This build has been archived by the author. They are no longer supporting nor updating this build and it may have become outdated. As such, voting and commenting have been disabled and it no longer appears in regular search results.
We recommend you take a look at this author's other builds.
This guide has not yet been updated for the current season. Please keep this in mind while reading. You can see the most recently updated guides on the browse guides page






Your votes and comments encourage our guide authors to continue
creating helpful guides for the League of Legends community.
Spells:
Exhaust
Smite
Ability Order
Relentless Assault (PASSIVE)
Jax Passive Ability
Introduction
Jax has one of the most unique kits in the game. A stacking AS buff on hit, 100% dodge and stun, and an excellent ultimate. Once gaining the upper hand, Jax remains dominate throughout the game.
Jax's Arsenal


*: In some cases, take Leap Strike at lvl 2 and Empower at lvl 3 for ganks (see Jungling section).



Summoner Spells



Smite is just a no brainer.
Other Options:






The goal for these Runes are early game advantages to help you jungle a little bit faster early on. I take


The one exception is I took




A mainstay in jungling builds, start off with Vampiric Scepter. This will be your source of sustain for early jungling. It also builds into a Wriggle's Lantern, one of the most useful items for Jax. Between Empower and Jax's passive, he is pretty quick with auto-attacks meaning that Wriggle's Lantern will proc on jungle creeps fairly often. The reason why I keep this item throughout the game is because you can use the limitless ward to Leap Strike away (or into) from enemies. Most of the time, I end up using it as an escape while I'm going after Dragon or to hop over a wall for an escape/kill.



You'll be grabbing at the very least a pair of

The main decision to think about here really boils down to one question: is the AD carry a threat? If the answer is yes, go with Ninja Tabi. If the answer is no, Merc Treads is better in almost every other case. Jax is easy to CC, so the Tenacity effect from Merc Treads is invaluable. Plus, for most auto-attack champs, Dodge will work just as well as Ninja Tabi. Finally, this build is heavier on AD than AP, and that matters defensively because of your utl's active. You can easily break 250 Armor when your ult is up, which is already overkill.


Which ever you ultimately decide to pick up first, doesn't make much difference (in some cases you can get both in the same trip). I usually go with the Phage because without Exhaust, the only way you have to stop someone is Counterstrike, and that's not always reliable. Additionally, Phage gives you a little more health which you'll need. Either way, pick which you like most and go with it. (It has occurred to me that if you forgo the Phage and grab Sheen first, you can skip to the Cutlass after, then finish the Trinity
Force. The decision is yours.)

Why do I buy this item before finishing my Trinity Force? Two reasons: Survivability and CC. The first part is pretty self explanatory. You'll end up with 30% lifesteal after you purchase this. However, the key is the active. The active on cutlass is very similar to that of the Gunblade, but it's range is prohibitive. However, with Leap Strike, that's not going to be a problem. Leap Strike on to your target, activate your Cutlass, and you should have plenty of time to proc your Phage. If not, you can always Counterstrike when Leap Strike comes back up.


Round out your build with these two items and you will be a monster. It really puts you over the top in damage and sustainability. Trinity Force synergizes so well with Empower it's almost sick. The Trinity Force proc has an even lower cooldown than Empower, ensuring it will be up every time you use it. The Gunblade's damage, sustain, and active are all incredible as well. Nothing better than hitting the Gunblade active on someone who thinks they can get away.

Once you've finished your Gunblade and Trinity Force you have some options to work with.



This relatively new item, I think, is a great addition to any bruiser's arsenal. With this you get a bit of magic resist as well as a shield proc that'll save you if your HP drops too low. Additionally, it comes with a good bit of AD and a unique passive that increases your AD as you lose HP.

Another good choice for a little bit more MR, the Abyssal Scepter will also lower enemy MR, which is great for team fights, and gives you a good bit of AP to boot. At the moment, I'm honestly a little conflicted on Maw vs. Scepter. The Scepter I think adds a little more potency to your damage (not to mention your allies) and it comes with 21 more passive MR along with the 14 MR from


Good against AP carries with a passive that blocks the initial attack, which can be great for disrupting combo-type mages (Brand/LeBlanc). Consider this if you find yourself being burst down too quickly. It can happen, as your only extra HP comes from the Trinity Force.



