Jungle: The Most Influential Role in League of Legends
The jungle role has always had a significant impact in League of Legends. Unlike other roles that are confined to their lanes, the jungler has the freedom to be present anywhere on the map. This gives skilled junglers the ability to exert tremendous pressure and carry games single-handedly.
Climbing in Season 13: A Step-by-Step Guide
If you want to reach new heights in Season 13, look no further. In this guide, I’ll break down the steps I took to reach Master tier. By understanding and implementing these strategies, you can significantly improve your gameplay and potentially surpass my achievements if you put in enough effort.
What You’ll Learn in This Article
- Season 13 changes that you need to know
- How to efficiently clear the jungle
- Finding gank opportunities
- Identifying win conditions
- Understanding laners
- Choosing the right champion for success
These are all crucial aspects that you need to master to become a top-tier jungler. Considering the amount of information covered in this article, I recommend bookmarking it and revisiting it multiple times to fully absorb all the knowledge.
Season 13 Changes: What you Should Know
Season 13 has brought significant changes to the jungle. Riot has introduced jungle pets and implemented features to make the role more accessible to beginners.
Jungle Pets: A New Addition
Starting items have been replaced by jungle pets in Season 13. Jungle pets hatch from eggs and go through two evolutions.
The first evolution occurs after collecting 20 treats, which is equivalent to killing 20 camps. This evolution increases smite damage from 600 to 900.
The second and final evolution occurs after collecting 20 more treats, further increasing smite damage from 900 to 1200.
The three available jungle pets are:
- Gustwalker Hatchling: Provides a significant movement speed boost after leaving a bush.
- Mosstomper Seedling: Grants a shield after killing a camp and when out of combat.
- Scorchclaw Pup: Deals damage equivalent to 4% of the target’s maximum health and applies a decaying 30% slow.
Chemtech Drake: A Familiar Face Returns
The Chemtech drake has made a comeback in Season 13. Although its soul passive has been removed, it still retains its distinctive appearance.
Killing the Chemtech dragon grants all players a permanent 5% increase in tenacity, health, and shielding. Obtaining a Chemtech soul provides all players with a 10% increase in damage and damage resistance when below 50% health.
A notable change is the updated Chemtech map. The new map features Blast Cones with double the range of normal ones, Honey Fruits that provide more HP and a shield, and Stalker’s Bloom with an expanded radius and movement speed towards revealed enemies.
Leashing Range Update: Making Jungle More Approachable
Jungle, being the most influential role, often came with a steep learning curve that deterred many players from queuing up for it. Recognizing this, Riot made several adjustments to make the role more accessible.
Two significant changes have been implemented. The map now reflects the leash range of camps, helping new players understand their position better. Additionally, large visual HP indicators have been added on top of each jungle monster, making it easier for beginners to navigate the jungle.
Scuttle Timer: A Small Change with Big Implications
There’s a minor adjustment to the scuttler spawn time in Season 13. It now spawns at 3:30 instead of 3:15. While seemingly insignificant, this change impacts the early game dynamics in the jungle. Even champions with slower clear speeds can now reach the scuttler in time, reducing the advantage of champions with fast full clears.
Clearing the Jungle Efficiently: Optimizing Your Gameplay
To excel as a jungler, it is essential to master efficient jungle clearing. Improving your clear speed allows you to have more time for other strategic moves, such as ganks, counter ganks, and invades.
To enhance your clearing efficiency, I recommend watching clearing guides on YouTube and practicing them before each gaming session. This serves as a good warm-up and helps you perfect your clear, resulting in overall improved gameplay.
Finding Gank Opportunities: The Key to Success
Ganking is a crucial aspect of the jungle role and should be one of your top priorities for improvement. Knowing how to identify and capitalize on gank opportunities can significantly impact game outcomes.
When looking for gank opportunities, consider factors such as preferred lanes to get ahead and lanes that are most susceptible to ganks. Assess the carry potential of specific champions and prioritize ganking them if possible. Look for lanes with strong ally crowd control (CC) as they tend to be more gankable.
Avoid fixating on a single option. If your desired gank is unviable, adapt and explore alternative opportunities. Always assess the map while clearing camps to spot potential gank openings.
Identifying Win Conditions: The Path to Victory
Understanding win conditions is vital for every jungler. These are the in-game objectives that need to be met to secure a victory. However, win conditions vary from game to game due to factors such as champion compositions and player dynamics.
Identifying win conditions requires careful analysis and adaptability. Consider game scenarios and assess which objectives can lead your team to victory. For instance, against a tank-heavy enemy team, prioritizing setting up a strong carry like Vayne can be a winning strategy. Similarly, taking decisive action against the enemy team’s win conditions, such as denying them the Mountain soul, can give you a significant advantage.
Understanding Laners: Gain a Competitive Edge
Learning how laners think is crucial for any successful jungler. Understanding their perspective enables you to make more informed decisions and exert greater influence over the game.
By paying attention to the state of the lanes, you can anticipate your laners’ intentions and seize gank opportunities. For example, noticing a low HP enemy bot lane with a large wave of ally minions can lead to a successful gank if you react quickly. Understanding laners’ behavior and objectives enhances your ability to make impactful plays.
To develop this skill, familiarize yourself with lane fundamentals and wave management. By understanding the importance of wave positioning, you can predict laners’ next moves and adjust your gameplay accordingly.
Finding the Right Champion: One-Tricking vs. Meta Champs
When selecting a champion for ranked play, you have two options: one-tricking a champion or playing a variety of meta champions.
One-Tricking: Consistency and Mastery
While each approach has its advantages and drawbacks, one-tricking a champion offers unparalleled consistency and mastery. By specializing in a single champion, you gain a deep understanding of their mechanics and optimal decision-making. This expertise allows you to accurately assess your chances in fights and steadily climb the rankings.
As a one-trick, you can allocate more mental resources to improving other facets of your gameplay, enhancing your overall performance. While lacking versatility, one-tricking provides a foundation for success in ranked play.
Playing Meta Champs: Flexibility and Variety
Opting for a more diversified approach, playing meta champions offers flexibility and an advantage over current power picks. This strategy keeps the game fresh and equips you with the ability to adapt to different enemy compositions.
However, it’s worth noting that most high-ranked players initially climb by one-tricking a champion. While meta champions have their advantages, a gradual transition from one-tricking to playing more champions for versatility is often more effective.
Conclusion: Achieving Success in Season 13
Season 13 has brought changes aimed at making the jungle role more accessible to beginners. While the role has evolved, key fundamentals such as efficient jungle clearing, identifying gank opportunities, understanding win conditions, and learning laners’ perspectives remain pivotal.
By honing these skills and continuously improving, you can climb the ranks and achieve your desired level of play. Remember, success requires patience and practice. So bookmark this article, revisit it regularly, and embark on your journey to becoming a top-tier jungler in Season 13.