Hello, my summoner name is Leggo My Aggro. This is my second guide, and I could be making many but I only choose to make a guide with a champion that I can confidently say I excel with by making very strong plays and game changing strategies. I have gotten a lot of worship for my ability to play Janna since season 3, excluding in season 4 when I had taken a break from support because of the change in meta. I've been back to it since season 5 in the bottom lane and recently back to Janna with how strong the meta is for a support carry now.

Here is my comprehensive guide for Janna, specifically for lower tiers of players. What to expect in this guide is a flawless rune page, the mastery page, and interesting build that will heavily impact the success of your carry in the early game and your whole team in the end game.

I will also go over general movements, where to be and when, how to handle certain champions, warding properly, runes/masteries, the build and how to be conscious of when to use and when not to use your abilities in the late game.

Pros

+ Highly advantageous disengage
+ Excellent at peeling enemies
+ Able to give turrets a shield
+ Very strong heal that is also a disengage
+ Adequate ability power scaling
+ Excellent base stats and base speed
+ Minimal dependence on items
+ Works well with every AD Carry

Cons

- Cannot tank
- Relatively long cool downs
- Minimal damage even with ability power builds
- Has no hard crowd control

Okay so let's just go over what I have for you here:


This set up gives you a flourishing boost to every aspect of Janna.
The movement speed Quints are very good first off. Janna is naturally faster than most champions, I advised the movement speed from masteries for 3% out of combat from Wanderer, as well the flat 15+ pts from Explorer. Now you may be thinking "well this doesn't apply to every where", and you're right. However if you read my notes on Xin Zhao in the threat list, you'll understand for that situation and many others why Explorer makes a difference. As well with the 3% from Wanderer and 3% from our Quints, were giving your gameplay an insane boost just from avoiding combat, thus providing excellent presence on the map, and helping your avoidance ability.

For the Marks, well mostly obvious. You want that armor in the early game, helps sustain. I chose marks for armor so we can enjoy the Seals.

With the Seals the extra health is very good to have in the first three levels. Simple as that, more health more damage sustained. I can't explain it any simpler than that.

For the Glyphs, a very popular choice is just flat magic resist and there's nothing wrong with that - if you're a in-their-face support - go with the scaling magic resist so you can get that boost in the later game for mitigation, not that you should be taking much damage anyway because were going to be in the back. As for the scaling ability power, this is important because if you noticed I didn't suggest much for ability power in the item choices. I rarely build a lot of ability power items because Janna's kit is phenomenal and using the utility items offered blows it out of the water, fully emphasizing what Janna can do. The scaling ability power is for that little boost for your E in the end game, bigger shield and more attack damage.

If you disagree I can respect that. Change up the runes if you feel necessary, but I am very confident in what I have displayed for you, I use it every day and never feel as if they need to be changed.

I'll go over the benefits of every point in here, some very important, some are adjustable.

5/5 for Sorcery, what will be a noticeable boost in your AP north of mid game.

1/1 for Expose Weakness, very important. Always use this, because you're giving your carry(and anyone else) 3% damage to anyone to attack. Your carry should already have Double Edged Sword and Merciless which is a total of 11% more damage that is innate to someone below 40% health that you triggered Expose Weakness on. Very important, makes a big difference.

5/5 in here, as I've mentioned this comes together with the runes and Janna herself being naturally fast. Emphasizes presence on the map and helps with avoidance.

1/1 for this simply the best option out of the tier for the list, there's no use for the other two. Secret Stash is a good benefit though, potions, flasks and elixirs last 10% longer. So you're healing more out of your potions and your elixirs last long which is great. Elixirs are great. Seriously buy them.

5/5 for this, one of my favourite masteries since they've added it. For obvious reason, best for Janna. Greatly helps sustain the lane.

1/1 for this. I prefer Bandit, just for the extra gold. Some players prefer Dangerous Game, and I wouldn't say no to it.

5/5 for this. Intelligence is great, for Janna is nothing amazing because of exponential cool downs but it gives a little bit if you cap out the 45%. Also starting with 5% cool down can make a difference.

1/1 for this keystone. I suggest to use this for the bigger shields and more so because of the added affect for resistances which is something that Janna does not offer on her own. You can take Thunderlord's, however after level 9 it will be useless.

