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Spells:
Smite
Flash
Ability Order
Crystal Spires (PASSIVE)
Skarner Passive Ability
Season 3
Season 3 is approaching and modified jungle creeps have been confirmed, they will be stronger and will put the single target damage junglers back to viable ( Warwick, Trundle, Fiddlesticks), also new masteries and summoner spells, so alot of changes. Obviously the guide will need a major update but unless I see the guide geting some real attention I will archive the guide when these changes go out.
It is simply not worth my time working a guide that gets no attention, I just hope that Mikuro's guide will get to the top since the top skarner guides are really bad right now.
Have fun reading.
If you think there is something wrong in this guide tell me in the comment section and wait for my answer before down voting please. I am planning to make this the #1 Skarner guide on Mobafire and I am always open to discuss with those that consider I should change anything.
energize
Position: Jungler
Champion Type: Tank
Skarner is a tier 1 jungler, meaning that he is one of the top picks for jungling. He excels when it comes to ganking, tanking and initiating team fights while still being able to deal "tons of damage". He is one of the champions that will punish the bad positioning of enemy carries very hard (like Nocturne, Blitzcrank etc.).
As I will present skarner as a jungler in this guide I really suggest that you know how to jungle well, being a good jungler can win your team the game while being a bad can lose the game for your team.
As all champions Skarner has his advantages and disadvantages. Read these as they may help you find out wether he fits your play style or not.
energize energize
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PROS
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CONS
C O N S |
sPACE |
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sPACE |
C O N S |
Runes
I use this rune build in order to get an as fast clearing speed as possible and a bit of more sustain in the jungle.
Runes
M A R K S M A R K S |
Choosing between these depends on your playstyle. If you are the one that likes to farm alot then I would suggest Greater Mark of Attack Speed, if you are the one that ganks whenever opportunities arise but still likes to clear his camps whenever they spawn then maybe Greater Mark of Attack Damage is the way to go, if you are the one that actively ganks and want to put alot of pressure on lanes then greater mark of desolation is the best choice.
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M A R K S M A R K S |
Runes
S E A L S S E A L S |
Again choosing between these two will depend on your play style. Geting flat armor seals means that you like to have a safe early game, whilst geting hp per level seals means that you like to dominate late game. The choice is totally yours.
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S E A L S S E A L S |
Runes
G L Y P H S G L Y P H S |
If you are the farmer you will love the AS but if you really want to be as hard to bring down as possible in late game then MR per level glyphs are ideal.
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G L Y P H S G L Y P H S |
Runes
Q U I N T S Q U I N T S |
For Skarner I don't suggest replacing the MS quints because they will give you much higher ganking potential and better clearing. If you feel like you are fast enough(again you are never fast enough with Skarner but it is your opinion) then you can choose to replace them. The ArPen is for the gankers whilst the AD is for the farmers. As I said flat hp quints are for the greedies out there, they kinda work but you won't achieve the max potential of Skarner with them
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Q U I N T S Q U I N T S |
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@@@ | Energize.A very useful passive that will let Skarner spam his skills more thus meaning more damage and this resulting in faster clearing speed, better ganks, better duelist. | @@@@ |
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Crystal slash.This is your main source damage. This skill will let you clear camps ridiculously fast and gives skarner the ability to make ganks before hitting level 6. I would say the biggest problem of skarner ganking before level 6 is getting in melee range of the enemy, after that you can just spam him and apply your perma slow. | |
TIPS & TRICKS
Spoiler: Click to view
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Crystalline Exoskeleton.This ability gives an MS & AS boost, it will also help you jungle faster so use it to get from camp to camp and to clear camps faster. Remember that enemies cancel it by simply breaking it so be careful. | |
TIPS & TRICKS
Spoiler: Click to view
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Fracture.This is just some sustain you get for free. If you will use this build you won't neither deal so much damage with this nor will you get too much heal from it so that's why we are maxing it last.
TIPS & TRICKS
Spoiler: Click to view
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Impale.Skarner's signature move, this is the only skill in LoL that will let you move your enemies around manualy. Even if you won't be able to drag them for too long it is still a very good skill when it comes to ganking or getting their ad carry into the team fight. However, use this as your last resort when ganking, you may be able to kill them just with your Crystal Slash but if you see them getting too close to their turret then don't hesitate using it. | |
TIPS & TRICKS
Spoiler: Click to view
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As with all ultimates I take Impale at levels 6, 11 and 16. I max Crystal Slash first as it is your main/ bread and butter skill for damage and for procing the Sheen/ Trinity Force passive. Then I max Crystalline Exoskeleton because of the MS buff that helps me to escape/ chase easier. I will not put any point in Fracture because sadly it is a wasted skill for Skarner's kit.
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Starting Items
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Starting with Regrowth Pendant and 1 hp potion benefits you alot since you will be able to get philosopher's stone at your first recall and you will have alot of sustain in the jungle. This should be your standard start. @ |
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This is a situational start. You can get this in case your team is invading and you want to be able to apply your slow and stick to your target. Or in case you want to make some early ganks on somebody like Mordekaiser that will automaticaly push his lane. The down side is that you will have to farm a bit more to get philosopher's stone |
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These are the items that Skarner needs no matter what. They occuip 3 slots of your inventory, the rest of the build is flexible.
