Lee sin is without a doubt my favorite champion in League of Legends. Ever since he was released he has been fun as hell to play with having multiple wall hops, one offensive and one defensive. I originally picked this champion because of his potential, his possibilities are seemingly endless in the hands of an experienced player who can maximize the usefulness of each of his 7 abilities. Over the past months I have tested numerous builds against numerous team comps and have failed hundreds of times. I say this because it is from my mistakes that I really learned how to play the game at a professional level out jungling top players on national teams. I have had my good streaks and bad, once losing 8 in a row and feeling sheepish, another time winning 18 straight and going from 1626 to 1860 in season 1 in just 2 days. In season 1 I would have considered myself an average player because I started playing LoL so late, and I never had the chance to reach high elo. This season, Lee Sin has been the key to hitting 2000 (highest all time is 2254) elo and earning my invitation to the mile high club (not real).

In this guide I will show even inexperienced players how to jungle efficiently with the blind monk, but most importantly I will explain the topic of counter-jungling. These two words have won me countless solo q games at high elo because my opponents never seem to learn. This is the reason why I start with cloth armor and 5x healing potions, take exhaust instead of flash, and run 15 AD in my runs totaling to a crushing 78 AD at level 1. I'll explain more on the item choices later on in the guide.

Note: This is a JUNGLE guide, there will be no talk about laning because Ree Sin da Brind Munk 2 gud 4 dem lanes.

For masteries I use a rather common page for AD junglers running 21 in offense and 9 in defense. Note though that I don't add points into any of the useless defensive masteries such as tough skin and bladed armor. These help minimally in the jungle and do not help you at all while fighting actual people (Well the bladed armor helps a little but you get the point). It is hard to pass up a free +36 health in the beginning in the game, a bonus that has saved my life many times in close fights. One more reason why I don't take bladed armor... I have accidently stolen blue buff from my AP mid because of the measly 6 damage.

Of course I take the improved exhaust mastery in the offense tree (Summoner's Wrath) and the improved smite mastery in the defense tree (Summoner's Resolve) because exhaust then removes 10 armor and MR from your opponent and makes smite grant a bonus of 10 gold on use (I take what I can get). If you use smite about 20 times in a game then bam that's a free 200 gold from 1 talent point.

The utility tree may seem temping with the flat 10 energy and the increased duration of buffs by 20% but I prefer the defense tree a bit more. By auto-attacking your opponent or jungle creep 2 times in between using your abilities then you will have no problem with low energy. I constantly tell people to auto attack in between ALL abilities while in the jungle so that you never have energy problems.

Overall these masteries allow the Lee Singah to deal massive damage while going rather tanky at the same time.

Lastly, even though my Lee Sin build adds 0% critical strike chance I still take 1 point in Lethality (+10% critical strike damage). This may seem like I am just throwing away a mastery point, but it comes in handy if I ever chose to build an item that adds critical strike chance. Even items such as add enough critical strike chance to make this one mastery point effective. Just remember that one critical strike can change the game if you land it on an enemy champion in a key situation. Never underestimate the power of % chance!

The runes I run are for good level 1 damage along with some nice durability. Instead of running like MR per level glyphs to build for late game, I prefer to run the flat 13 MR for more successful and safer counter jungling and early fighting.

Many people have asked me what combination of flat AD and Armor Pen runes I prefer to run. I spent months testing all of these combinations including: 25 Armor Pen + 0 AD, 15 Armor Pen + 6.8 AD, 10 Armor Pen + 1 AD, and 0 Armor Pen + 15 AD. I came to the conclusion that you want as much flat AD as you can get early game. Currently, I run 15 flat AD and 0 Armor Pen because starting with 78 AD at level 1 is not only disgusting by itself, but Lee Sin scales hard off AD. This means that your Q can be a death sentence even at level 1.

The 13 flat armor seals are self explanatory for basically any jungler, without these you will take serious damage in the jungle and will be compromising your safety if the enemy decided to counter jungle you. Along with the cloth armor at level 1 you will have some serious armor (I get around 57 at level 1 with Lee Sin) that will not only secure the jungle, but will be vital in surviving dangerous ganks. And YES this does include tower dives at low levels because you will block a ton of damage.

Smite and exhaust are typical summoner spells to run on jungle Ree Sin because it aims for early game dominance and successful ganks. With exhaust I like to go for a 1v1 fight with the opposing jungler because I will almost always have the upper hand with exhaust, except for if they have exhaust too then it's about even.

For smite, yes you need smite as a jungler. Take it. Don't think you don't need it. Take it. Even though you COULD clear your jungle early game without smite, the summoner spell is more used for securing objectives such as buffs, dragon, and most importantly baron. Usually most objectives are decided by which jungler can smite at the perfect time, so not even taking smite means you will have a serious disadvantage in securing these game-changing objectives.

