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Is Diana jungle still viable?

Cale017··2 votes·1,750 views

I'm trying to expand my available junglers, and I realized that I lack a significant source of AP damage outside of Diana, and I've heard/seen her do well in the jungle last season. When I tried I was still getting used to her and how to build her so it didn't go too well, but I could tell she could. I want to try again, but I'm worried about how she'll fare in the current jungle.

She lacks sustain, which already puts her below the likes of Lee Sin and Warwick, but her damage is great from her passive so I'm wondering if she's going to be able to clear healthily between her Q, her passive cleave, and her shield.

Should I consider maxing her shield first and just having the Q ready for going after kills? Should I stick with maxing Q first to rake in the pentas? And if she can be played well enough in the jungle to be considered viable, should I hold off on a Lich Bane to get a Nashor's Tooth first for the clear speed?

Any suggestions would be very helpful, thanks in advance!

10 Comments

Diostukos2 votes

It's fun and it's viable if you know what you're doing, imo.

From the times I've tried it (mostly custom bot games and one or two normals), I've started and maxed W. I'll get trailblazer but instead of Magus enchantment I went Devourer with a Nashor's tooth. It's probably not as strong early on but the magic damage really ramps up if you get some more ap and a void staff, since devourer's damage is magic based.

I'd advise from getting both nashor's and lich bane, they're kind of for opposite purposes.

Cale0171 votes

Interesting view.

Considering she gets passive increases to her AS, I don't know if I'd go Devourer's. Ideally I shouldn't be in combat against a single target for that long since she has no sustain in her kit. But it's a neat idea, cool to see people thinking outside the box. I usually get an Abyssal Scepter instead of Void Staff for the reduced MR in an AoE, helps my team, but it also lets me hunt down AP champs with impunity lol.

The reason I get both on her, usually starting Lich Bane, is for those moments when I miss the Q but still ult in, or the Q R R, if I land the first Q, isn't enough to do the job. Still lets me put out some DPS on my autos, and get the passive cleave up more often to hopefully kill them a bit quicker. That's mostly personal preference though, I can see where you're coming from.

Catsoop II2 votes

I LOVE Diana.. I like her look.. I like the way shes played.. pretty much everything about her.. EXCEPT.. SHE SUCKS. As far as jungling goes, she has very high survivability, I can clear Blue, Gromp, Wolves, Raptors, and Red before my 1st back. And her clear time is pretty quick due to all her attacks being AOE/Multi target.. But unless you have a lead.. The only one youre gonna be 1v1'ing is the sup. I was really disappointed when I finally bought her.. Cause you see champs like Katerina, Akali.. She fits right in with them. I know she is far less squishy but if youre not doing any real damage then why does that matter? ALOT of ppl are going to argue that I just have to "learn how to play her noob" But you put 2 pros 1v1 she'll get stomped. I REALLY wish they would buff her a bit.. Not even that much, just a little bit more damage at the least.. Cause shes like the coolest champ but come time for it to really matter, shes garbage.

Cale0171 votes

You're comparing Katarina and Akali as midlaners versus Diana as a jungler here. They might all be AP assassins but handling Diana in the jungle is very different from handling Katarina or Akali in the jungle. That's not really a fair comparison to make.

As for her power, honestly I tested her out plenty not long after posting this and almost never felt like I was too weak. Even if I wasn't getting fed, I was still holding even in terms of damage with anyone on the enemy team and able to come in with just enough damage and survivability to influence teamfights and walk out of it alive. I haven't played her much recently, but with the recent nerfs to the jungle camps I've been meaning to as she'll now be clearing much much healthier.

Catsoop II2 votes

UPDATE: Okay so I decided to REALLY take her seriously.. I put in a lot of practice and I have to say I was completely wrong. I'm def of the opinion that shes OP rather than UP. When I 1st started using her, I guess I was just doing it all wrong, but as it is now, I always dominate my lane. Ive find her laning is WAY better than her Jun and I think that's what it was.. I was only in the Jun with her. When I lane her its just so easy to get fed and start roaming kills.. Her power is just so much more than I realized haha To anyone interested.. Definitely a great buy, well worth the 6300.

CalciferHowel1 votes

Her sustain puts her at eve tier for jungling, (don't get me wrong, I love them both, they just don't stack up well imo.) The issue is that she has a very low camps cleared/ recalls as compared to most other junglers. While Ranger's Trailblazer does help with sustain, it feels more like you are using it to just keep up with enemy junglers, rather than to pull ahead by out sustaining them, which in this seasons pre-meta, I would call a waste of a smite upgrade that could be spent elsewhere, unfortunately, we then fall back into a lack of sustain to keep up with the enemy jungler.

RogueWill1 votes

I jungle Diana pretty often and she is strong, however she has a rengar playstyle. You gotta get a few kills early and you gotta go for squishy targets and go out. If behind she becomes useless. As for sustain, I start W,Q,W,Q,E,R and then max Q for the safe way, if I plan an early gank I take E at lvl 3 and flash E for a kill on mid or top. For runes you want magic pen reds, scaling magic resist blue, armor yellow and quintessences go either flat AP or flat AD. and 21/.0/0 for masteries. If you can hog teh blue you shoudl do it as it lets you speed up your clears quite a bit.

As for the items I go for 1 full item ap as fist item before finishing my tier 3 jungle item or you can go nashor tooth after devour (to forget about early game and try to snowball mid) is up to your playstyle if you go for the balanced early mage diana or for teh late monster dps as diana.

mvargus1 votes

I've had success in clearing camps, but she is a bit slow at first, and her ganks are weaker than many other junglers. With a lot of practice she could be good in the right hands.

Angry Monster1 votes

You have to keep every blu. Your damage is hurt to much if you get a Merello and the AP jungle item(what ever its called.)

The build is to akward at this point. Honestly they should copy Merello minus bleeding wounds and maybe 10 AP less. It would open the jungle for AP champs and still allow blu to handed of if desired.

Renaille1 votes

{quoted}

Should I consider maxing her shield first and just having the Q ready for going after kills? Should I stick with maxing Q first to rake in the pentas? And if she can be played well enough in the jungle to be considered viable, should I hold off on a Lich Bane to get a Nashor's Tooth first for the clear speed?

You can take a second point of W at level 3 instead of E but it isn't worth maxing first. Q gives you a much better clear because of the CD and higher damage. And nashors is fairly useless outside of farming and splitting/dueling since you wont get to consistantly auto in a fight.

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