Build Guide by Dismund

Introduction

Hello everybody, this is my first real guide on Mobafire. I've been a member since December of 09, but haven't been too active. (I've lurked and used a lot of the amazing guides on the site however) I wanted to make this guide because I really wanted to share my thoughts on this amazing champion.

I've included two example builds, both are pretty similar but the first is more of an offensive build, while the second is more defensive. Examples being if I'm going more offensive I'll usually max Dragon Strike first, while if I'm going to be tanking more I'll probably max Demacian Standard + Shield first.

Pros / Cons

The best part about Jarvan is I think he really defines the "Tanky DPS" hero. You can build him as a tank, but he'll still deal a huge amount of damage.

Pros:

Good in solo or duo lane (preferably solo or with a babysit)
Very good at last hitting due to his passives
Good harass
Has a knock up
AOE slow is always nice, works very well with Randuin's Omen
Good at shutting down enemy champions. (Get exhausted inside a Cataclysm anybody?)
Good at escaping with Demacian Standard + Dragon Strike
Strong Gank with his ult

Cons:

Very mana starved early game
Knock up is fairly easy to avoid
Cataclysm if not used correctly can trap teammates and give your team a huge disadvantage
Pretty farm/item dependent (in my opinion)

Summoner Spells

Flash combined with Dragon Strike + Demacian Standard can help you escape those bad initiations or just get away in general. If you're going to be playing aggressive I think it's a must have.
Exhaust really lets you sit on an enemy carry and make them hate their life. Combined with your Ult, it's very difficult for anybody to get away from you.
Teleport is generally just a good spell to have. You can set up ganks by teleporting to wards or get back to lane if you've been getting harassed. More of a defensive spell I feel.
Ghost I don't find myself using Ghost very much when I play Jarvan, but it's interchangeable with Flash in almost every aspect and better if you're trying to chase someone down.

--

These are the four summoner spells I stick with. If I know I'm going to be playing a bit more aggressive I'll usually take Flash + Exhaust. If I know I'm going to be playing a defensive game or in a duo lane I'll probably pick up Flash + Teleport. It really comes down to your playstyle.

Runes

Greater Mark of Desolation (Armor Pen) - Really a must have on Jarvan I feel
Greater Seal of Vitality (Health Per Level Yellows) - The reason I take these is because they synchronize well with Jarvan's main item Atma's Impaler. True early game Jarvan's mana is horrible but Mid/Late game it becomes less of an issue. Especially if your team is letting you have Blue Buff.
Greater Glyph of Shielding (Magic Resist Per Level Blues) - I think these are pretty invaluable on any tank hero, but you can also use Cooldown Reduction.
Greater Quintessence of Desolation OR Greater Quintessence of Fortitude (Armor Pen Quints or Health Quints) - Either one works fine I usually take Armor Pen quints but Health can work too.

Masteries

Either 21/0/9 or 0/21/9

The reasoning behind getting 9 in Utility is I generally try to get Blue Buff because of Jarvan's horrible mana issues whenever it's up if my carry or jungle don't need it. And Jarvan can gank very easily with a Red Buff. So having them on you longer is obviously really nice.

Blue Pots are your BEST FRIEND.. YOUR BEST FRIEND

These little guys should be calling out to you for much of the game begging you to buy them. The are EXTREMELY helpful especially if you have a hero likeAnivia on your team who constantly needs a Blue Buff and can't spare it for you. I don't use Mp5 runes on Jarvan because Mid/Late game you don't really need them and unlike Health Per Level Yellows, they don't sync with Atma's.

Items

I've included two example builds with this guide. The first being more of an offensive build with more Damage the second being more of a defensive build with more Magic Resist.

--

Starting Items:+x5 orx3 +
I always start with a Cloth armor and either 5x Health Potions or 3x Health Potions and a Mana Potion. You can start with a Doran's Shield if you prefer it but I generally stay away from it. Potions are amazing if you're in a spammy lane.

Your Bread and Butter Items:
Heart of Gold is very nice to get early on, not only does it provide more health and armor it'll give you a nice little boost on your Atma's. Atma's Impaler is really Jarvan's main item with this build. I try to get it as soon as possible after my Heart(s) of Gold, it really sets you up to start doing a ton of damage for the rest of the game.

Mid/Late Game Items:
Even though Randuin's Omen recently got a nerf, I mainly take it for it's active ability. Alongside Jarvan's slow it really can make a difference in chasing down an enemy or getting away. Banshee's Veil is always good to have because you're probably going to be taking a lot of spells to the face. It is your goal to initiate and get into the other team's face after all. Last Whisper really bumps up your damage further with the added Armor Pen. And finally Warmog's will give you a huge health pool as well as adding damage to your Atma's.

Optional Items:
-Frozen Mallet is great on Jarvan, the slow is obviously very nice for chasing as well as the added health pool.
-In some games if the other team is pretty AP heavy I will rush a Force of Nature before an Atma's, a very good item on Jarvan or any tank in general.
-You can get a Phantom Dancer as a last item if you're completely rolling a team, but I usually stay away from it.
-The last item on the list is Wriggle's Lantern. A very good item on Jarvan, it allows you to do a little counter jungling and buff stealing after your early laning phase is over, or if you just want to harass the enemy jungle. Also nice to have if you're getting harassed in lane and want the lifesteal. And the armor bonus syncs well with the passive on Demacian Standard.

Farming

Farming with Jarvan is really a breeze due to his passiveadding more damage for easier last hits and his Demacian Standardbecause of the passive attack speed bonus. I would not recommend using Demacian Standard to last hit too much early game because you will run out of mana very fast. But harassing the enemy champion(s) with Dragon Strike while passing through creep waves will make for easier last hits. It's all about conserving your mana in the early game. If you can have your jungle take over the lane as you back and buy mana potions then it's always nice. Often I will harass or kill the enemy champion and my lane will be open so this gives me ample time to stock up on mana potions.

Leveling Up and Skill Sequence

There are a couple of ways you can go about leveling up. I've included the two that I think are best in the cheat sheets up top, but I'll give you a little overview.

Most of the time I will max Dragon Strikefirst. It fits my playstyle a bit better. The damage on Jarvan's Q early game can be devastating by itself and when you hit level 9 it really hits hard. If I max his Q first I will get one point in Golden Aegismostly for the slow (really helps with ganks) and then max my Demacian Standardsecond. This is included on the first cheat sheet.

The other skill sequence is what a lot of Jarvan's will do. You max your Demacian Standardfor the added bonuses and easy to land damage. I generally do this if I think I'm going to be playing more of a defensive game and not really focus on ganking or if I'm in a duo lane. Sometimes I will get one point in Golden Aegisand max Dragon Strikesecond. Or if I'm taking a lot of damage I'll max Golden Aegis second and save Dragon Strike for last.

Jarvan has a lot of versatility, so take whatever you think the game calls for.

Summary

I think Jarvan is one of the most balanced champions Riot has come out with in a while. (You can flame if you want but I think it's the truth) A very strong and versatile champion and one of the most enjoyable to play. Admittedly there are a lot of people who pick him up and completely mess it up (Me and my friends have been the victim of poorly placed Cataclysm's that have lost us games, not by me of course) but don't let a few possibly new players ruin the hero and his reputation for you. You really can build Jarvan as a tank and carry games. You don't NEED to rush a BF sword every time.

Please note this is a work in progress. I plan to add more to it later. I would appreciate feedback.