Jarvan IV is a versatile engage jungler who excels at ganking, diving, and teamfighting. His E-Q knockup is one of the fastest engage tools in the game, and Cataclysm creates an inescapable arena. He fits any team comp.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Martial Cadence
Passive
Jarvan's first basic attack on an enemy deals bonus physical damage based on their current Health. This effect cannot occur again on the same enemy for a few seconds.
First auto on each champion deals bonus %HP damage. In ganks, auto each target once for max passive value.
Q
Dragon Strike
Skillshot · AoE · Armor Shred
Jarvan IV extends his lance, dealing physical damage and lowering the Armor of enemies in its path. Additionally, this will pull Jarvan to his Demacian Standard, knocking up enemies in his path.
CD: 10/9/8/7/6 · Cost: 45/50/55/60/65
Q alone is an armor-shredding line skillshot. Q through E flag is a knockup dash. Always combo them together.
W
Golden Aegis
Shield · AoE Slow
Jarvan IV calls upon the ancient kings of Demacia to shield him from harm and slow surrounding enemies.
CD: 9 · Cost: 30
W shield scales with nearby enemies. Use it in the middle of a teamfight for maximum shield value.
E
Demacian Standard
AoE · AS Aura · Flag
Jarvan IV carries the pride of Demacia, passively granting him bonus Attack Speed. Activating Demacian Standard allows Jarvan IV to place a Demacian flag that deals magic damage on impact and grants Attack Speed to nearby allied champions.
CD: 12/11.5/11/10.5/10 · Cost: 55
E flag gives attack speed to nearby allies. Place it on your ADC in teamfights for a free AS steroid.
R
Cataclysm
Dash · Terrain · Trap
Jarvan IV heroically leaps into battle at a target with such force that he terraforms the surrounding area to create an arena around them. Nearby enemies are damaged at the moment of impact.
CD: 120/105/90 · Cost: 100
Cataclysm creates impassable terrain. Trap the carries inside, keep the tanks outside. You can R out by pressing R again.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then E, then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take E — AS aura for first camp | ||||
| 2 | Take Q — E-Q knockup combo online | ||||
| 3 | Take W — shield + slow | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R — Cataclysm unlocked | ||||
| 7 | Level Q | ||||
| 8 | Level E | ||||
| 9 | Q maxed ✓ | ||||
| 10 | Level E | ||||
| 11 | R rank 2 | ||||
| 12 | Level E | ||||
| 13 | Level E | ||||
| 14 | E maxed ✓ | ||||
| 15 | Level W | ||||
| 16 | R rank 3 | ||||
| 17 | Level W | ||||
| 18 | W maxed ✓ |
Itemization
Recommended Builds
Starter Items
Gustwalker Smite
MS for ganks.
450g
Long Sword
AD for clear.
350g
Refillable Potion
Sustain.
150g
Core Build
Eclipse
Omnivamp + shield proc on E-Q engage. Burst + sustain.
2800g
Plated Steelcaps
Armor for diving.
1100g
Black Cleaver
Armor shred stacks with Q. HP for survivability.
3100g
Death's Dance
Bleed passive + heal on kill. Survive your own R.
3300g
Situational
Sterak's Gage
Shield when low. Pairs with Death's Dance.
3100g
Randuin's Omen
Crit reduction vs fed ADCs.
2700g
Force of Nature
MR + MS vs AP threats.
2800g
Eclipse → Cleaver → Death's Dance. You want enough damage to threaten carries but tanky enough to survive your own R.
Runes
Precision Primary
Conqueror
E-Q combo + autos stack it fast. Healing in extended R fights.
Triumph
Heal on takedown.
Legend: Tenacity
Tenacity so you can't be chain-CCed inside your own R.
Last Stand
Bonus damage when low HP — you're always low after diving.
Domination Secondary
Sudden Impact
Lethality after E-Q dash.
Treasure Hunter
Gold on unique kills for faster item spikes.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Jarvan IV
01
Early Game
Strong Level 2 Ganks
- Start Red → Raptors → Gromp → Blue for a fast level 3. E-Q is online at level 2 for early ganks.
