The Elo Goblins Marksman Compendium v.1.

1HOWTOREADTHEGUIDE
2Disclaimer
1

3SETUP
3.1Equipment
3.1.2Mouse
3.1.3Keyboard
3.1.4Headset
3.1.5Monitor
3.1.6Pc
3.1.7Misc.
3.2Hotkeys/Bindings.
3.2.1Smartcast(+selfcast)
3.2.2SmartcastUseitem
3.2.3Disableautoattack
3.2.4Targetchampiononly
4.CHAMPIONS
4.1Types
4.1.1HardCarry
4.1.2SupportCarry
4.1.3ReverseCarries
4.2Makingyourownpool.
4.2.1Preferences
5BasicADCmechanics
5.1FarmingA
5.1.1Howdoyouimproveyourfarming?
5.2FarmingB
5.2.1AdvancedlaningSlowpush
5.2.1.1Backingvariation
5.2.1.2Laningvariation
5.2.1.2.1Method1
5.2.1.2.2Method2
5.3FarmingC
5.3.1Underyourturret
5.3.2Underyouropponentsturret
5.4Trading
5.4.1Autoattacktrade
5.4.2Bursttrade
5.4.3Sustainedtrade
5.4.4Whentotrade?
5.4.4.1Thelasthitblindspot
5.5Runes/Masteries
5.5.1Masteries
5.5.2Runes
5.6Stagesofgame
5.6.1Earlygame
2

5.6.2MidGame
5.6.2.1EarlyMidGame
5.6.2.2Extendedlaningphase
5.6.3LateGame
5.7Warding
6ADVANCEDADCMECHANICS
6.1Stutterstep
6.1.1Butwhatisstutterstep?
6.1.2Whywoulditbeimportantforyou?
6.1.3Whycanwedothis?
6.1.4Exampleofstutterstep
6.2Zoning
6.2.1Zoningcircle
6.2.1.1Leona
6.2.1.2Lulu
6.2.2Bushes
6.2.3Positiontozone
7.3PowerLevels
7.3.1Learningyourpowerspikes
7.3.1.1SkillPowerLevels
7.3.1.1.1Graves
7.3.1.1.2Vayne
7.3.1.2ItemBasedpowerspikes
8.1BotLane,Supportandyou
9.1Positioning
9.1.1WheredoIstand?
9.1.2Prediction
9.1.1Thebotlaneparty
9.1.1.2Clearingwards
9.1.1.3Warding
9.1.1.4Clearingwards
10.1Itemization
10.1.1Whichitems?
10.1.2Itemization
10.1.2.1Itemstarts
10.1.3Defense
10.1.3.1DefensiveItems
10.1.3.1.1DefensiveItemization
10.1.4Offensive
10.1.4.1OffensiveItems
10.1.4.1.1DamageItemization
10.1.5Misc.stats
11EXPERTMECHANICS
3

11.1Concept:MicroandMacroMechanics
11.2Concept:MaximumAdvantageThreshold
11.2.1Whydoesntitholdtrue?
11.2.2Howdoyoudiscoverthethreshold?
11.2.3Whatdoyoudo?
11.2.3.1Bottomidrotation
11.2.3.2Midtotoprotation
11.3Concept:Distributionofresources.
11.3.1Whatareresources?
11.3.2DistributingResources
11.3.2.1Laning
11.3.2.2Macro/Mapwidetrades
11.3.2.3TeamCompositions
11.3.2.4ChampionType
11.3.2.5UnfavorableMatchup
11.3.2.6Followup
12ENDWORD
13CONTACTINFORMATION

1 HOW TO READ THE GUIDE

ObviouslyImnotgoingtoexplaintoyouhowtoread,andifyoucantthenyouwouldntbeable
toreadthisanyway.

No,theguideisdividedintochapters,subchapters,subsubchapters,etc.Eachchapter
explainssomethingandunderthechaptertitlethereisacolormark.

Thecolormarkinghasameaning,namelyitdescribeswhetherthecontentofthechapteris
easy,intermediate,advancedorexpert.Thiscanbebecauseofthethingsyouhavetodo,or
thethingsthatyouneedtounderstand.

