I currently feel disgusted with Riot's attempt to "buff" Tryndamere. I love jungling, Tryndamere was one of my favourites. It's angered me that Riot would nerf a completely UP champion that is barely viable in high Elo. I hoped this rework would give me hope, but it's a blatant nerf, to be honest. Unless Riot fix him or revert him (hopefully the latter) this guide is staying Archived.


Hello! If you're reading this, then you have an interest in Tryndamere - he's one of my favourite (if not my favourite) champion AND jungler at this moment in time, and I'd like to advise others on how to play and build him correctly!

For the purposes of this guide I'll assume you have some basic Jungle Knowledge, but if you haven't, you can always check out my guide where I explain the basics here -
http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/jungling-101-what-you-need-to-know-77704

DISCLAIMER! -
This build/guide is aimed primarily at people who already have Crit Chance runes already, the build would be a LOT different if you didn't have the said runes, but Crit Chance runes are pretty much THE best runes for Tryndamere, bar blues. I will try to include a few alternatives but for the most part I'd like to keep the build, at least, for people with CrC runes.

I got a lot of my current Tryndamere knowledge from Apothesis, whose Tryndamere guide is one of the best guides I've seen on this site. If you're new to Tryndamere or would like to know more, just look here! -
http://www.mobafire.com/league-of-legends/build/your-tryndamere-resource-read-update-4964

Why exactly should Tryndamere Jungle? Does he have drawbacks?

Pros -
+ He has pretty crazy speeds! Not quite Olaf worthy, but pretty damn close!
+ Mocking Shout is one of the best, if not THE best, ability for counter jungling/knowing if someone's about to counter jungle you. You can only use it if someone's in range, which means if you're killing a buff and you can use it, there is somebody trying to take it/gank you! This is one of the only, if not the only, way to check for an Evelynn/ Twitch who want to try and steal your buff/kill you, without having an Oracle's Elixir or a Vision Ward. This ability is god.
+ Ridiculously sustainable once he gets a Wriggle's Lantern
+ He has a pretty good ganking potential with Spinning Slash and Mocking Shout
+ He can navigate both his and his opponent's jungle really easily with Spinning Slash, escaping attempts to be killed in his natural environment, and able to easily counter jungle himself and invade an opponents jungle by spinning right on through the wall!
+ Encounter a gank on yourself post 6? No worries, Undying Rage!
+ Insane damage for when he ganks!
+ He can easily be denied on a lane, jungling removes this issue!

Cons -
- He is quite RNG (random number generation) reliant with Crit as his main source of healing/damage.
- Pretty susceptible to early counter jungling - you do NOT want to face a good Nunu & Willump, or any jungler that knows that it's a huge flaw of Trynadmere's jungling.
- He's not quite as good as some of the other top junglers at the moment, like Nunu & Willump and Trundle, in my opinion.

I would like to note that at the time of taking these screenshots, I wasn't fully Crit Runed, so the times won't be completely accurate, but I'm not going to go back and take new ones for that purpose...

First, we start at the wraiths, and Smite the big blue one, then kill the red ones in an orderly fashion! Pop your Bloodlust after killing them.

Now, we do the wolves, kill the big one first again, and yet again, pop your Bloodlust only after killing them all!

Here we kill the golems, never consume your Bloodlust stacks until they're dead, and don't use Smite if it's off cooldown!

Here we simply go back to base. Pick up a Cloth Armour and Health Potion whilst you're there!

We go straight for Blue Buff next, again, don't pop your Bloodlust until it's dead for optimum jungling times! I'd recommend for you to ALWAYS give this to an AP Carry who is mid or something if they want it, but since this was a custom game I couldn't! If you are giving it to an AP Carry, Smite it near the start, if not, Smite to finish it off.

Kill wolves next, big one first again! After this we will be level 4 and have Mocking Shout! I would DEFINITELY recommend you go and gank at this level if somewhere needs ganking!

If you opted not to gank, or did with relatively high health left, head straight on over to red buff, and Smite it to finish it off, if it's off cooldown.

After this, we gank if there's the option to no matter what whilst double buffed! However, if there's still nothing to gank (highly unlikely, but it does happen!), you can just go and kill the two golems near Red Buff!

