Wukong: The Monkey King

Wukong is a champion in League of Legends played in the Jungle, classified as a Diver (Fighter / Tank). He uses Mana (330 – 1608.23) and deals Physical / Magic damage. Wukong was released on July 26, 2011, and was last updated in patch V25.20. Store price: 1575 Blue Essence / 790 RP.

📊 Base Statistics

💡 175 Attack Range — Extended Melee Advantage: Wukong’s 175 attack range is notably longer than standard melee (125) and even Vi’s extended 200 range — but Wukong has 175 base that extends to 310–350 during Crushing Blow Q (175 + 135–175 bonus range). Q’s extended range at rank 5 effectively gives Wukong a 350-unit auto attack range with uncancellable windup — longer than many ranged champions‘ attack range baselines. This extended Q range enables Wukong to Q poke from outside the target’s retaliation range in laning and skirmishes, land armor reduction without entering the enemy’s effective melee range, and initiate knockups with Cyclone from unexpected distances.

🪨 Passive: Stone Skin

INNATE: Wukong gains 6–10.47 bonus armor and regenerates 0.35% of his maximum health every 5 seconds. Whenever Wukong or his clone damage an enemy champion or monster with basic attacks or abilities, he generates a stack of Strength of Stone for 5 seconds (refreshing on hits, up to 5 times). Stacks expire one by one every second. At 5 stacks: Stone Skin effects increased by 100% per stack up to 36–62.82 bonus armor + 2.1% max HP regen every 5 seconds

💡 Clone Generates Stone Skin Stacks — The Sustained Tanking Loop: Every hit Wukong’s W clone lands on enemies generates Strength of Stone stacks for Wukong himself — even while Wukong is elsewhere on the map (invisible during W, or in a separate fight position). In a teamfight where the W clone is auto-attacking at 50% damage rate, the clone’s hits generate stacks that give Wukong up to 62 bonus armor + 2.1% max HP regen before Wukong enters the fight from a flanking angle. At 2556 HP and 2.1% regen per 5 seconds: 53 HP restored every 5 seconds — meaningful sustained regeneration during prolonged teamfights where Wukong is in extended melee combat cycling abilities to refresh stacks continuously.

🥊 Q: Crushing Blow

ACTIVE: Wukong empowers his next basic attack within 5 seconds to have an uncancellable windup, gain bonus range (total 310–350 range at various ranks), deal bonus physical damage, and inflict armor reduction for 3 seconds. Crushing Blow resets Wukong’s and his clone’s basic attack timer. Other abilities can be used during the attack’s animation.

Crushing Blow’s cooldown is reduced by 0.5 seconds whenever Wukong or his clone damage an enemy.

💡 Q 30% Armor Reduction — Multiplicative Armor Strip: At max rank Q, 30% of the target’s armor is removed for 3 seconds — multiplicative, not flat. Against a 150-armor champion: 30% reduction = 45 armor removed → effectively 105 armor (vs 150). All of Wukong’s subsequent physical damage (Cyclone R, auto attacks, Q hit, clone damage) deals 13% more physical damage during the 3-second window. Against a 200-armor tank: 60 armor removed → effectively 140 armor = 18% more physical damage from every source for 3 seconds. The armor reduction benefits allies — teammates attacking the Q-reduced target receive the full 30% armor reduction benefit. The clone Q interaction means if W clone has Q effect active, it can also apply armor reduction on its target simultaneously with Wukong’s Q on a different enemy — two independent armor reduction windows on two targets from one Q activation.

🐒 W: Warrior Trickster

ACTIVE: Wukong enters invisibility for 1 second and dashes in the target direction, leaving behind a clone of himself at his casting position for 3.25 seconds. The clone is untargetable to allies and auto-attacks the last enemy Wukong damaged autonomously. It can gain the effects of Crushing Blow and Nimbus Strike’s bonus attack speed, and casts Cyclone whenever Wukong does. The clone deals reduced damage. Wukong can cast any of his abilities during the dash.

