Blue Side: red - raptors - krugs - back - blue - scuttle - wolves - gromp
Red Side: raptors - red - krugs - back - blue - scuttle - wolves - gromp

When on red side, starting raptors is ideal as it lets you fight red buff at level 2 while not having to bother your top laner, while on blue side it's worth utilizing bot lane's leash on red buff and going about normally. Watch for an invade, especially when on red side, as you'll want to have e if you need it, in which case you'd need to start red. Motion either your top or bot laner to take the spire opposite of your red so you don't need to take it yourself when you go for that scuttle (this may not always be possible). When taking the raptors, try to kite around the small ones the best you can be moving between auto attacks to minimize damage. After killing the big one, auto whatever small raptors are left to get them low enough, begin motioning towards red, and finish them with q + talisman burn.

When taking krugs, stun both of them and go to the side of the big krug so the little one hits you as little as possible, just make sure you're still hitting the little one with your q's. You'll want to either back after krugs or look to level 3 gank the lane as to get boots as fast as possible. Especially on red side if the enemy top is pushing in, you may be able to score an early flash or kill. Just be careful of the enemy jungler's potential movements as your blue may end up being swiped. If you manage to spot them in the area with someone's ward or something, you can always go for a vertical jungle clear. If you want to be safe, take the river spire and e the enemy blue buff, force it into your spire range, and clear it from there.

After taking the scuttle crab, look for a potential gank opportunity, if there is none, continue your clear and by then your red side jungle will be coming back. Clear that and back if you still can't gank.

Knowing who and when to ult can be very crucial in some fights. Try to analyze the situation the best you can and look for a good target. Carries are your usual targets but other times you may want to open up the enemy team to go for a front to back by ulting a bruiser or tank. Use your game knowledge to make the best judgement. At this moment, Skarner is not a great front liner as he's kind of a jack of all trades, master at none in terms of being an off tank. He's ok at dealing damage and ok at tanking, but doesn't excel at either and can often be lacking. As a result, I often find myself trying to hit and run at times with my cc. If you can front line, great, but if the team is counting on you to be the tank, you likely won't do a great job. Work with your team to secure kills with your cc, and go for picks when possible. You can catch a split enemy pretty easily with your speed and you can potentially 1v1 a lot of squishier champions. A lot of knowledge comes form experience so learn your limits with whatever build you use and adjust accordingly.

Skarner is very good at getting early game dragons and rift heralds. Look to sneak them if you spot the enemy jungler somewhere else or try to get priority with your team. Your spires are very handy in keeping pressure on the objectives so try to rack them up early before the enemy can contest them reliably. If you get ahead, you can get an early dragon soul and snowball it into a win. One of Skarner's main advantages over other junglers is his clear speed after first clear and objective control. Abuse this and look to outpace them wherever possible.

Ad carries, both melee and ranged may want to pick this item up against you. Check to make sure you don't waste a flash ult on it as it can lead to a lost fight or at least put you at a disadvantage. If locking down a target with qss is a must, look to tag them with e before ulting and choose which cc to use first. You can bait it out and lock them down with the other stun you don't use.

I have been playing Skarner since s3 and slowly risen up as time passed by. The past 2 years I have finished master and grandmaster respectively and am looking to at least repeat there this year. I have been one tricking Skarner for around 7 years now with experience playing all 3 iterations. I just thought he looked cool and I ended up liking playing him. To be honest a lot of Skarner's potential relies on game knowledge, though you have some flashy options when using flash to spice up your game. Ultimately, my style of play is likely not the most optimal, but it's still an effective way of playing him that suits me best I feel. If you are looking for more tips regarding Skarner, there are several other big one tricks around the world that can be found who have their own ways of playing. If you prefer the top lane, players such as Merthos would be a better bet to look at. Look around and you will see the many ways of how Skarner can be played effectively. Go with what you like best and thanks for reading!