This guide will cover everything about Jarvan IV, specifically in the mid lane — things like combos, matchups, item pool, and even lore, If this helps you whether it’s with skill order, runes, or anything like that, consider giving it an upvote

Currently, the guide is not complete, I'd say it's only 50% done, but basic things like runes and builds are already here. Give it an upvote and stay tuned for more updates :)

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COMING SOON

Jarvan Lightshield IV or Jarvan IV is the sole heir to the Demacian throne, as his mother died giving birth to him. He was raised to be the ideal successor: disciplined, patriotic, and shaped by the strict, often intolerant worldview that defines the kingdom’s rigid ideals.

He was trained by Xin Zhao, who taught him both combat and strategy, introducing him to philosophy and The Art of War. In his youth, he formed a strong bond with Garen Crownguard, becoming close allies both on the battlefield and within the political sphere of Demacia. When he came of age, Jarvan IV was named a General.

Determined to prove his worth in battle, Jarvan IV led his troops against various enemies, such as raiders from Winter’s Claw and warring tribes. Although successful in his campaigns, he was always surrounded by guards who swore to protect him, which made him feel that his role as a warrior was limited.

When Noxian tribes attacked lands near the Demacia border, Jarvan IV led his forces to defend the homeland. They tracked the Noxians for days, but what they found was far worse than expected. The Noxians destroyed entire cities, killing hundreds of Demacians, and only a few survivors managed to escape to tell the story.

His commanders advised him to retreat and send reinforcements, but Jarvan IV could not turn his back on the faces of the fallen and decided to protect the wounded. Believing that reinforcements wouldn't arrive in time, he took immediate action, splitting his army. Some stayed behind to care for the civilians, while he led the rest against the Noxians. During the night ambush, he was separated from his guards and captured. The prince was taken as a prisoner to Noxus, where he was displayed as a trophy at the Immortal Bastion.

While in captivity, Jarvan IV grew increasingly ashamed of his hasty decision. The defeat devastated him, making him question his ability to rule Demacia or even deserve the throne. But one moonless night, Garen and a group of soldiers known as the Fearless Vanguard attacked the Noxian camp. The distraction allowed Jarvan IV to fight back and escape, although he was injured.

Fleeing through the wilderness, Jarvan IV spent days unsure if he was awake or dreaming. It was then that he was rescued by a woman with purple skin and fiery eyes, a stranger who carried him to a remote Demacian village. There, he was treated by local healers, restoring him to health.

As he recovered, Jarvan IV found peace in the village. For the first time, he felt free from the pressures of the kingdom. It was here that he met Shyvana, a mysterious woman, half-dragon, who had saved him. She was fleeing from her own mother, Yvva, a massive dragon who threatened to destroy everything around her. Jarvan IV not only saw goodness in Shyvana, but also swore to protect her, knowing that together they could defeat the threat of Yvva.

After gathering the villagers and training them for battle, Jarvan IV set up an ambush in the ancient ruins of petricite, a magical material that could weaken the dragon. When Shyvana transformed into a dragon to face her mother, Jarvan IV and the other warriors fought alongside her. The battle was brutal, but with Shyvana's help, the dragon mother was defeated.

With the victory, Jarvan IV realized that the true values of Demacia weren’t just in military victories, but in unity, regardless of differences. He promised Shyvana that she would always have a home in his kingdom, although both knew that magic was still distrusted by the Demacians. Together, they returned to Demacia, carrying the skull of the fallen dragon. Despite some questioning Jarvan IV's decision to recruit Shyvana, he knew she had become an indispensable ally.

Things took a dark turn when his father, King Jarvan III, was assassinated during the uprising that followed Sylas escape. Sylas was a mage who had been imprisoned unjustly by Demacia. With his father gone, Jarvan IV became king during a time of political and civil unrest, now burdened with the responsibility of leading a kingdom torn between tradition and change.

Unlike those squishy little mages, Jarvan has high damage and high durability, making it easy for him to delete most matchups while also roaming freely with Demacian Standard + Dragon Strike. Plus, no one expects a Jarvan IV in the mid lane.

After all:

Is it meta? No.

Is it fun? A Lot.

Can carry? Absolutely.

Pros

Jarvan basic attacks deal bonus physical damage equal to 8% of the target’s current health. This effect can only occur once every 6 / 5 / 4 / 3 seconds per target.

