So, I wanted to try out AD Malzahar jungle today...

Count Zubat·1/3/2016, 1:47:25 PM·44 votes·3,480 views

I watched a video showcasing AD Malza jungle and I thought it would be fun to try it out, especially considering that Malza is in free rotation right now. So, I went to normal draft (I would never do it in ranked, of course), called that I would like to jungle and got the role. I locked in Malzahar... I never got such a backlash from my teammates, not even when I was picking Mordekaiser to jungle. I was immediately called a troll, got warned by some of the people that they're gonna report me, everybody was saying we already lost and Lucian exclaimed he's gonna troll. The situation ended with somebody dodging (probably one of the guys from my team).

I've never, ever saw such a saltiness. Why in the game that is supposed to be fun everything is taken so seriously? I would understand such behaviour in ranked, where everyone plays competitive, but in normal? The game mode in which you are supposed to train for ranked and try out new things? Why can't we chill out? Let people try out new things? Play FOR FUN?

Now, I am aware that there are real trolls, who like to do things like Disco Nunu and it's sometimes hard to recognize in champ select if someone is trolling or just wants to try out something out of meta. Also, in my last match, I had Blitz supp who took exhaust/teleport and was asking us if we are going to report him for not having flash. What the fck? How bad the community is that some people ask if they are gonna get reported just because they didn't take flash?

Are only pros allowed to try out new strategies, everybody else will get reported for not following so called "meta" ( I know I wouldn't probably get banned, but it's still sad)? Let people play what they want, don't take a goddamn game to seriously, especially in normals.

EDIT: Well, still no luck. This time, I told my team mates before I made a pick that I'm going to take an unconventional jungler. I talked with them after picking, kinda seemed like they accepted my pick, but again, someone left (sigh). In next champ select, one of the guys from previous one was banning and banned Malzahar just to prevent me from picking him :( Maybe I'll really try in team builder, I just hope it won't take eternity to find match.

76 Comments

The Whamboozler1/3/2016, 3:17:24 PM21 votes

Nothing wrong with meta-breaking in normals as long as you genuinely are trying your best to win. AD Malz, mid Nami, top lane Taric, Tank Teemo... whatever you want to play... all fine! It's normals. It's not for keeps, and it's a freaking game. The point of a game is to have fun. As long as you're trying your best and the idea isn't UTTERLY troll with no way it CAN work...(AP Draven or something) ignore the haters and do what you like. It's a god damned game! Normals are for fun. Mute everyone and have fun!

ltmetal1/3/2016, 4:48:20 PM13 votes

AD Malzahar Jungle is definitely competitive level, I take him into ranked and have a >50% win rate in the jungle.

item 1408 item 3004 item 3047 item 3071 item 3156 item 3143

Run Lucidity Boots if you can't get 10% CDR from your runes and don't want to rely on having blue.

Earl Eulrich1/3/2016, 2:46:39 PM9 votes

unfortunatly the sad reality for most off-meta-picks. There are always those people that will add a negative atmosphere in the beginning, then do everything they can to not support the pick and in the end mostly get reassured in their ignorant view of the world - as ofc a game where your tema doesn´t even try to play as a team will end up with a lose no matter what you pick into it. THough they comfortably only blame the non-meta pick and call it a day.

Just find some firends you can play weird stuff with, it´s a lot of fun and if you know how to play it very deadly, as most opponents will have no clue how to play against it (e.g. just yesterday played a zobie-zyra+yorrik botlane for the fun of it and totally took the game appart).

ValyrianBlade1/3/2016, 1:53:11 PM7 votes

Teambuilder. Since it's jungle I understand not wanting intermediate AI, but you can still learn the clear feel that way.

Not every wants to play with something off meta.

Not everyone plays ranked - some people take normals seriously. They're preparing for ranked for example. They don't want to deal with someone trying something for the first time.

Teambuilder lets you find teammates willing to try it.

Raoul1/3/2016, 1:59:46 PM5 votes

most likely because you were willing to put your fun over anything else and then you were suprised that the others didnt agree. Get a 5 man premade team if you want to do trollpicks you once saw in a youtube video!

