In this season 11 champion guide, we are taking a look at Ekko in the jungle. We show you what makes the time-breaking champion so good and how to properly play this assassin. You want to make life hell for the opposing carries? Well, then just follow our season 11 Ekko champion guide and build, and you're set.
If an AD-assassin like Zed is considered a classic mid lane assassin, then Ekko could be considered atypical. That's because the AP-assassin is back on top of solo queue thanks to LoL Patch 11.17, but not in the mid lane. Instead, he has become a key champion in the jungle. If you follow our Ekko build and guide, then you'll see just why he has a 13% pick rate in the jungle.
- Oh, and since we are on the topic of assassins, check out our Akali Champion Guide and our Zed Champion Guide!
Ekko Jungle Build: Runes and Items
Mid lane Ekko has left the building, and therefore, we leave Conqueror behind in the dust. The main rune path you'll want to pick for jungle Ekko is Domination with the following runes:
- Keystone: Dark Harvest
- Sudden Impact
- Eyeball Collection
- Ravenous Hunter
Domination has everything that modern assassins need, and it compliments Ekkos kit perfectly. Even if you don't get the kill in an early gank, you'll still be able to pick up Dark Harvest stacks. Therefore, you'll become more and more dangerous the longer the game goes on. Sudden Impact can be procced through his E. Every time you dash, you gain lethality and magic penetration. Eyeball Collection and Ravenous Hunter just mean more damage and sustain per kill. And well, this is an Ekko build for solo queue, so we think you'll be able to pick up a lot of kills.
Your secondary tree should be Inspiration with these two runes:
- Magical Footwear
- Cosmic Insight
Magical Footwear is your go-to. Ekko is a hyperaggressive early game jungler and this rune means you won't have to rush boots. Thanks to this rune, you can get strong boots and save some gold. Not to mention, you can cut the time of Magical Footwear short by getting kills!
Cosmic Insight is there to give you ability haste and item ability haste. Simple.
- Sure LoL Patch 11.18 has a lot of changes in store for us, but don't worry! Ekko will stay strong!
Sorcerer's Boots and Hextech Rocketbelt are the main items you'll want to build on Ekko. Assassins have to be mobile and well, Ekko has his E and his ultimate, but with these two items, he will be able to gank the mid lane and before the opponent can blink, he'll be dead.
Ekko Jungle Guide: Early Game
Ekko is one of the few meta junglers that aren't vying for their level 4. There are two routes which you can take with him, either the 5 Camp-Clear, then Scuttle, then Gank, or the 5 Camp-Clear, then Gank and the Scuttle after. So you don't clear your whole jungle, only 5 camps. Which side you start on doesn't matter it depends on your team comp and that of your opponent.
Before Ekko reaches level 6, you'll have to play carefully. Especially bruisers like Jarvan IV will be able to gobble Ekko up since they just have better base damage than him. So make sure you've got vision before you dive in for a scuttle, and communicate with your laners to make sure you know where the enemy jungler is. You don't want to fall behind because of a bad scuttle contest.
- You don't want to play Ekko and prefer a different jungler? Don't worry we also have Build Guides for Amumu and Kindred as well!
Ekkos passive got a buff in Patch 11.17, which means that his first clear was improved. But now this might sound a bit weird, proc the passive only on large jungle monsters. Many Ekko players will make the mistake of auto-attacking the small wolves and raptors after the second hit of his Q, but that's wrong. To be able to contest anything after taking the 5 camps, you'll have to focus on the big jungle monsters. You'll be able to heal up since they don't die as fast, and auto-attacking large monsters doesn't mean you lose any time either.
One more tip to take from this EarlyGame Ekko jungle guide: If you have a successful bot lane gank, start the dragon, but only with your team.
Ekko Jungle Guide: Mid Game
This is where all the fun with Ekko really starts. You've got your core items, which means you finally deal some damage. One combo with Protobelt can kill any carry that comes your way. Make sure to play around the platings and focus on objectives like the Herald or Drake. With Ekkos ultimate you can pull off some insane dives efficiently.
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Bruisers are quite popular in both the mid- and top lane in the current meta. Champions like Irelia, Camille and Renekton aren't overly tanky, which means you can easily try to jump in for a kill and get a few more turret plates.
Ekko Jungle Guide: Late Game
Once Ekko has managed to get 4 items, he can go toe-to-toe with any other assassin in the game. Seriously, you won't notice the difference between Ekko and any AD-assassin... actually, you will, because Ekko is better! He is the only assassin who can escape any situation thanks to his ultimate and with his W, he is the only one who has an AoE stun as well.
In the late game, you've got around 40 seconds of cooldown on his ultimate, which amounts to nothing. You can jump in and out of any fight with ease. Sure, team fights aren't what you're looking for as Ekko, so keep your eyes peeled for the opposing ADC or mid laner and rake in those free kills.
- Wait, but who is Ekko even? Check out his Champion Lore to find out more about this insane AP-Assassin.
Vision is key when playing Ekko. Make sure to always have 2 Pink Wards with you and use the Sweeper-trinket when you enter the jungle. If the opposing team doesn't have vision, they'll be shaking in their boots, afraid of running into Ekko in the darkness of fog-of-war.
If you have to fight around the Dragon or Baron, then play together with your team. Wait for the right moment to flank the enemy carries. If the moment is right and the opponents are all in one place, then use Zhonya's and wait until your ultimate image is right on top of them and your W has activated. Afterwards, there will be a huge explosion and hopefully, a double or triple kill in your favor.
Ekko Jungle Guide: Good and Bad Matchups
Make sure you're aware of your weaknesses in the early game and don't force yourself into a bad position just to get the scuttle. In the end, you'll lose far more than a camp or a crab. Seriously, dying and handing over a kill to the enemy jungler for a bad contest isn't what you'll want to be doing as Ekko.
If your solo lanes aren't absolutely dominating, then it's totally fine to lose the first dragon or both scuttles, even. But don't worry. As we've mentioned in our Ekko jungle guide, you shine in the mid game once you've completed your boots and Rocketbelt.
We hope you enjoyed this Ekko champion build and guide and hope that you can test it out in your solo queue matches right away! When you do, let us know on Discord how it went!
The guides, the videos, the lore, it's all here! EarlyGame will make you Challenger!
