These days I see most people play Rengar top. But Rengar lives in the jungle, and that's why I was determined to prove that Rengar is a fantastic jungler - in fact, in my opinion he one of the the best all around junglers in the game (although not as versatile as some others).

Positives

• Quick jungle clear times that scale very high with items
• Greak counter gank potential with Thrill of the Hunt
• Decent emergency lane coverage with Thrill of the Hunt
• Tough to beat in the jungle due to Unseen Predator
• Good snowball / carry potential
• *INCREDIBLE* lane pushing potential - best in game. Can drop towers in seconds due to Savagery which damages towers and gives a huge attack speed bonus. Can escape easily with Thrill of the Hunt and Ghost.

Negatives

• Rough jungle start - takes skill to get through 1st clear with decent health
• His move speed is slightly below other melee junglers (probably due to the advantage his leap gives), and Madred's Razors is essential for early jungle clear times, so you sacrifice boots and get slower early lane coverage.
• Can be cheesed early if they know your first clear is sketchy.
• Vulnerable to lock down combos - for all intensive purposes, is a glass cannon. Bruiser builds are vulnerable to being shut down by armor.
• No CC except for Bola Strike, however Rengar is a rare case where this usually doesn't really matter. He deals his damage so fast, and so completely out of the blue, that usually you can drop your target before they even have a chance to think about it. Also, usually Rengar is best played defensively. I will totally run offensive plays against a lane with low health champions (including tower dives, which are very practical with Battle Roar, but usually I save Thrill of the Hunt for that counter gank where my team can pick up a triple kill.

Rengar is one of my top choices for jungler, and I think it's clear from my positives list that he has an incredible amount to offer a team, if you have the luxury of being able to pick him. Unfortunately, in solo queue, teams usually have quite a bit of AD and not much in the way of tankiness, so this doesn't happen a lot. Here's some tips on when and when not to pick him:

• You don't want to pick him early because he gets countered hard by high armor champions like Jarvan IV or Rammus. Look for the other team to pick a couple of squishy champions. The ADC is one - if there's a nice and squishy AP mid, or a squishy jungler like Fiddlesticks, go for it.
• Make sure you double check that your team has at least some AP and a tank - if not, there might be better choices for you. In the late game Rengar desperately needs at least one tanky champion to cause confusion so you can jump into the fray without getting steamrolled. That being said, if you get lucky and snowball, it won't really matter much.
• Also be wary of stun lock combos - like many assassin champions that have to build straight damage, Rengar is dependent upon life steal to sustain him when he is carrying. If you get stun locked, your life steal is useless.
• You might also consider passing on him if the other team has a really strong early game jungler like Lee Sin. It's possible to beat Lee Sin, but it's difficult. Even if you beat him when you go 1v1, Lee Sin will have the kind of early gank potential that's going to make your lanes cry while you're slogging it back from base with Madred's Razors. Lee will already have hit 3 lanes.

I want to preface this by saying that generally Rengar can beat anyone in the jungle. It's all about catching them off guard. He has incredible closing / juking potential with his Unseen Predator, and if you can double Savagery and they don't have their cooldowns, chances are they'll run, and you can finish them easily. On the other hand, if they catch YOU at a disadvantage, Rengar will lose almost any matchup - he's all about up front damage, so any champion with a decent kit or sustain will be able to beat him 1v1. Generally, Rengar should be played as a defensive jungler who occasionally makes surgical strike offensive plays, using Battle Roar to absorb tower damage. Try to avoid the enemy jungler altogether, unless you are trying to catch them off guard and counter jungle yourself. Unless the enemy jungler taking your camps is a serious problem, use the time to focus on making plays in lane.

Enemy Junglers

Fiddlesticks - He has the lowest HP in the game, making him the most ideal target for Rengar you can imagine. Early on you should be able to out damage his drain, but be wary once he picks up Spirit of the Ancient Golem. Usually he will fear you during your attack speed bonus, and then you get screwed. However, once you pick up a few items it's possible to practically two shot him. He's especially vulnerable in the jungle when he's just started his drain. Very easy to counter jungle.

Jax - Careful of his stun - if timed properly, it can turn the tide of a fight. Also, run away if he uses his ult - you won't be able to cut through his armor as fast as he will be building attack speed. Your attack speed ramps DOWN, while his ramps UP.

