The Saint of Jungling: A Guide to Jungling as Guan Yu

"Hello, Subzero here," said Subzero008. "I make guides."

I'd like to make a Terminator reference here, but that'd just distract from the awesome

HOW DARE YOU QUESTION ME YOU PIECE OF SLIME! LE GRAND SUBZERO CARES NOT FOR YOUR INSOLENT TONE!! THIS IS WHY YOU PLAY GUAN YU!

Strengths

High Damage Output: FOOLISHLY FOOLISH FOOLS WILL UNDERESTIMATE GUAN BECAUSE HIS DAMAGE IS NOT DEALT ALL AT ONCE! BUT MAKE NO MISTAKE, GUAN YU IS ONE OF THE MOST DAMAGING GODS IN THE GAME!

High Sustain: GUAN YU CAN HEAL HIS PATHETIC TEAM AS WELL AS HIMSELF, AND HIS Taolu Assault ALSO BUFFS HIS OWN DEFENSES, MAKING HIM INVINCIBLE! AHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Build Flexibility: GUAN YU HAS A VERY FLEXIBLE BUILD LIKE ALL BRUISERS, MAKING HIM ADAPTABLE TO ALL SITUATIONS! TREMBLE AT HIS VERSATILITY!

Defense Shred: YOUR THREE IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT REASON TO PLAY GUAN YU JUNGLE! THIS IS WHAT MAKES GUAN SYNERGIZE WELL WITH ANY ONE AND ANY LANE, IT IS WHAT MAKES HIM SO DEADLY, AND YOUR ENEMIES WILL FEAR YOU FOR IT!

Weaknesses

Low Burst Damage: GUAN YU MAY HAVE DAMAGE IN SPADES, BUT HE STILL LACKS BURST! ANY FOE WITH A LEAP OR DASH CAN EASILY ESCAPE YOUR IRON GRASP, FORCING YOU TO ONLY GANK ENEMIES AWAY FROM THEIR ALTAR OF COWARDICE.

Ability-Dependent: YOUR ULTIMATE AND YOUR THREE ARE TERRIFYING, BUT GUAN YU IS HEAVILY RELIANT ON THEM! IF THEY ARE INTERRUPTED OR ON COOLDOWN, YOU LOSE FAR TOO MUCH OF YOUR DAMAGE.

Lacks Hard CC: GUAN YU HAS NO IMMEDIATE HARD CC, MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO LOCK DOWN ENEMIES WITH ESCAPES LIKE THE INSIDIOUS Agni OR THE COWARDLY Tyr. YOU ARE RESTRICTED TO GANKING ONLY EXTENDED ENEMIES!

EVEN THE MIGHTY GUAN YU MUST START FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS. YOUR MEASLY 1500 GOLD SHOULD BE SPENT ON Bumba's Mask, Hand of the Gods, AND A FEW POTIONS OF YOUR CHOICE.

AS YOU START YOUR ROUTE, YOU MUST LEVEL YOUR FIRST AND GREATEST SKILL - Taolu Assault.

Taolu Assault: THIS ABILITY WILL ALLOW YOU TO RIP APART BOTH CAMPS AND GODS WITH AMAZING SPEED. THIS WILL ASSIST YOUR LAME AND FEEBLE Anhur IN FINALLY KILLING THAT Apollo. THIS IS YOUR DAMAGE SKILL, YOUR LIFEBLOOD, YOUR KEY TO SUSTAINABILITY AND YOUR ENEMIES' DOWNFALL. Rank it first, you fool!

Ninja Tabi: CDR! MOBILITY! POWER! IT HAS EVERYTHING EXCEPT PENETRATION, WHICH IS ALREADY PROVIDED BY Taolu Assault! SO REALLY, IT HAS EVERYTHING!

Warrior Tabi: SOMETIMES, YOU WANT BLOOD! SOMETIMES, YOU INITIATE WITH Cavalry Charge! AND SOMETIMES, YOU JUST NEED MORE DAMAGE. GET THESE IF YOU NEED TO SLAY MIGHTY TITANS LIKE Tyr OR Odin, WITH MASSIVE DEFENSES!