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These are hands down best boots for tanks in a finished build. The MS is enough for you to keep up with your enemies and the MR is always welcome. The big thing about this is the Tenacity, with it you can get out of very sticky skills like Galio's Idol of Durand. |
I can't explain how important this item is for Skarner. Even if your support gets it you should always have one for your self so that you can initiate a team fight properly and avoid being kited. Use the active to chase, escape, engage, disengage. Also it builds from philosopher's stone thus meaning you will get only the stats you need. The CDR offered is very good also. |
Totaly needed on Skarner. This offers you tremendous amounts of armor for the sake of your tankyness. Also Skarner should max CDR since Impale has a long cool down and you need it up as much as possible in late game when team fights occur every moment. The debuff also increases your utility in a team fight. |
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Situational Items
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These items can change depending on the enemy team composition or on how the game is evolving.
This will be your main tool in defending your self from the enemy magic damage dealers. I prioritize this over any MR item because Skarner's shield benefits from resistances and this item offers the biggest MR in the game. And the MS will also benefit you alot. |
This should be get as your last item because you want Heart of Gold to stay in your inventory as much as possible. Usually the team comps you will find are more ad damage based rather than ap and that is why you get double armor oriented items, though there will be some times the enemy will run an ap based team comp and you will have to swap this for a magic resistance item. Oh and never forget the active, try to stay in the middle of the enemy team when using it so that you hit as much of them as possible, it will give your team a huge advantage in a team fight. |
This shall be bought instead of Randuin's Omen if the enemy team is very AP heavy (e.g.: Rumble top, Diana jungle, Gragas mid). When I explained Force of Nature I explained why I get that item and not this one. |
I rarely get this item on Skarner as the utility you get from Frozen Heart and Randuin's Omen are way better if you want an armor oriented item. You may want to get this only if their AD Carry (not to mistake with an AD caster like Talon) is berserk mode and brings even you down too fast, the passive will make him kill himself. |
Items Building Order
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In this chapter I will show you the order of items you should follow and I will try to cover as many situations as possible.
Early Items
- philosopher's stone: this should be bought at your first recall; if you started with Regrowth Pendant then it will be easy to get the money for it but if you started with Boots then you will probably have to farm a bit more;
- Boots: I like to have the money for both this and my philosopher's stone at my firt recall, this will help you with your ganks and your clearing speed;
- Heart of Gold: this shall be bought before upgrading your boots, having double gp10 will put much more presure on lanes as they will know you don't have to be constant farming now;
- Mobility Boots: geting these as early boots will make your ganks so strong it is not even funny, if you find yourself ganking alot then don't hesitate on buying them, they really work well; remember to sell them in late game because you will need the Mercury's Treads tenacity and MR more at that stage;
- Mercury's Treads: they do not make your ganks as strong as Mobility Boots do but they will still help you keep up with your enemies;
- Shurelya's Battlesong: this should be you first major item no matter what, the active will help your ganks by a ton and will give you nice stats for a deccent price
- Aegis of the Legion: I tend to get this immediately after my Shurelya's Battlesong because it supports your team against the enemy damage;
- Frozen Heart: the first part you buy of this is the Glacial Shroud because it gives you the armor and CDR you need; usually you build this as soon as possible;
- Force of Nature: in case the enemy AP carry is fed you should rush this and you can just leave the Glacial Shroud unfinished;
- Randuin's Omen: if the enemy physical damage dealers are becoming too much of a problem and you can't stand in front of their damage it would be a good idea to leave Negatron Cloak unfinished and start building this; in a standard case you would leave this to the last item place as Frozen Heart gives you enough armor and you want Heart of Gold to stay in your inventory as much as possible;
- Banshee's Veil: well if they are so AP heavy and Force of Nature was not enough then buy this after fnishing the Frozen Heart
Example's of finished builds order
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Items You Should Never Buy
Guardian Angel
You are the tank, you want to be focused, you should not be afraid of death, do you see any kind of contradicition between your role and this item?
Guinsoo's Rageblade
If you want a damage item it is best to get one that packs some survivability with it. This item is just not a top chice on Skarner.
Warmog's Armor
As I said earlier, resistances dominate over HP when it comes to Skarner because you want your W to last as long as posible. Geting this is not optimal.
Wriggle's Lantern
A bad item for Skarner, the only good stat for you is the armor but... meh. If you plan to buy it you will delay your gp10 items and you are not fully auto attack based thus meaning it is not as efficient on you as it is on say.... Master Yi.
Like everybody I was curious and I tested him, extremely fun to see how people in blind pick can't bring you down because of the shield and the heal. But you will want not to try this in serious games.
RECOMMENDED Summoner Spells
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I take Flash on every champion I play. It helps you escape from very bad situations, chase enemies, as they will usually have a flash you must be able to keep up with them. |
VIABLE Summoner Spells
Another spell that can help you escape and chase, maybe you can also use it so you can drag opponents with your Impale a longer distance. I personally prefer Flash. |
A fine spell, a well placed exhaust can shut down their ad carry, but I think that the support on your team should pick up this rather than you. |
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As a jungler probably the thing you will hate the most is when you come to a lane and wait in the brush but the enemy laners just stay near their turret not leting you to gank them and wasting time. Laners are aware that they are always in danger of being ganked and the way they will prevent this will be buying sight ward and Vision Ward. These things save lives but you will not like them when they save the lives of the enemy champions. Sometimes you will get not be able to gank any lane because the enemy team is warding like crazy and has very good map vision. So, what can you do in this situation? Here is where Oracle's Elixir kicks in. This will let you see enemy wards thus letting you to eliminate them and giving you an easier time with ganking. Oracle's Elixir is extremely useful to have in your team set up, but can end up being a complete waste of money if purchased by the wrong person at the wrong time
WHO SHOULD TAKE ORACLE'S ?
- The support can take oracle's in order to have control over the bot lane but this will make his life more precious and probably he won't sacrifice himself to save the ad carry anymore.
