Some champions in League of Legends are just much stronger than others. For junglers, there are multiple considerations when weighing up which is better.
The most important thing to look at, and the most obvious, is whether the champion would be good at ganking and either securing kills or aiding their teammates in doing so. Behind the scenes, though, is where things get complicated.
Clear speed, invasion pressure, and macro mobility are all factors that need to be evaluated for keeping up with the enemy jungler. The best jungle champions are the ones that can do it all.
This list of top-tier champions can change depending on several things. Sometimes, the meta shifts for no apparent reason other than players’ tastes, but usually, there’s some kind of balance update, small or large, that’s behind the sudden change. It can be difficult to keep up with the flavor-of-the-month champs, so let us do it for you.
Here are our top junglers for League’s Patch 13.21.
Jarvan IV
Pros
- Great gank potential
- One of the strongest early-game champions
- Snowballs heavily
- Great for teamfights
Cons
- Falls off in the late game
- Sub-par jungle clear
- Engage can be telegraphed at times
Jarvan IV continues to be one of the best junglers in the meta, having received an indirect buff with the Spear of Shojin changes. Despite the nerf to its passive in Patch 13.18, it didn’t stop him from being a great carry pick for solo queue, boasting positive win rates with one of the highest pick rates at Platinum Elo and above, according to U.GG.
Item build
Jarvan IV’s best-performing rune is still Conqueror, which grants him adaptive force and some extra healing at max stacks. For a heavy skirmishing champion like him, it’s the best rune you could get.
Given that the primary rune tree is Precision, the minor runes are all about empowering his strengths and fighting ability. Therefore, go for Triumph, Legend: Tenacity, and Last Stand. If the enemy has little to no crowd controls, consider getting Legend: Alacrity for the increased attack speed. Whenever you’re going for a full attack damage build, you should swap Last Stand for Coup de Grace for a consistent damage output.
The secondary tree is still Inspiration, with Magical Footwear and Cosmic Insight as the main choices. Magical Footwear is a great rune that saves you 300 gold while getting a better version of tier-one boots. Cosmic Insight, on the other hand, lowers the recharge time for Smite and Flash, as well as the cooldown on items.
Speaking of items, Jarvan has a slightly tweaked build following the recent fighter item changes. While his Mythic item is still Goredrinker, his second core item is no longer Death Dance. Instead, players are now building Spear of Shojin, given the extra ability haste the item grants. It spikes in the mid-game harder than Black Cleaver since the armor penetration gains value later in the game. Following Spear of Shojin, high Elo players are building Frozen Heart for the aura effect that reduces enemies’ attack speed. Round off with Black Cleaver, Guardian Angel, and Spirit Visage or Maw of Malmortius for the magic resistances.
Ability priority
As Jarvan IV, there’s only one viable ability maxing order: R>Q>E>W. However, you always want to start with E, Demacian Standard, for the increased attack speed to you and the allies that will be leashing your jungle camp. Dragon Strike is Jarvan IV’s main source of damage, so always max it first. The extra shield on J4’s W doesn’t scale with the ability’s level, so there is no need to max it until later.
Game plan
Jarvan IV’s main strength lies in his early-game ganking ability, so it’s important to take advantage of that time window to impact the map as much as possible.
What makes Jarvan IV particularly strong compared to other junglers is his ability to gank at level two, with a high potential of getting kills or at least forcing an enemy’s flash. On top of that, his E-Q combo can allow him to dash through walls, dodge warded areas, and go for surprising flanks on the enemy laners. Overall, Jarvan IV has multiple options to go for, and he can win most of the skirmishes thanks to his kit and rune setups.
Once Jarvan IV reaches level six, ganks are even easier to pull off since his Cataclysm is essentially an additional dash on top of his combo. Later into the game, you have two main goals. You either try to one-shot a squishy carry with your combo, or you trap as many opponents as possible in your ultimate so that your teammates can follow up with their abilities and damage.
Fiddlesticks
Pros
- Underrated carry jungler
- One of the fastest jungle clears
- Can single-handedly carry fights
Cons
- Much tougher to master compared to other meta junglers
- Early ganks are sub-par without ultimate
With other junglers getting hit by nerfs, Fiddlesticks has cut his own space in this patch. While he may not be one of the most picked champions, players who are proficient at him are achieving great success, especially around Emerald Elo, where he’s close to a 53 percent win rate, according to U.GG. Unless he gets hit somehow in the next few weeks, Fiddlesticks should remain one of the underrated picks in the jungle.
