This is my first guide for my all-time favorite League champion ... the one and only rock, Malphite. I take him jungle all the time and thus, a jungle guide.

I think my runes are fairly standard for any jungler. Greater Mark of Desolation, Greater Seal of Armor (EXCEPTIONALLY good on Malphite because of Ground Slam), Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist for those pesky mages, and Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed. Some people go different quints, but personally, I find the runes that scale into late game far more beneficial. On top of that, clearing jungle faster, ganking faster, escaping (wait, nevermind, they're dead...)

I can hear some people already ... Mobility Boots? On your first trip back?? Short answer: yes. Every. Single. Time. Why? Because getting around is far more important that clearing jungle quicker when you're level 5 or 6.

Start with Cloth Armor + 5 health pots. With the runes/masteries I listed, you don't even need 5 pots. I find I have 1-2 left by the time I head back, but if you need to cover a lane that's getting hammered, the extras are nice.

Like I said above, when you head back at about level 5 1/2, you'll have at least 1000 gold, more if you got first blood after getting red (more on that below). 1000 gold = Mobility Boots.

After that, finish Wriggle's Lantern(Armor? Check. AD? Check. Wtf-where-those-creeps-go? Check.) Again, standard jungling attire.

Next, probably another 'what are you thinking': Get Ionic Spark. Seriously. Malphite has one of the best steroids in the game with his Brutal Strikes. Add in 110 damage every 4 attacks with Ionic Spark and you have some SERIOUS damage. Generally, people ignore Malphite when he uses Unstoppable Force because, generally, people build him pure tank. Dumb. Stupid. Not how he was designed. He was the epitome of tanky-dps before everyone could be tanky dps with Atmogs. Make them want to focus you because you're dealing insane AoE damage ... get Ionic Spark. Oh, and it makes his passive better too.

At level 11, you'll be hitting for a 300 Unstoppable Force + 300 Ground Slam (conservative estimate) + 110 damage Ionic Spark on top of a cleaving attack. Opponents will melt.

Finally, Sunfire Aegis, an item made with Malphite in mind. AoE damage and survivability that synergizes with Granite Shield and Ground Slam. Sometimes I don't even get to finish this because the game is over.

I used to go 21 offensive, but I've changed my tune. This setup works WAY better. All the choices I think are self-explanatory. I skip Honor Guard for Initiator because, as you may be able to tell, I've got a big thing for move speed. That, and Honor Guard kinda sucks. Woo hoo that Veigar 1000 damage Primordial Blast hit me for only 990!... Not worth it.

I take 2 in mana regen and 2 in Swiftness because I like balance, and of course, 1 in Runic Affinity. Keeping that blue for a little longer just means more A WILD MALPHITE APPEARS moments.

Smite: Obvious reasons.

Ignite: I know Flash is considered one of the best Summoner's in the game, but I don't like it on Malphite. First, he's pretty easy to go OOM. If you need to Flash to get off that last Seismic Shard, something went wrong. On top of that, the reduction in healing I find far superior. I've never had many "damn I wish I had Flash" moments. I have many more "glad he couldn't heal" moments.

Ground Slam IS your jungling move. Aoe damage and the creeps don't hit as often. Vundebar. There is some give and take with the skill sequence, though. Sometimes I'll take another rank of Ground Slam or maybe get Seismic Shard to lvl 2 if I'm about to gank. It's really reading into the game at the moment. Rank 2 Seismic Shard is ALL I get until end game though. You don't need more, you don't have AP, it's not a nuke, it's simply a "stick to them" tool. At level 2 its a 17% slow (and +17% for you). The next 3 ranks only get that 9% higher .. hardly noticeable imo. It's great for laning harass, but when you're ganking, you *shouldn't* need more than 1 anyways.

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Start at Blue. Get a leash if you can (most players are willing nowadays) and Ground Slam. Try and hit all 3. Sometimes those little guys squirt out to the side and aren't in the AoE, but you can finish them off later. Smite when it'll kill him, should net you around 75 gold (+10 from Imp. Smite).

