Veteran League of Legends players will know that Riot’s most successful game is wildly dynamic, especially when talking about the meta. Today’s subject champion is rarely seen on Summoner’s Rift nowadays, but if we take a step back and a look at Seasons 11 and its competitive scene, this champion had among the highest pick and win rates of that split.
Without a doubt, Season 11 was a heavily volatile time, and the fact that an AP Top Laner could consistently be seen roaming the Jungle only emphasized this idea. In case you are still wondering who we’re talking about, it is none other than the Mechanized Menace, Rumble.
Being equipped with heavy AOE damage, a shield with 6 seconds of cooldown and comfortable ganking tools, Jungle Rumble has been a leading pick in last year’s meta, but the insistent nerfs have pushed players away from still giving the Mechanized Menace a chance in later parts of the year.
In this guide, we’ll be covering the best Jungle routes and clearing strategies for Rumble, along-side the ideal Runes and items, with a handful of tips and tricks to round things off with. Despite his low play rate, some of the recent additions to the game might be exactly what Rumble needs in order to reignite player interest, so make sure give the Mechanized Menace another shot!
Stay tuned!
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Summoner Spells
Flash / Ghost + Smite
Rumble’s abilities and combos are not exactly dependent on Flash, as he prioritizes being able to stick to his target with Flamespitter (Q) in order to deal the most damage. Thus, players can opt for running Ghost instead of the more popular pick, knowing that they’ll sacrifice the versatility granted by Flash.
Rumble Runes
In terms of Runes, the Mechanized Menace can be played with multiple Rune builds, the most common of which being found in the Domination tree. Predator can make for an impactful engage and utility tool, allowing players who run Flash to catch up to their targets and deal consistent damage using Flamespitter.
Subsequently, Taste of Blood, Eyeball Collection and Ultimate Hunter will be the standard path. Ultimate Hunter plays a key role in Rumble’s gameplay, as his R ability, The Equalizer, is going to be the most powerful tool in his arsenal, especially in the later stages of the game.
For the secondary Runes, Approach Velocity and Perfect Timing synchronize flawlessly with Rumble’s kit, by providing added movement speed towards enemies he slows with Electro-Harpoon (E), while the Stopwatch granted by Perfect Timing will be a core component for Zhonya’s.
Alternatively
The second build also aims at maximizing Rumble’s movement speed, through a slightly different approach.
Go with Phase Rush, Nimbus Cloak, Celerity and Gathering Storm or Scorch as the primary Runes, with the emphasis on movement speed being clearly noticeable by now. These Runes synergize perfectly with Ghost, for the players who want to absolutely abuse this mechanic.
As for the secondary Runes, sticking with Approach Velocity and Perfect Timing might be the go-to option, as both picks provide great value for the Mechanized Menace.
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Rumble Items
- Starting Items: Hailblade + Refillable Potion
- Mythic Item: Hextech Rocketbelt / Everfrost
- Core Items: Sorcerer’s Shoes, Rylai’s Crystal Scepter, Demonic Embrace
- Finishing Options: Zhonya’s Hourglass, Morellonomicon, Shadowflame
In order to address the decision between your Mythic options, Hextech Rocketbelt is the standard item, for it provides important mobility, damage and magic penetration, all three of which being very valuable. Everfrost on the other hand focuses on one mechanic alone, the ability to root enemies in place in order to then burn through their Health bars with Flamespitter (Q).
For the rest of the build, Rylai’s Crystal Scepter is meant to allow players to keep their targets slowed up while they burn them down using Q, but despite being considered a core item, it can be substituted with Shadowflame. Truth is, once in the late game, Rylai’s Crystal Scepter loses its value due to the low cooldown on Rumble’s E and R abilities, which by default provide a slow.
As for the finishing options, Morellonomicon’s Grievous Wounds can be applied with great ease, as both Q and R deal their damage in large AOE surfaces, providing a considerable amount of utility to your team.