Other Options for Summoner Spells:



I have seen many Lee Sin's run smite and flash instead of exhaust and this is still VERY GOOD. For the longest time I used flash because I tended to go in alone a lot and I was often a bit over my head. Even with the flash nerf, the ability to instantly disengage is OP as OP gets. If you take this you will have an easier time escaping fights, but will lack exhaust. Early ganks can still be successful, but not nearly as good as exhaust which pretty much screams FB in a gank. If you decide to take smite and flash remember that your ability to fight at low levels takes a rather large hit because you chose to go more defensive. Take this into consideration if you are still trying to counter jungle an opponent who may have picked up exhaust themselves. You may run into a bit of trouble if you know what I mean =).



Ignite is just another damage spell, nothing wrong with more damage. I tend to stick with exhaust because the brind munk has tons of damage as it is, so if I can keep my opponent slowed and unable to hurt me for a few seconds then I es happy.



Actually a smart option since the changes in Season 2. You can get 35% increased movement speed for a whopping 10 seconds. If you tend to fail a lot of flashes since the flash range nerf, you can try ghost to escape. Remember though, ghost can only get you out of so many situations. Sometimes ghost will not save you when flash will so keep this in mind. This is why I WILL UNVEIL MY SECRET LEE SIN TRICK LATER IN THE GUIDE.



O come on, give it a chance. Nothing wrong with teleporting to a brush ward in a lane. This can either make an excellent sneaky gank or serve little purpose if the enemies always know where you are. Teleport may be something to try for fun but there are better spells such as the ones I listed above.

Summoner Spells you should NOT TAKE:



You don't need it. Leave this to your support. If you take this sure you can make your opponents feel stupid with a classic heal bait but this will be minimal in helping you survive fights, especially early game.

People who see this in a high elo Lee Sin guide will probably be like "WTF he's actually talking about heal on a jungler LOLOL DIS KID BAD". The truth is, heal is not a bad spell in the least bit. Since the buff it heals for a crazy amount and then half that amount to the rest of your team. I just don't use this summoner spell at all on a jungler because there are other spells which can save me more efficently.



If you like to F around a lot with big minions then take it. Otherwise don't.



Not on a jungler. Support is fine.



ONLY THE BEST REE SIN'S TAKE THIS. YOU NEED TO BE REAL MAN TO USE DIS. DON'T USE IT YOURSELF YOU ARE NOT WORTHY TO EXPERIENCE THE TRUE POWER. ONCE YOU ARE OVER 9000 ELO THEN THE POWER IS UNLEASHED.... WARNING: POTENTIAL SERVER CRASH.

After Lee Sin uses an ability, his next 2 basic attacks gain 50% Attack Speed and return 10 energy each.



I believe this is one of the best passives in the game. If you become good at spreading out the use of your abilities, not only will you essentially never run out of energy, but your damage output will be incredible with an almost permanent +50% attack speed. Think about it... 50 PERCENT ATTACK SPEED. WHO IMPLEMENTED THIS IN THE GAME. This is also the reason why there is no need for attack speed runes on the Lead Singer.




Sonic Wave: Lee Sin projects a discordant wave of sound to locate his enemies, dealing 50/80/110/140/170 (+90% of bonus Attack Damage) physical damage to the first enemy it encounters. If Sonic Wave hits, Lee Sin can cast Resonating Strike for the next 3 seconds.

Resonating Strike: Lee Sin dashes to the enemy hit by Sonic Wave, dealing 50/80/110/140/170 (+90% of bonus Attack Damage) physical damage plus 10% of their missing health.

Cost 50/30 energy

Cooldown 11/10/9/8/7 seconds



This skill defines Lee Sin. As one of, if not the strongest lvl 1 skill in the entire game this needs to be maxed right away. Not only does this skill devastate your opponent when you tag em, you get to jump to them for even more damage. Also, the damage is increased by how much health the enemy has. This is the reason why almost every Lee Sin uses Sonic Wave, then Dragon's Rage, then Resonating Strike. This will ensure the maximum damage output you can get from your Q bonus when the enemy is missing health. The ability to hop right into a person's face is great, but the only downside is that it is a skill shot. Even the best Ree Sin's miss several Q's in a game, but when you do land sick ones it is game-changing.

IMPORTANT: A trick to clearing buffs faster (along with dragon and baron) is to use Sonic Wave, then then Resonating Strike. This is what I like to call a "Super Smite" because it will secure a map objective from around 800 Health rather than ~600 with smite alone.




Safeguard: Lee Sin rushes towards a target ally, shielding them both from 40 / 80 / 120 / 160 / 200 (+80% per Ability Power) damage. After using Safeguard, Lee Sin can cast Iron Will for the next 3 seconds.

Iron Will: Lee Sin's intense training allows him to thrive in battle. For 5 seconds, Lee Sin gains5/10/15/20/25 lifesteal, spell vamp, and armor.

