Hello everyone! This is my first guide and the reason why i have chosen Lee Sin is that he is the champion which i used to play a lot and in my opinion he is the one of most fun characters to play in League of Legends.

Lee Sin is a tanky bruiser, which if handled properly can make a huge impact on the game. He's not easy to master, but definitely worth trying to. Due to his mechanics the amount of possibilities to make some impressive plays is almost endless. I hope that this guide will help these ones who want to improve their jungling skills with Lee Sin but also encourage the others who haven't tried playing Blind Monk yet to give it a try.

This guide is a quite extensive lecture, so i highly reccomend you to make yourself a coffee or a tea before start reading it, because it will take a while for sure.

PROS: + Very good sustain in the jungle + Fits into any team composition + Strong early game + High burst damage + Energy based + Lots of Mobility + Hybrid damage output + Versatile + Fun to play

CONS: - Hard to master - Doesn't scale well - High energy costs - Skillshot based - Positioning is crucial

Lee Sin is one of the strongest early game champions. His damage output on early levels is very high which gives you a chance to get a first blood. Jungling with Lee Sin is fairly easy, but definitely needs your attention. Since he's an energy based champion, mana issues will not be your concern. Blind Monk fits almost every team composition due to his versatility. His hybrid damage output will not let your enemies easily defend against you.

Neverless, there is no doubt that Lee Sin is very hard to master due to his quite complicated mechanics. High energy costs won't let you spam your abilities unless you proc Flurry, whcih is Lee's passive skill. When playing Lee Sin your positiong is one of the most important matters. It's not easy to initiate a fight properly. If you won't manage to close the gap between you and enemy carry as quick as possible, there is a possibilty that you'll lose a lot of HP, or even won't survive the engage.

Lee Sin can be played as an AD off-tank and also as a high burst assasin. Depends on teams composition you can build him tanky, or if game goes well for your team and there is no need to stack armor or magic resist, you can play Lee Sin as an assasin, which could be extremely efficent if you feel confident about your skills.

When to play as an AD off-tank

You should definitely consider choosing defensive items over offensive ones if you have not played Lee Sin long enough to make use of full AD build. Building tanky will let you stay alive in teamfights a little bit longer and help your team by soaking some damage while being focused by enemy's carries. Keep in mind that Lee Sin even without DPS items is still able to deal decent amount of damage.

When to play as a full AD assasin

Idea of playing Lee Sin as an assasin seems to be legit unless your team requires a tank or you just dont feel completely confident about your skill level with this champion. Full AD Lee Sin is capable of bursting down every non-tank champion within less than 2 seconds, which makes him a huge threat to enemy carries.

When to play as a Hybrid Monk...

If you have managed to get some kills in early/mid game and you were able to afford buying all essential items, it could be the right time to demonstrate your superiority... In order to show maximum disrespect against your oponents it is absolutely necessary to buy Zhonya's Hourglass after completing core items. Keep in mind that this strategy will work only if you feel extremely confident about your skills as Lee Sin or you are just drunk enough to play 'full yolo'.

Greater Mark of Attack Damage 0.95 attack damage | 9x0.95=8.55 AD

Flat AD marks give you bonus 8.55 attack damages, which scales very well with 3 of Lee Sin's abilities allowing you to clear jungle camps faster and dominate early game. Always take these ones.

Greater Seal of Armor 1 armor | 9x1=9 ARM

Flat armor seals are necessary on almost every jungler in season 5. They will reduce damage taken from neutral monsters, lane creeps and enemy champions. Always take these ones.

Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist 0.17 MR/lvl | 9x0.17=1.53 MR/lvl

Scaling magic resist glyphs outscales flat ones at level 8, that's why i used to pick those rather than Greater Glyph of Magic Resist. But if enemy team has an AP jungler which is considered strong in early game, like for example Nidalee, Fiddlesticks or Diana and you are afraid of being counter-ganked or you are just planning to invade, you should take flat MR glyphs instead.

Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage 2.25 AD | 3x2.25=6.75 AD

Flat AD quints grants an extra bonus damage in early game. These quints may not be as efficient as for example Greater Quintessence of Attack Speed or Greater Quintessence of Ability Power for AP junglers, but since 3 of Lee Sin's abilities scales with bonus attack damage, flat AD quints seems to be the best choice here.

Offense (21)

Double-Edged Sword gives you 2% extra damage but also makes you receive an extra 1% from any source of damage. Worth trying if you are not gonna idly stand in front of your enemy and being hitted by him.

Sorcery provides 5% cooldown reduction which is very beneficial on Lee Sin.