Jarvan IV - Passive Armor Bonus. Early on if Jarvan builds his W you are out of luck. The tide turns if you get more fed than he does and you pick up Black Cleaver, which will make short work of his armor.

Rammus - Need I say anything? If you see him, run. Your damage will hurt you more than it will hurt him. That being said, if he's at low health, by all means double Savagery his *** into the next life.

Udyr - His bear form stun is incredibly annoying, and can be used like every 5 seconds. It's likely he has life steal and some armor, and that plus his shield will out sustain any amount of burst you can deal in an even 1v1 - but even with his stun, in the jungle you should be able to close and finish him if you catch him off guard.

Vi - Tanky / Shield / High Burst. Vi is actually quite a good counter for Rengar. On the one hand, you can totally take her - she does build tanky, but usually it's only HP at the start of the game. On the other hand, when she's attacking you she gets a shield, which makes it hard to burst her down. She can also escape pretty well with her Q. Ultimately it comes down to whether or not she has her ult. If she does, and uses it at the right time, she will trash you, and it's unlikely you can escape. A Vi that counter jungles hard will be one of your toughest matchups.

Volibear - Tough to burst down / High HP Regen. I'm of the opinion that it's best to try to catch Voli early. If you can shut him down in the jungle you can prevent having to deal with his ridiculous sustain. He's really a tough champion to jungle against in general, but if you can stop his strong early game, he'll have a lot of trouble catching up.

Amumu - Builds tanky but starts squishy. Get him early and starve him out.

Elise - Elise is difficult for anyone to take. If you burst her down while her abilities are on cooldown you will be lucky. Otherwise, be prepared to dodge her Cocoon and be able to close on her a second time after she uses Rappel. That being said, she usually is pretty darn squishy, even when built tanky. Low HP, and ultimately her damage fizzles out when she builds straight tank.

Nasus - Very early on you could win, but later his Wither will ruin your attack speed, and he will out sustain you with his passive life steal bonus. That being said, usually Nasus builds magic resistance first (not armor), so definitely look for counter jungle opportunities early game - you should be able to get him if you catch him at a disadvantage.

Nunu & Willump - I hate Nunu. I'm not saying he's a hard match - but I just hate him. Generally just ignore him, unless he's trying to take your jungle camps, and then ruin him with jumps from the bush. Unlike some other junglers, you won't have a stun to interrupt his ult, so try not to stay too close for long. Just move back and forth from the bush landing on him and backing off. You should be able to kite him with Bola Strike.

Zac - Zac deals a lot of damage for a tanky champion, and generally I don't have a lot of success killing him. You can do it, but you will take a lot of damage in the process. If you catch him with a teammate he's toast.

Shyvana - This can be a rough match. Try to get her early - she gets a nice armor bonus from her passive, and this goes up when she uses her ult. If you try to cheese her while she has her ult and you fail, chances are you're dead, cause it's hard to get away from her.

Xin Zhao - Tough to 1v1 - his triple hit combo will keep you from making effective use of your attack speed buff.

Hecarim - A fed Hecarim will be really tanky. Hecarim really shines during team fights because of his sustain with his W. One on one, early game, you should be able to completely destroy him - but he's REALLY vulnerable when he ganks - he won't be able to use his charge to escape. Otherwise, you risk him getting away easily.

Malphite - Not many people still do this. Malphite is *incredibly* slow at jungling. If you every see a Malphite in the jungle just pop his *** at wraiths and laugh. Then watch as his slow scaling makes him the world's worst tank end game.
Maokai - I really don't know.

Trundle - The troll is tough. Just look at his items. You might be able to drop him easy. On the other hand, he can kite you pretty well.

Heimerdinger - Just kidding, Heimer doesn't jungle. Or does he??

Difficult Champions to Gank in Lane

You can either ignore them, or simply not pick Rengar if there's too many of them. However, if the lane doesn't do well, it's going to make things difficult for you. You'd better make plays in other lanes, or it's gonna be a tough game.

