[2.1] Jax Guide - Who's next? - a Jax Jungle Guide
Who's next? - a Jax Jungle Guide
Jax Build
Best Build Guide for Jax
Item Build Description
Additional information on the items
Starters
When Jax first starts, it's good to take on the first core item - Blade of the Ruined King . So naturally, a long sword would be good for the damage boost. After that, sustain is definitely better than simply more attack speed, since Jax has a passive that gives you just that over time, so take a Scepter next.
Core Items
Once you ease into the game, you will need to think about your item choices. The three best items for Jax help him out-DPS his opponent by tons, as well as sustain him in long fights where he thrives. Those items are Blade of the Ruined King , Trinity Force & Hextech Gunblade .
Boot Choices
Jax mainly relies on surviving through extended fights, meaning he will need to have some points on defensiveness. Choose between Mercury's Treads and [Ninja Tabi] according to your enemy team's composition - Ninjas against AD and Treads against AP and CC. If you are far ahead and are getting fed, you can consider buying Ionian Boots of Lucidity instead for bonus Ability Haste. Gluttonous Greaves are also a choice, and though it's very rare and often not as reliable, it might work in certain situations where sustain is necessary. For the enchantments, if you're ahead, pick up [Teleport] for easier navigation, and if you're behind, pick up a [Quicksilver] to decrease CC.
Surviving burst
There are a bunch of champions out there who can put you in a difficult position by bursting you down before you can ramp up your DPS. To patch up this little weakness, certain items can help Jax endure bursty situations and retaliate heavily. Items like Death's Dance can help Jax slow down burst damage and give him a chance to gain HP back with physical vamp, while items like Guardian Angel give you a second chance at a fight after the enemy wastes all its burst potential on your first, granting Jax comeback power. Items like Sterak's Gage & Maw of Malmortius can grant you a shield once experiencing a bunch of damage in a short period of time, Sterak for AD and Maw for AP, so build accordingly. Additionally, you can disregard the other boot enchantments and pick up [Stasis] to give you even more survival potential.
Defensive Choices
While Jax is a damage-oriented champion, he can be killed with the right assets. The following items can help decrease the chances of enemies getting easy picks on you. If AD is what's bothering you, Thornmail & Randuin's Omen can help you out, with Thornmail being generally good at decreasing Autoattack efficiency as well as reducing healing, and Randuin's Omen being useful to eliminate Crit advantage. If AP is what bothers you, consider picking up Spirit Visage and Adaptive Helm . While both items help resist magic damage, Spirit Visage can also increase healing from all your sustain items, and Adaptive Helm can reduce incoming damage from repeating sources - a perfect item against champions like Akali, Amumu and Aurelion Sol. Additionally, you can pick up Black Cleaver for the bonus Max HP and extra armor shred for your attacks.
AP Choices
The good thing about Jax is that he is a Hybrid Champion - one that deals both Physical and Magic damage. To utilize this trait of his would be to unlock maximum damage potential. Choices to increase AP potential would be Nashor's Tooth which helps him gain more attack speed and have his attacks deal bonus magic damage, Infinity Orb to make use of low health champions and synergize with the Triumph rune, Lich Bane to gain magic damage and use the Sheen effect which is very useful in combination with his 2nd skill, and even Rylai's Crystal Scepter to give your attacks a bit of a slow effect to help you chase down enemies.
Jax Runes
Best Runes for Jax
Skill Order
How to distribute skill points
Summoner Spells
When to take which summoners
Jax Matchups & Counters
Detailed information on how to play matchups and counters
Master Yi is absolutely easy; his reliability on basic attacks and vulnerability to CC puts him at a big disadvantage when faces against Jax's 3rd skill. It's easy to out-DPS him when you play your cards right. If your enemy picks Master Yi, don't hesitate even for a minute - pick Jax.
Jax Pros/Cons
Jax is an amazing champion to use and abuse during climbing because many people in lower ranks don't exactly know how to deal with him. But, there are many things to keep in mind.
Pros
+Jax has an advantage in terms of DPS thanks to his passive, which grants him bonus attack speed the longer he attacks.
+Jax has good gank potential with the combination of his 1st skill and 3rd skill. If you're good, you can time your 1st skill to hop on an enemy just when the stun activates.
+Jax can sustain himself very easily during extended fights, part of why he shines to brightly.
+Jax can potentially nullify the power of basic attacks using his 3rd skill, since it allows him to dodge all basic attacks. Some on-hit abilities are also blocked by it.
+Jax can deal both physical AND magic damage at once, making it very easy to adapt to certain team compositions and certain fed enemies.
Cons
-After the 3rd skill expires, Jax is very vulnerable to all basic attacks, and it's rather easy to side-step out of the range of the stun.
-Grievious Wounds badly affect his sustain potential and disable a vital part of his fighting power.
-Jax is highly vulnerable to CC of all kinds, and most CC abilities go through his 3rd skill (unlike Yasuo's 1st skill in Tornado form, which - surprisingly - can be dodged with Jax's 3rd skill).
-Jax is weak in short, burst-reliant fights. His damage can only ramp up over time, and he can be killed before he can ramp up the damage.