Fiddlesticks Item build
Fiddlesticks has had two different combinations of runes this season: one with Electrocute and the other one with First Strike. Recently, however, players have shifted more and more towards the latter since it allows Fiddlesticks to speed up his scaling and get better items at a faster pace.
By going First Strike, you want to have Perfect Timing, Future’s Market, and Cosmic Insight as the minor runes. It will allow you to save some money on item purchases while also granting extra haste on Summoner spells and items. Cheap Shot (or Sudden Impact) and Ultimate Hunter are the filler runes from the domination tree.
When it comes to the item build, the core purchases are Hextech Rocketbelt and Mejai’s Soulstealer for the early snowball, as well as Sorcerer’s Shoes. By getting these items, you are looking to stack up the items and get control of the game. Round off the build with Zhonya’s Hourglass, Shadowflame, and Void Staff.
Ability priority
On Fiddlesticks, the maxing order is R>W>Q>E. That said, you’re not taking Q until level four since it’s not useful for your jungle clear. Take W>E>W in the first three levels, then max in the right order.
Game plan
Fiddlesticks’ game plan is similar to most carry junglers in the game: power farm, get as many resources as possible, and destroy the enemies with your damage. That said, pulling this off is not that easy, especially with an immobile champion like him.
The best way to pick up a few kills is through counter-ganking: you want to track the enemy jungler and be ready to surprise the enemies after they commit to the play. I recommend hiding in bushes and going in as soon as they overextend.
Otherwise, the other trick would be farming all the jungle camps and starting neutral objectives. By doing so, you will be forcing the enemies to come to you and contest it. Either way, Fiddlesticks never wants to join the fight first. Instead, you’re looking to use your ultimate (R) to unleash the crows to clean up the enemy team.
Evelynn
Pros
- Great carry jungler, snowballs hard if ahead
- Magic damage dealer
- Can use stealth to punish enemies
Cons
- Her early-game ganks are sub-par
- Squishy
Even though she is not the best AP jungler in the meta, Evelynn is still a relevant pick. She offers an absurd amount of burst damage, good enough to also take down more durable champions. As soon as she gets the camouflage effect upon hitting level six, she can punish any overextending enemy over and over again, gaining gold and experience to snowball even harder: a fed Evelynn is a nightmare to deal with. If you’re looking for a pick to carry your solo queue games, she is the perfect pick to do so, averaging over 52 percent win rate between Platinum and Emerald, according to U.GG.
Evelynn Item build
Evelynn has a rune setup that is typical of assassins. It has Electrocute as the main keystone rune to guarantee extra damage on the burst combos, Sudden Impact for more magic penetration, and Eyeball collection for the additional permanent adaptive force. For the last rune of the Domination tree, you can decide which one to go for: Relentless Hunter is great for moving quickly around the map, but Ultimate Hunter is also a good choice to have the ultimate up sooner.
Inspiration is Evelynn’s secondary rune tree, and players typically go for Magical Footwear and Cosmic Insight. By doing so, she can save 300 gold that can be invested into other item purchases while also having Summoner spells (and item effects) on a lower cooldown.
Evelynn’s build is quite unique because she loves getting Dark Seal and snowball with the extra ability power upon takedowns. Thanks to the healing effect upon going stealth, she has no problems staying healthy and making constant actions on the map.
Her Mythic item is Hextech Rocketbelt, and it’s usually followed by Rabadon’s Deathcap. If Evelynn manages to get stacks on the Dark Seal (or on Mejai’s Soulstealer), her damage will ramp up exponentially. Unless she has zero stacks, this trio of items will give enough ability power to kill any full-health target in the mid-game.
Finish off the build with a Void Staff and Banshee’s Veil for the spellshield effect and the 40 percent magic penetration. If you’re not able to stack Dark Seal anymore, switch it out later on for a Shadowflame so you get more consistent damage.
Ability priority
Evelynn has only one maxing order, and that is R>Q>E>W. Hate Spike (Q) is Evelynn’s spammable spell that is used to farm, fight, and proc the charm from Allure (W). Since W doesn’t deal any damage, max Whiplash (E) second for more consistent damage output.
Game plan
Evelynn’s playstyle is quite different from other junglers on this list. She doesn’t have great early ganks, so your main goal in the first few minutes of the game is to farm and hit level six as soon as possible. Always try to get some experience from minions if your ally is not in the lane.
Once you get to level six, that’s when you can really start getting your ganks in. Play with your stealth and look to kill any overextending target. Make sure to check the lanes consistently to know exactly the right gank timings. If you’re slightly ahead, you can also look to invade the enemy jungler and punish him when he’s farming jungle camps.
