Jungler tips
Hey guys, Just wanted to let you in on some tips about jungling for those who are new to the role or refreshing it. These tips all come from experience and I may not be ranked it doesn't mean I don't know what to do so don't count me out yet.
#1:Map Awareness&Communication
This is pretty much common sense for everyone on your team but I believe it falls more on the Jungler and Support. They're the ones with eyes on the map so they pretty much have more awareness on whats going on then the laners who are more focused on the lane they're on. The jungler also is the one roaming the map so you have to know what's going on in the place they're going to. There might be an enemy in your laner's bush. They might not have seen it so warn them. Shoot out that warning ping 3 times at where the enemy is hiding. Then go check it out to deter the enemy from ganking or if thy already are in the process of ganking then jump in and countergank. You could save your laner and get a kill or even better both of you could get kills. Also when you know you have a chance take objectives. Just take it because you can. Just be sure to prioritize the objectives. If a tower is open then tear it down before going to dragon or baron.
#2:Ganking
This is the your one main job as a jungler. Gank your lanes and stir up some trouble. Your laner might be pushed to their tower which means the enemy is farther away from theirs. A perfect time to jump in behind them and hurt them. Maybe you laner is having trouble farming, Go and show your face a couple times to scare the enemy. Be careful of getting counterganked after you've done it a couple times. Chances are the laner you keep harassing will call out that he's being camped and ask the jungler for help. Also when you're ganking make sure you know where the enemy jungler is. Knowing where he is makes all the difference. If he's top then gank bot or mid, or if you want you can go countergank and kill the jungler in the process either a kill to you or the laner. Also make sure, when you gank, that you know the status of the enemy. Are they low or out of mana? Are they low on health? Did they just blow all their protections i.e. cc, shields, heals, escapes, etc.? Make sure you know these things because knowledge of this information can make a gank very succesful.
#3:Map Presence
This basically goes hand in hand with the ganking. Map Presence really doesn't mean showing where you're at at all times. It just means that your presence in a lane or somewhere is putting pressure on the enemy and making them more cautious. If they're cautious they may play more passively or go and try to shoo you away. If they try to shoo you away you can either run and just come back or if you're laner is ready then attack them. They'll pay for the mistake of trying to shoo you away by getting killed or limping back to their tower. Not only will map presence put pressure on the lane you're hiding in. It'll also put pressure on the other lanes too. Because once you disappear they won't know where you're at and don't know where you're going. To them you're a ghost that they should be very afraid of, unless they're a little bit ahead of they're lane and feeling confident, then make them afraid. Also when you play you need map presence. You can't keep hiding the majority of the game, you can't be too passive. I've made this mistake many times. If you play too passive the enemy team will think you're just not there and they'll be more aggressive in their lane, Especially the other jungler. If the other jungler thinks you're not around he'll be more aggressive in ganking the lanes and eventually you'll fall behind. You can't just keep farming you have to gank.
#4:Know your Jungler
Everyone has their favorite Jungler. Their go-to backstabber that they know how to play better than they can ride a bike. Knowing who you play is very important. Know their abilities forwards and backwards. Know their capabilites and their disadvantages. At the same time you should be able to control them very well. Knowing how the champ works is one thing but being able to use them is another thing. You can have read up on a champ as much as you have, you could have watched all the tutorials and guides on how to play the champs but nothing ever really beats hands-on experience. Play your champ and know how his abilities work first hand. Know how he moves how he attacks and what all his abilities do. Just basically know your champ inside-out until moving your playing your character and popping his abilities become reflex. (Also apart from knowing the champ you're playing, also know the enemy. Know what they can do and know what you can do to them. Then exploit that weakness.)
That's all that I really think are the most important tips on how to be a jungler, There are more little things that you may find but you can learn those finer details on your own. Again hands-on experience is better than just reading about it. If you're still having trouble with the role don't give up on it. Keep working on it. If you're having trouble learning on your own then you can get a coach. Yes the League community may be toxic but there are people out there willing to help you learn a role if none of your friends don't know how to. Now have fun taming the jungle and shaming the enemy.