💡 W Clone Casts Cyclone — The Double Knockup Mechanic: When Wukong activates Cyclone (R), his W clone simultaneously casts Cyclone at its own position. This creates two independent Cyclone spinners simultaneously — Wukong spinning in one location while the clone spins in another. Both knock up enemies once for 0.6 seconds in their respective areas. In a grouped teamfight: Wukong flanks through one side knocking up 3 enemies, clone spins through the other side knocking up 2 different enemies — 5 simultaneous knockups from one Cyclone activation. The clone’s Cyclone also benefits from Q’s armor reduction if the clone had Q effect active, and generates Stone Skin stacks for Wukong during its spin. Clone Cyclone deals 30–50% of Wukong’s damage but the knockup duration is identical.

💨 E: Nimbus Strike

ACTIVE: Wukong dashes to the target enemy’s location and sends out untargetable clones to strike up to two additional enemies near the target’s location, dealing magic damage. Upon arrival, Wukong gains bonus attack speed for 5 seconds. Crushing Blow can be cast during the dash

💡 E Multi-Target Clones + Q During Dash: Two separate mechanics make E more powerful than its tooltip implies: (1) Untargetable clones hit up to 2 additional enemies within 187.5 radius of the target — against a grouped team, E effectively damages 3 enemies simultaneously, generates Stone Skin stacks from each hit, reduces Crushing Blow CD 0.5s per hit. Three enemies hit on E arrival = 1.5 seconds immediately removed from Q’s cooldown. (2) Crushing Blow can be cast during the E dash — activate E, press Q mid-dash, arrive at target with Q’s uncancellable windup immediately firing. The sequence: E dash begins → Q pressed (queued) → E lands → Q fires instantly at extended 310–350 range before the target can react to Wukong’s arrival. This E → Q during dash is the standard engagement combo opener.

🌀 R: Cyclone

ACTIVE: Wukong spins his staff for up to 2 seconds, becoming ghosted and gaining 20% bonus MS. The staff deals physical damage every 0.25 seconds to enemies hit, and can knock them up once for 0.6 seconds. Cyclone will not knock up enemies already hit by Wukong or his clone within the same cast. Cyclone can be recast after 0.5 seconds (auto-recasts at 0.5s or when another ability is cast). After 1 second, Wukong can cast Cyclone a second time within 8 seconds of the first cast. Nimbus Strike’s bonus AS is continuously refreshed while spinning

💡 Double Cyclone — The R2 Mechanic: After the first Cyclone ends (or is recast after 0.5s), Wukong has an 8-second window to cast Cyclone a second time. The second Cyclone is a full second Cyclone — same duration, same max HP damage, same knockup (against enemies not already knocked up in the first cast). Against a team fight where the first Cyclone knockup hits 3 enemies for 0.6 seconds: the second Cyclone cannot knock up those same enemies again (knockup only once per cast, but the second cast is a separate cast — those previously knocked enemies CAN be knocked up again if they’ve recovered from the first knockup). Max total damage from both Cyclones at R3: 32% of target’s max HP + 550% AD from each cast = up to 64% of a champion’s HP in pure max HP physical damage over the combined duration, split across two 2-second windows within 8 seconds.

💡 Cyclone Max HP Scaling vs Tanks: At R3, Cyclone deals 2% max HP + 34.375% AD per tick every 0.25 seconds — 8 ticks over 2 seconds = 16% max HP + 275% AD total per Cyclone. Against a 5000 HP tank: 16% = 800 physical damage purely from max HP scaling per Cyclone cast. With double Cyclone: 1600 physical HP-scaling damage + 550% AD × 2 from both casts. Items that build AD (Trinity Force, Black Cleaver) amplify both the 34.375% AD per tick AND the max HP component is fixed regardless of AD — meaning HP-stacking tanks specifically take more Cyclone damage the more HP they build, one of the few AD fighter abilities that punishes HP tanking directly.

