Roscoe's Rapid Rudiments: Braving the Jungle

Although some consider this role to be the most difficult, having it in your repertoire can be extremely useful. I'll start with champions at every price range that you can practice and master.

Nunu (450 IP or 260 RP)

Nunu the Yeti Rider is a slightly unconventional AP jungler, but his abilities make him very useful when engaging with enemy champions. Like most junglers, early game is dependent on a blue buff to get them through all of the camps and still have the mana left to gank lanes. His passive 'Visionary' allows him to have a free spell every 5 autoattacks, and with timing it can be utilized to save mana when clearing jungle camps.

His Q 'Consume' also gives him sustain by dealing generally as much damage as a smite and healing him a chunk in return. This can help conserve pots that one might buy for a conventional early build. Nunu's W 'Blood Boil' can be activated on any allied unit, and doing so grants Nunu and said unit with a movement speed and attack speed buff. Both buffs come in handy when clearing the jungle, as well as an escape or takedown during a gank.

His E 'Ice Blast' is another powerful ganking tool. If Nunu can get within range, he throws a chunk of ice at the target, slowing it and reducing its movement speed, making for an easy kill if in a favorable position. Lastly 'Absolute Zero', Nunu's R, is what makes him famous. He channels a spell for 3 seconds, slowing all enemy units and reducing their attack speed if within range, dealing a whopping amount of magic damage depending on how long it was cast. If you can get in the thick of things, or hide in a bush where they won't suspect you, then you're sure to deal tons of damage.

 

Amumu (1350 IP or 585 RP)

Amumu the Sad Mummy is another AP jungler who if mastered can stop a whole team in their tracks, literally. His passive 'Cursed Touch' reduces an autoattacked target's magic resist, helping him to a little more damage through his other abilities like his W and E. Amumu's Q 'Bandage Toss' is great for maneuverability around the jungle as well as in ganks. He shoots a bandage out in a skill shot that, if hit, pulls him to the caught target and stuns them for 1 second. If you're able to catch an opponent with this and have an ally to back you up, you'll almost certainly open them up to a lot of damage or force a flash.

His W, 'Despair', when toggled on, deals magic damage in a small area of effect around Amumu, and will deal ever so slightly more damage in tandem with his passive. Amumu's E 'Tantrum' has both a passive and active effect. The passive helps him become more tanky be reducing physical damage taken from autoattacks and abilities, while the active effect deals magic damage in an area of effect smaller than 'Despair.' If Amumu is autoattacked while 'Tantrum' is on cooldown then the cooldown is reduced by half a second, encouraging that he get involved in teamfights.

Like Nunu, Amumu is famous for his R 'Curse of the Sad Mummy' and in fact is almost always banned because of it in ranked games. In a large AOE, Amumu stuns anyone in range and deals magic damage as well. Amumu's problem is that before he gets his ultimate he doesn't have much ganking power, however it's entirely possible to get a kill in a gank without it. When he does have it, he can catch an enemy team and lay them out on a silver platter for his teammates.

Xin Zhao (3150 IP or 790 RP)

Xin Zhao the Seneschal of Demacia is an incredibly strong jungler due to his ganking potential. His passive 'Challenge' allows his autoattacks and E to reduce the assailed target's armor, but only one at a time. Xin's Q 'Three Talon Strike' causes his autoattacks to deal extra physical damage, reduce his other abilities' cooldown by one second and the last of three consecutive attacks to knock the target in the air for 1 second. If you can get close enough to a target enemy and land all three hits, not only will they be hurt from taking the attacks, but they'll be effectively stunned and likely to take more damage.

To help him land that third hit, Xin's W 'Battle Cry' inreases his attack speed and grants him a passive ability that heals him a small amount of health on the third hit. This ability is what gives him his sustain in the jungle, and not burn through any pots a jungler might have. His E 'Audacious Charge' ties the other two abilities up nicely by allowing him to easily close the gap with a dash, deal some damage and slow them.

If a jungler Xin activates his W, uses his E to dash and then activates his Q in rapid succession, they're almost guaranteed a flash or a kill. If that ability sequence is activated quickly, the cooldown reduction given by his Q will have his W and E up by the time the opponent gains their movement speed back or flashes away. Xin's R 'Crescent Sweep' is what allows him to jump into an enemy team and shred an AD or AP carry.

