Need tips on improving jungling skills

[{quoted}](name=Zen Ineth,realm=EUW,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=MifA99wJ,comment-id=0000000000000000,timestamp=2016-12-29T11:01:04.627+0000)

Early clearing isn't too terribly bad. If you have a champion that can sustain, either through lifesteal/damage drain, or by applying shields, then you should have an easier time. (Xin Zhao, Zac, Vi, and Warwick are examples.) The trick to that is knowing when to smite and when to pop a pot, and also which ability to take at each level up. Practice and experience are all a factor in those. Xin Zhao, for example, takes W first, since that gives him his sustain. Vi also takes W first because that helps her apply lifesteal more often and clear camps faster. Master Yi takes W third, most likely, since, with proper kiting and smart use of Q, he can avoid a lot of damage. In terms of smiting, you always want to leave it for the tough camps. If you get a leash at blue, then don't smite then, unless you're under threat from the enemy team. Save the smite for the wolf or raptor camps.

Ganking is interesting. You know how, when you watch streams, people will often time the enemy laner's summoner spells and ult? That's more to help the jungler than anyone else. As a jungler, you want to wait until someone's kit is down before you engage on them. A gank on a Zed who's just used his W will be more effective than on a Zed who has his W still available to escape. Some good rules to remember are: 1.) Wait until the enemy is at the middle of the lane or higher, and engage from behind them. This will make it tougher for them to get back to turret quickly. 2.) A flash is good to disengage from. If you can burn someone's flash with minimal effort on your part, then it's good. 3.) Ping a handful of times to let your laner know you're going to gank, so they can follow up. If they ping you back, then they're not at a good point to help. If they're low, then don't expect them to help much. If they can't join the fight, then don't commit too hard. Don't burn everything you have on an opponent who might just get away or kill you. 4.) Know when to disengage from a fight. If you or your laner are low from fighting, or if you've been going for a while, or if you've burned a summoner from an opponent and they're under tower, just let it go. The longer a gank goes on and the more chances you take, the more likely it is that your opponent will turn things around on you. As with anything, knowing when to gank and how to gank comes with practice.

Decision making is another thing that hinges hugely on your experience as a jungler. The more you play, the more you'll come to understand how things should go. Some important things to remember are these: 1.) Vision helps your team. Putting wards near your lanes will help them survive ganks, or give you knowledge of where the enemy jungler is. 2.) If you're behind, then keep your warding totem. You can't help anyone if you're dead, and placing defensive wards is the first step to surviving in your jungle at a disadvantage. 3.) If you're going to gank, then grab a Sweeping Lens and a Control Ward, so you're not wasting time sitting in a warded brush. 4.) You should be watching the map a lot as a jungler. If not the whole map, then the minimap. People are focusing on their lanes, so they won't always notice a roam or the enemy jungler coming for them. You are the first line of defense for your team if you can predict where the enemy will be, and tell your team to play safe. (For me, I can tell when a lane is going to get ganked, especially if they're pushing up without wards. At that point, if I'm in the position to do so, I'll start roaming up to them, to see if I can head off a gank or roam on them.)

Champions are always up to you. Play what you feel most comfortable on, and try to pick your champion to the team's playstyle. If your team has a late-game advantage, pick an early-game jungler to try and help usher in your team's late game. If the enemy has already picked a jungler, and you can tell they'll be pressuring lanes early, try to pick an early game jungler to countergank. Late game junglers are good for when your team has a clear advantage and you won't have to be doing much outside of the jungle.

Let your laner take kills if you're already ahead. If you take the kills, then just help to push their lane, but don't last hit. Taxing is only okay if you only got an assist. Pushing a lane up forces the enemy jungler to react to your presence, elsewise, they might lose a tower if they don't come.

I cannot like this comment enough. That is all.