Lee Sin is the premier early game jungler. His combination of mobility, damage, and playmaking is unmatched in the first 15 minutes. He falls off late, so the goal is to snowball leads early and close before teams scale.
Abilities
Skills Overview
P
Flurry
Passive
After Lee Sin uses an ability, his next 2 basic attacks gain Attack Speed and return Energy.
Flurry: after each ability, your next 2 autos have bonus attack speed and restore energy. ALWAYS auto twice between abilities.
Q
Sonic Wave / Resonating Strike
Skillshot · Dash · Execute
Sonic Wave: Lee Sin projects a discordant wave of sound to locate his enemies, dealing physical damage to the first enemy it encounters. If Sonic Wave hits, Lee Sin can cast Resonating Strike for the next 3 seconds.Resonating Strike: Lee Sin dashes to the enemy hit by Sonic Wave, dealing physical damage based on the target's missing Health.
CD: 10/9/8/7/6 · Cost: 50
Q1 is a skillshot. Q2 dashes to the marked target and deals execute damage (%missing HP). Hit Q first, auto twice, then Q2 for max damage.
W
Safeguard / Iron Will
Dash · Shield · Lifesteal
Safeguard: Lee Sin rushes to target ally, shielding himself from damage. If the ally is a champion, they are also shielded. After using Safeguard, Lee Sin can cast Iron Will.Iron Will: Lee Sin's intense training allows him to thrive in battle. Lee Sin gains Omnivamp.
CD: 12 · Cost: 50
W1 dashes to ally/ward and shields. W2 gives lifesteal. Ward-hop (place ward → W) is your core mobility tool.
E
Tempest / Cripple
AoE · Slow · Reveal
Tempest: Lee Sin smashes the ground, sending out a shockwave that deals magic damage and reveals enemy units hit. If Tempest hits an enemy, Lee Sin can cast cripple.Cripple: Lee Sin cripples nearby enemies damaged by Tempest, reducing their Move Speed. Move Speed recovers gradually over the duration.
CD: 8 · Cost: 50
E1 deals AoE damage. E2 slows. Use E after Q2 landing for guaranteed damage.
R
Dragon's Rage
Knockback · AoE · Execute
Lee Sin performs a powerful roundhouse kick launching his target back, dealing physical damage to the target and any enemies they collide with. Enemies the target collides with are knocked into the air for a short duration. This technique was taught to him by Jesse Perring, although Lee Sin does not kick players off the map.
CD: 110/85/60 · Cost: 0
Dragon's Rage kicks the target in a direction, dealing massive damage and knocking up enemies they collide with. The Insec: Q → ward-hop behind → R into your team.
Skill Leveling Order — Max Q first, then E, then W · R at 6 / 11 / 16
| Level | Q | W | E | R | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Take Q — engage tool | ||||
| 2 | Take W — ward-hop mobility | ||||
| 3 | Take E — AoE slow | ||||
| 4 | Level Q | ||||
| 5 | Level Q | ||||
| 6 | R — Dragon's Rage | ||||
| 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 burst for ganks.
450g
Long Sword
AD for dueling.
350g
Refillable Potion
Sustain.
150g
Core Build
Eclipse
Omnivamp + shield proc on Q-auto combo.
2800g
Plated Steelcaps
Armor for early fights.
1100g
Black Cleaver
Armor shred + HP. Q + autos stack it fast.
3100g
Death's Dance
Bleed passive. Survive after Insec kicks into the enemy team.
3300g
Situational
Sterak's Gage
Shield when low HP.
3100g
Maw of Malmortius
Magic damage shield vs AP.
2800g
Guardian Angel
Second life after aggressive Insec plays.
3200g
Eclipse → Cleaver → Death's Dance. You need damage early to snowball, then tankiness to survive Insec plays late.
Runes
Precision Primary
Conqueror
Q + auto + auto + E + auto stacks it fast. Sustain in extended skirmishes.
Triumph
Heal on takedown.
Legend: Tenacity
Tenacity for aggressive plays.
Last Stand
Bonus damage when low HP.
Domination Secondary
Sudden Impact
Lethality after Q/W dash.
Treasure Hunter
Gold on unique kills for snowball.
Shards
Adaptive Force · Adaptive Force · Health
Gameplay
How to Play Lee Sin
01
Early Game
Dominate the Early Game
- Start Red → Raptors → Gromp → Blue. Hit level 3 at 2:50 and gank immediately.
- Your level 3 is one of the strongest in the game. Q → auto → auto → E → auto → Q2 is devastating.
- ALWAYS auto twice between abilities. Passive gives bonus attack speed and restores energy on the 2 autos after each ability.
- Invade enemy junglers aggressively. You win almost every 1v1 early.