5/5 for this one. This goes hand and hand with Ancient Coin to provide great sustain in the lane. I wouldn't hold it against you if you preferred Unyielding though. Both very great investments.

1/1 for this, as I've mentioned in the runes this is a handy boost to have for those flat points in the river and bush. Map presence, avoidance. I'm gonna keep saying that.

This is a pretty solid set up. A few things can be adjusted, and every player is different. Just don't go off the rails.

Okay, so I'll start by saying - the build I displayed is not what you have to follow EVERY time. The set up is just a very well orientated, overall successful build. Majority of the time, I build Mikael's, more on that ahead.

This goes for all champions, all game modes. A build is just for the general idea of what you need on a champion. Different scenarios, seed different situations. For example, you will not always need Locket. If the enemy team has minimal or even no AP based champions, don't build it. There has been times where I've been able to build Rabadon's and just go hard on AP, because of the situation. The best advice I can give is to just pay attention - what is the enemy team building? What is the composition of the enemy team(most of the time random in solo queue, but pay attention in draft)?

Moving on.
Not a very popular item, more than likely because of the insane cool down. However, it is very much worth it. It's a summoner spell Heal and Quicksilver Sash in one, and if you think about it Heal has a 240 second cool down, but heals everyone and gives movement speed. This item here, will save your game - I guarantee that. You can save your AD carry from the worst of situations, you can give your bruiser that little boost to win the teamfight, you can save someone from getting caught. You can save yourself from an assassin and get out those shields and peel. All and all, a very good item and rightfully deserving to be in the Core.

My favourite choice of boots for Janna. Your map presence will be fantastic with these, simple as that. You can avoid getting caught by speeding far ahead of players chasing you. As for my favourite benefit, those skills shots get focused on you, are so very easy to react to with these boots. I will say though, boots are not a top priority. You can easily go half the game without even looking at boots and you will be fine.

Talisman of Ascension Another great item from, from start to finish this is a really good one. Many beneficial stats and the reward for finishing it you can a very handy active that is great for catching, avoiding, and retreating. Don't build Face of the Mountain, you wont have a ton of health pool. Don't build Spellthief, just buy Vision Wards if there's that stealth threat.

Last item I will talk about because I feel this one needs to be explained. This a situational item, on terms of progression. Don't build this just to try and get the push on some lanes, for one it's gonna be a pain in the *** for your carry to farm if you get this early in the lane phase. Build this defensively, if you lost your lane and the enemy team has a strong split comp, set this up in other lanes. This item can be a waste of 2700 gold if you don't make sure it's worth it.

I'll be going over this in detail because warding is very important. Especially as a support.
First off, make sure your teammates are contributing. Good communication makes every game fly good. One player cannot provide enough vision for the whole team.

Here's a map:

I apologize for anyone with color perceptive issues, but basically all the dots are acceptable places to ward both vision and regulars.
However in detail, any red dot is the best place to put a regular ward.
Anywhere with pink is the best place to have a vision ward.
Anywhere with a white dot, is the most popular placements of regular wards in lower tiers, in which I have shown for the benefit of knowing where to go ward hunting. The white dots are also the safest places to be ward hunting in the early game, keep in mind this set up for both perspectives of which side your team is on.

It's important to use your time efficiently. If your carry is recalling, get out of the lane. Either recall as well, or stop wasting time sitting waiting for your carry to get back. Go out and roam, provide assistance to your mid or even top. Find your jungler, go ward his nearest buff camp that's up. Go ward dragon. Go ward the enemy jungler's buff camp(s). Go ward hunting, or bird watching which is a term I use basically meaning go roam in the jungle(if it's safe to do so) and find their jungler, or spot a roamer without getting caught of course - this helps get a general idea of where the enemy may be going.

Another thing. A lot of players ask me about that pink ward fully visible in the river. It's not a mistake, it's a really good strategy. If your carry is really pushy and likes the lane past halfway, use that method. Use that method in general really, because what's going to happen? A roamer or the jungler is either A) Going to stop and destroy it, or B) Walk right past it to try and gank, and the benefit of this is the ward is very far out and has full uptime unless destroyed, this strategy prevents a lot of ganks, and even attempts to gank.

