Iconic LoL champ becomes most contested jungle pick in solo queue—for good reason

Bow down to royalty.

Ever since his release back in 2011, Jarvan IV has been a priority pick for League of Legends junglers around the world, from solo queue to the competitive stage. His effectiveness and impact on any team composition have kept him in the meta for years, and through Patch 13.7, he has become one of the top picks in solo queue.

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The Exemplar of Demacia currently has a 52 percent win rate in Platinum ranks and above, with the second-highest pick and ban rate among all junglers, according to League stats aggregate U.GG. He is banned in almost a quarter of all solo queue games at this level and has been picked over 93 thousand times since the patch dropped on Wednesday, April 5.

Related: The best jungle champions in League of Legends

Jarvan is a perfect pick for junglers who want a high-impact champion to add to any team composition who can build in many ways. Whether the team needs a bruiser, a full tank, or a surprising source of burst damage, this jungler is a great early ganker who can get his lanes ahead with his easy-to-learn kit.

He can lock down multiple enemies with his ultimate ability and can dive right into the enemy backline with ease, making him a dangerous foe to face off against at almost any stage of the game. With a well-coordinated lineup, Jarvan can combo his abilities with a plethora of different champions, from a devastating Galio follow-up, a Yasuo ultimate, or an Orianna Shockwave.

To counter Jarvan, players must provide a good amount of zone control or some surviveability to withstand his initial burst. Kindred, for example, is relatively mobile and can avoid his CC, and can even throw down her ultimate ability to keep her and her allies alive within the Jarvan’s Catalclysm until they can regroup and counter-attack.

It isn’t known if Jarvan will get any adjustments in future patches, but for now, he’ll continue to dominate solo queue across the globe.

Author
Image of Tyler Esguerra
Tyler Esguerra
Lead League of Legends writer for Dot Esports. Forever an LCS supporter, AD carry main, with more than five years in the industry. Sometimes I like clicking heads in Call of Duty or VALORANT. Creator of the Critical Strike Podcast.