Update: With the new patch, Stitches no longer has Sprint. This makes the Gorge build *slightly* less effective than previously and makes this build more viable. Additionally, Putrid Bile has been given a 20% increase in movement speed, making it even better than what it already was. Hooray. I'm not 100% sure, but I also think the mechanic of Regenerative Bile has been changed as well. I believe previously it healed you while it was active, but now it only heals when you're doing damage. It's a slight nerf to Stitch's tankiness, but a buff to his damage thanks to the speed increase. We'll call it even.

The go-to build for Stitches these days is to run Gorge in conjunction with Sprint and oftentimes the Fishing Hook talent to increase the range of his pull. It is super effective in that it puts your team at a 4v5 advantage pretty much every time. A good guide of this build already exists on this site here: http://www.heroesfire.com/hots/guide/make-your-enemies-need-stitches-3

But I grew tired of building my little gaseous ball of meat the same way, so I created this build, which focuses 100% on being in the middle of every fight, all the time, and never dying. If you are given the opportunity to farm up early game, you will be... uh... fat. If you have problems putting your head down and charging in, this build is not for you. That said, the Gorge build is probably better all around. Play this one if you want a change of pace or your team is in desperate need of a fatty.

Our goal is to be as tanky as possible. This rules out the slam talent. Block is decent for reducing damage, but this build is focusing on the synergy of Stitch's many heals, so I shy away from it. Chew Your Food is a very solid talent and is a viable choice if you don't think you'll be able to stay in lane very long thanks to the match-up or the map, e.g., Booty Bay.

I prefer Regen Master, however. Here's a couple notes:
1)Take every single opportunity to snag health globes. The wizard-type minions drop them, so focus them down. If you need to switch lanes, kill the wizard and move on. Do this LITERALLY EVERY SINGLE TIME you can, and you will gain stacks quickly.
2)It's permanent. You'll be wanting to save your Devour to use on champions, not minions. Meaning that you'll be getting the regen bonus from Chew Your Food only while in combat. I prefer to stay topped off all the time in case of an errant gank.
3)It can have possible synergy with other players. Sometimes your lane partner will need globes, too. You both benefit from grabbing them as quickly as possible. Having a Tassadar nuke down the wizard while you walk in to scoop up the orb can be lovely.

This talent is core to the build. Amplified healing will increase our self regeneration by a messload. It will increase the healing from our orb stacks, from our devour stacks, from our allies, and eventually, from our pimped out Bile. The other talents can be good, but don't belong in this build. Get Amplified Damage, No Questions.

Savor the Flavor is simply continuing our theme of getting as regen-y as possible. Devour is on a long cooldown, so you have to make sure to save it for champs. You do not get the bonus if you use it on minions, so always have it ready, and bite every chance you get. Later, when you get Pulverize, biting your enemies will be much easier.

Tenderizer is a decent talent, and worth consideration any other time, but as I said - we want gobs of regen to be as fat as possible.

Last Bite is just... not so good, and Toxic Gas is great in a gas build - which we're not. So, pass. Hehe. Get it? Pass on the gas? Get it? You don't get it... moving on.

Gorge is far and away the most popular ult with Stitches, but for this build we're going with Putrid Bile. Why? Well, because our goal is to be up in the middle of every fight, all the time. It will hit most, if not everyone on their team, dealing quite impressive damage. Further, Putrid Bile can damage buildings, which means that, combined with our tankiness, we're capable of pushing when the time is right. Finally, the last talent we'll be getting, Regenerative Bile, synergizes well with all the other regen we have. Gorge is probably better and more fun, but Putrid Bile will give you some CC and help mop up the other team.

Update: Sprint has been removed. I recommend Relentless, though Mega Smash isn't an awful choice thanks to the synergy with Pulverize.

This one is a toss-up between Relentless and Sprint. I often choose Relentless simply because I've already gone all-in on being the tankiest bastard that I can, so I might as well stack it up. That said, Sprint is probably the better talent. It will let you get into or out of sticky situations, will allow you to spread your Bile around more, and it can get you into position for a clutch hook. I would recommend Sprint, though I'm a hypocrite and usually choose Relentless. Your call.

