Janna is the best carry-protection support in the game. Your entire toolkit is built around preventing damage to your ADC — E shields them proactively, W slows chasers, Q knocks up divers, and R physically pushes all enemies away from your team. You win by making your carry impossible to kill.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Tailwind
Passive
Janna's allies gain Move Speed moving towards her.Janna deals a portion of bonus Move Speed as bonus magic damage on hit and with Zephyr.
Tailwind gives nearby allies bonus movement speed passively — your presence alone accelerates your ADC's pathing. Stick close in lane to maximize the passive.
Q
Howling Gale
Charged Skillshot · Knockup
By creating a localized change in pressure and temperature, Janna is able to create a small storm that grows in size with time. She can activate the spell again to release the storm. On release this storm will fly towards the direction it was cast in, dealing damage and knocking away any enemies in its path.
CD: 14 · Cost: 90/95/100/105/110
Howling Gale charges up while held — a fully charged Q knocks up much higher and stuns longer. Quick-tap Q is a short knockup; hold Q for 1.5s for the full CC. Hide in brushes to charge fully without telegraphing.
W
Zephyr
Single-Target · Slow · Passive AD
Janna summons an air elemental that passively increases her Move Speed and enables her to pass through units. She may also activate this ability to deal damage and slow an enemy's Move Speed.
CD: 8/7.5/7/6.5/6 · Cost: 50/55/60/65/70
Zephyr's passive gives you bonus movement speed. The active adds attack damage to your E shield AND slows the target. Use W on the enemy carry in every trade — the slow prevents them from following your ADC.
E
Eye Of The Storm
Shield · Bonus AD · Ally Buff
Janna conjures a defensive gale that shields an ally champion or turret from incoming damage and increases their Attack Damage.
CD: 16/15/14/13/12 · Cost: 70/75/80/85/90
Eye of the Storm's shield also gives bonus AD to the shielded ally. Shield your ADC before they auto attack — they deal more damage while shielded. Use it preemptively, not reactively.
R
Monsoon
Channeled · Knockback · AoE Heal
Janna surrounds herself in a magical storm, throwing enemies back. After the storm has settled, soothing winds heal nearby allies while the ability is active.
CD: 130/115/100 · Cost: 100
Monsoon pushes nearby enemies away and heals your allies repeatedly during the channel. Use it when enemies are on top of your team — it literally pushes them away. Can cancel if you need to repositioning after the knockback.
Skill Leveling Order — Max E first, then Q, then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take E — shield your ADC immediately at level 1 | ||||
| 2 | Take Q — knockup available for level 2 all-in threat | ||||
| 3 | Take W — slow for trades and passive AD to E shield | ||||
| 4 | Level E — bigger shield | ||||
| 5 | Level E | ||||
| 6 | R — Monsoon disengage and heal unlocked | ||||
| 7 | Level E | ||||
| 8 | Level Q — higher knockup and shorter CD | ||||
| 9 | E maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level Q | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level Q | ||||
| 13 | Level Q | ||||
| 14 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Start leveling W — lower CD on slow | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level W | ||||
| 18 | W maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter Items
Spellthief's Edge
Your E+W poke generates charges extremely fast. Janna builds Spellthief stacks faster than almost any other support.
400g
Health Potion
Sustain during lane phase.
50g
Core Build
Moonstone Renewer
Heals your team when you cast abilities in combat. Your shield (E), slow (W), and Q all proc Moonstone — constant healing output in extended fights.
2500g
Ionian Boots of Lucidity
Ability haste reduces E and R cooldowns — the two most important abilities for protecting your carry.
950g
Staff of Flowing Water
Haste buff to shielded allies. Your E shield now also gives your ADC ability haste — excellent for ADCs who use abilities frequently.
2300g
Ardent Censer
Attack speed and on-hit damage for your shielded allies. A shielded ADC attacks faster and deals bonus magic damage — extremely impactful on auto-attack ADCs.
2300g
Situational
Redemption
Global heal for fights you can't attend. Cast from across the map to assist your team in skirmishes.
2300g
Mikael's Blessing
Cleanse a CC on your ADC instantly. Essential against Leona, Thresh, or Blitzcrank who want to lock down your carry.
2300g
Shurelya's Battlesong
Speed boost for your team to disengage or chase after Monsoon pushes enemies away. Active pairs well with R.
2500g
Moonstone first for sustained fight healing. Staff of Flowing Water + Ardent Censer massively buffs your ADC's damage output. These three items together create a nearly unbreakable protect-the-carry setup.
Utility Core
Moonstone Renewer
Primary healing item.
2500g
Redemption
Global healing presence. Drop Redemption during every major fight — the healing zone is massive.