Reinforced Greaves: BLINDED BY CC? NEED SOME SPEED TO ASSIST THOSE SPINELESS WORMS YOU CALL YOUR TEAMMATES? WANT MORE TANKINESS? GET THESE BOOTS IF YOU ARE TRULY DEDICATED TO BEING A TEAM PLAYER.

Conviction: NOW YOUR TEAM HAS NO EXCUSE FOR BEING ON LOW HEALTH! NOT ONLY ARE YOUR COOLDOWNS REDUCED BY THIS ACT OF UNPARALLELED GENEROSITY, BUT YOUR REPEATED USES PUT YOUR HEALING ON THE SAME LEVEL AS Chang'e, OR EVEN Hel! DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THE HEALS! OR THE BONUS PROTECTION!

SOME FOOLISH JESTERS WHO READ THIS WORK OF ART WILL BE CRYING FOR A FULL BUILD! "Praetor Subzero!" they plead, "Give us a build! Give us something less nebulous, your Greatness!"

UNDERSTAND THIS, MY MINIONS! ONE OF GUAN YU'S STRENGTHS IS HIS FLEXIBLE BUILD! GIVING A FULL BUILD WOULD REMOVE THIS STRENGTH!

ENOUGH TALK! WE SHALL MOVE ON TO THE ITEMS.

AS YOU BUILD, YOU WANT TO KEEP FOUR THINGS IN MIND.

1. YOU NEED SOME POWER.
   
   
2. YOU NEED SOME COOLDOWN REDUCTION.
   
   
3. YOU NEED SOME DEFENSES, BOTH MAGICAL AND PHYSICAL.
   
   
4. YOU NEED SOME PENETRATION.

Transcendence

Physical Defense

Voidblade: THIS IS A SUPPORT ITEM, PLAIN AND SIMPLE, FOR FEEDING YOUR LITTLE BABY HUNTERS. THE AURA SYNERGIZES BRILLIANTLY WITH GUAN YU'S PLAYSTYLE, AND BRINGS THE PHYSICAL PROTECTION REDUCED TO AN AMAZING 45!

ANKH OF THE BEAR

Ankh of the Bear: CHEAP AND EFFECTIVE, AS WELL AS A MAJOR SOURCE OF POWER IF YOU ARE STACKING MULTIPLE PHYSICAL PROTECTION ITEMS. ALSO HAS THE AMUSING EFFECT OF INCREASING YOUR POWER WITH YOUR Conviction.

Breastplate of Valor: EVERYTHING YOU COULD POSSIBLY WANT IN A PHYSICAL PROTECTION ITEM. COOLDOWN, DEFENSES, MANA! WITH AN EXCEPTIONALLY LOW PRICE!

MYSTICAL MARK

Mystical Mark: THIS AURA ALSO PLAYS WELL WITH GUAN'S PLAYSTYLE! THE SHEER AMOUNT OF DAMAGE YOU WILL BE DEALING OUT OF SHEER MANLINESS IS IMMENSE, AND ITS DAMAGE IS EVEN INCREASED BY Taolu Assault!

Magical Defense

Runic Shield: A MASSIVE 90 MAGICAL PROTECTION AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF POWER! GET THIS IF YOU WANT TO LAUGH AS Ao Kuang TRIES TO HIT YOU WITH SOME HOT AIR!

Stone of Gaia: GUAN YU EXTENDS FIGHTS! THIS ITEM WORKS BEST WITH GODS WHO CAN EXTEND FIGHTS! EVEN YOU IMBECILIC FOOLS CAN UNDERSTAND THE VALUE OF THIS! THE ENORMOUS MAGICAL PROTECTIONS AND CHEAP PRICE ARE JUST BONUS!

Universal Defense

Magi's Blessing

Magi's Blessing: IS THE FOUL WENCH Athena CONFOUNDING YOU WITH HER TAUNTS? DOES THE IMPUDENT NOODLE SLOW YOU FOR AGES? CEASE THEIR EFFORTS WITH THIS ITEM'S CC-REDUCTION AND AMAZING PASSIVE!

Hide of the Urchin: THE MOST EFFICIENT PROTECTION ITEM IN THE GAME! SYNERGIZES WITH Transcendence!

