For a Champion to qualify as a Jungler, he needs to prove himself able to survive the onslaught of neutral camps. If a Champion can deal little damage to the neutrals but take a lot of damage in turn, which warrants frequent recalls – he just doesn’t fit the role.
The best junglers can remain within the neutral area for a long time, allowing them to quickly rack up gold and XP, as well as the capability to roam and stalk the enemy.
Sustain is the main aspect of keeping you alive both in the Lane and the Jungle. High damage camps and those with multiple neutrals like Raptors or Wolves can take their toll on your HP. If your sustain is low, you might have to cut your clear short and recall before continuing. This can help your enemy jungler, who might have high sustain, to remain on top of you and take the lead in XP and gold. While you’re absent, he might even make a gank that you could’ve prevented if you had more sustain.
You can see how important Sustain is within the Jungle. This list will help you choose the best option for jungling with a lot of sustain to keep you alive, dormant, and perhaps even dominant in the neutral zones.
So, let us begin with the 7 Best Junglers with High Sustain in League of Legends without further delay!
7. Nocturne
Nocturne’s sustain lies within his passive ability. Every few seconds, his attack is empowered, can hit multiple enemies in front of him, and heals him for a little bit. This passive gives Nocturne a lot of potential for clearing camps fast and amplified with the Attack Speed bonus he has on his W; he’ll stay healthy throughout his preferred jungle path.
As a good ganker you will use this sustain and presence mostly to help out teammates in need. With good spells that speed you up and allow for closing gaps such as your Q and R, you will be all over the Lanes within seconds. The Fear on your E helps you both in the Jungle and when ganking. It will allow you to hunt down the enemies you’re ganking and help you and your teammate(s) rend them and send them back to the fountain.
Nocturne is also one of the best initiators and Assassins around in the Jungle role. Make sure you attack isolated targets using your Ultimate to rack up swift kills and gold, giving yourself the much-needed advantage while moving into the mid and late game. Nocturne is a fun and easy Champion to play and learn, so if you’re starting in the Jungle role – I recommend you give him a try.
Also read: Best Wave-Clear Top Laners
6. Nunu
Nunu is a Champion that has a second smite on his Q. This Q also heals him for a substantial amount, especially when he takes a bite out of the larger neutrals such as the Dragons and Baron. All of his jungling sustain lies within this spell and will allow Nunu to eviscerate camps in literal seconds while also remaining on full HP for the entire time.
Nunu will never lack HP while on his Jungle clear. This, combined with the speed at which he clears the camps, gives him a lot of spare time to use on helping out his teammate’s Lanes. Using his Snowball, he can cross great distances quickly and even smash into enemy Laners, dealing solid Magic Damage and applying vital CC.
His Ultimate makes Nunu also a great team fighter. Though hard to use to its full potential, a proper position and timing can instantly obliterate the enemy’s health bars, as this spell has some of the highest base Magic Damage in the game. If you’re playing URF, I suggest going for a full-AP Nunu game for maximum fun and joy. However, in the Jungle, he’s one of the better picks though he can be on the more difficult side. It will take some time and effort to learn and master Nunu’s unique kit – but it will pay off in the end as he is currently one of the best junglers in Season 12.
5. Xin Zhao
Xin Zhao’s passive heals him on every third attack. This is a powerful passive that allows Xin to be one of the strongest junglers around currently, as he will not spend too much time within the neutral zone itself but on the Lanes helping his team out. Apart from healing Xin for a substantial amount – his passive also gives him bonus damage on every third attack. This means that, when combined with his three-attack Q, Xin has a very powerful basic attack weapon in his hands.
This combination will help Xin clear the single target camps (Gromp/Buffs) super fast, and with the assistance of his E and W, which deal AOE damage – Xin will clear out even those multi enemy camps quickly and efficiently. After completing his entire jungle path, Xin will come out mostly unscathed and assist his fellow players in winning their Lanes.
With a lot of mobility, immobilizers, and damage, Xin Zhao deserves that S+ tier that he’s currently at. He is also very versatile in terms of build variety, and you can choose whether or not you’re going down the Tank or the Bruiser path. This and everything else I’ve mentioned above make Xin a great pick for seasoned junglers and beginners alike. He doesn’t have any meaningful skill shots or mechanical depth that’s too hard to learn. Therefore, I’d recommend you pick him up while he’s still the hot topic in the Jungling sphere.
Also read: How to Stop Feeding in League of Legends?
4. Evelynn
Evelynn is a peculiar one. She doesn’t get most of her sustain until she is level 6, making her a bit slower than the others on this list. But I rank her higher due to her overall capability as a jungler from that point onwards. Until level 6, Evelynn’s jungling is low and methodical – meaning that she will be utilizing her spells to the best of her ability. With her W’s Charm and the piercing damage of her Q and E, you’ll be careful going around the camps and clearing until you hit level 6.
