Thor, the underrated

Thor, we all know him, most of us thought of him as completely overrated when he was initially released. I was in the same boat. After deciding I'd pick up him as my underdog to learn and enhance I discovered he's actually a great laner in many situations. Here's a guide that has helped him to become one of my favorite gods to play as, hope you enjoy.

Warrior's Madness:
+20 physical power for each enemy god within 30 feet stacking up to 3x.
Nuff said... This skill assists us in domination!
Mjolnir's Attunement
This is probably Thor's strongest skill, assuming you can get the double hit and dominate an enemy. It does decent damage on first hit, and double if it hits a god on return. Although it may be difficult to hit them twice, there's always a chance, plus it isn't too hard if you have them on the run.
Tectonic Rift
Some guides I've seen have not gotten this skill at all until they have maxed out their #1 and #3...this isn't smart. I've obtained many first bloods at level 4 by using this with my laning partner and I jumping the enemy as they attempt to run, of course if they have an escape such as jumping or tunneling it won't guarantee a kill, but it's a good help. Great in conjunction with Ares' ult to stop enemies from retreating.
Berserker Barrage
Who knew Wolverine was in this game? No but seriously, this skill can be very useful. While it sometimes seems lifesteal and heavy damage from melee attacks may be better single target, this is a very good early burst skill, good for clearing waves, and if you have a hades, ares, or other group cc'er on your team, a great addition for heavy aoe damage. While being aggressive early game this skill is a must!
Anvil of Dawn
A great skill, great for enemies who run, and decent for getting away from enemies. Try to lead the pursued enemies so the circle is not even on them when cast, otherwise they will very likely outrun it if they're running full speed. Sometimes enemies expect the ult coming and can out maneuver it however once you get good at it, you should be hitting 9/10 times. Although it takes time to use as an escape, it can be very handy. Use this to buy time while allies are coming to help you out, and stun enemies for an easy kill or skip half way thru the jungle making it easier to base.

Melee Attack
Heavy hitter with this build, try to melee as much as possible as you've got heavy crits in the end, decent health, and 30% lifesteal. By end game this is probably your best bet for bursting an enemy down.

Warrior Tabi
Although some take the tank boots over these, I think the extra damage is the way to go as thor, being he still wouldn't be tanky enough to survive a ton. Try surprising enemies and trapping them rather than thinking you're the tank of the crew. Bash their face in and move onto helping the next ally! Grab rank 2 of these first and work your frostbound hammer up. If you really need rank 3 before you finish FBH go for it, but your ult should get you out of any situation that would give you troubles(double ults).
Frostbound Hammer
+325 health, attack power(ad), and reducing enemy movement speed(primary reason). Enemies such as Sun Wukong and other junglers will generally outrun you as thor, try to use this weapon as your primary means for keeping them under control. Don't forget to finish your boots by later game as they'll probably have multiple movement speed items and you won't have your ult to rely on all the time.
Ankh of the golem
Yay for new items! This one is great, being Thor gains nearly as much health as Sobek he will have decently high health end game. Thor's base health at level 20 is right around 1919, with items listed in this guide he should be at 2694, which with this item end game means +40.41 attack power. Great life steal and health from this item which also adds to attack power later, as well as attack speed means you should be able to smash face!
Voidblade
You've probably noticed there has been a heavy focus on health so far and none on protection... Hopefully this item will help to solve that issue. I find it helps to increase damage done by default, reduces enemy protection to you, and increases your physical protection. Okay...it wasn't rocket science, but seriously, when in a 1v1 with arachne, and you're thinkin you're gunna lose, you really do need some phys protection to go with your lifesteal. Using this build I've solo'd champions such as Arachne and Sun Wukong without too much problem, although I wouldn't suggest doing it too often as you never know who's coming around the corner...
Brawler's Beat Stick
This item assists with the health granting attack power in the Ankh, Increases lifesteal, Critical strike chance, and reduces enemy healing. This is nice as Thor already hits like a truck, more crits=more domination more healing=more survival. It won't save you in a group fight but should help in those 1v2 situations where you just need a couple more hits!
Deathbringer
A great item to add to the combo. Although you could also consider the soul eater to attack faster and heal more, as well as extra health bonus and aura to allies, I feel the deathbringer is a stronger choice. The high attack power granted along with the crit chance and crit damage makes the previous items work that much better. A 800+ damage crit with this will heal you 240+ health with the 30% lifesteal. Although it does not provide a high health buff hopefully the extra damage will help to keep you in the game!

Honorable Mention Equipment:
Soul Eater
I would use this in place of deathbringer if I were to use it. 45% lifesteal with increased life and an aura for all as well. Some would consider replacing the bralwer's beat stick but the BBS synzergizes well with the deathbringer. If you replace one you should probably consider replacing both in your build!
Qins Blades
Awesome item, increased attack power and attack speed along with health. I love the idea of this item although it seems it would be better on a faster attacking character, maybe this would synergize well with the soul eater?
Magi's Blessing
Not my favorite substitute, but if you're continually getting rocked by casters with your play style or lane partner, consider this as a backup measure. By no means should it be a primary source to avoid being burned down by anubis, the +health and mana, along with spell absorption will help in some situations.

