Best AP Junglers – Top Picks to Dominate the Jungle

Magic damage in the jungle has never been more crucial. With most teams leaning heavily on AD champions, AP junglers often become the backbone of balanced team compositions. This season, they’ve risen to prominence thanks to their exceptional scaling, optimized item builds, and aggressive playstyles.

The best AP junglers excel at ganking, clearing camps efficiently, and applying constant map pressure while providing much-needed magic damage for their teams.

Choosing the right champion can make or break a game. Whether you’re aiming for calculated plays or explosive bursts of power, these top-tier AP junglers are your ticket to dominating ranked matches. Ready to find out who makes the list?

1. Evelynn

Evelynn thrives as one of the most iconic AP junglers in League of Legends, known for her stealthy playstyle and devastating assassin capabilities. With her passive ability, Demon Shade, she becomes invisible after a brief delay, allowing her to roam freely across the map without being detected by normal vision. This gives Evelynn players immense potential to ambush unsuspecting enemies.

Her ganking power spikes at level six when she unlocks her ultimate ability, Last Caress. It not only deals massive damage but also serves as an effective escape tool with its backward dash feature. Her charm mechanic through Allure (W) enables reliable setups for kills during ganks or even in team fights.

Despite these strengths, Evelynn relies heavily on timing and positioning. She struggles if locked down early or denied farm because she’s item-dependent to deal significant burst damage late-game. Picking her against squishy enemy compositions maximizes her impact effectiveness while avoiding tank-heavy matchups that counter assassins like her effortlessly.

2. Gragas

Gragas is a highly versatile AP jungler, combining crowd control, sustain, and burst damage to excel in team fights and ganks. His abilities make him an excellent choice for players who want utility-based playmaking with high impact.

Explosive Cask (R) stands out as his signature ability. It displaces enemies, isolates key targets, or disrupts the enemy team’s positioning during critical moments. Skillful use of this spell can secure kills or turn losing battles into victories. However, improper timing could backfire by inadvertently pushing bruisers toward teammates—so practice is crucial.

With tools like Barrel Roll (Q) and Body Slam (E), he excels at both poke damage and initiating skirmishes. Meanwhile, Drunken Rage (W) adds tankiness and boosted attack power early on, amplifying his dueling potential.

Popular items such as Everfrost and Hextech Rocketbelt enhance his engage options while Zhonyas Hourglass provides essential survivability in chaotic team fights. Combining raw AP scaling with notable durability makes Gragas a top-tier pick capable of shaping games when handled effectively.

3. Elise

Elise stands out as one of the best AP junglers, thanks to her unique ability to switch between Human and Spider Form. In Human Form, she casts long-range spells, creating opportunities for precise gank setups. The Spider Form, on the other hand, turns her into a melee powerhouse with bonus magic damage and healing from attacks.

Her passive skill allows Elise to generate dormant spiderlings in Human Form that become active when she shifts forms. These spiderlings contribute significantly during skirmishes by providing extra damage output while enhancing jungle camp clears.

The Q ability—Venomous Bite—is a highlight of her kit. As a ranged spell in Human Form, it deals more damage the lower the enemy’s health is. Switching to Spider Form changes this skill into an aggressive dash attack that helps secure crucial kills or escape sticky situations.

4. Ekko

Ekko stands out as a versatile AP assassin jungler with exceptional burst damage and mobility. His abilities allow him to dominate skirmishes, escape tricky situations, or secure kills swiftly.

His Q, Timewinder, serves as a powerful tool for both clearing camps and engaging enemies by slowing them while dealing magic damage twice—once on the throw and again on return. Parallel Convergence (W) offers strong utility in fights or ganks with its zoning stun effect and shield that scales off ability power.

Ekko’s E, Phase Dive, gives him an agile dash followed by a magical strike, perfect for closing gaps or dodging enemy skill shots. The highlight of his kit is his ultimate, Chronobreak (R)—a game-changing ability that heals substantial amounts of health while unleashing devastating AoE damage at his previous position.

With efficient jungle clears thanks to his passive Z-Drive Resonance, along with high mobility and explosive teamfight potential, Ekko cements himself as one of the best AP junglers in League of Legends.

5. Diana

Diana excels as an AP jungler with her aggressive playstyle and ability to deal high burst damage, making her a nightmare for squishy targets. Her Moonsilver Blade passive provides triple attack speed after casting an ability, enabling quick combos that shred through enemies during fights.

Her combo typically begins with Crescent Strike (Q) to reveal and mark enemies before using Lunar Rush (E) to dash onto them instantly. Following up with Pale Cascade (W) not only deals AoE damage but also shields her against counterattacks. This can easily be repeated in extended skirmishes, keeping consistent pressure on opponents.

In the jungle, Diana’s efficiency is undeniable. Starting at either Red or Blue Buff based on strategy, she clears camps like Raptors and Krugs swiftly by leveraging the splash effect of Crescent Strike combined with Lunar Rush’s reset mechanic. This allows her to maintain tempo while preparing for early ganks or objectives.

6. Karthus

Karthus stands out as a strong AP jungler with immense global impact, primarily thanks to his ultimate, Requiem (R). This ability allows him to influence fights across the map without being physically present, making him invaluable for teams relying on global pressure and heavy magic damage.

His jungle clear speed is exceptional, driven by Lay Waste (Q), which deals high single-target damage when used smartly. Following an optimal clear path—starting at Blue Sentinel and progressing through Gromp, Wolves, then Red Buff side camps—enables Karthus to efficiently farm and hit level six early in the game.

Defile (E) provides consistent AoE damage during clears but requires precise mana management. Meanwhile, Wall of Pain (W) supports ganks by granting vision and slowing opponents in key areas. However, players need to beware: Karthus lacks mobility or crowd control tools, leaving him vulnerable in the early game against aggressive invaders.

Despite these weaknesses, his late-game scaling makes him terrifying in team fights where he can output devastating amounts of sustained damage while applying constant lane pressure.

7. Nidalee

Nidalee stands out as a high-skill and mobile AP jungler, capable of dominating the early game with her versatility. Her unique kit, which allows her to switch between Human and Cougar forms using her R ability, gives her access to an impressive variety of spells.

Her early-game strength lies in mobility and burst damage. With Javelin Toss (Q) offering long-range initiation and Pounce (W) enabling swift repositioning, she excels at ganking lanes or counter-jungling opponents effectively. This makes her lethal when it comes to pressuring key objectives on the map.

She’s also renowned for having some of the fastest jungle clears among AP champions, utilizing abilities like Swipe (E in Cougar Form) for AoE camp damage and Primal Surge (E in Human Form) for sustain during clears. However, players need precise execution due to her vulnerable slow initial clear making her prone to invades if mispositioned.

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