Preseason Impressions: The Jungle

I've had some time to play around in the Season 4 Jungle and with the new jungle items, and I'd like to share with you what I've found.

First, the Cliff's Notes version:

• Smite's 40 second cooldown inhibits counter-jungling and eases clearing for tanky junglers.
• Spirit of the Ancient Golem is still the best of the jungling items.
• Having two "small" camps on each side helps jungle flow considerably.

Smite:

Smite's 40 second cooldown is a big deal. You no longer need to worry about saving Smite for your second buff because you can have it up for both. If you Smite your first buff on spawn it's seamless (though that should obviously only be done when you're certain it's safe). Even if you don't you can just take 10 seconds to look for the enemy jungler and Smite will be still be back in time to secure your second buff.

This makes contesting an opponent's second buff significantly more difficult early on. The types of junglers who routinely have their buffs contested tend to take extra time and damage at their first buff unless they get an extraordinary amount of help. Being able to Smite that first camp means a healthier jungler will arrive at their second camp sooner. Combined with every laner having the ability to throw down early wards, early counter-jungling is going to be rare except in very lopsided setups.

Having Smite up constantly also makes clearing much easier for junglers in general, though tanky junglers tend to benefit the most. All in all it's a huge quality of life change.


Jungling Items:

All the jungling items now have gold generation passives aimed at boosting jungler income. Of these passives, Spirit of the Ancient Golem's stands out as the most versatile for fairly straightforward reasons.

Conservation, the passive in question, stacks once per second up to 80 times. Killing a large or epic jungle monster consumes up to 40 stacks granting one gold per stack. The upshot of this is you can half a minute and a half of downtime without losing incoming. Moreover, you still gain roughly 10-15 gold per camp if you're straight up farming due to the time it takes to move between them and clear. With four small camps and a low cooldown on Smite it's easy to make use of the passive even into the late-game.

Bounty Hunter, the passive for Elder Lizard and Spectral Wraith, is considerably less potent. The 10 gold bonus per camp is functionally worse than Conservation. Getting two kills/assists every 80 seconds to keep up with the potential of Conservation is basically impossible except in low level games. At the moment I question the value of either Spectral Wraith or Elder Lizard.

The new Wriggle's is potentially powerful, although the much whispered about upgrade currently does not exist. If you're straight up farming the jungle Wriggle's provides a very considerable amount of gold. The problem is that Attack Speed, while sensible for Wriggle's passives, is not by itself that great for most farming junglers. Without the upgrade Wriggle's is a little awkward.


Jungle Flow:

The new jungle camp makes a huge difference to jungle flow. Absolutely huge.

One of the biggest problems facing a jungler is balancing farming and ganking, and a large part of that problem is how their clears flow into their ganks. In Season 3 ganking the side lane closest to the wolves camp is the most costly in terms of time and farm. There's just the one camp on that side and it's fairly distant from the lane, especially if there are wards involved. It's still a gankable lane, the issue is simply that the personal cost to the jungler is higher.

The wight camp significantly helps this problem. It's positioned extremely close to the lane, allowing for quick access in case something happens. It's now easy to flow from wolves to wight to gank, or even vice versa. Moreover, if you exit the gank with a lot of health you can almost always go straight back into the jungle and have a nearby camp waiting for you. Jungling flows better in Season 4.



Overall I'm liking the new jungle, but there's a lot left to figure out. Double jungling might actually be viable with each jungler able to farm two camps. Dealing with free wards all over the map will be an interesting problem.

My only regret is that none of the jungling items are really suited for jungle Akali, alas.

Thought: Spectral Wraith for Jungle Akali

Hextech Gunblade has been Akali's quintessential item for some time, having usurped the now ancient Rylai's into Lich Bane combo shortly after patch 105. It's easy to see why Gunblade is so critical to Akali; it provides her with a hefty 27.5% Spell Vamp, 65 Ability Power, and an extremely useful active. However, the recent cost reductions and buffs to Spirit of the Spectral Wraith have caused me to reconsider Gunblade's position when jungling Akali.

Compared head to head, Spectral Wraith is clearly inferior to Gunblade. The stats on Spectral Wraith are all lower, save for the addition of 10% Cooldown Reduction. Its passives, while nifty, can't adequately be compared to Gunblade's incredible Active. If asked to choose between the two any player worth their salt would pick Gunblade, it's simply the obvious choice.