Of course, you can gank before hitting 6, but your true potential is unlocked at that point. Then you will get the powerful invisibility on your passive during which your HP is regenerated. This will give you the ability to retreat into the shadows for a quick moment of respite and to replenish your HP before heading back into the fray.
Similar to Shaco, Evelynn’s main course of action is appearing behind the enemy’s backs. However, you will likely announce yourself prior with your W that takes a moment to channel. The charm and its power, if landed, will more or less be a guaranteed kill. Watch out not to use the charm before you’re in a good position that the enemy cannot escape. Despite not being among the easiest junglers, she is certainly among the best, and I highly recommend Evelynn as she is also one of my favorite Champions in the game.
3. Kayn
Everything about Kayn’s jungling is sustain. This is not because of anything too special within his initial kit, but rather how well he can utilize the jungling item. As you may already know, the jungle items provide the player with an 8% Omnivamp boost. This means that the more damage you deal to the neutrals, the more you’ll heal. Against single target camps like the Gromp and the Buffs, this won’t be very apparent early on. But when attacking the larger ones with multiple enemies, dealing AOE damage can substantially heal you.
This is where Kayn’s Q comes in. A low cooldown, AOE spell, it deals bonus damage to neutral monsters meaning that it also heals a whole lot more from the jungle item than any other Champion might do early on. Most will take severe damage from the Raptors and be forced into a recall. Kayn will either start the Raptors or pay them a visit to heal himself and replenish his jungling consistency.
He also has his E, which allows him to phase through walls and heals him for an amount. This, combined with the previously mentioned utilization of AOE damage, makes Kayn very persevering within the neutral areas of the map. If you opt for the Red form later on in the game, you’ll notice that every single spell now has Spell Vamp. It will substantially heal you from every damage you do to enemies, especially your Ultimate. Currently, he is one of the best junglers around, and I suggest you try him as his two forms can fit most playstyles out there.
2. Warwick
Warwick is a bloodlust werewolf whose entire existence revolves around healing a whole bunch. His passive gives him bonus damage that heals him when he goes below 50% HP. If he goes below 25%, the healing is doubled. This means that, under any circumstance, you likely will never be below the 50% HP mark while in the Jungle.
This is certainly the case when you consider Warwick’s Q. It heals him for a substantial amount at a 6-second cooldown, meaning Warwick will be spamming it through his jungle path. With his E, he will also fear the multi enemy camps, allowing him to clear them up before they get a real chance of dealing damage to him. If you’re not familiar with Warwick, here’s the best jungle path for Warwick.
His W gives him the ability to see and chase down low HP enemies across the entire map. And I mean, chase them, as WW will get a huge boost in movement speed if the enemy is low enough. He can cross from one end of the map to the other in split seconds, and his Ultimate’s range is increased. This makes him one of the most mobile gankers in the entire game, and his interventionist nature is insanely intimidating to play against. With the right build, you’ll be healing, even more, so make sure you utilize all the items you can to your advantage.
Also read: What is Feeding in League of Legends?
1. Fiddlesticks
Last but not least is everyone’s favorite scarecrow. I still have nightmares from that rework trailer. Anyhow, Fiddlesticks is one of the ablest junglers in the game, not only regarding sustain. He has many fears, damage, and some of the best ganking potential out of any jungler out there.
Fiddle’s sustain comes from his W, which drains the target of their HP for Fiddle’s gain. Though powerful on single targets, this spell can be used on multiple enemies at once. After half an item, Fiddle will be killing the larger camps in no time while remaining at full HP in the process. With his Q and E, he will fear and rend through the neutrals with ease. This makes Fiddle one of the fastest jungle clearers ever, meaning that he can focus a lot on ganking and/or counter-jungling if he so wishes.
While his ganking potential is great with his fears, his team fighting is the real deal. Fiddle can use his Ultimate from the dark to initiate the entire enemy team. If he comes from complete darkness, he will fear them while eviscerating their HP, making him both a great disabler and AOE beast. His Ultimate is one of the most fun spells to use. His fear mechanics that he received with the rework are also great and can impact the unsuspecting opponent. You get free warding and a decoy that you can leave in bushes to scare your opponents. I cannot say how many times I’ve flashed because of a well-placed Fiddle decoy in the Jungle.
At any rate, he’s just the best of the best in sustain terms and many other aspects as well. I highly recommend this Champion both because of how good he is and how fun he can be to play.
Conclusion
Sustain in the Jungle is a lot more important than in the Lane. As we can see, having good sustain and perseverance in the Jungle can help you be more present around the map, do more objectives and gank/prevent ganks. In my honest opinion, these are the best picks, and if anything changes, we will update the list to keep up with the times.
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