Saturday, May 19, 2012

Jungling: Interpreting Tier Lists

Many jungle players post and maintain tier lists expressing their opinions regarding the vast array of junglers. Stonewall008's list is the most well known, but there are many others. Interpreting these lists correctly is important, as it's very easy to draw erroneous conclusions from them when they are taken at face value.

Players who misinterpret tier lists typically do so by viewing them in absolute terms. They assume in all circumstances a "god tier" jungler will be better than a jungler from a lower tier, and/or that the author of the list has a complete understanding of each and every jungler. Neither of these assumptions are true. Tier lists are not absolutes, but imperfect, generic tools crafted from the foibles and opinions of someone just as human as anyone else.

There are a few types of information you can safely draw from a tier list, provided you are careful. Comparing similar junglers in different tiers can give insights into what attributes or abilities set them apart. Analyzing what the top tier junglers have in common is often a good way to get a sense for what sets them above the other junglers. As long as you doggedly ask the question, "Why?" without settling for easy answers you can see a little ways into the complicated thoughts of your jungling peers.

As for me, I'm not planning on ever releasing a serious tier list; there are plenty tier lists out there already. I have my opinions obviously, but as a perfectionist it would be impossible to complete a list before I'd have to go back through and do half the work over again due to changes in balance and the meta. I'll stick to discussing individual junglers and general principles.

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