Okay, how to play Janna. Well it's simple really, don't die and keep everyone alive.

...Yeah, not that simple sometimes.
I'm going to talk about the highest threats, and if you can get these skills down, just apply it to every game.

Starting with carries:

As I've mentioned "Caitlyn's range can make for a difficult lane depending on your carry. Have your E ready for trades on your carry." Very true, Cait has that range and a really quick skill shot too that hurts. Basically just don't give her a reason to use Headshot on you, or hit at all for that matter. Any player is going to take advantage of the range and get the pokes in on your carry and you're just gonna wanna pick and choose your battles. Try to use your shield just for Headshot, because we want minimal downtime in case things get tense. Check the bushes often for the traps, make sure your carry knows where they are. Keep your health up too, if Cait gets the trade on your carry and goes for that R, you want to be able to soak that damage and still walk away from it. Not a very huge threat, but just be wary.

As I've mentioned "Draven's Q is a little ridiculous and will shred through your shield so be ready to peel if the enemy has a support that can easily lock your carry down." not that many people play Draven anymore, but you will get the odd one and it will usually be a Draven/Thresh or Draven/Blitzcrank, best case scenario a Draven/Soraka. Still be mindful of his Q, if he's got two going and the lane is even in gold, he's going to out damage your carry in most cases. Never waste your Zephyr in the beginning of an engage because Draven is going to get that speed boost back as soon as he catches an axe, use it to prevent an execution by chase. Other than that, it's mostly up to your carry making the right decisions and being mindful of trade potential.

Moving on:

As I've mentioned "If the enemy team has a Xin Zhao for jungler you'll want to be on top of warding and periodically walk out river a bit to keep vision up if you're out on wards. Xin is hard to peel in a lot of scenarios, I personally can make it look easy but I assure you it is not." Very true. If Xin is coming, and your carry is in a bad position, it's gonna be hard to get out of that situation. The best advice I can give is to meet head on to Xin, a smart player will walk past you to get the carry but you want to try and get Xin to jump on you, if you need to do so to get your carry out of there. You can survive this too, it takes a lot of practice and good reaction time. However even if you die, it is much better for you to suffer the downtime than your carry. Howling Gales helps immensely, try to use it effectively to negate from not just Xin Zhao but the enemy ADC or Support as well.

As I've mentioned "Braum will out peel, out trade, and lock your carry down. Make sure your carry is positioning good and eat Braum's Q if necessary. Try to peel Braum as much as possible because if the stacks land it's probably not going to finish well." for those wondering I stand by Janna being a peel goddess. She really is. Braum will out peel you, when it's 2v2. However when it comes to a teamfight, Janna has the advantage. Just make sure Braum doesn't get the opportunity to jump on your carry, or you for that matter because those stacks will turn the tables. After level 4, Braum's Q is going to start to hurt a lot provided they're using some health runes and has Relic Shield.

As I've mentioned "Sona is going to get better trades off in the lane but more importantly the R is a game changer in the lane so just be weary and make sure your carry is on the ball with good communication." Depending on your carry this is a hit or miss. Example, if you have a Jhin or Lucian, it really shouldn't be a problem especially before level 6 because Sona goes down real quick when she lacks the AP to boost those heals. In other cases you wanna be on the ball with your E, mitigate the poke damage for your carry just to keep control of the lane. Later on it has a lot to do with your carry being mindful of their positioning, because Sona's R will turn the table on you both. The worst thing you can do, is give Sona the opportunity to get the R on both you and your carry, positioning is every thing.

As I've mentioned "Brand is not hard to peel but if your carry isn't positioning well Brand can take them out very easily after level 6. Communicate with your carry." Communication, positioning and vision is key. And count those cool downs. A full combo from Brand will more than likely destroy your carry, I know this because I play a lot of Brand support, more than Janna this year and Brand is another champion I excel with. Do not let brand have the chance to stun you or your carry. Keep him out of the bush if you can, or just ward it, and just peel. Peel, peel, peel.

Early Gameplay

Janna is a disengage champion. She does not excel in damage, and the best you can do with her is throw in auto attacks whenever available. In the early lane you'll always want to apply this when you have ability downtime, and in between.