Unfortunately for Gunblade, that head to head comparison is deeply flawed for one simple reason: cost. Spectral Wraith is 1400 gold cheaper than Gunblade, an absolutely staggering difference in price. Because Akali, like most junglers, starts Hunter's Machete she's also 300 gold closer to completing Spectral Wraith than she is Gunblade from the outset of the game. In short, Spectral Wraith can be completed 1700 gold sooner than Gunblade when jungling.

To call the gold gap between the two items significant would be an egregious understatement. 1700 gold is a large number even for champions or roles with top farm priority. For junglers, who often defer to everyone but supports, it's enormous. The size of this gap should immediately cause any veteran jungler to pause and question whether the stats and benefits of Gunblade are worth that cost.

It's a difficult question to evaluate because almost all of the stats involved defy typical cost-analysis. Mana Regeneration and Life Steal are essentially worthless to Akali, Attack Damage's value is confused by her passives, and most of the remaining stats have no clear basis for a gold value. To a significant extent it is subjective, a judgement based on one's jungling experience.

There are, however, a few ways of approaching the problem that are useful. Comparing builds first when Spectral Wraith is completed, and subsequently when Gunblade is completed, can give insight into the value of each.

The moment Spectral Wraith is finished Gunblade should have Machete, Revolver, and Long Sword with a little gold to spare. At this point the Spectral Wraith build has an additional 10 AP, 10% Cooldown Reduction, 6.33% Spell Vamp, and significantly faster jungle clears when compared to the Gunblade build. The mere 10 Attack Damage from Long Sword is hardly enough to match the power surge from completing Spectral Wraith.

This timing is important because of the opportunities it presents. Clearing faster makes it easier to farm while maintaining map presence, making it likely that Spectral Wraith Akali will begin earning gold faster than Gunblade Akali. At the same time the Gunblade build just entered a lull period as it invests the next 1435 gold into more Attack Damage and valueless Life Steal. Just as Spectral Wraith Akali starts taking off, Gunblade Akali is winding down.

When Gunblade finally finishes there are a number of ways the Spectral Wraith build could have allocated the 1700 gold (or more) difference. If Spectral Wraith Akali rushed a Kage's Lucky Pick, it's possible that she'll have both that and another Revolver completed (due to gold per 10). Alternatively, she could simply save up and buy a Needlessly Large Rod. She could also begin working toward Rylai's, sporting a Giant's Belt and possibly a Blasting Wand. In all cases Spectral Wraith Akali has a significant Ability Power advantage, and is well on her way to completing another key item. Gunblade Akali may be about to leverage a strong timing, but Spectral Wraith Akali is already more than halfway to her second.

It's this early impact followed by additional early timings which has lead me to significantly improve my appraisal of Spectral Wraith. The clear speed difference is extremely noticeable, enough so that I wouldn't be surprised if the Spectral Wraith Akali farmed a significant advantage. Factor in that both builds will likely want to finish Sorcerer's Shoes before Gunblade is finished, and there's plenty of time for Spectral Wraith Akali to pull well ahead with or without gold per 10.

For Akali, who depends heavily on turning early momentum into further power, the allure of Spectral Wraith is undeniable. Spending 500 gold for 10 AP, 8% Spell Vamp, 10% Cooldown Reduction, and ridiculously faster clears is obviously an efficient and valuable investment. The next time I jungle Akali, I'll be putting this through its paces.

Jungling: NaJin Mokuza's 10 Commandments

Mokuza, the jungler for NaJin Shield, recently laid down 10 Commandments for jungling in solo queue. They are:

1. Don't gank a lane that's completely lost.
2. Don't gank a lane that doesn't buy a ward on his first back to base.
3. Don't gank a lane that pushes but doesn't ward.
4. Dump the midlaner that doesn't come to help leash.
5. Always be prepared for the enemy jungler to come counter jungling.
6. Help the lane that is already winning and help them ward their surroundings.
7. Help out mid as much as possible, show your face even if you are just passing by.
8. Before Level 6, gank top at least once.
9. Communicate with your support player on where the enemy wards are.
10. Even if you follow all these commandments, losing games are still lost.

These commandments are good rules of thumb, and cover most of the common mistakes junglers make.

I'd say the hardest commandment to follow is #1, especially when playing with friends. Most players who don't jungle typically don't understand how pointless it is to try and salvage a lane that is multiple kills and a crapton of creep score behind. It's like investing money in a burning bank, a complete waste. But it's that losing lane which will yell and complain about the lack of ganks and help despite the impossibility of turning the lane around.