Power

Titan's Bane: MASSIVE AND UNIVERSAL PENETRATION THAT WILL BE USEFUL IN EVERY SKIRMISH OR BATTLE! THE POWER IS ALSO GOOD!

Transcendence: DO YOU WANT RAW POWER! LOOK NO FURTHER, FOR THIS ITEM WILL MAKE YOUR DAMAGE SKYROCKET!!!

Hydra's Lament: THIS ITEM INCREASES WHAT BURST DAMAGE YOU HAVE, ALLOWS FOR MULTIPLE ACTIVATIONS IN A FIGHT, WORKS WELL WITH Taolu Assault, AND HAVE POWER AND CDR!

Jotunn's Wrath: CHEAP POWER WITH A LOT OF CDR! Not much else to say here.

Active Items

Aegis Amulet: THERE ARE ALWAYS CERTAIN GODS WHO CAN BURST DOWN EVEN THE EPITOME OF TANKINESS. STYMIE THEIR ATTEMPTS WITH THIS FANTASTIC PIECE OF NECKWEAR!

Enfeebling Curse: DISGUSTING Bakasura AND GUTLESS Mercury WILL RUN FROM YOU! SOLVE YOUR LACK OF CHASING ABILITY WITH THIS BANNER OF ANTI-COWARDICE![

Hydra's Lament: THIS ITEM INCREASES WHAT BURST DAMAGE YOU HAVE, ALLOWS FOR MULTIPLE ACTIVATIONS IN A FIGHT, WORKS WELL WITH Taolu Assault, AND HAVE POWER AND CDR!

Fist of the Gods: YOU NEED QUICK HARD CC, SO GET THIS ITEM WHEN NEEDED!

Eye of Providence: WHEN YOUR INDOLENT TEAM REFUSES TO WARD, THIS ITEM IS THE SOLUTION! WARD EVERYTHING, AND YOU WILL GAIN FROM IT!

Girdle of Support: AS A INITIATOR, THIS ITEM IS AMAZING FOR SIGNALING YOUR INFANTILE TEAM INTO ACTION! THE NEXT TEN SECONDS WILL BE FULL OF PAIN AND HUMILIATION, BUT NOT FOR YOUR TEAM!

Purification Beads: SOMETIMES, YOU WANT A HEAL ON THE DOUBLE! SOMETIMES, EVEN THE PILLAR OF COURAGE SUCH AS YOURSELF MUST FLEE! TAKE THIS, AND ESCAPE EVEN THE MOST DETERMINED OF CHASERS!

Shell of Absorption: IF YOU TEAM HAS INITIATION DOWN PAT, THEN GET THIS ITEM TO COUNTER-INITIATE! VERSATILITY IS KEY TO SUCCESS!

Teleport and its Variants: IF YOU NEED TO BE SOMEWHERE QUICKLY, GET THIS ITEM!

L'EMPEREUR SUBZERO PROCLAIMS: THOU SHALL SEEK THY ENEMIES WHEREVER THEY LIE, AND THOU SHALL STOMP ON THEIR HEATHEN FACES UNTIL THEY STOP MOVING!

TO DO THIS, YOU WILL NEED CC!

Warrior's Will: THIS DASH SLOWS ALL IN YOUR PATH BY 20%, AS WELL AS LOWER YOUR COOLDOWNS ANOTHER 2 SECONDS! WHEN USED IN CONJUNCTION WITH CDR AND Conviction, YOU WILL HAVE THE LOWEST COOLDOWNS IN THE GAME! USE THIS TO SLOW AN ENEMY'S RETREAT, AND TO DASH THROUGH ENEMY ASSAULTS LIKE Soul Reap! (And sometimes, escaping.)

Cavalry Charge: PURE GLORY IN ABILITY FORM. THIS SKILL FORMS THE CORNERSTONE OF ALL OF YOUR GANKS. THIS IS YOUR GREATEST FORM OF CC AND DAMAGE, AND SHOULD BE TREATED WITH RESPECT! USE THIS TO LOCK DOWN ENEMIES AND TO CHASE, AS WELL AS AVOIDING CERTAIN ATTACKS, LIKE Frost Breath! (Don't forget you can slow the horse with the S key.)