Butcher helps with clearing jungle camps and farming lane minions as well.

Brute Force gives you bonus 10 attack damage at level 18.

Feast gives you better sustain in the jungle.

Martial Mastery provides extra 4 attack damage. This amount of bonus AD is almost equivalent to 2x Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage. Definitely one of the most important masteries on the list.

Executioner increases damage dealt to champions below 50% health by 5%. Works extremely well with Lee Sin's Resonating Strike.

Warlord increases bonus attack damage by 5%.

Devastating Strikes provides bonus 6% armor and magic penetration. Very efficient on Lee Sin since he has hybrid damage output.

Havoc increases attack damage by 3%. It's not much at early levels but definitely worth giving a point since it scales very well into mid/late game.

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Defense (9)

Block reduces incoming damage from champion basic attacks by 2.

Tough Skin reduces damage taken from neutral monsters by 2. It gives you a way better sustain in the jungle.

Unyielding reduces all incoming damage from champions by 2. Helps with trades.

Veteran Scars gives you bonus 36 HP.

Juggernaut increases maximum health by 3%. Same situation as with Havoc . It will noticeably increase your maximum health in late game.

Hunter's Machete Total price: 400

Always start with this item, 2x Health Potion and Stealth Ward when playing as Lee Sin. Hunter's Machete gives you sustain, which is necessary to survive in the jungle at early levels. It also grants bonus gold for every large monster kill.

Ranger's Trailblazer Total price: 850

This upgrade is propably the best choice for every jungler who either doesn't have a solid sustain mechanism like Shen or Warwick, or doesn't rely on AOE abilities like for example Cho'Gath or Malphite. It significantly increases jungle clear speed by stunning and dealing damage to monsters near the target upon which Smite has been used.

Enchantment: Warrior Total price: 1400

Enhancing the jungle item is your 2nd priority after buying Boots. Enchantment: Warrior grants a decent amount of bonus damage along with armor penetration and cooldown reduction as well.

On the second hand, there's also Enchantment: Cinderhulk which is a considerable alternative if you are planning to build more tanky. It provides a lot of HP and grants an unique passive which deals magic damage to nearby enemies. Nevertheless i don't recommend picking this over Enchantment: Warrior.

Boots of Mobility Total price: 800

Since Lee Sin relies on his mobility, these boots would be the best choice in most cases. Extra mobility allows you to get across the map faster significantly enhancing your ganking potential.

Ninja Tabi are worth considering if the majority of enemy champions is AD based.

Sightstone Total price: 800

This item is absolutely necessary on Lee Sin. It could be used to grant vision on the map, but what's more important, it is needed to proceed with a ward hop. This basic technique is an indispensable element of more advanced maneuvers and it is demonstrated on the video which could be found here. Remember to always switch your Stealth Ward to Sweeping Lens after buying the Sightstone.

Besides its utility, Sightstone also grants bonus health which will increase chances of your survival in teamfights. Don't forget to upgrade it to the Ruby Sightstone after finishing your build.

Trinity Force Total price: 3728

After completing Ranger's Trailblazer - Warrior, Mobility Boots and Sightstone you can either choose to build tanky starting with Randuin's Omen or rush Trinity Force for extra damage and mobility. Decision is up to you.

The most important thing about the Trinity Force is that it empowers your basic attacks after using an ability, and since Lee Sin relies on his abilities, this item basically doubles his damage output in general. It also grants bonus attack speed which is always nice on any bruiser such as Lee Sin.

Last Whisper Total price: 2300

By buying this item you will become a serious threat for any tanky champion in the enemy team. 35% armor penetration along with extra 40 attack damage will allow you to destroy almost every target. This item would be a great choice against champions such as Rammus, Sejuani, Malphite or Amumu.

(Passive) Flurry

Lee Sin's passive gives him bonus attack speed for two auto attacks after you cast a spell. Each autoattack restores energy as well. Making use of this skill will determine how long you will be able to farm jungle camps before recalling. Keep in mind that a lot of Lee Sin techniques requires auto attacking between several spells.

(Q) Sonic Wave / Resonating Strike Cooldown: 11/10/9/8/7 seconds

This is Lee Sin's bread and butter. This ability is a fairly long-ranged skillshot, which allows you to close the gap between you and your target. Using this skill properly definitely requires some practice. You should max it first without exceptions.

Landing Sonic Wave on enemy marks the target and grants true sight on it, which gives you an ability to check bushes without entering them and also detect stealthed champions. Sonic Wave is considered to be a projectile for Unbreakable and Wind Wall. Banshee's Veil, Spell Shield and Shroud of Darkness will block the damage from both abilities and will prevent Sonic Wave from marking a target.

