Jak’Sho, The Protean Guide: Best Champs, Builds, and Pro Tips to Dominate Prolonged Teamfights

Jak’Sho, The Protean is one of the most pivotal defensive items in League of Legends, revolutionizing how tanks and bruisers function during prolonged teamfights. Known for its stacking mechanic and synergy with resistance-based builds, it allows frontline champions to exponentially increase their durability the longer they stay in combat. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore Jak’Sho’s in-game function, stat profile, best champions, item and rune synergies, gameplay strategies, and counters—offering League players a detailed playbook to better utilize or overcome this formidable item.

What is Jak’Sho, The Protean? Thematic Identity and Gameplay Core

Jak’Sho, The Protean is a legendary tier defensive item designed for champions who excel in sustained combat situations. Drawing inspiration from the Void’s theme of boundless evolution and adaptive resilience, Jak’Sho rewards extended presence in fights by amplifying tank stats based on time spent in combat. More than a mere stat stick, its presence on a frontline champion often signals a team composition geared for attrition-based victories in skirmishes and objective contests.

Stat Profile and Unique Passive: Breaking Down Jak’Sho’s Power

• 350 Health – Enhances base survivability and synergizes well with healing or damage mitigation effects.
• 45 Armor – Counters AD-based threats and improves frontline endurance.
• 45 Magic Resistance – Balances protection against AP champions.
• Passive – Voidborn Resilience: Each second spent in combat with enemy champions adds a stack, up to five. At full stacks, all bonus armor and magic resistance from items are further increased by 30% until you exit combat.

This mechanic transforms Jak’Sho from a solid tank item into a late-game juggernaut tool, amplifying its own stats and any resistance items built alongside it—making it incredibly potent in mid-to-late-game scenarios.

For data-driven analysis, explore Jak’Sho’s stat details on U.GG or visit MOBAFire.

When to Build Jak’Sho: Timing It Right

Jak’Sho excels as a second or third core item in most builds. It is typically used after a mythic or critical utility item has been completed, allowing players to shift from early aggression or sustain into reliable frontline resistance. Rarely rushed first (except against excessive poke or mixed-damage threats), Jak’Sho reaches peak effectiveness in teamfights around major objectives such as Baron or Dragon when combat duration extends.

Champions That Excel with Jak’Sho

Jak’Sho complements champions who thrive in the thick of battle, especially those who bring crowd control or significant teamfight presence. Notable examples include:

• Top Lane Tanks: K’Sante, Ornn, Sion, Maokai
• Jungle Frontliners: Rammus, Amumu, Zac, Sejuani
• Tanky Bruisers: Mordekaiser, Jarvan IV, Diana (utility builds)
• Sustain-Based Mages: Swain, Vladimir, Lillia (with defensive rune setups)

These champions benefit most from prolonged trades and the exponential boost Jak’Sho provides when multiple resistance items are incorporated into the build.

Synergistic Items for Jak’Sho Builds

Amplifying the value of Jak’Sho requires thoughtful synergies with items that provide additional resistances or utility. Recommended pairings include:

• Thornmail: Adds healing reduction and defense against ADCs
• Force of Nature: Further boosts MR and improves mobility for sticky engagement
• Randuin’s Omen: Counters crit-based threats and offers AoE slows
• Abyssal Mask: Amplifies magic damage dealt to nearby enemies
• Gargoyle Stoneplate: Offers burst resistance in multi-champion fights

Ideal Rune Setups for Jak’Sho Users

Resolve Tree (Primary)

• Grasp of the Undying: Increases sustain and max HP with each trade
• Aftershock: Provides instant tank stats on crowd control application
• Conditioning: Passive bonus resistances that further scale through Jak’Sho
• Overgrowth: Stacking HP to synergize with resistances and improve effective HP pool

Secondary Tree Options

• Precision – Triumph, Legend: Tenacity: For better staying power and CC resilience
• Inspiration – Biscuit Delivery, Cosmic Insight: For early lane sustain and cooldown utility

Gameplay Tips: Maximizing Jak’Sho in Teamfights

• Initiate fights early so your stacks can build before key cooldowns are used against you.
• Maintain contact with enemy champions for at least five continuous seconds to trigger the empowered 30% resistance amp.
• Use Jak’Sho-powered durability spikes as windows to absorb focused fire while teammates commit to follow-up plays.
• Play near objectives where extended engagements are inevitable, particularly in mid-to-late game siege scenarios.
• In 1v1 matchups, favor drawn-out duels where your scaling defenses outlast burst-heavy or sustain-light opponents.

