The Mind of a Champion: Junglers

Hi! Welcome to the third instalment of this series. If this is the first one that you’ve read, then I suggest checking out the ones I made for Supports and AD Carries. After all, the main goal is to have a holistic view on the behaviour each role has, so knowing about the ones that aren’t your main is an effective tool in growing as a player.

Junglers in League of Legends have this special ability of adding a random factor to the lanes. Since you don’t have a “lane” per se, you are able to roam the map unseen by your opponents. Wards, of course, help, but there’s only so much money you can use if you wish to see the whole thing. Thus, your very existence instills fear and anxiety to each lane, not knowing whether a gank is near. Each time they push a little too much, or let the creep wave pile up under their tower, they watch their minimap closely, looking for your icon to pop up near them and run, lest you jump on them. That is what the Jungler is all about: Pressure.

Overview – “I am the champion this team deserves.”

I don’t think that there’s another role that needs to be more level-headed than the Jungler. I’m not saying that you can’t get all intense and shouting. What I mean is that you need to be able to handle the burden of being needed by the laners. A big problem Junglers have is that sometimes the amount of work that comes with the job overwhelms them. It’s tough, but somebody has to do it. Besides, since you won’t think about lasthitting much, you can shift your focus towards making plays in and out the jungle.

No one uses map presence more offensively than the Jungler. After all, this is your “lane"; thus, you have to be able to gain an advantage on it as much as possible. It is a constant cat and mouse game between you and your opposition, making intelligent guesses on their current position based on ward coverage and patterns. A good Jungler takes note of all these facts and devises his strategy based on them, with continuous tweaks here and there, as the enemy Jungler’s doing the same thing.

Another aspect that is highly valuable to a Jungler’s mindset is his ability to control objectives. From the buffs, to Dragon, the towers and Baron, you create a countdown timer for the team. Using the chat box or your own memory bank, you constantly remind yourself of these objectives, as these determine your course on the map. Risking a gank on top lane while Dragon is about to respawn in five seconds is a trade you’ve just lost in the long run.

To learn more what it means to be a Jungler, these two extreme mindsets are shown. Both of them utlize lane pressure, objective control, and map presence, albeit in very different ways.

Blazing Hot – “SURPRISE!”

He wants to make plays right off the bat, even just after taking his first buff. He revels in taking the fight to them. This kind of player shoves himself right down the enemy’s throats, either by being all-out aggressive or just exerting immense lane pressure. He fights tooth and nail for every objective, and loves to duel at every given moment.

Champions who do early ganks are fond of making a person play like this, such as Jarvan IV, Xin Zhao, and Vi? Sound familiar? They were the bruiser trifecta at the beginning of Season 3, where three-minute tower dives were the thing back then. As such, it showed how much impact a Jungler can bring to the game immediately. Strong counter-junglers, such as Shyvana, are also good examples, as they like to remove every option the enemy Jungler has. Expect relentless ganks and reckless tower dives.

Of course, getting all hot-blooded sometimes becomes a Jungler’s undoing. Since this is a more instinctive approach of playing, he sometimes gets tunnel vision towards the lane or objective he’s going after. This could leave other lanes more prone to losing, as well as getting outplayed in terms of Dragon and buffs, possibly Baron. Worse, your actions might be scouted and used against you, via counter ganks or catching you off-guard around the jungle.

Stone Cold – “I have assessed our victory conditions.”

Now he, on the other hand, doesn’t like to let his emotions get the better than him. Sure, running past the brush screaming might be fun for some, but to him, Jungling is a more refined affair. He calculates and computes the enemy Jungler’s movements, absorbing as much information as possible. He devises various ways on how to maneuver around the map, and is always ten steps ahead.

Champions who could immediately portray this thinking are ones who play slightly defensive, at least in the early game. Amumu and Malphite are good examples of this, as they need to be played intelligently for them to survive getting to level six, at which their impact in teamfights shoot sky high. They do less risky ganks, opting to go for more assured fights and slow but steady lane pressure.

Plans, however, sometimes go horribly wrong. A weakness of players who solely develop this mindset run this risk of having too many random variables thrown at them, such as an unorthodox Jungler, lack of communication from the team, and low map vision. These get them off their rhythm, and their precise strategy could crumble against opponents who either outwitted them, or simply use overwhelming force.

Final Thoughts

I should always remind my fellow summoners that the champions I use as examples do not necessarily mean that’s the only way to play them. I have used Jarvan IV, Amumu and my personal favorite, Nautilus, both in rampaging and tactical manners. As always, experience is the best teacher, so go dive in towards the Fields of Justice, and I hope this small guide helped you in finding the perfect playstyle when running deep between the lanes.