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Spells:
Ignite
Flash
Ability Order
Martial Cadence (PASSIVE)
Jarvan IV Passive Ability
Introduction
There are a lot of good Jarvan builds out there, so chances are you already know the pros and cons of Jarvan. No sir, what you are looking for is how to fix up your game a little.
Look no further.
Jarvan is many things, an off tank, an initiator, a light duty carry, and a bruiser. Of all of these it's the last that comes most nearly to the mark of how this guide will teach you to use him, for Jarvan is really a sub-machine gun set to burst fire.
He's not the strongest, nor does he do the best damage, but there is nothing in the world for ruining an enemy team like J4.
In this guide I'm going to assume you have some familiarity with LOL and don't need to be told when to ward, and where, or how. I'm also assuming you read the highly rated Jarvan guides before this one, so you should know what to expect.
With that, let's get to it.
Look no further.
Jarvan is many things, an off tank, an initiator, a light duty carry, and a bruiser. Of all of these it's the last that comes most nearly to the mark of how this guide will teach you to use him, for Jarvan is really a sub-machine gun set to burst fire.
He's not the strongest, nor does he do the best damage, but there is nothing in the world for ruining an enemy team like J4.
In this guide I'm going to assume you have some familiarity with LOL and don't need to be told when to ward, and where, or how. I'm also assuming you read the highly rated Jarvan guides before this one, so you should know what to expect.
With that, let's get to it.
As a burst mode damage dealer there is only one option: go all in for offense, which is why we select the runes, masteries, and spells that are going to cause the most hurt. A secondary concern is to stay alive.
As to the rest of our choices:
Greater Mark of Desolation and Greater quintessence of Desolation together with
and
means that you are going to be starting a game with 31 flat and 10% armor penetration, which is true damage to champions like
Ashe. Keep in mind however that just about everyone will do the same to you.



As to the rest of our choices:







Since we are building Jarvan as a burst fire champion, we need to increase his movement, damage, life, and resistance, in that order. We would also like to do it for cheap since every gold spent sooner means an advantage over enemy champions, but unfortunately those two things aren't very compatible.
The best way I've found to do this is to trade off: health, movement, resistance, movement, damage, health, resistance, damage, etc. Below I have included my favorite build, the core of which I would not suggest you deviate from unless you have a good reason to.
The best way I've found to do this is to trade off: health, movement, resistance, movement, damage, health, resistance, damage, etc. Below I have included my favorite build, the core of which I would not suggest you deviate from unless you have a good reason to.
Start with
Regrowth Pendant and
Health Potion (and I'll just say this once, get pots and wards when you need them, as you need them). Most Jarvan builds are going to have this as your number one item simply because it's the best for holding a lane. If you need life it's as simple as stepping out of the action for a few seconds.
When you get enough gold push the lane a little and go back for the philosopher's stone and
Boots because the stone accrues gold and the boots are a must have. If you are doing very well you can jump straight to your
Mercury's Treads which are a must have for almost every game.
When you have more gold make a return trip for the treads- I cannot emphasize enough that movement is combat. Those boots are going to do wonders for your ability to get in and out of trouble. While you are here also buy one or two
Long Sword in preparation for the
The Brutalizer which is going to do wonders for your damage, being that it adds 25 straight away, and 15 armor reduction. The cool down reduction is just a bonus. This one is worth going back for as soon as possible.
Now save your cash, and purchase
Chain Vest,
Ruby Crystal, and
Giant's Belt together. This is the most dangerous time for you, so play smart here.
Exception: if the other team is really magic damage heavy you may skip the crystal and get a
Negatron Cloak instead.
Now buy that
Warmog's Armor and kiss the days of your mortality goodbye. That extra 1250 life is going to let you walk away from just about every scrape you get into, and it will be what saves you in team fights late game.
Follow it up with an
Atma's Impaler and you have a good critical hit weapon that adds 50 bonus damage later in life.
That's it for the must haves. Health, regen, damage, armor penetration, and cooldown reduction are now ours in abundance. At this point let me say that even if you are 0-4-1 at this point it's okay. Your core item build really is going to make that much difference, and you will likely finish 8-5-12. Never give up! Never surrender!
So this is our core build
And here things are going to get tricky, because now you have to use your own brain. Evaluate the enemy team and pick the best combination of armor and magic resist to counter them.
In most circumstances you will want additional armor and health. That means
Randuin's Omen is your best choice or
Sunfire Aegis (if you want to pretend to be
Singed) in your remaining slot.
In many cases you will also want a magic resist item. Sell your Stone and buy a
Force of Nature. If you don't need a high resist too badly and want to hit harder buy a
Maw of Malmortius instead.
Now upgrade to
Youmuu's Ghostblade and you are finished (Remember to turn it on before the fights!).
If the game runs long replace your boots with an expensive, high damage item. I recommend
Trinity Force.
Now you've got the equipment, runes, and masteries, it's time to move on to the reason you picked Jarvan: skills.