🎯 Strategies and Gameplay Tips

Early Game / Jungle Clear (Levels 1–6)

• Stone Skin Stack Pre-Combat: Before ganking, ensure 5 Strength of Stone stacks are active by finishing a jungle camp within 5 seconds of arrival to the gank lane. 5 stacks = 62 bonus armor + 2.1% max HP regen — approaching the gank target with full stacks means absorbing their defensive abilities and turret damage under significantly enhanced armor. The stacks expire one by one after 5 seconds of no damage — don’t stand still between the camp finish and gank arrival. Walk to the gank immediately while stacks are active; re-engage a camp on the path to regenerate stacks if transit takes longer than 5 seconds.
• E → Q During Dash Opener: The fundamental Wukong gank pattern: E toward the enemy → Q pressed during E dash → arrive at target → Q uncancellable auto fires immediately (350 range) with 30% armor reduction. At level 3 with E + Q, this opener deals 160 magic (E) + 70 physical + 50% bonus AD (Q) in under 1 second of landing. The Q during E dash eliminates reaction time — the target sees Wukong arriving and must react to the Q simultaneously, leaving no window between E landing and Q firing. Standard reaction time for Flash is 300–500ms; E → Q during dash resolves in under 200ms of landing.
• W Invisibility for Escape in Ganks: Warrior Trickster’s 1-second invisibility is the primary anti-gank tool for Wukong’s own ganks going wrong. When a countergank appears: W in the opposite direction of the enemy jungler, dash away while the clone continues auto-attacking the original target — the enemy jungler may target the clone instead of pursuing the invisible Wukong. The clone at the original position provides 1–2 seconds of confusion about Wukong’s actual location during the escape window. Clone deals 30–50% damage during this time, potentially securing the kill on the original target even while Wukong retreats.

Mid Game (Levels 7–13)

• W → Flank → Cyclone from Unexpected Angle: Wukong’s primary teamfight engage pattern: W toward the enemy team while invisible → dash past their frontline or into a flank position → Cyclone activates mid-flank. The 1-second invisibility covers the approach through terrain or around vision while the clone distracts attention at the original position. Activating Cyclone simultaneously with the clone’s Cyclone activation — one Cyclone from an unexpected flank angle, one Cyclone at the clone’s position — creates two simultaneous knockup zones. Against teams without vision behind them, the W flank Cyclone arrives with zero warning.
• Double Cyclone Timing: The second Cyclone is available within 8 seconds of the first. Don’t use both Cyclones consecutively on the same target group unless securing multiple kills — the second Cyclone is the cleanup tool or the pivot to a second fight area. After first Cyclone: enemies scatter. Second Cyclone within 8 seconds reaches the fleeing priority carry (the 20% bonus MS during spin allows aggressive repositioning between the two casts). The knockup of the second cast hits targets that recovered from the first knockup, providing a second lockdown window against targets who survived the first spin.
• Q Armor Reduction as Team Setup: Crushing Blow’s armor reduction works for all physical damage from any source during the 3 seconds. In a coordinated gank: Wukong Q lands (30% armor reduction active) → allied jungler or laner follows with their physical burst during the 3-second window. A Zed assassination, a Renekton combo, or a Jinx auto-attack barrage all deal 13–18% more physical damage under Wukong’s Q armor reduction. The 0.5-second Q CD reduction per hit (from Wukong or clone) keeps Q cycling quickly — in an active fight with clone attacking, Q can fire approximately every 4 seconds at max rank (6s base CD − 0.5s per hit × 4 hits from clone + Wukong over 5 seconds).

Late Game (Level 14+)

• Full Late-Game Combo: Complete Wukong teamfight sequence: W (invisible approach, clone left at flank entry) → arrive behind enemy team → E onto priority carry (3-target hit, Q during E dash) → Q fires at 350 range (armor reduction applied) → Cyclone (both Wukong and clone Cyclone activate) → double knockup → auto attacks during spin (Q CD reducing from hits) → second Cyclone within 8 seconds on survivors → Q again (refreshed from hit CDR). The clone simultaneously spinning Cyclone from the original position divides enemy attention — frontline peeling for the clone’s position rather than Wukong’s, leaving Wukong’s Cyclone relatively uncontested.
• Stone Skin Armor Value in Late Fights: At level 18 with 5 Strength of Stone stacks: 62.82 bonus armor. Combined with built armor items (Plated Steelcaps, Black Cleaver, Dead Man’s Plate): Wukong can reach 200+ effective armor during active Cyclone spinning with 5 stacks active. Every auto hit from enemies and the AD scaling on Cyclone’s own ticks maintain stacks throughout the spin — Wukong at 5 stacks during Cyclone is simultaneously dealing max HP physical damage AND regenerating 2.1% max HP every 5 seconds while spinning through a grouped team.
• E Multi-Hit for Q CD Compression: When E hits 3 targets (primary + 2 clone targets), each hit reduces Q’s cooldown by 0.5 seconds = 1.5 seconds removed from Q at the E landing moment. Combined with subsequent auto attacks and clone hits: Q’s effective cooldown in active fights compresses dramatically below its base 6-second CD at max rank. Against a full 5-enemy team, consistent Q cycling through E multi-hits and auto attacks can deliver Q armor reduction every 3–4 seconds instead of every 6 — maintaining near-permanent armor reduction on the priority target throughout the fight.

