Jarvan IV is a unique and deadly champion on any field of justice. He is one of the most versatile champions in the game and can support his team in many roles. Either as a jungler, a tanky DPS, or a full tank depending on the team composition and the needs of the other players. Though i usually do not recommend the champion spotlights as a guide to the champion. They are very good at associating a new player with Jarvan. Play Video This video gives a new user some very good examples of jarvan's abilities as well as how they can combine together and with other players.

Jarvan IV Successful Ultimate Kill:

Jarvan IV Using the Q and E combo to pass through terrain:

Pro's

With the first build (anti AD) You will make there ranged AD carry useless. as well as many of there other AD players.

Another pro of this build is the continuous damage that you deal to the enemy team from your Sunfire Aegis and basic attack as well as the speed boost for your team and the double speed reduction from both Randuin's Omen and your Golden Aegis.

In the anti AP build, given as there are not the same variety of AP defense items as there are AD defense this gives you the advantage of Shurelya's Battlesong Unique Active, as well as the opportunity to purchase Aegis of the Legion And act as a partial support for your team by giving them a speed buff as well as an armor and magic resistance boost.

Con's of Jarvan IV

In the early game, with any build you use, Jarvan runs out of mana quickly.

Jarvan your job as a jarvan tank is to take damage from all sources and to protect your teammates. Unless you have Guardian Angel this will usually end up in your death.

As prior mentioned, your life is less important that every other player on your team if your tanking for them.

Flash Is a spell that i use Every game with Jarvan, though he already has his Dragon Strike and Demacian Standard combination i find flash an extremely helpful item to get me away from danger, improve my initiating capabilities, and to get out of my own ultimate in a pinch.


Ghost Is a handy spell to have in any circumstance, it enables either a fast escape or the means to chase down an enemy Champion.

Teleport Is a good and versatile spell, Especially if you are going to be soloing a lane, I would choose this spell every time.

Ignite AND Exhaust are both good summoner spells to have in conjunction with flash, I personally prefer exhaust over ignite purely for its defensive ability to reduce the damage of a champion.

For Jarvan IV i would recommend either the ones i have listed at the top OR:



The one listed in the Third build set centering around mana and health regen as well as cooldown reduction.

What To Consider

Before tanking, preferably in the Game loading screen you should always consider what type of tank you should go. If there team is primarily AD then you should follow the first build, If they are mostly AP then the second, and, if your team already has a full tank such as Malphite or Leona Then you should go as a hybrid damage dealer.

For Tanking against a primarily AD team:

The starting item is always a matter of personal preference but i prefer to go with the Ruby Crystal Leading to a quick Heart of Gold This gives you a significant health boost over the enemy team as well as a slight monetary advantage. Allowing you to purchase Vision Ward for your team. from there i get my basic, tier 1 Boots and then a Null-Magic Mantle for some quick Magic resist (Casters and abilities at the start tend to hit harder than AD champions/ abilities at the start of the game) Then i get my tier two Mercury's Treads for an early tenacity boost as well. On this trip i also get a Nomad's Medallion (as previously mentioned, Jarvan takes a heavy toll on his mana early game) If i do not have enough money on the next trip to purchase Warden's Mail then i just get the Chain Vest component and build it into wardens and then Randuin's Omen later. Next i build a Sunfire Aegis Which gives a nice health bonus, is relatively cheap and has a very good passive. Then, depending on the state of the game i would either complete the Shurelya's Battlesong or continue and build a Frozen Heart both are beneficial to the team and both combine well with your Randuin's Omen Lastly, i would complete whichever you did not build in the previous step and finish off the build with a Guardian Angel For the nice magic resist factor as well as the respawn after "dying."

For Magic Resist Tanking.

This one is relatively simple. Just follow the build at the top of the page under the second Jarvan IV icon. You may rearrange the items in whatever order is necessary for you or your team given the circumstances of the battle. But traditionally after the first couple of items and your basic starting items lean towards heavy ap defense first, especially the Force of Nature for it's wonderful passive. In addition i would suggest if you have multiple squishies on your team to build the Aegis of the Legion Faster than you normally would.

For Hybrid Ownage:

Jarvans excellent versatility as a champion is one of his greatest attributes. This build here has never failed me, giving me a surplus supply of health and damage as well as some neat on hit effects that help your team catch and neutralize enemy champions. This build differs slightly from the traditional Hybrid builds but then again Jarvan is a unique champion. As with any of my builds with Jarvan i always start with a Ruby Crystal this time though i morph it into a Phage as quickly as possible for a little early game survive-ability as well as the slow it puts on enemies. From that i build my tier 2 boots, You'll see i have Berserker's Greaves listed, This is a matter of personal choice, i usually debate between these and Mercury's Treads depending upon the amount of Crowd Control the other team possesses. From there i finish up the Frozen Mallet Giving me both an excellent supply of health as well as the on hit affect of slowing enemy champions. After this i build the Last Whisper giving myself a nice attack damage bonus as well as a swell amount of armor penetration. I follow this up with a Banshee's Veil For the unique effect as well as the Magic Resistance. Then, given my increase in health from the Banshee's i build an Atma's Impaler Which has an excellent passive as well as giving me armor and a slight critical chance boost. Finally, i top this build off with the Black Cleaver giving me increased attack damage, and it has the on hit affect of lowering the enemies armor for me and my other AD teammates.