Here's a simple map of ideal places to set up a Howling Gale.

You can use these easy little spots to catch their carry if they're in a bad position, this utility is for getting the jump on a trade for your carry.

Here's the same map of where to be in the lane, and where to go/check.


So we'll talk safe zones and danger zones. All of the red streaks and lines, these are bad positions and unsafe ways to travel for both you or your carry. All these angles put you in a position to get caught, stunned, pulled, jumped or smashed into terrain. The idea is to stay out of these positions as much as possible.

The blue lines are safer ways to travel, and the dots are perfect places to be in the lane as far as positioning goes, though it varies for who you are up against. The red dots lead from the trail of blue indicate dangerous spots that you will want vision for, either ward before you get to that point or avoid it. This map can be correlated with my warding map.

Trading

I've mentioned before that auto attacks are pretty important. In trades you should always be auto attacking at any given opportunity. For example, you're playing Janna and Ezreal, against we'll say Thresh and Lucian. Thresh happens to land a pull on Ezreal, how do you react? I'll tell what I would do.

I know for sure as soon as that pull lands, Lucian is going to immediately give his attention to Ezreal, so I would set up a Howling Gale - position it toward Thresh, not Lucian because he can dash out of it. Shield Ezreal, maybe use Exhaust on Lucian. During all of this, I'm auto attacking Lucian, Janna is just given er', I'm letting the attacks flow and it helps a whole lot, especially in the early game. The damage adds up, and it can turn the table around.

Here's a brief two minute video about auto attacks. All credit given to Torenthal subscriber on youtube.
Play Video
Another important mindset to have is understanding trade potential, and understand the enemy champions. For example I know if I'm playing Janna/Kog or Janna/Twitch, I have to be careful in the very early stages of the lane against we'll say a Jhin/Blitzcrank. Simply because of the trade potential Blitzcrank and Jhin have compared to Janna and Twitch/Kog. I chose Blitzcrank and Jhin specifically because Blitzcrank doesn't even have to land a pull, he can walk right over and E disrupt my carry, Jhin gets in with a root, starts auto attacking, your carry tries to get out, Blitz lands a pull, and there's a kill for Jhin. Some carries like Misfortune or Lucian are amazing in their early gameplay and substantially outdamage other carries that are very item reliant. Understanding this will do you wonders, knowing when and when not to take certain actions.

Mid-Game to Late-Game

As a support, you kind of need to be everywhere at once. Which is impossible, but performing the best you can at that is how you carry your team. In the mid game is when you'll need to really get out there, ward hunting and warding smart. Don't just throw your wards anywhere at this point. Refer to my chapter on Warding. Sticking with your carry is a good idea, because really it is your job to make sure they don't die or get caught. If you see your carry running off to split or farm alone, follow them. If they're in the jungle, get a ward somewhere worth the spot so your carry has vision.

When an engage happens, regardless of ratio, you need to be there if possible. Peeling your teammates should as far should go A) AD Carry B) Assassin C) Fighter D) Mage E)Tank, A being your priority, E being your least of worries. If you follow my standard core build however it shouldn't be hard to pitch in to each of your teammate's well being, but your AD Carry is your top priority. The reasoning behind this is because, your AD Carry is your push and main objective of the game is well objectives really. If you win a teamfight with yourself alive and your carry, it's going to be much more efficient to take a turret than it would be if it was yourself and your tank, or mage even.

In late game it's very important to keep a vision ward up somewhere, myself personally I like to keep one at Baron. You may see on my warding map, I have the indicator right behind Baron in the at about 75-80 degrees. This spot is right behind the body of Baron and is very easily missed depending on the angle of the screen the player has, almost invisible because Baron just blocks view of it. Keep your ward uptime high, hunt the enemy wards, and have map presence. These rules will make you successful.

Overall Janna is a great support to play and master. Janna excels at keeping your team alive, despite being is a play style that isn't for everyone as some prefer the Thresh, Blitz or Leona to lock enemies down and get those kills in for an early lead. Janna is the perfect champion for a scaling team, and she just may bring you to the top.

Thank you for reading my guide, I hope it helps some.
Rate & Comment, let me know what you think. All constructive criticism is accepted.

Leggo My Aggro NA