League of Legends Patch 9.9 tier list: jungle edition

New Additions

Aatrox

After receiving a mini-rework in Patch 9.9 Aatrox has been cropping up in the jungle once again. I said in my review that giving Aatrox the ability to renew the bonus passive damage/healing by damaging large monsters might make him viable in the jungle. It seems a lot of people seem to have those same suspicions, but he’s still not been proven to be viable.

New Subtractions

None

Well, the good news is that if you picked up a new champion or stuck with one listed on our last jungle tier list, they’re still on here. No jungler has completely fallen out of the meta in the last patch.

Rising Champions

Sejuani (B to A tier)

Sejuani rocketed up the tier list in Patch 9.9, rated as a B tier pick by a single website. It’s near-unanimous agreement that Sej is a very strong pick following the buffs in Patch 9.8.

Amumu (B to A tier)

Very similar situation to Sejuani. Got some very healthy buffs in Patch 9.8, got indirectly buffed by the Cinderhulk changes going through, now he’s solidly in the A tier after being a borderline C tier pick last patch. Considering he was a borderline S tier pick in low elo last patch, if you’re looking to climb in Gold or lower I’d highly recommend picking up Amumu.

Xin Zhao (B to A tier)

No direct buffs coming to Xin in the last few patches and there is a lot of disagreement as to whether he is a high-B or low-A pick. Unless you’re a Xin master, you’re probably better off going with someone else.

Zac (C to B tier)

Another beneficiary of the Cinderhulk buffs that went through in 9.8. There were rumors floating that a revert to Zac’s ult might be coming in Patch 9.10. I’d be very interested to see if that happens and how it might affect his standing in the meta.

Volibear (D to B tier)

I said in the patch breakdown that the buffs to Voli’s attack speed was needed to bring the Thunder Lord back into relevance. Lo and behold, one patch after Cinderhulk gets buffed and Voli gets some of his lost attack speed back on his W, he makes the biggest jump of any jungler on our tier list.

Nocturne (C to B tier)

Noc has a situation very similar to Xin Zhao. No direct buffs or nerfs on the edge between two tiers and a lot of disagreement between the sites as to where he belongs.

Skarner (C to B tier)

Unlike Xin and Nocturne, Skarner is generally agreed to be positioned correctly. And that is straddling the boundary between C and B tiers.

Fiddlesticks (D to C tier)

A lot of volatility in this pick. Two sites don’t have Fiddlesticks rated at all and two others have him as a B tier pick. Where does he actually fall? It’s tough to say.

Wukong (D to C tier)

This is closer to Nocturne/Xin than the Fiddlesticks scenario. There’s a decent amount of agreement that Wukong is not in a good state. Two sites don’t have him rated, and only one has him as a B.

Olaf (D to C tier)

Three sites don’t have him rated, but one of them has him as an A tier pick. Confused? So are we. Best bet is to avoid him.

Falling Champions

Rek’Sai (S to A tier)

Rek’Sai’s time as the undisputed queen of the jungle may be finally coming to an end. Was I wrong and did the 1.5 base AD nerf she got in Patch 9.9 actually kill her in the jungle? No, it was probably the other nerfs along with that brought her closer to B tier than S tier.

Nidalee (A to B tier)

Three sites have Nidalee rated as an A tier pick. Five others have her as a C or D tier pick. While that averages out to a B pick, the level of disagreement between all the sites would make me cautious to recommend her to anyone trying to climb.

Pantheon (B to C tier)

Two sites still think Pantheon is a B or better pick. The rest, though, basically agree that Pantheon is a C tier or lower jungler.

Shyvana (B to C tier)

I feel like a broken record here, but at least there are a few more sites (three) that have confidence in Shyvana as an A tier pick than Pantheon. Maybe she’s rated a bit lower, but I’d put my faith in Shyvana more than Panth.