...Tristana Jungle? Could it now be viable, in any instance?

ToughFluffs·1/28/2015, 7:40:40 PM·3 votes·1,198 views

While I'm making no claims here that it's viable, I'd like to open a discussion on the topic of (thanks to recent changes) whether or not Tristana could actually become a viable jungle.

While having a champion typically regarded as an "adc" or "marksman" as a jungler is generally not practiced (and in fact, often frowned upon), Tristana's kit changes actually seem, well, nearly perfect for it. As opposed to other AD carries who are very single-target focused (One person at a time, rather than aoe damage), the changes to Trist's E (Explosive charge) allow her to create an aoe damage effect while still focusing one target. It's a bit hard to explain in technical terms, so let me present an example. You're taking red buff. You plant an explosive charge on the Red Brambleback. Now, each time you attack the Brambleback, your charge gains 25% of its original damage (if you were going to do 100 damage, one shot brings it up to 125, the second up to 150, et cetera). This , paired with the passive on that same ability, gives Trist the waveclear that other AD carries lack, and it's why I think the jungle may be a viable position for her.

Obviously, good waveclear does not a jungler make. However, there's more to my reasoning than just her ability to clean out camps. Tristana has INCREDIBLE gank potential. She has not only a huge gap closer that resets on a kill (good for securing and getting out, one after another), but at level 6 she has a gap opener, and by level 3 she has an attack speed steroid too.

While post-6 ganks would be the best ones, she still has good pre-6 gank potential, with the ability to leap into lane (and possibly even onto the enemy), plant a charge on them, and rapid fire on them. Alternatively, you could even try to save your jump and use it to dive a fleeing or recalling enemy, secure the kill, and then use the reset on your jump to leap out to safety.

Now, there are going to be drawbacks. While Trist has an escape, it's on a pretty high cooldown. This, paired with her relative squishiness, would likely make her a very easy target to counter-jungle/invade.

I'm sure there's more that I've forgotten, but I definitely wanted to put this out for discussion and see what everyone else has to say on the idea.

6 Comments

GanksLikeGast0n1/28/2015, 7:50:24 PM2 votes

I was messing around with this for a while, and although it was HILARIOUS and could be really effective, it is extremely feast or famine and lacks consistency. Altogether, a really fun jungle for normal, but I would hesitate to ever consider it for ranked.

Lt Cuddles1/29/2015, 2:53:01 AM1 votes

Oh God...her W + R...she'll be worse then LeeSin if played right right...gulp