The Role of the Jungler on Sovereign's Rise

I don’t expect the meta in 3.9 to be figured out. I would like to start an ongoing discussion on how the changes in 3.9 have impacted the role, and if we finally have that solo jungle experience SEMC has been trying to create, without losing the flexibility of different jungle strategies.

Additionally it should be mentioned how the jungle impacts the overall meta, as the junglers rotations and clearing patterns is the main thing that impacts the side lane meta.

Just to get the conversation going, I feel like the impact of the changes are not so clean cut. We don’t suddenly have a solo jungle role just like League of Legends, but we also don’t have the duo bot side rotations of 3.7-8 where the jungler never needed to do anything alone allowing full utility picks like Churnwalker.

From what I have seen playing so far, it’s most efficient for the jungler to consistently clear jungle, but still try and fit in those duo rotations for the added gold, but more importantly XP which was not reduced. I’ve also been filling a semi utility role utilizing Stormcrown, Pulseweave, Aftershock for damage and clear speed, but still getting that all important second crucible, and applying atlas if we have a ranged captain. So far it has felt really good having strong gank and invade potential early mid game, without dropping the ball on team protection a pick like Alpha or Koshka would.

Heroes I have found successful in this style of play are Inara, Grumpjaw, and Flicker.

From what I saw so far, jungle monsters are harder to kill than enemy heroes. I played like 8 games with different junglers and no one had good clear. I didn’t try stormcrown junglers though, just normal warrior junglers mostly. I don’t think that’s the best way for the jungle to be though. If junglers spend too much time farming it’s not fun as they do not gank. If they don’t get jungle regularly then they don’t exp. Even when they’re effective without exp I don’t see this as the intended way. I mean junglers are supposed to have more exp and less gold than laners. That was the difference in 3v3 and I think in MOBAs in general. Forcing stormcrown junglers to be effective doesn’t seem like the best way for jungle to be. Though I gotta say I prefer that to having your laners steal everything.

This is how I was feeling at first too, but I found that I was rotation inefficiently. You really have to plan your jungle rotations, re spawns, and gank on your power spikes.

Just as an example on Inara I farm just about the entire early game, only sometimes contesting enemy jungle to get the steal with a SGB proc. The goal is to get lvl 6 as fast as possible because that’s when she has the ability to really menace enemies with impunity, this is when you transition into that ganking role.

On grumpjaw you want to farm until level 4, where your A will be the strongest it will be the entire game, plan your first recall at early level 4 and gank then.

Heroes like Alpha should clear faster than an Inara with SC once they get a little damage, Alpha spikes the moment she gets a heavy steel.

I found if you rotate smart and don’t try and do everything, you can fill that true roaming menace that the jungle position should be.

I’m pretty sure that is the case. I haven’t played jungle since 5v5 beta. Back then I played jungle as I mained it since the first week I joined VG but I didn’t enjoy it that much in 5v5. After the beta the kind of boredom turned straight into hate and I have barely touched the role since then. So I don’t really know what I’m doing but I might try work on it.

But still it really feels weird that no hero has good clear at level 1. Usually even when they buffed jungle tankiness before some heroes have always had better clear and pretty good in general not only in comparison. I guess I’ll have better understanding and opinion after I get some experience.

This is why other mmboas have a form of true damage to JG monsters.

We had Stormcrown but thats now a dragon sniper item :koshkaeyeroll:

Jungle clear speed seems to take much longer solo due to the increase health, armor, and shield scaling. Even a WP Rona building SB first felt really slow. I suspect clear speed with two people will be prioritized over losing one wave even with the ambient gold nerf. A Bot/Jungle duo lost 30% jungle gold, but just got 15% more lane gold, net decrease of 15%. The cost of having your jungle stolen or your jungler away from a fight still clearing probably won’t be worth.

Stormcrown is a jungle clear item, i dont know why you think it’s only useful for stealing dragons now. That’s honestly not particularly reliable use for the item, just an added bonus.

You buy it for the crazy jungle clear.