Assuming the jungler can get off the previously mentioned combo, they'll be surrounded by the enemy team who will be more than likely descending upon them. When activated, his R deals physical damage and knocks back all enemies but the one affected by his passive 'Challenge,' allowing him to finish off his target and either try to get away, or move on to another victim.

Jarvan IV (4800 IP or 880 RP)

Jarvan IV the Exemplar of Demacia is one of the best junglers at the moment due to his ability to initiate a team fight. His passive 'Martial Cadence' gives his first attack on a target bonus physical damage, meaning he'll more than likely hit harder in the beginning of a trade.

His abilities are best described out of order, beginning with his E 'Demacian Standard.' It passively grants him permanent bonus attack speed and armor and when activated, Jarvan tosses a flag to a target location dealing magic damage in a small AOE. The flag stays there for 8 seconds and provides an attack speed aura to allies and vision of the surrounding area. This ability is good for checking bushes for a team to warn of impending attack and give a slight statistical advantage during a team fight.

Jarvan's Q 'Dragon Strike' allows him to thrust his lance out in a skill shot, dealing physical damage and reducing the armor of enemies hit. If his flag from 'Demacian Standard' is within the skillshot, Jarvan is pulled to the flag, knocking up any enemies en route. His W 'Golden Aegis' slows surrounding enemies and grants him a shield that is stronger depending on how many enemies he is near when activating. The shield allows him to make it through jungle camps with some sustain and be ready to gank. Through combo of his E, Q and then W in that order, Jarvan can severely disrupt an opposing team while taking little to no damage, and is rewarded for going in against a full team.

At this point is when his R 'Cataclysm' comes into play. When activated, Jarvan jumps onto an enemy champion and creates a wall around the target, trapping them in and granting vision around him. Once a Jarvan is in the thick of things by using his other abilities, his R is best used to jump onto someone worth killing like an AP mid or an AD carry, but that person could change depending on who has more kills, so choose wisely. Just know that allies can also be trapped inside, which brings to light this comic describing a common mistake!

Hecarim (6300 IP or 975 RP)

Hecarim the Shadow of War has been a strong jungler of late, and here's why. His passive 'Warpath' allows him to pass through units, rather than get stuck behind minions, which is paramount when trying to lay down some damage or crowd control on a potential gank. He also gains attack damage depending on his bonus movement speed. Hecarim's Q 'Rampage' swings his halberd around him, dealing physical damage, and if it hits an enemy unit its cooldown is reduced by 1 second, which can happen twice.

His W 'Spirit of Dread' is similar to Amumu's W in that surrounding enemies are dealt magic damage, however he is healed a percentage of all damage dealt to enemies (whether by him or allies) for 4 seconds. This ability is best used when engaging in a gank or a team fight, as he can stick close to enemies and stay sustained as well as when clearing jungle camps. Hecarim's E 'Devastating Charge' grants him a large increase in movement speed (giving him more attack damage through his passive) and his next attack knocks back the target a ways depending on how long he was charging before placing the hit.

While his E is active, he gains extra attack range to help get the knock back on an unsuspecting foe, and with the extra movement speed, you can catch up to them with ease. Lastly, his R 'Onslaught of Shadows' is what makes Hecarim such a feared champion to play against, and one vital to master. He summons a wave of ghostly cavalry that charge with him in a line to a target location, and when there anyone hit is dealt magic damage and feared for one second making Hecarim an incredible champion for initiating team fights. An E would get him up close to the enemy champions, he wouldn't have to worry about running into minions, and when he's close enough he need only use his R to leave the entire team in disarray, making them easy targets for his other abilities as well as that of your teammates.

Basic Jungling Path and Summoner Spells

The image above is a basic path that a jungler starting at blue buff might take. At 1 (blue side), you would recieve help from your mid and top allies as well as smite in getting blue buff, then proceed to the wolves at 2. Some prefer to start wolves just before blue buff and then either gank top or bottom very early to catch unsuspecting prey. Should you follow the conventional approach you'll head over to the wraiths at 3, and by then your smite will be available to use just in time to help acquire red buff at 4. Up until then you should be glancing at the other lanes to see who needs the most aid and help out accordingly.

Keep in mind that time spent not killing monsters in the jungle is time without experience and gold. Unless you get kills through ganks or take farm from lanes, you'll suffer from not taking time to level yourself up.

That's the last edition of Roscoe's Rapid Rudiments, see you guys on Summoner's Rift!