Cost 50/30 energy

Cooldown 8 seconds

Range 700



I guess Riot thought the Lee Sinner needed more hops. Most of the time you use this skill to hop to an ally to get a shield on both you and them - maximizing it's usefulness. I also love this skill because it can now be used on wards again. And this brings us to my SUPER SECRET LEE SIN STRATEGY. Get ready, this might blow your mind... Always, always, always carry at least 1 extra ward around with you at all times. You might be thinking, umm ok I do that anyways. What I mean by this is have at least 1 ward in your inventory that you will NOT USE to ward the map, just to use as a "Flash" if needed. Don't use this ward if you want to ward Dragon or Baron or something like that. I start carrying around this escape tool around level 6 when I grow da big balls with my ultimate. Sometimes you gotta run like hell if you go for the big plays.

The second "part" of this spell is Iron Will, which adds extra armor, lifesteal and spellvamp. Maxing this skill out second allows you to have over 30% lifesteal with only Iron Will and a . The extra armor early game allows for easier 1v1 fights with the opposing jungler because I like to counter jungle.

Lastly, it is important to note that the 5% spellvamp also applies to , so for extra sustain in the jungle try to cast when Iron Will is on so you gain extra health. (22 health gained at level 1 with 5% healed from 445 true damage).

-Credit to NegativeHorizon for pointing this out =).




Tempest: Lee Sin smashes the ground sending out a shockwave that deals 60 / 95 / 130 / 165 / 200 (+0.6 per bonus Attack Damage) magic damage and reveals enemy units hit. If Tempest hits an enemy, Lee Sin can cast cripple for the next 3 seconds.

Cripple: Lee Sin cripples nearby enemies revealed by Tempest, reducing their Movement and Attack Speed by 30 / 37.5 / 45 / 52.5 / 60 % for 4 seconds. Movement and Attack Speed recover gradually over the duration.

Cost 50/30 energy

Cooldown 10 seconds

Range 450



Lee Sin - 1, Invisible Pussy Champions / Entire Korean League Community - 0. Not only does this skill do a considerable amount of magic damage which scales off AD =], it reveals all nearby invisible units, including invisible ones. I cannot express in words how many times this has secured kills on annoying champs such as and who think they are safe because they can just stealth out.

Cripple serves as a free exhaust / huge attack speed debuff that secures a 1v1 fight because all nearby opponents are slowed and can barely auto attack. I take this at level 1 for the fast jungle clearing since the damage is an AOE, but I leave it at level 1 because I find that the level 1 slow is enough. I would rather invest my points into first because the shield gets to be pretty strong at level 5 and the lifesteal becomes a spell that can bring you from 10% hp to 100% hp in 1 creep wave.



Lee Sin performs a powerful roundhouse kick launching his target back, dealing 200 / 400 / 600 (+1.5 per bonus Attack Damage) physical damage to the target and any enemies they collide with. Enemies the target collides with are knocked into the air for a short duration.

Cost 0 energy

Cooldown 90 / 75 / 60 seconds



In my opinion, there is only 1 correct way to use this skill as the damage is relatively low at level 1 and you can accidently save an enemy by using it wrong. Use this skill as part of the Lee Sin "Execution Combo". This Involves using Sonic Wave, then Dragon's Rage, then Resonating Strike, as I explained above for maximizing your damage output.

An added bonus of this skill is that any other champions who are hit in the path of the person flying backwards is knocked up and damaged as well. This has granted me some amazing kills of enemies literally killing each other. When used correctly in a team fight, Dragon's Rage can interrupt an entire team and change the outcome of the game.

My skill order for jungling the Lee Sinner is the same each game. I do not find a need to change up the order of his skills because E is the most effective jungling spell at lvl 1, and without Q at level 2 you cannot gank or fight. I play the Lee Singah with the intention of being a serious threat to the enemy jungler/team from lvl 2 on. This requires 1 point in Q and 1 point in E.

Skill Order:



It is essential that you max first in order to maximize your damage output early game. This spell damages your opponent twice for huge damage while your E only hurts them once and your W doesn't do damage.

After maxing go with next. As explained previously in the Skills section of the guide, having just level 1 of your is enough to kill opponents. You want to get your shield stronger and on a lower cooldown so you can maximize your mobility around a fight. As Ree Sin, the quicker you get in and out the better.

Max your ultimate at levels 6, 11 and 16.

Much of what I will explain in this portion of the guide was covered in the Item Build section. Nevertheless, these are the two main builds I go for Mr. Sin.

Start out with:
or


The classic "Old Jungle Build," but I use it even with the jungle remake. Having 56 armor (with my runes and masteries) at level 1 is enough to take on almost any enemy jungler when you try to counter jungle them. Going an item like or could work, but are not optimal for counter jungling.


A great item choice for Lee Sin when jungling for more successful gank and easier/safer counter jungling. With boots at level 1 you not only clear the jungle faster, but ganks are much more successful especially if the lane you are ganking does not start boots. One thing to take into consideration is that starting with boots + 3 healing potions requires a good leash at either red or blue (depending where you start). Without an adequate leash you'll have to use one of your healing potions before you even enter the enemy jungle, which is not ideal. In order to counter jungle enemy buffs at level 2 you'll need a couple of healing potions, so make sure you don't use them all when clearing your own buffs. If you happen to meet up with the enemy jungler when starting boots + 3 healing potions you need to be very careful. First, you should always look to see what item they started out with. If they started cloth armor then your best bet is to run, as your damage will not be sufficient to kill them quickly.


