health at max stacks from upgraded passive.)

Power Harvest: Gain 2 Power Damage every 90 seconds with each Champion Kill or Assist (max 80 Power Damage). On max stacks, gain 10% Cooldown Reduction.
[/list]
If you are feeling particularly dangerous, then you can instead opt to build this fine piece of coinage early. While you won't get alot of Power Damage initially, with the Power Damage generation you will maintain a decent amount of power even if you are lagging behind, with some nice Cooldown Reduction to boot. And if you are somehow cursed without Kills or Assists, by 66 minutes you will have reached the max amount of stacks. If you intend to have Two Face's Coin as your core build, then apply the Overclocked mod to half the time to generate PD (about 33 minutes to max stacks).

To Replace Blue Scarab (3):

Psi-Scimitar (3)
[list]

+ 35 Attack Damage

+ 60 Power Damage (+54 Health from upgraded passive)

Skilled Attack: After skill use, your next Basic Attack deals 25 Power Damage (25 + 25% Power Damage) or 0 Attack Damage (100% base Attack Damage) (2s cooldown). Activate to toggle.
[/list]
This will provide double the Power Damage as well as some Attack Damage to help with basic attacks. But most importantly is the passive Skilled Attack, which procs well with Speed of Mercury (Q). Just make sure that if you are making this a core item you buy the Empowered modification to inflict more damage with its passive. Take note that you will miss out on getting those power punches from Blue Scarab (or just build both, it is entirely up to you).

To Replace [[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]]:

Oa Gambit (4)
[list]

+ 40 Power Damage (+36 Health from upgraded passive)

+ 35 Power Armor

Oa Aura: - 10 Power Armor for all nearby enemies.

Protection Field: Grants a temporary 50 (50 + 10/Level) Health shield to you and nearby allies that lasts for 4 seconds (60s cooldown).
[/list]
You're probably going to build Eclipso's Diamond regardless; I only include this item on this specific "To Replace" list since both share similar stats. Anyway, I've been seeing that alot of people have been building gambits for the extra credit income. While I don't use them on Shazam, Oa Gambit is perhaps your best bet if you want to go that route. Not only does it provide Power Damage and Power Armor, but the aura can act like a psuedo-Power Penetration (with the Resonant mod it can provide a stat close to Cosmic Belt (3)'s Devastating passive) while the active Protection Field can really help during a pinch. For modifications, choose if you want more credit generation with the Altered mod or a better debuff with the Resonant.

[[Mr. Terrific's T-Mask (4)]]
[list]

+ 40 Power Damage (+36 Health from upgraded passive)

+ 15% Power Lifesteal

+ 20% Resilience

ECM Burst: After a short fuse, ECM Burst will disable all enemy cameras in a 600 area for 10s. Permanently disables stealth on affected cameras (60s cooldown).
[/list]
While its stats are a little less than that of [[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]], the Resilience can help against crowd control (cc) heavy champs like Atomic Poison Ivy. But its active can provide great utility on Gotham Divided and Coast City to help deny your enemies' vision. However you will find ECM Burst to be an appendix on Gotham Heights since not many people use cameras on that map.

To Replace Kryptonian War Armor (4):

Helm Of Fate (3)
[list]

+ 70 Power Armor

+ 50 Power Damage (+45 Health from upgraded passive)

+ 10 Move Speed

Mystical Surge: Activate to grant Power Damage equal to 20% of your Bonus Power Armor for 10 seconds (90s cooldown).
[/list]
Can't say much really. It provides a little more Power Armor with a nice chunk of Power Damage at the cost of Move Speed and sustain. However if you built both [[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]] and Oa Gambit (4) its active can really pack a punch.

