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By GamGem ResearchLast updated 18 Oct 2026

Kindred Counters, Build and Runes — Jungle Matchups · Patch 26.20

The Eternal Hunters

Patch 26.20 · Stats from the 26.18 Master+ sample (1,851 games).

Kindred, The Eternal Hunters, grow stronger for good with every Hunt they complete through Mark of the Kindred, and inside Lamb's Respite nothing can die. Press the Attack was the common keystone among counted Master+ Kindreds, whose usual items ran Kraken Slayer, The Collector, then Lord Dominik's Regards. Viego, Rengar and Wukong gave them the most trouble. Vi and Graves they had the better of.

Marksman

Patch 26.18 · Jungle · Ranked Solo/Duo · Master+ · EUW · KR · NA · 1,851 games · Preview sample

League of LegendsPatch 26.18JungleRanked Solo/DuoMaster+EUW · KR · NA1,851 gamesPreview sample

Role snapshot (Jungle)

ATier

Win Rate: 51.3%
Pick Rate: 2.8%
Ban Rate: 2.7%

1,851

Games

High

Confidence

Most common path

237 games

58.6%Win Rate

Start

Flash

Smite

Other first item

118 games

55.1%Win Rate

Start

Flash

Barrier

Runes

Patch 26.18

This exact page: taken in 16.9% of games·55.9% win rate over 313 games.

Primary

Precision

Conqueror

Gain stacks of adaptive force when attacking enemy champions. After reaching 12 stacks, heal for a portion of damage you deal to champions.

Triumph

Takedowns restore 5% of your missing health and grant an additional 20 gold.

Legend: Alacrity

Takedowns on enemies grant permanent Attack Speed.

Coup de Grace

Deal more damage to low health enemy champions.

Secondary

Domination

Sudden Impact

Damaging basic attacks and abilities deal bonus true damage to enemy champions after using a dash, leap, blink, teleport, or when leaving stealth.

Treasure Hunter

Unique takedowns grant additional gold the first time they are collected.

Shards

Attack Speed
Adaptive Force
Health Scaling

Other keystones taken

Conqueror33.9% taken · 54.1% win628 games
Lethal Tempo11.2% taken · 47.8% win207 games
Fleet Footwork0.2% taken · 25.0% win4 games

Tree pairs

Precision + Domination50.2% taken · 53.8% win929 games
Precision + Inspiration49.1% taken · 48.6% win909 games
Precision + Resolve0.5% taken · 44.4% win9 games

Skill Order

Which ability to max first, and the level each point goes in — Kindred's most common path.

Dance of Arrows

Kindred tumbles and shoots up to three arrows at nearby targets.

Cooldown 9s · 35 Mana

Wolf's Frenzy

Wolf enrages and attacks enemies around him.

Cooldown 18/17/16/15/14s · 40 Mana

Mounting Dread

Lamb fires a carefully placed shot, slowing the target.

Cooldown 14/12.5/11/9.5/8s · No cost

Lamb's Respite

Lamb grants all living things inside a zone a respite from death.

Cooldown 160/140/120s · 100 Mana

Max Order

QWE

Max Q first, then W, then E. Take R whenever available (6 / 11 / 16).

Level-up Order

QDance of Arrows
WWolf's Frenzy
EMounting Dread
RLamb's Respite

Ability	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18
QDance of Arrows		Q		Q	Q		Q		Q
WWolf's Frenzy	W							W		W		W	W
EMounting Dread			E											E	E		E	E
RLamb's Respite						R					R					R

Matchup map (Jungle)

How Kindred performs against enemy jungle laners

Levels 1 – 18 · Master+40%60%Kindred's win rate

≥ 60%Very favorable

55 – 60%Favorable

50 – 55%Even

45 – 50%Unfavorable

40 – 45%Hard

< 40%Very hard

Conditional build matrix

Recommended items by enemy team composition

Master+ · Patch 26.18

Mythic / CoreFirst major item

Core 2Second item

Core 3Third item

BootsBoot slot

SituationalPick as needed

Scaling — minute 10–30

KindredJungle average

Gold

102030

Damage to champions

102030

Counter plan — how to beat Kindred

Close the gap early — it wins at range and at three items — neither before ten minutes
Punish the cooldown — Kindred is exposed while its rotation is down
Ward the flank — vision is what turns its best opening into a worse one
Respect the spike — Riot rates the kit 4/10, so a practised player gets more out of it than the average
Trade on your terms — take the fight where its damage lands on nobody

