Season 8 Starter Items: Jungle Edition - Bran's Thoughts

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Hey everyone,

Alright, here's the Jungle edition of the new S8 starters. You can find my previous writeups here:

Season 8 Starter Items: Carry Edition
Season 8 Starter Items: Support Edition

Jungle Starters

Bumba's Dagger	Main Purpose: Reliable Health / Mana Sustain Best for: Junglers that want the traditional starter feel, allowing for enhanced jungle camp damage for quicker clear and health / mana restore while doing so. Junglers get a bit of starting gold relief for more potions or starting item flexibility due to the cheaper 600 gold cost (compared to Assassin's Blessing). Expected Starts: Physical Junglers: Bumba's Dagger + Mace (building into Jotunn's Wrath / The Crusher) + up to 3x potions + Hand of the Gods (option to skip HoG and get more potions) Bumba's Dagger + Katana (building into Golden Blade / Hastened Katana / Stone Cutting Sword) + up to 3x potions + Hand of the Gods (option to skip HoG and get more potions) Magical Junglers: Bumba's Dagger + Tiny Trinket (building into Bancroft's Talon) + up to 4x potions + Hand of the Gods (option to skip HoG and get more potions)

Upgrade Options Bumba's Spear Bumba's Hammer Bumba's Spear: This is the stronger version of Bumba's Dagger, providing a lot of the same general function but enhanced. Provides continued boost in jungle clear, with an added bonus of dealing enhanced damage to jungle bosses (e.g. Fire Giant) as well as structures. For universal Jungler use, this is a reliable if unexciting option. There's no advantage gained in fighting enemy gods, really only having an objective focus. This could find some use depending on team comp, if your team doesn't have the greatest DPS to take down said objectives. Otherwise, I expect most people to choose the other upgrade, or a different starter tree altogether, though the redeeming factor here is that this provides really good power (esp if physical), whereas Bumba's Hammer provides no direct power. Bumba's Hammer: This upgrade has a much more offensive focus against enemy gods, and could see some really interesting use. While it strangely doesn't have any added power, it comes with hefty CDR (20%), penetration (10%), and a passive that is a bit like Hydra's Lament's bonus damage + Spear of Desolation's 1s cooldown reduction and a side note of some healing. Really weird combination. That said, Junglers that are able to do a lot of attack canceling (e.g. Susano, Awilix, Ravana, Tsukuyomi, Ao Kuang) could see some great use out of this, and if they go this route, seems like an easy and superior replacement to Jotunn's Wrath. I expect a lot of people to try this one out.

Eye of the Jungle	Main Purpose: Vision / Roaming Best for: Basic attacking Junglers looking for added vision Bran's Thoughts: Well, HR is telling us this is an "attack speed starter item for Junglers," and while the concept is supported by the attack speed stat, the rest of the stats don't really enhance anything else specifically for a basic attacker. The interesting draw is unfortunately a bit situational in real benefit. For any large jungle monster you defeat, a ward is placed lasting for 30 seconds. This might sound OP, as vision is incredibly helpful, but many of the places you find large jungle monsters aren't in key choke points where wards are typically placed. If you're ahead of the enemy Jungler and outrotating them and stealing their camps, you'll likely see some vision benefit, but otherwise, the shorter duration and unoptimal location of the created ward aren't enough IMO to make this an appealing starter. Add the lack of mana replenishment like Bumba's Dagger provides, and you could be looking at a lot of early mana issues. Perhaps you could get away with dropping less actual wards and taking up a consumable slot with a Chalice of Mana at some point, but I don't know that that's a sound strat. The upgrades come with some interesting mechanics. I can see a god like Arachne using this, and getting Multi Potions in place of Healing Potions early-game. That said, I'm not sold on this being a popular starter. Expected Starts: Eye Of The Jungle + Mace (building into Jotunn's Wrath / The Crusher) + up to 3x potions + Hand of the Gods (option to skip HoG and get more potions) Bumba's Dagger + Katana (building into Golden Blade / Hastened Katana / Stone Cutting Sword) + up to 3x potions + Hand of the Gods (option to skip HoG and get more potions) Magical Junglers: Bumba's Dagger + Tiny Trinket (building into Bancroft's Talon) + up to 4x potions + Hand of the Gods (option to skip HoG and get more potions)
Upgrade Options Seer of the Jungle Protector of the Jungle Seer of the Jungle: Now this is interesting. Besides the general enhancements over the base item, it does a bit of a switcheroo with regard to warding, changing it from dropping wards to SEEING wards for 10 seconds. This could be incredibly helpful for de-warding purposes and rapidly decreasing the enemy's vision. The major negative is that while you can situationally do a great de-warding job, you get no major benefits besides the base stats for actually fighting enemies. Protector of the Jungle: This one is fairly straightforward compared to Seer, as you're mostly seeing buffs to the base stats, which is noticeably higher with regard to attack speed. The draw here is that while in the jungle, you gain a 15% buff to your power and protections. This is great for jungle teamfights and fights over jungle objectives, but I don't know that it's really enough to make it a fully worthwhile pick. You might see some pretty good bonuses from a build that is mostly damage-centric but picks up a protection item like Mantle of Discord, but once you emerge from the jungle those advantages disappear in a poof like jungle fog. May see some people picking it up, but unless this starter tree is tweaked, I see it getting minimal use.

