Three Champs to Try in the New Twisted Treeline

With the recent Shadow Isles Patch League of Legends players have been able to experience the re-imagined Twisted Treeline. Now located on the aforementioned isles, the map is a refreshing and entertaining revamp of the old Twisted Treeline.

The new map adds several features including: A new epic monster that dishes out damage, two capturable altar objectives for additional abilities, several new TT-only items and thickened jungle walls to discourage players like Tryndamere from dominating the field like in the last version.

With all that's changed players have been testing new strategies and champions to determine who fits - and fights - in the dark forest best. Here are three champions to consider with some suggested items to get the most bang for your buck.

Jax - Grandmaster at Arms

Twisted Treeline was no stranger to bruiser champions and with the remake they seem to excel just as well. A bruiser allows for an increased tankiness with a lower but more sustained DPS, generally speaking. Unfortunately the enemy Jax doesn't adhere to such simple rules.

Jax has incredible damage and his kit utilizes both AD and AP, which forces the enemy to choose what part of your damage they want to stop. A Gunblade still works well on Jax here but also consider the Blade of the Ruined King which also builds off the Bilgewater Cutlass. The item gives AD, 4 percent of enemy HP in magic damage per hit, lifesteal and an active to poke the enemy scaled off your AD while stealing their movespeed temporarily.

After getting some sustain from lifesteal and/or spellvamp building toward a Trinity Force will seal the deal for the enemy team. The utility from Jax's kit along with the utility and damage from the BRK and Trinity Force will decimate a champion caught alone in the numerous hiding places in the map.

Udyr - The Animal Spirit

Udyr's kit brings a lot of options to the table in Twisted Treeline. Summoner's Rift Udyr players may find themselves at a disadvantage at first because Tiger Stance really delivers the directed DPS you want for the skirmishes that Twisted Treeline favors.

Like Jax, Udyr can get a huge benefit from the BRK. With the movespeed burst from Bear Stance the active from BRK can turn a fleeing opponent into a stunned and soon-to-be dead opponent. Coupled with a Spirit Visage Udyr can stay in the field for long periods of time; especially through usage of his Turtle Stance.

If you're feeling extra cruel build a Trinity Force and Wit's End along with a Randuin's Omen for armor and even more movespeed dominance. The combination between BRK and these items means that Udyr can stun an enemy and melt their lifebar before they even get a chance to run away. If they do, pop them with the BRK active and finish the job. Late game Udyr in Twisted Treeline is not a champion to be underestimated.

 

Teemo - The Swift Scout

Teemo may seem like a strange pick until you consider that there are no wards to purchase in Twisted Treeline. With the ability to drop mushrooms around the map a Teemo can not only grant vision for the team but can also guard the altars or gank paths while avoiding those unfortunate chance encounters with enemy champions.

Teemo has a lot of possibilites on Twisted Treeline, but consider using a build that incorporates some AP so the enemy learns to fear moving into the bushes. The damage from the mushrooms can be just what it takes to move a teamfight from a skirmish to an ace if you can capitalize on the slow.

Nashor's Tooth is a good choice as it allows for both AP and attack speed to keep the poison from your autoattacks flowing. Follow up with a Frozen Mallet to give Teemo some needed survivability along with a slow that means the enemy will have a hard time escaping, especially, combined with Move Quick.

From there you can either build items like an Infinity Edge for more damage or a Malady and Wit's End for more on-hit damage.

Also remember utilize your passive if you're out of position as Teemo will get whittled down fast if he's caught by the enemy team. Remaining invisible may give you the few seconds you need for your team to come help or for the enemy to pass by.

As the metagame for the new Twisted Treeline develops more champion combinations and builds will become clear as the new items find themselves either accepted or rejected by the players. The map is still technically in beta so changes are almost certainly in store down the road - so keep informed of patch notes and come to battle with accurate information.