1. YOU BEGIN WITH A MIGHTY Taolu Assault, SHREDDING THE ENEMY DEFENSES TO NOTHINGNESS AND DEALING GREAT DAMAGE!
   
   
2. THE ENEMY FLEES LIKE THE YELLOW-BELLIED WEASELS THEY ARE! GIVE CHASE BY MOUNTING YOUR HORSE OF AWESOMENESS! STRIKE THEM ALL DOWN!
   
   
3. HIT THE STUNNED FOOLS WITH A FEW BASICS, BEFORE SLOWING THEM DOWN FURTHER WITH A Warrior's Will.
   
   
4. HEAL YOUR ALLIES IF NEED BE (WHY WOULD A PARAGON OF VALOR LIKE YOU REQUIRE HEALING?) AND FINISH THEM OFF WITH A FINAL Taolu Assault!

Taolu Assault

1. INITIATE WITH Cavalry Charge!
   
   
2. SHRED THEIR DEFENSES WITH Taolu Assault!
   
   
3. HEAL AND SLOW THEM WITH Warrior's Will, AND REPEAT THIS GLORIOUS CYCLE OF DESTRUCTION!

Taolu Assault

Frostbound Amulet: REY SUBZERO CARES NOT FOR YOUR CRITICISM OF THIS ITEM! IT IS USEFUL WHEN IT IS NECESSARY! GUAN YU CANNOT BASIC ATTACK WHILE USUING Taolu Assault, AND THE 10% SLOW CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RA GETTING AWAY AND RA BEING MURDERED! GIVE THIS ITEM SOME RESPECT!

THE MIGHTY GUAN YU HAS A CHALLENGER. HE IS YOUR MORTAL FOE, YOUR DESTINED ADVERSARY, YOUR ARCHENEMY AND RIVAL! HE IS THE ENEMY JUNGLER!

EACH ENEMY JUNGLER HAS HIS OWN STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES! YOU WILL FIND THEM! YOU WILL DESTROY THEM!

Arachne

Difficulty: Easy Complexity: Simple

Arachne is a very easy god to deal with, at least for you. Your Cavalry Charge is your best move here; there is literally nothing she can do about it, and it is a surefire way of escaping from her, even if you have been caught by her Cocoon. Even without your ultimate, you can match Arachne move for move. Her Drain Life and poison claws simply increase the potency of your Conviction, her Broodlings are easily defeated by your Taolu Assault and Warrior's Will. She might attempt to flee with tangled web, but you can usually catch up to her with a dash or ultimate. Her greatest threat is silencing you as her allies and/or minions whack you down, but you are generally sturdy enough to survive such threats, and even then, a sudden heal and a Cavalry Charge would help you escape or turn things around. Tips and Tricks Breastplate of Valor is a nigh-guaranteed way to ensure she will never be able to kill you. Drain Life will interrupt your Taolu Assault, but your ability will come off cooldown far faster than her's. If you can survive - which Guan Yu excels at doing - you can simply outlast her in a battle of attrition. Aim for the late game. You are far more potent then, while Arachne falls off. Prevent her from snowballing and you should be fine.

Thanatos

Difficulty: Hard Complexity: Simple

Thanatos is difficult for one reason: he can deal massive damage at range, and in only a few chunks, making utilizing your passive rather difficult. He can also afford to harass you at range, before bursting you below the health threshold of his ultimate, before finishing you. His biggest threat is his ability to negate your Taolu Assault with Soul Reap. Then a point-blank Death Scythe would remover the health he lost while removing a big chunk of yours. A few basics and/or his ultimate would finish you off. The largest factor in a fight is distance. If you are too far from him when he begins attacking you, he can chunk 40-60% of your health before you can buff yourself with anything, and he possesses enough sustain to finish you off with some autoattacks. You must get close to him quickly before he can damage you too much, and use your own abilities against him before he can distance himself. Naturally, your massive gap closer of an ultimate is very handy against him as both an escape and an attack, but due to the turn radius of the horse and Thanatos' Scent of Death, it is actually possible and probable that he could avoid the stun. Tips and Tricks A fast enough reaction time could help you avoid Soul Reap, by using your Warrior's Will to go though him. Conviction is naturally a good counter to Hovering Death, but only if you are close enough to the health threshold. This also applies to any allies. Thanatos has trouble disengaging, with his long cooldowns and lack of a good escape. Like most assassins, if you survive his burst, you have the advantage. If you manage to avoid Death Scythe, you have an advantage. If he interrupts your Taolu Assault, you are at a major disadvantage. With the latter, I'd advise you to immediately flee. Just because Thanatos used Hovering Death doesn't mean you should relax. He can be waiting for his cooldowns to drop, before dropping back for a rematch. but starting with a stun.

