League Classic runes guide
How the old rune system works
League Classic restores the pre-2018 rune system: instead of picking keystones in champ select, you build rune pages out of purchasable runes — 9 Marks, 9 Seals, 9 Glyphs and 3 Quintessences per page. Runes give flat stats, not effects: there are no Electrocutes or Conquerors here, just raw attack damage, armor and ability power that quietly decide lane matchups. Two otherwise identical players with different rune pages are not playing the same champion.
The slots and what goes in them
Convention hardened for good reasons in Season 3. Marks (red) favor offense: Armor Penetration or flat AD for physical champions, Magic Penetration for mages. Seals (yellow) are defense: flat Armor is the default for everyone laning against auto-attacks; supports run Gold per 10. Glyphs (blue) are magic defense or AP: flat Magic Resist into AP threats, scaling MR or flat AP otherwise. Quintessences are flexible power: flat AD or AP for carries, Movement Speed for roamers and junglers, Gold per 10 for supports.
Standard pages by role
AD carry: ArPen or flat AD marks, armor seals, MR glyphs, AD quints (+8.6 AD, +12.7 armor at level 1 is a won lane on its own). Mage: Magic Pen marks, armor seals, AP or MR glyphs, AP quints. Tank/jungle: whatever your clear needs — attack speed or magic pen marks, armor seals, MR glyphs, movement or armor quints. Support: magic pen marks, gold-per-10 seals and quints, MR glyphs. Every champion page on this site lists its exact recommended page with stat totals.
What to buy first
If Classic makes you earn runes the way Season 3 did, priority order matters: armor seals first (every game, every role uses them), then your primary damage marks, then MR glyphs, then quintessences last — they're the most expensive per point of value. One good universal page beats three half-finished themed ones.