When you get enough gold push the lane a little and go back for the philosopher's stone and


When you have more gold make a return trip for the treads- I cannot emphasize enough that movement is combat. Those boots are going to do wonders for your ability to get in and out of trouble. While you are here also buy one or two


Now save your cash, and purchase



Exception: if the other team is really magic damage heavy you may skip the crystal and get a

Now buy that

Follow it up with an

That's it for the must haves. Health, regen, damage, armor penetration, and cooldown reduction are now ours in abundance. At this point let me say that even if you are 0-4-1 at this point it's okay. Your core item build really is going to make that much difference, and you will likely finish 8-5-12. Never give up! Never surrender!
So this is our core build
SPACE | SPACE | SPACE |
Philosopher's Stone
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
SPACE |
And here things are going to get tricky, because now you have to use your own brain. Evaluate the enemy team and pick the best combination of armor and magic resist to counter them.
In most circumstances you will want additional armor and health. That means



In many cases you will also want a magic resist item. Sell your Stone and buy a


Now upgrade to

If the game runs long replace your boots with an expensive, high damage item. I recommend

Now you've got the equipment, runes, and masteries, it's time to move on to the reason you picked Jarvan: skills.


At level 5 is does a great job of softening up minions as well. This is all you need to clear that wave of minions successfully.





