Janna ARAM Build and Guide

Updated for patch 26.21. Ability details come from Riot’s official game data for this patch; ARAM balance numbers come from the League of Legends Wiki’s champion data.

A Janna ARAM build is a shield-support path with Ability Haste, team Move Speed and heals that spread to several allies at once. The Howling Abyss tones her down. Four lines: 95% damage dealt, 105% damage taken, 90% healing and 95% shielding. She’s still a strong disengage pick.

We chose the items from her patch 26.21 ability text and each item’s own effects. No win-rate data was involved.

How is Janna changed in ARAM?

Four small nerfs, all pointed at the same thing. She takes 105% damage, so she’s a bit squishier (not by much), and her two support tools are trimmed: Monsoon’s heal works at 90% and Eye of the Storm at 95%. Damage dealt sits at 95%, which hardly matters for her. None of it touches her knock-ups, though. Howling Gale and Monsoon throw enemies around exactly as far as they do on Summoner’s Rift, and in a mode built on teamfights that’s what people pick her for (the shield and heal are a bonus, really).

Why does Janna fit the Howling Abyss?

One lane means every enemy engage comes down the same corridor, straight into her disengage. Riot’s patch 26.21 data:

• Tailwind (passive): allies moving toward her gain Move Speed, and she deals part of her bonus Move Speed as bonus magic damage on hit and with Zephyr.
• Howling Gale (Q): a storm that grows while she holds it, then flies in the cast direction, damaging and knocking away enemies in its path. Cooldown 14.
• Zephyr (W): passive Move Speed and the ability to pass through units; active, it damages and slows an enemy. Cooldown 8/7.5/7/6.5/6.
• Eye Of The Storm (E): shields an ally champion or turret and increases their Attack Damage. Cooldown 16/15/14/13/12.
• Monsoon (R): a storm around her that throws enemies back, then heals nearby allies while active. Cooldown 130/115/100.

Howling Gale is a line, and the Howling Abyss is a line too. A fully charged gale sent down the lane can knock away several champions at once when they’re stacked up to engage, which happens almost every fight. Monsoon is even better here. Throwing the whole enemy team back in a narrow lane resets the fight completely, and the heal afterward reaches allies who are, in ARAM, always nearby. The weak spot? Her own durability, at 105% damage taken with 550 range, so she has to stand behind her team, not beside it.

What should a Janna ARAM build focus on?

Ability Haste for more gales and shields, then items that copy or amplify what Eye of the Storm already does, so the 95% shielding hurts less. Four items and boots.

Moonstone Renewer is the opener. When Janna heals or shields an ally, Starlit Grace chains the effect to another ally, shielding them for 35% of the original amount or healing them for 30%. Monsoon and Eye of the Storm each reach a second teammate that way, and in a crowded lane there’s always a second teammate in range. On top of that you get 20 Ability Haste (the stat Janna wants most), some Ability Power, 200 Health and Mana regen.

Ardent Censer second. Eye of the Storm already adds Attack Damage to the shielded ally; Censer’s Sanctify adds 25% Attack Speed and 20 magic damage On-Hit for 6 seconds to both of them on top. That’s a big swing for a marksman, and it doesn’t depend on shield size at all. Thing is, the rest of Censer is modest: 45 Ability Power, 10% Heal and Shield Power, Mana regen and a little Move Speed.

Shurelya’s Battlesong in slot three. Inspiring Speech grants nearby allies 30% Move Speed for 4 seconds. Honestly, that turns an ARAM fight either way: an engage onto a caught enemy, or a clean retreat after Monsoon. Its 15 Ability Haste helps the gale too.

Redemption to finish. Intervention restores Health to allies in an area and deals true damage to enemy champions there after 2.5 seconds, and it’s castable from a distance, which suits a champion who shouldn’t stand in front. Against heavy crowd control, Mikael’s Blessing takes this slot instead; its Purify removes crowd control from an ally champion, though not Airborne or Suppression. For boots, Crimson Lucidity: 20 Ability Haste, plus Noxian Haste Move Speed after she protects an ally with an ability.

How do you play Janna on the Howling Abyss?

• Hold Howling Gale for the engage. It grows the longer you charge it, and a stacked enemy team walking down one lane is the best target it’ll ever get.
• Save Monsoon for the moment they commit. It throws enemies back and then heals allies, so casting it early just delays the fight.
• Shield the carry, not yourself. Eye of the Storm adds Attack Damage, so it’s wasted on a support who barely attacks.
• Use Zephyr to walk through minions and allies. It lets her pass through units, which helps her stay at the back of a crowded lane.
• Lead your team toward you. Tailwind speeds up allies moving in her direction, which makes retreats faster.

How do shopping, relics and Mark work for Janna?

Nobody goes back to base here. The fountain is the only shop, once at the start and then after each death, so buy toward Moonstone Renewer first, since its chain effect does work from the first full item. The Health relics along the lane go to whoever needs them, and Janna, with Monsoon’s heal, can often leave them for the frontline.

Summoner spells are chosen before loading and stay put for the whole match. In ARAM there’s also Mark, a snowball that, on a hit, gives you a dash to that champion. Should a disengage support take an engage spell? Real talk, usually not. For what it’s worth, the snowball still reveals who’s in front, and that’s useful information for a team that wants to know when to fall back.

Is Janna good in ARAM?

Yes, as long as your team has someone to protect. Her four modifiers, 95% damage dealt, 105% damage taken, 90% healing and 95% shielding, are mild nerfs, and her knock-ups don’t care about any of them. To be fair, a team of five melee divers gets less out of her than a team with two marksmen.

The supports that trouble her in lane are in the Janna counters guide. Our guide to LoL roles explains what supports do in a standard game, the LoL items database lists every item above, and the Janna skins page shows her cosmetics.

Long story short, the Janna ARAM build is Moonstone Renewer, Ardent Censer, Shurelya’s Battlesong and Redemption, and the plan is to hold the gale and the Monsoon until the enemy team walks into them.

FAQ

Is Janna nerfed in ARAM?

Slightly. The Wiki’s patch 26.21 data gives her 95% damage dealt, 105% damage taken, 90% healing and 95% shielding.

What items does the Janna ARAM build use?

Moonstone Renewer, Ardent Censer, Shurelya’s Battlesong and Redemption or Mikael’s Blessing, with Crimson Lucidity boots.

Why build Moonstone Renewer on Janna?

Starlit Grace chains Janna’s heals and shields to another ally, so Eye of the Storm and Monsoon each reach one more teammate.

When should Janna use Monsoon?

When the enemy team commits to an engage. Monsoon throws enemies back and then heals nearby allies, so it works best as a reset in the middle of their dive.

How were these items picked?

By reading Janna’s patch 26.21 abilities next to each item’s effects on shields, heals and allies. Win-rate data was not used.