Noam Braumsky1/3/2016, 8:52:52 PM3 votes

As someone who's played dozens of games on ad Malzahar in the jungle, I can confirm this happens. I don't get too much crap for it but it's not uncommon. I'd encourage you to try it more (his clear is insanely good) and just ignore everyone else.

Randomonium1/3/2016, 8:16:07 PM3 votes

I been on both sides of the coin for this. Yeah you should be allowed to do off-meta stuff in normals but you should have at least practiced it in a custom game first (especially when jungling so you can optimize your first clear.) When I play off-meta stuff and people complain about my picks I let them know that I've done custom games and I have a plan and that I'm not trolling. That usually calms people down a bit. It can also really help to talk up your team and be friendly with them prior to locking in your off-meta pick so their first impression of you isn't a "troll" pick. Its those people who insta-lock Teemo ADC with ignite/exhaust who don't say a damn thing in champ select that scare the crap out of me.

Shahamut1/3/2016, 10:13:00 PM3 votes

Add me in game. Find more chill peeps. Have fun :-)

Puppet33r1/3/2016, 4:16:03 PM3 votes

I was playing ad jungle malza for the majority of season 3 in rankeds (he worked wonders with spirit items... not so much with new machetes and talismans) and the only thing I got was the occasional "wtf", but rarely anything more then that.

High51/4/2016, 4:26:07 AM3 votes

I love Overload Malz and have done AD Malz. However, I'd be annoyed with someone trying it out for the first time on a free week too.

People forget, when they fail on a non-meta pick, they're also wasting 9 other people's time.

Vicvictorw1/3/2016, 4:50:01 PM3 votes

I've noticed that Jungle's the biggest thing people will bitch about off-meta picks in.

Nobody seems to care what you bring to support with; I guess they're just glad you're willing to support.

ƒoes1/3/2016, 8:02:00 PM2 votes

I would just like to say this; so many people in Draft think that is actually Ranked. If you want to break the meta, I wouldn't suggest Draft because there's so many people who take it way too seriously there.

But if you're looking for something fun to do, try AP Devourer Lucian jungle. My friend tried that and did better than the enemy midlaner, who, by the way, was a Plat 3 Azir main against a Yasuo. Also, he was playing AP Lucian in Bot, his support DC'd at the beginning of the game (never came back), and he actually managed to go legendary in a 1v2 as AP Lucian.

Boulderox1/3/2016, 5:27:40 PM2 votes

Bots and custom... Please... That way you know they work, and when they cuss you out, you put them in your place with your gameplay and you steamroll them.

Captain Aishi1/3/2016, 7:15:48 PM2 votes

these posts always confuse me... I must be very lucky with matchmaking because i've never been raged at for weird picks.. and i'm someone who jungled Ashe and Katarina in seasons 3-4... even did a couple of games of jungle Azir and the people in game were cool with it (though sad that i was getting smashed by the enemy lee sin)

DeynaTaggerung1/3/2016, 10:36:00 PM2 votes

I think it's also kind of random whether there's any backlash. There's a lot of people that are fine with strange picks...and then there's some people that aren't. Don't let those people put you off. For example I've been playing a lot of Zyra mid lately(she's actually really strong but underpicked) and didn't get anything but a few raised eyebrows for 20 ranked games. And then randomly one game I had my entire team freak out like yours did, the best thing you can do is just calmly reassure them it'll be ok and go ahead anyways.

DU Baymax1/4/2016, 1:09:21 AM2 votes

I know right. I mean, if I want to play adc thresh, I fucking will if it's normals. What, you think I'm trolling? Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize we weren't allowed to have fun in this game -_-

some people are fuckwits that need to take a chill pill and have some fun

Quort1/4/2016, 4:29:20 AM2 votes

I like Morganna Jungle! :3

DarkDeamonDragon1/4/2016, 6:02:37 PM1 votes

You should try Teambuilder for more consistent acceptance. If a team has been waiting long enough they'll take whatever comes up.

I've played AD Malz top lane before and it was super fun! Don't be discouraged by those who don't want to have the fun of experimenting. Jungle Nami is also a barrel of laughs with waves coming out of the jungle.

Shadow Savage1/4/2016, 6:16:06 PM1 votes

I've done it before. It can work! Your AA range is good, and your voidling scales 100% with AD. Just gotta spawn your voidling before gank, Ggwp