Why top?

Jhin is a very special and unique ADC, so much so that maybe he doesn't even belong in the bot lane!
after about a year of maining jhin I took to the top lane for a couple of reasons, if you identify with either of these often, you may want to learn to transition to top.

1. You can't trust supports. Especially in low Elo, there are undoubtedly more troll supports than real ones, and going into the bot lane is especially as jhin is automatically putting a lot of trust in a stranger to help you through the upcoming 2v2, if you don't have a duo partner often, the number of supports that steal cs, do no damage, or can't peel, really puts you at a disadvantage compared to more meta carries.
2. you can't compare to other ADCs. Jhin has been a fairly weak ADC since they nerfed jhinsoos, he usually can't compare to other marksmen like Jinx and Lucian who have the burst and early game mobility jhin doesn't get until late game. these factors make playing jhin a challenge, and that probably isn't gonna change any time soon.

This guide is a focus on Jhin top specifically, so I will not be going into what Jhins abilities are, how they work, etc.

PROS + Insane poke potential + early game advantage + shut down potential on all melee top laners Jhin top can easily out poke and out pressure a majority of melee top laners like Nasus or Riven, forcing them away from cs and away from trades, devoting as much as half of your ammo into poking the enemy away from cs, you scare them away and secure an easy cs lead.

CONS - gets out-poked by ranged top laners (except Teemo - weak to ganks and overly aggressive top lane tanks - your team misses out on a top lane bruiser or tank, risking future teamfights Jhin top is a risky pick in most teams, unless you have tanky teammates with good engage to make up for a bruisers absence (such as bruiser jg like Jarvan IV or Jax) or a mid lane tank (such as Galio), your team may be much weaker in mid game team fights and cost the game, Jhin top is a very situational pick that can go right or wrong in many ways, but can be a good investment if your team comp allows it.

Jhin top functions for one reason only: Poke

Jhin is able to out poke most top laners and zone them away from the wave but has some major weaknesses alongside it

Levels 1-6

Jhin wants to take this early game and get as much of a lead on his laner as possible, if your gold is even with your laner it gives them the confidence and the strength to all in you, the goal during the first 6 levels is to "establish dominance" over your lane to survive until you get the items you need.

Poke - about 50% of your auto attacks should go into the enemy laner as poke, the other 50% into getting cs, you want to use the low health of caster minions and the passive of Dancing Grenade to do extra usually unexpected damage, while still trying to avoid pushing lane too far.

protection - while usually seen as his worst ability, Jhin would be nothing without Captive Audience, this acts as gank protection and trade protection, all of jhins defensive capabilities rely on Captive Audience. Place your traps along walls and on the end of the river, these will slow enemies passing through and allow you to use Deadly Flourish to root and escape. This will save you from many potential ganks as you can shut down the jungler before they even enter your lane (warning: junglers with stealth such as Evelynn and Shaco or jungler that can take unconventional routes into lane like Kayn will hard counter you, as jhin will rarely be able to survive an unexpected gank unless pushed into tower.

post-level 6

Once jhin has secured a lead in lane, a heavy lead in cs, and a few items into his core build, he can begin supporting team fights around the map.
in my experience, very few enemies expect a strong jhin coming out of the top lane and will not expect your damage at the start of a team fight, assuming your team comp has other tanks and bruisers in it, the extra damage from having 2 adcs will put you at an advantage and leave the enemy team with confusion of which to focus first.

Roaming[/h]
Due to jhins lack of mobility without targets to crit, and forced dedication to pressuring lane, roaming mid is usually not an option. this is a heavy drawback to jhin top, as roaming is an easy way to transfer a win in one lane to another, and jhin being unable to support his team in the early game can ruin some early game team fights.

R U N E S

STANDARD Keystone: Fleet Footwork Jhin jumps from rune to rune, and hasn't had a solid long-term rune since comet... but as for now, fleet footwork is best, it gives him extra movement speeed and sustain in lane. // Triumph is a go to rune for anyone taking precision, its heal upon takedown is much better than precision's other options // at max stacks, alacrity is giving jhin an extra 18% attack speed, using his passive, that converts to +4.5 AD and more importantly +7% movement speed bonus on crit // Like triumph, coup de grace is another go-to rune for precision, the extra damage on low health enemies will help you secure kills and prevent them from getting away // when jhin focuses on extra movement speed bonuses from his passive, this extra 10% effectivness really comes in handy // Jhin is a late game champion, his biggest power spike is at 3 items and 30 minutes in, the extra late game damage from gathering storm can be really helpful

I T E M S

Core Jhins strongest power spike is at around 3 items (2 and a 1/2 if ahead) it is here that jhin gets the crit chance and attack speed necessary to weave and bob in and out of fights and do some real damage from a safe distance. CORE BUILD // Jhins passive has a major drawback, his crits do less than 200% damage, this is obviously for balancing purposes but can be helped through Infinity Edge, also its' base damage and crit chance helps build towards jhin's goal // after IE, you take shiv to help wave clear and give your crits some AOE damage for team fights, this will also help progress you towards buffing your Fleet Footwork energized attacks, which is what most Jhin builds focus on. // RFC is the final part of your core build, it gives jhin the extra range he needs to poke from a distance in team fights and lets him catch up to fleeing enemies easier. The rest of your build adds to your crit or survivability in the late game // In games where the enemy team has dive assassins that your team can't get around ( Zed, Talon, blue Kayn) // In games when the enemy team has few, but strong, CC abilities, jhin relies on his movement speed in fights and getting locked down is a death sentence, enemies like Morgana, Rammus, Leona, Sejuani and any other items that support jhin's damage, crit, or give defensive buffs (armor or magic resist)