Best LOL Jungler to Climb Ranked In 2023

 

If you asked a League of Legends player which role in Summoner's Rift was the most important, nine out of ten would say jungler. After all, it's the role that literally every other lane relies on for ganks, and it's also the role that leads the charge for objective captures like Dragons and Baron. However, with there being so many different champions to choose from, players understandably might get confused as to which jungler they should play to climb the ranks.

At the end of the day, your own personal skills and game sense matter more than what champion you play. However, we have still shortlisted the jungler champions that are most commonly referred to as the best. Those champions are Lee Sin, Nidalee, Jarvan IV, Nunu and Willump, and Evelynn.

Today, we're here to go through all of the best jungler champions you should play if you want to climb rank in League of Legends.

#1: Lee Sin

Hey, what better champion to start off this list than the fan favorite Lee Sin, one of the best champions to one trick? Lee Sin has earned his reputation as one of the most iconic and versatile junglers in League of Legends. His combination of mobility, crowd control, and high skill ceiling has made him a favorite among players seeking to climb the ranked ladder.

One of the defining features of Lee Sin is his remarkable mobility. His Q ability allows him to dash toward enemies, dealing damage and revealing them. When combined with his W ability, Lee Sin can quickly jump to allies, neutral monsters, or wards, making him adept at closing gaps, escaping danger, and positioning himself optimally during fights. The ability to swiftly navigate the map gives Lee Sin unparalleled versatility and ganking potential, allowing him to influence multiple lanes and assert early dominance.

Lee Sin's kit also offers multiple crowd control abilities, making him a strong playmaker. His E ability unleashes an AOE spell that damages and slows enemies. Additionally, his R ability delivers a powerful kick to a target, sending them flying and knocking back enemies they collide with. 

Furthermore, Lee Sin's early game presence is unrivaled. His kit allows him to clear jungle camps swiftly, maintain high health, and contest objectives efficiently. With his innate sustain and high base damage, Lee Sin excels at early skirmishes and invading the enemy jungle. His ability to secure kills and snowball the game's momentum in the early stages can provide a substantial advantage for his team.

#2: Nidalee

Up next on the list of best junglers is Nidalee. Now, if you're only now returning to this game, then you might find it weird to see Nidalee, a former ADC and such a glass cannon, to be considered the second best jungler to climb ranked. However, with the recent nerfs to powerful junglers, champions like Nidalee and Jarvan IV are the ones to fight for the top jungler spot.

Nidalee is a highly versatile and challenging jungler in League of Legends. Her unique transformation mechanic allows her to switch between human and cougar forms, granting her access to a wide array of abilities and playstyles. Nidalee's gameplay revolves around her exceptional mobility, long range poke, and high burst damage, making her a formidable force in the jungle.

One of Nidalee's greatest strengths lies in her ability to control the jungle and secure objectives. Her exceptional clear speed and sustain in the early game make her an efficient farmer. With her traps providing vision, Nidalee can effectively invade the enemy jungle, steal camps, and establish dominance over the map. Her ability to swiftly move across the jungle allows her to secure important objectives such as Dragon and Rift Herald or counter jungle the enemy, disrupting their farming patterns and gaining an advantage for her team.

#3: Jarvan IV

Speaking of weaker junglers getting their time to shine in the sun, perhaps the jungler who has benefited the most from the recent jungler changes is Jarvan IV. One might even say that he's poised to reclaim his position of power in the realm of Demacia.

So, why is he such a good jungler? Well, Jarvan IV is exceptional when it comes to delivering early yet impactful ganks. He also has the potential to be extremely valuable in team fights, and is almost always consistently scaling well throughout the match, which means his development is always on an upwards scale.

Perhaps the best thing about Jarvan IV is that he's super accessible. What we mean by this is that anyone can pick this champion up, and within minutes, they'll have a decent enough understanding of this champion to use him properly. Regardless of what your rank might be, he's still a good pick to play as. Good damage output, solid durability, and an all around well rounded kit, what more could anyone want from a jungler?

#4: Nunu and Willump

Coming up at number four is, or should we say ARE, Nunu and Willumps. Nunu & Willump offer a delightful and distinct playstyle that sets them apart from other League of Legends junglers. For starters, it isn't just one character you're controlling, but two. There's Nunu, a young boy, and Willumps, his lovable companion who's able to pack a punch if messed with.

One of the standout strengths of Nunu & Willump lies in their exceptional objective control. With Nunu's ability to consume neutral monsters using his Q ability, they excel at securing major objectives such as the Baron Nashor and Elemental Dragons. Their unique ability, Absolute Zero, unleashes a powerful channeling ultimate that deals massive damage to enemies within its radius. This provides an effective tool for zone control during crucial team fights and objective contests.

In addition to their objective control, Nunu & Willump excel at vision denial. Their W ability, Blood Boil, not only provides them with increased attack speed and movement speed but can also be used on allies, empowering them to become more potent during team fights or while taking down turrets. 

Their E ability, Snowball Barrage, allows Nunu to roll a snowball in a chosen direction, damaging and slowing enemies in its path. This ability can be used strategically to disrupt enemy positioning, engage or disengage from fights, and provide crowd control. Basically, if you see a giant yeti like creature coming at you with a giant snowball, you better run because Nunu and Willumps are hot on your tail.

#5: Evelynn

The last champion we want to go through on this list has to be Evelynn. This assassin is able to use her deceptive and sneaky playstyle to catch enemies off guard with her extremely high burst damage. Swiftly eliminating enemies is the motto of every Evelynn main, and you should adopt it too if you want to climb rank easily.

One of Evelynn's defining features is her passive ability, Demon Shade, which grants her camouflage when out of combat. This allows her to traverse the map undetected, positioning herself for unexpected ganks and strategic engagements. With proper timing and map awareness, Evelynn can strike fear into the hearts of her enemies, as they never know when she might be lurking in the shadows, ready to strike.

While her other abilities are exceptional if you want to deal major damage or charm enemies, her ultimate is where Evelynn truly shines. Upon activation, she becomes untargetable and gains a significant movement speed boost. After a brief delay, she deals massive damage to all enemies in a wide area around her.  A game changing ability if we've ever seen one.