The only commandment I'd add would be, "Don't counter-jungle without an escape plan." I very frequently encounter junglers who counter-jungle without either tracking the location of the enemy jungler and other opponents, or thinking about what they'll do if they run into trouble. If the answer to "What happens if I run into an opponent?" is "Die." then you shouldn't be sticking your neck out.

If you're new to jungling, print out those commandments and pin them next to your monitor. They'll serve you well while you learn the role.

Jungling: Farm Forever (Part 2)

Tests were run, with the help of a few brave souls, to ascertain the viability of the "farm forever" style of jungling. A few problems immediately became obvious:

• Lanes must be extremely independent and cannot, under any circumstances, afford to outright lose.
• A roaming mid is an absolute necessity, but is also hamstrung by wards.
• The team coordination needed for passing lane farm to the jungler is beyond the capabilities of the average player.

In essence, the jungler can only afford to farm indefinitely if the game is even or better. When your jungler is planning on taxing lanes without giving anything in return, and the enemy jungler is planning on largely doing the opposite, the probability of such favorable circumstances is slim. Combined with the limited champion options available when picking to ensure independence and roaming potential, the "farm forever" style of jungling seems to be another ill-fated idea.

While the concept of a jungler who perpetually farms is dead, the idea of a carry jungler itself is not. In fact, it turns out removing the "farm forever" restriction from the jungler solves, at least in part, the difficult hurdles facing the carry jungler concept. If, instead of simply farming, the jungler does gank or counter-gank where it is efficient to do so, taxing the lane as they come and go, a very similar approximation of the same idea can be constructed.

By exerting pressure outside of the jungle it is no longer quite as necessary for lanes to be independent, nor is it absolutely necessary for mid to have a strong roaming champion. This frees up champion selection choices immensely, allowing the team composition to be better focused on the needs of the carry champion, rather than the needs of the ill-fated "farm forever" concept. At the same time, having ganks be the indicator for sharing farm with the jungler greatly reduces the level of coordination necessary to execute the concept. In this manner the looming issues facing the carry jungler are mostly dealt with.

To an extent this style of jungling is already being used by XJ9 to top the solo queue ladder. He farms his jungle, ganks lanes, taxes them, farms some more, and becomes a super-farmed force of destruction by the mid-game. Formalizing this style into a team strategy has the potential to make many champions with weaker early laning phases or strong counter-picks viable junglers.

Whether or not this new concept can be applied as a team strategy remains to be seen, but its efficacy in solo queue and less drastic break from current standards give it significantly better odds than the previous, flawed idea.

Jungling: Farm Forever

The gold value of the jungle increased in yesterday's patch, matching the roughly 10-20% increase I initially expected with the advent of Season 3. As such, it's time to revisit an old theory of mine.

To summarize, a jungler has the potential to acquire more farm than any lane provided they continuously clear the jungle and occasionally cover a lane.

Before I dig into the math, I'd like to highlight the three biggest obstacles for this theory, in order of importance:

1. Smite on a carry is generally awkward.
2. It's much easier to predict and track a roaming mid than a jungler.
3. Machete represents a sunk cost of at least 180 gold.

Although #3 is a fairly simple hurdle and #2 can be dealt with, it's fairly obvious that #1 is a big problem. The only champion in the game for whom Smite is particularly useful outside of the jungle is Akali, and such a singular exception is not a robust solution to the issue. With the new jungle being as difficult as it is, jungling without Smite is not an option on any champions matching our needs.

While there are some practical problems facing the theory, mathematically speaking the new jungle is an insanely safe place to get a carry farmed. If we assume a jungler clears Wolves -> Blue -> Wraiths -> Wolves -> Red -> Golems, finishes at 4:10, and then begins a perpetual clearing cycle of the small camps, they will have collected 1550 gold by 7:40 game time (without accounting for scaling). By comparison, a lane who last-hits perfect will have farmed 1996 gold. The jungler, in this case, has only 77.66% of the lane's income.

However, all it takes for a jungler to match a perfect lane is to leech one creep wave every two minutes between cycles. Alternatively, a lane which misses 23% of their last-hits will match the jungler's income. Given the potential for lanes to build up creep waves, and the fallibility of players, it's suddenly easy to see how the jungler could be competitive.