Skill Order
Q > E > W > R
The Best Jungle Paths for Rumble
As a Jungler, Rumble’s primary clearing tools are his Flamespitter (Q) and basic attack enhancements granted by the Overheat mechanic, with the Scrap Shield (W) serving as a way to mitigate some of the incoming damage.
We are going to cover the most advantageous starts from each side, but players should keep a few factors in mind when deciding upon where their Jungle pathing should start. These are:
- Which laners are going to provide more help in clearing the first camp?
- Counter-jungle opportunities, based on where the enemy Jungler is likely to start.
- Which lane would you like to gank first, depending on both the allied and enemy champions.
In terms of ganking, Rumble more or less needs to land his Electro-Harpoon (E) in order to apply the slow, using W’s movement speed bonus to catch up to his enemies in order to start Flamespitter (Q), while trying to land the second charge of E, in order to repeat the slow.
1. Red Side, Red Clear
Kicking things off with the Red Side’s Red Buff start, we feel like it is the right time to mention that Rumble prefers going for early full clears, considering that fact that his ganks are quite difficult to convert into takedowns until players reach LVL 6 to unlock The Equalizer (R).
Start by securing the Red Buff using Flamespitter (Q) and the assistance provided by your Top Laner. This might take a while but players always have the Refillable Potion at their disposal if needed.
For the second camp, make your way to the Krugs and start Flamespitter, using Smite early on the large Krug to regenerate some Health and to accelerate the clear. Players can also invest their second spell point into W in order to mitigate some of the incoming damage from the smaller mobs, but know that Q will burn through those rather quickly.
Now head back towards the Raptors and clear them with Q, using the enhanced basic attacks on the larger Raptor if you get Overheated. The small Raptors should go down rather easily to Flamespitter, so there isn’t much of a threat here.
On your way towards the Blue Buff, stop and secure the Wolf camp, using the same principles as before. Make sure to track your Heat bar and cast Flamespitter once in the Danger Zone, making the most out of its 50% damage increase.
Once at the Blue Buff, use your abilities wisely, sequencing all of them in order to have an empowered Q available, before getting Overheated. Players should also cast the second Smite charge onto Blue, once it goes below the 450 Health threshold.
In order to finish your first full clear, attack the Gromp with everything your kit has to offer, landing an empowered Q before getting Overheated, allowing you to finish the camp with the empowered basic attacks and attack speed.
Finally, step into the River to check on the Scuttler. If available, burn through its HP bar using Flamespitter and the Electro-Harpoon charges, carefully enough so you don’t get Overheated if the enemy Jungler comes to contest.
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2. Red Side, Blue Clear
Starting from the opposite side of your Jungle will prove quite beneficial as the added assistance gained from having two allies helping you with the first Buff is extremely valuable for champions who prefer going for early full clears.
After securing the Blue Buff, turn your focus to the Gromp, burning it down with Flamespitter (Q). Since you are fighting two single-mob camps consecutively, picking up your E as the second ability can prove quite effective, as the harpoon charges deal single-target damage. Regardless, invest your first Smite into the Gromp, in order to avoid spending too much time at one single camp.
Next you will be heading towards the Red Buff, stopping at both the Wolf and Raptor camp on your way there. These should be pretty easy to clear but players can use the Refillable Potion whenever their HP bar drops below a safe point.
At the Red Buff, players can once again throw everything they have at it, paying great attention to the Heat bar. You want to make sure to spend the remaining Heat charges on an empowered Flamespitter and Scrap Shield (W) before getting Overheated, after which you can simply basic attack the Red until its Health drops below the 450 mark, executing it with Smite.
Finally, head towards the Krugs and clear them easily using Q’s AOE damage and W’s shield to mitigate the incoming hits, before once again stepping into the River to check on the Scuttler.
If available, secure the extra bit of vision, gold and experience before trying to gank either Mid or Top, hopefully converting your efforts to get the enemy’s Flash or perhaps even an early takedown.
3. Blue Side, Blue Clear
Now taking a look at the Blue Side’s starting positions, these are largely identical to the previously analyzed ones, with very few particularities.