❌ Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

• W Visibility Reveal Before the Right Moment: W’s 1-second invisibility breaks the moment Wukong uses an ability or attacks after the dash. Don’t activate Q or E during the invisibility period (while technically the dash can include Q-during-E-dash, the W dash itself followed by immediate ability use breaks invisibility). The 1 second of invisibility should be used for repositioning past frontline champions before Cyclone activates — use the full 1 second to travel to the flank position before committing to Cyclone or E.
• Wasting Cyclone Early Without Clone: The W clone’s Cyclone simultaneous cast is Wukong’s highest teamfight damage multiplier. Never activate Cyclone before W’s clone is active in a teamfight — the double Cyclone requires the clone to be present at the time R is cast. The optimal sequence is always W (clone created) → E or reposition → Cyclone (both activate). A Cyclone without clone present is half the AoE knockup coverage and approximately 50% less total Cyclone damage (clone deals 30–50% of Wukong’s damage during its own spin).
• Using Q Before E in the Combo: The standard mistake is Q → E rather than E → Q-during-dash. Q first means: the Q uncancellable windup fires at standard 175 range (if not using the extended range properly) → then E activates → target has already seen both abilities before E lands. E → Q during dash means: E dash starts (target sees Wukong approaching) → Q fires at landing with uncancellable windup (target has ~200ms between E visually landing and Q connecting). The 350-unit Q range during E ensures Q connects despite the target’s attempt to step back.
• Not Recasting Cyclone at 0.5 Seconds: Cyclone auto-recasts after 0.5 seconds OR when another ability is cast. If Wukong’s Cyclone is interrupted by CC before the 0.5-second recast mark, the second Cyclone availability within 8 seconds is still active — it’s not lost. A common error is believing interrupted Cyclone wastes the second cast. The 8-second window for the second Cyclone persists regardless of how the first Cyclone ended, providing a reliable cleanup Cyclone after any CC interruption.
• Clone Ignored During Fights: The W clone is often treated as a decoy only. In reality, the clone actively contributes DPS, generates Stone Skin stacks for Wukong, reduces Q cooldown with its hits, and casts Cyclone simultaneously. Always check the clone’s position relative to the fight and ensure the enemy Wukong damaged last is near the clone’s target prioritization. If the clone is attacking a minion or wrong enemy while Wukong is fighting a champion, use Q or E to redirect the clone’s target (the clone prioritizes the last enemy Wukong damaged with Q or E application).

⚙️ Recommended Build and Itemization

Core Items

• Trinity Force: AD for Q’s 50% bonus AD scaling, Cyclone’s 34.375% AD per tick (550% AD total), and Q range extension effectiveness. Attack speed for Stone Skin stack maintenance and Q CD reduction from hits. HP for sustain and Cyclone max HP damage scaling (more HP on enemies = more Cyclone damage). Spellblade proc on Q’s uncancellable empowered auto amplifies the opener burst.
• Black Cleaver: Armor shredding stacks (up to 30%) compound with Q’s 30% armor reduction — combined armor reduction + stacks can effectively reduce armor by 50%+ on a single target during Cyclone spin. HP for Stone Skin passive’s regen scaling. Ability haste for shorter Cyclone cooldown (130s → ~91s with AH). The 6% armor shred per hit stacks during Cyclone’s 8-tick duration, ensuring maximum shred by the spin’s end for Q-boosted follow-up attacks.
• Dead Man’s Plate: Movement speed stacking between engages amplifies W invisible approach speed and Cyclone’s 20% MS bonus. Armor for Stone Skin stack synergy. The on-hit momentum discharge fires on the first auto after movement — Q’s uncancellable windup landing at 350 range triggers the Dead Man’s momentum discharge simultaneously with Q’s own bonus damage, combining into a high-burst opener.