WAIT for your shield to replenish. I know it's annoying at times, but it saves you from using another pot. Kill wolves, move to Wraiths. Always focus the big guys first. On Wraiths, 2 small ones will be at less health than the 3rd. Auto attack the 3rd after the Blue dies, and your next Ground Slam will kill all 3 and save you .. maybe 2 seconds. Small but meaningful.

Move to Golems. Remember, always pop BS before engaging. At this point you're level 3 and Ground Slam is rank 2. Move to red. Smite should have just come off CD. Same thing as golems, Brutal Strikes, Ground Slam, Smite when low enough. At this point, you need a little more exp to get to 4 and your 1st rank of Seismic Shard. Go back to Wraiths, they have respwaned. They fall quick with both Blue and Red buff. Get Seismic Shard rank 1 and gank either mid or top (if purple team) or mid/bot (if blue team).

If neither are available, roam jungle until you have 1000 gold which should be soon. Getting an assist/kill on 1st gank guarantees that amount. Buy your Mobility Boots.

At this point, it's around 7 minutes and Blue will be back up shortly (around 7:15, depending how quick you killed it). Go get it. This will also get you to level 6 unless something went terribly wrong. Level 6 + any champ at less than full health + teammate who hasn't gone full ****** = kill. Get it.

With Blue Golem and Enlightenment , your ult is around a 90 second cooldown, which means every 90 seconds you have the potential for a kill. However, you NEED to keep going lane to lane. This is why you have Mobility Boots. Get there and save your teammates. A well-placed Unstoppable Force turns 2 kill for them bottom into 2 kills for your team, a 1200 gold swing.

Malphite has one of, if not THE best, initiation skills in the game, Unstoppable Force. Getting off the perfect Unstoppable Force takes practice and is NOT just a click-to-win skill.

When you hit 6 and start your mega ganks, landing Unstoppable Force at the right time is paramount. ALWAYS ping before you gank. By level 6 you have your Mobility Boots so you're running in as fast as Rammus during his Sonic the Hedgehog Powerball. You DO NOT need to Unstoppable Force immediately. Instead, get off a Seismic Shard on whoever you are targeting. This WILL make them burn their escape spell ( Flash, Quickdraw, 90 Caliber Net, Valkyrie, etc). After they burn it, use Unstoppable Force. This knocks them into the air for 1.5 seconds, plenty of time for your teammate(s) to melt them.

If you're worried about a heal, Ignite them while they're in the air. If mana is an issue, use Ground Slam instead of Brutal Strikes. It is your most damaging spell at this point, and it reduces the chance of them turning around and killing your low hp teammate.

In team fights, save Unstoppable Force for that bunched-up moment. You don't need to just bull rush in and hope your teammates follow. Wait for the battle to break out, then use it. You should be able to pop at least two, hopefully three, optimally four, and, if you're just insanely pro, all five. If you can get all five, you win that team fight. It's a collective 7.5 seconds of knockup, unable to be reduced by tenacity.

But I can not emphasize enough, learning when to Unstoppable Force is the key to good ganks vs great ganks. It will either net your team kills or just force them to recall. Get the kills. Learn when to use Unstoppable Force.

Well, that's my first guide for jungle Malphite. Try it out first. I know it seems a little unorthodox with the whole not building tank immediately thing, but between masteries, Greater Seal of Armor, Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist, Wriggle's Lantern armor, Ionic Spark health, Brutal Strikes armor, Ground Slam attack speed reduction, and Seismic Shard slow, you have PLENTY of survivability in the mid game. Late game, build tank ( Sunfire Aegis, Frozen Heart, and Force of Nature are my preferences, trade in Mobility Boots for Mercury's Treads if it gets to that point), but keep the damage high. Fear the rock.

Thanks for reading!