Hecarim is an odd duck in the world of Runeterra. He is by far my favorite champion now, but I hated him when I first got him. Why? Because he is somewhat difficult to master, but very rewarding when played well.

This guide is for jungling Hecarim. Hecarim has, in my opinion, the best ganking in the game when you work with team mates. In the beginning of the game, his damage and health are somewhat sub-par, but this is made up once you have a good build. He is also very fun to play, and is a fantastic initiator when built tanky like I do. In this guide, I'll be focusing on two factors in Hecarim gameplay: ganking, and team fights.

Hecarim, unlike Shaco or Nocturne, can rarely simply gank an enemy straight up; he needs the other laners to help damage, more than anything. But, if you have just a little team coordination, he can gank very very well. His "E" - Devastating Charge, is his greatest asset in ganking. This is the basic strategy:

Let the laners know you're coming, and target whichever champion you are going for.

Wait until that champion has over extended, even just by a little bit. Really, anything past the river towards your turret.

**** YEAH PONY CHARGE! Activate devastating charge, and ghost if it is available.

Get behind them and knock them TOWARDS the turret, or your allies.

Proceed to wail on them until dead.

Once you have Trinity Force, ganking will become even easier due to the slow and sheen's extra damage, in conjunction with the short cooldown on rampage. Sometimes, you can't get a kill, but that's okay, because even that brief interruption of the enemies will give your allies an advantage in the lane.

Hopefully, by the time team fights begin, you will have atleast a Sunfire Cape, or another "tanky" item. I prefer Sunfire Cape because it's AoE damage works well with your Spirit of Dread, and the extra damage to all enemies around you will heal you for slightly more. Anyway, your ultimate and it's AoE CC is probably the best initiation ability in the game.

What's more, your devastating charge can help isolate an enemy - preferably a carry - so they can be quickly killed by allies. Much like ganking, try to knock them into your allies.

Spirit of Dread is great for team fights, because it heals you for a percentage of ALL damage done to enemies, no matter where is comes from. Because of this, I have been in team fights where I come out of it with more health than I had going into it.

The basic strategy is to Ult behind an enemy - the squishier the better - and use your charge to knock them into your team, because you will already be behind them. Then, it's just a matter of situation as to what you will do. But having some tanky items and trinity force SHOULD ensure that you will be a great asset to your team even in simple melee fights.

Explanations:

Trinity force: Rampage has a very low cooldown, therefore spamming it in a fight will proc Trinity Forces, and Sheens, "next attack" damage very frequently. Add to this the slow from the "Phage" piece, and movement speed and attack speed, Trinity Force is Hecarim's #1 priority.

Sunfire Cape: Added AoE damage, works well with Spirit of Dread, as well as the armor and health boost. One of my favorite Hecarim items.

Force of Nature: Because Hecarim often initiates fights, he will have the option of fleeing before he is dead, if it is needed. Even if you kill every champion, you will usually have taken damage during the fight. So having the large health regen from Force of Nature is great, and helps to ensure you have very little "down time The movement speed buff will also grant your extra AD.

Black Cleaver: This one isn't mandatory, but I prefer it because it knocks down the enemy's armor for your allies as well, and can lead to significantly greater damage out put, especially when you "isolate" another champion.

Phantom Dancer: This one is usually what I use to finish up a build, and I choose it primarily because of the AS and movement speed. Crit doesnt hurt either.

As Hecarim, you do not try to be the "shining star" of your team by massacring enemies. Your job is to ensure that your team CAN do this, through both your CC's and moderate damage output. I titled this guide Vanguard of Shadows because, much like a vanguard, when enemies see Hecarim coming, they should know the rest of the team is behind him.