Who Should I Jungle in League? A Comprehensive Guide

Choosing the right jungler in League of Legends can feel like navigating a labyrinth. With so many champions, each with unique strengths and weaknesses, knowing where to start can be overwhelming. The truth is, there isn’t a single “best” jungler for everyone. It depends on your experience level, playstyle, and what you aim to achieve in your games. However, let’s break it down to make the choice easier.

For beginners, focusing on champions with straightforward kits and good sustain is crucial. Champions like Warwick and Amumu are excellent choices. Warwick boasts a healthy clear thanks to his Jaws of the Beast (Q), and his natural tankiness makes him forgiving in team fights. Amumu, on the other hand, has easy clears, strong ganks with his Bandage Toss (Q), and a game-changing ultimate (Curse of the Sad Mummy), which is a fantastic tool for team fights. They allow you to focus more on learning jungle fundamentals, like pathing and ganking, rather than complex champion mechanics.

If you have some experience and want to carry games, you might look towards champions with more offensive power. Evelynn is a popular pick for solo carry potential due to her invisibility and ability to quickly snowball a small lead into an insurmountable one. Kha’Zix is another excellent choice, thriving on isolating enemies and creating picks. These champions excel at creating pressure early and can often single-handedly take over games if played well.

If you prefer a tanky playstyle that focuses on enabling your team, Rammus is a solid choice. He’s incredibly durable, has great ganking potential with his Powerball (Q), and can disrupt team fights with his Tremors (R). Sejuani is also a strong tank pick for beginners. Her tankiness and easy clears make her forgiving, while her ability to lock down enemies with her Glacial Prison (R) is crucial in team fights.

Ultimately, the best jungler for you is the one you enjoy playing and can consistently perform well on. Experiment with different champions, understand their strengths and weaknesses, and then focus on honing your skills with a few select picks.

Understanding Different Jungle Playstyles

Before diving into specific champion recommendations, it’s important to understand the different styles of jungling. Each of these playstyles has different focuses and often lends itself to different types of champions.

Early Game Aggressors

These junglers focus on early game dominance, often utilizing high damage or strong crowd control to secure kills and objectives early on. Champions like Evelynn, Kha’Zix, and Lee Sin fall into this category. They prioritize early ganks and skirmishes to gain a significant lead for themselves and their team. This playstyle is typically high-risk, high-reward and requires good decision making to avoid falling behind if your early game plays don’t pan out.

Farming Junglers

These champions focus on clearing the jungle efficiently and scaling into the mid and late game. They are often slower early game gankers but become powerhouses later on. Master Yi and Kayn (Rhaast form) are examples of farming junglers. They excel in later team fights, where their scaled stats become far more valuable. This playstyle needs patience and a good understanding of map awareness to ensure you don’t fall behind while farming.

Tank Junglers

Tank junglers prioritize team utility, crowd control and soaking damage in fights. Amumu, Rammus, and Sejuani excel in this role. Their focus is less on dealing damage and more on creating opportunities for their carries and protecting them. They often play a more supportive role to their team by ensuring the enemies are locked down and in place for their damage carries to take care of.

Champion Recommendations Based on Experience

Beginner-Friendly Junglers

• Warwick: Simple kit, great sustain, and forgiving in team fights. Perfect for learning the role.
• Amumu: Easy clears, strong ganks, and a game-changing ultimate.
• Sejuani: Tanky with easy jungle clear and gank setup.
• Master Yi: Straightforward with high damage potential for team fights.
• Rammus: Very tanky, great mobility, and very effective in ganking with good CC.

Intermediate Junglers

• Nocturne: Good ganking power with his ultimate, strong in team fights.
• Jarvan IV: Versatile with good engage and decent damage.
• Vi: Excellent ganking and skirmishing power.
• Xin Zhao: Early-game focused with strong ganking capabilities.

Advanced Junglers

• Evelynn: High carry potential, rewarding to master, but requires stealth awareness.
• Kha’Zix: Requires high level map awareness to take full advantage of his ability to pick off isolated enemies
• Lee Sin: High mechanical skill ceiling with very mobile and powerful kit.
• Viego: Complex kit with versatile playstyle.
• Nidalee: Requires a high skill level and good understanding of jungle routes.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is the easiest role to play in League of Legends?

While subjective, many consider support to be the easiest role to learn due to its simpler mechanics. Jungle, despite not relying on a consistent lane opponent, is usually seen as the hardest role strategically.

2. Is jungling harder than laning?

Yes, many find jungling more difficult than laning. This is due to the strategic depth required; you are making more decisions, have to track enemy movements, while also taking care of objectives.

3. What is the most important thing to learn as a jungler?

Map awareness and objective control are crucial. Knowing when to gank, when to farm, and when to secure objectives like Dragons and Baron is critical for success as a jungler.

4. What are the best jungle pets in League of Legends?

The three jungle pet options are Gustwalker Hatchling (Blue), Scorchclaw Pup (Red), and Mosstomper Seeding (Green). The right pick depends on your playstyle, but generally Scorchclaw (Red) is popular for its damage boost.

5. How do I learn jungle paths?

Start by focusing on basic routes that take you through all of your jungle camps efficiently. Watch videos online of high elo junglers or use practice tool to practice. This helps you determine the optimal path for your selected champion, then you can adapt based on the game situation.

6. How often should I gank as a jungler?

Gank when you see an opportunity. Don’t force ganks. Look for lanes that are pushed too far or where enemies have burned important spells. Don’t gank losing lanes, they usually become a feeding ground.

7. How can I avoid counter ganks?

Ward aggressively and track the enemy jungler’s movements. By knowing where the enemy is on the map, you can anticipate possible counter ganks. If you know the enemy is on the opposite side of the map, you can use that opportunity to gank.

8. What should I do when I fall behind in the jungle?

Focus on farming safely and try to assist your team without putting yourself at risk. Play to your champion’s strengths by looking for picks later in the game.

9. Is jungle the hardest role to carry in League of Legends?

It can be. Jungle requires strong decision-making and good map awareness to create leads for your team. This makes it the hardest role to consistently carry in solo queue games, due to your team’s reliance on your ability to make the right decisions.

10. How do I improve my jungle macro?

Watch pro matches, analyze your own replays, and focus on strategic decision-making such as when to secure objectives, when to gank, and when to farm.

11. Can you solo carry as a jungler?

Yes, champions like Evelynn, Kha’Zix, and Viego have high solo carry potential, especially when they get ahead early.

12. What is the most important skill to have as a jungler?

Decision making. Knowing when and where to be, who to target, and what objectives to take is what separates good junglers from great ones.

13. How do I know when to take objectives?

Look for opportunities when the enemy jungler is on the opposite side of the map or after winning a skirmish. You should also communicate with your team if you want to take a dragon or baron.

14. Is Warwick a good beginner jungler?

Yes, Warwick is an excellent beginner jungler because of his straightforward kit, sustainability, and simple team fight engagements.

15. Is it okay to play tanks in the jungle as a beginner?

Yes, tanks like Amumu, Sejuani and Rammus are great for beginners because their natural tankiness makes them forgiving to mistakes and their kits are relatively easy to learn.

In conclusion, choosing the right jungler is a personal choice based on your playstyle and goals. Start with the easy champions, learn the fundamentals, and gradually experiment with more complex picks to climb the ranks. The jungle is a complex role but can be incredibly rewarding when mastered.