Patch 10.4 is considered a solid version from Riot Games, addressing one of the most pressing issues in League of Legends, which is the top lane support champions. Additionally, a significant change is the addition of 7 champions to the jungle champion pool. Naturally, with their distinct champion qualities, their effectiveness in the jungle will vary greatly.
Group C – Not Suitable for Jungle: Mordekaiser, Gnar
The “Iron Man” Mordekaiser is seen as a king in the solo lane, but to bring this champion into the jungle, the little monster farming ability that Riot grants is simply insufficient. Mordekaiser’s playstyle involves walking up to beat enemies and winning lanes through heavy damage trades. This works well in lanes since opponents are forced to stay to farm minions and gain experience.
In the jungle, the story is completely different. If opponents feel they cannot win, they can easily dodge Mordekaiser, and if they don’t farm, they can go gank or take objectives instead. Mordekaiser’s ability to engage and deal continuous damage is just a “joke” when facing champions like Lee Sin or Rek’Sai in the jungle. When Mordekaiser’s only strength is not being utilized, what’s the point of putting him in the jungle?
Gnar faces a similar problem as his champion quality is to dominate melee champions. When in the jungle without an opponent in his lane, his long-range advantage disappears entirely. Furthermore, Gnar requires a lot of items, at least one offensive item and 2 defensive items to be effective, while resources in the jungle are becoming scarcer. Perhaps Gnar and Mordekaiser should stick to their top lanes.
Group B – Decent but Stronger in Lane: Garen, Darius
The only reason Garen and Darius are stronger than Mordekaiser and Gnar in the jungle is that they have skills to quickly finish off enemies. In terms of mobility, these 4 champions are quite similar. Garen has a certain advantage in the jungle as his Q – Decisive Strike provides silence, which may not be hard crowd control but prevents opponents from escaping, especially from Flash.
Therefore, to make Garen effective in the jungle, the only playstyle you should use is full damage because your opportunity will only come during the time that enemies are silenced. Darius is different; his damage is naturally good, and his direct sustain is better than Garen, making both tank and damage builds viable for this champion.
Nevertheless, ultimately, these 2 champions are more suited for the top lane. They do have chase potential, but it is extremely limited and easily kited. Players should not rush to bring these 2 champions into the jungle; instead, they should remain in the upper half of the map, where a certain resilience is needed rather than the quick strikes typical of the jungle.
Group A – Great Potential: Zed, Talon
There are 2 key factors that make a strong jungle champion today: good damage and excellent mobility. Zed and Talon require several conditions to meet these two requirements and perform effectively in the jungle. First is the damage issue; since Zed and Talon are designed as mid-lane champions, their base damage from abilities is not particularly high, but they interact well with AD stats. Therefore, these two champions need to “steal” early kills from teammates to be strong.
Next is the mobility issue. Both Zed and Talon meet this requirement, but they have limitations, and players need to move smartly to overcome them. First is Zed; before level 6, this ninja only has W – Shadow Slash. This is not just a regular engage ability; it helps amplify damage and, especially, outplay opponents. You must use it very cleverly to avoid falling behind early.
Talon can roam better with E – Assassin’s Path, but this requires you to have good map awareness to avoid unnecessary deaths. For these two champions, the Duskblade of Draktharr is probably an essential item, providing many necessary stats for just 2400 gold, making it suitable in this time when jungle resources are limited.
Group S – Suitable for the Jungle Role: Diana
Diana doesn’t even need a buff in patch 10.4; she was already a solid jungle champion in League of Legends. The preseason adjustments made her even stronger and better at ganking with the ability to stick to opponents right from the start. The only problem with the old Diana in the jungle was her low mobility before level 6, which has now been resolved, and with increased jungle farming capability, this champion will be much stronger.
Additionally, you should abandon the safe build mentality like Rod of Ages as in the mid lane; instead, build as much damage as possible like the Nashor’s Tooth, Hextech Rocketbelt, and Rylai’s Crystal Scepter to take down enemies. Diana’s jungle playstyle is quite similar to Ekko; you need to snowball the game, and building too many safe items does not meet this goal.