Now, I understand most of you won't have CrC runes. These ARE optimal, but this is for people who don't feel like investing so much IP into one champion. I'd recommend getting more CrC early in your build if you don't have CrC runes.

I recommend -
x9 x9 x9 x3

I use the CrC runes for the pure Crit Chance which improves Tryndamere's early game (which is where he really lacks, too!) and jungle speeds/survivability so much it's not even funny. There are no good alternatives when it comes to marks and quints.
For Seals, if you want some extra early game survivability and can't afford crit runes, Greater Seal of Armor are your best bet, half the price and most people have them anyway!
For Glyphs, I went with CDR because it's simply so good, and to be honest we aren't going to miss 2% Crit Chance. If you do have CrC/AS Runes here though and don't want to buy CDR runes, they are viable. CDR on Tryndamere is surprisingly good, shorter CD on Undying Rage, Spinning Slash and Mocking Shout all contribute to his potency in a team fight, and the frequency he can slow and catch up to enemies!


ALTERNATIVE RUNES -
These are NOT better OR as viable as Crit Runes, just if people don't want to buy CrC runes JUST for Tryndamere then these are the most viable out of the given choices.
Greater Mark of Desolationx9 x9 x9 Greater Quintessence of Desolationx3

These runes give you more ArP. With these, you're going to need CrC a LOT more early on, which delays your Infinity Edge greatly. With these I'd also recommend for you to NOT get Last Whisper so early on, it's just not needed as much as it is with a standard Tryndamere rune set. These result in a slightly slower jungle, and a jungle that's usually not quite as sustainable due to less crits and less Bloodlust charges to consume for health!

The most controversial or questionable item in the whole build I have is undoubtedly Wriggle's Lantern. I'd personally say that it was viable to not take this item, but I personally feel the benefits of it greatly outweigh the negatives of it. However, if you aren't convinced by my explanation of it, just leave it out of the build, and instead, by Boots instead of Cloth Armour on your first b. If you do get it however (which I highly recommend you do), I would recommend selling it nearer to the end of the match. As a rule of thumb, I'd sell it when, after you've sold it, you have enough to buy a Zeal as part of your Phantom Dancer and a Vampiric Scepter so you keep a little bit of that lifesteal.

The main reason people find it questionable is the fact that Tryndamere is absurdly item dependent. This is a fact and cannot be ignored. Without the Wriggle's Lantern you will get your Infinity Edge a LOT sooner, and without an Infinity Edge, Tryndamere doesn't hit nearly as hard as he does with one, it's a core item on every good Tryndamere build, and should always be rushed. Taking a Wriggle's Lantern means you get to your Infinity Edge slower, and will be dealing much less damage until then.

So, why exactly do I get it? Firstly, it's a fact that it deals a LOT of damage to jungle creeps, and keeps your jungle at it's already crazy speeds throughout the match. This ensures for safer counter jungling, and keep up to the levels of your solo lanes if RNG acts in your favour. Another reason I get it is the fact that the wards you get from it essentially pay for themselves. They're indispensable and you don't need to keep 75g after every item to get one. Another reason - perhaps the most important, to get a Wriggle's Lantern is the fact that you can solo dragon a LOT earlier when you get it, and have a lot more control over the dragon throughout the match. Dragon is indispensable, 975g spread between your team every 7 minutes is insane, and DEFINITELY should NEVER be ignored.

After the Wriggle's Lantern, we obviously want some boots. I got Berserker's Greaves in the build here, but Mercury's Treads are also completely viable, but I'd only recommend these against teams that are extremely CC heavy, and even then, a Quicksilver Sash might be better. The next two items are complete no-brainers. Infinity Edge is core for Tryndamere and is the thing that makes him hit so ridiculously hard. This is non-negotiable. Next up we have a Last Whisper, which in my opinion is also non-negotiable, due to the fact that we don't have ANY armor penetration in our runes, and the bare AD is always welcomed. There's some awesome calculations on Apothesis' guide which proves that this is a HUGE damage increase on even squishies that don't have any armour. Next up, we have something that is negotiable, the Phantom Dancer. I prefer this for higher CrC at full health, and also the movement speed so we can actually reach the target that we are trying to chase, especially if it's only a very small area that we're missing for us to use Mocking Shout. Bloodthirster is bought for it's INSANE attack damage, and adds almost 300 (unmitigated) damage onto every auto attack, due to the crazy damage, some people prefer to get one/both of these before the Phantom Dancer, that is completely viable.

