League of Legends S12: Kayn Jungle Build Guide

From runes to items, gameplay tips amd more, we've put together a guide to help you master playing Kayn in the jungle in League of Legends.

Be mindful that there are several ways to build and play a champion, and you'll need to be adaptable as the game and the enemy team progress.

That said, this guide is a good starting point to helping you get to grips with the champion and making an impact in your games.

Runes

Core Items

Eclipse

3100 Gold

Edge of Night

2900 Gold

Build

Eclipse is a great item on assassin-type champions, granting plenty of lethality and burst potential. 

Edge of Night adds to this, making it easier for Kayn to get close to enemy champions. It is effective against crowd control, and has a short cooldown.

Other good items include Manamune, Youmoo's Ghostblade, and Serylda's Grudge.

Starting Item & Boots

Refillable Potion

150 Gold

Jungle Item

350 Gold

Ionian Boots of Lucidity

950 Gold

Skill Order

While your choices may differ according to how the game progresses, the typical Kayn skill priority is:

R > Q > W > E

Summoner Spells

These are the summoner spells most typically taken by Kayn in this role. Naturally, this may change depending on match-ups.

Gameplay

As an assassin-type jungler, Kayn is all about trying to lock down the main threats on the enemy team. Pay attention to their composition, as you'll need to change your focus between melee and ranged champions. The choice of whether to go with Darkin form or Shadow Assassin form could decide the game.

• Level 1 - Take Q - Reaping Slash, for faster jungle clear.
• Level 2 - Take E - Shadow Step, so you can move around the jungle much quicker and begin to look for ganks.
• First Back - Start building your main items. Youmoo's Ghostblade is a good first item, even before your Mythic choice.

Tips & Tricks

• You can cross thinner walls with Reaping Slash, and cancel its animation against thicker walls.
• Blade's Reach can be used during Shadow Step without interrupting it.
• If you are hit during Shadow Step, you have 1.5 seconds before being ejected from the wall. If it's a CC ability, you're ejected instantly.
• In Dark Assassin form, Blade's Reach has no cast time and can be launched in any direction without your champion stopping.
• By reactivating Umbral Trespass, you can leave the target without having to wait 2.5 seconds. If your target dies while you still possess them, you'll not benefit from the propulsion aspect of dismounting.
• The range of Umbral Trespass is doubled in Dark Assassin form, so you can, for example, use Chilling Smite then instantly use Umbral Trespass.