The Wolf Camp Corridor: Ganking Through the Enemy's Top Jungle

Most top laners instinctively place their trinket ward inside the river bush or the tri-bush, because those are the only two obvious entry points from the map. The real unspotted route begins inside the enemy’s own top-side jungle, specifically at the ravine that connects their blue buff to their wolf camp. When you play a jungler with strong dueling power such as Lee Sin, Jarvan, or Wukong, you can walk through the enemy jungle after clearing your own scuttle crab. First, check whether the enemy jungler has revealed themselves on the bottom side of the map. If they appear near the dragon pit or botside river, the top quadrant is completely empty. Enter through the gap between the enemy’s red buff wall and the river entrance, then cross the blast cone ledge that overlooks the wolf camp. The crucial step is to wait inside the small brush that sits directly behind the enemy tower, just outside of turret range but inside unwarded fog of war. This brush is rarely warded because most supports place control wards in the river or tri-bush, not this far into their own jungle. Once your top laner pushes the wave under enemy tower, step out from behind and attack from the back. The enemy will panic because their minimap shows no ward ping in the river, and they will not expect a gank from the exact direction they thought was safe. Time your crowd control with your laner’s engage so you can force flash or secure a kill before their jungler rotates. This route becomes even stronger if you have a sweeper lens to clear the pixel bush near the enemy’s red buff, ensuring that your entire path leaves no trace.

The Anchor Bush from the Banana Bush: Crossing River with a Pink Ward

The banana bush is the small circular brush in the river directly next to the top lane ledge, usually the first place a laning opponent will sweep when they suspect a gank. However, there is an offshoot path that connects this river brush to the anchor bush on the far side of the river wall. The anchor bush is that patch of grass sitting on the elevation above the river, just below the enemy’s tribush alcove. Most players do not realize that the blast cone behind the enemy tower can launch you directly into that anchor bush, but the cone is often not available or is warded. Instead, you can walk from the banana bush, hug the red wall, and use a control ward to mask your final step across the river. The trick is to place the pink ward inside the anchor bush from a very specific corner: stand along the path of the scuttle crab ring and target the far edge of the bush with your cursor. This placement moves your pink ward out of normal sweep range and gives you vision of the entire river. Once you have this ward, you wait in the banana bush until your lane partner’s opponent walks slightly forward to last-hit a minion. Because your pink ward has removed all vision over the anchor bush, the enemy cannot see you crossing from the river into the lane brush. You will appear as if you teleported from nowhere, and because you never step onto the typical river path, their jungle wards placed near the tribush will never trigger. This gank is extremely effective against champions with weak early escapes, such as Gangplank or Nasus. Just be careful not to reveal your pink ward early; stop walking when you reach the edge of the anchor bush and time your burst with your ally’s initiation.

The Herald Pit Gateway: Exiting Behind the Tower

The Rift Herald pit is usually considered an objective area, not a gank route, but its geometry creates a perfect blind spot that connects directly to the back of the enemy top lane turret. If you are playing a champion with a dash, wall-hop, or even a flash, you can stand at the very southern tip of the herald pit and cross the thin wall that separates it from the lane. This wall is almost never warded because players place their wards in the tri-bush or the river entrance, not inside the pit itself. Start by clearing the herald camp if it is up, or simply walk into the pit and wait in the corner that faces the tower. When the enemy top laner commits to trading with your ally, activate your sweeper and walk straight toward the tower wall. If you have a blink ability such as Hailblade or a simple flash, you can cross that wall and appear directly behind the enemy’s minion wave. For champions without a dash, you can walk around the pit’s mouth, but that exit is usually visible. The real reward comes from using a blast cone: if the cone at the pit’s river entrance is alive, stand adjacent to it and let it knock you over the wall into the top lane’s tribush. From there, you are already within attack range of the enemy under their tower. This route works best when the lane is slow-pushing toward the enemy, meaning their minions are near your tower but the enemy laner has to step forward to crash the wave. They will be focused on last-hitting, and their attention is drawn to the river side, not the pit behind their own tower. Execute a full rotation of abilities and crowd control while they are stuck between the turret and your laner, making escape nearly impossible. One caveat is to be absolutely sure that the enemy jungler has not placed a control ward inside the herald pit; otherwise, you will be playing out in the open and can be collapsed on from two sides.

The Minion Wave Ride: Using Enemy Minions to Close the Gap

A deceptively simple yet highly effective gank route uses the enemy’s own minion wave as a visual shield. When the top lane minions are even, the enemy minions advance in a straight line from their spawn point toward your side of the map. If you wait inside the second brush of the top lane, very close to your tower, you can attach yourself to a group of incoming enemy minions as they march past you. Because the enemy champion is constantly looking at the wave to last-hit, their eyes will follow the movement of the minions. Your champion, standing slightly behind or beside the wave, blends into the animation because the minion hitboxes cover your body. The key is to move only when the minions are moving, and to stop moving the moment they stop. This creates the illusion that your character is part of the wave or merely a visual artifact. As the enemy minions pass the center of the lane, you will naturally be carried into the enemy’s side of the map, placing you half a screen away from your tower without ever stepping into the river. This route is especially useful for junglers with delayed invisibility or camouflage, like Twitch or Evelynn, but it also works on any champion if the enemy is distracted. The best timing is when the cannon minion arrives, because the cannon creates a massive unit model that completely hides a champion who stands directly behind it. When the cannon passes the enemy laner, you can suddenly break free from the wave and attack from the front while your ally engages from behind. This confuses the opponent because their minimap shows no jungle presence, and they did not see you leave the river because you never went there. Only use this route when the enemy has no control ward in the lane brushes, and always check whether the enemy top laner has a free trade against minions with a skillshot that could accidentally hit you. With proper timing, the minion wave becomes your personal camouflage, granting access to the most unexpected direction of all: the face of the enemy who thought they were safe.