2300g
Mikael's Blessing
Active cleanse for your ADC when facing heavy CC compositions.
2300g
Utility build for compositions where your ADC needs constant cleanse support and global healing presence rather than damage amplification.
Runes
Sorcery Primary
Summon Aery
Triggers on every E shield and W ability — adds a small shield or damage proc on every cast. Your high ability cast rate makes Aery proc extremely frequently.
Manaflow Band
Mana sustain for sustained lane shielding. Janna's E spam costs significant mana — Manaflow solves this.
Transcendence
Ability haste for more shields, Q's, and R's per game. Lower E cooldown means more ADC shields per fight.
Gathering Storm
AP scaling improves your E shield and R heal values significantly in the late game. Janna naturally scales to a game-winning force.
Resolve Secondary
Font of Life
Your Q knockup marks enemies for ally healing. Additional healing source on top of your already strong heal/shield kit.
Conditioning
Free resistances at 12 minutes. Janna is squishy — extra armor and MR helps her survive ganks and all-ins.
Shards
Ability Haste · Ability Haste · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Janna
01
Early Game
Shield ADC and Poke with W Slow
- At level 1, shield your ADC (E) before any trade happens. The bonus AD from E makes their level 1 auto attacks deal more damage — lead every trade with E, not after.
- W the enemy ADC during trades — the slow prevents them from auto attacking your ADC freely and forces them to either stay in trade or disengage. W the highest-threat target.
- Q charged in brush is your threat. Enemies who see Janna walk into brush immediately become nervous. Use this psychological pressure to deny their aggressive positioning.
- Your passive gives you and nearby allies bonus movement speed. In footrace situations early, stick to your ADC so they both have the speed bonus for kiting or chasing.
- Janna's early game is relatively weak in terms of kill pressure — focus on zoning and protecting rather than going for kills. Your lane win condition is surviving and keeping your ADC ahead.
02
Mid Game
Roam Carefully and Keep Vision
- Roam only when your ADC is safe under tower or when the wave is fully crashed. Your ADC cannot survive without you against aggressive supports — only roam when the threat is minimal.
- In mid-game skirmishes, Q is your most powerful tool — a knockup into your team's follow-up is a kill. Hide in brushes to charge full Q before throwing.
- Place vision wards in the river brushes before every objective fight. Your team needs to know where the enemy jungler is so you can position your disengage preemptively.
- Use R to disengage when your team is losing a fight rather than waiting for a better opportunity. A well-timed Monsoon that pushes 3 enemies away from your team reverses the fight entirely.
- Shield your ADC before every trade in skirmishes, not during. The E shield AD bonus makes a massive difference to damage output — always apply E first.
03
Late Game
Protect Your Hypercarry with Everything
- In teamfights, E your ADC at the start of every fight. The shield absorbs the first burst wave and the bonus AD increases their damage output from the first auto.
- Use R as a disengage tool, not an engage tool. Wait for enemies to commit their engage (Leona E, Nautilus Q), then R to push them all away. This reverses their engage and often results in free kills on overextended enemies.
- W the enemy carry in fights to slow their attack speed contribution and separate them from their team. A slowed carry deals significantly less damage in a 15-second fight.
- Ardent Censer + Staff of Flowing Water buffs make your ADC deal 15-20% more damage during shielded periods. Your timing of E determines when your ADC has their damage power spike in a fight.
- Never let your R cooldown be wasted. Monsoon should be used every fight — either as a disengage or as a healing channel when your team takes sustained damage. A Janna who never presses R is leaving their most powerful ability unused.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Janna
Janna's teamfight identity is anti-engage. Where other supports create fights, Janna ends them on her terms. Your R is a reset button that pushes all enemies back to their starting position while healing your team. Master the timing of when to disengage versus when to let the fight continue.
1
Pre-Fight — Shield and Position
Before engage
01
E your ADC preemptively before the fight starts. Never wait for damage to land before shielding — the bonus AD from E should be active from the first auto attack.
02
W the nearest threat when enemies start closing in. The slow prevents them from reaching your ADC before you can respond.
03
Charge Q in brush if enemies are positioning aggressively — a charged knockup stops any dive attempt.
Janna is extremely squishy — never walk in front of your ADC. Position slightly behind them so you can react to incoming threats rather than absorbing burst directly.
2
Fight — Peel Every Threat
Fight opening
01
Q the first champion that dives your backline. Even a quick-tapped Q knockup gives your ADC 0.75 seconds to reposition or deal damage.
02
E rotate between your ADC and yourself when the shield expires. Moonstone heals on every cast — constant E rotation provides sustained healing during the fight.