- I consider that the jungler must be the one getting the early Oracle's Elixir because he is the one that will roam through the whole map and he will be able not only to eliminate enemy vision from bot lane but on all lanes and even jungle.
- However when team fights start occuring and the support will start roaming with the team he should be the one to buy Oracle's Elixir as you will need the money for your build.
- you are doing well and have advantage over the enemy jungler
- you are sure that you are not in danger of dying any soon
- the enemy team's vision over the map is giving your team trouble
- a lane where the enemy laner dominates is always warded
- taking an early dragon so the enemy team will not even know you are doing it
- you want to counter jungle hard and the enemy has warded it's jungle
- the enemy team has champions that use stealth ( Twitch, Talon, Akali etc.)
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Now about early Oracle's Elixir. Junglers these days do not tend to get Oracle's Elixir early game but it is sometimes a good choice. For example an early Oracle's Elixir used to deward the bot lane will give you a huge advantage as ganking bot lane when they have no ward is easy.
The trick with Oracle’s is to get your monies worth, it is a calculated risk you have to make if you are contemplating buying one early game.
- go to wolves and wait till they spawn, ask for help in killing them
- go to blue buff and ask for a leash and your top laner shall help you kill it, use Smite
- go to wraiths camp, kill them by spamming Q and W
- go to wolves camp, kill them
- go to double golems camp, kill them
- go to red buff, use Smite, kill them
- now you choose what you want to do, you can start ganking, you can counter jungle or you can recall
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As a jungler you will have to do more than just farm and gank. You must have control over you jungle thus implying the Blue and Red Buff. In this chapter I will show you what you must know about them when jungling as Skarner.|
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Blue Buff
Spawn Time: 1:55
Respawn Time: 5:00
Duration(without Runic Affinity ): 2:30
Duration(with Runic Affinity ): 3:00
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This buff is very important for your mid laner, it will allow him to spam his skills without worrying about runing out of mana(there are exceptions like Vladimir and Mordekaiser). After taking the first one you must give every one after to your mid laner as you will no longer need it due to philosopher's stone (but you will no longer be able to spam your Crystalline Exoskeleton because it will make you run out of mana fast). Remember that it should respawn at about 7:00. You must always know when it will respawn so that the enemy jungler won't take advantage of you being late there and stealing it. You can also try to invade the enemy jungle with your laners trying to steal their blue buff if you are sure about the time it will respawn.
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Red Buff
Spawn Time: 1:55
Respawn Time: 5:00
Duration(without Runic Affinity ): 2:30
Duration(with Runic Affinity ): 3:00
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This buff will help your ganks as it has an on hit slow effect. Some jungler don't have any ganking mechanism without this (e.g.: Master Yi). You still have your perma slow but this will help you apply it easier. Also you must know that some junglers are low on health while taking this buff so you can try to steal their buff with Smite then go for the kill. Some may even try to apply this method on you so you must be sure that you are not getting camped by moving in the brush when killing the Lizard. I am not sure if the slow from this buff and your Q stack. You will want to take the red buff whenever it spawns but in late game give it to your ad carry to help him kite the enemies.
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The global objectives are the Dragon and Baron. These mobs are found on the river and on being killed they give gold to every member of the team that has made the killing blow.||
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Dragon
Spawn Time: 2:30
Respawn Time: 6:00
Gold: 190 (+ 25 for killer)
Experience: 400 to nearby allies
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Dragon is found between mid lane and bot lane. It should ALWAYS be warded by the support on bot lane. This is when you should plan on killing it:
- enemy bot lane has recalled
- enemy jungler is too far away to get there in time
- enemy team has no vision over it
- you have won a team fight and you are healthy enough to take dragon
- your top laner came to help thus making it a 4v5 if they want a fight
In your whole team you are the one that is expected to steal dragon if the enemy team is about to kill it as you are the one that has Smite.
You must always know the respawn time of it and try to take it out as soon as it spawns, one dragon kill will not make a huge difference but stacking them can give you the advantage.
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Baron Nashor
Spawn Time: 15:00
Respawn Time: 7:00
Gold: 300 (+ 25 for killer)
Experience: 900
Buff Duration: 4:00
- the enemy team is not in the position to start a fight with you(e.g.: their ad carry is on bot lane)
- you won a team fight with more than half health(baron deals very much damage)
- enemy team has no vision on it and you can kill it fast enough
Here I will show you two ganking methods that should work when a straight forward gank won't.(paint FTW)
Round Turret Gank: river warded
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In case of the river being warded you will have to find another way of entering in the lane, this routes should do the trick, remember that you may take some turret shots so you better be sure that you can tank them."
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Ninja Gank: lane pushed
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Sometimes you will find that your laners have pushed the minion wave and you don't want to risk a dive on the enemy. The ninja gank implies that the enemy doesn't know that you are in the brush and you have to wait there for an occasion to attack. This gank can not be used for mid lane. The following image implies that you are on the blue team."
