Passive: Friend of the Forest

Ivern cannot attack non-epic monsters. Instead, he creates a grove around them and channels to set them free, granting gold and experience to himself and a nearby ally. In Mayhem, this translates to a unique support economy where you skip the health cost and channel time of standard jungle clears. You exist to enable bushes and secure the Scuttle Crab that spawns in the center river, giving your team a decisive early speed and vision advantage.

Use the passive to secure the Scuttle Crab the moment it appears. Walk up, start the channel, and deny the enemy team the shrine. In a double-support composition or when your team lacks a traditional marksman, use the passive to funnel gold into your strongest carry. Do not waste time walking to the far edges of the map for minor camps; the center objective is the only one that matters for lane pressure. If you ignore the Scuttle Crab, the enemy team gains the speed shrine, making it nearly impossible for your slow-moving mage allies to dodge skill shots or engage.

Q: Rootcaller

Ivern fires a root that deals magic damage and immobilizes the first enemy hit. This is your primary catch tool and the start of every kill threat. The root duration is generous, and in Mayhem’s chaotic environment, landing a max-range Q on a squishy target is often a death sentence for them. Allies can click the rooted target to dash into attack range, which turns Ivern into a potent engage bridge for melee teammates who lack their own gap closers.

Targeting logic is straightforward: lead the target slightly, as the projectile is not instant. In the early game, use Q to punish enemies who overextend for poke. If you miss, you are vulnerable for a significant window. Do not throw Q blindly into a minion wave; the projectile stops on the first unit hit. Save it for when the wave clears or when an enemy steps to the side. In teamfights, look for the enemy carry or the diver trying to reach your backline. Hitting a tank is often a waste unless your Kha'Zix or Zed needs a dash to reach the backline. If you waste Q on a tank with high tenacity or a champion with a spell shield, your team loses its primary setup tool, and you must play defensively until it returns.

W: Brushmaker

Ivern creates a patch of brush for several seconds. This ability defines Ivern’s Mayhem playstyle, offering vision denial and attack advantages for allies like Caitlyn or Nidalee. The brush appears instantly, blocking enemy vision and granting your team brush bonuses. It has no damage component, so its value is entirely positional.

Use W to break enemy line of sight during poke wars. Drop a bush on top of your ranged carry to force the enemy to face-check or use abilities blindly. This forces the enemy team to buy pink wards or waste cooldowns checking bushes. In the early fight, place bushes to the side of the minion wave, creating safe zones for your team to sidestep linear skill shots. In teamfights, chain W to create a moving path of brush for your melee allies to approach unseen. If you place a bush directly on top of an enemy turret, be aware that it does not remove turret aggro once an ally attacks. Punishment for wasting W is subtle but real: if you place bushes behind your team during a retreat, you may accidentally block your own vision of pursuing enemies, leading to a face-check disaster. Always place bushes between the enemy and your allies, not on top of your allies if they need to see incoming threats.

E: Triggerseed

Ivern shields a target ally. After a short delay, the shield detonates, dealing magic damage and slowing nearby enemies. This is your primary defensive and trading tool. The shield strength is significant, and the explosion damage adds up in extended fights. The slow field helps peel bruisers or set up Q roots.

Apply E to the ally most likely to take damage or the one diving into the enemy team. In the early game, use E on your frontline as they walk up to poke; the explosion damages and slows the enemy, creating an opening for a Q follow-up. Do not shield too early; the detonation has a delay, and smart enemies will back off to avoid the pop. If you shield an ally who is already running away at full health, you waste the damage portion entirely. In teamfights, keep E on cooldown, prioritizing the ally with the lowest health or the one being focused. The slow from the explosion can disrupt enemy dashes and engage attempts. If you waste E on a full-health ally who is not in combat, you leave your actual engage tool vulnerable during the cooldown window.

R: Daisy!

Ivern calls his sentinel friend Daisy to fight for him. Daisy attacks on her own, applying stacks of Friend of the Forest on-hit effects, and can be directed with alt-click or by reactivating R to send her to a target. On her third attack against the same target, she creates a shockwave knockup. In Mayhem, Daisy is a persistent, high-value pet that adds body-blocking, damage, and crowd control.

Summon Daisy when a fight breaks out, not before. Send her directly at the enemy backline to disrupt their positioning. The knockup is the key mechanic; it requires three attacks on the same target, so keep Daisy focused on a single high-priority enemy. Use Daisy to body-block skill shots for your carry. Her health pool is substantial, and she draws aggro away from your team. In the early game, use Daisy to add pressure during an engage or to help clear the wave if your team lacks waveclear. Do not summon Daisy when your team is retreating at full speed; she will not catch up, and you waste the cooldown. If Daisy dies early in a fight, Ivern loses a massive portion of his combat presence. Punishment for wasting R is severe: without Daisy, Ivern has no sustained damage or knockup threat, reducing him to a Q and E bot until the long cooldown returns.

Leveling Priority and General Flow

  • Max Order: Prioritize E for shield strength and explosion damage, followed by Q for root duration and cooldown reduction. W is maxed last, though a second point in W early can increase bush duration for specific allies.
  • Early Fight Use: Secure Scuttle Crab with passive, shield your frontline with E, and look for Q picks on overextended enemies. Use W to give vision advantage.
  • Teamfight Use: Shield the primary target, summon Daisy on the enemy carry, and use Q to enable your melee divers. Drop W to break enemy vision and create approach paths.
  • Counterplay: Enemies with AoE can clear Daisy quickly. Champions with untargetability or dashes can avoid the E explosion. Pink wards counter your brush vision.
  • Punishment for Wasting Abilities: Missing Q removes your catch potential. Wasting E removes your trade pattern. Losing Daisy early removes your sustained threat. Always hold Q for guaranteed hits or to follow up on ally crowd control.