To Replace [[Booster Gold's Power Suit (3)]]:

Fragment Of Mogo (3)
[list]

+ 200 Health (+10.8 Power Damage from upgraded passive)

+ 50 Attack Armor

Burning Core: Active to deal 50 Power Damage to all nearby enemies and then, for 15 seconds, deals 30-15 decaying Power Damage per second to enemies nearby (90s cooldown)
[/list]
While it isn't the "Tank your Champion Today!" item it once was, it stills provides the same amount of defensive stats as Booster Gold's Power Suit with an active that can help turn the tide in a fight as well as supplying a consistent amount of Health with [[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]] and Kryptonian War Armor (4). However you will miss out on the utility that the CDR and passives that Booster Gold's Power Suit provides. And while it does cost the same, you do build it slower since the first tier costs 1500 credits, making all that money dead weight until you finally gain the amount needed. To put all those credits to good use, build [[Hawkman's Harness (4)]] so you have some extra Health before finishing it and selling it back for its full value to buy the first tier of Mogo.

[[Neron's Contract (4)]]
[list]

+ 50 Attack Armor

+ 50 Power Damage (+45 Health from upgraded passive)

Blood Bargain: Activate to gain a massive Shield worth 250 (250 + 75/Level) and become immobile and unable to act for 3 seconds (120s cooldown).
[/list]
Do you feel that you want both Attack Armor and Power Damage in one package? Do you miss using Zhonya's Hourglass in League? Would you like it if you Ulted right into the middle of the enemy team then become (somewhat) invincible while they attack you in vain as your team descends upon them like a Murder of Crows? Then look no more with Neron's Contract! Just make sure to sign on the dotted line.

To Replace The Starheart (3):

While I won't consider any item listed here to replace The Starheart, consider these if you want to make a more pure Power Damage Shazam if you didn't build any one of the previous items.

The Book Of Eternity (2)
[list]

+ 50 Power Damage (+45 Health from upgraded passive)

Arcane: + 30% Power Penetration
[/list]
If you feel that your lightning isn't cutting through the enemy's rigid Power Armor, than consider picking this up to ensure that you don't become dead weight. Sometimes I build this item first on Gotham Heights then selling it for The Starheart later.

[[Fatality's Energy Lance (4)]]
[list]

+ 70 Power Damage (+63 Health from upgraded passive)

+ 10% Cooldown Reduction

Energy Blast: Activate to deal 15% of your target's current Health as Power Damage and increase further damage you deal to them by 10% for 5 seconds (60s cooldown).
[/list]
Nice chunk of Power Damage, good Cooldown Reduction, and an assassin active that can reduce an errant Mecha Wonder Woman or Sinestro to almost nothing. It can especially help against Health heavy champs like Gaslight Joker or Mecha Superman.

---

General Tactics

Gotham Divided, Early Game

Since you are most likely going to take top lane on GD, grab Nil Cloak and Modular Health Vial (3) to ensure a good amount of sustain or you can grab Cosmic Belt (1) instead of Nil Cloak if you want some early Power Damage to abuse with. It is also highly advisable that you switch out [[Arcane Green Lantern's Healing Wave]] with one of the Camera powers, with either [[Catwoman's Teleport]] for more lane presence or either one of the Invulnerability Stolen Powers for better survivability. And make sure that you grab the free camera in your base as well to ensure more vision. Make sure that you have two wards, one on your or your enemy's tri-stealth pad and the other ward on the enemy's vertical stealth pad, placed to make sure that you have an equal distribution of vision while reserving the rest of your cameras when you need them.

Accounting on what kind of basic attack your opponent uses can effectively change how you engage him/her. You want to start with Speed of Mercury (Q) first since it can allow you to peel off melee champs, however don't use it to poke just yet, as you need Lightning Field (E) in order to make adequate trades and to help farm. If you're facing against a ranged opponent then try to farm as much as you can to get to level 2, however you can take the risk of poking him/her down if he/she starts attacking you while you farm. Try to not push to much though, as it can leave you in exposed for their jungler to gank you, however if it does come to that, message your jungler to see if you can help him take the EMP camp. Since ranged champions are squishier they are usually easier to poke down and abuse, however this will make you more susceptible to ganks. To avoid those ganks, make sure that you ward consistently and if you run out of cameras and Health vials, see if you can push your lane a little before recalling back to base. At this point it would be the best time to use [[Catwoman's Teleport]] to return back to your lane.

