Some champions in League of Legends are far stronger than others. For junglers, there are multiple things to consider when weighing up which is better.
The most important thing to look at (and the most obvious) is whether the champion is good at ganking and either securing kills or aiding their teammates in doing so. Other pivotal aspects include clear speed, invasion pressure, and macro mobility. The best jungle champions in League are the ones that can do it all.
This list of top-tier champions can change depending on several things. 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 14.13.
Best League junglers in Patch 14.13
Nidalee
Despite being lackluster for the majority of League Season 14, Nidalee makes a return in Patch 14.13. She hasn’t received any direct gameplay changes in the latest update. In fact, she hasn’t seen any since 14.5. But, her massive win rate in the current patch proves Nidalee is one of the best picks in the jungle role right now.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Mobile – Powerful in fight – One of the best pokes | – Relies on skill shots – Tough to master – Doesn’t fit in every team composition |
When playing as Nidalee, you should aim to become a deadly, mobile spear launcher. Poking your foes with her Q and then going in as the Cougar in fights is Nidalee’s main mechanic. With that in mind, it’s best to go for the Precision tree.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Nidalee |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Precision – Conqueror – Triumph – Legend: Haste – Cut Down Rune two: Sorcery -Transcendence – Waterwalking Offense: Attack Speed Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health |
| Best items | – Sorcerer’s Shoes – Lich Bane – Mejai’s Soulstealer With runes like Legend: Haste, Transcendence, and items like Mejai’s Soulstealer, you should have by now realized playing Nidalee is about getting as many kills as possible. Therefore, after completing your primary core items, enhancing your damage is your next goal. There is a plethora of AP-based items that work best here. They are, for example Zhonya’s Hourglass, which is essential in almost every build, Rabadon’s Deathcap, or Shadowflame and Void Staff, which improve your Magic Penetration. Keep track of what the opponents are buying themselves and try to counter their resistances if needed. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Smite |
| Best build path | – Javelin Toss/Takedown (Q) – Primal Surge/Swipe (E) – Bushwhack/Pounce (W) Once you get level four, max Q first, then E, and W in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Fiddlesticks – Bel’Veth – Diana – Rammus – Amumu |
Master Yi
Look who’s back, back again. These words of renowned American artist fit perfectly the resurgence of Master Yi, who’s back in the list of the best junglers after a long hiatus. Similarly to Nidalee, the Wuju Master hasn’t received any direct changes. However, the sudden shift of meta has started favoring all-in junglers like Master Yi.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Massive damage – Easy and satisfying to play – Enormous carry potential | – Impossible to play if behind – Can be easily countered by hard CC |
Master Yi is one of those champs who are “high risk, high reward.” It’s easy to counter him with hard crowd control, like Malzahar’s ultimate, which will just pin him down. However, if picked in the right scenario, he can wreak havoc on the Rift.
Master Yi’s League gameplay is all about auto-attacking enemies with your enhanced hits and dodging every skill shot that comes your way with Alpha Strike. With that in mind, there’s hardly a better primary rune than Hail of Blades, which improves your attack speed when you attack an enemy champion. Besides, other runes from the Domination tree are also a perfect pick for the Wuju Master.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Master Yi |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Domination – Hail of Blades – Sudden Impact – Eyeball Collection – Treasure Hunter Rune two: Precision – Triumph – Legend: Alacrity Offense: Attack Speed Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health based on level |
| Best items | – Berserker’s Greaves – Blade of the Ruined King – Kraken Slayer With these three under your belt, you should hit your mid-game spike. From now on, there will be few options to choose from. Death’s Dance and Wit’s End are two of the more defensive ones since they provide few resistances, but they still also boost your primary stats. Others are more offensive, like Guinsoo’s Rageblade and Titanic Hydra. It all depends on how your game is faring. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Smite |
| Best build path | – Alpha Strike (Q) – Wuju Style (E) – Meditate (W) Max out Q first, then follow with E and W, respectively. |
| Toughest matchups | – Rammus – Warwick – Rek’Sai – Shaco – Ivern |
Nocturne
In a metagame of tower-diving enemy champions, Nocturne makes ganking lanes a whole lot easier. Thanks to his ability to literally turn the lights off with his ultimate, he’s a force to be reckoned with in the current meta.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Unique ultimate that makes ganking easier – High damage – Mobile – Can snowball immensely if allowed | – Easy to shut down early – Almost useless if behind – Quite tough to get the hang of quickly |
Despite being immensely strong, Nocturne is useless until he reaches level six. Before that, ganking without his ultimate can work only if you flank. Otherwise, it’s a tough nut to crack. The champion has an admirably fast jungle clear though, so reaching that milestone level six should be all but time-consuming.