For an example of farm in a real game, consider TSM versus M5 at IEM Kiev last year. 21 minutes into the first game the highest creep score of any champion in the game was 174. In an absolutely perfect lane that never took any jungle, the maximum possible creep score at that point in time would be 253 (40 creep waves with 13 cannon minion waves). In short, even the best players in the world are often only able to acquire 68.8% of their lane's farm (and that's assuming they never took any jungle by that point). Given that a jungler is absolutely assured of their farm barring incredible effort on the part of their opponents, there's obviously potential in this idea.

Some testing needs to be done to see exactly how much a jungler can farm in an actual game versus theory. There are myriads of extenuating factors which could kill this fledgling notion. With some help I aim to find out.

Quote: On Learning to Jungle

"By three methods we may learn jungling: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."

-Confucius

Jungling: Movement Speed

Movement Speed is incredibly valuable to any jungler. Whether you aim to perpetually farm while ignoring the ire of your teammates, to counter-jungle a foolish opponent, or to gank continuously Movement Speed makes a monumental difference

It's no coincidence that nearly every competitive match starts with eight or more players sporting Boots of Speed. That 50 Movement Speed is so valuable that it can easily determine many lanes even without the influence of a jungler. Small exchanges can become outright routs, and many normally safe positions become unsafe without that seemingly small boost. The power of that Movement Speed difference is why junglers are beginning to invest so heavily in the attribute.

Increasing Movement Speed means reaching important locations sooner, and closing the distance to vital targets faster. It's difficult to comprehend just how effective Movement Speed is until you've played without it. Try jungling Cho'gath with a Regrowth Pendant and no Movement Speed runes or masteries, then try again with Boots of Speed, and then again with every Movement Speed bonus you can get. Jungling without any Movement Speed increases is simply a handicap.

It's for this reason that Mobility Boots and Movement Speed runes and masteries have become increasingly popular. Between the two a jungler moves as much as 20% faster from place to place, an incredible advantage. Whether rushing somewhere in time to counter-gank or running in to gank, that boost easily turns would-be escapes into kills.

This is also another reason why Janna is such a coveted support, especially for bruisers without gap closers. The power of that seemingly innocuous 3% Movement Speed boost is huge, and is even more painfully felt when the other team picks her. Nothing makes an Udyr cry more than to see Janna on the enemy team.

Not every jungler can take full advantage of Movement Speed. Some derive other critical benefits from runes, masteries or boot upgrades that preclude zooming around the map at Mach 5. For those that can, such as Cho'gath or Maokai, it simply amazing. Try it once and you'll find it very difficult to go back.

Jungling: Super Fast Ganks

I am remiss for failing to discuss my recent video on super fast ganks. There are a number of important points to be made about the ganking path explored in the video and how it shapes your jungling.

What makes this route compelling is fairly obvious. It's a double-buff, level 3 gank which comes so absurdly fast that even solo lanes may still be level 1. In the video Ashe Bot is only level 2 because she mindlessly pushed through the first two creep waves. The advantage of having both buffs and all of your abilities during a gank, which comes right as most lanes look to start skirmishing, is monumental.

This route fills the time gap between the common level 2 and level 4 ganks nicely, and combines many of the best features of both. Unlike a level 2 gank both of your buffs have been secured, so the cost of being counter-jungled is minimal. Unlike level 4 ganks your targets often haven't had time to invest in their escape abilities. While not flawless, it's a powerful tool to place in a jungler's arsenal.

The use of Karthas, a fairly controversial jungler, was an intentional choice designed to highlight the universality of this route. You don't have to play Nunu to use this route, or for it to be so ridiculously fast. Any jungler given a sufficient leash to save Smite for the second buff camp can follow this route. The only requirement is a little extra help from your team.

When I employ this route my goal is typically to snowball a sidelane. While you can gank middle with this route, the short lane ensures an earlier level 2 and easier escapes; if my goal was to snowball mid I'd rather do a faster level 2 gank. Whether the gank succeeds or fails you'll still have nearby camps you can clear before making a second pass, making this setup ideal for camping a lane.

The biggest threat to this route is a Smite steal at your first buff. This was actually employed by SK during the EU Regionals to shut down CLG's jungler. On top of the Smite steal they sent their team to secure CLG's other buff as well. While you're not likely to encounter a counter-jungling strategy of that level in solo queue, it's a danger to consider.