Situational Items

• Sterak’s Gage: AD for Cyclone scaling. Lifeline shield at 30% HP — the fight window where Stone Skin’s 2.1% max HP regen is most actively valuable. HP for Cyclone max HP damage scaling against the target. The Lifeline shield absorbs burst during the mid-Cyclone spin window where Wukong cannot dodge incoming damage.
• Titanic Hydra: AoE cleave from Cyclone and auto attacks. HP for Cyclone damage scaling. The Titanic on-hit cleave fires during Cyclone’s spin through grouped enemies — each Cyclone tick at melee range also fires Titanic’s AoE cleave simultaneously, creating overlapping sustained AoE physical damage against grouped enemies during the 2-second spin window.
• Plated Steelcaps: Armor amplifying Stone Skin’s stack value and reducing auto-attack-heavy matchup damage. The 12% incoming auto-attack damage reduction compounds with Stone Skin’s stacking armor during Cyclone — Wukong spinning through auto-attacking ADCs and juggernauts faces diminishing incoming damage as both Steelcap reduction and Stone Skin armor activate simultaneously.

⚔️ Counter Picks & Matchups

✅ Wukong Counters

1. Malphite

Malphite’s Granite Shield (passive) rebuilds on a 10-second timer — Wukong’s Q on 6-second base CD with hit-based CDR breaks the shield twice before it can regenerate once. Q’s 30% armor reduction against Malphite’s armor-stacking build strips the stat he built specifically as a defense. Unstoppable Force (R) knockup doesn’t prevent Wukong’s second Cyclone (separate cast = can knock up again). Stone Skin’s armor scaling makes Wukong more durable against Malphite’s AP scaling, and the W clone’s Cyclone provides a second knockup zone that counters Malphite’s tendency to group enemies for his R landing.

2. Amumu

Amumu’s low mobility makes him a reliable Cyclone target — unable to escape the 162.5 radius during spin. Q armor reduction against Amumu’s armor investment converts his tank build into Cyclone damage fuel (max HP damage bypasses armor, but armor reduction still amplifies Wukong’s physical auto attacks). Bandage Toss (Q) is a slow projectile that W invisible dash avoids cleanly. The W clone’s simultaneous Cyclone catches Amumu’s team positioned around him, providing dual Cyclone knockup zones against a composition designed around Amumu’s R AoE.

3. Nunu & Willump

Nunu’s Consume (Q) sustain doesn’t address Wukong’s primary damage — Cyclone’s max HP scaling, not raw burst. Stone Skin stacks through jungle camp damage give Wukong 62 bonus armor before engaging Nunu, making Nunu’s physical damage less impactful. E’s 625-range dash into Nunu reaches inside Snowball (E)’s 1000-unit rolling threshold, and Q armor reduction during the engage strips Nunu’s built armor for Cyclone’s full physical damage output. The W clone Cyclone versus Nunu’s team creates two simultaneous knockup sources against his grouped engage composition.

❌ Wukong is Countered By

1. Lee Sin

Lee Sin’s Tempest/Cripple (E) reduces Wukong’s attack speed — directly weakening Stone Skin stack generation rate and Q CD reduction from hits. Resonating Strike (Q) dash reaches Wukong through W invisible dash — Lee Sin can follow the invisible path by targeting the last known Wukong position mid-W invisibility with Q. Dragon’s Rage (R) knockback displaces Wukong mid-Cyclone in some scenarios, potentially interrupting the spin before full stack knockup. Lee Sin’s dueling capability in early jungle 1v1s generally outpaces Wukong’s pre-Cyclone power.

2. Rammus

Spiked Shell (W) reflection punishes Wukong’s auto-attack-dependent Q CD reduction and Stone Skin stack generation — each auto against Rammus W active reflects damage back. Cyclone’s max HP damage and AD ticks both trigger Spiked Shell reflection during the spin through Rammus, effectively making Wukong damage himself during his own ultimate against a W-active Rammus. Puncturing Taunt forces Wukong to continue hitting Rammus, compounding the reflection damage. High armor makes Q armor reduction less impactful (30% of 300 armor = 90 removed, still 210 remaining).