Resonating Strike works as a finisher, it deals more damage the less HP your target has at the moment. It can be used within 3 seconds after marking a target with Sonic Wave. Dash can be interrupted by several abilities like for example: Flay, Howling Gale or Condemn. Casting Safeguard on allied unit while on the wing will cancel the dash as well.

(W) Safeguard / Iron Will Cooldown: 9 seconds

This ability is a major asset among Lee Sin's skill set. It gives you planty of possibilities while mixed with other abilities. It makes for a great escape tool or a short-ranged gap closer which could be very useful while ganking and chasing your target. Combining its utility with Sonic Wave / Resonating Strike allows you to catch up with fast moving units.

Safeguard can be casted on any targetable allied unit such as Stealth Ward, Stealth Ward, Noxious Trap, Demacian Standard or Jack In The Box.

Iron Will is the second instance of the ability which gives you bonus life steal and spell vamp . This effect provides a decent sustain, allowing you to stay in the jungle a little bit longer before recalling.

(E) Tempest / Cripple Cooldown: 10 seconds

It's an AoE skill which deals magic damage to surrounding enemies and reveals units that it hits. Tempest cannot directly reveal wards, Teemo's Noxious Trap or Shaco's Jack In The Box. However, if an enemy unit already affected by Tempest walks close to the location of one of them, they will be revealed.

Cripple reduces movement speed of all enemies within range that are marked by Tempest enhancing Lee Sin's ganking efficiency.

(R) Dragon's Rage Cooldown: 90/75/60 seconds

Lee Sin's ultimate skill is a powerful kick which lunches his target back. Enemies the target collides with are knocked up and receive a fairly high amount of damage. However, if the target dies from the initial damage, they will not be knocked up.

Casting Dragon's Rage upon the enemy will interrupt all channeled and charged abilities like for example Death Lotus, Nether Grasp or Infinite Duress and also stun them for 1 second.

Lee Sin's role as a jungler

Putting pressure on lanes

One of the jungler's duties is exerting some pressure on lanes. It doesn't mean that every time you come mid or top you have to score a kill or at least an assist. Putting lane pressure is about marking your presence on the map. Of course, it would be nice if you manage to burn enemy's flash or even get a kill, but even dealing some damage would help your teammates control their lane for a while.

Vision control on the map

This part is very important. People used to underrate the power of wards. A single Stealth Ward could possibly save you and your allies by preventing a gank. Since you are playing Lee Sin, buying Sightstone is a must anyway.

Nevertheless controling vision on the map doesn't mean that your only duty is to place some wards in random places. Denying enemy vision is a part of your job as well. That's why it would be necessary to upgrade your
Stealth Ward to the Greater Vision Totem or simply replace it with a Sweeping Lens.

Jungle camps / Securing buffs

Ancient Krug This is the camp which you should always start at when jungling with Lee Sin. Using Smite upon Ancient Krug will grant you Gift of Heavy Hands for 90 seconds, causing every 6th basic attack to stun minions and monsters.

Crimson Raptor Raptors camp is a second place where i used to go after clearing Krugs camp. Using Smite upon the Crimson Raptor will grant you Razor Sharp for 90 seconds, which will grant you true sight for 10 seconds the next time you are spotted by an enemy ward.

Red Brambleback Killing it will grant you Crest of Cinders, which will make your physical attacks deals 8 + (2 × level) bonus true damage twice on hit and apply a debuff that slows the target's movement speed by 8 / 16 / 24% for 3 seconds. It also grants bonus HP regeneration by 1% of your maximum health per 5 seconds. Using Smite upon the Red Brambleback will restore 20% of your maximum health instantly.

Greater Murk Wolf Using Smite on the Greater Murk Wolf will summon a nature spirit that grants sight over the nearby crossroads for 95 seconds. Whenever an enemy champion comes in range of the nature spirit, it will chase them for a short duration.

Blue Sentinel Killing it will grant you Crest of Insight which increases energy regeneration by 0.5% of your max. energy pool per second and provides 10% cooldown reduction. Using Smite on the Blue Sentinel won't give anything, so just don't do that.

Gromp Using Smite upon the Gromp will grant you Gift of the Toadstool for 90 seconds, which poisons enemies who attack you, dealing 10 + (5% of bonus health) magic damage over 3 seconds.

