The Best Junglers in LoL this time around are Graves, Briar and Ivern – three champions that are equally strong, but provide a very different experience on the Rift.
Patch 13.24 is rapidly approaching, but there’s still some time left to grind Patch 13.23 – with none other than the best picks. Briar, Graves and Ivern had made it to the top of the tierlists and winrate charts, and that’s for good reason. Let’s take a closer look at why these champions are ruling the jungle in the current patch.
Best Junglers in LoL Patch 13.23
Graves
Even though Graves is one of the harder junglers, he’s boasting a winrate just under 52%, which is convincing sign that he’s among the stronger picks in the jungle. While the Outlaw doesn’t have as much ganking potential very early game due to his lack of CC, he makes up for it in raw damage, as well as great scaling.
Graves Runes
Primary: Fleet Footwork, Triumph, Legend: Alacrity, Coup de Grace
Secondary: Magical Footwear, Cosmic Insight
While Graves can kite the jungle monsters well and has high Armour because of his E, Fleet keeps him almost at full health after a while, as well as give him a speed boost while ganking. The rest of the Precision tree is just a great choice for any damage dealer, but Graves can get more value out of Triumph as he can dive his opponents. Don’t forget to take Cosmic Insight for more Smites!
Graves Abilities
Ability Priority: R>Q>E>W
End of the Line is good for clearing as well as getting takedowns – if you manage to land both it’s instances. Nevertheless, you should start with E during your first clear, as it makes you faster, and if you learn how to keep the extra Armour up from Quickdraw, you can breeze through the jungle. While Smokescreen is great utility, you don’t need to max it until the lategame, as it only gains extra damage.
Graves Build
Core: Youmuu’s Ghostblade, Plated Steelcaps, The Collector
After his first item, Graves doesn’t even need CC to get ganks, as Youmuu’s gives enough damage and mobility to catch up to any target. The boots is interchangeable, but Plated Steelcaps makes him extremely tanky. The Collector helps you one-shot targets with it’s passive and Crit, as well as help you snipe opponents with Collateral Damage. Afterwards, you can get items like Black Cleaver and Death’s Dance if you wanna be tankier, but things like Lord Dominik’s Regards and Bloodthirster work as well
Graves Tips
Try to have fast clears and focus lanes that are pushed towards your side of the Rift – you are sticky, just can’t lock targets down. Look for walls that you can bounce your Q off, and try to trade around your Smokescreen to make your opponent’s lives harder.
Ivern
Ivern offers a stark contrast to the usual jungle picks with his supportive and utility-based playstyle. He remains a strong choice for teams looking for a jungler who can enhance their allies’ abilities and control objectives – but you should never underestimate Daisy’s damage output.
Ivern Runes
Primary: Summon Aery, Nimbus Cloak, Transcendence, Waterwalking
Secondary: Future’s Market, Cosmic Insight
Summon Aery is good for any enchanter, but as Ivern’s E deals damage AND shields, he should get value out of it each time he uses the skill. Transcendence and Cosmic Insight helps you spam abilities harder, while Transcendence and Future’s Market accelerates your power spike.
Ivern Abilities
Ability Priority: R>E>Q>W
Triggerseed is the most important ability Ivern has, but always start with Q – you can bounce around camps after marking them, taking them in quick succession. While Brushmaker’s extra damage is nice, it’s more important to level Q after the E, as it’s your main initiating tool.
Ivern Build
Core: Shurelya’s Battlesong, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, Staff of Flowing Water
While Moonstone Renewer is great for Ivern as well, Shurelya’s Battlesong is a much more aggressive option – and while the Greenfather is an enchanter, he can dictate the tempo of the match. However, you should rush Lucidity boots, as your base damage is enough in the early game, and you mostly utilize your CC when ganking. Staff of Flowing Water is great as it buffs Ivern as well as your E’s target, but Ardent Censer is also good if you have an AA heavy team.
Ivern Tips
During your first clear, mark every camp on one side, then pick them up before heading to the other half of your jungle, as Ivern’s passive deals a lot of damage to him. Don’t forget to use Brushmaker often as it buffs your allies, and shield Daisy to chase down opponents!
Briar
Even though she receives repeated nerfs, Briar is still one of the best junglers out there. While she has a unique playstyle, once you get the hang of her, you become a snowballing monster, capable of devouring entire teams.
Briar Runes
Primary: Hail of Blades, Sudden Impact, Eyeball Collection, Treasure Hunter
Secondary: Magical Footwear, Cosmic Insight
Hail of Blades increases your damage output during both instances of your W, which gets enhanced even further by Sudden Impact. The other runes are there to make your scaling faster, as Briar shines in the mid to lategame.
Briar Abilities
Ability Priority: R>W>Q>E
Your W is your most important ability, and while it’s a bit strange to use because you lose control of your champion, once you get the hang of it, you can mow through the opposition. Your Q can be used to engage or disengage, but levelling it second is great for the midgame, as the amount of armour it decreases increases with rank. Your E has great base damage, so it can be levelled last, as you’ll mostly use this to heal and get out of Frenzy.
Briar Build
Core: Eclipse, Plated Steelcaps, The Collector
Eclipes gives Briar even more survivability with the shield and lifesteal, as well as extra damage to burst opponents down. Collector is great to finish off enemies as it works with the bleed, so even if you can’t eat them, you can still exsanguinate them. After your core, you can get items such as Prowler’s Claw, or even tankier stuff such as Sterak’s Gage and Death’s Dance.
Briar Tips
Only initiate with your W if your E is up, or if the situation is completely safe, as your opponents can drag you into unfavourable situations if you cant cleanse yourself. Don’t be afraid to use your ult in the middle of a fight after getting some space, as it can turn the tides. Your W can be used while under the effect of your ultimate, and the buffs stack, meaning you become an unstoppable killing machine with both R and W active. Your Q can be used on allies – even minions – to get out of harms way or to disengage.
These three champions provide a different approach to jungling, but they are all capable of carrying the games themselves – even if Ivern does it in a very unique way. Of course, picks like Bel’Veth, Poppy and Evelynn are also very strong, but with these three characters, your chance of success is much higher. Don’t be scared to try them out!