This tier has some genuinely good talents, making it a difficult choice. Imposing Presence can be used to maximize your tankiness, but I find it's generally unnecessary. Usually by this stage of the game it takes at least three champions to kill you, so in my opinion it's a waste, particularly when you have the options of Fishing Hook or Pulverize.

Fishing Hook makes the range of your pull insanely long and can set you up for a nice 5v4. This is particularly handy when the other team has a Hammer that is trying to pound at you from afar. It's a very good, solid talent, but I prefer Pulverize. And here's why:

The whole concept behind this build is to get up in there and wreck havoc while your DPSes go to town. In my mind, Pulverize synergizes with this concept better. You'll be doing more AoE damage, can disrupt channeled ults (like Nazeebo's), and set yourself up for either an easy hook, or Devour to increase your stacks. Further, because I'm usually in the thick of things with this build, I rarely get a good shot at a distant runner with my hook because there are too many people/minions/summonables in the way, so Fishing Hook seems a little wasted.

Tough call, but have to go with Pulverize.

And finally, the icing on the cake. Bolt of the Storm is a great talent for Stitch, but we've been building our plump little meatlog solely with eyes on this talent. It makes your bile regen you at an incredible rate and basically makes you unkillable for the duration. This is the talent that will let you push towers, dominate teamfights, and comfortably handle 2v1 situations. I've even 4v1'ed a group successfully with this talent, albeit because they were distracted by the golem at the time. Bolt is great, but if you're playing this build, it's because of this talent. Get it.

Your goal early game is to farm as many regen orbs as possible. Stay in lane, kill mercs, roam to other lanes - it doesn't matter how you do it, just make sure you grab every last orb you can. If you're traveling across the map, take the time to murder the wizard minion, get his orb, and move on. It will take less than 10 seconds, and it can make a huge impact late game. Use your hook to initiate favorable fights if you can, but what's more important are the orbs. Once you get amplified healing you will start to feel your fatness increasing, even at this early stage.

By mid game you should have Savor the Flavor and should be taking every opportunity to pick a fight when it's off cooldown. Don't over commit, however! Sometimes I'll just Hook -->Devour, and then let them run. That's perfectly fine. If you did some nice farming early, you'll start to feel your fatness kicking in by the time you get your ult. Now's the time to roll up in there and kill some people.

Your modus operandi is to... uh... walk into the middle of a teamfight and take it to the face. Your healing will keep you up against two or three champs, and as you get hit you'll be pooping out additional damage in the form of gas puddles. Save your hook for runners. Most people will get uppity and think they can take you, only to panic once they notice they're not doing enough damage. Hook 'em, bite 'em, and kill 'em.

That said, it is rare that there is not at least one teamfight before level 10, and on some maps, such as Cursed Hollow, you will have no option. You will still be fatter than everyone else besides maybe Arthas, but you won't be invincible - yet. Play semi-conservatively until you get your fat stacks up.

By end game, you should be the tankiest bastard on the field and be able to not only take tons of punishment, but dish it as well. It is not unusual for my Stitches to have the highest total damage on the team. Your ult is on a much shorter cooldown than most characters' and you regen like a mofo - pick a fight every chance you get. You don't have to go back to town to heal, you often have your ult up, and while you're ult is up, you are pretty much invulnerable.

This is the point where this build might just be better than a traditional Gorge Stitches. If you have a team backing you up, you can just push and push and push and the enemy team will eventually be worn down. Combine this with an aggressive Murky, and you can quickly become a thorn in their side they just can't get rid of. To kill you, they basically have to focus all five on you, and if they're doing that, it means that your DPS/Assassins are free to commit murder. It's a lovely relationship.

As I said, this build is probably inferior to Gorge/Sprint build, but I'll be damned if it's not entertaining to be practically immortal. I hope you enjoyed reading this, and if you have any questions or suggestions I'd be glad to hear them. Peace.

-Alighieri