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Akali
A very mobile champion that can juke you forever if the player is smart. Ganking her might be a real pain as she can turn invisible with Twilight Shroud and that will even slow you. Whatever, Oracle's Elixir will counter her hard, she won't be able to hide anymore and will be an easy gank. |
This is another hard gank. His Rupture must be avoided at all costs as it will give him plenty of time to run away from you. Oh so you did manage to come close to me? Well I will just Feral Scream you so you can't use any skills. Also he has the highest potential to reach ridiculous amounts of hp due to his ultimate (except Sion of course who has unlimited potential). Only tip I can give to you when ganking this guy is to avoid Rupture, in rest there is not much I can tell. |
Darius
A highly over rated champion in my opinion. The idea of playing Darius is that if you enter in a battle you must win it or there is no escape as he doesn't have much mobility that is why he is a good duelist. Ganking him must be easy for you as long as one of you don't die in the process, never forget that true damage from Noxian Guillotine especialy if you see that he was able to somehow stack Hemorrhage on you. |
Fiora
This should not be a hard gank. Her only escape tool is Lunge but she can cast it only on enemies so it will be hard for her to use this to actually escape a situation. Remember that you must not turret dive her unless you are sure that you can kill her instantly, she will just use her Blade Waltz and become untargetable while dealing you huge amounts of damage, that plus the turret aggro will put you in a nasty situation. A trick that you can use is when she uses her ult move towards your turret so she will be in a bad position at the end just like Master Yi's Alpha Strike. |
Gangplank
This is another champion that can make you waste your ultimate. His Remove Scurvy will clear any crowd control effect form him and heal him. To gank him you must make him use Remove Scurvy before using your ultimate as it is on a long cool down. If you get to apply the slow from Crystal Slash on him he will have 2 choices, die or use Remove Scurvy. After he had used Remove Scurvy just Impale him and it's over. So basically you will try not to gank him before level 6. |
Jax
Jax has some nice tricks up his sleeve and he is not afraid to use them. He can escape from alot of ganks just by using Leap Strike on a friendly unit so keep that in mind. Remember that you must keep a bit of distance from him when he activates Counter Strike as he will stun everything in melee range. I tried Impale on a Jax when he had Counter Strike activated, the result was him getting surpressed an me still getting stunned. A smart jax will probably always keep a ward in his brush so he can Leap Strike to it. He is a medium difficulty gank if I had to rate him. |
Jayce
A very flexible champion. He will usually be seen as a jungler, ad carry, top laner altough I saw him sometimes going mid and he did really well. Ganking him well be a bit hard as he can jump to you, slow you, knock you back then escape through his gate with huge MS. You will want your top laner to try and first make Jayce burn his gate for harass and then go in as he has low chances to escape when his gate is on cooldown. He will build tanky when going top so you may not always kill him when ganking but hopefully you can make him recall and give your laner an advantage. |
Kayle
Got to hate them kiters. Kayle has an MS buff and a slow wich is more than enough for her to stop you from getting in range to do anything. Against her it is best to have a laner with some kind of CC like Irelia's Equilibrium Strike that will give you enough time to get to her, after geting in melee range it will be hard for her to escape. Note that Intervention only ignores damage so never hesitate from using Impale. |
Kennen
The stun king, or queen, I am not sure about his gender. He is a good choice for both mid and top lane. Your top laner may have a hard time laning against this guy as he uses energy. Also you may have a hard time to gank him because his Lightning Rush will give him ridiculous amount of MS. Also after getting to level 6 it will be so much easier for him to stun you during your gank as you have to be in melee range in order to do anything. You can profit if he makes the mistake to use Lightning Rush for farming and go in right away as most Kennen players max it last and it will have a 10 second cooldown. |
Malphite
Malphite has 2 skills that may help him escape a gank, first is his Seismic Shard wich you will have to make him somehow use it on you laner rather than you because usually you will have higher MS than you laner, second is his Unstoppable Force,while a great initation skill it can be also used in escaping purposes. He is hard to bring down because he will naturally build armor. Early ganks will have a higher chance of succes but if you do burn his utlimate it is not a failed gank as you will have a 130 seconds window when he is more vulnerable to being ganked. |
Mordekaiser
Mordekaiser is an easy beasy straight forward gank. He has 0 mobility and you should be able to gank him easily. Gank him all day if you want, if he starts warding just get an Oracle's Elixir and start ganking again. Some things to remember when ganking him would be that his ultimate, Children of the Grave, will give him a good chunk of health back and that he can bring you down fast if you are low on health using his combo(especially if he has got ignite). |
Nasus
Nasus is a mid difficulty gank. His Wither is a single target slow that will mostly bring either you or your laner at great distance away from him. Also his ultimate Fury of the Sands gives him tremendous amounts of hp making him even harder to kill. He is very farm dependant and will hardly get any kills in lane, just like you he shines in late game. Be sure to shut him down early so he can't free farm his Siphoning Strike. |
Olaf
This guy will mostly be seen in the jungle, but there are times when he will decide to go top lane so you must know how to gank him. Olaf has very high early game damage so try not to gank him when you are low, belive me, it is humiliating to die while ganking... You might think that his Ragnarok makes him imune to any kind of gank after level 6 but it is all a matter of timing. Tell your top laner to announce you when Olaf had burned his ultimate and he will be an easy gank overall. You might try to dodge his Undertow while ganking as it has a slow animation. |
Pantheon
A rather easy gank. His only choices will be to stun you with Aegis of Zeonia thus letting him vulnerable to your laner. He will most probably devastate your laners early game so you will have to do an early gank on him in order for your laner to gain the advantage. After level 6 he has his ultimate, you must not use Impale when ganking him unless your are one hundred percent sure that his Grand Skyfall is on cool down or if you are sure that you will be able to take him down fast, he can use his ult for escaping so it will be best to keep Impale to interrupt his channeling. |
