Top 7 Best Junglers Against Tanky Teams

Tanky compositions in League of Legends can be very problematic to deal with if you are not equipped with the proper items. However, picking the right champion into the enemy composition makes the job much easier.

The Top 7 Best Junglers Against Tanky Teams are Trundle, Kayn (Rhaast), Lillia, Olaf, Viego, Master Yi, and Kindred. Bel’Veth is a new introduction to the game that is very good at shredding tanks once she gains 2-3 items. 

Let us take a look at each of these champions and how they deal with tanky opponents. We will also look at the proper items and runes to equip them with, to deal with beefy champions.

Also read: How to Teamfight With Ashe

1. Trundle

Whenever countering a tank is mentioned, this is the first champion that should come to your mind. Trundle is one of the best tank counters in the game. He specializes in nullifying the tanky stats of a single tank champion and makes himself tanky in return.

Trundle’s Ultimate allows him to steal Armor and Magic resist from his opponents, all the while dealing %max HP magic damage to his target. This is done over a short duration, so it isn’t a burst ability. But it leaves his target defenseless and prone to any source of damage.

Items

• Divine Sunderer
• Blade of The Ruined King
• Death’s Dance
• Wits End
• Sterak’s Gage
• Black Cleaver

Divine Sunderer is one of the best items in the game when it comes to dealing with tanky champions. Trundle uses the Spellblade passive extremely well and also benefits from the penetration from the mythic passive.

Black Cleaver is a useful situational item when dealing with multiple tanky champions because you can only use your ultimate on one of them. Combined with lethal tempo and Trundle W, you can easily stack Black Cleaver on any target.

Runes

• Lethal Tempo
• Presence of Mind/Triumph
• Legend: Alacrity
• Last Stand
• Conditioning
• Unflinching

Presence of Mind covers Trundle’s biggest weakness against tanks: He simply burns through his mana too quickly while spamming Q and W. If you do not find yourself struggling with mana, or want to build Frozen Heart, you can take Triumph. Secondary runes can also be from the inspiration tree.

2. Kayn (Rhaast)

Rhaast, also known as Red Kayn by the players, has been a classic solution against bruisers and tanks. Rhaast has an extraordinary amount of healing in his kit because of his passive. He also gains %max HP Physical damage on his Q and R. This allows him to not only deal a lot of damage but also keep his HP bar topped up.

Rhaast is a modified version of Kayn, which means he still retains a large portion of mobility offered by Kayn such as his E and Q. He also gains a knock-up on his W to make his Q easier to hit. Rhaast also deals %max HP damage during his ult and heals based on his target’s %max HP.

Items

• Goredrinker/Eclipse
• Black Cleaver
• Death’s Dance
• Spirit Visage/Guardian Angel
• Serylda’s Grudge
• Maw of Malmortius/Sterak’s Gage

A bruiser build suited towards buffing healing effects, and armor shred is what makes Rhaast so deadly against tanky champions. With the constant sustain from Death’s Dance and Goredrinker, Rhaast remains practically unkillable.

Runes

• Conqueror
• Triumph
• Legend: Tenacity
• Last Stand
• Conditioning
• Revitalize

3. Lillia

While Lillia is the only magic damage option available on this list, don’t let it distract you from the fact that she is an absolute monster against tanky compositions. With her slippery nature combined with the %max HP damage built into her kit, Lillia is an immortal being that continuously chases down her target till they are dead.

Lillia isn’t known to be a burst champion, but that is completely fine against tanky compositions. Her abilities synergize very well with her item choices. This allows her to run away from all kinds of CC, and run back in to deal a lot of burn damage to her targets.

Items

• Liandry’s Anguish/Riftmaker
• Demonic Embrace
• Rylai’s Crystal Scepter
• Rabadon’s Deathcap
• Void Staff
• Zhonya’s Hourglass/Cosmic Drive

Usually, double burn items aren’t as helpful (Especially on certain other mages), but on a champion that relies on %max HP damage, combined with extended fights revolving around her movement speed, this combination does wonders.

Runes

• Conqueror
• Triumph/Presence of Mind
• Legend: Tenacity
• Last Stand/Coup de Grace
• Conditioning
• Unflinching

A standard conqueror page performs really well against tanks. Presence of Mind isn’t necessary if you plan to build Frozen Heart. Resolve secondary can be replaced with Celerity and Water walking.

Also read: Best Juke Champions

4. Olaf

Olaf has been a very old counter to tank junglers. He is too angry to care about any crowd control offered by the enemy tank champions and his E shreds through HP stacking targets without sacrificing any mana for it.

With the small rework Olaf received recently, he has become a lot better at dealing with tanks. This is because he gets a large amount of Armor shred on his Q. As long as he keeps the armor shred on his target, he can melt through their health bar. Every auto attack Olaf performs also reduces his E cooldown.

In mid to late game, you will find yourself constantly spamming Q and E on your opponents. Olaf’s ultimate makes him immune to CC which is the biggest utility provided by tanky champions. He also gains lifesteal at low HP and can gain a shield through his W, allowing him to turn the tides of the battle.

Items

• Trinity Force/Stridebreaker
• Death’s Dance
• Maw of Malmortius/Sterak’s Gage
• Spirit Visage/Frozen Heart
• Black Cleaver

Every stat offered by Trinity Force outperforms Divine Sunderer on Olaf. The Stridebreaker slow can also be very useful. Black Cleaver offers a lot of HP, AD, and AH. Spirit Visage is very situational.