Remember that as soon as you get Dark Seal, your focus will be on getting the takedowns and stacks to greatly increase your ability power. In the late-game fights, play with your stealth, prioritize squishy targets, and burst them down with a quick W-E-Q-R combo: as long as you have enough items, they won’t survive.
Briar
Pros
- Global ultimate
- Incredible sustain
- Built-in crowd controls
Cons
- Takes time to pick her up
- Can’t be shut down easily if mispositioned
Briar is the highlight of the newest patch. After players have spent a few days to get a hang of her, she seems to be performing well above the average: nearly 51 percent at Platinum Elo and above, according to U.GG. She is a great alternative as a bruiser, carry-style jungler, and unless she gets nerfed in the upcoming patches, she should stay relevant in the meta.
Briar Item build
Briar always goes for Conqueror since it further boosts her adaptive force during the fights while also providing additional healing, which is an essential stat for her. Overall, it’s a great rune that works at all times during the game.
Given that the primary rune tree is Precision, the minor runes are Overheal, Legend: Alacrity, and Last Stand. It’s the best combination of minor runes, and you should never change them. The reason you run Overheal over Triumph is to get a shield before the start of the fights to survive for longer.
The secondary runes are Conditioning and Revitalize from the Resolve tree. The latter increases Briar’s sustain, while Conditioning makes her tankier in the mid and late game.
Build-wise, Briar builds like most AD bruisers in the game: Stridebreaker is the core item, followed by Black Cleaver and Sterak’s Gage for a good mix of tankiness and damage. Finish off with Death Dance and one item between Guardian’s Angel and Spirit Visage, depending on which resistances you need more.
Ability priority
Briar’s most common maxing order is R>W>Q>E. Always max W, Blood Frenzy, to speed up her jungle clear and increase her damage during skirmishes. Since E, Chilling Scream, has a flat cooldown and doesn’t scale with levels, max it last.
Game plan
When playing as a Briar, your main goal is to gank the lanes and pick up kills to snowball the game. Get to level three as soon as possible and start making plays on the map if the opportunity is available. Look at wave states and decide which lanes you should be focusing on.
Once you unlock the ultimate, it should be even easier for you to look for picks on the map. Always try to focus down the enemy carries first and play in tight areas so you can take advantage of the knockback effect on the walls.
In the teamfights, your goal should be flanking at the right time and making sure you can get access to the backline. Play with the vision game, and don’t get caught: the enemies will be able to burst you down quite quickly.
Rammus
Pros
- Incredible tank that’s basically unkillable
- Runs around quickly
- Doesn’t necessarily need lots of gold
Cons
- He’s quite immobile after using Q
- Can be kited easily
Low-economy junglers are on the rise in the current patch, and Rammus is one of the best of the bunch. Not only does he offer great tankiness as a front liner, but he also has lots of crowd control to keep the enemies locked in. In a meta where champions have great mobility and multiple ways of moving, Rammus’ abilities are even more valuable.
Rammus Item build
Rammus has a rune setup that is typical of tanks. It has Aftershock as the main keystone rune to guarantee extra resistances when initiating fights. In addition to that, it synergizes with Rammus’ scaling ratios, increasing his damage during the activation.
For the minor runes of the Resolve tree, pick up Font of Life, Conditioning, and Unflinching. While the first two are chosen to increase the champion’s durability or fighting ability, Font of Life is purely for supportive reasons. Given the amount of crowd control in his kit, he can proc this rune consistently during the game, providing impactful healing to its allies.
When it comes to the secondary rune tree, there are a couple of combinations that you can go for. The most common one is Precision, with Triumph and Legend: Alacrity. The first one is particularly useful on Rammus, given that it can be a great boost of sustain during late-game teamfights. You can also opt to swap Legend: Alacrity for Legend: Tenacity if you are facing heavy crowd-control enemies.
Otherwise, you can also consider picking up Cosmic Insight with Commencing Stopwatch. The extra haste on items and Summoner spells is great, so find the rune setup that works best for you.
Rammus’ build is unique because he doesn’t rush a Mythic item. Instead, you always want to pick up Thornmail for the reflecting damage. After that, you want to build your tier two boots and then your Mythic item, which is Jak’Sho, the Protean. This trio of items is core on Rammus, and it’s what makes him tanky and deal damage at the same time.
To round off your build, you want to continue stacking resistances. Sunfire Aegis is usually the best choice to increase Rammus’ damage output, followed by Gargoyle Stoneplate, and one between Force of Nature, Randuin’s Omen, or Dead Man’s Plate. While the first two are picked all the time, the last item depends on the enemy team comp.