Poppy
This one is hard to gank. She is just so tanky. You will want to try to gank her before level 6 and give you top laner an early advantage. When ganking her before level 6 remember that her Heroic Charge will stun you if you collide with any wall. After level 6 she is a real pain, if she will use her ult on the top laner when you gank not that you will not be able to deal any damage to her, you even won't be able to Impale her. So just try to establish an early advantage for your laner as ganking her after level 6 is near to impossible. |
Rengar
I had the chance to meet him alot of times and he is not a very hard to gank champion. One common mistake you may make is when you see him entering in the brush you go towards his turret to intercept him, no, while in the bush he can jump to you and then he will slow or even root you in place thus giving you low chances to catch him anymore. After level 6 he really is not a problem to gank, just buy orcale's elixir to counter his ultimate, at this point he can not risk anymore getting in your melee range as he will get an Impale in his face. I suggest not trying pre level 6 ganks and insisting on ganks after level 6. |
Rumble
This is probably one of the most dangerous to gank champions. His aoe ult can melt down both your laner and you. He has an MS boost making him even harder to gank. I play him and I can tell you that it is somehow easy for him to turn a gank on him into a double kill. You must be careful, after he landed The Equalizer your priority will be not to stay on the damaged surface. Do not even think to go in when you are low on health. But if you can get to Impale him without taking much damage you should be able to kill him. When fighting 2 v 1 with him remember that one of you should stay in his back and one of you in front as his Flamespitter damages only in front of him. |
Shen
Some people consider him a jungler but he definitely belongs to top lane IMO because of his crazy sustain and ability to set up ganks and because of the energy system of course. About ganking him, you will almost surely not be able to kill him in one gank as his Shadow Dash makes him very slippery and he is mostly built as a full tank. From ganking him I wouldn't expect much kills but consider trying to put pressure on him so your top laner can have the advantage over him and deny his farm. His ultimate Stand United can be used for excaping although since the last nerf it has a huge cooldown, you can use Impale to interrupt chaneling and this would be the best choice as him teleporting to an unexpecting lane may result in a kill for the enemy team. |
Singed
Ganking this guy as Skarner is your worst nightmare. Biggest troll champion in game. He can slow you, fling you towards his turret, and worst of all he can abuse your weakness(kiting). Do never chase this guy, his Poison Trail will melt your hp down. I may even say that ganking him is almost impossible with Skarner because Singed is one of the best kiters in game thus not letting you to get in melee range. |
Swain
Swain can choose to go either mid or top. When ganking him it is best for your top laner to have ignite so you can stop his heal from Ravenous Flock. Also you must be sure that you avoid being caught in his Nevermove because it does what it's name says, you will not be able to move thus bringing down the chances to succed that gank near to zero. He is beefy but main problem when trying to bring him down will we his health regeneration. |
Teemo
I see Teemo going more often top lane rather than AD Carry or mid. Ganking him will make you hate him forever. Before level 6 he is very annoying with his Move Quick not allowing you to get into range to do anything, also if he notices you ganking too early he will enter in his brush and when you come after him.... POOF! Teemo is gone, thank you camouflage. After level 6 you may want to not even try, he will have his shrooms all around the lane making it impossible for you to not be observed by him. The only thing I can suggest you is to insist on an early gank because he is a squishy and if you get to slow him he is almost one hundred percent dead. |
Tryndamere
Tryndamere has an horrible early game and it will be easy for your top laner to manipulate his lane. Making an early gank on him can totally give the advantage to your laner. After level 6 it will depend on how your top laner knows to use his Ignite, this skill when applied well will kill Tryndamere right after Undying Rage effect will end. I consider him a mediocre champion at higher skill level play so I don't think there is anything else to explain. |
Vladimir
This dude is an ******* when it comes to ganking him. He can become untargetable with his Sanguine Pool and he will even slow you. If he has Ghost as summoner spell you may want to not even try. NEVER dive him unles he is a guaranteed kill, his ult will make the turret hit you harder and he can just heal himself using Transfusion. There is a way of ganking him though, run in the lane but keep a bit of distance from him, your top laner must start dealing damage on him, eventually he may use his Sanguine Pool, that's when you go in, wait for him to return in his normal state and he has no more way to escape. So basically try to burn his Sanguine Pool without being slowed as it is on a relative long cooldown. |
Wukong
This monkey will be a tricky gank. Remember that you must NEVER get tricked by his Warrior Trickster. It is pretty obvious when he uses it as no normal player will just stand still while being ganked. If he uses decoy you will have to guess in wich direction he is escaping, he will usually go towards his turret but sometimes that is not the best choice for him. Remember that you can interrupt his Cyclone by using Impale. If you are able stop these two skills from making you fail the gank then he has no more tricks left. |
Yorick
Whenever the enemy Yorick is on the top lane I have to babysit the lane as this guy is just ridiculous and he has no real hard counter. Ganking him is a bit difficult, he will slow you using Omen of Pestilence and eventually he will heal himself from distance using Omen of Famine. If you can get to Impale him it should be alright but the biggest problem will be reaching to him. If you kill him after he had used his ultimate then run away from him as fast as possible because he will seek revenge. |
Ahri
Before level 6 Ahri will not have any way to escape your ganks other than Flash. You can try and gank her and hope for first blood. After level 6 things become more complicated, she gets her Spirit Rush that will make her extremely hard to gank. You must tell to your laner to enter in a fight with her(of course he must be able to take some damage) so that she uses Spirit Rush for offensive reasons, after her first dash you must immediately come in so your laner doesn't lose the fight. After getting to Impale it won't be much of a problem to kill her as she already used her burst. |