Runes

• Conqueror
• Triumph
• Legend: Alacrity
• Last Stand
• Conditioning/Magical Footwear
• Revitalize/Approach Velocity

The primary rune page is very standard for Olaf. His ultimate allows him to drop Tenacity in runes and opt for increased survivability or damage. Resolve or Inspiration second are both viable depending on preference.

5. Viego

For the longest time, Blade of The Ruined King was one of the best anti-tank items in the game. Viego has %current HP damage built into his kit, combined with the fact that Viego’s best items are anti-tank items, making him one of the best tank shredders in the game.

Viego’s kit revolves around constantly auto attacking after his abilities and sustaining through the heal. Once his target gets low, he can ult them and heal a large portion of his HP by possessing their soul.

Items

• Divine Sunderer/Kraken Slayer
• Blade of The Ruined King
• Death’s Dance
• Wit’s End
• Guardian Angel
• Maw of Malmortius
• Black Cleaver

Viego benefits from Divine Sunderer or Kraken Slayer really well. Whichever path you decide to take, you will be a massive threat to tanks. Sometimes, Viego players tend to build tanky. However, against tanky enemies, it is better to continue building AD and shred their armor.

Runes

• Conqueror
• Legend: Alacrity
• Last Stand/Coup de Grace
• Sudden Impact
• Treasure Hunter

You can take the standard resolve secondary runes listed for the other champions on viego as well. However, he can benefit a lot from Sudden Impact continuously providing value through his W and R in a teamfight. While treasure hunter isn’t of the best runes, it provides you a decent amount of gold to get your items early, attaining your power spike much faster.

Also read: How to Stop Nasus from Stacking

6. Master Yi

The low elo special segment includes Master Yi. This champion is getting changed soon and will be a menace on the rift. Master Yi benefits massively from on-hit builds. His Q allows him to dodge important CC and his R completely negates any slows directed towards him.

Master Yi has the luxury of building completely glass cannon and still surviving long enough to melt through the HP bars of any target. Master Yi’s kit includes True Damage which when combined with his massive attack speed, goes through any armor built by the enemy. 

Items

• Kraken Slayer
• Blade of The Ruined King
• Guinsoo’s Rageblade
• Death’s Dance
• Wit’s End
• Guardian Angel

Master Yi’s passive functions extremely well with on-hit items. Guinsoo’s Rageblade is the cherry on top. With your ultimate active, you can use your Q to dodge any CC and still have it back up for the next one through the multitude of attacks that you perform using Guinsoo’s Rageblade.

Runes

• Conqueror/Lethal Tempo
• Triumph
• Legend: Alacrity
• Coup de Grace/Cut Down
• Eyeball Collection
• Treasure Hunter

The secondary rune page allows Master Yi to come online much earlier than usual. He needs to hit his item power spike as early as possible to be useful in teamfights. Lethal Tempo synergizes well with his on-hit build but the increased AD from Conqueror can also prove useful in extended fights.

7. Kindred

Kindred falls into a similar category as Master Yi. She is a hyper carry that performs well when she can kite her opponents and continuously benefit from maximum ranged auto attacks. Kindred has current HP damage and missing HP damage at the same time, which allows her to deal with champions at any HP threshold.

Kindred’s scaling with her passive combined with her item build allows her to get out of control very quickly and become a menace to deal with for tanky champions. With her W active, she has a very low cooldown on her Q and can dodge skillshots or kite her opponent using it.

Items

• Kraken Slayer
• Blade of The Ruined King
• Lord Dominik’s Regards
• Infinity Edge
• Wit’s End
• Guardian Angel
• Phantom Dancer

A standard anti-tank setup created by Kraken Slayer, Blade of The Ruined King, and LDR trio allows Kindred to melt through any target’s HP bar, no matter how tanky they might be. Rapid Firecannon is usually not worth building.

Runes

• Conqueror
• Triumph
• Legend: Alacrity/Legend: Bloodline
• Cut Down
• Sudden Impact
• Treasure Hunter

Sudden Impact can be used after every Q, providing decent early game power. Treasure Hunter does not provide useful stats but can help you reach your Mythic item power spike faster. You can also take Relentless Hunter instead to move around the map faster.

Honorable Mention: Bel’Veth

Bel’Veth is the newest addition to League of Legends. While players at every rank are still figuring out the best runes and builds on the champion, it’s safe to say that against tanks, Bel’Veth can scale out of control and shred through HP bars using her items.

Her true potential is yet to be discovered but her strength after free scaling is never to be underestimated. The true damage provided by the passive on her R combined with the infinitely scaling attack speed makes her a menace against champions that are unable to burst her.

Items

• Kraken Slayer
• Blade of The Ruined King
• Guinsoo’s Rageblade
• Wit’s End
• Death’s Dance
• Guardian Angel
• Blood Thirster

Runes

• Conqueror
• Triumph
• Legend: Alacrity/Legend: Bloodline
• Last Stand
• Sudden Impact
• Treasure Hunter

Conclusion

Champions that contain %HP damage in their kit are usually best at dealing with tanky champions. Some of these champions have armor penetration or true damage built into their kit, the rest prefer to build anti-tank items to burn through HP bars.