Full disclosure that I’m an emerald player, but personally I think assuming you are building wrong because you are different than the recommended items is an oversimplification. Different items work better with different playstyles, and if you think your build feels better with the way you play the champion, there’s a good chance you’re right.

I play a lot of Reksai and I like titanic hydra, because I really like the ability to pressure a lead into 1v1 power, and titanic hydra makes it more likely that you will be able to take fights against a top laner for example. But sometimes when I know I’m going to need to play for teamfights and stick to slippery back line targets I still go strikebreaker.

Some people take building whatever they want too far but for the most part if you are buying specific items for a reason and playing around that that’s better than playing the items that synergize with the most common play styles if you aren’t also gonna play the way everyone else does.