Anivia
When ganking Anivia you must keep in mind 3 things. Number one, avoid being stunned by her Flash Frost, it is not that hard to dodge. Number two, you and your mid laner must approach to her in such a way that her Crystallize won't stop you both, ideally you should come from behind. Number three, never dive her when her Rebirth is up as it can be used to bait you then probably you will get counter ganked, but it is on a 4 minute cooldown so this shouldn't be much of a problem. If you can do these 3 things then you are able to gank Anivia succesfully. Remember that a gank on Anivia is a succesful one if you burned her passive, one of her summoner spells, or killed her. |
Annie
Annie has a mid range horrifying burst. Always check if her stun is up, if she has a grey glow around her it means that her next ability will stun her target. She has no escape mechanism so ganking her will not be a problem if you are sure that you and your laner won't be bursted down by her. |
Brand
Brand is the Rumble of mid lane. Ganking him before level 6 is not hard because he has no escape mechanisms but after level 6 a two man gank on him can be deadly as his Pyroclasm can melt down you and your laner. Always be sure to drag him with your Impale close to minions when ganking so his ult won't bounce only between you and your laner. If you survive that then it is all okay, he is squishy and easy to bring down. |
Cassiopeia
She is pretty hard to gank, she has an MS boost, a slow, and an aoe stun. Before level 6 it will be hard for you to gank her so best is not to try too hard. After level 6 remember that her stun is applied only in a cone so you may want to gank as you do with Anivia, you and your laner shall come from different directions so she won't stun you both. Her MS boost and slow are both skill shots so if she is an unskilled Cassiopeia the pre level 6 gank is also a choice. |
Diana
Diana is a very agressive champion that will usually try to bully your mid laner. Luckily for you she is very easy to gank as she has nothing like an escape mechanism and after getting her ult she will like to get in melee range of your laner thus making her very vulnerable to you. She is categorized as a tanky mage but bringing her down is not that hard. She likes to enter in fights with your laner so best for you will be to wait for her to start the battle and come in right away. |
Fizz
Fizz is a very tricky champion and fun to play. His playful/trickster makes him untargetable and will help him escape alot of sticky situations. The only things you should remember when ganking him is trying to avoid Chum the Waters wich is a skill shot that will slow you then knock you into the air, also ideal would be if your laner can burn his playful/trickster thus letting him very vulnerable to ganks for 16 seconds as most Fizz players will max it last. |
Galio
Galio is virtually ungankable. His Bulwark makes him ridiculously resilient, his Resolute Smite will slow you and his Righteous Gust will give him a huge MS boost. He is never to be dived as his Idol of Durand + Bulwark will decimate both you and your laner. If you can actually get to succesfully gank this guy then you are awesome! Probably the only moment he is vulnerable is when he had used Righteous Gust + Resolute Smite for farming but he will usually do this from a safe range. |
Gragas
A popular pick in high skill level play. He has a double Flash with Body Slam and can throw you far away from him with his Explosive Cask. Ganking him will be difficult, you will need to coordinate with your laner, make him burn his Body Slam and immediately go in, if you have good reflexes you can Impale him right when he uses Explosive Cask thus dragging him after you(tested). |
Kassadin
People categorized Kassadin as impossible to gank because of his low cooldown flash, Riftwalk. This is not true, I would say that Gragas is harder to gank. Kassadin doesn't have a huge burst and Riftwalk at level 1 is on a 7 second cooldown so you must wait for him to Riftwalk towards your laner(as he will usually do,thus putting him in a bad position) and there you go in, all he can do now is use his Flash. Together with your laner it should be easy to bring him down. |
Katarina
This is not a hard gank, really. Her Shunpo can be cast only on units, so as long as she is not super cautious and places wards near her turret, she can't escape. Having her burst down you or your mid laner is not a probability as your Impale will interrupt Death Lotus. |
LeBlanc
She is considered the counter to most mages and you will have a hard time ganking her. She likes to kill people in a matter of seconds so you may even be too late to avoid the death of your laner. Ideal against her is to have a beefy laner on your side (like Swain, Vladimir, Morgana) that is able to survive her burst, because you just can not gank her while Distortion is up. If you can arrive at the right time she is an easy squishy target, her passive Mirror Image will make a clone of her, making the difference between them is easy, the clone doesn't deal any damage and there are some bad LeBlanc players that will not even move it, also if LeBlanc has any buff / debuff on her (ignite, blue buff etc.) the clone won't. |
Lux
Another champion that excels at kiting... bad news for you. Lux will usually keep distance from her targets that making it harder for you to catch her out of position. Light Binding must be dodged as it will mostly ruin your gank, seriously it is not hard to dodge that. The real problem is Lucent Singularity, this will slow you and won't let you get to her easily, for ganking her you will have to rely on your laner applying his CC on her(or sometimes she will choose to slow your mid laner instead of you). After geting to her it is easy to bring her down. |
Malzahar
Malzahar has nothing like an escaping tool so ganking him is not hard. You can even try an early gank on him if you feel confident enough. After level 6 you will want your laner to enter in a fight with him, at the moment he uses Nether Grasp you just come in and Impale him, this will stop his damage and most probably will be a succesful gank. |
Xerath
Xerath is most known for his ridiculous range, thus making the probability of catching him in a bad position very low. He is vulnerable when he uses locus of power, use that to your advantage, go right in when he uses it. Whilst a good Xerath won't usually be in bad positions you can punish him really hard if he does, no escape mechanisms make him an easy target. |
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MORE TO COME SOON
(the ratings in this section have been taken from here
Counter jungling is an important aspect of the game, succesfully counter jungling can set the enemy jungler behind and give you a huge advantage. Also with proper camp timing you can also give an advantage to your mid laner(a mid laner that has blue buff has the advantage of being able to spam his skills), or stealing red buff can negate the ganking potential of some junglers.