The problem with is that it offers very little sustain when jungling. You WILL lose hp when jungling with this item. Keep this in mind because you will end up ganking lanes with closer to 50% hp than 100% with .

Another option which I have seen other Lee Sin's use is . Although this item does offer sustain in the jungle, your ganks will be much less potent than with either a or . Also, vamp scepter does not work into the new Lee Sin build, where you would have to wait until you make a Bloodthirster to make the vamp scepter worthwhile.


Boots:
or

Generally I prefer the Merc's Treads since Lee Sin needs the ability to fly around the battlefield. Having ensures that you will not be stunned for 2 seconds or take extreme magic damage from a jungler such as .

Ninja Tabi is also a viable option for boots, as it adds rediculous armor early game. Take if you are against an AD jungler or just an AD heavy team. The 10% reduced auto attack damage is just an added bonus, and makes a noticeable difference when fighting champs who rely on ye olde right click (fking Caitlyn, trix are for kids).

As a melee AD champ, Lee Sin has problems early game versus magic damage champs. With Merc treads and 12 flat MR Glyphs I have a reasonable amount of MR that will help me live versus magic damage champions until mid-game I build my for extra MR.


Core Build:
or +

Final Build:
or +

Explanation of updated item build:

This build allows you to do massive deeps from early-game to late-game, while still remaining tanky. Notice that both and not only add a ton of attack damage, but also great defensive stats which are a necessity for Lee Sin.

Stacking AD on Lee Sin maximizes your damage output because LS has awesome AD scaling. With this build, it is not uncommon for to deal 1000+ damage at level 16. Your "execution combo" ( + + ) becomes a death sentence for most champions.

To see an example of the massive damage you deal with stacking AD, watch the replay labeled "Xzevz - Updated Lee Sin Build". Of course, there will be many more replays to come as I keep using my new build.

One thing you may notice with my new Lead Singer build is that I didn't include the popular jungling item :D

Y U NO WRIGGLES?

To explain why I don't get anymore, lets first look at what this item adds in detail.

Wriggles adds Attack Damage, Lifesteal, Armor, a ward, and the ability to kill neutrals faster... for 1600 gold.

It is hard to deny that wriggles does not add a variety of stats which benefit junglers such as Lee Sin, but the fact is the item is not worth 1600 gold. With with the +19 armor from runes and masteries, your armor is already high enough early and mid game. With 2x your attack damage and lifesteal are covered (including ), with the added bonus of 160 free health.

As far as wards go, just buy them on every recall. Come on.. they save lives.

The main purpose of is to clear buffs faster with bonus damage to minions and monsters. Sure, this allows Lee Sin to kill dragon faster but it is important to note that he kills dragon very fast regardless of these procs. Having more AD early game from 2x and a is much more useful in a lot more situations than being able to kill dragon a little bit faster every 6 minutes.

Here are my Counter Jungle / Ganking routes for Lee sin for both the Blue and Purple sides of the Map. My routes is drawn in yellow. Thick yellow lines are the routes that you should go to counter jungle and the dotted yellow lines are all situational routes. If you succeed in killing the enemy jungler for first blood then follow the dotted line to take their entire jungle and start ganking lanes.

The numbers written in yellow represent where you should go in order whether it is a jungle camp or a gank. For example, 1 means to clear this camp first, 2 means to clear this camp second (after 1), etc.

For the Blue Side:



This is my standard counter jungle route for Lee Sin. After taking my own wolves and blue with help from my mid/top lane, I go to the enemy wrath camp around 2:20, before they can get there. This strategy allows for a relatively easy first blood with exhaust if you hide in the brush behind red buff and wait for them to start their wraith camp. After they start taking damage they will not be ready for 1v1 fight. Even if you don't kill them with exhaust because they flash over a wall or something follow the dotted path. With you should have no trouble taking the enemy red even at level 2. This is why I prefer the 5 potions over something like a which would offer essentially zero sustain. You can proceed to gank top after and control the game from the jungle.



This route is also very successful if the enemy jungler is FAST. This is because if they are already at the wraith camp they WILL see you coming in on the ramp, you do not want this. To be secretive, take this path against a jungler such as Udyr so you can catch him at his red without him even knowing. Stay in the brush until red is low then assault the jungler. With You + the lizard attacking the opponent they will have no choice but to run.



A pretty detailed a complicated route I admit, but all possible with . The route starts with ganking top at level 2 with blue buff. Even though blue buff is not a big deal on Lee Sin, you will still have ginormous damage output with both your and . Even if you do not kill top but force them to back you have essentially made top lane win... one less lane to worry about. After ganking top continue to counter jungle by catching the enemy jungler at his golems if possible (Get your top lane to come with you for some extra protection =]. You never need to shop in between going on this long adventure through the jungle, and by the end you would have ganked the enemy jungler and ALL 3 lanes by around 5:00-6:00. Counter jungling is about the impact you have on the game, so the more ganking the better.