Suggested Abilities(In situ):
BEADS!
A must in many situations. Ares on the other team? Buy them sooner than later. Hades? Might wanna consider em.
Aegis Amulet
Getting insta-pwned by anubis? Tired of getting focused once you've ulted the enemy team? Try invulnerability!
Creeping Curse
Not a favorite item of mine, but it can come in handy! Slow your enemies to help the team get a kill and reduce the enemies numbers!
Girdle of Might
Powerhouse characters need more power! But not always the answer. Try it, you might like it!
Heavenly Agility
A good item to catch enemies with your tectonic rift.

End Results: Level 20
Health - 2770
Mana ~ 962
Attack Power - 208.3
Lifesteal: 30%
Critical Strike Chance: +41%
Critical Strike Damage: +50%
Attacks per second ~ 1.50

Bonus Stats: -25% movement speed on strike
-25% healing on strike
-40 Physical Defense
+21% movement speed

In laning: Try to be aggressive but not dumb! If you can get behind your enemy early pop Berserkers Barrage, hit em with a melee, and throw your hammer as they're running. Also if you see an opportunity to corner them before the tower, use your tectonic rift.

Minions: If you get the enemy pushed so they're too far to get experience, don't attack minions other than for final hit for bonus gold. You'll quickly notice you're gaining more experience and when you're 2 levels higher than them...it's game over.

Partners:
-Hades: One of my favorite teammates is a big Hades player! We've found an aggressive offensive Hades along with Thor works as a great combination. The enemy will predict Hades damage coming, but if you can catch them off guard as Thor they should be toast. Also if they do happen to get away, Thor can ult into their tower fairly early to pick up a kill and survive. Hades ult+Thor's Berskerer barrage will decimate nearly any mortal, and gods alike!

-Stunning characters: Anubis(although don't normally lane with him), Artemis, Cupid, Ymir, Guan Yu, and Ares seem to work well as synergistic characters for Thor. Freya can also help to set up a block with Banish/Tectonic Rift combo.

-Mobile allies: Characters that will be able to catch up quickly in the scenario that you stun the enemy on the run, Sun Wukong, Bastet, Cupid would all be helpful in this situation.

Be aware: In many situations the laning combinations are afterthoughts or a makeup of 2 friends who play their own characters. Every once in a while an obvious pair that was chosen will arise. For instance, Zeus+Odin....we've all seen it, we know what to expect, many times...we have troubles avoiding it. In this situation you know the double ult trap is going to happen, so don't use your ult unless you absolutely have to until they trap you. If you notice odin's wall going up, use your ult asap, you should be able to avoid the majority of the damage, and get away in process, 2 ults to your 1. It is almost a guarantee that they will pick you over any wukong/hades/bastet etc...

In Sobek/Cupid combo....give up? ... kidding... but you seriously have to be aware in this fight, hug the tower as much as possible but not to the extent where you're missing out on experience. Take your opportunities as they come and do not be aggressive in this situation.

Thor is not a tank killer so unless you've only got a tank left, go for squishier enemies. A fully built Ymir or Vamana will take forever to kill without more physical penetration than this build has.

Pros:
-Heavy Damage, quick burst
-Lifesteal: with burst and health items, survivability shouldn't be too bad.
-Gotta catch em all! With Thor's ult you can catch enemies on the run with ease, usually resulting in a kill.
-Team fighter! Heavy damage with berserker barrage, while if more enemies are near he does more damage! I've had a couple fights where I've used Thor's ult to escape being focused i a team fight and stunned all 5 enemies to return! Setting up for ez-mode domination.
-Waller: Sometimes not as nice as Ymir's wall, but definitely can find some use for this at least once per match. Great for helping allies escape or setting up kills.

Cons:
-To escape, or to chase....normally one would say never chase, but you know you can't resist that <10% health kill when they're running from you. Even if it does get you killed... Don't forget, Thor's ult is his only legit escape from many gods.
-Squishy if focused, hopefully you're smart enough to get out when you need to, and to return if needed rather than always running. Also with health focus and ability items hopefully he won't die instantly.
-Wall sucks... If you read above Tectonic rift can be great! But when running away it is far from great...
-Double hit hammers are great! When you can get them... Most people have figured out that Thor's hammer hits like a truck and they don't wanna get hit by it twice. This is why I threw the second skill build in there. Many times Berserker Barrage may prove to be more beneficial than the hammer.

Thor is an opportunity jungler. Once you've gotten to around level 5 he can dominate harpy camps with a berserker barrage and a couple melee swings. Don't focus purely on jungling with him though as there are other characters who may benefit from those buffs more than you. Be considerate of your team and acquire buffs according to what will benefit the team most!

Use Thor to grab a quick green, blue, yellow, even red buff and go back to helping your allies!

This is my first guide ever. Thank you for taking the time to check it out and I hope it has proven useful to you! I hope there are others out there with an interest in Thor as I enjoy playing as him. By no means is Thor the only character I play but I have been practicing more with him lately and been getting much better. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated and happy face smashing!

-MachoCamachoZ