"There is only one truth, and you will find it at the point of my lance."
- the "last words" of Jarvan IV at his failed execution.

Hi, and welcome to my guide and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed making it. Remember that quote because it's not only the final words of Jarvan IV's Lore but the idea behind him.

Jarvan IV can be played as a offtank DPS, flat DPS, flat tank, or support. No matter which one, he still has an outrageous damage output.

I play Jarvan IV as an offtank/tanky DPS sort and typically I do well with him, win or loss. In this guide I will focus on explaining Jarvan IV in general.

Greater Quintessence of Desolation
I run 3 of these for increased damage output on Jarvan IV's Cataclysm and Dragon Strike. Alternatives could include Flat HP Quints, Movement speed Quints, or anything else you may find necessary.

Greater Mark of Desolation
I run 9 of these for even more damage output and health shredding. Same as above basically.

Greater Seal of Armor
I run 9 of these for early game damage reduction and increased survivability when deciding to attack an enemy champion(s). You can also run 9 Greater Seal of Scaling Mana Regeneration for early mana regen since Jarvan IV is quite mana dependent.

Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist
I run 9 of these for mid-late game survivability purposes. You can also take the typical CDR runes or maybe flat MR.

With those Marks and Quintessences & Masteries, you will have 31 armor penetration at level 1 which practically gives you full damage from your attacks & Dragon Strike.

I run a 22/0/8 setup specifically for the 1 point in Havoc , the 3 points in Sunder , and the 3 points in Brute Force .

22 points in the Offense Tree allows me to maximize Jarvan IV's damage with his Demacian Standard + Dragon Strike + Cataclysm combination.

The 8 points in Utility allows the 4points in Awareness which helps Jarvan IV's leveling slightly. The 3 points in Good Hands is just common sense with this build.

Of course, feel free to do other Mastery trees with this build such as 0/21/9, 21/9/0, 0/9/21, etc. Jarvan IV is a relatively well-rounded champion that can do well under most circumstances in the game.

Jarvan IV is an amazing and powerful champion, but everyone has their weaknesses to maintain balance.

Pros:
-Extremely powerful in lane
-Initiations are strong
-Can cover distances extremely well
-Naturally strong starting at level 1.
- Demacian Standard + Dragon Strike + Golden Aegis is an extremely powerful combo that not only knocks up enemies, but severely cripples their health and slows them.
-Can take up a solo or duo lane equally well
- Cataclysm can change games

Cons:
-Mana problems early game
- Cataclysm can change games
-Squishy early game(and I mean EARLY)
- Cataclysm's terrain is easily avoided by many champions + Flash.
-Dependent on Dragon Strike + Demacian Standard for many, many situations.
-Susceptible to CC

Mercury's Treads
As stated in his cons, he's susceptible to CC. A few stuns, slows, or snares can really mess you up. That's why I chose Mercury Treads as a core pair of boots. Of course you can adapt to the enemy team. For example if they had Master Yi or Tryndamere it's fair to buy Ninja Tabi over Mercury Treads. Or if you were forced to go flat DPS or something then you can go Berserker's Greaves.

Wriggle's Lantern
Wriggle's is probably the best item in the game. It provides Armor, Damage, Lifesteal, and a free ward all for 1600g. I get this item for early-mid survivability, damage, and the little extra map awareness with the ward.
Reminder: Always set the ward at key locations i.e. Baron River, Dragon River, enemy Blue, enemy Red, enemy jungle.

Last Whisper
40% Armor Penetration + 31 Armor Penetration + Cataclysm + Dragon Strike = Faceroll.

Doran's Blade
I find this item to be relatively useful for Jarvan IV in general with the added health, lifesteal, and damage. Stacking two of them early game benefits him greatly.

Warmog's Armor
This provides Jarvan IV with all the health he needs to survive as well as increased regeneration so you can jump in and out of battles without having to go back often.

Atma's Impaler
This item synergizes with Warmog's Armor effectively. The added 45 Armor & 18% Critical Strike also is a great add-on to Jarvan IV's surviability and damage output.

Guardian Angel
This item allows Jarvan IV to initiate, deal a large amount of damage, die, and come back and do even more damage. Not only that, but it also keeps him in the battle longer with the added 68 armor and 38 magic resistance. It's an overall great item for him.

Thornmail
This item easily counters most AD champions and makes you more resilient. I recommend getting it when the enemy team has some sort of heavy AD carrying.

Force of Nature
This is basically what Thornmail is, just Magic Resist and not Armor.

Banshee's Veil
This provides Jarvan IV with a fair amount of health, mana, and magic resist and a helpful spell shield that occurs every 45 seconds.

Quicksilver Sash
WHOA BACK UP THERE. DID THAT Malzahar OR Warwick JUST SUPPRESS YOU? OHHHH HELLLLLLLS NAW. Use this to cleanse any hard CC such as suppresses or if those champions aren't present in the game, just use it to cleanse off stuns and snares and whatnot.

REMINDER: You can cleanse off Mordekaiser's Children of the Grave and Vladimir's Hemoplague as well as Exhaust and Ignite. This can be game changing if you manage to cleanse off either one.

Reminder: Purchase items based on the enemy team, not based on this section.

I run Flash on Jarvan IV in order to cover more distance to reach an enemy and escape from enemies.


I run Exhaust in order to completely cancel out their AD carry, engage, or escape.

Alternatives

Of course if you're soloing top, you can run this + Flash.


That one guy you can't catch? Nope. Not anymore.


DAMN, that guy got away with 10hp? Nope.


Jungling? You might want to get this.


About that CC.. nope doesn't exist does it.

Farming with Jarvan IV is relatively simple.

Demacian Standard onto a wave of creeps, Dragon Strike through them then auto attack the rest. It's pretty straight forward.

You should always initiate with Jarvan IV.
You want to always be in the frontline of the fight, absorbing damage for squishies and other carries. I realize Jarvan IV isn't built a tank in this guide, but it should still be your job to initiate and soak damage regardless.

Jarvan IV can enter battles with Demacian Standard + Dragon Strike but obviously can also escape them too.

A helpful tip to remember is that if you're ever in a 1v1 with someone and everyone is MIA, fight next to a wall for an easy Flash to escape or Demacian Standard + Dragon Strike.

Remember to always drop the Demacian Standard behind someone that is running in order to connect with your Dragon Strike precisely through the enemy.

Also remember to always purchase Sight Wards regardless of whether or not you're the support of the team. It's always a good help to purchase them for map awareness.

Congratulations, you've reached the end of this guide. I hope that this guide explains Jarvan IV in a more detailed manner. This is my first time making a guide, so please feel free to post comments or suggestions or even your own builds and concepts/ideas behind Jarvan IV.

Good luck, and have fun! Remember, "There is only one truth, and you will find it at the point of my lance."
- the "last words" of Jarvan IV at his failed execution.