When exactly is a tank jungler at a comperative advantage?
Early game 1-6
- Gets rekt by Lee, Shaco, Graves, Kha, Elise, Rengar , Vi, Eve and probably every other champ in the game as well
- Gated by mana
- Most need their ult to be strong. Farming up to lv 6 often means the enemy jungler already made some successful ganks.
- Counterganks often end with you and your partner dead
- Difficulties to contest scuttle and honey fruit
- A gank at botlane by the enemy often means the tower is gone within a wave even at lv 4. As a consequence also drake is difficult to contest.
- A random first drake infernal already puts you at great risk of the enemy snowballing even further
Midgame 7-12
- Outscaled by the sololaners.
- If your botlane lost early game also outscaled by the enemy adc
- Not enough HP
- Rift Herald taking your towers
Lategame (if it even gets to that point)
- Outscaled by adc's.
- Outscaled by the likes of Yi, Xin, Shyvana
- Your damage is completely mitigated by Locket, Redemption and lifesteal.
- You are just a meatshield trying to soak up some damage for your team
So when exactly is a tank jungler viable? Unless your name is Sejunai (only because her E is overpowered) probably never. Early game is living hell. You will probably be the first to lose a tower and lose the first drake. During midgame you don't get enough HP from items and during lategame you are a meatshield facing QSS, Banshee, GA, PD, Lifesteal, Locket, Redemption, rendering your engage and cc locks useless. The fact is the game is too snowball for tank junglers to become relevant unless your team gets ahead aka your lanes win without you. At that point it might not even matter which champ you are playing since you would win the game most probably already. However games often go like this:
- 3 minute mark enemy jungler ganks either top or botlane
- Bot tower is gone
- Drake is gone
- Meanwhile you try to get lv 6 and either top or mid is getting ganked
- People blame and flame because you are a useless jungler
- Rift Herald takes 2 mid towers
- People leave, flame surrender.
stops them, they are useless, while he gets to go on to disrupt the rest of their team, allowing his team to do damage