03
W every chasing enemy when your team tries to disengage. The slow separates chasers from your retreating allies.
3
Aftermath — R if Losing, Chase if Winning
Mid-fight
01
R when 3+ enemies are on top of your team — Monsoon pushes them all back and heals your allies simultaneously. The timing should be when your team is at 40-60% HP.
02
If winning, Q fleeing enemies to slow their escape and let your ADC close the distance for cleanup kills.
03
Redemption drop on your team during the Monsoon channel — the healing stacks with R's own heal for massive recovery.
Monsoon's knockback direction is based on YOUR position relative to each enemy. Stand in the center of the fight to push all enemies outward in multiple directions simultaneously.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Janna.
Basic
E Before Every Trade
Eye of the Storm provides a shield AND bonus AD. Always shield your ADC before they auto attack in a trade — never after damage is already taken. The bonus AD makes every auto attack more powerful during the shielded window.
Basic
Charged Q from Brush
Hold Q for 1.5 seconds in a brush for the maximum knockup and duration. Quick-tapped Q has minimal CC value. Always charge Q fully before releasing it — walk into a brush before charging.
Intermediate
R as Disengage, Not Initiation
Monsoon is best used when enemies are ALREADY on top of your team. Let them commit their engage fully, then press R to push them all away. Used preemptively, it barely hits anyone. Used reactively, it saves your entire team.
Intermediate
Tailwind Passive for Kiting
Stay near your ADC so they benefit from the Tailwind movement speed bonus. This 8% bonus movement speed makes kiting significantly easier — enemies can't catch an ADC with Janna's passive nearby.
Advanced
W + E Timing for Maximum Value
Cast W on the enemy carry, then immediately E your ADC. The W slow means the enemy ADC attacks less frequently while your ADC hits back faster with the bonus AD from E. This double-cast creates a massive damage swing in your favor.
Basic
Buy Mikael's Against CC Chains
Against Leona, Blitzcrank, or Nautilus who want to lock down your ADC, Mikael's Blessing cleanses the CC instantly. One use of Mikael's can save your ADC from a guaranteed death.
Intermediate
Position for R Direction
Monsoon pushes enemies AWAY from Janna. Reposition yourself before pressing R so the knockback direction pushes enemies toward your team's advantage or away from your vulnerable carry.
Advanced
Ardent + Staff Buff Window
When you shield your ADC with E, they immediately gain the Ardent Censer attack speed buff and Staff of Flowing Water haste buff. Time your E shield to land right before your ADC's key burst window — their DPS spikes dramatically during the shield duration.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Janna struggles against high-pressure, aggressive supports who can get on top of her before she can disengage with R. She dominates passive lanes and excels against melee-heavy comps that she can Q and R away.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Blitzcrank hooks Janna before she can shield herself. Her E shield doesn't prevent being hooked — she's yanked into the enemy team and killed instantly. His silence also interrupts any attempt to R disengage.
Stay behind the minion wave at all times. Blitz's hook cannot pass through minions. Never give him a clear line to your position.
Leona dashes onto Janna and CC chains her before R can be cast. Multiple stun applications make it difficult to channel Monsoon. She also wins every extended trade through her W resistance buff.
Q Leona when she dashes in to add the knockup. R immediately after the Q knockup expires to push her away. Don't let her start the stun chain without counterplay.
Thresh hooks you before you can position safely and his Flay can interrupt your R channel. His lantern gives his ADC an escape from your Q knockup, reducing your CC effectiveness.
Stay behind minions. Never allow Thresh to hook you — your kit has no answer to being yanked from behind minion cover.
Wins Against
Soraka has no engage or displacement to counter your R. You out-shield her healing with E, and your Q knockup stops any attempt at close-range E silence.
Play aggressively — E poke and W slows deny Soraka her positioning. She cannot heal through your sustained E+Aery harassment.
Sona's healing and shields are outvalued by your E+Moonstone output. Your Q knockup interrupts her attempts to play forward, and R disengage counters her R crescendo.
Shield your ADC before every trade. Sona wins slow trades but loses all-in exchanges where your R resets the fight.
Nami's slow engages are easily disrupted by your Q knockup. Her R tidal wave can be pre-empted with your own R disengage, and she has no answer to your shield output.
Q Nami when she positions to cast R. Interrupting her ult prevents the knockup setup that makes Nami dangerous.
Yuumi cannot heal or shield through your R knockback. When her host is pushed away by Monsoon, Yuumi's healing cannot save them from your team's follow-up.
R pushes the host away from the fight — Yuumi cannot attach to a new host fast enough to compensate. Your disengage wins the fight.