Manikin Scepter	Main Purpose: The REAL basic-attacker's starter Jungle item Best for: Junglers (basic attackers more than others) looking to deal more damage! Bran's Thoughts: Although fairly straightforward in function (basics apply a DoT effect), this is the one that is likely to pull people away from the Bumba's items. Gods that don't use basics as much can still get some effect, but it's obvious that basic attackers with good AS will get the most out of this item. With the added physical protection and +3 damage reduction, you might see this in use in the Solo lane for certain gods (particularly those that have some form of self-heal, and preferably those that have strong early games and can play aggressively). It may also entice some Carries as well, as it and one of the upgrades has built in counter-function against other basic attackers due to the applied AS slow (up to 28%!). The high base cost for a starter (750 gold) is what will be most difficult to balance with regard to starting items, but the upgrades also have a lot of appeal. Expected Starts: Jungler Start #1: Manikin Scepter + Mace (building into The Crusher) + 1 Healing Potion + 1 Multi Potion Jungler Start #1: Manikin Scepter + Katana (building into Golden Blade or Hastened Katana) + 1 Healing Potion + 1 Multi Potion Solo Start: (Various starts for Solo laners, not going to list here) Carry Start: Manikin Scepter + Spiked Gauntlet (building into Devourer's Gauntlet) + 3 potions

Upgrade Options Manikin Mace Manikin Hidden Blade Manikin Mace: The enhanced form of the starter has a lot going for it, in that jungle monsters and bosses get some really enhanced damage applied to them. It also can apply decent DoT damage to enemy gods, and up to a 40% (!!!) attack speed slow. I see this being picked up against comps with lots of basic attackers. This is the direction I'd expect Carries to upgrade if they pick up the Manikin line. Manikin Hidden Blade: This is a dream for gods that like to gank. If no damage is taken or dealt in the last 5s (which is pretty short for this function), you'll immediately deal 15% of the enemy's current health as physical damage. Basically, it's an enhanced form of something like Soul Reaver's or Heartseeker's passive. Even crazier, it applies a 20% movement slow for 5s!!! That's a very long time to allow for added control and chase/kill potential. Great for diving the back line for both Junglers and Solo laners.

If people can figure out the early lack of sustain, the Manikin line is something I think will be picked up pretty often. Otherwise, it'll be the more standard Bumba's line, with very little seen from the Eye line.

Thoughts?

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Mythical (400)
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These items are quite interesting and will probably shake things up a lot. One thing I can say is that jungle might be able to clear quicker with certain items.

let's start with
Stat wise it slightly feels like a nerfed and for me this one is the least appealing option for early clear. It might be the cheapest but you won't need the gold for pots. this will be used by the gods that can't effectively use the others. I really feel like gods that can use the other starters will be stronger in the meta.

While it won't help much in a fight I do think this one can be better than purely because of stats. and the healing might come in clutch during a siege as structures proc it too.

While the passive sounds great the stats they gave it are a bit weird, making it feel like they cater towards jungling warrior's over assassins or at east a bruiser playstyle. for a burst assassin I fear the stats may make it feel underwhelming.

Interesting concept. first the stats will slightly help you sustain and provides you with the stronger start because of the power AS etc. it gives a bit of everything. Now the passive, like bran said is a bit worthless unless your opponent is actively invading. Or where I see the biggest benefit, when you are actively invading. in the latter, it helps you invade even more. Honestly, I feel this item is going to be great for invading players.

slightly curious why the attack speed is "nerfed" compared to the T1. while the passive might be handy I wonder how big of an area can be sweeped from each camp without using movement abilities. I think the other upgrade might be better as sentries also still exist.

stat wise the better item. Passive wise is pretty build dependant as most assassins won't get a lot of prot. And the passive is pretty situational as not all teams try to fight in the jungle.

the base cost is going to hurt people trying to start with this item as it also lacks sustain. therefore they either have to opt out of HoG which loses them momentum or they opt out of sustain which makes it risky. This item will also clear the slowest as you need to be build up and it's unclear if it will help ability clear as I fear this increase might only apply to the burn. If you grab these it's certainly for late game. In other lanes this item might be fun for trades.

manikin's mace
after the question I asked on the T1 I wonder how many people might overhype the jungle clear of this item as it's likely that it only adds 240 damage per basic (assuming the damage does not get refreshed) if it works only on the burn. The attack speed slow is quite a thing though.

honestly, this item's passive is nuts. compared to the other upgrade this one can be quite a lot stronger as it provides better stats and will provide a lot of burst potential for basic attacker's. Honestly for me this item sounds the most worthwhile unless you are against a heavy AA comp.

For me I think the will see the most use unless you can make work out of the early start of manikin's. it is really dependant on how the damage increase against monsters work completely (does the burn damage stack or get refreshed?) as the passive is poorly written. eye caters more towards a certain type of player and honestly while baka probably like manikin's more I think a thanatos will be painful if he invades with this item. I think we might see it more than people assume now as protector of the jungle is quite a good stat stick