When Jhin was first released, everyone liked his new and unique design.
Since then, Jhin has developed into one of the best ADCs in League of Legends. But the full AP Jhin can one-shot enemies only by using E, so it can also carry games.
If you’ve never tried the AP Jhin build, here I’ll explain everything you need to know.
I’ll talk about the runes, the items, and the strategies I use to win games with AP Jhin. I’ll also touch upon Jhin’s design and explain how his damage works.
That said, let’s jump into the guide and see how you should play Jhin AP!
Is Jhin AP or AD?
Jhin is an ADC/marksman type of champion in League of Legends. Because of that, he mostly deals physical damage, so he is AD.
His item build includes only Attack Damage items, most of which increase Jhin’s Critical Chance too. Jhin deals a lot of damage with Critical Strikes, both through abilities and basic attacks.
If you aren’t familiar with how Jhin works, or if you haven’t played the champion at all, let me explain a few things.
Why does Jhin deal so much damage?
Jhin can only attack 4 times before he needs to reload his gun, which takes 2.5 seconds. And unlike other marksmen champions in League, he has to be very careful about how he spends his 4 shots.
However, Jhin’s 4th shot always critically strikes and deals bonus physical damage, based on the target’s missing health.
And Jhin’s ultimate – Curtain Call works the same way. Once Jhin activates his R, he starts shooting at his enemies.
His first 3 bullets deal AD only. But his 4th shot can also critically strike and deal up to 300% bonus physical damage based on the target’s missing health.
That’s how Jhin’s damage works in a nutshell. He’s one of the hardest-hitting champions in League of Legends, especially if he gets a lead early on.
But, Jhin can also be countered with a lot of Armor and defensive items such as these.
Jhin’s AP Scalings
Two abilities in Jhin’s kit scale with AP, but only one of them deals magic damage. Jhin’s Q – Dancing Granade scales with 60% bonus AP, but it deals physical damage.
And Jhin’s E – Captive Audience scales with 100% of his AP and deals magic damage.
In theory, 100% bonus AP can make any ability hit like a truck. And if you build Jhin full AP you’ll see that his E deals massive amounts of damage.
However, Captive Audience is one of the hardest abilities to use for dealing damage, simply because enemies just walk out of it. And you can’t always rely on its explosion to outplay your opponents.
So, should you play AP Jhin?
In ranked matches and games you’re trying to really win – no. AP Jhin can be a fun experience if you’re joking around with your friends in normal or custom games.
I’d say that winning with AP Jhin is a challenge, but it’s not an impossible feat.
Read Also: AP Miss Fortune Build Guide
AP Jhin S13 Runes – Explained
- Arcane Comet
- Manaflow Band
- Transcendence
- Scorch
- Triumph
- Coup de Grace
ARCANE COMET is a great early game keystone for AP Jhin. It increases your poke damage and allows you to play aggressively in lane.
And depending on how well you coordinate Comet’s cooldown with Jhin’s Q, you can easily force your opponent out of lane.
Arcane Comet does adaptive damage, so if you build Jhin AP, the damage will be magic. This is important because all magic damage benefits from magic penetration.
MANAFLOW BAND is your mana-friendly rune. It has the same internal cooldown as Arcane Comet, so you can synergize them both.
Manaflow Band increases your maximum mana and your mana regeneration, so it’s a great rune to have.
TRANSCENDENCE is here to ramp up your ability haste so you can fire more bombs at your target and set up more traps around Summoner’s Rift.
When you reach level 8, you’ll have 10 ability haste from this rune. And after level 11, your abilities will start to refresh with champion takedowns.
Jhin depends on his Q and E to deal damage, so you’ll definitely need Transcendence.
SCORCH is a fantastic rune for poking champions such as Jhin. Basically, whenever you hit an enemy champion with an ability, Scorch will do a little bit of extra magic damage.
The cooldown is only 10 seconds, so you can take advantage of it in lane.
TRIUMPH is a great rune for surviving in team fights. It restores 10% of your missing health and mana upon a champion takedown while also giving you a bit of gold.
Triumph can save you in some clutch moments and it’s always worth taking.
COUP DE GRACE helps you take down enemies faster because it increases your damage done to opponents that have low HP.
This is actually a huge deal, especially for AP Jhin who doesn’t have the same power as AD Jhin.
Read Also: AP Varus One-Shot Build Guide
AP Jhin S13 Items – Explained
- Sorcerer’s Shoes
- Luden’s Tempest
- Lich Bane
- Rabadon’s Deathcap
- Zhonya’s Hourglass
- Void Staff
SORCERER’S SHOES are the best types of boots for AP Jhin. Not only do you get more movement speed, but they also give you 18 magic penetration.
This magic penetration will be useful for increasing the damage of your Arcane Comet early on, as well as your Jhin’s E.
LUDEN’S TEMPEST is the superior mythic item for AP Jhin because of its direct damage. When you hit an enemy with an ability, Luden’s Tempest will do extra magic damage and spread to nearby targets.
Luden’s also grants magic penetration with each legendary item you purchase.
LICH BANE is a core item in this build. When you play AP Jhin, you depend on your traps and Q for everything. So having another source of magic damage is super helpful.
Lich Bane empowers your auto-attack to deal extra damage after using an ability. And if you combine it with Jhin’s 4th auto-attack, the damage may surprise you.
RABADON’S DEATHCAP is simply a must for all AP champions, including Jhin. You want to increase the damage of your traps as much as possible so they can do all the work for you.
Rabadon’s Deathcap gives you tons of AP, so you’ll need to build it as soon as possible.
ZHONYA’S HOURGLASS is the best defensive item for AP champions. Not only does it grants armor, but its active is a Stasis effect that allows you to dodge your enemies’ damage.
VOID STAFF is the last item you should get. The 45% magic penetration will make your traps deadly in the late game.
And depending on how many you’ve put in one place, they can sometimes even one-shot tanks like Ornn.
Read Also: AP Tristana Build Guide
Optional and Situational Items for AP Jhin
Aside from Luden’s Tempest, I’ve also experimented with Night Harvester. This is a great mythic item for increasing your burst damage, so definitely try it out.
But you should combine it with Tear of the Goddess to give you enough mana for the rest of the game.
Horizon Focus is another great item that synergizes with Jhin’s abilities. Shadowflame can help you counter shields as well as tanks.
And Morellonomicon is a must-have against healing champions.
Read Also: Full AP Ashe Build Guide
Conclusion
Even though AD Jhin will always be a bit stronger, the AP Jhin build is so much fun to play with.
I’d honestly recommend for everyone to give it a shot and experience the satisfaction of slaying enemies with Captive Audience.
AP Jhin can be seriously deadly if you can land his traps and root enemies when they explode.
It works fantastically well with enemies that have a lot of crowd control such as Leona, Amumu, and even Bard.
So, if you can coordinate your Captive Audience with them, you can unleash some great AP damage with Jhin!
Read Also: AP Senna Build Guide