Super fast ganking is an important tool to have in your arsenal as a jungler. Practice it both with help and without, and then use it demolish unsuspecting lanes. While professional teams have been employing this method for months now, people still don't seem to expect it in solo queue.

Jungling: Dragon Control

When it comes to dragon control the current meta stands in stark contrast to all that preceded it. For the majority of League of Legend's history the jungler could solo dragon fairly easily, demanding perpetual wards to keep dragon safe. It is only very recently that junglers stopped being considered a notable threat to dragon.

In the past junglers used to be able to solo dragon after their first clear, or even sooner in some special cases. As a result Riot increased the defenses of dragon, pushing out how quickly any jungler could manage this. Since then the jungle revamp nerfed Madred's and Wriggle's, making dragon even riskier. The jungle revamp also shifted the meta away from the bruiser junglers who excelled at taking dragon. Finally, warding became much more prevalent, especially with supports coming to lane with 3-4 wards. Combined, all these factors make solo dragon too risky for too little reward.

Today the norm is for dragon to be continually warded, but only taken when there's a significant advantage. Whether it's because the enemy jungler is ganking top, a nearby enemy has recalled, or an enemy was successfully ganked/killed, dragon is typically taken or attempted only when the enemy is limited to giving up or running headlong into a highly unfavorable situation. Attempting dragon at any other time is dangerous, similar to attacking an equal opponent under their tower.

Because of this the value of Wriggle's has declined greatly. I've stated in the past that Wriggle's is overrated, and it's even truer now. With dragon control being a team responsibility rather than a jungler-specific function it's simply unnecessary to build an item specifically for controlling dragon. Even on junglers who have potential synergy Wriggle's is no longer the best option.

Dragon control has fundamentally changed. Even though Wriggle's may see a resurgence in the future in double/triple Wriggle's compositions, dragon is no longer controlled by a jungler but by a team.

Jungling: Mid Lane Matters

The most important lane in the game for a jungler is the mid lane. All lanes are to varying degrees important, but the mid lane is critical to maintaining jungle control. If the mid lane loses, especially if it's a decisive loss, a jungler's life can become utterly miserable.

The importance of the mid lane bears similarities to the importance of the four center tiles in Chess. The central location of these tiles gives them power because they provide access to many parts of the board, which is why much of Chess involves fighting over these locations or finding clever ways around them. The mid lane in League of Legends is very much the same, it has the easiest access to every objective on the map.

As a result the mid lane has a dramatic influence on how well a jungler can control the jungle on both sides of the map. A weak mid lane can't contest or support invasions unless their opponent is inattentive, as otherwise they risk being intercepted and blown away by their laning opponent. For similar reasons a strong mid lane can support or be the instigator of invasions. A decisive loss mid lane opens up the entire jungle to the enemy, and can quickly collapse the other lanes as well.

This doesn't happen to the same extent with side lanes simply because of distances. The distance from top or bottom lane to any nearby buff camp is greater than the distance from the mid lane, and can be covered by a single ward. It's only when those lanes snowball to the point where they fearlessly push down a turret and past river that they become significant jungle threats.

Maintaining control of the mid lane is the key to maintaining jungle control. Unless your mid lane is a complete loss, it can be in your self-interest to help them get back on their feet. Any jungle farm you might lose by helping them might be lost anyway if your jungle becomes porous.

Thought: What Happens to Jungle Akali?

Over two years ago I started jungling Akali, and after a few months was confident enough to post my first guide. It was laughable, viable only in games with players as bad as I was, but as I grew and improved at the game my guide grew with me. Its current iteration is, in my conceited opinion, the definitive work on jungle Akali. The gravity of the situation should therefore be self-evident when I state that Diana, in all probability, makes jungle Akali obsolete.

I've long held that, given a different meta, jungle Akali would be a competitive option. For the past year the meta for junglers has changed several times, from early-gankers to fast-clearing farmers to tanky-cc. Akali, while an adept jungler, has never matched any of those paradigms and thus has remained in obscurity. Despite this it was still possible that arranged teams might break from the standard meta and use her. That possibility largely vanished with the introduction of Diana.

The problem is that Diana is essentially jungle Akali, only better. The draw of jungle Akali was largely her uniqueness as an AP jungler and assassin, in particular the power of her post-level-six ganks due to her extremely long range, gap-closing ultimate. While their ultimates are practically identical for the purposes of ganking Diana also can pull enemies to her and slow them, a form of crowd control many times more powerful than the slow on Akali's Twilight Shroud. Diana's ganks both before and after level six are significantly stronger.