Ability priority
Rammus has only one maxing order, and that is R>Q>E>W. That being said, you want to start with Defensive Ball Curl (W) since it gives Rammus the fastest clear. Put one level on it and then max according to the order.
Game plan
Rammus’ playstyle is quite straightforward to execute: you just have to spam gank lanes with your Q and use your crowd control to lock the enemies down. Having said that, finding the right gank opportunities is crucial: make sure to check the enemies’ position during the laning phase and plan your pathing according to it.
One thing Rammus is particularly strong at is counter-ganking: look to punish the enemy jungler if they are trying to force hard on your allies. Rammus has enough movement speed with his Q to rush to the fights.
Once you get into the later stages of the game, you always want to pick off the enemy carry and pin him down with your Q and E. You will be durable enough to tank most of the damage coming from the enemies, giving your teammates enough time to finish them off.
Nocturne
Pros
- Incredible map presence thanks to his ultimate
- Strong skirmishing
- Heavily counters some of the meta junglers
Cons
- Doesn’t have exceptional gank potential without ultimate
- Requires a strong macro sense
Even though Nocturne is not one of the most popular champions at the highest Elos, he performs well in the lower end of the ranked ladder, boasting over 51 percent win rate until platinum Elo, according to U.GG.
This is because his kit is specifically designed to punish overextension and enemies’ mispositioning, which are predominantly common in the lower ranks. He can reach enemies from afar with his ultimate, and he also beats most meta junglers early on with his skirmishing power. Thanks to the spellshield on his W, he can negate the enemies’ strongest spell and get a big boost of attack speed too.
On top of that, he has two different builds he can go for: a bruiser and an assassin. Depending on the enemy team composition and game state, he goes for either, allowing flexibility in roles.
Nocturne Item build
Nocturne always goes for Lethal Tempo since it further boosts his attack speed during the fights. The more attacks he throws, the lower the cooldown of his passive is going to be and the more sustain he will get. The rune is particularly strong in the early and mid-game fights so take advantage of it whenever possible.
Given that the primary rune tree is Precision, the minor runes are all about fighting potential: Triumph, Legend: Alacrity, and Last Stand is the best combination. If you’re planning on going with the assassin build, switch Last Stand for Coup de Grace.
For the secondary tree, instead, go for Domination with Eyeball Collection and Ultimate Hunter. The latter is vital since it rewards Nocturne with lower cooldowns on his ultimate the more takedowns he picks up. Eyeball collection does a similar thing, granting extra adaptive force on takedowns. Whenever you’re playing this champion, you want to participate in kills as much as possible.
Moving onto his build, this is where things get interesting. Most players are opting for the bruiser build with Stridebreaker and Black Cleaver as the first two core items. It gives him the best damage output while also making him relatively tanky with extra health.
After those two, you want to boost the resistances by going Death Dance and Maw of Malmortius. In most scenarios, Death Dance is the better item since the passive is applied to both types of damage. If the enemies don’t have a lot of burst magic damage, swap out Maw of Malmortius for Wit’s End to have to increase DPS and stronger fighting potential. Round off the build with another defensive item: choose one between Guardian Angel, Force of Nature, or Randuin’s Omen, depending on the game state.
Ability priority
Nocturne’s most common maxing order is R>Q>E>W. However, you want to go for Q>W>E for the first three levels since W, Shroud of Darkness, grants Nocturne extra attack speed to clear faster.
If the enemies have multiple strong abilities that you can spell shield, though, it might be a great idea to max out W second to have the ability on a lower cooldown. Regardless, always max Duskbringer first.
Game plan
Nocturne’s game plan is quite straightforward: you want to reach your level six as soon as possible by farming the highest amount of jungle monsters. Once you unlock the R, Paranoia, you can start spam-ganking all lanes that are low on health and close to being taken down. Try to always punish the enemies and then use their death timers to secure objectives on the map.
If you have a favorable matchup in the jungle, you can also try to invade the enemy jungler and surprise him with ambushes: the goal is to mess up his jungle clear and possibly steal his camps. Thanks to the spell shield and the attack speed from Lethal Tempo, you shouldn’t have many issues prevailing in extended skirmishes.
Later in the game, your goal will be to either punish the mispositioned enemies or coordinate with one of your side laners to kill the enemy trying to match the side lane pressure. Given Paranoia’s range, you can get multiple long-range engages. Don’t go in too early, however: Nocturne can be easily shut down once the spell shield is on cooldown.
