Will Kindred actually work in the jungle?

Linna Excel·Sep 23, 2015·1 votes·1,452 views

I mean I get that she's being designed as a jungle adc, but in the past an ADC jungler is something of a niche thing. Carry junglers are not that common aside from Yi and even Yi can be dealt with in Gold+. There's a reason no ADCs have been common in the jungle. Two actually. The first is ADCs need money, and the jungler doesn't get as much as laners do from farming. The other issue that ADCs are kind of weak on their own and kindred feels like she'd be pretty easy to invade and murder.

I personally can't help but feel like Kindred is going to be picked mostly as a bot ADC in solo queue and occasionally as a bot who goes mid in the LCS (like varus or kog). Don't get me wrong, I'd love to be able to play ADCs in the jungle every now and then, but I'm not sure something like this can be forced.

22 Comments

ScriptBrandSep 23, 20151 votes

she's definitely not going to be an adc. her passive is her main source of dmg and she will never get enough stacks if she is bot

Linna ExcelSep 23, 20151 votes

That's possible, but if you switch between the ADC and the support for the first 15 minutes of the game, if you can get 1-3 kills from that, you'll be in pretty good shape. Also if a camp comes up in your bot jungle, you can go grab that without too much difficulty as long as your jungler doesn't take it.

GigahappytownSep 23, 20151 votes

kindred can't play botlane her range is too short her mana cost too high and her stacking too slow

Deep Terror NamiSep 23, 20151 votes

With her power stacking mechanic forcing it to roam around for kills, Kindred is suited to the Jungle to gain max effectiveness. I'm sure it'll be taken elsewhere and work well enough or even excel, but I have no doubts it'll fit perfectly where it is intended.

Plus, they introduced a new leash mechanic which should assist in ranged jungling.

Linna ExcelSep 23, 20151 votes

With her power stacking mechanic forcing it to roam around for kills, Kindred is suited to the Jungle to gain max effectiveness.

This is why I'm actually thinking she'll wind up mid. It's a pretty central spot that'll let her go farm one of the jungle mobs while her jungler covers mid for a minute. I also think that she might end up taking teleport and go bot. That'd let her go to a farm spot, grab the camp, and TP back to bot.

My other issue is that she's a squishy champ and she'll be in the jungle. That sounds ripe for an invasion.

Deep Terror NamiSep 23, 20151 votes

Prone to invasion may mean more people learn how to double jungle, invade, and ward against invades :3

Linna ExcelSep 23, 20151 votes

In my Elo they'll just start cussing out the jungler for feeding while going 0-5 themselves.

The Yetii RiderSep 23, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Linna Excel,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=oH9r6WfP,comment-id=00020000,timestamp=2015-09-23T02:32:23.641+0000)

This is why I'm actually thinking she'll wind up mid. It's a pretty central spot that'll let her go farm one of the jungle mobs while her jungler covers mid for a minute. I also think that she might end up taking teleport and go bot. That'd let her go to a farm spot, grab the camp, and TP back to bot.

My other issue is that she's a squishy champ and she'll be in the jungle. That sounds ripe for an invasion.

Riot is going to make some changes to counter jungling in the preseason, including likely removing Poacher's from the game. If Kindred is an ineffective without gold as you think she will be then the risk of invading her wont be worth the reward after Riot is done.

CatastropSep 23, 20151 votes

They're a special case. Unlike other ADC junglers, they were actually designed for it, so it would be rather stupid if the champion couldn't pull it off. So I would hardly call it being forced into the jungle, people said the same about Mord bot but look how well it turned out. Hell I'm sure we'll see them at Top/Jungle/Mid as each lane caters to the champion. Top lane is good to exploit melees, jungles is what they're made for and mid lane generally roams the most, so more marks for their passive.

Doctor JarvisSep 23, 20151 votes

Kindred doesn't need gold as much as other adcs though. She has her 3-hit-more-damage, and her ability to (sort of) dash around for free during ganks dealing damage is pretty good no matter how many damage items you have.

Linna ExcelSep 23, 20151 votes

She has her 3-hit-more-damage, and her ability to (sort of) dash around for free during ganks dealing damage is pretty good no matter how many damage items you have.

I could make that argument for jungle Devourer Vayne.

Doctor JarvisSep 23, 20151 votes

Then please do, because, you know, people do that. Vayne's problem is that she needs Sated before she can really do anything, while Kindred seems like the 3hit thing is more of a perk than a necessity (unlike on Vayne)

MimySep 23, 20151 votes

Kindred will be played where people play her.. trolling or no.. xD

ButterBladesXSep 23, 20151 votes

kindred has sustain with her w and her range is short. im really excited as a jungler to get a adc jungle champ. i sometimes play twitch in the jungle

Linna ExcelSep 23, 20151 votes

I've played Jinx and MF in the jungle with other players, Ashe and Vayne against bots. So it's doable like you said, I'm just wondering if it'll be viable enough for solo queue. Normally in solo queue, if you pick an ADC to jungle, you'll probably upset people or even get a dodge.

ReshiKillimSep 23, 20151 votes

Very viable in soloqueue from what I've seen on the PBE.

They have a decent clear speed, sustain, ganking power, and gain huge benefits from periodically counterjungling/securing certain objectives.

Kindred is like the Nasus of the jungle. If they farm their stacks, you will lose.

Linna ExcelSep 24, 20151 votes

Yeah, I kind of expect this will make the other team pick someone who can counter-jungle her more.

MarthianSep 23, 20151 votes

Well considering people have finally warmed up to Mordekaiser going bot lane... If you follow the game at a reasonable level, you should know by now that Kindred is intended to be a jungle ADC.

Wouldn't be surprised if it was viable for solo queue, where teamwork isn't done as well.

ButterBladesXSep 24, 20151 votes

i see that she is viable if top goes tank otherwise team is too squishy

AlphaKappaPikaSep 24, 20151 votes

[{quoted}](name=Linna Excel,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=oH9r6WfP,comment-id=00060000,timestamp=2015-09-23T03:30:45.145+0000)

I've played Jinx and MF in the jungle with other players, Ashe and Vayne against bots. So it's doable like you said, I'm just wondering if it'll be viable enough for solo queue. Normally in solo queue, if you pick an ADC to jungle, you'll probably upset people or even get a dodge.

what adcs are designed around jg? None, she will work well exactly where she is intended to go, invades wont be an issue considering how well she sustains in the jungle. Especially since its clear to every player that she is intended to be a jg, so it isnt considered a "troll" pick like jinx jg or something similar.

Linna ExcelSep 24, 20151 votes

Champs don't always go into the lanes they were designed for.

Lulu was meant to be a support and Vi was meant to be a top laner.