Jarvan extends his lance, dealing 90 / 130 / 170 / 210 / 250 (+145% bonus AD) physical damage and shredding the target’s armor by 10 / 14 / 18 / 22 / 26% for 3 seconds. If the lance hits his Demacian Standard, Jarvan dashes to it, knocking up all enemies in his path for 0.75 seconds. Range: 785 Cooldown: 10 / 9 / 8 / 7 / 6 Cost: 45 / 50 / 55 / 60 / 65

Jarvan summons a protective aegis, slowing nearby enemies by 15 / 20 / 25 / 30 / 35% for 2 seconds. For each enemy champion hit, he gains a shield of 60 / 80 / 100 / 120 / 140 (+70% bonus AD). Range: 600 Cooldown: 9 Cost: 30

Jarvan gains 20 / 22.5 / 25 / 27.5 / 30% bonus attack speed. When activated, he throws a standard to a target location, dealing 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 / 240 (+80% AP) magic damage. Allies near the standard gain the same attack speed bonus for 8 seconds. Range: 860 Cooldown: 12 / 11.5 / 11 / 10.5 / 10 Cost: 55

Jarvan heroically leaps at a target enemy champion, dealing 200 / 325 / 450 (+180% bonus AD) physical damage to them and nearby enemies. Upon landing, he creates an arena of impassable terrain around the target that lasts for 3.5 seconds. Range: 650 Cooldown: 120 / 105 / 90 Cost: 100

Starting with Demacian Standard is a great option for jungle and support, but that’s not the case here. Right now

Starting with Dragon Strike is the best choice for mid lane. Combined with Doran's Blade, it gives you stronger poke and better waveclear at level 1.

Then, focus on E ( Demacian Standard) to enable the E+Q combo, which makes even small trades hit harder.

After that, level up W ( Golden Aegis) to gain better survivability in the late game with the shield


And always remember to prioritize R ( Cataclysm) whenever possible!

COMING SOON

Here are the spells you can use. The Flash rule can always be applied, letting you have an extra spell, like Ignite and Teleport together.		Slot 1		Slot 2
		Depends		Default		Situational

		If you're a beginner with Jarvan IV, always use Flash (on the F key). If you're already experienced with Jarvan IV, you don't really need Flash anymore, since you already know how to use E+Q to quickly escape tough situations.
		Ignite is super important for this Jarvan IV playstyle, you'll be using it in about 90% of your games. It gives you early game pressure and helps secure kills.
		Teleport is for games where you can't pressure early. If you have to take it, don't even think about playing aggressive when your opponent is full HP..
		Cleanse is extremely rare to use, only take it into matchups with heavy CC like Lux, Veigar, Lissandra, and a few others.
		TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT.
		TEXT TEXT TEXT TEXT.

COMING SOON

COMING SOON

Jarvan IV is quite strong in the early game, since he gets access to his combo at level 2 (E + Q), which guarantees engage and damage. This can lead to an early kill or force the enemy to recall, making Jarvan IV a big threat right from the start—especially against squishy mages.

On top of that, roaming with Jarvan IV early is extremely powerful. With Waterwalking, he gains bonus movement speed during roams, helping him rotate faster and spread his lead across the map early on.

what to do?

Just focus on farming while avoiding poke, and poke your opponent using Dragon Strike and Demacian Standard separately. Then, wait for a moment when the enemy wave is small to go in with the E+Q+W combo and try to secure a kill.

Here’s where you take all that early game lead and spread it to top and bot with smart roams. Just don’t leave mid wide open for the enemy to smack your tower.
If you didn’t get a lead early, just farm it out and try to pick off the enemy squishies in teamfights.

COMING SOON

Jarvan IV is usually seen in the jungle, and occasionally as a support. But if you don’t feel like dealing with the stress of playing jungle, mid lane is the best option. He has strong 1v1 potential against mages with his basic combo, and can pull off fast, easy roams.

With a powerful early game, he can shut down the enemy mid laner and start influencing the map quickly.

In the end, it’s your choice:
do you want to get flamed in chat as a jungler, or carry the game from mid?

Mains Jarvan

Ookina


King Nidhogg

Videos

This Is Why Jarvan IV Was My Main! – Road to Top 10 from perryjg

This Is How to PROPERLY PLAY JARVAN IV in HIGH ELO from perryjg

SKT T1 Faker Jarvan IV vs Viktor MID Ranked Challenger Korea

Jarvan IV Mid vs Aurelion Sol - NA Grandmaster

Playlists

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLYnTuLtBXjEIzBcsc1TWv-kGSCnKirl0m

If you read all of this and learned how to play Jarvan IV, I'm truly happy. This guide took a long time to make, I started it on February 10th, 2025, and only finished on ...


some art for the last header was done by @Chongyu_M