League of Legends: Patch 10.18 Preview Reveals Exciting Jarvan Buff
Jarvan IV is set to receive a promising Dragon Strike buff on Patch 10.18
Throughout the history of League of Legends, Jarvan IV has been one of the most popular and influential junglers in almost every season. However, Season 10 hasn’t been as kind to the Exemplar of Demacia. The jungler has rarely featured in both pro play and solo queue during 2020 so far, but that could be about to change on Patch 10.18.
According to lead gameplay designer Riot Scruffy’s Patch 10.18 preview, Jarvan IV is on course to receive a Dragon Strike buff that could reintroduce him to the constantly evolving jungle meta. Here is the buff in detail, subject to change between now and the release of the official patch notes on Tuesday, 1 August:
"Q – Dragon StrikeBase Damage: 80/120/160/200/240 -> 90/130/170/210/250"
What may seem like an incredibly minuscule change could result in a major shakeup in the jungle meta as players return to the ever-reliable and dependable Demacian General in the coming weeks and months. In short, Jarvan’s primary damage tool is set to see its base damage increased by 10 at all ranks.
Jarvan could return to pro play at the 2020 World Championship next month
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This Jarvan buff is most effective during the early stages of the game as 10 damage is obviously going to have a much greater impact in the laning phase than in the late game. Not only will it aid in increasing the speed of Jarvan’s jungle clear, but it will also help in early trades against enemy junglers and in potentially game-shaping ganks.
Recently, the Exemplar of Demacia has fallen short of the expectations for a jungler due to his lack of early game damage and the ability to duel his opposite number for key early objectives and map pressure. With Dragon Strike’s improved damage numbers, this will be less of an issue and could even allow Jarvan to trade aggressively throughout the opening 15 minutes of the game.
One of the overarching benefits of adding Jarvan IV to your jungle champion pool is his versatility. Depending on the game state, team compositions, and opening stages, a player can pivot between full damage or a tanky build in accordance to their gold income. Fortunately, this versatility will remain untouched if the Patch 10.18 buff goes through as it has no effect on AD ratios.
Nonetheless, Jarvan will still have clear weaknesses despite this buff. In terms of early game damage and trading, he’s still outmatched by a number of meta junglers including Hecarim, Lee Sin, and Rek’Sai. As for utility, champions like Sejuani, Sett, and Zac can all offer more in late game teamfights.
More. Complete Breakdown of the Patch 10.18 Preview. light
That being said, Jarvan combines damage output with crowd control to create a well-rounded, reliable jungler capable of commanding the early game and dictating tempo. With this Patch 10.18 buff, the Demacian has all the tools required to make a triumphant return to the League of Legends meta with Worlds right around the corner.