Rengar Guide: Split Pushing is an Art

Rengar has really come into the spotlight recently, even making some appearances in the LCS. The reason for this is his incredible burst power, aggressive laning phase, as well as his ability to split push better than anyone else in the game.

A highly underestimated element of Rengar's kit is the ability to split push at the highest rate of any champion. The essential item here is Ravenous Hydra. This item not only yields 75 attack damage but also allows for the absolute decimation of creep waves. Combined with a Brutalizer, rengar can kill off waves of creeps nearly as fast as he can walk through them. A single Q will one shot ranged minions while adding a single auto attack ends the melee minions life. This means that with one combo from his Q, W, and E along with the Hydra active a minion wave is destroyed. The only downside here is that Rengar is a melee champion, so sieging enemy towers or defending your own is not nearly as effective.

The true ridiculousness of Rengar's split-pushing power, however, truly comes from his ability to disintegrate towers. Starting with either 4 or 5 ferocity, Hydra and Brutalizer, as well as a friendly creep wave nearby, Rengar will take a turret from full health to gone in a matter of 5 to 7 seconds. Many champions have the ability to deal extra damage to turrets: Trundle can use his Chomp ability and Garen can Decisively Strike towers for a bunch of extra damage. Rengar can us his Q three times in a matter of 5 seconds on a tower, all while giving himself tons of extra attack speed in the process.

The infamous “triple Q” is Rengar's bread and butter when it comes to teamfights and assassination. Now I have had some problems with this ability, as I found sometimes his Q actually bugs and is uncastable until you get back to full ferocity. The key is to hit his ultimate while having at least 2 ferocity. Once his ferocity bar is full immediately hit q, and then leap on an enemy. After one auto-attack hit Q again followed by W and E. This information of course is available in video form on youtube from multiple sources, but the thing to know that I did not find on youtube is that hitting Q just as Rengar hits 5 ferocity will bug it. The important thing is to hit Q when his ferocity bar actually turns yellow. Of course, all this must be done while chasing down a priority target on the enemy team, so it will take some practice, but he has some of the highest burst potential in the game, especially for physical damage characters.

This split pushing ability can be used to devastating effect while playing top lane. With the right items in hand, Rengar can easily push down 2 turrets in the time it takes for your opponent to walk down and help out at a dragon fight. And if your lane opponent stays for dragon and a teamfight, Rengar has the ability to push a third turret and possibly an inhibitor.

Known dominant split pushers like Twisted Fate and Shen rely on their global pressure to split push, allowing them to join a fight, even while pushing deep into enemy territory, from far away. Rengar, when used correctly, can be more dangerous than either one, trading dragon for multiple towers or trading an unstoppable baron for 2 towers and an inhibitor. It is a skill no other champion in League of Legends possesses and one which is highly under-utilized.