From the Blue Buff, head straight towards the Gromp, burning through its HP bar with Flamespitter (Q) and Electro-Harpoon (E), before casting the first charge of your Smite to finish the clear.
Follow up by going directly to the Wolves, which are unlikely to cost you too much Health, and then to the Raptors, which will also be rather easy to slay, given Rumble’s massive AOE damage.
As your fifth camp, secure your Red Buff by fighting it with everything you have, once again paying attention to the Heat bar, in order to land the empowered Q. Once its HP drops below the Smite threshold, don’t hesitate to use its second charge, as you won’t be needing it at the Krugs.
And now to finish clearing your side of the Jungle, head towards the Krugs and burn through this camp using Q, while Scrap Shield (W) mitigates most of the incoming damage, before going to check on the availability of the Scuttler.
If the Scuttler is still up, secure it and seek for an angle to gank either Mid or Bot from, before getting your first reset.
4. Blue Side, Red Clear
To round things out with the last clearing route start, Blue Side’s Red Buff, begin by slaying Red with the help of your Bot Laners, before making your way to the Krugs, which you’ll be securing with Flamespitter (Q) and Smite onto the larger mob.
From there, head towards your Blue Buff, stopping at the Raptors and Wolves, clearing those camps on your way using your basic abilities and playing around with the Heat mechanic.
Once at the Blue Buff, burn through its Health bar using your basic abilities and their empowered forms, Smiting it down as soon as it reaches the 450 threshold. As your final camp, secure the Gromp through the effective cycling of your basic abilities through the Danger Zone, before making your way into the River.
If the Scuttler is available, clear it rapidly, but always stay alert as the enemy Jungle might be on the way to contest it.
Finally, before your first reset try forcing a gank on Mid or Top, depending on which lane is more likely to convert your efforts into either a takedown or at least some burnt Summoner’s.
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Tips and Tricks
- It is important to understand Rumble’s Passive and its three stages. Rumble gains Heat upon using a basic ability, and between 0 and 50 Heat, there is nothing unusual to account for. At 50 heat and above, Rumble’s basic abilities are enhanced, usually from all perspectives. Once at 100 Heat, he becomes Overheated, meaning that Rumble can no longer use his basic abilities, gaining attack speed and bonus damage on his basic attacks.
- With relatively short cooldowns, Rumble can keep enemies at bay by blocking their path with Flamespitter (Q) and Electro-Harpoon (E), only having to account for the amount of Heat he generates.
- Playing around the Mechanized Menace’s Passive is of utmost importance, as the enhancements gained by entering the Danger Zone (50+ Heat) become more valuable as the game prolongs. Flamespitter (Q) alone gets its damage increased by an impressive 50%.
- Remember that The Equalizer (R) is not affected by Rumble’s Passive, meaning that it can be cast even while Overheated. Its 1700 range allows players to draw some rather impactful lines in combat, as anyone who underestimates its damage will soon regret the decision of walking over your Ultimate.
Finalizing Thoughts
Given that Rumble’s early ganks are overall mediocre, for the first two clears players should focus on securing as much gold as possible as safely as they can, through full clears. At LVL 6 however, The Equalizer can singlehandedly turn fights around.
It can seal off lanes when ganking, effectively forcing the enemies to fight at a numbers disadvantage, or even better, whenever a fight breaks out in the River, the Mechanized Menace can cast R to separate the enemy carries from the rest of their team.
As the game progresses, Rumble’s greatest strength will remain his Ultimate. Ideally, finding an angle where the enemy team is grouped up in a narrow corridor of terrain or in the Dragon or Baron pits can basically decide the outcome of the next fight, as a well-placed Equalizer will absolutely destroy the enemy team, allowing you to simply charge in using Flamespitter and Electro-Harpoon to clean up.
This terrifying amount of control is what turned Rumble into a mainstream pick last season, and with most of the same principles still applying to this day, we can only advise our readers to lock on the Mechanized Menace one more time in their next Jungle game.
Hoping you found our article useful, we will now conclude this piece by urging you to check back to our website, where we regularly upload more League of Legends content, including similar guides!
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