While you can technically pick Leona for the jungle role in League of Legends, it is highly unrecommended due to her extremely poor performance and lack of viability in this position.
Understanding Leona Jungle's Viability
Leona is designed as a support champion, excelling at engaging and locking down targets in lane. Her kit, however, is not well-suited for the unique demands of the jungle role, such as clearing camps efficiently or sustaining through the process. Data from recent matches clearly indicates her struggles:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Win Rate | 36.8% |
| Pick Rate | 0.0% |
| Tier Rank | D Tier |
This low win rate (36.8%) coupled with a virtually non-existent pick rate (0.0%) across all ranks shows that Leona jungle is not a viable or effective strategy for competitive play.
Recommended Build for Leona Jungle (Based on Data)
Despite its low viability, analysis of 2,222 matches from patch 14.23 suggests a tank-focused build is optimal for Leona in the jungle. This build prioritizes defensive stats and utility, aiming to maximize her ability to survive and provide crowd control.
The best build path identified includes:
- Sunfire Aegis: A foundational item for tank junglers, providing health, armor, and a consistent area-of-effect damage aura for clearing camps and fighting.
- Plated Steelcaps: Essential boots for reducing incoming basic attack damage, crucial for frontline champions.
- Thornmail: Offers armor, health, and a powerful passive that reflects damage and applies Grievous Wounds, counteracting healing from enemies.
- Heartsteel: A legendary item that grants massive health scaling and burst damage through its unique passive, allowing Leona to become incredibly durable.
- Kaenic Rookern: Provides significant magic resist and a magic shield, vital for defending against ability power threats.
Practical Considerations for Leona Jungle
Leona's primary struggles in the jungle stem from:
- Slow Clear Speed: Her abilities are not designed for efficient camp clearing, leading to slow early game progression.
- Lack of Sustain: She has no built-in healing or shields for herself, making jungle clears very unhealthy without significant investment in potions or specific runes.
- Limited Gank Paths: While her strong crowd control is excellent for ganks, her lack of mobility means she often relies heavily on flash or predictable paths, making her easy to avoid.
Ultimately, while the game allows for unconventional picks, playing Leona jungle puts your team at a significant disadvantage compared to standard, more effective jungle champions.
