User blog comment:Tails365/Current junglers/@comment-65.184.134.110-20130305170858

I jungle Xin Zhao, J4, Vi, Hecarim, and rarely Volibear.

I used to jungle Shyv and Maokai frequently. Shyvana I stopped playing since the nerf to oracle duration ruined a key aspect of her gameplay which was super fast ward clears, and extremely high mobility due to her W. This was key since her ganks lack extreme pressure. Maokai is still viable, but you are team reliant. You lack significant damage on ganks and are reliant on lanes to follow up for the kill. Also, if you get a kill in a lane gank on Maokai, where is the gold going? More tankiness is good, but after you get two or three core items, you're decently well off for the rest of the game.

With my 4 above, jungle clear is fast. Gank pressue early is heavy. Multiple forms of CC useful through all stages of a game. Long Range initiation onto the back lines (which is one reason I stopped playing Naut) and if you get the kills from ganks, IT DOESN'T MATTER. You can build damage on these champs and deal significant damage through all stages. And if the early ganks fail, you're not completely useless. Just skip the damage, build pure tank still, and let the team carry fights when you initiate.

TL;DR The popular junglers are scary in three situations: early game, if they're fed, and even if they're behind. That's why they see play.