Jax is one of the oldest champions in League of Legends. Even with little changes to his kit, he still remains a very strong pick in the meta. Here’s everything you need to know to get you started playing the Grandmaster at Arms.

There aren’t many Fighters or Bruisers in the game that can match Jax’s dueling power. Especially in the late game. This makes him one of the best solo carry champions or split pushers in League of Legends. Not only that, he’s versatile enough to be built as an offtank that can still dish out massive damage. His scaling is unparalleled and he gets increasingly stronger the longer a game goes on. With that said, let’s take a look at his kit and see exactly why Jax is so strong.

Abilities

Jax’s kit is all about dueling. He has a lot of single target abilities that make him a nightmare to match up against in extended fights.

Passive – Relentless Assault

Jax’s basic attacks increase his Attack Speed for 2.5 seconds. This effect stacks up to 8 times and falls off one at a time.

This passive gives Jax a ton of Attack Speed come the late game. It’s one of the biggest reasons why he scales so well. Thanks to this, you’re pretty much unbeatable in a 1v1 scenario once you have all your items. It also lets you be a great split pusher as you can easily clear towers. Relentless Assault indeed.

Q – Leap Strike

Jax leaps towards a target, dealing physical damage if the target was an enemy.

Leap Strike is a pretty straightforward ability. It gives Jax a way to jump onto enemies or to escape by targeting a targetable unit including things like wards or even Thresh’s Lantern. It deals pretty good damage and the damage can be enhanced if you used your W beforehand.

W – Empower

Jax charges his weapon with energy, causing his next basic attack or Leap Strike to deal additional magic damage.

Empower lets you deal a lot of damage. This is your main trading ability. It literally empowers your next basic attack while also functioning as a basic attack reset. You’ll be using this ability a lot, weaving it inside your combos when trading with an enemy.

E – Counter Strike

Jax enters a defensive stance for up to 2 seconds, dodging all incoming basic attacks and taking 25% less damage from area of effect abilities. After 2 seconds or if activated again, Jax stuns surrounding enemies for 1 second and deals physical damage to them.

Counter Strike deals 20% more damage for each attack Jax dodged (max: 100%).

Counter Strike is your only form of crowd control. This is great for winning melee matchups as early as level 1. It’s pretty simple to use. Try basic attacking a minion first before activating it when trading with an enemy to maximize its damage output.

R – Grandmaster’s Might

Passive: Every third consecutive strike Jax deals additional magic damage.

Active: Jax strengthens his resolve, granting him Armor and Magic Resist for 8 seconds.

Grandmaster’s Might is what makes Jax a near unbeatable 1v1 duelist. The passive from this ability combined with the attack speed from Relentless Assault means that you’ll easily proc the bonus magic damage with every third basic attack. Add to that the enhancement from Empower and not to mention all the great items that can enhance basic attacks plus those with On hit effects means that Jax will literally deal tons of damage when all things come together.

Runes and Item Builds

When it comes to items, all you gotta do is focus on buying items that increase Jax’s damage through attack speed, on hit effects, and basic attack enhancement. Adding items that also increase his wave clear and survivability will make him a more well rounded champion.

Starting Items

When playing as Jax, the ideal start is to go with a Corrupting Potion. This will improve your dueling power early on while also giving you enough sustain until you get enough items. Another solid option would be Doran’s Blade. It’s great when you’re in a winning match up but if you’re unsure of what to get, go with Corrupting Potion instead.

Mythic Item

For your Mythic Item, you really only have two choices: Divine Sunderer or Trinity Force. Both of these items are here because they have the spellblade passive which enhances your next basic attack right after using an ability. The best overall choice is Divine Sunderer since it deals damage based on health allowing you to shred tanks and non-tanks alike. It also gives you additional survivability thanks to the amount of Health it provides. Trinity Force is a great pick as well. Whatever you choose mostly boils down to your personal preference. 

Full Build

Right after purchasing your desired Mythic, go for tier 2 boots. The standard for most Top Laners is Plated Steelcaps but you can switch it for Mercury’s Treads. Next, go for Blade of the Ruined King for its damage, lifesteal, and passive that allows you to slow down enemies while also dealing additional damage based on their health. Then, go for Hullbreaker to increase your already impressive split pushing power. Up next, you’ll need Frozen Heart to help you be a bit tankier while also reducing the attack speed of enemies that attack you. Top off your build with a Wit’s End for the attack speed, magic resist, and bonus on hit magic damage.

Runes

For your runes, go with the Precision tree and take Lethal Tempo as your keystone. This will allow you to bypass the attack speed threshold and increase your overall DPS. Next, take Triumph for the sustain, Legend: Tenacity to help reduce the effectiveness of crowd control on you, and Last Stand to help you deal more damage when you are low on health. For secondaries, take Biscuit Delivery and Time Warp Tonic from the Inspiration tree. These will help you increase your poor sustain in the early game. For rune shards, take Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Armor.

Useful Tips

1. We’ve mentioned before that Leap Strike can be used on pretty much anything you can target. Use it to make a quick escape or to catch enemies off guard when you gank other lanes.
2. Jax is countered by Illaoi, Kennen, Renekton, Akali, and Dr. Mundo. If you’re matched up against these champions, try to play it safe instead of being aggressive.
3. For summoner spells, always take Flash and Teleport. Flash is the go to utility spell that gives you another form of escape while Teleport allows you to have a better global presence around the map.

So there you have it! That’s all you need to know about playing Jax in League of Legends. Be sure to check back with us again for more awesome guides on your favorite games. Have fun and we’ll see you on the Rift!