Rift Scuttler There are two Rift Scuttlers on the map. One is located in the north side river and one in the bottom side river. When a Rift Scuttler is killed, it will head towards the entrance to the pit of Baron Nashor or Dragon and will burrow into the ground, spawning a 500 range movement speed shrine above its location that grants 525 sight killer's team for 75 seconds.

Dragon Slaying Dragon grants Dragon Slayer buff. The first four stacks of Dragon Slayer are permanent, while the 5th stack - Aspect of the Dragon, only lasts 180 seconds or until death. It doubles all previous bonuses and empowers your attacks making them burn the target for 150 true damage over 5 seconds.

Baron Nashor Killing the Baron gives the Hand of Baron buff to all living champions on the team, which lasts 3 minutes. This buff gives massively increased attack damage and ability power as well as an aura that promotes nearby minions. When Nashor is killed, each player on the team is also granted with 300 gold, 600 global experience points and 800 local experience points (shared between nearby allies).

Jungle route

When playing Lee Sin you should always start at the Krugs camp, because using Smite upon the bigger one will grant you Gift of Heavy Hands for 90 seconds, causing every 6th basic attack to stun minions and monsters. This effect will allow you to save a lot of HP while fighting with monsters in the jungle.

After clearing the Krugs camp you should be heading for Raptors. When you finish go for the Red Brambleback in order to obtain the red buff. Use Smite upon the Red Brambleback to regain some HP.

The next action is up to you. You can try to gank mid or top, or just keep farming.

Farming

In order to clear jungle camps efficiently it's neccesary to make a good use of Lee Sin's passive skill - Flurry. It grants bonus 40% attack speed for next 2 basic attacks after using an ability.

This is an example pattern which I use in the jungle at early levels:
Safeguard > 2 basic attacks > Iron Will > 2 basic attacks > Tempest > 2 basic attacks > Cripple > 2 basic attacks > Sonic Wave > 2 basic attacks > Resonating Strike and so on. Note that i use Sonic Wave / Resonating Strike last. The reason why I do that is simple - it deals more damage the less HP unit has at the moment.

Safeguard / Iron Will significantly improves Lee Sin's sustain and that's why you should use it whenever possible. Using Smite upon a jungle monster while Iron Will is active heals you for the percentage of damage dealt by it.

Ganking

Lee Sin is well known from his spectacular ganks. Everyone who has already played against Blind Monk is aware of his ganking efficiency. He comes from nowhere, jumps on you, then slows you aaaaand it's over.

His skill set along with high base movement speed allows you to suprise the enemy by approaching them even from the lane.

Exemplary gank scenarios

1.TOP: lane you are ganking is not pushed, your teammate and an enemy are on the same health level.

Approach from the river, when you get close enough, place a Stealth Ward or Stealth Ward near the enemy champion then dash towards it using Safeguard. Start with Tempest, hit the target with few auto-attacks then slow it with Cripple. Continue auto-attacking, mark the enemy with Sonic Wave and when they use their escape ability or flash away from you, hit Resonating Strike to follow up.

2. BOT: lane is pushed towards your tower, allied AD carry and support are both on low health.

Approach from the river, when you get in range, try to land Sonic Wave on an enemy carry. If you succeed with it, reposition yourself behind the target using Safeguard on a minion or a Stealth Ward, then kick them towards your allies using Dragon's Rage. Follow up by casting Resonating Strike.

3. MID: lane is not pushed, your teammate is just about to lose the trade with their opponent.

Shield your ally by using Safeguard on them, then kick the enemy away with Dragon's Rage. Land Sonic Wave on the target while it's still unable to do anything and dash towards it by casting Resonating Strike. Continue with Tempest, then auto-attack, use Cripple to aply the slow debuff, keep auto-attacking in order to restore the energy. When the enemy is about to run away, finish them with Sonic Wave / Resonating Strike.

Counter-ganking

This is one of the most difficult jungler's tasks from those above. Counter-ganking requiers at least minimum vision on the Rift and general map awarness. In order to attempt a counter-gank you have to know an approximate location of the enemy jungler, otherwise it's barely possible to react in time.

Keep in mind that counter-ganking doesn't mean that you have to score a doble kill, more important is to make sure that your ally will survive the gank. Getting 2 kills for yourself is not worth sacrificing your teammate.

Technique #1

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This technique is basically a ward jump. It allows you to close a gap between you and your target, or escape from unfavorable position by jumping over the wall or simply by moving away from current threat. It is also an indispensable element of more advanced techniques described later on.

Instructions

Place a Stealth Ward or Stealth Ward in the spot where you would like to jump to and use Safeguard on it. It’s simple like that!