Thereare4colormarkings:
Easy
Intermediate
Advanced
Expert

Thereisachaptercalledadvancedmechanics,butinsidethatchapternoteverythingIconsider
isofintermediatetier.Sokeepaneyeoutforthemarkings.

Whilstyouarefreetoreadeverything,ifyouarenewtoadcthenitwouldbeadvisabletograsp
thegreenmarkedchaptersfirstbeforeyouproceedintomoredifficultconcepts.

2 Disclaimer
Sincethisisapersonalguide,therewillbealotofmyownopinionsbutalsoalotofinformation
thatIvegatheredfromreadingtheforums,redditandwatchingmanyLoLstreams/tournaments
andothersites.Notallofthesethingswillshouldbetakenforgrantedasitsuptotheplayer
behindthechampionandhowheplaysthatchampion,butthesearejustgeneralobservations.

Havingthatsaid,therewillbethingsyoumightdisagreewithandthatsfine.Everyoneis
entitledtotheirownopinion,butpleasekeepthosethingstoyourself.
Ifthereareanyquestions,thenfeelfreetocontactmewiththeinformationattheendofthe
guide.

Nowthatimdone,letscontinuetotheactualguide.

3 SETUP
3.1 Equipment
Iwilltrytokeepthisshort,butsomepeoplecouldbeinterestedinthegearIuse.Itsnothing
spectacularandyoucanskipthisasitsnotcrucialtotheentireguide.

3.1.2 Mouse
ICurrentlyusea
RazerDeathAdderChroma

,andpreviouslyIusedaRazerDeathadder.The
mouseisalittlebitonthepriceyside5060euros,butitsagreatmousewhichIhonestlywould
recommendtoanyoneexceptthepeoplewhichhavesmallhands.Whileyoudonthavetoget
andeathadder,findingacomfortablemouseforagamelikeLoL,mightbebeneficialtoyouas
youwillbeclickingalotandpreferablyonewith2to4sidebuttonsforsomehotkeys.

3.1.3 Keyboard
Iusean
Steelseries6gv2
.Keyboardpreferenceishonestlyuptoyouandusewhateveryou
likeandfindcomfortable.IfyouhowdowanttobuyanmechanicalkeyboardIadvisetoavoid
Cherryredsastheyarepronetoaccidentalinputduetothesensitivitywhichinleaguemaylead
toaccidentalskillactivation.

3.1.4 Headset
Imusingan
SteelseriesSiberiaV2
,Itsaheadsetatamidpointbetweenlowandhighend
headsets.Itsagreatheadset,withgoodsoundandcomfortlevelsforlonggamingsessionsof
league.Theresamicaswellwhichisgoodbutnothingtowriteabout.Thepointisthathavinga
headsetwithamicandgoodqualitysoundcanhelpyou.Because,therearesomesound
effectsingamewhichifyouknowwhattheymean/docanbeusedtoyouradvantage.
Example:Cassiopeiault,justbeforesheults.Shegaspsforair,ifyoucanhearthis,youcanturnaroundintimeand
onlygetslowedasopposedtobeingstunned.

3.1.5 Monitor
A24inchmonitor.Havinga21+inchscreen,canreallyhelpoutasyouwillhaveabroaderview
ofyoursurroundings.Thisisduetothefact,thatyoucannot(*Legally)changehowfaryouare
zoomedout.Becausethisislimitedbyyourscreenresolution.ShittyprogrammingonRiots
part,butwhatcanyoudoaboutit?

*Youcanchangeitwithsomehacks,buttheyarebannedbyriotandtheusageofthemcanriskyouforapotentialban.

3.1.6 Pc
Ah,theengineofallyourgamingneeds.Mypcisnoalienware/originpc,ItsadecentPCwhich
canrunthegameonthehighestsettingspossibleonanaverageof140FPS.Butifyoucan
playthegameataconstantof30+fps,thenyouregoodtogo.IwontdiscussanyPCspecs,
asthatssomethingyoushouldfindoutandanewPCpurchaseisnotcheap.