For the Purple Side:



A simple counter jungle route on the Purple side of the map. This route begins with wolves and blue buff, same as the blue side, then ganking the enemy jungler at his wraith camp. You can also try to gank the jungler at his red after if you feel like sticking around a while but this can be RISKY. What could happen is after the jungler does wraiths they could gank mid, then you look stupid just sitting there, so make sure the jungler is going red after before you start waiting. If the gank is successful and you either kill or drive back the enemy jungler continue by following the dotted line. This way you will secure the enemy red buff and gank bot in a spot which is usually not warded.



Again, if you are against a fast jungler who will be at wraiths around the time that you get there yourself you may want to take this route. KEEP IN MIND you need to be careful going this way though. Many supports ward the area you would be walking through even at level 1 so this can be a suicide. Make sure you have communication with your bot lane so they can tell you if the tri-brush or dragon area is warded at level 1.



The complete package for the Purple side of the map. Follow the dotted line if your gank is successful and try to get your bot lane to come with you for extra protection. If the gank fails you can always go to your own jungle then gank mid/top, whichever one is an easier gank. Ganking bot at lvl 2 can be good if you have a support such as . If your bot lane is a passive one, do not take this route because there will likely be no first blood.

Lee Sin can counter jungle these junglers in da ass:

IMPORTANT NOTE: MAKE SURE YOU HAVE COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR MID LANE SO IF THE ENEMY MID COMES TO HELP THE ENEMY JUNGLER YOU HAVE BACKUP.


Assult Amumu at his wraiths, he has very little early game damage.


Try to kill Karthus at his wraith camp because he is a VERY squishy champion. I've seen many jungle Karthus players who run Smite and Teleport, so they don't have a single escape route. This is your indication to force a fight at level 2-3 in his jungle.


Same as Amumu, catch fiddle when he starts draining a jungle creep then
attack so he won't have his drain for another 5 seconds. You don't need to be concerned about his fear or silence because at level 1 they do not CC for long, and with they will have a difficult time escaping.


Warwick has no real abilities that he can fight back with at low levels, take advantage of this and counter jungle him. Force a fight around lvl 3 and he can't step toe to toe with your damage.


Success! You can beat 100% of the Koeran League Community. With Shaco can no longer escape from you. The only difference with Shaco is he will most likely gank mid or top very soon, so take advantage of this and counter jungle him. Remember, even though he may have both buffs, he can't 1v1 you by any means. This is why you have .


Yes, I have seen many jungle Twitch players in high elo. Since twitch usually starts at red buff lvl 1 then usual counter jungle route does not apply since his red buff side of the jungle will be cleared by the time you get there. What I have found out is that you should let Twitch come to you, for example in my "How to Counter Jungle a Twitch" replay I let him be very aggressive and saw him enter my jungle. With there is no way that he can escape. Lee Sin > Invisible champs.


Dr. Mundo has been played a lot more recently due to the recent buffs on his attack speed and level 1 AD. He is now a viable jungler and usually starts red for an effective level 2 gank. Counter jungling this guy can be simple if he ganks top level 2. If so, take his blue. If you know that your opponent is top lane then take his buffs on the other side of the map. Also, you can easily win a 1v1 against Dr. Mundo at almost every point in the game so forcing skirmishes is usually in your favor. Maybe late game he's just too tanky. This is where ignite comes in!


Alistar has been growing in popularity as being a very annoying jungler, one who can camp mid from level 2 with very successful ganks (flash + pulverize + headbutt). Fighting Alistar 1v1 is possible since his damage output is not as high as Lee Sin's, but the only problem is that he can simply stun and headbutt you away. It is best to counter jungle him early game while he is spending a majority of his time ganking. Make sure that your teams knows where he is at (take CV if needed) so you can steal his red buff early game. If Alistar tries to clear his own red buff he will be very slow at it and will take a considerable amount of damage. It is here where you make your move and assault him at rather low hp.


By the time you get to his wraiths, they would have respawned already. You can either choose to kill the big wraith for lvl 3 then wait for him, or just wait for him in the brush behind red buff to start the wraiths then assult him. Your choice, both work.


The only difference with Nocturne is you want to wait for his spellshield to go down so you land your . Knowing your opponents skills is a must when counter jungling.


Don't be stupid!!!! Wait for the Remove Scurvy BEFORE you exhaust!


Nunu is a real slow jungler, he is one of the easiest to steal golems / red buff from because it takes him forever to do. Make sure he doesn't consume YOUR wraith camp too, this requires communication with your team.


Olaf can be dangerous with blue buff so be careful. For Olaf, wait until he starts the wraith camp to assult, OR just gank bot before counter jungling him.


Faster than a speeding bullet! Yea he can roll, but not much else. Make sure you stop his roll then exhaust. If he goes in Defensive Ball Curl then you can STILL auto attack him for good damage. Level 1 Defensive Ball Curl is not amazing!


