Howling Abyss is the best casual mode in League of Legends and a great respite from nerve-wracking solo queue games. Although ARAM for many represents a refuge from Summoner’s Rift, there are tons of competitive ARAM players that will break their backs carrying a game of ARAM. Since ARAM lacks neutral objectives and minor skirmishes, almost all games are decided with large-scale teamfights and turret pushes. With this in mind, it would be an understatement to say that teamcomps play a huge role in ARAM.
The golden ticket to victory in ARAM matches is, besides artillery mages, AD carries with their kiting potential and consistent damage output. Although the choice for the best marksman may vary from match to match, Jinx is usually the best choice with her versatile runes and build path.
Jinx, the Loose Cannon, is a hypercarry champion that can either opt into a hypercarry build to melt the enemy team’s frontline, or she can simply poke from range and execute the entire team with Super Mega Death Rocket! Although the recommended builds in ARAM are a great asset, they only recommend the most frequently built items on Jinx. So, to maximize your DPS in ARAM on Jinx, here’s a detailed guide on how to build Jinx in ARAM—from runes to builds.
Runes
Hypercarry runes
Jinx’s hypercarry potential, especially when facing tankier teamcomps, shouldn’t be disregarded since she can shred through the frontline with excellent kiting and positioning. To unlock the full hypercarry potential of Jinx, the ideal keystone is, without a doubt, Lethal Tempo. This is followed by Presence of Mind, Legend: Alacrity, and Cut Down. Although Presence of Mind can be swapped for Triumph, Presence of Mind is still a stronger choice since her Fishbones heavily drain mana. On top of that, Cut Down can be replaced with Coup de Grace when playing into squishier teamcomps.
Even though the options for the secondary tree are almost limitless currently, the best option is the Resolve tree since it increases survivability. While Conditioning can always be replaced with Second Wind if playing against poke teamcomps, Overgrowth is a mandatory rune giving you additional HP to work with.
Poke runes
On the other hand, Jinx, when playing with a damage-packed teamcomp with little to no peel powers, can orient toward lethality and poking the enemies down. The keystone that unlocks the powerhouse of lethality Jinx is Dark Harvest since it does additional damage to targets with already low HP. Since you’ll be maxing Zap!, Cheap Shot and its damage amplification are the best picks in the first row of the Domination tree. The next runes you should be aiming for are Eyeball Collection and Ultimate Hunter.
The best secondary tree for the poking-machine Jinx is Precision. The top picks in the Precision tree are Presence of Mind and Coup de Grace. While Presence of Mind helps with mana issues, particularly in the beginning, Coup de Grace helps to execute low HP targets running away from a teamfight.
Starting items
Hypercarry build
When itemizing like a hypercarry in ARAM; the best starting items are Noonquiver and two health pots that can bait the greedy enemies into giving away free gold and experience. Besides, Noonquiver is a non-negotiable item that later builds into a marksmen Mythic item.
Poke build
The starter items necessary for poke build on Jinx are Tear of the Goddess, two Long Swords that will later be built into Manamune, and Boots. Tear of the Goddess gives you enough mana from the get-go, and two Long Swords give you enough bonus damage to work with in the early game.
Core items
Hypercarry build
The core items to be the hypercarry your team needs in ARAM include Kraken Slayer, Phantom Dancer, Infinity Edge, and Berserker Greaves. After completing these items, you’ll be more than fit to single-handedly carry the game.
Poke build
On another note, the poke build for Jinx consists of Duskblade of Draktharr, Manamune / Muramana, the Collector, and Ionian Boots of Lucidity since Zap! and Super Mega Death Rocket! scale well with lethality.
Situational items
Hypercarry build
Situational items can make or break a teamfight that was seemingly decided. As a hypercarry in ARAM, Jinx has numerous options that include Mercurial Scimitar, Lord Dominik’s Regards, Bloodthirster, Maw of Malmortius, and Mortal Reminder. After building your core items, you’re only left with two inventory slots, so choose your situational items carefully.
Poke build
Since Riot packed lethality items with utility and versatility invested, there are more than enough situational items that counter the enemy abilities, such as Chempunk Chainsword, Serylda’s Grudge, Maw of Malmortius, Edge of Night, Serpent’s Fang, and Youmuu’s Ghostblade. Although there’s no correct item for every ARAM game, stacking more lethality on Jinx will always be useful.
Counters
Like any other champion, Jinx has clear strengths and weaknesses. On the one hand, Jinx can effortlessly outdamage almost every champion in League, and on the other hand, she is an immobile AD carry than can die in less than one second. Besides, Jinx’s life can become miserable once met with a heavy lockdown teamcomp. The most dominant ARAM picks against Jinx include Master Yi, Nocturne, Bel’Veth, Rengar, Sett, Volibear, Vi, Viego, Kha’Zix, Zed, Katarina, Maokai, Renata Glasc, and Leona.