3. Fiora

Fiora’s Riposte (W) stuns Wukong on Q’s uncancellable windup — the primary opener is directly counterable by a correctly timed Riposte. Grand Challenge (R) vital positions directly conflict with Wukong’s Cyclone spinning path — vital targeting forces predictable movement that Fiora can exploit. Bladework (E) critical procs activate on Wukong’s Stone Skin armor, and the true damage from Duelist’s Dance passive ignores Wukong’s built armor and Stone Skin passive entirely, directly counter-itemizing his survivability tool.

FAQ

Q: Does the W clone’s Cyclone deal the same damage as Wukong’s Cyclone?

A: The clone’s Cyclone deals 30–50% of Wukong’s damage output (based on W rank) for all of the clone’s actions, including Cyclone ticks. At max rank W (50% damage), the clone’s Cyclone deals 50% of Wukong’s Cyclone damage — meaning 1% max HP + 17.1875% AD per tick instead of 2% + 34.375% AD. The clone’s knockup duration is identical to Wukong’s knockup duration (0.6 seconds). The knockup is the primary teamfight value from clone Cyclone, not the damage — disrupting a second area for 0.6 seconds while Wukong’s Cyclone disrupts the first area is the genuine impact regardless of the damage reduction.

Q: Can you cast Q during both E and W dashes?

A: Crushing Blow can be cast during the E (Nimbus Strike) dash — this is explicitly stated and the primary engagement combo. During the W (Warrior Trickster) dash, Wukong can cast any of his abilities during the dash — so technically Q can be queued during W’s dash too. The distinction: W dash is primarily a repositioning/escape tool and the 1-second invisibility after W’s dash resolves doesn’t end until an ability or attack is used. Queuing Q during W dash immediately breaks invisibility once W’s dash resolves and Q fires. Preserve the full 1-second invisibility for repositioning; queue Q or other abilities only when the invisible repositioning is complete and engagement is committed.

Q: What is the correct ability leveling order?

A: Max E (Nimbus Strike) first — the AS bonus (35→55% for 5 seconds), damage (80→240 + 100% AP), and cooldown reduction (10s→7s) are the highest impact rank-up values. 55% bonus AS at max rank E maintained throughout Cyclone spinning and auto cycling dramatically accelerates Stone Skin stack generation and Q CD reduction. Max Q (Crushing Blow) second for damage (20→120 + 50% bonus AD), armor reduction (10→30%), bonus range (135→175), and cooldown (8s→6s). Max W (Warrior Trickster) last — clone damage output (30→50%) scales with rank but the invisibility (always 1 second) and cooldown reduction (22s→18s) improvements are less impactful than Q and E rank-ups. R at 6, 11, 16.

Q: How does the second Cyclone work exactly?

A: After Cyclone’s first cast (2 seconds or ended by recast/ability), Wukong enters a 1-second lockout before the second Cyclone becomes available. After that 1 second, the second Cyclone can be activated any time within 8 seconds of the first cast. The second Cyclone is a complete separate Cyclone — full 2-second duration, full damage, full knockup potential. Enemies knocked up by the first Cyclone cannot be knocked up again by the same Cyclone cast, but the second cast is a separate cast — enemies who recovered from the first knockup (0.6-second knockup = they recover in 0.6 seconds) can be knocked up again by the second Cyclone cast. Proper timing: first Cyclone → 0.6-second knockup ends → enemies land → reposition → second Cyclone catches them still grouped.

Q: Does Stone Skin stack from clone hits count even when Wukong is invisible?A: Yes — Stone Skin stacks generate whenever Wukong or his clone damage an enemy, regardless of Wukong’s current visibility status. During W’s 1-second invisibility, if the clone left at the cast position is actively auto-attacking, those hits generate Stone Skin stacks for Wukong even while he’s invisible. This means Wukong’s armor and regeneration stacks can be building from clone attacks while he approaches from an invisible flank angle — arriving at the Cyclone engagement position with full 5 stacks of Stone Skin already active from the clone’s pre-fight auto attacks.