While the entire duration of a match in League of Legends is crucial, the early game is arguably the most important. Early game plays and farming can snowball into major deciding factors for player performance.
Junglers have to take special care in the early game, more so than laners. Whether for early game invades, winning bold 1v1s, or taking some risky farms, the starting few minutes of a match can determine whether the team will have a powerful Jungler. However, a Jungler’s job doesn’t start as soon as a game begins, but even before that when selecting their Champion.
To ensure your early-game jungling is fruitful, this article will dive into some of the best early game Junglers in League of Legends.
Best Jungler Early Game
The best early-game Jungler depends on what the players want to prioritize at the start of a match. Therefore, we’ll delve into what every Champion on this list excels in while explaining why they made it on this list. This extra information ensures you can base your choice on personal preference and playstyle.
Additionally, some Champions are naturally more difficult to master than others. Below, you’ll also find information on how difficult every Champion is, so you know how much time and effort you can expect to sink into them.
Nunu & Willump
First up is Nunu, a Champion that most might not expect to see on this list. While Nunu’s damage is already high enough to warrant him being on this list, his snowball is what makes him an excellent early game Jungler. When timed correctly, Nunu can single-handedly turn the tides in his team’s favor.
Picture this, you’re playing as a top-lane Champion and are close to eliminating your opposition. You’re running after the enemy top-laner to finish them off when, out of nowhere, the enemy Nunu Jungler rushes in with a giant snowball and the river Scuttler’s speed boost. Nunu’s snowball and relatively easy playstyle make him an excellent choice.
Lee Sin
Lee Sin is one of the most popular Champions, especially since many players tend to one-trick him. While Lee Sin particularly excels in early-game ganking, he’s excellent with everything. Invades, Jungle clears, movement, skirmishes, counter-ganking, 1v1s, and securing objectives, he’s the definition of a jack-of-all-trades.
However, his adaptability means players must adapt Lee Sin’s build based on their play style. Low ELO Lee Sins typically focus on making the Champion tanky since low-level players struggle against him. On the other hand, some players might prefer building attack items to decimate everyone standing in the blind Champion’s path.
Trundle
Not every player likes taking things slow. Since some prefer rushing into farming kills, Trundle might be the early game Jungler for you if you want to start farming kills ASAP. With his extremely high 1v1 potential, many players argue a level 3 Trundle can outmatch any Champion in that level.
Of course, there’s always a calm before every storm, and Trundle only shines in the early game if the Jungle player invests some time and effort first. The goal in the first minutes is to farm gold and XP without dying to the enemy. Naturally, getting kills can help this, but there’s always the risk of dying, making Trundle a high-difficulty early-game Jungler.
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Elise
Elise is one of the best AP-focusing Junglers in the game. With useful abilities, she can either focus on ganking lanes or acquiring objectives. Her human form E ability is invaluable for early-game ganks thanks to its relatively short cooldown and handy stun. It’s possible to try for a gank and then repeat it in quick succession if you fail.
Elise’s Spiderlings are invaluable for Junglers wanting to take early-game objectives. Whether against the Rift Herald or any Dragon, the tiny spiders can soak damage while dealing it back over time. While having some allies nearby would be useful, an experienced Elise can deal with everything alone.
Rek’Sai
We’ve covered gankers and farmers, but what about lurking Jungle Champions? Rek’Sai might have received numerous nerfs over the years but she’s still a force to be reckoned with in the early game. She has a high potential for ganking and controlling objectives, but her true calling is to go incognito and confuse the enemy.
Thanks to Rek’Sai’s tunnels, she can go over walls to dodge wards and get to places she isn’t expected. This includes stealing the enemy’s farms, soloing objectives under the enemy’s noses, and ganking lanes to help teammates.
Kindred
Kindred has the title of Early Game Monster, and it’s no surprise why. While most Junglers excel in overwhelming enemy Champions with more damage or health, Kindred is a Marksman Jungler who outsmarts them.
With his exceptional kiting potential, Kindred can outsmart and outlive most early game Junglers. However, playing this Champion is risky, as Kindred is a feast Champion, which means the early game decides whether they dominate the game or become borderline useless.
Graves
If pure damage had a name it would probably be Graves. Graves’ early-game damage can’t be dealt with in most cases, especially when his E and W are unlocked. However, Graves players must control their attacks, as poor positioning can lead to attacks hitting the lane’s camp.
It’s easy to snowball Graves into a monster by getting one or two cheeky kills during these few minutes. The trick is to build early AD items to farm kills and gold, then go for a Mythic item to turn Graves into a 1v1 monster.
Conclusion
This concludes our list of the seven best early game Junglers. With constant nerfs and buffs, other Champions could replace those on this list. Keeping up with the meta and updates is key to excelling in League of Legends.
