Diana · Jungle

Diana Safe Play Guide

DefensiveData-drivenMediumPatch 16.19.1

230Updated 20 hours ago

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This guide is assembled by the site from match data and the game's own information — nobody wrote it by hand. Official and community guides appear alongside it when they exist.

Overview

This guide is about playing Diana safely and consistently. Safe jungle means full clears, counter-ganking where the enemy jungler shows up and never contesting an objective without vision or numbers. The kit brings mobility with Lunar Rush.

Strengths

Mobility: Lunar Rush lets you reposition, engage or escape.
Sustain from Pale Cascade.
High magic damage: Riot rates it 8/10 in magic.

Weaknesses

Mana-hungry early: spamming abilities leaves you empty before the fight.
Falls behind if the early ganks fail: every wasted trip is lost farm.

Build cheat sheet

Pick the build that fits what you want to do this game.

Defensive buildDefensiveRecommendedKeeps enough damage while adding armor, ability power and magic resist through Zhonya's Hourglass, Banshee's Veil and Dusk and Dawn. Choose it against dive, assassins or a lane you can't win.
Against magic damageDefensiveSituationalFor a team that kills with abilities: magic resist boots and a magic resist item in the core.

Builds

Defensive build

DefensiveRecommended

Open build

When to use it

Keeps enough damage while adding armor, ability power and magic resist through Zhonya's Hourglass, Banshee's Veil and Dusk and Dawn. Choose it against dive, assassins or a lane you can't win.

Where it's played

Picked before the game: the main lane first, then the alternatives.

Summoner's RiftRed side · bottom leftBlue side · top right

JungleMain76% of matches
MidPriority 224% of matches

Jungle priorities

StartBlue buff

1Voidgrubs
2Gank top
3Rift Herald
4Scuttle Crab
5Dragons
6Baron Nashor
7Atakhan

Guideline, not a measurement: an early skirmisher starting blue side. Take the void grubs and look for ganks while your early damage is ahead, then Herald and dragons.

Starting items

Scorchclaw PupHealth Potion

Core items

1Zhonya's Hourglass
2Banshee's Veil
3Dusk and Dawn

Boots

Mercury's Treads

Situational

Dead Man's PlateAgainst heavy physical damage.Kaenic RookernAgainst heavy magic damage.MorellonomiconCuts the enemy's healing.Void StaffAgainst tanky teams.

Runes

Primary· Sorcery

Secondary· Resolve

Shards

Summoner spells

Flash
Smite

Abilities

Moonsilver BladePassiveEvery third strike cleaves nearby enemies for an additional magic damage. After casting a spell, Diana gains Attack Speed for 5 seconds.
QCrescent Strike8/7.5/7/6.5/6s50 mpUnleashes a bolt of lunar energy in an arc dealing magic damage. Afflicts enemies struck with Moonlight, revealing them if they are not stealthed for 3 seconds.
Cooldown
8·7.5·7·6.5·6
Cost
50
Range
900
WPale Cascade15/13.5/12/10.5/9s40/45/50/55/60 mpDiana creates three orbiting spheres that detonate on contact with enemies to deal damage in an area. She also gains a temporary shield that absorbs damage. If her third sphere detonates, the shield gains additional strength.
Cooldown
15·13.5·12·10.5·9
Cost
40·45·50·55·60
Range
800
ELunar Rush22/20/18/16/14s40/45/50/55/60 mpBecomes the living embodiment of the vengeful moon, dashing to an enemy and dealing magic damage. Lunar Rush has no cooldown when used to dash to an enemy afflicted with Moonlight. All other enemies will have the Moonlight debuff removed regardless of whether they were the target of Lunar Rush.
Cooldown
22·20·18·16·14
Cost
40·45·50·55·60
Range
825
Basic ability — moves you. Keep it to escape unless the kill is certain.
RMoonfallUltimate100/90/80s100 mpDiana reveals and draws in all nearby enemies and slows them. If Diana pulls in one or more enemy champions, the moonlight crashes down onto her after a short delay, dealing magic damage in an area around her, increased for each target beyond the first pulled.
Cooldown
100·90·80
Cost
100
Range
475
Ultimate — slows and hits an area. Plan your fights around its cooldown.

Strategy

1Safe laning

Safe jungle means full clears, counter-ganking where the enemy jungler shows up and never contesting an objective without vision or numbers. A gank works when the lane is pushed towards the enemy tower and the enemy has used Flash or their escape: pick those moments instead of forcing a bad one.

2Surviving fights

In fights, enter after the enemy uses their key crowd control and go for whoever your team can reach with you. Your way out is Lunar Rush: if it's on cooldown, stay further back.

3Positioning and peel

Stand where the enemy has to go through your team to reach you, and protect whoever the enemy focuses.

4Playing from behind

When the game goes badly, farm what's safe, defend with your team and wait for the enemy to make a mistake: a single won fight can turn it around.

Tips

Keep Lunar Rush for escaping, not for chasing.
Keep Pale Cascade for the enemy's burst, not for chip damage.
Go back when your key abilities are down: a reset costs less than a death.
Never be the first to show on the map in the late game.
If enemies are missing from the map, back off before they appear.

Matchups

Weak against

Kha'Zix
Taste Their Fear (fear) lets Kha'Zix pin Diana down before Lunar Rush gets them out.
Nunu & Willump
Biggest Snowball Ever! (knock-up) lets Nunu & Willump pin Diana down before Lunar Rush gets them out.
Volibear
Thundering Smash (stun) lets Volibear pin Diana down before Lunar Rush gets them out.