Hello, LoL-ers ^^, So this is just a fun build because the rift isn't only for serious players. Sometimes playing a champ in a role you are comfortable with is a great way to learn the champ's mechanics. That being said, you also get to try out new things, different things, just like I do. So this build is for those who would like to try Rakan in the jungle instead of his intended bottom-lane support role.

Guide colour and abbreviations

• Physical damage and attack damage (AD)
• Magic damage and ability power (AP)
• Healing (health regen) and health (HP)
• Mana regen and mana
• True damage and other special stats - Movement speed (MS), Cooldown reduction (CDR)
• Attack speed (AS)
• Armour (Ar) and Magic resist (MR)
• Critical chance and damage
• Crowd control (CC)

Let's have a look at our fancy feet for a minute and see what he actually brings to the rift. Without going into details about his skills, I would like to focus on their numbers (Which were taken from the league of legends fandom page - Rakan).

Passive

Innate Periodically generate a shield for 33-254 (based on level) + 90% AP. Damaging an enemy champion with a basic attack or ability reduces the cooldown of Fey Feathers by 1 second per champion hit. Lover's Leap If either Rakan or Xayah is Recall recalling, the other may move nearby and activate their own recall to join them. Both reach base at the time of which the initiator's recall ends.

Q

Gleaming Quill

Rakan slings an enchanted feather forward, dealing 70/115/160/205/250 + 60% AP as magic damage to the first enemy hit. If that enemy was a champion or epic monster, an area is marked around Rakan. After 3 seconds or if an all - y champion comes within the marked area, Rakan heals himself and surrounding allies by 18 - 120 (based on level) + 70% AP.

W

Grand Entrance

Rakan dashes forward, landing stylishly at his destination. After dramatically pausing for 1 second, he leaps into the air, dealing 70/115/160/205/250 + 70% AP as magic damage and knocking up surrounding enemies for 1 second.

E

Battle Dance

Rakan leaps to an ally champion, shielding them by 40/65/90/115/140 + 80% AP for 3 seconds. Battle Dance can be re-cast for 5 seconds at no cost. When re-cast, Rakan may select the same target again. (If Xayah is the target, Battle Dance is able to be cast from an increased range.)

R

The Quickness

Rakan breaks into a captivating sprint for 4 seconds, gaining +50% MS for the duration. During this, his base attack range is reduced to 50, and collision with an enemy champion deals 100/200/300 + 50% AP as magic damage, charms them for 1/1.25/1.5 seconds and slows them by 75% (once per enemy champion). Also, when Rakan collides with his first enemy champion he gains an additional 150% bonus movement speed, decaying over 1.5 seconds.

From this, we can see that Rakan's utilities are much more effective in the late game rather than the damage he brings to the table. Although he does have a fair amount of AP damage from the items, focusing a build around this will definitely make you pretty easy to kill. So building a tanky dancer while boosting those shields and heals is the way to go.

Primary Style: Sorcery

• Summon Aery - This empowers your shielding on allies while using Battle Dance. Since it's a double cast, Aery can be used to shield the first cast target ally while you shield another ally on the second cast.
• The Ultimate Hat - Rakan is all about the play-making so the sooner you have those available the sooner you can make something happen.
• Absolute Focus - As an off-tank jungler you will always have around 70% health to dive into battles with Grand Entrance or The Quickness. This can increase the amount of shield (as shielding power is dependent on AP scaling) to allies during those fights where you need to land the cc and protect your carries.
• Gathering Storm - gradually increasing your AP without needing to commit to a full AP stat item can increase your damage effectiveness while allowing you to build other tanky/AP items.

Secondary Style: Resolve

• Revitalize - increases your shielding and healing on allies, therefore, empowering most of Rakan's kit power.
• Conditioning - buying Enchantment: Cinderhulk delays the purchase of armor and magic resist items. This provides some extra stats for extra defense.

Changes:

• Changed to new rune system.
• Runes changed to accomodate the build of Tracker's Knife - Runic Echoes instead of Tracker's Knife - Warrior.

• Stalker's Blade - Runic Echoes for a fair amount of healing and damage at early stages of the game, can be replaced with a more destructive item as the game progresses. This can be built for the all out AP build or the more tanky version.
• Stalker's Blade - Cinderhulk this item would then be only for the "way of the tank".

Item focus for AP-Tank


Changes:

• Removed Nashor's Tooth.
• Runes changed to accommodate the build of Tracker's Knife - Runic Echoes instead of Tracker's Knife - Warrior.

Each champion has his own path that suits his/her fighting style. For Rakan, it's given below:

• Level 1 > Blue Sentinel for Mana regen and cooldown reduction.
• Level 2 > Red brambleback for health regen but most importantly you need to get your buff before your enemy manages to steal it from you.
• Level 2 > wolves > level 3
• Gank or get a rift scuttler on the side you are on.

Rakan doesn't have a high damage output at the first few levels and even so until you have bought Bami's Cinder. You will get a low creep score at the start. But should still be able to keep up with the level of the other laners in your team.

So I'll keep adding some content regularly but the bottom line is- try this. Have some fun. Try new things, perhaps a different itemization, leave comments and I'll add the items into this guide (you will get the credit xD, I promise). See you on the Rift. Have fun!

I am also currently looking at our Ice Gaint Braum and his antics in the jungle.
Other guides:

• Master Yi Jungler - Master Yi - Runes in Yi's wake!
• Braum the jungler - Braum - Lost in the Jungle?
• Bard jungler (work in progress) - Bard - Meeping the Jungle
• Filling the void in the jungle: Kai'sa - The terror from the void