It is important that you let riven use each jump in her Q before engaging. If you fight riven 1v1 and she has exhaust it is a CLOSE fight. It is always best to fight your opponent when they have no cooldowns.


Master Yi is a strange jungler because he can even start golems so you can't counter jungle him. Stop by his red and make sure he doesn't get it early game, if he starts blue then wait for his alpha strike on the wraiths before engaging.

Junglers to Watch Out for:


Dat Q mayne, dat Q. It's a killer but you can still manage to kill a Skarner from your Q damage. You will NEED exhaust to kill a Skarner lvl 2-3 or else his Q + auto attacks will do a bit too much damage. The increased movement speed can be used to dodge your Q as well, be careful.


Udyr can clear the jungle like nobody's business. Careful for his speed and don't end up in his jungle after he has cleared it all. A smart idea vs Udyr is to not assault him at wraith camp, but wait for him to do red and assault him there.


The only challenge with Malphite is he is tanky as !$%&. Be careful because by the time you start killing him the enemy mid lane would have caught on.


Trundle can lower your attack damage by a good amount so even your Q won't hit that hard. Don't underestimate the troll.


Ahh Shyvana! She can run like the wind and is very annoying to jungle against. The trick against Shyvana is not to invade at her wraiths. She can easily run away before you can get a Q + E combo off. I would camp her at her blue buff since she usually starts red and wait for it to fall to about 25% hp, then engage with Q. Exhaust will come in very handy since she is a runner. You may need mid lane help for the kill so try to get your mid lane to sneak around with you. If Shyvana goes to gank level 2 with red, then steal her blue as she will be on the opposite side of the map.

Well, I'm pretty sure we all knew this day would come. Lee Sin has always been a very strong jungler because of his early game dominance and his ability to clear jungle camps efficiently with his 50% IAS passive whenever he casts an ability.

The Nerf: -10% IAS bonus for his next 2 attacks whenever he casts an ability. Yes, this does slow down his jungling by 10%, but nowhere does this nerf reduce the insane damage on his early game. This means that counter jungling is the same as before, just 10% slower (which isn't much).

(One way I have accounted for this nerf is to put 2 talent points into Butcher)

If you want replays of me playing the Lee Singah you can go to this link to find videos that I have uploaded:

http://www.leaguereplays.com/replays/search/?q=xzevz

The Lee Sin replays that are up are titled:

"How to Counter Jungle a Shaco" - Dat level 2 damage mayne
"How to Counter Jungle an Udyr" - Smite steal at red buff
"How to Counter Jungle an Olaf (Reidan)" - l0l Reidan OP
"How to Counter Jungle a Yi" - Watch this one for counter jungling at its finest.
"How to Counter Jungle a Twitch" - Triple kill at level 4 o.O (2k+ solo queue)
"How to Counter Jungle a Nautilus" - He didn't take smite...
"How to Counter Jungle a Shyvana" - Silsol terror

"Xzevz - Carry Dyrus" - Dyrus real heavy
"Lee Sin Solo Queue #1" - Elementz Morgana terror
"A Few Kills With Lee Sin" - (29 kills)
"Normal Game vs premade 2000s" - (22 kills)
"Play of Week" (I submitted 27:15 - 28:10 for the League of Legends Top 5 Plays. Hope I Win!!!)
"Xzevz - Updated Lee Sin Build" - aka setting up a nice campfire in da mid lane

Question 1:

Hi there, after a few months I find myself able to play him pretty well early-mid game but I just feel really useless in teamfights.

I am able to gank every lane more or less successfully (hard-to-gank targets such as Kennen, Leblanc or Vladimir always are tough, but apart from that I usually do well when ganking), I also counterjungle quite a lot when I see no gank opportunity, and often kill the enemy jungler in duels, etc.

In team fights, however, I really feel useless. Mid-game team fights are fine as my damage is still pretty good, but after I get Warmongs I fall off and don't do enough damage. I also most of the time can't reach interesting targets (squishies in the back) and get focused asap. I often feel like I can't initiate nor really join the fight.

Should I try to protect my carries then ? I mean Lee Sin has a good burst but in teamfights hitting the right target with Q is actually quite hard, I'm aware a good Dragon's Rage really helps as well, but as I am focused hard 99% of the time, I can't afford taking the time it takes to position myself in order to use R in the best possible way.

Do you have any advice for me ? Am I only supposed to give huge advantages to my laners and then completly rely on them in teamfights ? I fell to 1200 elo due to stupid loss streak, I most of the time can't trust my laners :/

To be honest I play Skarner way less often (I also play Lee much better than him), but with him I know I can easily carry teamfights with ult + my damage is pretty op late game the way I build him.

Should I just play Skarner until I can actually trust my laners ? Should I forget about Lee Sin for now ? Do you have any tips for me ? I don't usually suck in teamfights but with Lee Sin I really feel useless :/

PS : I'm asking you because your guide and replay have helped me quite a lot and I like your style a lot. I'm going to watch more replays from you but if you had some advice I'd gladly take it.