As this goes on, building Cosmic Belt (3) will be your first item since it provides a nice amount of Health (made better with the Enhanced mod) for defense where in the Power Damage and Power Penetration can help with the early offense, as well as being quick to build. Now by the time you have fully built Cosmic Belt, you should have reached level 6, which will allow you the chance of killing the enemy with your combo. Just remember to use SHAZAM! (R) at its maximum range, then knock him/her down with Speed of Mercury (Q) than Lightning Field (E) . Don't be surprised if he/she still gets away; as Shazam isn't the one combo kill man he used to be.

Gotham Divided, Mid-Late Game

Now that we are transitioning into the mid game, it is time to take out the enemy's towers. To do this, build Blue Scarab (3) as your next item, as the Attack Speed can help to take out the enemy's turrets quicker. Before you start your assault, make sure you or either your jungler (if he/she is with you) have EMP to disable the tower and any minions that are surrounding it. During the time that the EMP is active, you have the choice of either taking out your opponent or the turret. For the most part you should target the tower, however if the enemy champ has low Health you can take the risk of killing him/her before the EMP wears off, although I would not advise this as taking objectives are more important than kills.

With the outer top tower gone, you are free to roam and help your team mates win their lanes. Shazam is an outstanding ganker if played right, just make sure that enemy has over extended and your team mate is prepared. As always use the R+Q+E combo to initiate, save Energy for Speed of Mercury (Q) when chasing down fleeing opponents, and if you are ganking bot, always aim for the ADC. During this you want to build [[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]] next, so in order to do this buy Radion Shard (4) so that you can put those accumulated credits to good use. When you have fully upgraded Radion Shard, you can sell it for the full value back to buy the first tier of [[Eclipso's Diamond (1)]], then save up credits for its second tier, as it is unnecessary to buy Radion Shard for it. After this I usually build Kryptonian War Armor (4) for the insane sustain, however by this time the enemy Attack Damage champions should have built some of their items as well, which means a horrible beating for you. To mitigate that, you can instead build [[Booster Gold's Power Suit (3)]] next. Just make sure to sell Nil Cloak to make the extra room for your fifth core item.

Skirmishes and team fights will become more prevalent as the game transitions into the late phase, where if you and your team have done a good job of pushing lanes and destroying towers you can start to push for the Dampeners. Make sure that you kill Raiders for Surveillance Towers to provide an overwhelming field of vision (remember to place them on stealth pads in you enemy's jungle) and grabbing EMPs to shut down Dampeners and Base Turrets. Remember that your role within a team fight is to target and suppress the enemy carries, Marksman first then Blasters, in order for your own carries to take them out. If the enemy carries are killed, then concentrate on protecting your team carries. At this point you will sell the Modular Health Vial (3) to make room for the The Starheart (3), which you will build in much the same way as [[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]], with Radion Shard (4).

