What is the ‘Mathematically Correct Sett’ build and why is it so popular?

Sett, known as the Boss, has once again captured the spotlight. This time, it’s not just because of his flashy new Pool Party skin, but also due to the rise of a new build called the Mathematically Correct Sett. This peculiar build has gained immense popularity for its unprecedented effectiveness on the Rift, leading to a surge of posts on the League of Legends subreddit showcasing Sett’s pentakills.

What is the Mathematically Correct Sett build?

The Mathematically Correct build revolves around focusing on only two crucial statistics: health points and attack damage. This means disregarding resistances and attack speed. Instead, players are encouraged to purchase items that enhance their HP, AD, ability haste (AH), movement speed, and health regeneration.

Screenshot by Amanda Tan/ONE Esports

The item build for this strategy is as follows:

• Doran’s Blade (AD, HP)
• Goredrinker (AD, AH, HP, HP regen)
• Ionian Boots of Lucidity (AH, movement speed)
• Sterak’s Gage (AD, HP)
• Black Cleaver (AD, AH, HP)
• Titanic Hydra (AD, HP)
• Warmog’s Armor (AH, HP, HP regen)

To complement this build, players should opt for the Grasp of the Undying keystone rune, which synergizes well with stacking health. Additionally, Shield Bash, Second Wind, and Overgrowth should be chosen as secondary runes.

How does the Mathematically Correct Sett build work?

The reason behind focusing on only two stats in this build is Sett’s ability, Haymaker (W), and its unique mechanics. Haymaker’s passive allows Sett to accumulate Grit, representing post-mitigation damage on his resource bar, up to 50% of his maximum health. By exclusively purchasing items that bolster attack damage and HP, Sett becomes a formidable frontline fighter while maximizing Grit.

Haymaker’s true damage scales with bonus AD and a percentage of expended Grit. Therefore, increasing Sett’s Grit bar as quickly as possible enables him to unleash tremendous damage during battles.

To execute this strategy, players should focus on absorbing as much damage as they can with the unmitigated build, maximizing the Grit bar, using Haymaker’s cone-shaped area of effect to strike multiple enemies, and ultimately decimating their health bars.

Who devised the Mathematically Correct Sett build?

Credit for the creation of the Mathematically Correct Sett build goes to Matthew Knipfer, the creator of Deep League on YouTube. Matthew, who gained prominence by popularizing the Mathematically Correct Pantheon build, shared a spreadsheet outlining the Sett build with League of Legends streamer RossBoomsocks.

RossBoomsocks analyzed the calculations provided by Matthew and discussed Sett’s abilities in detail in his YouTube video, which has garnered over 250,000 views to date.

The Mathematically Correct Sett build has garnered so much attention that even Riot’s Principal Champ Designer, Riot August, tweeted a meme about it.

For a comprehensive breakdown of each rune, item, and the Sett build, watch RossBoomsocks’ full video below.

What are the drawbacks of the Mathematically Correct Sett build, and do professional players use it?

Despite the logical basis behind this build, professional players in solo queue still tend to stick to the traditional Sett build, which includes Stridebreaker to close the gap with enemy champions, followed by Sterak’s Gage and Mercury’s Treads.

Since the Mathematically Correct Sett build relies on stacking health, it leaves Sett vulnerable to champions that deal true damage or percentage health damage, and even worse, both simultaneously. For instance, Fiora and Viego could outduel a Mathematically Correct Sett.

Although any damage taken by Sett will contribute to building up Grit, it also means that his remaining health, if any, will be significantly lower. Additionally, purchasing Serpent’s Fang against Sett further diminishes the effectiveness of Haymaker’s shield.

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