Once you hit your ultimate, it’s time to make some action. In the early levels, it’s used primarily for ganking, but as the game goes on, it can also serve as a valuable tool in other situations.
During the fights for League‘s neutral objectives in the jungle, you can utilize the power to turn the vision of Baron or drake off for the enemy team.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Nocturne |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Precision – Conqueror – Triumph – Legend: Alacrity – Last Stand Rune two: Domination – Eyeball Collection – Ultimate Offense: Attack Speed Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health |
| Best items | – Stridebreaker – Plated Steelcaps/Mercury’s Treads – Experimental Hexplate Nocturne has a lot of solid options to choose from when it comes to late-game items. Black Cleaver, Eclipse, Death’s Dance, Edge of Night Maw of Malmortius are all valuable items. It all depends on what type of team composition you are facing, and what kind of stats you need to boost in the first place. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Smite |
| Best build path | – Duskbringer (Q) – Shroud of Darkness (W) – Unspeakable Horror (E) Max out Q, then E, and then W as the last ability. |
| Toughest matchups | – Udyr – Morgana – Zac – Gragas – Lillia – Wukong |
Kha’Zix
Kha’Zix is a true definition of assassin. He often lurks in the shadows and randomly pops up among the top junglers from time to time, like in Patch 14.13.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Snowball and carry potential – Great at ganking, especially solo lanes – Mixes well with a lot of compositions | – Falls off a bit in the late game – Needs to gain some steam early to be useful |
When playing Kha’Zix, you should look for ganks and kills early. Snowballing is important for every Kha’Zix in the jungle, and with Treasure Hunter and Triple Tonic, it will be both easier and more valuable. After you hit level six and the first Evolution, you should be ready to go.
There’s not much philosophy to Kha’Zix’s gameplay. You try to flank the enemies, go in with E, get a kill or two, and escape with your ultimate. It sounds easy, and it actually is, though opponents will likely try to pin you down as fast as possible.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Kha’Zix |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Inspiration – First Strike – Magical Footwear – Triple Tonic – Cosmic Insight Rune two: Domination – Sudden Impact – Treasure Hunter Offense: Adaptive Force Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health based on level |
| Best items | – Youmuu’s Ghostblade – Opportunity – Ionian Boots of Lucidity Like with most AD-based junglers in League, Kha’Zix’s path when building items is pretty similar and straightforward. Youmuu’s Ghostblade and Opportunity will lay the groundwork for you to become a perilous assassin. Afterward, you will have to obtain items like Edge of Night, Serylda’s Grudge and Maw of Malmortius to round up your build. There are obviously a few alternatives, like Guardian Angel, Profane Hydra, Spear of Shojin, Eclipse, or Death’s Dance. Each of them has an argument or two to back itself, but, the truth is, you should keep track of the enemy champions. If you’re not in any danger, you can maximize your damage, but that won’t always be the case. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Smite |
| Best build path | – Taste Their Fear (Q) – Void Spike (W) – Leap (E) Maxing out Taste Their Fear first is pivotal for your jungler clear. Afterward, maximize W and E, respectively. When it comes to Evolution Order, it should be Q, W, E, and R. |
| Toughest matchups | – Ivern – Warwick – Shaco – Nunu & Willump – Rek’Sai |
Lillia
Often the thing that makes a champion standout above others in their respective roles is the amount of crowd control they bring. When it comes to Lillia, there’s arguably no stronger CC among junglers than her ultimate.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Great engage – Terrific in teamfights – Easy to learn | – Tough to land some skill shots – Can be useless if behind – Easy to overextend and get caught |
As Lillia, your primary objective is to enter the teamfight when you can use your ultimate. This is much more tricky than it sounds. While it’s an AoE sleep that can single-handedly win you the game, properly setting it up is a bit rough. Therefore, there are two ways of playing Lillia.
Either you become the frontliner and try to dissolve the enemy lines with your ultimate or other abilities, or wait for someone else to engage.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Lillia |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Precision – Conqueror – Triumph – Legend: Haste – Coup de Grace Rune two: Inspiration – Magical Footwear – Cosmic Insight Offense: Adaptive Force Flex: Adaptive Force Defense: Health |
| Best items | – Blackfire Torch – Liandry’s Torment – Ionian Boots of Lucidity After you pick these up, you should go for standard AP items, like Rylai’s Crystal Scepter, Zhonya’s Hourglass or even Rabadon’s Deathcap if you want to maximize your damage output. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Smite |
| Best build path | – Blooming Blows – Watch Out! Eep! – Swirlseed Maxing out Q first is essential in early-game skirmishes, as it’s your main source of damage and crowd control. Afterward, max W and E, respectively. |
| Toughest matchups | – Morgana – Rumble – Udyr – Rengar – Diana – Kha’Zix |