In addition many of Akali's minor flaws are not shared with Diana. Akali is largely single target damage and her AoE ability is awkward when chasing down opponents. Diana is almost entirely AoE damage, ideal for jungling, and her AoE abilities have an integral role in how she chases. Diana also can reveal foes during ganks, making the brush in side lanes less of a safe haven. For all her viability as a jungler, Akali's skills are designed around laning more than jungling.

Akali does have a few notable advantages over Diana. Akali has built-in sustain, allowing her to enter the jungle and leave with significantly more health than she entered with, while Diana only has a shield. Akali also has a stealth ability, and despite being countered by Oracle's it has its advantages. Finally, Akali is mana-independent, meaning she doesn't have to itemize around mana or suffer when passing blue buff to an ally. These benefits don't make Akali better at jungling than Diana overall, but they are places where Akali is superior to her.

Those small advantages are possibly the saving grace for jungle Akali. Because many players will be trying out Diana in the jungle, some will possibly note the similarities between Diana and Akali and begin to consider Akali's viability. Perhaps jungle Akali can ride on Diana's coattails and break into the community mindscape. Someone cleverer than I might even demonstrate a niche for her that makes her more desirable than Diana. It might be wishful thinking, but it's not impossible.

For now Diana is, barring some critical flaw yet to be discovered, superior to jungle Akali. This won't stop me from keeping my guide updated or my skills sharp, but it's unlikely that my team will field my favorite ninja as a jungler anytime soon.

Theory: Donating to Junglers

It is currently normal, even expected, that junglers will donate their Wraiths and even the rest of their jungle to the lanes as the game goes on. This is because it's generally assumed that the lanes, not the jungler, will carry the game later. However, it's mathematically possible, and even practical, for a jungler to achieve or exceed solo lane levels of farm by reversing this relationship.

The math is pretty simple. A jungle clear of the small camps is worth 154g and 441exp before scaling and can be done approximately once a minute. Two creep waves, one minute's worth, are worth 228g and 529exp before scaling (and without siege minions). Donating as few as four creeps to a passing jungler is enough for them to surpass both the gold and exp potential of a solo lane who nails every last-hit. Even if we take into account scaling this remains true throughout a game.

First and foremost this illustrates the importance of coordinating recalls with your jungler. Even if you are only going to miss a handful of creeps while you are gone, having the jungler there to collect them boosts a jungler significantly. More often it's the case that many creeps will be missed, and giving them all to the jungler is enormous. Junglers like Nocturne, Udyr, or Shyvana, who thrive on farm, go from decent to powerful if they can cover for lanes.

But simply covering lanes isn't the point of discussing this topic. Rather, the point is to suggest that instead of having a farm-dependent champion top or mid and a tanky/support jungler feeding them jungle farm, it's entirely possible, even safer, to have a tanky/support champion top or mid feeding a farm-dependent jungler lane farm.

There are many tanky/support champions perfectly capable of holding their own in a lane, but who don't make quite as good use of the farm as a carry. Having them roam or recall frequently to allow their jungler to quickly clear a creep wave before returning to the jungle has the potential to provide the carry with more farm than any solo lane save those rare cases mid where it's safe to clear both Wraith camps repeatedly.

The big advantage to this strategy is that it's very hard to counter directly. So long as the relevant jungle entrances are warded or the nearby lanes keep tabs on their opponents, the jungler is perfectly safe even if their jungle is warded. Only an extremely concerted counter-jungling effort could threaten the farming jungler, and only at great risk. It's really the easiest way to guarantee a given champion will be farmed.

The disadvantage is that it's much easier to track a roaming mid or top lane than it is a roaming jungler. With the jungler tied up in farming, and conspicuously mid or top when their ally is absent, there will generally be fewer ganks or at least far more predictable ones. This can be offset in various ways, but in general the lanes will have to be significantly more self-sufficient than normal.

At the same time, having Smite on a carry is awkward. It's not impossible to work around, and there is the potential to have some shenanigans with Smite on your mid champion, but it is a difficult adjustment that teams will have to deal with.

Ultimately, however, this is the best alternative to the current meta I'm aware of. As it stands junglers are almost always tanky, while carries in the lanes take their farm. Many underused champions might see the light of day again if we reverse this relationship.