Ability details

P
Mark of the Kindred
Kindred can mark targets to Hunt. Successfully completing a Hunt permanently empowers Kindred's basic abilities. Every 4 hunts completed also increases Kindred's basic attack range.
Passive — never cast
Q
Dance of Arrows
Kindred tumbles and shoots up to three arrows at nearby targets.
Cost 35 ManaCooldown 9sRange 340
W
Wolf's Frenzy
Wolf enrages and attacks enemies around him. Lamb passively gains stacks by moving and attacking. When fully charged, Lamb's next attack restores health.
Cost 40 ManaCooldown 18/17/16/15/14sRange 560
E
Mounting Dread
Lamb fires a carefully placed shot, slowing the target. If Lamb attacks the target two more times, her third attack instead directs Wolf to pounce on the enemy, savaging them for massive damage.
No costCooldown 14/12.5/11/9.5/8sRange 500
R
Lamb's Respite
Lamb grants all living things inside a zone a respite from death. Until the effect ends, nothing can die. At the end, units are healed.
Cost 100 ManaCooldown 160/140/120sRange 500

Kindred balance history

Riot's notes from patch 25.S1.1 to 26.20 change Kindred in 3 patches. The latest is patch 26.20, published 2026-10-06.

Patch 26.202026-10-06
WWolf's Frenzy
- Monster Mod150%to165%
EMounting Dread
- Slow Duration1sto1.5s
- Small Monster TargetingEnabledtoRemoved
Why, in Riot's words
Kindred is currently a bit weak, so we're giving them buffs in areas that won't make them much more overwhelming in early invades. Optimistically, they'd also make a pretty unique addition to the meta.
Patch 26.12026-01-07
EMounting Dread
- Missing Health Crit1.5/1.9x if target is below 25-75% (based on crit chance) Healthto50% of bonus crit chance and crit damage always (up to 1.5/1.65x)
- Pounce Damage1.75/2.15x on critto50% of bonus crit chance and crit damage always (up to 1.5/1.65x)
- Monster Damage Cap300 including base damage and bonus AD ratioto200 to only the %HP portion (This is a buff in almost all scenarios)
Why, in Riot's words
Kindred's E mechanics are rather confusing and they build several critical strike items already. So we're updating the E to be much easier to understand and reducing the numbers. We're also modernizing the E's monster cap to allow for more damage when building AD and ranking up the ability.
Patch 25.132025-06-24
RLamb's Respite
- Cooldown180 / 150 / 120to160 / 140 / 120
Why, in Riot's words
We think Kindred can be an exciting niche jungle pick at MSI this year and they currently have enough room to receive a buff without harming regular play, so we're attempting to give them some more power specifically geared toward coordinated play by offering up more ult casts.

Kindred skins (10)

Riot's data lists 10 looks for Kindred with their own art, the base skin included and 34 chroma variants.

ARAM performance

EstimateA

Win Rate: 51.9%; ▼ 0.9%
Pick Rate: 3.6%; ▼ 0.4%
Ban Rate: 1.7%; ▲ 1.9%

Damage dealt: 101.8%
Damage taken: 106.4%
Healing: 102.6%
Shielding: 102.9%
Ability Haste: +12

Best ARAM build

Patch timeline

Riot’s notes

This champion’s win rate on each patch the preview sample spans, over its own games there. What actually changed each patch is in Riot’s own notes.

26.1949.2% over 451 games · small sample-0.3
26.1850.8% over 1,026 games-0.9
26.1755.4% over 363 games · small sample—

Kindred's base stats against all 173 champions

Stat	Kindred	Rank	Median
Base health	595	=130th	620
Health per level	104	=86th	104
Base armor	29	=91st	30
Armor per level	4.7	=42nd	4.6
Base magic resist	33	=4th	32
Magic resist per level	1.1	=145th	1.55
Base attack damage	65	=21st	59
Base attack speed	0.625	=117th	0.656
Attack speed per level	3.5%	=11th	2.5%
Move speed	325	=154th	335
Attack range	500	=64th	175

Kindred at level 1 and level 18

Kindred reaches 2363 health at level 18 — 595 at level 1 plus 17 × 104, the 70th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20, shared with 1.
Kindred reaches 895 mana at level 18 — 300 at level 1 plus 17 × 35, the 25th-lowest of 145 mana users on patch 26.20.
Kindred reaches 108.9 armor at level 18 — 29 at level 1 plus 17 × 4.7, the 76th-highest of 173 champions on patch 26.20.
Kindred reaches 51.7 magic resist at level 18 — 33 at level 1 plus 17 × 1.1, the 6th-lowest of 173 champions on patch 26.20, shared with 27.

Stat	Level 1	Per level	Level 18	Rank at 18
Health	595	+104	2363	=103rd of 173
Mana	300	+35	895	121st of 145
Armor	29	+4.7	108.9	76th of 173
Magic resist	33	+1.1	51.7	=141st of 173

Riot Data Dragon 16.20.1. Growth curve: League of Legends Wiki — Champion statistic.

Riot's tips for Kindred

Playing Kindred

Moving around between attacks while jungling will help you avoid damage and also generate more heals from Wolf's Frenzy.
Pick which Hunts you want to pursue carefully; getting many of them is the key to success as the game goes on.
Don't go in first to a large team fight. Wait for your teammates to initiate.