NOTE:

Another VERY good item for Jarvan is the Trinity Force I chose not to include this in my hybrid build however simply because of my preference of items. Though it is entirely up to you and your play style.

This Youtube video should sum up all of the different teamplay as well as supporting aspects of Jarvan IV, i will discuss my own teamplay as well as including some screenshots in a practice game i made with bots to help you further in the "Ranked Gameplay" Section. For now (Especially if you are a beginner) Please check this video out:
Play Video

In ranked gameplay with Jarvan IV there are two VERY important things that one should be aware of. (and one lesser thing)
I Have included several screenshots (Though this is not ranked play the idea it to show you some concepts in action, which are definitely more easily shown as already set up screen shots than during an actual ranked match.)

NOTICE: THESE IMAGES FOR SOME REASON WILL NOT SHOW ON THIS WEBPAGE. PLEASE ACCESS THE LINKS PROVIDED IN ORDER TO VIEW THE IMAGES. ANY SUGGESTIONS WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED.

The first is the combination of Jarvan's E ( Demacian Standard) and his Q ( Dragon Strike)

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/594/jarvanusingetotrapapant.png

In this image notice the positioning of the e, while it does not quite allow for a perfect Q-E combo on the twitch it does however allow for a damaging opportunity and a sight inside of the bush. This is a useful tip: If you are ganking and the enemy goes into a bush put your Demacian Standard at the end of the bush where they would normally come out. This allows for vision into the bush for both you and an ally as well as an opportunity to cc the enemy champion until your ally can arrive with more damage and Crowd Control to better insure a kill.

The second is his ultimate Cataclysm This is a very good an VERY versatile ability and can be used to help yourself and an ally escape, trap an enemy team member, block enemy team members and to initiate a successful teamfight.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/811/jarvanultingtwitch.png

This is a photo of Jarvan sucessfully using his ultimate to trap twitch until an ally arrives with support. NOTICE THE POSITIONING OF HIS DEMACIAN STANDARD This allows for an effective crowd control at the end of his ultimate preventing the enemy from running or this can be used to get himself out of the ultimate area in case the enemy does too much damage.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/836/twoversustwo.png

This photo is of a Jarvan ulting two enemies at once in order to allow his ally time to arrive with more damage and crowd control to ensure kills. This can be done either in this way, where he stays inside the ultimate ring to take damage until his ally arrives, OR Jarvan can flash out of the ultimate to the other side thus trapping the two inside stuck between him and his ally.

The third is his passive and its ability to farm effectively. Especially with last hitting minions. Jarvans passive lets him hit an enemy for an extra 8% of there current helaht as bonus damage. This is a very effective way to last hit minion waves in order to secure gold and experience points.

Jarvan IV takes one of the most important roles on any team he plays with. That of the initiator, And it is up to your judgement as for when to initiate. This is a very key role. This ability is NOT about setting up the perfect teamfight where everything goes off without a hitch, E.G. your initiation is successful, your targeting of the key players on the enemy team is successful, and your mop up of the enemy team is successful. I have almost 800 ranked games and i can tell you that you are NEVER EVER going to be dealt a perfect fight. Something will always go according to plan. Your sole purpose is to set up a teamfight situation where your teammates have the maximum opportunity to neutralize the other team and that they take the minimum damage from the other team. Jarvan's ability combinations are perfect for this. Your job as jarvan is to make the enemy team Target You You want to be as big a presence on the field of justice as you possibly can. If the other team can just brush you to the side and ignore you when you initiate you have FAILED your team. You want every eye, ultimate, attack, and ability of the enemy team focused on you and you ONLY.

In conclusion: Jarvan is an extremely versatile and valuable champion on the Field Of Justice he is capable of taking an inflicting great amounts of damage upon lesser mortals as well as supporting his team with defensive bonuses and damage reduction. This champion, though relatively new to the League of Legends is one that you cannot afford to ignore in any situation. This concludes Prometheus56's Build and Guide to: Jarvan IV The Exemplar of DEMACIAAAAAA!!!!!!!


Note from the author: I do not mind downvotes, constructive criticism and peer review are very good learning tools. AS LONG AS you include a reason for the downvote and how i could improve future guides to better benefit all readers. I thank you for taking your time to review this guide and i hope it will assist you in your future battles in LoL. Best of luck to all players and please vote and comment on this guide with integrity.

Sincerest Thanks From:
Prometheus56