Thought: Junglers Skipping Gp10s

Recently I discussed my thoughts on gp10 items and how, with or without the recent nerfs, they are overrated. As a somewhat related tangent to that thought, I've come to believe that many junglers may be doing themselves a disservice by buying gp10 items.

It's extremely common for junglers today to buy both Philosopher's Stone and Heart of Gold. The reasoning is pretty simple, Shurelya's Reverie and Randuin's Omen are both very good items, so why not buy components for them early on and generate additional revenue? This is not a bad argument, and in some situations this makes a lot of sense. Sitting on gp10s helps secure late-game relevance.

The issue I, and others, have begun to see is that junglers shine the brightest during the early and mid-game. By purchasing gp10s junglers are building counter to their critical timings, playing for a late-game where they are no longer the most important player on the team. When many games don't even reach the late-game, this tradeoff makes considerably less sense.

Investing 1625g into gp10 items delays other, critical mid-game items. With just a little more gold you could have Aegis, or Wit's End, or Phage, or be halfway to a really big item. While much later in the game you might earn that lost gold back, during the critical mid-game you will be at best right where you started. Unless your team is losing very hard or plans on simply free-farming until the late game, it's simply better to have strong, completed items in the mid-game.

As I continue to jungle I plan on phasing out gp10s wherever possible. I'll still buy them often as they are important on some junglers, but on many others rushing for other items is simply the better choice.

Update: Glitches and Things

I've been recording some new video material but unfortunately Sony Vegas has suddenly decided to crash on startup. Once I have it working I should be able to put out some new videos, but until then I am sadly unable to.

Some cool stuff to look forward to:

• Jungle Karthus
• Super Fast Level 3 Ganks (ft. Nunu and Karthus)
• New Jungle Xin

Jungling: The First Clear

The first clear is the most important for every jungler in the game. A first clear that goes smoothly sets the jungler up for either further farming or starting their ganking spree. If it goes poorly they can spend every moment up until the mid-game attempting to catch up. It's for this reason that so much time and effort is spent devising the best jungle setups.

The importance of this first clear has come into sharper focus as jungling trends shifted from focusing on farming to focusing on ganking. For the greatest success chance on the gank it's critical that the jungler emerge from the jungle as quickly as possible, with as much health as possible, and using boots or an offense-oriented item. Junglers lacking in the ability gank early are now considered uncompetitive in most cases.

It's for this reason that potential junglers such as Jayce do not become common. Despite having many other tools which are of considerable use in the jungle, Jayce fundamentally lacks the ability to clear the jungle safely early, making it impossible for him to gank early with anything but Cloth Armor or a very slow clear. Any jungler who is can't be ready at a moment's notice to gank or cover a lane is not worthy of the label.

For all of the changes to make the new jungle easier, the bar has simply been raised further. It's no longer enough to simple clear the jungle, nor is it even enough to clear it safely. Today's junglers are required to be quick, safe, and versatile from the very first minute. Picking a jungler who is not is placing a handicap on yourself.

Jungler: Nunu

Nunu recently received a couple of significant buffs, and as a result he is now an incredibly competitive jungler. The buffs may not immediately look like much, but in practice they are complete game changers.

The most important change is the reduction in stacks required for Nunu to get a free spell. Dropping from 7 to 5 is practically a 40% increase in the number of free spells Nunu can fire off. The effect is so large even haphazard play leaves Nunu with plenty of mana for ganks. By removing Nunu's mana issues he can now focus his item build on other attributes.

Dropping the cooldown on Consume smooths out Nunu's early jungling significantly. The rank 1 cooldown lines up extremely nicely with the time spent clearing camps; it always comes off cooldown just before arriving at the next camp. Combined with a significant damage increase at rank 1, Nunu's jungle is now much faster than before. In fact, Nunu now has the fastest level 3 gank I am aware of, reaching the lane with double-buffs no later than 3:00 game time!

Finally, Nunu's ultimate is no longer worthless if interrupted. Even if it is immediately stopped it still does a tenth of its normal damage, and the damage gradient as it progresses is much more forgiving. A half-completed Nunu ult is now much, much more dangerous.

The summation of all these changes makes Nunu an extremely strong jungle pick. His ganks, utility, and jungle control are utterly superb. Jungle Nunu is back, and with a vengeance.

Jungling: The Young Lizard Dilemma

When stealing an enemy buff camp all junglers are faced with a common dilemma; do you leave one Young Lizard behind to delay the camp's respawn, or do you clear the entire camp? The answer is far more complicated than one might think.