Answer 1:

First off, you're correct that some lanes are just hard to gank; champions that have escape abilities such as Kennen are notorious for being strong laners because of this. AP mids such as Leblanc and Vladimir might be tough to gank, but this does not mean that they should be ignored. Still try your heart out to gank them because if you let them free farm, they will be unstoppable forces late game.

One trick I have found out with ganking mid (not top champs like Kennen... top is usually a farm off) is usually your mid has to bait a fight to begin. You need as much room to gank for champions who have escape abilities like Vladimir, so even if he pools he is far away enough from his tower that you can successfully kill him. If your mid lane wants a gank, make sure to tell them that they should NOT push the lane. Once the lane is at your tower and the enemy mid is overextended, then go for the kill. It is always good to know if the lane you are ganking has summoner spells up such as flash/heal as these may mess up your ganks. Always ask your team what the "current situation" is and if the lane is indeed gankable.

It is good that you counter jungle a lot and often kill the enemy jungler in duels because that is one of Lee Sin's strengths. You want to take advantage of your early game dominance in the jungle and in fights with the damage on your Q.

Now on to teamfights, the absolute hardest aspect of the game to help people out with... because every single one is different. That being said, I will try to outline what you should be doing in a fight, based on your role as a jungler.

To start off, you should change your item build to the new updated build I have. Warmongs is not a bad item choice, but it is definitely not optimal anymore for Lee Sin. The new Hexdrinker is a great item, and rushing damage early and mid game will make all the difference. You can STILL be tanky and do a lot of damage by not going Warmongs, with items like frozen mallet, Hexdrinker, and even a couple of Doran's blades. Once you have your Guardian Angel late game you are an unstoppable force, with close to 300 AD and a second chance in a team fight.

Item build is a major aspect of League of Legends, and purchasing the wrong items which don't synchronize well with each other will lead to being weak or useless when it matters most.

You should be initiating team fights on your opponent's weaker targets. If they are for some reason unreachable then it is always a good idea to protect your carries. I don't really know where I have a good example to show you in one of the replays I uploaded, but as Lee Sin I would dominate team fights by either picking someone off or ulting them for 1/2 their hp making the fight essentially 5v4.

This is my overall advice to you. Keep counter jungling, ganking the best you can, killing the enemy jungler 1v1. What you could improve on is your item build (following my new updated build) and initiating fights as a tanky dps champion. You can focus down anyone on the enemy team as Lee Sin, it can be their AD carry, Support, Jungler, Mid (usually not top because they are tanky most of the time) fairly quickly with a nice Q + ult + Q combo. You are the one who needs to make a majority of the damage for your team, and it is fine if you die in team fights as long as you set your team up for winning the fight flat out.

Also 1 more thing.. FK SKARNER. REAL MEN USE LEAD SINGER.


Question 2:

I saw on Cruzerthebruizer's guide for Lee Sin a few clips of him using this ward-jumping trick offensively, maybe it could be worth mentioning it in your guide. What is your opinion on ward hoping and is it solely for defensive purposes?

Answer 2:

Yea, I guess I didn't talk much about using the ward hopping ability offensively because I felt the need to stress the importance of using it defensively instead of taking flash. Learning to use this ward hoping ability is a MUST HAVE on the Lead Singer. Having an extra gap closer can be key in chasing down an opponent, so always make sure you have at least 1 extra ward in your inventory for an extra chase/escape tool.


Question 3:

Do you think the new Deadliness is still worth it, instead of Havoc ? 9 AD @ level 18 sort of suck imo, doesnt it ?

Answer 3:

No, Deadliness into Lethality is not worth it anymore since the Atma's Impaler nerf. Going 3 points into Havoc and 2 points into Butcher is much better with clear time and late game damage.

Question 4:

Thoughts on using energy runes? Not needed? I notice myself missing energy sometimes during ganks and wonder if they could be used to help.

Answer 4:

I wouldn't use energy runes because there are lots of better options with flat armor/mr and 15 attack damage. If you can use his passive effectively then you should never run into energy problems.


Question 5:

Hey there, i was wondering.. what is your counter jungling route for when the enemy starts at red buff?

Answer 5:

If your opponent starts at red then expect them to gank early at level 2. Try to steal their blue buff while they gank. It is always important to know where the enemy jungler is because this will make for easier counter jungling. If they are on the opposite side of the map when you KNOW one of their buffs are up, then seize the opportunity to steal it while they are unable to stop you.


Question 6:

I've been playing Lee Singah a fair bit recently. Would you say it's best to balance out skill use so you are 50% ias most of the time? Is it true that activating a second ability doesn't retrigger the passive? As far as i can tell it's just the first ability. Thanks.

Answer 6:

Every ability triggers the passive. It is important to keep the 40% ias on when jungling so space out your abilities. Even when fighting champions it is vital that you space out your abilities because you will deal a continuous amount of DPS instead of a sudden burst of damage which will not be enough to kill them. This will allow you to win 1v1 situations that last more than 2-3 seconds, and also spacing out your abilities ensures that you will not run into energy problems!