Tryndamere is so damn good at this I felt it needed it's own section.
Mocking Shout is so good at it's job it's ridiculous. It's by far one of the best abilities in the game for a jungler.

In fact, Tryndamere is so good at counter jungling, that if the enemy team has a jungler and you don't attempt it throughout the whole game, a kitten dies. Unless you want the blood of numerous kittens on your hands, I'd advise you to pay close attention to this section!

If you don't know, counter jungling is basically the concept of warding and going into the enemy jungle, stealing some camp (usually blue/red buff) then heading out again. This is one of the many reasons Smite is so essential, so you can counter jungle much more efficiently and don't get counter jungled quite as easily. You should ALWAYS leave the thing with the least XP (in the buff's case, this will be one of those small ranged lizards) so it takes longer for the camp to respawn and you further starve the enemy jungler of XP!

One of the reasons Tryndamere is so good at counter jungling is his Spinning Slash, which essentially works like Flash, you can go through vital walls that would otherwise cause you to be found out!
As Garen would inform you, Spinning = Winning. Spinning through the jungle into their buffs allows Tryndamere to dodge otherwise un-dodge-able wards that would reveal the fact he is counter jungling. For example, two of the most vital locations for wards are in front of Dragon/Baron, which also guard blue buff for the corresponding side, and near the wraith camp, which guards red buff for the corresponding sides. If Tryndamere spins through a wall near Dragon/Baron to get to the enemy red buff, he avoids a likely ward at wraiths. He can also spin through the brush near mid into the enemy blue buff, to take their blue. Avoiding wards is vital for counter jungling, and is one of the reasons Tryndamere excels so much at it.

Now for Mocking Shout, one of my favourite abilities in the whole game.
In case you're new to Tryndamere, Mocking Shout requires there to be an enemy nearby for you to be able to use it. If you're busy at your buff and see the symbol light up, and the buff isn't in Smite range for you to kill, you should get the hell out of there if you're low on health, or call for assistance/ Clairvoyance if you're not, and spin away, for now. If you're busy at the enemy buff and see this light up, you need to spin away if you don't think you can take the buff in time or kill the enemy. Seeing this light up is a perfect time to call for a Clairvoyance, unless they have an Evelynn, in which case, you know she's there and she doesn't know that you know. Use this opportunity to catch her off guard AND fool her there's a Sight Ward there by spinning away before she calls for backup/kills you!

Mocking Shout can also be used in conjunction with Spinning Slash to spin in, Smite the buff to kill it (assuming it's warded and in Smite range) then use Mocking Shout to impede their inevitable escape attempt. A well played Tryndamere can put so much pressure on an enemy jungler it's insane. Use this potential well!

What You SHOULD Get -

This is THE spell to get when jungling. It's essential on every jungler. This should ALWAYS be picked, without question.


On Tryndamere, this spell is so ridiculously good. It's a fact that people CC Tryndamere when he's using Undying Rage, Cleanse counters that FLAWLESSLY. Removing all CC and giving him 65 Tenacity for 3 seconds. This should only ever be not picked if it's draft pick and they have an extremely low/no CC.

What You CAN Get -

With no reliable CC, this would be the closest thing to a reliable CC you'd have if you missed your Mocking Shout or it's a low rank, and also gives him pretty amazing (even better!) 1v1 power.


Shuts down healers, and can help towards those early kills a great deal. Since Tryndamere is completely money/item reliant and this secures kills, it's always a good choice.


Can serve as an extra escape (or, less frequently, a chase down), and when combined with Spinning Slash, can ensure the enemy doesn't catch you whilst escaping with Undying Rage on. You can also Flash through TWO walls by combining the two!