Playing against Kindred

Kindred is fragile - turn the pressure up on her, and she will be forced to play cautiously.
Clear the Hunts Wolf activates on jungle camps to slow down Kindred's damage output.
When Kindred uses Lamb's Respite get inside, it stops all champions from dying.

Quick answers about Kindred

How does Kindred do against Viego?: Kindred won 37.7% of 61 counted Master+ games against Viego. Viego is one of the opponents that beat Kindred. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Kindred do against Rengar?: Kindred won 39.0% of 41 counted Master+ games against Rengar. Rengar is one of the opponents that beat Kindred. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Kindred do against Wukong?: Kindred won 39.5% of 43 counted Master+ games against Wukong. Wukong is one of the opponents that beat Kindred. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Kindred do against Hecarim?: Kindred won 45.8% of 96 counted Master+ games against Hecarim. Hecarim is one of the opponents that beat Kindred.
How does Kindred do against Vi?: Kindred won 64.9% of 37 counted Master+ games against Vi. It is a matchup Kindred wins more often than not. A small sample — read it as a lean, not a rule.
How does Kindred do against Graves?: Kindred won 53.8% of 106 counted Master+ games against Graves. It is a matchup Kindred wins more often than not.
What class is Kindred?: Riot classes Kindred as Marksman. This site files the champion under Jungle.
How hard is Kindred to play?: Riot rates Kindred's difficulty 4 out of 10.
What resource does Kindred use?: Kindred's abilities spend Mana.
What is Kindred's attack range?: 500 units — the 64th-highest of 173 champions on patch 26.20 (shared with 8 others).
What are Kindred's abilities?: Passive — Mark of the Kindred, Q — Dance of Arrows, W — Wolf's Frenzy, E — Mounting Dread and R — Lamb's Respite.
How many skins does Kindred have?: Riot's data lists 10 skins with their own art, the base look included, plus 34 chroma variants.
How much health does Kindred have at level 18?: 2363 — 595 at level 1 plus 17 × 104 per level, Riot's own values, before items and runes.
What is Kindred's ultimate cooldown?: Lamb's Respite (R): 160/140/120 seconds by rank, before ability haste, in Riot's Data Dragon 16.20.1.
When did Riot last change Kindred?: Patch 26.20, published 6 October 2026 — the latest of 3 patches that change Kindred in Riot's notes from 25.S1.1 to 26.20.

Kindred at a glance

Kindred, The Eternal Hunters, is a Marksman champion in League of Legends. Riot rates the kit 4/10 for difficulty, 8/10 for attack, 2/10 for defense and 2/10 for magic. Kindred spends Mana and has 10 skins with their own art.

Attack8/10
Defense2/10
Magic2/10
Difficulty4/10

Kindred's story

Separate, but never parted, Kindred represents the twin essences of death. Lamb's bow offers a swift release from the mortal realm for those who accept their fate. Wolf hunts down those who run from their end, delivering violent finality within his crushing jaws. Though interpretations of Kindred's nature vary across Runeterra, every mortal must choose the true face of their death.

— Riot Games, Data Dragon 16.20.1. League of Legends Universe

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Methodology

Data window: Preview sample — a one-time snapshot of 65,406 ranked games (Master+, EUW/KR/NA, patch 26.18), counted by GamGem while our Riot production key is under review. Figures will update daily once it is approved. Counted 26–27 Sept 2026; patches 26.18 (35,477) · 26.19 (18,580) · 26.17 (11,048) · 26.16 (293) · 26.15 (8); by server EUW 22,382 · KR 21,922 · NA 21,065 · EUNE 20 · TR 17. 642 games without a result — remakes ended by vote in their first minutes, and games recorded with no winner — were not counted.
Rank aggregation: Master, Grandmaster and Challenger, pooled — the three ladders the count read its players from. Splitting further leaves samples too small to separate a real effect from noise.
Role assignment: A champion is filed under every lane that holds at least a tenth of its counted games — the position the match itself reports, not the champion’s class. Its headline win rate is across all of them; each lane’s own win rate and games are counted too, and a lane’s tier list ranks by them.
Counters: The two champions in the same position on opposite teams, over that pairing’s own counted games — ranked on the edge pulled toward zero by its sample size, printed raw.
Minimum sample: None — no figure is hidden for being thin. Every rate prints its games, and the confidence band is its 95% margin: Very High within ±1.5 points, High ±2.5, Moderate ±3.1 (1,000 games), Low wider.
Why a build is not a cause: An item is counted when the match ENDS with it, so late items show long games and an item bought when already ahead shows games that were being won. Correlation is what a rate can show; it is not evidence that buying the item caused the win.
Where the numbers come from: Names, classes, abilities, items and runes are Riot Data Dragon. Win, pick and ban rates, builds, keystones, spells and matchups are counted by GamGem from Riot's ranked match records. An estimate, not a count: this panel is not in the preview sample, and is labelled so.