If you thought that this would be a troll guide that doesn’t make much sense – well, you’re very mistaken! Ezreal is one of the most flexible champions in the entire League of Legends, and the jungle position is nothing new to him. He’s got a unique kit and one-of-a-kind playstyle that works very well in the jungle, but only if you combine it with the right build and runes. So, this post is about how to play Ezreal in the jungle – the proper way!
To get a bit of proof, just take a look at KingStix’s success! He is a challenger player from NA who has played only Ezreal jungle to reach his high rank. His tips on the champion and the role are invaluable, and we will touch on them here too.
One of the things that make Ezreal so good in the jungle is his range. Playing him in the position is a game of kiting. You must know how to avoid as much damage as possible from the jungle monsters and hit enemy champions without getting punched in return. Luckily, this will be way easier to do in the jungle than in the bot lane since you will have the red buff to constantly slow enemies with your Q – Mystic Shot.
True, Ezreal doesn’t have the “best” start, but his weaker early game is soon forgotten by the fact that he scales extremely well and unloads a substantial amount of damage as time goes on. However, that’s only the case if you aim his spells. Every ability he’s got is a skill shot, so you must practice him before playing ranked.
Jumping over walls with your E – Arcane Shift to steal the enemy jungler’s buff and sniping enemies from across the map with your R – Trueshot Barrage are all parts of Ezreal’s jungle playstyle. And don’t be confused with your W – Essence Flux! Even though you can’t use it on regular monster camps, you can destroy the Dragon and the Baron with its damage.
So, if you’re ready, let’s jump to the runes and items that you should run on Ezreal in the jungle!
Best runes for Jungle Ezreal
Ezreal’s best friend in League of Legends is Conqueror. This keystone is what makes him a viable champion, so you have no other choice than to pick it up. Conqueror is a stacking rune that gives you damage and healing as you charge it up with spells and attacks. This is easily done on Ezreal since he can spam Qs all day long. The additional damage and lifesteal are essential for succeeding in the early game since most champions can overpower him.
Presence of Mind
- Presence of Mind will help you a lot with your mana, especially when you’re chasing down enemies. Every time you score a kill or an assist, it will refund 20% of your mana, so you can keep damaging.
Triumph
- Triumph can also be a good choice if the enemy team has many all-in champions, and you need to survive a team fight.
Legend: Bloodline
- Legend: Bloodline gives you the necessary lifesteal to survive the early jungle pathing. Jungle monsters do an insane amount of damage to squishy champions like Ezreal, so the lifesteal here is a key component. In the bot lane, Ezreal can also swap to Legend: Alacrity, but in the jungle, Legend: Bloodline is a must! If the enemy team has a lot of CC champions, you should take Legend: Tenacity instead.
Coup de Grace
- In the last row of the Precision tree, Coup de Grace is the best option. That 8% damaging buff against enemies who are below 40% HP can be the determining factor whether you’ll kill your target with your R – Trueshot Barrage or not. It is a great finisher rune, and Ezreal can get so much value out of it!
Magical Footwear
- Since Ezreal needs a few items to get him going, Magical Footwear allows him to take a shortcut in his build path. With the free boots, Ezreal can buy Tear of the Goddess earlier and start scaling sooner.
Cosmic Insight
- Cosmic Insight is the second-best choice in the Inspiration tree. It gives a 5% cooldown reduction on everything and makes Ezreal much faster in firing spells and items at his opponents.
One Attack Speed, one Adaptive Force, and one Armor buff is the perfect combination for jungle Ezreal.
Best items for Jungle Ezreal
Skirmisher’s Sabre – Warrior
- In the jungle, Ezreal goes best with Skirmisher’s Sabre – Warrior. The red smite is the best dueling smite of all because not only it lowers the incoming damage by 20%, but it also marks your enemy for 4 seconds. During this time, Ezreal can pump auto attacks and Qs to burn that enemy with true damage! This gives him a significant boost in power when contesting objectives and jungle camps.
Also read: Jungle Irelia – A Complete Guide
Manamune – Muramana
- Manamune is an essential item for Ezreal. Because he is a mage and his playstyle revolves around poking with spells, he spends a lot of mana. That’s why Tear of the Goddess should be amongst the first purchases too. And transforming it to Muramana early can mean a “free win” because of the crazy damage it adds to Ezreal’s kit.
Trinity Force – Iceborn Gauntlet
- If there is one never-ending debate in the LoL community, then it’s this one: “Should Ezreal buy Trinity Force or Iceborn Gauntlet? What is better?”. And the answer will always depend on the particular situation. Trinity Force will always be a better option if you need more damage, and there are many tanks on the enemy team. And Iceborn Gauntlet will always be better if you can’t run away from the enemies, and you need to kite them repeatedly with the item’s passive slow effect. So, choose accordingly, every game!
Blade of the Ruined King
- Blade of the Ruined King is an item that fulfills every gap in Ezreal’s playstyle. It gives him attack speed and lifesteal, something that he really lacks. Plus, the item’s active is a bonus source of damage and is excellent for either chasing or running away, so buying it is never a wrong choice.
Mortal Reminder
- The fifth item in Ezreal’s build will be situational too. Mortal Reminder is amongst the best options because of its flat armor penetration and also the Grievous Wound effect, which can be essential against a healing comp.
However, if the enemy team has lots of CC, then Mercurial Scimitar will be the smartest purchase. Similarly, Maw of Malmortius can be an excellent item against a massive AP comp. And Death’s Dance is the best item overall for sustainability. With Ezreal, you have the freedom to change things in your build, but if you find yourself in doubt, then go with Mortal Reminder.
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
- Ionian Boots of Lucidity are the best shoes for Ezreal. The cooldown reduction on his abilities and Summoner’s Spells is very precious since he depends on both to succeed.
Ninja Tabi and Mercury’s Treads can be helpful in particular games, if for example, Ezreal struggles against multiple physical or multiple magic dealing champions. Otherwise, CDR boots will be the go-to choice for every game.
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