You're absolutely right that every jungler can start on either side of the map. So how do I know where they usually start?

Simple I’ve played enough games in every matchup to remember where each champion tends to begin their clear. I learned it by reviewing my own VODs to see which camps different junglers usually start on and i watched a lo Challenger Replays on YouTube to analyze the most common clear paths, studying high Elo OTP players, and most importantly, by testing invades myself against every matchup. After doing it so many times, you naturally start recognizing each champion's most common clear.

Also, getting the kill isn't the most important part of an invade. Sometimes the enemy jungler starts on the opposite side, and that's completely fine. For example, if you steal their Blue Buff, you'll usually take Gromp as well. From there, you have three options:

Option 1: Wait in the bush near Blue Buff. If the enemy jungler shows up, you can kill them.

Option 2: Simply go back to farming your own jungle.

Option 3: No matter what you choose, always place a ward while taking their Blue Buff. That ward tells you whether they're already on Wolves. Then you can recall, buy a Long Sword, and go protect your own Blue Buff. Thanks to your ward, you'll know exactly what the enemy is doing. If they invade your Raptors, you can catch and kill them there after your recall. If they go for your Blue Buff instead, you can kill them there as well since you'll have the item advantage, and you'll often have lane priority helping you too.

The same idea applies when invading Red Buff. After taking it, you can either recall and head back into your own jungle or continue by taking Krugs. Since you placed a ward on the enemy Raptors while invading Red, you'll know exactly where the enemy jungler is. After Krugs, you can either use the Blast Cone to jump onto them at Raptors or wait in the bush on the opposite side of Red Buff and catch them as they path through. The ward gives you all the information you need to choose the better play.


BTW on my YouTube channel, you'll find two videos showing exactly how I invade. You can also stop by my Twitch stream and watch how I approach invades live it's something I do in almost every game and have been doing consistently for the past two years