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Jarvan IV Build Guide by extradelicious

Top Jarvan IV Top Lane Guide

Top Jarvan IV Top Lane Guide

Updated on April 28, 2018
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League of Legends Build Guide Author extradelicious Build Guide By extradelicious 216 11 3,437,528 Views 84 Comments
216 11 3,437,528 Views 84 Comments League of Legends Build Guide Author extradelicious Jarvan IV Build Guide By extradelicious Updated on April 28, 2018
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Introduction

What up guys. 2018 is here and here's an updated guide. I've made it a lot shorter for people who don't like to read too much.
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Pros / Cons

Pros:
    -Lots of early damage.
    -Disruptive in team fights.
    -Good at trading.
    -Good getaway/chasing skills.
    -Is a Prince.
    -Passive Procs Percent Health Damage
Cons:
    -Champions who are able to easily escape your EQ combo will be able to outplay you easily.
    -Scales well into mid, not so well into late game.
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Summoner Spells

Summoners you should usually take.

Teleport is the current go-to mastery on top lane bruisers. Helps you get back to lane or helps you affect the map. Enemy ganking bot? Teleport! Need to go back to lane faster for a wave crashing into your turret? Teleport!

I feel like this is a must need on 90% of the champs out there. Good for escaping, engaging, and just good in general. Strong summoner spell unless it is ever nerfed which it probably won't be.


Ignite If you want to play completely for lane, then grab this to help you in the 1 vs 1 scenarios. Gives you more damage. More kill pressure.
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Skill Sequence


Basically:
Max Dragon Strike First. This is your best damaging spell. Armor Pen. Low cooldown. Why not?

Max Demacian Standard Second. Combos with Q. Also gives you and any nearby allies some buffs. This skill places a standard down at a location. If you use Dragon Strike and your lance makes contact with the standard, you are dragged toward it and you knock stuff up along the way.

Max Golden Aegis last. This is good for a little trading power, a little bonus tankiness, it also has a bit of a slow. It gives a shield varying in power depending on the amount of enemy champions close to you. However, as damage is your main goal early/mid, your other two skills are usually better to level early.Only max second if you are completely getting wrecked.

Max your ultimate, Cataclysm at level 6, 11 and 16 like just about every other champion.
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Purpose of the Build

The build starts out with a lot of damage to take advantage of his kit and then fades into tanky items so that you don't just get popped in late game teamfights. Ideally though, the end games before lategame so that you don't get outscaled.

You can also build him a little more damage and less tanky if you already have a tanky jungler and a tanky support. (Think like Volibear/ Leona level).
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Skill Combos

Jarvan has some skill combos unique to himself:
Demacian Standard+ Dragon Strike combo.
Demacian Standard places his standard at a location.
Dragon Strike thrusts his lance toward a location.
If you thrust the Dragon Strike lance toward the standard and it makes contact, it will drag you to it, knocking people up along the way.


This is useful for disrupting enemies in team fights by knocking them up, and helps clear a path for yourself toward the enemy back line to the squishier, damage-dealing targets. Also, Dragon Strike's cooldown is about half of Demacian Standard's cooldown so you can chain 2 Dragon Strikes to a single Demacian Standard if you are able to position and conduct the fight well enough.


Demacian Standard + Dragon Strike combo into Cataclysm
This combo means you can initiate from a very far starting position.

Cataclysm and then Demacian Standard + Dragon Strike combo out of Cataclysm
This way you can trap enemies into your ult and then get back out to disrupt the rest of their team.


IMPORTANT
Remember to try and keep your Cataclysm to trap multiple people. If you only trap one person, it will be a waste.

Keep in mind that with EQ flash, and your ult, you have insane closing potential. Just be careful to not leave your team behind in your attempt to close distance.
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Laning Phase

Play aggressively unless it's one of those early game gods. (Like Renekton)
Poke the enemy with Dragon Strike and/or Demacian Standard when they are in range. Keep in mind that it is safe to shove a little because you have the great getaway tool of your Demacian Standard + Dragon Strike combo, but don't shove it too much or you'll become a gold mine for the enemy jungler.

Try and get a subtle level 2 advantage and once you hit level 2 immediately level Demacian Standard or Dragon Strike basically the one you didn't get at level 1. (I recommend using Control + E/Q to do it quickly) and use your Demacian Standard + Dragon Strike combo along with an auto attack.


If you are having trouble in lane, try to farm up. You have a pretty decent farm range with your Q (and E) and Q needs a relatively low amount of mana to use on its own. If you are having trouble csing even with that, call your jungler or mid over for a gank.


I have also found that even if you are behind, you can help your team by going mid for some ganks, since Jarvan IV has such great ganking potential. That could also help you get back into the game. If you are winning, you can also just go mid for a gank to grab some extra cash and help a teammate out.
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Team Work

You are the person who engages teamfights, unless you have a fairly tanky jungler who is able to do so. This is why I build my Jarvan mostly tanky, as you need to be able to survive enemy damage while your team fights as long as possible.

You should look for opportunities to trap multiple people in your ult, and for opportunities to knock up multiple people with EQ combo. At the very least, try and get your Dragon Strike armor pen debuff (26% at level 5!!!!) to proc on multiple targets to make life easier for your ADC.
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Conclusion

Jarvan IV is a champ that you will have to play yourself to properly assess his early-game damage output and how much damage you can take later on in team fights. He is very good for carrying yourself out of Elo Hell in top lane as he brings a lot to the team and disrupts the other team a lot at the same time.
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Random Tips

If you hit your Q on an opponent before you ult them, that will deal more damage than vice versa because of the armor penetration.

Remember that you can chain two Dragon Strike to a single Demacian Standard

A nice trick if you are being ganked is to ult them to trap them inside and E+Q out: You can save your flash.
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Thanks To

The_Nameless_Bard for providing artwork
Crystal (the amazing) for editing out mistakes
KDU for demanding higher quality guides from me
KtFlash96 for letting me use his account to make videos
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Testimonials (send me stats!)

Zlod had played over 1000 ranked games in Bronze 5. yes, even after over a thousand games, he was still in bronze 5. He attributes my Jarvan IV guide to helping him claw out of bronze in season 3, and he has continued his J4 success in season 4!

AKdOFeldt sent me this the other day: thats how you help your team. 18 assists!
This game is from EUW, first time Jarvan IV!
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