In general, keep a modest distance between yourself and any target until you are ready to engage. This is going to put you in the safe zone from any ranged champions.
When you see an opportunity to land your combo on them and safely retreat then pull the trigger, keeping in mind that you can do this only three or four times before your mana is exhausted.
Your whole combo will take 3-4 seconds to execute.
When you see an opportunity to land your combo on them and safely retreat then pull the trigger, keeping in mind that you can do this only three or four times before your mana is exhausted.
Your whole combo will take 3-4 seconds to execute.
- Begin by landing your
Demacian Standard slightly behind the enemy when they are already inside your range.
(Note: you take a finite amount of time to travel on the E-Q pull effect, so if you try to travel to the end of your range they will have walked away from your second hit and it will be wasted.
Also note: if they are moving and dancing a lot - land the flag almost entirely behind where you expect them to be.) - After the flag lands, not while it's in the air hit Q to
Dragon Strike and pull yourself towards them. You will have stunned them for roughly one second and dropped their armor.
- Hit them with your
Martial Cadence while they are stunned.
- Normal hit them while they are stunned.
- Run. Use
Golden Aegis to cover your escape, or
Flash if you are desperate.
I mean it, run, get out. Their retaliation is coming and it will really hurt, so don't be there when it happens. - When their health is getting lower or your
Cataclysm is ready, start the same way, but after your martial cadence hit give them a
Cataclysm, and be sure to use
Ignite.
- They are very low on life, and two or three more normal hits will finish them.
- You have a
Youmuu's Ghostblade and they are trapped in a
Cataclysm with you, and their life is low.
- They turn their back on you to run. Unless they are almost dead be smart, get two or three extra hits in and then let them go.
Assuming you followed my recommended item build, are playing against someone with health similar to yourself who gains 5 armor every level, and are following the instructions for burst mode, you can expect to see the following results:
Level EE | Damage EE | Damage w/ Ult |
1 EEEEEE | 0 EEEEEEEEE | 0 |
2 EEEEEE | 301 EEEEEEE | 301 |
3 EEEEEE | 321 EEEEEEE | 321 |
4 EEEEEE | 389 EEEEEEE | 389 |
5 EEEEEE | 455 EEEEEEE | 455 |
6 EEEEEE | 597 EEEEEEE | 797 |
7 EEEEEE | 635 EEEEEEE | 829 |
8 EEEEEE | 705 EEEEEEE | 896 |
9 EEEEEE | 775 EEEEEEE | 964 |
10 EEEEE | 788 EEEEEEE | 971 |
11 EEEEE | 806 EEEEEEE | 1094 |
12 EEEEE | 820 EEEEEEE | 1099 |
13 EEEEE | 979 EEEEEEE | 1251 |
14 EEEEE | 994 EEEEEEE | 1258 |
15 EEEEE | 1014 EEEEEE | 1271 |
16 EEEEE | 1025 EEEEEE | 1376 |
17 EEEEE | 1045 EEEEEE | 1383 |
18 EEEEE | 1061 EEEEEE | 1389 |
So if you know their life, and the damage you will do, you can make a snap decision whether to engage or not.
Understanding the burst method is pretty much all you need to do, but to really take your game to the next level there are a few other things worth mentioning.
That's it. You know everything you need to.
1v1
While bursting is always the way you fight, there is a special case 1v1 against a melee champion, and that is to abuse your
Martial Cadence. It's pretty straightforward:
Dragon Strike the line of minions for an additional bonus damage.
Matchups fall into one of three categories, easy, medium, and hard. In general the rule is if your opponent heals between the burst periods you are going to lose the fight. That means
Warwick,
Olaf,
Yorick,
Dr. Mundo,
Tryndamere,
Renekton are going to really make combat difficult for you. The exception to this rule is
Alistar,
Trundle,
Garen, and
Taric because they don't hit very hard, and you can continually harass them with your
Dragon Strike. If your jungler is willing to help, you can edge them out, otherwise try to poke them with your
Dragon Strike from a safe distance and only initiate fights near your tower. I might also put
Xin Zhao and
Pantheon in here because these two don't just hit hard, they hit really hard.
The opposite case is true, if your opponent not only doesn't heal but has low life, you will have a correspondingly easier time of it.
Talon,
Twisted Fate,
Vayne,
Akali,
Fiddlesticks, and
Teemo make for so much fodder because while we respect their power to do damage, they don't respect ours. You should not have much trouble here.
If your opponent is similar to you,
Sion,
Mordekaiser,
Wukong,
Nidalee,
Riven,
Shyvana,
Jax,
Fiora,
Udyr then the battle goes to you because they won't be hitting you nearly as hard as you hit them. They will hit you, and it will hurt, but be patient, as the odds are in your favor.
Once you have them killed, and you have the life and mana, make a run to the middle for a gank. You can often get really good results from a quick visit, which gives you some much needed gold early on.

- Stand near the front of your wave, close to your minion with low health.
- When they go to last hit it for the gold, hit them. Because they have already committed to hitting the minion, you are safe.
- Back up.

Matchups fall into one of three categories, easy, medium, and hard. In general the rule is if your opponent heals between the burst periods you are going to lose the fight. That means














The opposite case is true, if your opponent not only doesn't heal but has low life, you will have a correspondingly easier time of it.






If your opponent is similar to you,









Once you have them killed, and you have the life and mana, make a run to the middle for a gank. You can often get really good results from a quick visit, which gives you some much needed gold early on.
Middle
Believe it or not the best place for Jarvan is actually the middle, against such weenies as
Karthus,
Morgana,
Viktor,
Xerath or
Ziggs. This is because they are playing the game to farm, get minion kills, and focus on mana regen and ability power, while you are focusing on killing them. It's not even a close fight if you burst properly. But you are probably not going to get a chance to do this unless it's to hold the lane temporarily when you come down for a gank.





2v2
Sometimes you have a jerk who just won't let you have the lane, and that
Amumu won't let up. Don't panic, Jarvan does well bottom, particularly when paired with attack damage champions like
Twitch,
Caitlyn,
Tristana, or
Miss Fortune.
The thing to do is hide in the bushes and remember that the stakes are higher and the engagement is deadlier. Unless you have a
Soraka you are going to get killed very quickly. On the other hand, one burst and some cooperation from your partner is the end of them as well. Be cautious and judicious about jumping at them and you will do just fine.
Unless of course
Ashe takes every last hit. Then you are going to be gold starved and will have a real up hill battle because while ashe sucks late game, you do not.





