Kayn First Clear Guide

Choose where you want to finish

Before choosing my first camp, I decide which side of the map I want to play for. Who can carry if I help them? Which lane gives me a realistic gank? Which form do I intend to play?

That gives my clear a direction: top to bot when I want to play for botlane; bot to top when I want to play for top. Mid remains an option along the way.

Use my form-selection guide to work out how you want to win, and my ganking guide to assess the lane you are clearing toward.

Without an invade, I generally prefer a fast full clear on Kayn over a level-three gank. His clear speed lets me finish my camps and still look for pressure, sometimes even catching the enemy jungler on their last camp. I want a reason to interrupt that plan.

Team side and starting buff are different decisions

“Blue side” can mean our team’s map side or the half of our jungle containing Blue buff. To keep the routes clear, I call them Red-start and Blue-start. Both start on a buff; the team side determines which one sends me toward my chosen lane.

The execution follows the starting buff, so the same starting-buff routes cover all four situations.

Red-start: save Q for the Krugs wall

Both Red-start routes use one Smite during the clear and finish around Scuttle spawn. The difference is where you spend that Smite and how you connect the last three camps.

Shared opening: Red to Krugs

Start with Q. Once Red is at roughly 600 HP, finish it with autos and your pet while moving toward Krugs. Save your next Q to cross the Krugs wall. Learn E at level two after Red dies, then Q over the wall.

Option 1: Smite Krugs for a safer clear

Red → Krugs → Raptors → Wolves → Gromp → Blue

Smite Krugs, finish them, then use E to reach Raptors. Clear Raptors, Wolves, Gromp, and finally Blue. This route is slower, but it gets me to river around Scuttle spawn with a Smite available.

I use this when I deliberately want a safer opening. Plenty of strong players run this kind of clear, and it is a good option if you want a predictable start. Personally, I rarely choose it. I like taking more risks, especially with the opening invade I look for in every game.

Option 2: Smite Wolves and overlap Blue

Red → Krugs → Raptors → Wolves into Blue → Gromp

Finish Krugs without Smite. E to Raptors, clear them, then head to Wolves.

1. Smite Wolves as soon as you see them. Auto once, Q, then auto three more times.
2. E toward Blue and auto it three times. Aim your next Q through both Blue and the Wolves as they follow you.
3. Finish Blue, then clear Gromp. Move to river for Scuttle with your next Smite available.

Blue-start: connect the camp transitions

Blue → Gromp → Wolves → Raptors → Red → Krugs

• Skills: Q → W → Q.
• Smite: Use the first on your Blue Buff. Save the second for river or an enemy Blue steal.
• Clear time: Krugs finished at 2:41 in-game in this practice run.

I kept this attempt because it shows what the route can do even with imperfect execution. I cancel two auto-attacks along the way, and I reckon a cleaner run could be around five seconds faster.

Blue to Gromp

Start Blue and kite it toward Gromp. In this run I Smite Blue after my second Q, but the exact Smite timing is flexible. When Blue drops below roughly 400 HP, walk over and auto-attack Gromp to pull it. Turn back, auto-attack Blue once, then aim Q through both camps to finish Blue and damage Gromp.

Take W at level two, finish Gromp, then clear Wolves and put your third skill point into Q.

Wolves to Raptors

Q over the wall from Wolves to Raptors. Clear Raptors, then use W to pull Red.

Red to Krugs

At roughly 600 HP on Red, use W over the wall to pull Krugs. Finish Red with one last Q, then finish Krugs. The goal is to get Krugs moving while you finish Red so the next camp is already coming to you.

After Blue-start: look for the enemy Blue steal

The 2:41 finish leaves time to set up for Scuttle. It can also give me a window to Smite the enemy Blue. In higher Elo, I often see junglers kite Blue out of its camp, which can bring it within Smite range of the river brush.

The information comes first: I need a read that the enemy also cleared toward this side and is likely to finish on Blue. An opening ward and later sightings help establish that. Do not assume every opponent follows the same route.

1. Finish Krugs and head straight to the river brush near the enemy Blue. If I want this steal, I need to move immediately; the timing is the point of the play.
2. Check the buff and the enemy’s position. From the brush, look for the Smite opportunity rather than automatically starting a fight.
3. Steal if the window is there. Account for nearby lanes and whether I can leave afterward.
4. Move on if it is gone. Do not spend the advantage from a fast clear waiting for a buff that is already dead or a fight my team cannot support.

This opportunity can appear when Blue-starting toward bot or toward top. It depends on the enemy’s route and speed; it is an option after the clear, not a guaranteed reward.

Turn the clear into a useful first play

After Red-start, my usual next stop is Scuttle with Smite ready. After Blue-start, I may use that Smite on the enemy Blue instead if the information and timing fit. Otherwise, I look at Scuttle and the lane I cleared toward.

Before moving in, check:

• Lane: can my teammate follow up or move into river?
• Enemy jungler: where did I last see them, and what route fits that information?
• Resources: do I have the health and cooldowns for the next play?
• Tempo: is there a real opportunity, or am I about to wait away my lead?

For the actual wall angles and engage timing, continue to the ganking guide. For covering a lane against the opposing jungler, see counterganks and tracking.

My goal is to finish on the side I chose, with the tools to act. The clear creates the opportunity; I still read the map before using it.

For an opening in the enemy jungle, see my bot-side invade guide.