If you want to go the more AP route (an older type of Jax build), swap out the Trinity Force for Rylai's/Lich Bane combo. It still works, but there are a few drawbacks. It is noticeably more difficult to take down a tower quickly and it is much more expensive (by about 2000 gold). Grab a Rabadon's Death Cap if you go this route to finish off your build. This also makes a good alternative if AP carries are getting out of hand since the added ability power increases your magic resist when you activate

Definitely still a viable build.


A good mix of defense from added HP and armor. This was an very popular choice before when Jax could easily surpass 4000 HP. Now, it's not as viable, especially after the nerf, but nevertheless if you are having trouble staying alive this may be your best bet. You'll be a little light on Magic Resist, but the added HP should help compensate. Consider selling your

Jungle Times | ||
---|---|---|
Camp | Spawn Times | Re-spawn Time |
Wolves Golems Wraiths |
1:40 1:40 1:40 |
1 minute 1 minute 50 seconds |
Ancient Golem: Lizard Elder: |
1:55 1:55 |
5 minutes 5 minutes |
Dragon: | 6 minutes | 5 minutes |
Baron: | 15 minutes | 8 minutes |
There are a few important things to note. First of all, it is more efficient to clear wolves first and then do Ancient Golem. I don't do this myself very often, but it is a faster way to jungle. Secondly, Wraiths respawn faster than Wolves and Golems. And finally, 6 minutes in the Dragon will spawn. You should keep an eye out on that because Jax can solo the Dragon very early.
Having a low jungle clear time is imperative to good jungling. Generally, you want to aim for a full clear of about 3 and a half minutes or so. Without a leash on Blue, I am usually at about 3:40. With the leash, I can go as quickly as 3:15.

Smite Damage per Level | |||
---|---|---|---|
Level | Damage | Level | Damage |
1 | 445 | 10 | 670 |
2 | 470 | 11 | 695 |
3 | 495 | 12 | 720 |
4 | 520 | 13 | 745 |
5 | 545 | 14 | 770 |
6 | 570 | 15 | 795 |
7 | 595 | 16 | 820 |
8 | 620 | 17 | 845 |
9 | 645 | 18 | 870 |

I mentioned in his cons that Jax's jungle pattern is pretty predictable. And it is. If you are not going to invade at their blue, make sure that you have adequate guards for yours. If you see the other team and you think you can win, by all means fight them. If not, pull back and head directly to their blue buff. Just make sure that when you kill it, you leave 1 minion.
Otherwise, start at Blue (although starting at Wolves has become popular, whichever you choose). As soon as you level, you need to make your first big decision. "Can I gank the nearest lane?" If the answer is yes, you really should grab



Next big decision is a question of timing. "Will I have time to clear mini-Golems or should I take red and gank that lane?" Usually, I grab Red buff, take out Golems, then make a quick glance to the nearest lane/mid lane. If they're pushed too far, I either try to counter jungle a little, go buy if need be, or just keep on jungling. Thanks to the respawn rates, the Jungle should probably have Wolves and Wraiths back up by this time.
Tips and Tricks to Grandmaster Jungling
Jax has a few special tricks he can perform while jungling that many people may not think about.
The Leap Strike Escape: Anyone who watched Phreak's Champion Spotlight or who has played Jax long enough should know this maneuver, and I've talked about it before. Jax can Leap Strike to anything targetable whether it's a minion, champion, or ward regardless of whether they are allies or enemies. This is what makes

Counterstrike Effectively: The dodge on

Near-Death Creeps: As you are jungling, keep an eye on the HP of the creep you are attacking. If Counterstrike is active and it looks like one more hit will kill the creep, go ahead and switch targets. Between the damage from Counterstrike and


The Early Dragon
Jax is unique in the fact that he can take out the dragon early on. At level 6 or 7, with nothing more than








As a word of caution, never go into Dragon early while


This applies to every camp as well. There is nothing more frustrating as a Jungler than walking up to your Blue buff and seeing only a single minion sitting in its place. There are some cases where you can clear the whole thing (retreating from their team), but a general rule of thumb is to leave at least one.
To Do List:
Flesh out Optional Items
Add a Lane-Jax build
Small Beautification
You must be logged in to comment. Please login or register.