League of Legends S12: Jax Top Build Guide

From runes to items, gameplay tips amd more, we've put together a guide to help you master playing Jax in the toplane 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

Divine Sunderer

3300 Gold

Blade of the Ruined King

3200 Gold

Build

Divine Sunderer is a great item on Jax, offering health, AD and ability haste, as well as the Spellblade passive for extra % health damage.

Blade of the Ruined King offers plenty of attack speed as well as lifesteal and a move speed buff, for chasing down enemies that try to flee.

Other good items include Sterak's Gage and Death's Dance.

Starting Item & Boots

Corrupting Potion

500 Gold

Defensive Boots

1100 Gold

Skill Order

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

R > W > E > Q

Summoner Spells

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

Gameplay

Jax is a great bully, and one who is exceptional on the counter. While his cooldowns and mana costs are high, you'll want to try and bait out the key enemy spells before diving on them, stunning them, and taking them down with on-hit damage.

• Level 1 - Take E - Counter Strike, so you can block any attempts at early trades and deal AoE damage to minions.
• Level 2 - Take Q - Leap Strike, and aim to initiate trades where you think it's safe to, or escape a potential dive.
• First Back - Work towards your Divine Sunderer, or if you're struggling in lane, your defensive boots.

Tips & Tricks

• A good tactic is to strike from the bushes, using Flash and Counter Strike to initiate the trade. Then, when they try to escape, you'll have Leap Strike to catch up to them.
• Leap Strike also applies the effects of Empower, as well as the Spellblade passive from your Divine Sunderer, leading to a lot of damage with one hit.
• Where possible, use Empower after an auto-attack, causing a kind of reset where you can hit twice in quick succession. 
• Remember that Leap Strike can be used on enemy champions, minions, and wards. If you need a quick escape, drop a ward over a wall and leap to it.