• Wukong
• Singed
• Fizz
• Ahri
• Ezreal
• Renekton

Additional Tips

• Rengar has a ridiculous power surge when he can double Savagery. This is obscenely overpowered at around level 3, which means it's exactly the ideal time to cheese the enemy jungler if you manage to get out at decent HPs from your first cycle.
• Things change a lot for you when you get Black Cleaver - reevaluate what you can do against armored champions in a major way once you possess this item.
• A big advantage for you in counter jungling is Unseen Predator. You can use this ability to close again, and again, and again. No cooldown. You can also use it to juke by jumping to a jungle camp. For extra fun, ward a jungle camp so you can jump on it from the other side (!).
• Rengar's true potential only opens up when he has huge attack power. Don't try to build him as a bruiser - he doesn't do enough consistent damage to be worth it in team fights. Think, "I don't need to slow them... if they're already dead!"
• Ultimately you may be disappointed that Rengar can't win 1v1s against the counter jungler more often mid game. Usually that's OK - you can still counter jungle by clearing their jungle camps since Rengar's clear times will scale WAY up. Mid game, try to focus on making plays in lane, and helping your teammates - Rengar may be an assassin, but he's a team champion and excels at defensive plays.

Basically rush The Brutalizer, but you'll need some sustain early, so do it with double Doran's Blade. This helps your attack power, survivability, and sustain, and will be well worth it when you sell them far later in the game.

Later on you want to continue to build his attack power and penetration with Bonetooth Necklace, which, if picked up around level 10 or so is a huge attack power boost for the gold, and then try to get him a little HP with Black Cleaver.

After this, Blade of the Ruined King is really the best, because it both solidifies your ability to push and sustain with its attack speed and life steal, and it gives you an extra slow + damage use ability so that you can continue to blast down champions before they can even think.

You want to keep building attack power, and most importantly armor penetration, as this will make sure his double Q combo continues to hit really hard. In the late game you'll need a bit more HP, so pick the item of your choice that works best.

Basically, prior to level 6 what you want to do is finish your jungle routes so that you have 3 or 4 fury on him. Then, depending on the best route, make your standard gank approach. Lane ganks can be very effective on Rengar because of his passive. You can often manage to pounce from the lane bushes. I do this on bot a lot - wait til the lane is pushed, sneak into the close bot bush, and just wait for the lane to come back. This is great because usually it also coincides with the enemy carry wanting to push back. You wait for that moment, and then...

The Assassinate Combo

1. Initiate gank with a regular right click attack.
2. The moment Rengar lands the first attack hit your Savagery (Q). If you do this right, you should get a one two strike - a basic attack + Savagery.
3. If at 4/5, Immediately ping them with your Bola Strike (E). You should be doing this while you are swinging Savagery.
4. You'll get full fury!! Don't blow it too quick as it can bug out - time it correctly, but make sure you still do it quick. Hit your second Savagery (Q) and strike again. This will be a double damage Savagery, so it should hit them pretty hard.
4.5. If you haven't used Bola Strike, use it now.
5. Hit Battle Roar (W) - this will shield you from damage if you get focused.
6. Stay a step ahead of them, being careful not to get in tower range, and use your basic attacks to finish. If you get a chance pop your Savagery (Q) again to finish.
6.5. (Optional) Use Blade of the Ruined King to finish or gap close again.

Counter Jungling

Usually I check to see if the enemy jungler starts blue or red. Sometimes they will switch it up to confuse you, or invade. Just make sure your team is guarding. If it's a noob jungler, you can do the following:
1. If they start red, either go straight to their blue from your red, or start at their blue and then go to your red.
2. If they start blue, start at their red and then go to your blue.
Always make sure your team helps you scout and avoid embarassing mistakes.

Pushing Lanes

Rengar is incredible at pushing lanes. I would say the only other champion I've seen that comes close is a fed Tryndamere. This is due to the fact that Savagery is a trigger effect - it enhances his basic attack. All that Q damage goes straight onto the turret - and then you get a huge attack speed boost! Later on, after you get Blade of the Ruined King and some decent CDR items you will tear through towers like nobody's business! Then, as the enemy team tries to corner you, you can escape with Thrill of the Hunt and, if necessary, Ghost. How's that for utility in the late game?

Now updated for the third time. I have matured a bit in my understanding of the game. Hopefully this will be a more useful guide, and will make people excited about playing Rengar in the jungle. I'd love to see more good Rengar junglers out there! Tt's too rare.

Thanks, and enjoy!