At face value leaving one creep alive is the best option. This forces the enemy jungler to spend extra time clearing for little gain, and delays when the buff will reappear. That delay means less uptime for those critical buffs, weakening the enemy. By simply sparing one creep the enemy's time and resources are both wasted.

However, that analysis does not account for the value of information. Whoever clears the camp gains knowledge of the precise moment it will respawn. That simple timing gives a jungler control, the power to be in the right place at the right time. Clearing the camp hurts the enemy jungler's efficiency by denying them that critical information, and creates the potential for back to back buff steals.

Before you jump to the conclusion that this is a simple tradeoff between impact and control, stop and consider that there are three additional buff camps on the map and wards that can be strategically placed. These factors take what would otherwise be a simple situation and make everything immensely more complicated.

The first complication is the effect wards have on information. If a jungler leaves a ward behind at a stolen buff camp they'll be able to observe when it is cleared and thus know the exact timing of its respawn. With a little effort a jungler can guarantee themselves complete information whether they choose to fully clear a camp or not.

Adding to the confusion is the presence of other buff camps. At any one time there are as many as four buffs up at once, and two junglers who can only be in one spot at a time. Depending on a jungler's goals for the game, their team composition, and other factors either staggered or simultaneous respawns could be preferable. For example, if a jungler is stealing a camp at the same time their opponent is at the other camp, clearing results in a simultaneous respawn. This puts pressure on the enemy as they can't protect both camps on their own. Alternatively if both junglers are stealing each other's camps, then leaving a creep behind can potentially provide better jungle control. Because that jungler's buff will respawn first they can be present to defend it and have the potential to contest their opponent's buff. Controlling the buff camps is a complex juggling act that taxes even the most mobile, fast-clearing junglers.

The combination of complete information and juggling multiple buffs shifts the question away from impact versus control to an intricate dance of timings and intentions. What's most important is managing buff respawns to fit ideally with your team's demands and capabilities, not the minor inconveniences to the enemy jungler. The answer to the dilemma is the option whose respawn timing fits into a greater plan for controlling the jungle.

If that's too much for you do not fear, even the best junglers have trouble managing all these timers and events. Something as simple as covering a lane can throw them off. If you aren't at a point where you can handle the complex decision making, don't worry about it. Pick whichever option you like and stick with it until you feel ready to tackle the juggling act.

Quote: On Life

"Jungling is my life and my life is jungling. Anyone who does not understand this is not worthy of Smite."

-Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Quote: On Jungling

"If you want to be a jungler, my advice is to learn your routes and don't bump into the other players."

-Cary Grant

Jungling: Bilgewater Cutlass

Bilgewater Cutlass is a much-maligned item. What little play it saw vanished with the nerfs to Hextech Gunblade some months ago. As a jungler, however, I find Cutlass to be an item with potential.

My opinion of Cutlass changed when, on a whim, I built it instead of Wriggle's Lantern while jungling Jax. Though I sacrificed Armor, free wards, and the unique proc I gained AD, Life Steal, and an incredible active for ganking and dueling. Subsequently I dominated the game, enough to motivate an analysis of the role my early item choice played.

It's important to consider Cutlass on its own, without assuming it will be upgraded into Gunblade. While Jax and a few oddball junglers obviously enjoy Gunblade, the vast majority of junglers do not make good use of both AD and AP. On many champions Gunblade might not be the worst idea in the latest stages of a game, but realistically Cutlass must be treated as an alternative to Wriggle's.

Cutlass worked well in my Jax game because he has extremely high single-target damage, even without items. Through his passive and his ultimate's passive he already demolishes buff camps and dragon. Because Jax' simply doesn't need Wriggle's procs or defensive stats to quickly clear even the toughest of camps, the superior ganking and dueling power of Cutlass is more valuable.

The requirement for building Cutlass over Wriggle's is therefore the ability to clear and control the jungle without Wriggle's. Without this ability, no matter how much Cutlass' active may aid your ganks, Cutlass is not a viable alternative. Moreover, Champions who commonly build double gp10 will largely be uninterested in Cutlass. Unfortunately for Cutlass the list of champions who can both control the jungle without Wriggle's and don't build double gp10s is very small.

While Cutlass has potential on a handful of champions, it won't be replacing Wriggle's any time soon. I highly recommend trying it on Jax or any champion you think can get away with it, but most champions will still be better off with Wriggle's or double gp10s.