The thing to do is hide in the bushes and remember that the stakes are higher and the engagement is deadlier. Unless you have a

Unless of course

Team Fights
Jarvan is the consummate initiator. When you see all 4 or 5 of them grouping up and your allies are nearby waiting to engage, lead them to glory. Aim for the one with the weakest armor if they are not grouped together and let them have it with a burst fire, minus the
Cataclysm and the second normal hit. Then turn on
Golden Aegis and forthwith run for your life. When the five of them come out of stun they are going to have one target: you, so if you don't get out as soon as possible you are dead. When your
Demacian Standard has about 4 seconds left on the cool down it's time to re-engage.
At this point your next move is going to depend on what's going on, but in general you will want to come back to the fight and stay behind your carries and let them engage next. Use them as bait and let the enemies spread out the damage amongst your team so that you can come out of this alive.



At this point your next move is going to depend on what's going on, but in general you will want to come back to the fight and stay behind your carries and let them engage next. Use them as bait and let the enemies spread out the damage amongst your team so that you can come out of this alive.
- Is one of your carries taking a beating and now running for their life while being chased? Before they die, burst their chaser, trap them in a
Cataclysm and have the carry turn around to help finish it.
- Does your team have a lot of stuns? Don't hesitate to try and trap as many of them as possible inside your
Cataclysm.
Veigar I'm looking at you here. Follow it up with a burst and flash out if it gets too hot.
- Is there only one or two enemy carries? Burst them again and give them both barrels this time, then run.
That's it. You know everything you need to.
Don't. This isn't the build for it.
No really, don't.
In a typical off tank build you will be strong enough to trade blows with an opponent, which means that you can face off well against creeps. In burst mode you penetrate armor, and creeps don't have armor.
You still want to jungle? I'd just recommend starting with
Cloth Armor, and building it into a wriggles lantern instead of a philosopher's stone. Get
Ninja Tabi instead of
Mercury's Treads, then
The Brutalizer, lastly build out as normal with emphasis on magic resistance.
Max your
Demacian Standard first instead of your
Dragon Strike because you will want the additional attack speed and armor.
But still, don't say I didn't warn you when you finish 3-2-8 rather than 12-4-13.
No really, don't.
In a typical off tank build you will be strong enough to trade blows with an opponent, which means that you can face off well against creeps. In burst mode you penetrate armor, and creeps don't have armor.
You still want to jungle? I'd just recommend starting with




Max your


But still, don't say I didn't warn you when you finish 3-2-8 rather than 12-4-13.
Don't again.
Summoner's Rift is a gentleman's game, a nice easy give and take of friendly exchanges where you have the time to burst fire and back up.
The Crystal Scar is an ugly knife fight in a muddy pit, where you really can't take your time as much.
But I know you want to try it anyway so here is the best I can do:
Start with
Boots and
Prospector's Blade and head north. After you capture the windmill and have enough cash, head back for your
The Brutalizer and boots 2.
Next, buy a chainmail vest, some magic defense, and aim to get
Zeal and yomumuu's ghostblade as soon as possible.
Thornmail is more or less totally useless in the other arena, but here, where everyone has to normal hit to kill you faster, it could save your team the game. Consider getting it or
Sunfire Aegis next, along with some more magic resist, like
Force of Nature.
Now build out your
Trinity Force.
Make good use of the health stations, stay in the bushes as best you can or out of site when going bottom to help gank.
When pushing a line hit the minions for gold. Even though you are a conspicuous presence you will be helping your minions pick up momentum and keeping them busy.
When defending a tower E-Q the first person that comes to capture it, then walk away from them.
Dragon Strike the second person, and
Cataclysm the third. If you can't get help at that point your team deserves to lose the turret, so get out before you die.
You know the rest.
Summoner's Rift is a gentleman's game, a nice easy give and take of friendly exchanges where you have the time to burst fire and back up.
The Crystal Scar is an ugly knife fight in a muddy pit, where you really can't take your time as much.
But I know you want to try it anyway so here is the best I can do:
Start with



Next, buy a chainmail vest, some magic defense, and aim to get




Now build out your

Make good use of the health stations, stay in the bushes as best you can or out of site when going bottom to help gank.
When pushing a line hit the minions for gold. Even though you are a conspicuous presence you will be helping your minions pick up momentum and keeping them busy.
When defending a tower E-Q the first person that comes to capture it, then walk away from them.


You know the rest.
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