It has it's uses, especially early game, when he doesn't have such a fast movement speed, but in my opinion it's really outclassed, especially as Tryndamere.

What You SHOULDN'T Get -

Wat.


This shouldn't really need explanation but I'll do it anyway. This is, without a shadow of a doubt, the worst summoner spell in the game. Taking anything is better than this.


Since you're a jungler, you won't need to teleport to lanes very often. Let someone else take this if you don't have a Fortify and need to counter backdooring or something.


Tryndamere is too reliant on summoner spells like Cleanse, let a tank or a support who isn't as reliant on summoner abilities to take this instead.


Tryndamere is too reliant on summoner spells like Cleanse for this to be good on him. This is for the supports, even though it's insanely useful for counter jungling.


This spell is so outclassed it isn't even funny. You have the option to negate all of that damage AND slow them with Exhaust, for example. Not to mention the fact that a healing-negation effect like Ignite really impedes it. There isn't really any situations where you should take this, especially as Tryndamere.


This spell is only ever really useful on Evelynn, Pantheon and Twisted Fate in my opinion. Since Tryndamere has Undying Rage to try and prevent him from dying, he won't get the most out of this spell at all. The above champions are the only ones where it's worth taking, really.

Tryndamere is a GREAT ganker. High damage output, AoE slow with Mocking Shout, Flash-esque ability with Spinning Slash.

I'm sure you all know how important ganking is as a jungler. If you don't, I can summarise it in a word, "very". It takes pressure off your lanes, scores kills, stops the enemies from getting gold, since they can't last hit when running away, and lets your laners get an advantage over the other team's laners.

Entering a lane is pretty simple, Spinning Slash either just after exiting brush, or through a wall near the lane you're ganking, wait for the enemies to turn their backs, and only then should you use Mocking Shout. If they have turned their backs already, wait a few seconds (unless they're pretty close to their turret when you enter the lane) and THEN use Mocking Shout, just in case they try to use an ability to slow you down or something, which requires them to turn to face you! Mocking Shout takes some experience to use, but then, with all things, practice makes perfect!

• Contrary to popular belief, Tryndamere takes a great deal of skill to use successfully. Don't expect to jump into a game and three shot everyone. In my opinion (however, it might be slightly biased!) he's one of the hardest champions to master, just behind Twisted Fate, Shaco, Cassiopeia and Anivia.
• Late game, don't be afraid to use your Undying Rage when you're not at a minuscule amount of health and there's a powerful burst caster (like Annie or LeBlanc) nearby. However, this doesn't mean use it at full health. As a rule of thumb, when one of these is nearby and HASN'T USED THEIR BURST YET, pop your R at somewhere between 1/3rd and 1/2 health.
• Try to get someone on your team to take Clairvoyance, it's extremely good on any jungler, but it's even more on Tryndamere, and adds to his already amazing jungling arsenal.
• Even though Tryndamere isn't the squishiest carry in the game and has Undying Rage, he shouldn't be leading the charge. Let your tank initiate, and you follow up with a Spinning Slash to get into the action then a Mocking Shout to slow them all!
• Though you have a Last Whisper, you should still ALWAYS focus the squishiest team members first! This means their carries/supports before anything else, in an ideal world.
• You should try and save your Cleanse for when your Undying Rage is up, which is optimal usage of it, but this DOESN'T mean it's bad to use it otherwise! If you get hit by a few CCs at full health, by all means, Cleanse them! Late game, people will panic and try and CC Tryndamere with everything they have due to the fact that he can destroy anybody late game, if they make the foolish mistake of CCing you at full health multiple times, make them pay for it!
• When jungling, in most casees, you should consume your Bloodlust stacks only AFTER you've finished combat for maximum speeds jungling whilst getting the same amount of health out of them! If you have to consume them to stay alive though, by all means, do it. However, giving yourself health lowers your CrC, damage, and CrD, which obviously are bad!
• As with all champions, practice makes perfect! If you didn't do well the first game, try again! Tryndamere isn't easy. You can only get better by practicing! Don't think something like "I won't counter jungle because I'm bad at it", because then you'll never get better and never counter jungle!

28/5/11 - Published