Recognizing Jak’Sho’s Limitations and Counterplay Options

While Jak’Sho empowers tanks during prolonged battles, its performance drops significantly in the following situations:

• Burst damage compositions: Assassins or glass cannon mages that delete tank champions before resistance stacks complete
• True damage and percent-health abilities: Bypass resistance stacking, reducing effective durability
• High mobility or disengage: Prevents consistent stack uptime and disengages before defensive spikes can take effect
• Grievous Wounds meta: Combined with anti-tank damage, reduces Jak’Sho’s staying power

In these cases, adjust with different tank itemization such as Gargoyle Stoneplate or Sunfire Aegis.

Alternative Defensive Options to Jak’Sho

• Sunfire Aegis: For waveclear and AoE DPS value in top-lane matchups or jungle clears
• Force of Nature: Effective against sustained AP damage (Cassiopeia, Ryze, etc.)
• Randuin’s Omen: Best for countering champions with crit bursts or high attack speed
• Gargoyle Stoneplate: Superior survivability when your focus is absorbing initiate damage

Game Mode-Specific Value of Jak’Sho

• ARAM: Consistently effective due to constant combat. Easily stacks and provides unmatched durability.
• Solo Queue (Ranked/Flex): Optimal for team compositions relying on tank initiations around objectives. Useful in any meta leaning toward CC and teamfight control.
• Clash/Coordinated Play: Especially valuable when coordinated teams extend fights around contests. Offers game-defining moments when used by disciplined, proactive frontline players.

Frequently Asked Questions about Jak’Sho, The Protean

What champions use Jak’Sho most effectively?

Champions with tanky kits and consistent fight presence such as Zac, K’Sante, Rammus, Amumu, and Mordekaiser benefit most from Jak’Sho’s scaling resistances.

What is Jak’Sho’s unique passive?

Voidborn Resilience: Each second in combat against champions grants 1 stack (up to five). At five stacks, you gain a 30% increase to all bonus armor and MR until exiting combat.

What is the cost and build path of Jak’Sho?

Jak’Sho costs 3,200 gold and is built from Chain Vest + Negatron Cloak + Giant’s Belt + 800 gold.

Can Jak’Sho be built early?

In some matchups with heavy poke or hybrid damage, Jak’Sho may be built first. However, it’s typically reserved for second or third slot after a core mythic or power-spike item.

How can I effectively counter Jak’Sho builds?

Burst-oriented damage, high mobility, true damage, and execution-based kits like Bel’Veth or Vayne make quick work of Jak’Sho users. Focus and end fights quickly.

Does Jak’Sho add damage output?

No. Jak’Sho does not directly enhance attack or ability power. It empowers defensive scaling, which enables champions to survive longer and use their base damage repeatedly in extended combat.

How does Jak’Sho synergize with resistance runes?

Jak’Sho multiplies bonus resistances, so runes like Conditioning and items like Thornmail benefit significantly after full stacks are achieved.

What are the best runes with Jak’Sho?

Grasp of the Undying or Aftershock from the Resolve tree are ideal, with secondary Precision or Inspiration selections for improved combat longevity and flexibility.

Is Jak’Sho viable for AP champions like Swain or Vladimir?

Yes, when built with tank or sustain setups. Jak’Sho enhances their uptime during teamfights and makes them hard to displace.

Where can I find more Jak’Sho info or meta analysis?

Explore builds and win rates on RankedBoost or read patch impact summaries from One Esports.

Jak’Sho, The Protean remains a cornerstone item in tank and bruiser builds across solo queue, Clash, and ARAM. Designed for champions who thrive on outlast mechanics, it rewards intelligent positioning, resistance synergy, and sustained aggression. For players looking to become immovable frontlines in critical engagements, Jak’Sho is not just an item—it’s a philosophy of enduring power.