With the new season of League of Legends being underway, the jungle role has seen its fair share of changes. For example, the recent smite changes forces you to prioritize farming over ganking early because you need to kill monster camps to complete your item.
This new way of playing one of the most important positions in the game can be intimidating for new players. With that in mind, here are my picks to help you make this transition easier while you learn all the mechanics of the jungle.
In this article, you will find out:
- The 5 best junglers to play as a beginner jungler + explanation
- Build path + runes
Table of Content
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Sejuani
The new season and changes saw the introduction of a wide variety of champions that can be played in many roles, but I will start this list with a more traditional pick with Sejuani.
I decided that she would be a good candidate for beginners because her tankiness can be beneficial in most situations. Her kit is pretty simple to understand with her ult being the most complicated spell to land. On top of that, she possesses a lot of crowd control (CC) that can 2turn a fight around pretty easily.
The rune of choice on Sejuani is Aftershock which will give you more Armor and Magic Resist for a few seconds after immobilizing an enemy. The main component (Mythic) in your build will be Heartsteel because it will give you Health, Base health regen, and Ability Haste. This item also provides more physical damage based on your max health.
Also read:Jungler Runes League of Legends
Maokai
My second pick will be a little bit of a curveball for the veterans of the game because Maokai used to be played in the top lane. Despite this change, he is a great choice in the lower ranks.
The reasoning behind this pick is similar to Sejuani because Maokai can be used in a lot of situations since he is a champion with a lot of defensive stats that can help your teammates stay alive in fights. He also has a lot of tools to close out gaps and CC. These tools will make ganks and team fights easier.
With Liandry’s Anguish as the main component of your build, you will not just be a brick wall because you will be able to dish out some damage. The preferred rune is Phase Rush which will grant a bonus of Movement speed after hitting an opponent with 3 attacks or abilities.
Vi
This next pick will be a breath of fresh air compared to the previous two choices because Vi’s kit is more centered around doing damage than tanking it.
This means you will look to engage in more fights and go for kills. You will also be helpful to your team due to the CC that Vi can unleash on the enemy squad. All of this will be done with a pretty straightforward set of abilities.
The most popular build will require Hail of Blades and Divine Sunderer as a mythic.
Despite Hail of Blades being the rune of choice because of the attack speed, you can also take Conqueror if the enemy team has a lot of people with a lot of defense.
Master Yi
It was difficult not to include Master Yi because I consider this champion to be a staple of the jungle in the lower ranks.
His popularity comes from the fact that it is fairly easy to carry games which means that you don’t have to rely on the rest of your team. This samurai is an item-dependent champion. In other words, Master Yi will become stronger as time passes which perfectly suits the mid/late game state that the jungle is currently in. However, it is important to note that it will be hard to catch up if you fall behind.
He also brings some uniqueness when it comes to the build path because you don’t have to rush your Mythic item first. The choice of Mythic for Yi will be depending on the state of the game and the opposing team comp. I’ve seen guides recommending Jak’Sho, but Kraken Slayer or Immortal Shieldbow if you are against champions with burst damage.
Mordekaiser
The last champion in this will be Mordekaiser.
The iron revenant has been terrorizing the jungle since the preseason despite being nerfed before season 13 started. Despite that change, Mordekaiser is currently one of the 10 most banned junglers in Gold with a ban rate of 12.4%. (Source: U.GG)
This fear can be explained by the fact that he can easily clear camps due to his passive and get an early-level advantage. He might be the lowest-seeded character on this list but he is still useful in fights because of his disrupting ultimate where he can isolate a champion for a few seconds and his oppressive playstyle. He also benefits from the lack of knowledge on how to deal with him.
The most optimal rune on Mordekaiser is Conqueror, but the second tree can change between Sorcery or Resolve depending on the playstyle you want to adopt.
The Mythics will also vary on your decision.
For example, the Conqueror/Resolve will be completed with Jak’Sho.
The AP build, which begins with Conqueror and Sorcery, will see Riftmaker be added to the combo.
Takeaway
Those were the 5 junglers that you should be playing in the beginning stages of your climb. With that said, it is important to note that this list can change as time goes on. Champions like Mordekaiser and Master Yi provide that reliable carry without needing to push too many buttons.
Also read: Cheapest Champions in League of Legends
Whereas Vi and Sejuani become a decent form of engage for the team! In the end, it is necessary for newer players to habitualize reading the patch notes to learn the changes to the game and the champions.