- Level 2 ganks with E-Q knockup are devastating. Look for pushed lanes immediately.
- Passive deals bonus damage on first auto per champion. Auto each camp monster once before using abilities.
- E-Q is fast and nearly undodgeable. Aim slightly ahead of moving targets.
- You're a decent early duelist. Contest scuttle confidently against most junglers.
02
Mid Game
Dive with R, Force Objectives
- R traps enemies in an arena. Use it on 1-2 carries, not tanks. Your team kills them inside.
- E-Q → R is your full engage combo. Knockup into Cataclysm leaves no escape.
- Flag gives AS to allies. Place E on your ADC during dragon fights for free DPS boost.
- Tower dives are easy. E-Q under tower, R the target, W for shield, walk out.
- Force dragon fights. Your engage wins skirmishes around objectives.
03
Late Game
Engage and Trap Carries
- Cataclysm the enemy carry. Trap them inside with you while your team handles the rest.
- E-Q Flash extends your knockup range massively. Use it for surprise long-range engages.
- W shield scales with nearby enemies — use it in the middle of fights, not before.
- If your carry is fed, peel instead of diving. E-Q the assassin, R to trap them away from your ADC.
- You can R then immediately re-R to cancel it. Use this if you accidentally trap the wrong target.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Jarvan IV
Jarvan is a diver/engager. E-Q into the backline, R to trap carries, and let your team follow up.
1
Engage — E-Q Knockup
Opening
01
E-Q from max range for the knockup.
02
Target the backline carries. Ignore the frontline.
03
Flash during E-Q for extended range if needed.
Don't E-Q into 5 people without follow-up. Ping your team before engaging.
2
Trap — Cataclysm
Lock them down
01
R the carry immediately after knockup.
02
W for shield inside the arena.
03
Auto-attack for passive damage on each enemy inside.
3
Aftermath — Fight or Escape
Decision point
01
If winning: stay inside R and keep fighting.
02
If losing: re-R to cancel the arena and E-Q out.
03
W slow enemies trying to escape after R ends.
R traps allies too. Don't Cataclysm if your teammate is inside with a fed Vayne — you'll kill your own team.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Jarvan IV.
Basic
E-Q Combo
Place E flag, then Q through it. You dash to the flag and knock up enemies in the path. This is your bread-and-butter combo for everything.
Advanced
E-Q Flash
E-Q then Flash during the dash to extend range and redirect. The knockup still applies at the Flash destination.
Basic
Passive First Auto
Your passive deals bonus %HP on the first auto per champion. In ganks, make sure to auto the target for the bonus damage.
Intermediate
R Target Selection
Cataclysm the carries, not the tanks. Trapping a Malphite inside your R is useless. Trap the Jinx or Viktor.
Intermediate
R Cancel
Press R again to destroy the arena early. Use this if you trapped the wrong target or need to let your team in.
Advanced
W Scaling
W shield is bigger with more nearby enemies. In 5v5 fights, W gives a massive shield. Don't use it in 1v1s — it's weak solo.
Basic
E AS Aura
E flag gives nearby allies attack speed. Place it on your ADC during objective fights for free DPS.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Jarvan struggles against mobile champions who can dash out of Cataclysm and against tanks who don't care about being trapped. He excels against immobile squishies.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Lee Sin can safeguard out of Cataclysm and his early pressure outpaces yours.
Don't R Lee Sin — he'll just ward-hop out. Focus on ganking lanes he's not near.
Graves E dashes out of your R and his range + burst outduels you.
Avoid 1v1. Your teamfighting is better — force grouped fights.
Kindred Q hops out of Cataclysm and her R negates your burst.
Don't waste R on Kindred. Trap her teammates instead.
Wins Against
Karthus has no dash — Cataclysm is an inescapable death sentence. He dies every time you R him.
R Karthus and he dies. Simple. Invade him and repeat.
Amumu can't escape your E-Q and you outdamage him early. You also outgank him.
Invade and fight him freely. Your E-Q + passive burst kills him fast.
Evelynn pre-6 is free. Even post-6, Cataclysm forces her R for escape, not damage.
Invade her pre-6. R traps her — she must waste R to escape instead of killing.