Question 7:

What do you think of grabbing flash against extremely bad junglers like amumu/fiddle? They do not necessarily require exhaust since their physical damage is kinda lackluster anyway and the slow of E should be enough to catch them.Just an alternative for beginners or low ELO where it is common for the mid laner to not pay attention~ Definitely nice to have an escape route.

Answer 7:

Junglers such as Amumu and Fiddlesticks are not at all bad, they are seen time and time again in high elo games and people have been very successful with them. Especially people who run boots of mobility on fiddle can pull off some awesome ganks. I still take exhaust over flash because first of all exhaust > fid ult, and early game exhaust almost always ensures that your first gank is first blood. I originally used to run flash on Lee Sin because I was not familiar with my champion's "limits" and abilities so often times I would bite off more than I could chew. I feel that since I have played Lee Sin for so long and have had countless games to experiment in I no longer need flash to pull off great escapes. I usually carry around a ward so I can W to it instead of taking and wasting flash for something which only costs me 75 gold (and wards the area for me too =]).

Feel free to take flash as it is a very viable option. There is nothing wrong with other summoner spells too like ghost, cleanse, and even ignite. It is primarily based off your play style and personal preferences.


Question 8:

Have you tried counterjungling with boots first start? makes the early ganks stronger/chasing the enemy jungler easier and also escaping the mid laner in case your mid lane slept and you had to escape their mid laner.Though i do understand why cloth armor is better for counterjungling(better sustain,better dueling),maybe you could mention Boots first start and what you think about it.Since you run exhaust it might be useful for escaping in case something went wrong and well exhaust makes the loss of armor in dueling the opposing jungler kinda obsolete.I agree though that the 5 pots make your sustain better.

Answer 8:

Yea cloth armor is the best counter jungling starting item IMO because you can have 5 health pots along with it. I fully agree with your choice to take 12 armor pen for the golems. Really any combination works between armor pen and flat AD. I've seen anywhere from 0 AD and 25 Armor pen through 15 AD and 0 Armor Pen, and both can work quite well.

I have tried starting with boots, but I find it to be a little unnecessary because you already have multiple slows and boots add no defense when dueling enemy junglers 1v1. In tournaments or arranged 5s there is no problem with starting boots because your opponents will start warding heavily from level 1. Also, if you only have 3 healing potions (1 used at your blue on a normal leash) this only leaves you with 2 potions for sustain. I do not find this to be enough in many cases because I like to clear the entire enemy jungle as well as my own (so I don't get counter jungled back) before I shop for the first time.

I use blademail on many junglers like Rammus, Skarner, Maokai, etc. I find that Lee Sin can already clear out jungle camps at amazing speeds and yea you hit the point that it doesn't help in the actual counter jungling. This guide is to maximize your 1v1 ability early game so the flat 6 armor can only help you.


Question 9:

I usually take wolves-blue and then run to thier wraiths. Shud I take their wraiths or wait for them to start doing it and then try and gank them?

Answer 9:

Depends on who you are jungling against. If they are slow in making it to their wraiths, then you should have enough time to take the big one then run around to their red and wait for them there. If not, just wait for them at red or else they will see you coming.

1/27/2012 - Added Update Log
1/27/2012 - Improved explanation for Merc Treads over Ninja Tabi in Item Builds section.
1/27/2012 - Added Replay "How to Counter Jungle a Shaco"
2/1/2012 - Added Chapter "The Recent Nerfs"
2/6/2012 - Added "How to Counter Jungle a Twitch" replay
2/13/2012 - Added Alistar, Dr. Mundo and Twitch sections in Chapter 9: "Lee Sin vs. Other Junglers"
2/25/2012 - Added "Q & A" Chapter based off the most instructive comments below!
3/2/2012 - Included Ninja Tabi in item choices
3/18/2012 - Added another starting option: Boots + 3 Healing Potions
4/21/2012 - BIG FOOKING UPDATE MAYNE.
7/9/2012 - Updated Replays, Runes and Masteries, added 2 more * next to UPDATED in title =)

I would like to thank all of you who took the time to read through my guide to counter jungling effectively with Ree Sin / Lee Sin / Lee Sinner / Lee Singah / Lead Singer. I hope you have learned a lot, for I have in the past few months of experimenting routes and builds for Mr. Sin. If you have any questions or comments please leave a comment below. I will be checking and answering comments periodically, because I love to help people (sue me). I will continue to update the guide from time to time if I find more footage or interesting build ideas. FYI I don't hate Koreans, I'm not a hater like dat. Thanks!!!

Shoutouts:

To Cosommak, for being a complete baller.
To Dunkey (meatwadsprite), for teaching me what not to do on Lee Sin.


I would like to end with a quote.

"Why does Lee Sin have to counter Shaco, fucking [][][][][][]." - Korean LoL Community