Season 12 is in full swing, and by now a lot of us have eased into the new changes. With the current meta somewhat solidified for this season, it might be a good idea to look at which champions are good for certain roles. The meta constantly changes, and in season 12, a lot of that has to do with itemizations and how Riot changes them to work well with certain champion compositions. In today’s article, we’re going to explore some popular picks for junglers, as well as explain why they excel this season. Without further delay, let’s take a look!
7. Diana
In terms of scaling in the current meta, few can actually match Diana. Her clear speed in the early game is great thanks to Moonsilver Blade, Crescent Strike, and Pale Cascade. She also has amazing mobility baked into her kit.
Her presence can be felt early on, which a lot of other junglers lack, especially when it comes to ganking and counter ganking. When she isn’t, she tends to power farm in the jungle, which is another psychological way of harassing your opponents. This makes her a great pick for anyone who likes both proactive and reactive playstyles.
Also read: Worst Items in League of Legends
6. Hecarim
While his bread and butter item selections have been nerfed in the recent patch, Hecarim is still a very solid choice. The skill ceiling isn’t too high, so with some practice, it can be easier to make some good plays with him. His kit involves a lot of running, and as you’d expect, he shines the brightest when he does.
His move speed and mobility are particularly useful when chasing down fleeing enemies; and who wouldn’t flee? Imagine just minding your own business in the lane, focusing on creeps, when a man-horse thing just starts charging at you from the jungle. Absolutely terrifying.
5. Master Yi
Here is a champion that everyone in League is familiar with. He is… well… Master Yi. The recent patch has given him a burst in utility and how he’s played. Yes, he is still a relatively simple hero to use, but he has a few new tricks up his sleeve. While Alpha Strike technically got nerfed in terms of damage, it now applies on-hit effects, and the cooldown reduction from his basic attacks now actually scales with ability haste.
His ultimate, Highlander, is also paused while Alpha Strike is active, which can actually pave the way for those clutch moments where a few precious seconds is all you need. The cooldown was also decreased in this patch to a fixed 85 seconds, which is only 5 seconds more from the 85-second cooldown you get in level 3. That’s a huge cooldown reduction at level 6.
Master Yi is especially devastating in the solo queue where people tend to not coordinate as much. Historically speaking, Master Yi is arguably one of the easiest champions to get pentakills with, and it’s obvious why. His ability to catch enemies out of position, his ability to chase and zip around the battlefield, and how he can somewhat sustain himself relatively well all contribute to good ol’ Yi being on this list. Without coordinated CC and tight positioning, he’s very annoying to play against.
Also read: Hardest Champions to Play in League of Legends
4. Kha’Zix
Kha’zix is one of the strongest AD assassins right now. When utilized correctly, he has an insane amount of burst damage and is naturally slippery. This makes him a very mobile and versatile assassin who can creep into the enemy backlines with ease. The Voidreaper’s kit specifically targets isolated champions, as made evident by Taste Their Fear, Void Spike, and Unseen Threat, which synergizes very well with his ultimate.
His last 2 skills, Leap and Void Assault are what make him a mobile champion. His versatility mainly stems from being able to evolve, which gives him a degree of adaptability, depending on how the game goes. A similar mechanic is seen on Kayn.
Because of how often he can zip in and out of sight with ease, Duskblade and Ghostblade do wonders for him. His “in and out” playstyle also works great for hit and run retreat tactics. This makes for some seriously awesome plays.
3. Fiddlesticks
Ah, League of Legends’ resident horror show. The champion rework certainly did a lot to contribute to this champion lore-wise, but how his kit works actually does scare enemy players too, when done right. He’s a great champion in the sense that you can kind of do your own thing, and by doing that, you contribute by being a disruptive, unseen force later on.
The enemy team could be wondering where you’ll strike next when you’re really just farming. His kit also gives him decent clear speeds with Reap and a decent sustain through Bountiful Harvest. Crowstorm is Fiddlesticks’ ultimate ability, and it’s what really makes him annoying to deal with later on, especially when you’ve farmed up a bit. A well-placed Crowstorm can devastate the enemy team and sew chaos into a clash.
Personally, my favorite part about him is A Harmless Scarecrow, which turns your wards into a scarecrow. They look awesome, but also move around when approached. This kind of spooks opponents, especially when they enter a brush with a scarecrow. This is great for mind games, because Fiddlesticks can pretend to be a scarecrow by standing still for 2 seconds.
Lastly, at level 6, it also summons an eyeball when placed, which reveals the area for 6 seconds. Great for rewarding. This makes the map even darker for your opponents. Perfect for the Ancient Fear just lurking at any corner.
2. Nunu
The recent changes in recent patches may have resulted in Nunu taking a hit in AP, but Nunu is still an incredible jungler. He is an incredible initiator with his Biggest Snowball Ever for the initiation, Snowball Barrage to keep enemies in place, and finally Absolute Zero to wreck whoever is left. It’s a devastating combo that’s dependent on if you can hit your snowball and how long you’re able to charge your ultimate.
Consume is great during the farming stage, as it helps sustain and clear camps faster. It works like a mini Smite. Other than that, there’s not much else to say about Nunu, except that he is dependent on a team to follow up when he does his part and can’t really just run rampant like Diana and expect everything to be okay later. Still, when coordinated well, he has great presence and ganking potential due to the Biggest Snowball ever and scales decently.
Also read: Best Aggressive Supports in League of Legends
1. Shaco
While he isn’t the best when it comes to securing objectives, Shaco is a champion we can easily recommend specifically when you queue up solo. He is a bit situational in this list, mainly because he falls off a bit as the game stretches on, but he can be very annoying in the mid to early game, so much so that the late game never arrives if he did his job right.
A good Shaco is also beloved by the mid and bot lane, mainly because of his independent initial jungle clear speed. Jack in the Box helps him clear the first camp early because he can choose to put it before the jungle monsters spawn.
Deceive is also what makes him mobile through the jungle and acts as an initiating or escape tool. He’s often played like a trickster because his skill set is designed to confuse the enemy, particularly when you use Deceive and Hallucinate together.
It’s even more confusing than Wukong’s Decoy, and more punishing because there’s nothing more annoying than thinking you got him, only for 3 boxes to spawn in the middle of a team fight while the real Shaco is off assassinating your squishy enchanter.
