I've been playing LoL for a while now, and I'm steadily raising my ELO by playing jungle Amumu.
I was wondering how I can be hard-countered. In 10 games, I lost only once, and I manage to win even when my jungle gets invaded.
I'm sure there a way to counter Amumu, but it seems like the people I play against don't really know how to — they steal the 1st blue and then think it's over.
What is the best counter to jungle Amumu?
Best Answer
Let's make some assumptions about jungle Amumu:
The first option (as you mentioned) is to steal Amumu's blue. Amumu relies heavily on tantrum to clear his jungle quickly, but this can quickly consume his mana. This prevents him from ganking and drastically slows his early jungle. (note: With jungle camps now providing health/mana, Amumu can still manage the jungle without blue. In times long past, stealing his blue completely destroyed his first jungle clear).
The second option is to ward/counter-gank. Bandage toss gives Amumu a strong lvl 2 gank. With map awareness and a key ward, the opposing jungler can counter-gank Amumu early before he has any defensive items.
Some junglers also have strong skills when dueling Amumu. Mundo, Shyvanna, and Lee Sin will typically win duels without outside help, and these champions excel at counter-jungling him as well. This can be especially true since Amumu tends to jungle with low health early on.
As the game progresses, Amumu's ganks will rely on hitting with bandage toss. Keeping wards in common gank locations and using minions for cover minimize his chances to succeed. Purchasing MR can help, and having cleanse or a QSS help immensely with escapes. Amumu is also susceptible to silences/stuns, so a team with high CC can prevent these. Also, a Banshee's Veil is very effective vs Amumu.
Janna deserves a special mention, as her ult will directly counter Amumu's if he doesn't kill her first.
tl;dr: Amumu is a tanky jungler and great initiator. He can be shutdown the same as other junglers via counter-jungling and early invades. His strength comes through mid to late game, but if he doesn't succeed early, he'll never get there. Strong early-game junglers who constantly steal his jungle are the best counter to him.