How do you know if your team can jungle invade?

Question

In many games, especially in pro games, the team(s) may jungle invade. How do you know if your team comp will win a jungle invade, or if your team is suited for one. I know there is always the concern that if the team sees you invading their jungle, they go to counter jungle you. So, how can I team prepare themselves/know if they can jungle invade successfully?

In addition, how do you know if you should leave a creep or not to delay jungle respawn time, especially on a buff? Even though this makes the creep spawn later and hurts the enemy team, it also means you won't know the respawn time either, so when is this a good idea?

Answer 1

If you have Blitzcrank, Nautilus, Ryze, Maoki, Ahri, Morgana, Janna, or Taric you should try to invade because all of these champions can learn long range CC at level 1. Meaning your entire team can hide in a bush and wait for someone to poke out and instantly stun them. Which usually leads to a dead champion unless they are able to instantly flash behind a turret. Most of the time in low-medium ELO people are so surprised that someone is invading that they flash into a wall and waste it. Leading to first blood and even additional kills if their team comes to help because it turns immediately into a 4v5 and you know you have a hard cc at level 1.

You should always leave at least one minor camp creep up, especially since the change in jungle not having those big neutral creeps re spawn really slows down a jungler. If you are able to steal a buff you should kill the entire camp and write down the time that it died so that your team knows exactly when it re spawns so that you can steal it again.

**Summoners Rift Neutral Creep Spawn and Re-Spawn Timers **

Spawn time/Spawn period

• Anc Golem 1:55 5:00 -20% CD, +25 flat mp5, +0.5% Max mana
• Lizard ....... 1:55 5:00 8/16/24% Slow, 10-50 True Dmg Twice over 3 seconds
• Dragon ......2:30 6:00 +400XP, +130G*, +130XP*
• Baron ....... 15:00....... +900XP, +250G*, +50 DMG/AP*

Answer 2

If you have a good lvl 1 CC (like a thresh, or blitz) you should consider invading. If you have multiple (like a midlane lux or top lane nautilus), you should definitely invade.

Unless you're a high enough elo (and if you're asking this question, you're probably not), then you can probably assume the opposing team has no clue how to effectively counter an invade. So long as your team remains grouped, doing a fast, early invade will likely have one of the following outcomes.

• Best Case: You get a pick and kill them. (Even better, they burn at least one summoner and you still get them).
• Commonly: You get a pick and they burn a summoner to survive.
• Worst Case: You get engaged on and have to burn a summoner.

It's not likely the enemy is grouped enough to burst someone down on your side. Even if you get caught, it'll most likely be by a group of 3 at most, which most level 1's can survive so long as long as you don't Leroy Jenkins it. If you invade early enough, you can hopefully blow some of their summoners, recall, and will likely have enough time to get back and leash with full hp without missing any creeps.

Additionally, you may end up starting a level 1 fight, in which case it's best to remember to not get too greedy, else you overstay and lose the advantage due to a long recall and lost creeps.

Just remember to be mindful of timers, to get the advantage while you can, and to take advantage of whatever you get out of the invade. It doesn't matter if you burn the ADC's flash in an invade if you don't take that 5 minute window to harass, zone, and hopefully kill them.