- Ward-hop (place ward → W) is essential. Practice until it's muscle memory.
02
Mid Game
Insec Kicks Win Fights
- Insec combo: Q1 hit → Q2 dash to target → ward-hop behind them → R kick into your team.
- R deals massive damage. Use it as an execute on low-HP targets or as a displacement tool.
- R knocks up enemies the kicked target collides with. Aim kicks to knock the target through their teammates.
- Play around your team. You're a playmaker, not a solo carry. Set up kills for your laners.
- Dragon fights: Q the enemy jungler → ward-hop → R them away from the pit to deny Smite.
03
Late Game
Playmaker, Not Carry
- You fall off damage-wise but your R is always relevant. One good Insec wins a late-game fight.
- Focus on kicking the enemy carry into your team. This is your primary job in teamfights.
- Peel for your carry if you can't reach theirs. R the diving assassin away from your ADC.
- Ward deep for vision. Lee Sin is the best vision-control jungler because W dashes to wards.
- If behind, play utility. E reveals stealth, W shields allies, R peels. You're always useful.
Teamfighting
How to Teamfight as Lee Sin
Lee Sin's teamfight job is one thing: kick the right target into your team. The Insec is the most impactful play a jungler can make.
1
Find the Angle — Q the Carry
Setup
01
Q1 onto the priority target (ADC or fed mage).
02
Q2 dash to them.
03
Ward-hop behind them immediately.
Missing Q means you have no engage. Don't force Q from max range in teamfights — get closer first.
2
Insec — R Into Your Team
The kick
01
R the target toward your team. The direction matters — face your team.
02
R knocks up anyone the target collides with. Aim through grouped enemies.
03
Flash during R animation for a Flash-Insec if ward-hop isn't possible.
3
Follow Up — Peel or Chase
After kick
01
E slow nearby enemies for your team to clean up.
02
W to your carry to shield them.
03
Save second Q for chase on fleeing enemies.
The Chinese Insec: Q1 → Q2 → mid-air R → ward-hop. Faster than standard Insec but requires precise timing. Practice in tool.
Tips & Tricks
Advanced Mechanics & Hidden Tech
Advanced mechanics for Lee Sin.
Basic
Auto Between Abilities
Passive gives 2 fast autos with energy restore after EACH ability. Always auto twice between Q, W, E. Never ability-spam without autoing.
Advanced
Insec Combo
Q1 → Q2 → ward behind target → W to ward → R toward your team. Practice until it takes under 1 second.
Intermediate
Ward-Hop Practice
Place ward → W. This is your core mobility. Bind trinket to a comfortable key and practice in tool until it's instant.
Advanced
Flash Insec
Q2 → Flash behind → R. Faster than ward-hop Insec. Use when wards are down or for surprise long-range kicks.
Basic
Energy Management
Lee Sin uses energy, not mana. Each passive auto restores energy. If you spam abilities without autoing, you run out of energy immediately.
Intermediate
Q Execute Damage
Q2 deals more damage the lower the target's HP. Hit Q1, auto twice, then Q2 as a finisher for maximum damage.
Advanced
R Collateral Knockup
R target collides with enemies behind them, knocking them up. Aim R to knock the target through their grouped teammates for a multi-man knockup.
Basic
Close Games Early
You fall off hard after 25 minutes. Snowball early leads and force objectives. Don't let the game go to 35+ minutes.
Matchups
Counters & Matchups
Lee Sin struggles against scaling champions who survive his early aggression and tanky champions he can't burst. He excels against weak early junglers he can invade and dominate.
Click any matchup to expand tips & how to play against them
Loses Against
Rammus is too tanky to burst and his taunt + thornmail turns your autos against you.
Don't fight Rammus. Kick him away from your team and focus the carries.
Udyr matches your early game power and out-sustains you. His stun interrupts your combos.
Avoid extended 1v1s. Your burst is better than his — short trades with Q and disengage.
Volibear's tankiness and sustained damage outlast your burst. He runs you down.
Hit-and-run trading. Q in, auto, E, W out. Don't commit to extended fights.
Wins Against
Karthus is the ultimate free invade target. Zero mobility, zero dueling. You kill him every time.
Invade at level 3. Kill him. Repeat every time your camps are cleared.
Evelynn pre-6 is defenseless. You invade and kill her on repeat.
Live in her jungle. She can't fight you at any stage. Deny her the game.
Amumu's slow clear and weak early game make him a punching bag. You kill him at his camps.
Invade constantly. Steal camps. Deny his scaling. Force early fights he can't handle.
Fiddlesticks channels are interrupted by your kick and Q. He can't fight you in any phase.
Invade during his W channel. One Q interrupts it and he dies.