Technique #2

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This technique could be used not only as an escape tool but also as a chase maneuver. It requires a jungle monster or lane minion and it allows you to travel long distance by jumping over two walls at once.

Instructions

Land Sonic Wave on a jungle monster or a lane creep and dash towards it immediately by reactivating the ability. Then place a Stealth Ward behind the wall and use Safeguard on it to finish the maneuver.

Technique #3

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This is a basic high burst combo which works very well as a finisher. It doesn’t require a lot of practice and it is one of the most reliable moves on Lee Sin. There’s also a possibility of using this technique to reposition yourself and your target at once.

Instructions

Hit the enemy with Sonic Wave and then cast Dragon's Rage on them within 3 seconds. In order to kick your target in a particular direction you will have to approach it from the opposite side. When they land on the ground after being kicked away, use Resonating Strike to follow up.

Technique #4

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It is basically a variation of previous technique which allows you to push aside a target hiding behind minions or trying to avoid being hit by a skillshot, in order to land Sonic Wave with ease.

Instructions

Approach the enemy and kick them towards desired direction by using Dragon's Rage. Then hit the target with Sonic Wave and reactivate the ability to follow up.

Technique #5

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It is an extended version of Technique #3 which gives you more posibilities compairing to the basic one. Proper execution of this sequence combined with few auto attacks provides massive amount of damage dealt to your target and uses full potential of Lee Sin’s abilities.

Instructions

Hit the enemy with Sonic Wave and then dash towards them by using Safeguard on a nearest allied unit or Stealth Ward. After you close the gap between you and your target, cast Dragon's Rage on them as soon as you get in range. After they land on the ground, activate Resonating Strike to follow up and finish the combo with Tempest.

Technique #6

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This particular technique is the most recognizable move on Lee Sin. It works extremely well as an initiation tool and it allows you to separate most vulnerable target from its team by kicking it towards your allies.

Instructions

Hit the enemy with Sonic Wave and dash towards them by activating Resonating Strike. Place a Stealth Ward behind the target when you get in range and use Safeguard on it in order to reposition yourself. Then finally, cast Dragon's Rage on the enemy to kick them towards your teammates.

Technique #7

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This combination could be used as a ganking maneuver, which would be very useful if your target is too far to reach it by closing the gap only with Sonic Wave.

Instructions

Place a Stealth Ward in front of you at its maximum cast range and use Safeguard on it immediately. Then hit the enemy champion with Sonic Wave and follow up by reactivating the ability.

When you reach the target, cast Tempest and then Cripple afterwards in order to apply a movement speed reduction debuff. Don’t forget about auto attacking between spells.

Technique #8

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It is a simple trick which will allow you to land Sonic Wave on a target standing behind the minions.

Instructions

Approach the enemy, cast Sonic Wave towards them ignoring the minions, then Smite the one which stands directly in a line between you and your target when the projectile is on the wing.

Technique #9

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By using this technique you will be able to dodge any linear skillshot, mislead your opponent or just extend the range of Resonating Strike.

Instructions

Hit your enemy with Sonic Wave, wait a second or two, place a Stealth Ward aside and dash towards it by using Safeguard. When your target get distracted activate Resonating Strike.

Technique #10

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This is an extended version of Technique #4 which allows you to take your enemy by suprise and indispose them to react in time.

Instructions

Jump over the wall by using a Stealth Ward and Safeguard, then hit the enemy with Dragon's Rage and land Sonic Wave upon them. Wait a second or two and follow up by casting Resonating Strike.

Technique #11

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Most complex maneuver on the list. It requires a lot of practice and it’s very difficult to succeed with in-game. Unlike the Technique #5, this one allows you to kick the enemy towards your teammates and dash to them at once.

Instructions

Land Sonic Wave upon the enemy, then dash towards them by using Safeguard on a minion or a Stealth Ward. When you get in range cast Dragon's Rage and Flash behind the target right after it. Follow up with Resonating Strike and Tempest.

04.05.2015

Guide published

10.05.2015

Added Technique #11 to Advanced techniques chapter

Added Changelog chapter

Added More videos chapter

Revised Summary chapter

28.06.2015

Revised Jungle route chapter

Added Multi Champion Montage video to the More videos chapter

Revised guide title

I hope you enjoyed the guide and found it useful somehow. If you do, please leave some feedback!

Check out my social media for more League of Legends content, such as my latest Lee Sin Montage.

ZEROSEN Graphic & motion designer, League of Legends player, anime enthusiast and YouTube content creator. YouTube Facebook Twitter