Thor

Difficulty: Hard Complexity: Difficult

Thor is an extremely powerful jungler assassin who is like the antithesis of you; no sustain, high burst damage, a powerful hard CC, and equal potency late game. His biggest threat is his ability to interrupt your channeled ability with Tectonic Rift, while you have no way of interrupting his. His burst damage is one of the few things that can bring you down before you get the chance to heal yourself. Play defensively, and always wait for him to use Tectonic Rift or Berserker Barrage before using your Taolu Assault. His spin-to-win is annoying in that you cannot avoid it while fighting him. The good news is, if you survive it, Conviction is likely to be fully charged, but it deals enormous damage. Tips and Tricks If Thor begins with Mjolnir's Attunement, use Warrior's Will to dodge the second strike, either by going though Thor, or by dashing to the side. It is completely worth it. If he engages you at a distance, he will aim to get close to you before using Berserker Barrage. This is actually a perfect time to use Taolu Assault, as Thor cannot use abilities while channeling. As always, build against him. A single physical defense item can make the difference between life and death. Both you and Thor have difficulty in avoid each other's damage, so fights can often turn into a simple damage contest. Gauge the enemy Thor's damage carefully, and judge if you can survive his burst or not. If you survive his burst damage, you almost always win the engagement. Remember, time is on the bruiser's side, not the squishy assassin's.

LATE GAME TEAMFIGHTS IS WHERE YOU WILL BRING YOUR FULL MIGHT TO THE FORE! GUAN YU'S JOB IN A TEAMFIGHT IS SIMPLE! LIVE FOREVER, AND DEAL RIDICULOUS AMOUNTS OF DAMAGE WHILE ENSURING YOUR TEAM'S CONTINUED IMMORTALITY!

THIS IS SIMPLE! ALTERNATIVE BETWEEN YOUR MAIN ABILITIES AS YOU SEE FIT! SPREAD YOUR DEBUFF TO PRIORITY TARGETS, WHILE HEALING AND DAMAGING ALL THE WHILE! REMEMBER THIS: THE LONGER A FIGHT DRAGS ON, THE BETTER IT IS FOR YOU!

YOUR OTHER JOB IS INITIATION! YOU USE YOUR SHEER UNSTOPPABLE MASS TO LEAD THE CHARGE, SCATTERING THE UNDISCIPLINED RANKS OF THE ENEMY ON TOP OF YOUR STEED OF DESTRUCTION!

THAT IS IT! JUST TWO JOBS! DEALING DAMAGE WHILE BEING A BEEFCASTLE AND STARTING FIGHTS WHILE BEING A BEEFCASTLE. EVEN PEONS LIKE YOURSELVES CAN HANDLE IT. RELISH IN GUAN YU'S ELEGANT SIMPLICITY!

Alright, MAGGOTS! THAT WAS GUAN YU! YOU WILL MURDER AS HIM! YOU WILL EAT HIM! YOU WILL RUN YOUR ENEMIES OVER WITH THE MOST BADASS MOTORCYCLE HORSE IN THE WORLD!

-Lord Subzero the Great

Wow, this guide was difficult to make. When I started playing Guan jungle, I disliked it, but then I looked at it from a different viewpoint, and when I started thinking of him as a jungling support, I started getting better.

I tried to make a different sort of guide from my usual ones, with a much less formal tone. I hope this guide has been fun to read. Maggots.

1/19/2014: Guide published!