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Just can't play well as Janna

Smegma123·9/11/2015, 6:30:40 PM·1 votes·1,308 views

Hi guys I am a silver 4 player, just trying to work out how to play Janna. I've played quite a few games with her, I've read all the guides, watched commentary videos, analysed many pro matches with Janna players etc. but I just can't do well when I play her. I always end up feeding, always miss my shield by 0.1 second after they poke my adc, always miss the knockup when I try to cancel a dash etc. I am just not able to play this champ both mechanically and strategically and she is really fun and it really frustrates me. Are there any tips that you guys have for me? I have like 27% winrate on Janna.

By contrast when I play Sona(my other support), everything goes perfect, I find that I have all my spells when I need them, my ults are on point, adc's butt is always saved by me. My winrate is 77% with her. I mean she is of course a lot easier to play but still, both squishy ranged supports and there's a huge difference in my effectiveness between the two.

Also any general support tips would be greatly appreciated.

12 Comments

Ionian9/11/2015, 6:38:00 PM1 votes

press E on your adc

jodobo9/11/2015, 6:49:01 PM1 votes

I am a support main and i main Janna item 3069 best support item to get

Bootleg Gay9/11/2015, 6:54:36 PM1 votes

I've leaned to set up my runes and masteries for an exact 40% CDR. Her ult is on a really long cooldown, so it helps. I rush a Frost Queens, then either Unholy Grail or Crucible. I start the game with 10% CDR from masteries. I try to build a RoA if I'm ahead, so I don't get killed so easy, and extra AP makes you really efficient with your heal and shield, as they both have pretty good ratios. Keep in mind what your opponent builds too of course, but otherwise, mama and CDR are core for me.

Skia Asteri9/11/2015, 9:38:24 PM1 votes

{quoted}

always miss my shield by 0.1 second after they poke my adc

Shield is best used offensively. If always used in defense you will always lose.

Nick Valentine9/12/2015, 12:08:04 AM1 votes

Your build path for Sona should not be applied to Janna (especially from what I have seen)

A Miss Fortune9/12/2015, 12:46:46 AM1 votes

I think her Shield will make or break a good Janna.

Shielding before the enemy pokes by just assuming they will, not waiting until they actually do is the best, however it also offers Janna pretty nice poke for the first few minutes of the game due to the AD it gives and it also can block out a lot that they trade back with you.

My biggest tip for Janna would be to play her offensively sometimes and not always defensively. Janna can be really annoying when she's played offensively. Knocking them up and then shielding yourself is what I normally do as I auto attack them, and save my W passive for dodging skill shots.

For a build I just build something like item 3069 item 3504 item 1328 item 3190 item 3110 item 2045

Aeolian Melodies9/12/2015, 3:58:52 AM1 votes

Play her a lot is the best advice I can give you. I don't even... I can't explain how you know how to Q mid-dash, how you know they'll get hit by hit, how you know you can shield in time, and so forth: just... play her until it becomes a second nature.

You know how you know that that Sona Q is gonna hit the enemy champion you want, because you've seen that positioning so often you know it works? It's that kind of feeling with Janna. You gotta get in the zone. You gotta know by instinct how fast and how much further the tornado will go with how long you have let it charge, and so forth. I can tell by sound how far my nado is gonna go - I've played her every day for almost 5 years.

More than any other support, Janna is all about timing and taking the right decision within a split second. Accept that you will make mistakes (mistime shields, misjudge ults, whiff tornadoes, etc) and learn from that mistake. Things like cockblocking dmg with her shield every time and cockblocking dashes take practice before they become natural.

The only technical advice I can give you is smartcast her shield if it's not done already.

As for builds, Talisman is by far the best income item for her. With her shield and Monsoon, she really likes AP to increase her supporting skill. She especially likes item 3050 and item 3504 . I've had lots of success with item 3023 + item 3165 (very cost efficient).