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 14.14.
Best League junglers in Patch 14.14
Shyvana
Numerous top-performing champions in the latest update have been adjusted in Patch 14.14, making space for others to rise in the tier list. This includes Shyvana, who has risen from aflame like a phoenix.
With her two forms, Shyvana is one of the most flexible junglers in the meta. In her human form, it’s easy for her to rapidly clean the jungle and navigate between lanes. However, her true power is unleashed when she becomes a dragon after reaching maximum fury, which should be used in teamfights, especially as an engage tool.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Mobile – Powerful in fights – Versatile – Easy to learn |
– Some abilities are hard to land – Is an all-around solid pick but doesn’t excel in any specific area – Doesn’t fit in every team composition |
Usually, when playing as Shyvana, players relied on auto attacks as their main damage source. The latest trends force them to build AP-based items on the champion, though, since she has powerful converters on her abilities. Still, there’s no reason to overcomplicate things. Simply pick Precision tree with Fleet Footwork as your main rune, that will grant you survivability and mobility, which will be much needed if you want to stay in the fights as long as possible.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Shyvana |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Precision – Fleet Footwork – Triumph – Legend: Haste – Cut Down Rune two: Inspiration Offense: Attack Speed |
| Best items | – Sorcerer’s Shoes – Liandry’s Torment – Spear of Shojin Like we said, the latest meta advises players to build AP-based items on Shyvana, which transforms her Flame Breath into perilous fireballs, while also enhancing other abilities. Therefore, going for AP-based items like Rabadon’s Deathcap, Riftmaker, and Zhonya’s Hourglass is the best possible path in the current meta. Occasionally you may even pick up Mejai’s Soulstealer if your game is going well, and you’re allowed to get a couple of stacks early. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Smite |
| Best build path | – Flame Breath (E) – Burnout (W) – Twin Bite (Q) Once you get level four, max E first, then W, and Q in the end. |
| Toughest matchups | – Ivern – Master Yi – Kha’Zix – Diana – Ekko – Evelynn – Hecarim |
Viego
Champions who can copy others’ abilities are becoming more common in League. When it comes to the jungle, the undisputed king in that regard is Viego, who’s recently been on the rise.
Viego is a terrific pick for many scenarios. His ultimate allows him to reset and gain additional survivability in fights. He also doesn’t lack in other aspects. His jungle clear and ganks are decent, and he has versatile build options.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Fun to play – Carry potential – Perfect for almost any occasion |
– Tough to play from behind since he won’t be getting any resets – Requires mechanical prowess |
Viego’s goals are simple: do as much possible damage in teamfights as possible. It’s essentially what he excels at due to his ultimate. With that in mind, it’s best to boost his damage with the Precision runes, like Conqueror, Triumph, and Coup de Grace. A lot of junglers struggle with utility in the last few patches, so bringing Magical Footwear and Cosmic Insight alongside isn’t a bad idea.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Viego |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Precision – Conqueror – Triumph – Legend: Alacrity – Coup de Grace Rune two: Inspiration Offense: Attack Speed |
| Best items | – Mercury’s Treads – Sundered Sky – Kraken Slayer As you can see, Viego’s core items are all damage, Once you complete them you should try to go all in and maximize his threat even more. This can be achieved by building items like Sterak’s Gage, Death’s Dance, Wit’s End, and Maw of Malmortius. In case you need to go for defensive options, you may simply pick an item or two that suit you the most. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Smite |
| Best build path | – Blade of the Ruined King (Q) – Spectral Maw (W) – Harrowed Path (E) Max out Q first, then follow with E and W, respectively. |
| Toughest matchups | – Amumu – Zac – Kha’Zix – Zed – Taliyah – Briar – Rengar – Shaco |
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 Offense: Attack Speed |
| 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.
| 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 Offense: Adaptive Force |
| 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. |
| Toughest matchups | – Ivern – Warwick – Shaco – Nunu & Willump – Rek’Sai |
Shaco
Now that’s a surprise. Like rabbit out of a hat, Shaco appears in the top rankings out of nowhere. The champion wasn’t directly affected by changes since Patch 14.4, and even that was a minor adjustment to a bug of his ability. Still, looking at the damage Shaco can cause in the current update, it’d be foolish not to include him.
Besides being worthy of your time if you’re playing jungle, Shaco is also a really unique pick. His Smite and Ignite approach is arguably the most aggressive one in terms of junglers. And, if played well, it may lead to some quick and sastisfying victories.
| Pros | Cons |
| – Fun to play – Easy to learn – Snowballs really well |
– Useless if he gets behind – Requires mechanical prowess, especially his ultimate – Tough jungle clear |
Hail of Blades has been on the rise recently. Poppy mains have favored it for a while, for example, and now the case is similar for Shaco players. It gives you a massive attack speed boost when you attack an enemy champion, which elevates your ganking and assassination potential.
| Area of Interest | Best options for Shaco |
| Best runes | Rune tree one: Domination – Hail of Blades – Sudden Impact – Eyeball Collection – Relentless Hunter Rune two: Inspiration Offense: Attack speed |
| Best items | – Blackfire Torch – Liandry’s Torment – Ionian Boots of Lucidity While Shaco should collect AP-based items in the beginning of the game, later on it’s advised to get a few AD ones as well, like Infinity Edge and Lord Dominik’s Regards. That’s due to how his abilities scale with both stats, and with Hail of Blades, Shaco’s auto attacks are meant to be fast in teamfights as well. |
| Best Summoner’s Spells | – Flash – Ignite |
| Best build path | – Jack in The Box (W) – Deceive (Q) – Two-Shiv Poison (E) Maximize your W, first, follow with E, and round up the path by maxing out Q. |
| Toughest matchups | – Bel’Veth – Kha’Zix – Graves – Talon – Hecarim – Shyvana – Rammus – Karthus |
