League of Legends Invade Guide: Level 1 Plans and Defense

A level 1 invade is a walk into the enemy jungle as a group, before the first camps appear, to get an early kill, force summoner spells or see where the enemy jungler starts. This League of Legends invade guide comes down to one rule: invade when your team is clearly stronger at level 1 and all five go together. Otherwise, guard your own entrances, place a ward and start the game safely.

What a level 1 invade is

At the start of a match everyone is level 1 with a single ability, and the jungle camps have not appeared yet. For a short while, ten players are free to stand wherever they like. An invade uses that time.

It has three possible goals:

• A kill. Five players catch one enemy who is standing alone in a bush. The first kill of the game, first blood, gives extra gold.
• Information. A ward deep in the enemy jungle shows which camp their jungler starts on, and so where he will be for the next minutes.
• The first camp. Your team stays, and your jungler takes the enemy's buff or forces him to start somewhere else.

There is also a small version: one or two players step in only to place a ward, then leave. It is much safer, and often worth more than a risky fight.

When your team should invade, and when not

Level 1 fights are decided by crowd control and numbers. A hook or a root that lands on one target with five players nearby is usually a kill.

Invade when:

• Your team has strong level 1 crowd control. Hooks such as Blitzcrank's Rocket Grab, Thresh's Death Sentence or Nautilus's Dredge Line are the classic examples, and so is a long root like Morgana's Dark Binding.
• The enemy team is built for the late game and has little to answer with at level 1.
• All five agree, in voice chat or with pings, before leaving the base.

Do not invade when:

• The enemy has the better level 1 team. Then you are the ones who should be careful.
• Two teammates are still in the shop or already walking to their lanes. Three players entering against five is a gift.
• Your jungler needs a calm first clear at full health more than he needs a kill.

How to run a level 1 invade in LoL

1. Call it early: say which side you enter and who leads.
2. Buy fast and leave the base together. An invade works because you arrive before the enemy is in position.
3. Enter through one entrance as a group, with the crowd control champion in front and the fragile ones behind.
4. Check bushes with abilities, not with your body.
5. Take the kill or the summoner spells the enemy burns. Do not chase toward their towers.
6. Leave a ward near their buff, so your jungler knows where the enemy starts.
7. Go back on time. Everyone should be in lane when the minions meet. Missing the first wave costs gold and experience, and that can undo what the invade won.

If the enemy mid laner used Flash to escape, tell your jungler. A lane without Flash is the easiest gank target on the map for the next few minutes.

How to defend an invade in LoL

The defense is simple, and it starts on the loading screen: look at their team. If you see a hook champion, expect visitors.

• Guard the entrances. Each player stands near one of the paths into your jungle, far enough from the bushes that a hook cannot reach, close enough to see who walks in.
• Ward. Place your trinket ward on the entrance or in the river bush you are guarding. Seeing five players a few seconds early is the whole defense.
• Never check a dark bush alone. If you must know, throw an ability into it.
• Back off from five. One player does not stop a full team. Ping, retreat toward your tower and let them have the camp.
• Trade sides. If they stay in one half of your jungle, your jungler starts in the other half. Their own jungle on the opposite side is often empty at that moment, and a confident jungler can start there.

Losing one camp is a small problem. Dying twice before the minions arrive is a big one.

The leash: helping your jungler start

A leash is help with the jungler's first camp. The laners closest to it hit the monster for a few seconds, so the jungler takes less damage and clears faster, and then they run to lane. Two rules: leave the last hit to the jungler, and leave early enough to reach the first minions.

A leash has a price. The lane that helps arrives a little later, and in the bottom lane this can give the enemy the first push. That is why many junglers who clear well alone ask for no leash at all. If your jungler pings you away, go to lane.

Arrival times also tell you something. If the enemy bottom lane shows up late, their jungler probably started on that side and is likely to move toward the other side of the map during his first clear. Tell the lane he is walking toward.

Common mistakes at level 1

• Walking in one by one and not as a group.
• Staying in the enemy jungle after the kill and arriving late to lane.
• Burning Flash to chase a kill that is already gone.
• Standing inside a bush alone "to guard" against a team with a hook.
• Starting an argument in chat after a failed invade. The game has barely begun.

Frequent questions

Is a level 1 invade worth it in low ranks?

Only when all five players go. In most games a warded entrance and a clean start give you more than a risky fight. Our guide to climbing out of low Elo covers more habits of this kind.

Who should ward against an invade?

Everyone who guards an entrance can use a trinket ward there. The ward should be down before the camps appear.

What do I do if the enemy steals my first buff?

Start on the other side, keep your health and do not fight alone. One camp does not decide the game, but a death at level 1 can cost much more.

Do I have to leash for my jungler?

No. A leash is a favor, not a duty, and many junglers do not need it. Follow your jungler's pings.

RP for the champions you start the match with

A strong level 1 often begins in champion select, with a champion that has the right tools. Champions and their skins can be bought with RP, and Mas4Games has League of Legends RP codes for accounts of the Türkiye server. The code appears on the order's page in your account and is also sent by e-mail. If something is unclear, the help center has live support.