These are some situations when counter jungling is safe:
- you know exactly where the enemy jungler is
- you are a stronger duelist than the enemy jungler and the enemy laners are under too much pressure to help their jungler
- your laners come to help you steal a buff (this obviously won't happen with small camps)
- you have warded the enemy jungle
- you don't know where the enemy jungler is
- the enemy jungler is a better duelist than you
- you are a bit behind (low on farm/level)
- the enemy laners are missing
- the enemy has very good vision over the map
- the enemy jungler is rarely coming out of his jungle and likes to farm
- the enemy jungler has one of the top clearing speeds in game
Also an important factor of counter jungling is first to know what your jungler can do, and what the enemy jungler can do. Here are the ratings of Skarner from 1 to 10:
- Speed: 7
- Sustain: 7
- Ganking: 7
- Deflecting Counter Jungling: 7
- Counter Jungling: 8
- Late Game: 10
Alistar
Speed: 6
Sustain: 5
Ganking: 10
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 4
Counter Jungling: 6
Late Game: 6
Alistar is more of a gank oriented jungler. He can knock you laners into the air and then knock them towards his turret. He is not the best when it comes to clearing but he is not that bad either. If you want to really give him a hard time you can invade the enemy blue buff because he really needs it before getting the philosopher's stone (remember to let a ward at your own blue buff so if they attempt to steal it you can trap them there). Rush your level 6 and hope that your laners know what they are doing and can avoid an early gank.
Amumu
Speed: 5
Sustain: 4
Ganking: 6
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 2
Counter Jungling: 3
Late Game: 10
Amumu is not that hard to deal with. If the laners know how to position he won't be able to land his Bandage Toss. Also stealing this little mummies blue buff will hurt him, alot. He won't be able to keep his Despair on and will not be able to recover easily. Don't be afraid of an 1 v 1. If he lands his Bandage Toss it is a very dangerous situation indeed but if he fails this the whole gank is over. You will have to try hard and set him behind because if you let him farm and get assists from ganks he will be one heck of an annoying initiator in late game.
Dr Mundo
Speed: 10
Sustain: 6
Ganking: 5
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 8
Counter Jungling: 10
Late Game: 7
When having Mundo as the enemy jungler you will want to concentrate more on ganking than farming as he is one of the best thieves in game. Your ganks are way better than his as all his ganking tools is his Infected Bonesaw. You will want not to duel him especially after hitting level 6 as his Maximum Dosage will always turn the tides of the battle in his favor. He is strong in early game in mid game and in late game. My best advice is not to enter in his jungle until you are totally safe. Mundo doesn't need that much blue buff nor red buff as his slow from Infected Bonesaw is enough and he doesn't use mana so you can't really counter his jungle hard.
Hecarim
Speed: 6
Sustain: 5
Ganking: 5
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 6
Counter Jungling: 5
Late Game: 4
Hecarim is not that good at any aspects of jungling. All he can bring to a gank early game is a high cool down knock bank and really not that much damage. If you can deny him the ganks then he will no longer be able to asist his team. The biggest mistakes you can make are giving him free kills and underestimate his power if he gets fed, really he snowballs very hard and it will be hard to bring him down anymore after geting his items.
Jax
Speed: 6
Sustain: 1
Ganking: 4
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 5
Counter Jungling: 4
Late Game: 8
Jax is more of a hyper carry that can clean up team fights in late game. Early game he is very vulnerable to invades as he will get very low if he tries to take his red buff, you can profit from this by going to his red buff and camping there till he gets low enough, steal with Smite and then go for the kill. His early ganks are stronger than yours because of his gap closer + stun but after level 6 his ganking potential doesn't increase with anything while your does. Counter jungling him early is the best choice so he doesn't achieve his full potential too early.
Lee Sin
Speed: 8
Sustain: 10
Ganking: 8
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 10
Counter Jungling: 9
Late Game: 5
Lee Sin is great at every aspect of jungling, his clearing speed, his sustain, his ganking potential. Do not try to counter jungle him untill you are totally safe and ward your own jungle as he has this bad habit of counter jungling. If you and your team can do it through the laning phase without giving them an advnatage then you should be okay because he falls off in late game.
Malphite
Speed: 8
Sustain: 10
Ganking: 5
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 7
Counter Jungling: 7
Late Game: 7
Malphite has very strong clearing speed cause of his aoe damage on hit. Because he naturally builds armor and because of his Granite Shield he is extremely sustained. The problem with Malphite is that his ganks are not that strong. If you want you can be a bit relaxed with him and just farm yourself up for late game. Being too agressive against him may sometimes end bad(e.g.: you counter jungle him, because of his superior clearing speed he will most probably find you and make it hard for you to escape).
Maokai
Speed: 6
Sustain: 2
Ganking: 10
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 4
Counter Jungling: 4
Late Game: 2
This guy has probably the strongest ganks in game. A thing you must know is that he lacks the DPS needed to take out big camps so you can go straight into his jungle after taking the blue buff. You can 1 v 1 him anytime but him seeing you in his jungle is not good as he will make enough time for the laners to come and aid him in killing you. Remember that his snare is a great initiator for team fights, but with good reflexes, the targeted person can flash away thus bringing him in the back of the fight and his whole team exposed.
Nautilus
Speed: 3
Sustain: 5
Ganking: 10
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 3
Counter Jungling: 1
Late Game: 9
Nautilus, or you may call him the king of CC, has extremely potent ganks and will be a major problem in late game team fights. His clearing speed is not good so you can try some early camp steals. The main problem with Nautilus are his ganks, he has a pull back, a root in place, a slow, and a knock up. Your team must have vision over the map because you must know what he is planing and always be ready for a counter gank.