Gotham Heights

On GH you usually want to start with a second tier Cosmic Belt (2) for the early defense and offense, but if you are feeling pretty lucky then you can opt to go with Cosmic Belt (1) and a Blue Scarab (1) if you want. With Gotham Heights the usual set up is that four players go top where in either a Blaster or Marksman will solo bot. However you don't have to follow this route, especially with only a Blaster or Marksman taking bot (in fact almost anybody can take bot really). Anyway, once you and the team have taken the mid Control Point you start the march towards the top control point. To get there faster use the Speed Boosts, which are the large, electrical platforms that are placed near the Orbital Cannon (which is usually referred to as mid). Once you have reached top you will now begin the intricate but ambivalent dance of trying to capture the point while fighting the enemy team at the same time. Most of the time whomever got there first has the higher ground, as it becomes harder to dislodge a team the more they occupy said point. However, if on one hand you were able to cap the point and survived then you have choice of either staying to defend the point or recall back for upgrading Cosmic Belt (3). This is usually determined by the amount of Health you have, so if you have less than 50% Health left than recall back to base then use [[Catwoman's Teleport]] (if you have it) to return back to top. If you have more than 50% Health, you can instead opt to stay and defend the point while your team mates recall back for items (Make sure to grab the Health Pack north of the point to regain any lost Health). Now, I know there is the temptation of continuously pushing lane to cap the enemy's mid point, but my advice is do not do it. Even with your team mates, you run the risk of overextending yourselves as you have to deal with a refreshed enemy team along with a turret which, if you all die, they will help themselves to a free cap point. Instead, stay on the turret pad as it is much harder for your opponents to evict you, especially when you are with your mates. Unless they out number you, which if that happens than you can try to defend it (although you will most likely die) or you can retreat and regroup with your team mates to retake it. Either way it is up to you at that point.

If on the other hand you did not take the top cap than don't panic, instead regroup with your team at the mid capture point. Either the enemy team will recall back to base, hopefully leaving the point undefended, or they will make the mistake of trying to push, leaving them vulnerable and maybe even divided. Or if they are smart, they will stay on the top cap and turtle, making it more difficult for your team to get ahead. If they are turtling top, then to divide them you can sneak your way to their mid cap point or gank bot. Remember that it is more important to capture points rather than getting kills, so if an enemy is falling back try to resist the temptation of chasing him/her down, as you waste time for your team to decrease the enemy's power core. At the very least your team mates can chase down fleeing opponents while you stay behind to cap the point.

At around six minutes an objective becomes available called the Orbital Cannon (mid). When you have captured mid, it will spawn super minions that will help capture any uncapped point that your team hasn't taken already. This can be a big game changer, as it causes the enemy team to split their attention to defend their own capped points. Since they will usually defend the points closest to their base, this might leave top unguarded. Remember that you never want to go in alone unless they nearly have capped the cannon and you need to stall them for your team.

Now as for item builds I just build the same way I do for Gotham Divided, Cosmic Belt (3), then Blue Scarab (3). Use Radion Shard (4) to help build the first tier of [[Eclipso's Diamond (2)]]. Then I either build Kryptonian War Armor (4) or [[Booster Gold's Power Suit (3)]] next, accounting on if I need either Power Armor or Attack Armor next. Then after those two items I start with another Radion Shard to help build The Starheart (3) last.

---

Conclusion

Thanks for taking the time to read my guide on Shazam as I hope that I was helpful in explaining how I build and play on what I think is one of the best Bruisers in the game. There is still much to be added on this guide, such as a Pros & Cons list, optional mods and augments, more optional items added, more text for the General Tactics, a Match Ups list, and perhaps even a scoreboard Hall of Fame.

And remember to rate (if you want) and leave any advice or questions on the comments section, as any help to improve this guide is most appreciated. Good luck and have fun

---

Change Log

-6/15/2014 I finally own [[Arcane Green Lantern's Healing Wave]] and with that the text regarding it is updated accordingly. Also added are Optional Augments and minor text edits.

-6/8/2014 Replaced Fragment Of Mogo (3) with [[Booster Gold's Power Suit (3)]] with text updated accordingly, Made Cosmic Belt (2) a starter item, Fixed table of contents bug, and some minor text edits.

-6/7/2014 Updated stats to the June System Update, Removed some tooltips to make the guide appear less cluttered, Made links italic to help make them stand out, Added [[Mr. Terrific's T-Mask (4)]] as an optional item, Removed [[Shazam's Invulnerability]] as an Alternative Stolen Power, and crushed some bugs.

-6/1/2014 Guide published.