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Is Jarvan IV AP or AD? The Ultimate Season 12 League of Legends Guide

Best Items to Build on Jarvan for Maximum Impact

Jarvan is one of the best junglers for initiating team fights. His ultimate can lock multiple enemies down, leaving them vulnerable to his team’s attacks. Building the right items on Jarvan can also allow him to burst down enemies with ease. In this article, we will discuss the best items you can buy on any game for Jarvan that will greatly benefit your team.

Is Jarvan IV an AP or AD Champion?

Jarvan IV is purely an AD champion, although he has a small amount of AP scaling on his E ability. It is not recommended to build AP items on Jarvan as his E doesn’t deal significant damage. You can choose to build him as a juggernaut for tankiness and initiation or as an assassin for bursting down enemy carries. Here are the top items to consider:

Best Items on Jarvan

  • Goredrinker: This is currently Jarvan’s go-to item. With his gap closers and ultimate, Goredrinker becomes extremely effective. Activating it inside the ultimate pit will likely hit all enemies and provide a significant heal.
  • Death’s Dance: Jarvan needs a way to mitigate physical damage when engaging enemies. Death’s Dance converts the damage he receives into damage over time, which can be healed with Goredrinker.
  • Guardian Angel: Since Jarvan is often the first one into the fight, he is at risk of dying early. Guardian Angel allows him to tank enemy damage and be revived. It also provides bonus offensive and defensive stats.
  • Thornmail: Jarvan needs a way to inflict grievous wounds on enemies while they are trapped in his ultimate. Thornmail is perfect for this, as enemies have no choice but to hit Jarvan with basic attacks, instantly inflicting grievous wounds.
  • Sterak’s Gage: To increase Jarvan’s survivability inside the pit, Sterak’s Gage makes him even tankier when on low health. This further empowers the active effect of Goredrinker.

Best Runes for Jarvan

  • Conqueror: As an initiator, Jarvan benefits from the extended duration of team fights. Conqueror is the best rune for him as it allows him to trade blows with enemies and improve the healing from Goredrinker.
  • Triumph: When using Jarvan’s AoE abilities to damage enemies in his ultimate, scoring a takedown grants a heal with Triumph. It’s especially useful when his allies finish off an enemy.
  • Legend: Alacrity: Jarvan’s abilities can be weak, but the extra attack speed from this rune helps him clear jungle camps faster.
  • Coup de Grace: If you build Jarvan as an assassin, this rune provides additional damage when bursting down squishy enemy carries.

When Should I Pick Jarvan?

Pick Jarvan when your team has potential for a wombo combo or when the opposing team lacks champions with disengaging abilities. It’s important to take advantage of his strong initiation skills in these situations.

Conclusion

Jarvan IV is primarily an AD champion with one AP scaling ability. He excels as an initiator and is often chosen as a jungler for his ganking potential. His combo provides excellent crowd control and gap-closing abilities, making him one of the best engage champions in the game. While he may not be the tankiest, his impact on team fights is undeniable.