Trundle may not be at the top of everyone’s list when it comes to powerful Top Lane/Jungle fighters which is why when he hits his stride, a lot of players are caught off guard. In this guide, we’ll show you what you need to know to get you started playing the Troll King.

There aren’t many Junglers in League of Legends that can boast the same kind of control over objectives that Trundle has. His abilities allow him to be a very efficient Jungler at all stages of the game. His jungle clear is pretty great and his dueling power is off the charts. His ganks may be a bit clunky at first because of his lack of a true lockdown crowd control but once you get the hang of it, it gets pretty easy. While primarily known as a Jungler, Trundle is also a pretty strong Top Laner. With the right items, he can easily win every 1v1 he finds himself at. His wave clear is pretty good too so he can be a split pusher on a team when they fall behind. Overall, Trundle is a pretty great champion; one that doesn’t take that much skill to get into. All you need is a good understanding of the game’s macromechanics and you’re all set to dominate as the Troll King. 

Abilities

In true Troll King fashion, Trundle’s abilities are all pretty oppressive. He “steals” a lot of his enemy’s strength to make him stronger and uses it against them. 

Passive – King’s Tribute

When an enemy unit dies near Trundle, he heals for a percent of its maximum Health.

This is the source of Trundle’s incredible sustain. King’s Tribute lets Trundle stay in the Jungle or in the Top Lane for an extended period of time by simply last hitting enemy units. 

Q – Chomp

Trundle lunges at his opponent with his next basic attack, dealing physical damage and slowing his target by 75% for 0.1 second. This attack increases Trundle’s Attack Damage for 5 seconds, with his opponent losing half of this amount.

This is Trundle’s bread and butter ability. Chomp is his primary source of damage and what you’ll be using to enhance your basic attacks every time you fight with an enemy. Since Chomp is a spell, it synergizes perfectly with Spellblade passives from Sheen items like Trinity Force or Divine Sunderer. Use this as often as you can for a faster clear in the Jungle or when you are trading against your opponent.

W – Frozen Domain

Trundle coats target location with ice for 8 seconds, gaining Movement Speed, Attack Speed and 25% increased healing and regeneration from all sources.

This ability may not seem like it’s all that at first glance. But once you get a deeper understanding of it, you’ll see how good of an ability it is. It’s essentially an 8 second buff to your Movement Speed, Attack Speed, Healing, and Regeneration. Chomp may be Trundle’s primary offensive ability, but Frozen Domain is one of the reasons that make him really powerful. This helps you with clearing speed in the Jungle, pushing lanes, dueling, and can even help you escape in certain situations. 

E – Pillar of Ice

Trundle creates an icy pillar at target location for 6 seconds, becoming impassable terrain and slowing all nearby enemy units.

This is Trundle’s only form of crowd control. Pillar of Ice has a massive slow that helps Trundle get close and stick to his target. It also functions as a terrain so other champions like Vayne and Ornn can use that to their advantage. You can also use this defensively by slowing down enemies and using Frozen Domain to make a quick escape. It’s a very disruptive ability that’s relatively easy to use.

R – Subjugate

Trundle drains an enemy champion’s maximum Health as Magic Damage and 40% of their Armor and Magic Resist, half immediately and half over 4 seconds. The Armor and Magic Resist is returned 4 seconds after the drain ends.

Subjugate is a really underrated ability. A lot of newer players don’t understand how it works since it doesn’t deal as much damage when initially used. However, over time, this ability proves that it can bring the hurt to your target. Upon using this, Trundle keeps draining the target’s health and takes away 40% of their Armor and Magic Resist which would in turn make the target more vulnerable to being damaged. Use this on high priority targets like the enemy team’s carries and you can easily eliminate them and cripple their main sources of damage.

Runes and Item Builds

When it comes to items, your focus on Trundle should be to increase his damage output while also increasing his durability and survivability. 

Starting Items

What starting items you go with depend on what role you’re playing as when using Trundle. If you’re a Jungler, go with either Emberknife or Hailblade. Emberknife turns your smite into Challenging Smite which lets you deal more damage to enemy units while Hailblade will turn your smite into Chilling Smite which slows the target hit by the summoner spell. If you’re playing in the Top Lane, your best starting item would be Corrupting Potion. This gives you enough sustain and a bit of damage to get you through the early laning phase. If you’re against a ranged opponent, you can opt for a Doran’s Shield instead for the damage reduction against basic attacks.

Mythic Items

For your Mythic Item, it’s best to go with something that can enhance your basic attack. Trundle’s main attack combo would be to fight in his Frozen Domain then use Chomp followed by a basic attack for maximum damage. These three items are the best items to have on Trundle because they enhance his basic attacks when he uses an ability plus they give him bonus stats that make him a well rounded champion. Out of the three, Divine Sunderer is the best choice. It gives him health, damage, and lets him easily shred champions by enhancing his basic attacks with a percentage of the target’s health. Trinity Force works similarly and gives him bonus Attack Speed as well. If you’re looking to be more on the tanky side, go with Frostfire Gauntlet. This imbues your basic attacks with an AoE slow while also letting you deal consistent damage to those around you thanks to the Immolate passive. Whatever you choose depends on your playstyle. The best choice, however, is Divine Sunderer.

Full Build

After purchasing your Mythic item, you should work towards upgrading into tier 2 boots. The usual option would be to take Plated Steelcaps for the damage reduction but you can go with Mercury’s Treads if you need more tenacity or Magic Resist. Next go with Titanic Hydra for the bonus health, damage, and the wave clear passive. Thornmail and Spirit Visage come next to make you even tankier. Finish off your build with Sterak’s Gage for even more damage and a passive shield that procs whenever you are low on health.

Other Viable Items

While the full build we’ve shown above is generally considered the standard for Trundle, it is not set in stone. There are plenty of other items that you can purchase depending on your preference or what your situation currently needs. Items like Black Cleaver, Chempunk Chainsword, Death’s Dance, and Ravenous Hydra are all good items to have especially if you’re leaning towards dealing more damage. Try to mix and match these item sets to see what works best for you. Doing so will help you develop a better understanding of the game’s deeper mechanics.

Runes

For your runes, go with the Precision tree and take Lethal Tempo as your keystone. This will increase your overall DPS and synergizes well with your other abilities. Then, take Triumph for the bonus sustain, Legend: Alacrity for more attack speed, and Coup De Grace for more damage against low health targets. For your secondaries, take Magical Footwear and Approach Velocity from the Inspiration tree. These runes will help you save money on boots and let you stick to your target better when you impair their movements. For your rune shards, take Attack Speed, Adaptive Force, and Armor.

Useful Tips

1. Trundle is at his best when fighting inside his Frozen Domain. Try to use this ability during teamfights to gain a massive advantage.
2. Champions like Amumu, Nunu & Willump, Rammus, and Sejuani are Trundle’s biggest counters. Try and rethink your strategy when you see your opponents use these champions.
3. For summoner spells, always take Flash and Smite when playing in the Jungle or Flash and Teleport when playing in the Top Lane. Smite makes your Jungle clears faster and lets you secure objectives like Dragon or Baron while Teleport gives you a better global presence.

So there you have it! That’s all you need to know about playing Trundle 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!