Nocturne
Speed: 8
Sustain: 7
Ganking: 9
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 8
Counter Jungling: 7
Late Game: 8
Nocturne and you are somehow even matches. You both have high clearing speeds and very strong ganks. Some tips that you should remember are: when he uses his ultimate, Paranoia communicate with your team through pings so you can know wich lane he is ganking; never use Impale when he turns his Shroud of Darkness on; Nocturne can recover well from being counter jungled but he may get squishier so check his items, he may actually be easy to bring down.
Nunu
Speed: 3
Sustain: 6
Ganking: 5
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 4
Counter Jungling: 5
Late Game: 5
Nunu & Willump has a very fast initial clearing speed because of his Consume, this skill will make him a major threat throughout the whole game because it makes it very easy for him to steal baron/drake when he can deal 1770 instant true damage. He can not really take you in a 1 v 1 but he will still try to counter jungle you so best is to put some wards at you jungle entrances. His ganks are kinda strong after level 6 because of his ultimate, remember that you can interrupt this ultimate with Impale but in late game team fights it should be somebody else to interrupt Absolute Zero.
Olaf
Speed: 9
Sustain: 4
Ganking: 6
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 5
Counter Jungling: 5
Late Game: 4
Olaf will get very low at his first clear around red buff, you can profit from this. Avoiding his ganks are all about dodging his Undertow. You shall never use Impale on him unless you are 100% sure that Ragnarok is on cooldown. You can counter jungle him as he needs alot of farm for the late game but remember that he has a high clearing speed so you better make sure that you are safe, if you can negate his farm and kills then he won't be able to just go directly to your carry and desroy him.
Shyvana
Speed: 10
Sustain: 9
Ganking: 1
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 9
Counter Jungling: 10
Late Game: 8
Jungling against her is very similar to Dr. Mundo. Trying to counter jungle her is just...wrong. Not that she has such a high speed that you most probably won't find anything but if she finds you then you are screwed as she is one of the best duelists in game. Her ganking is very weak and she will mostly pick Exhaust for this, the best against her is to try and win the lanes instead of the jungle.
Trundle
Speed: 7
Sustain: 8
Ganking: 8
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 10
Counter Jungling: 7
Late Game: 6
Sadly Trundle is and under played champion, but I consider him a very good jungler. Against him you may want not to try to counter jungle him because his speed is pretty decent and his sustain is better than yours, and if he sees you in his jungle this is what will happen, he will debuff you, buff himself and deal alot of damage so really, do not do it unless you are sure that you are safe. His gank rely on his Pillar of Filth but even if he can't land it he has a huge MS boost with constaminate. Try to not team fight in tight spots and never stay in his Contaminate.
Udyr
Speed: 10
Sustain: 10
Ganking: 2
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 9
Counter Jungling: 9
Late Game: 8
Udyr is a hard match up for you. While in Wingborne Storm he has a very fast clearing speed and his Iron Mantle gives him alot of sustain. Mostly you will try to win lanes as he has not the best gank, all he will do is run in, throw his stun. His weakness is also kiting so your laners should be able to escape from him if they ward properly. You will want not to enter in many 1 v 1 fights with him. If you can win the lanes his farm won't matter anymore in late game.
Warwick
Speed: 5
Sustain: 8
Ganking: 6
Deflecting Counter Jungling: 3
Counter Jungling: 2
Late Game: 9
This guy has crazy sustain in the jungle. He usualy is build as a health shreder so you shall stack some early MR but he can be built many other ways too so be sure to check his items and see what he is building. His pre level 6 are horrible, abuse this, gank as much before level 6 so he has to keep up. But, after he reaches level 6 his ganking potential greatly increases (just like you) but I consider that you will still be the better ganker as his surpress is just 0.05 seconds longer and you can displace your target and still move, while he can't. Whenever you see Blood Scent active on you and you are low get outta there as fast as possible, because he is coming for you. You are definitely faster at clearing the jungle as his clearing is based on auto attacks. So consider counter jungling him.
Here is an image that will let you understand:
- Red Dots: Critical points that should always be warded, usually the Dragon will be warded by your bot lane but do not expect him to ward baron since he is too far away and will loose time. The baron ward can be put both by the solo laners and you.
- Yellow Dots: These wards are placed in order to protect the laners from ganks. Sometimes somebody will not want to leave his lane and will tell you that he needs a ward, these are the places you should ward.
- Green Dots: Ward these if you are getting counter jungled so you laners will know when somebody tries to steal your buffs and come to help.
- Blue Dots: These are the places you should ward if you are going for an agressive style and want to steal the enemy buffs whenever they spawn. Note that it is possible for the enemy jungler to know when these buffs spawn and he may request help from laners to kill you if he sees you trying to steal his buff so I suggest not going alone.
- notice how he is able to effectively use the fog of war so they don't see him before it's too late
- the guy in the video uses Ghost instead of Flash as summoner spell, it is a good choice as I said earlier but a Flash over the wall could have closed the gap immediately
- his target is Vayne, the ad carry, such a great initiation shall never be wasted on a bruiser/tank
If you had success with this guide I would love some screenshots of your games posted in the comment section.
I would also appreciate suggestions for the Match Ups and Ganking chapter as I may not remember all of them.
Thanks to jhijhoi's Making A Guide guide and for her awesome line separators.
Thanks to IceCreamy's How to use columns guide.
Thanks to League Wiki for their useful information.
Thanks to effinvices for the banners.
Thanks to CorruptSoul for helping me with the layout.
Thanks to the people who give me constructive reviews on this guide.
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