3.1.7 Misc.
Idonthavemuchelse,excepta

SteelseriesQck+
mousepad.Apropermousepadisas
importantasthemouseitself,ifyoucannotslideyourmouseonacomfortablesurface...Well..it
canreallyimpactyourgamingasyoumightnotbeverypreciseorfastenough.

3.2 Hotkeys/Bindings.
Iwillnowexplainallofthekeybindingsiuseingame,toimprovemygamingexperienceormake
mylifeeasier.Youcanchange,anykeybindingsinthemenu,inthegameitself.

3.2.1 Smartcast (+ selfcast)

Thisoptionenablesyoutocastspellsdirectlywhenyoupressthebuttonassignedtoaskill(In
mycase,QWERDF),asopposedtoQ>Click.Thiscansavetime,andisprettymuchrequired
onsomechampionsbecauseoftheircombonature.

Thereisonedisadvantagetoit,whichisthatthehandyskillshotrangeindicatorsdisappears
(Whichcanagain,beturnedonbyenablingthe
smartcastrangeindicators
inthe
moreoptions
menu).

Butmasteringsmartcast,isjustpracticeandmorepractice.

HOWEVER!!!Itishighlyadvised,tonotusesmartcastonsomechampions(Anivia,Jayce)or
bindoneormorehotkey(s)whichwillallowyoutoseetherangeindicatorofsomespecific
spells.Youcando
Shift+QWER
,fornotsmartcastandnormalQWERforsmartcast,soyou
getthebetterofbothsides.

Also,usingtheselfcastpartisalsodisadvisedonsomechampionslikeLeeSin,becauseyou
mayaccidentlyshieldyourselfinsteadofward/minionjumping.SinceIusesmartcastihavemy
selfcastatSHIFT+QWER.

3.2.2 Smartcast Use item

Thisbinding,isjustlikesmartcast.Butenablesyoutoinstantlyuseaniteminyourinventory,as
opposedtoclickingitmanuallywhichtakesalotoftime.Item1&2areboundtonumber1and
2,buttomy2sidemousebuttonsaswell.Thenwegot3to6,whichareboundtotheir
respectivenumbers.

3.2.3 Disable auto attack

ThisisaQOLoption,ifyouwanttoslightlyimproveyourfarmingabilities.Whenyoustandin
thevicinityofanyenemy,youimmediatelystartattackingthem.Whetheryoulikeitornot,of
course.Mostplayersjuststartmaneuveringaroundorpressthe
Skey
,whichisthehold
command.

Butthatsquitetiresomeinnit?Well,ifyouenablethisoption,unlessyouspecificallyissuean
*attackmovecommandorattacksomethingbyclickingonit,youwillnotautoattackanything
automatically!

Youcandisablethisbygoingtothe
moreoptions,
andtickingthebox
autoacquiretarget,s
o
thatitsnotyellowanymore.Afterwardsbesuretopressok,tosavethechange.

*Attackmovecommand,isnormallyboundtoyourAbutton.PressingtheAbuttonandthenclickingsomewhere,willissuea
commandthatyourchampionwillwalktothatpointandattackthefirstpossibletargetthatheencounters.

3.2.4 Target champion only

Idontusethisanymore,butitcancomeinhandy.

Hereisthelinktothevideo.
Link1:
TargetChampionOnlyTutorial

Buttosumitup.Insteadofaccidentallycastingwhatevertargetedspellyouhaveonaminion,
becauseyoucouldntproperlytargethim/her.Younow,willbeguaranteed,thatyouwillcastit
onachampiononceyouhoveroverhim/herwhenyoupressthehotkeyassociatedwiththe
function.Ikeepmineonthe
~.key(OnaENGUSkeyboardlayout.),
thoughyoucanbinditto
whateverbuttonyoulikeandfindtheeasiesttoaccess.

Camera rebind
Ihavereboundedthef1,f2,f3,f4buttonswhichnormallyzoominontheotherplayerstoZ,X,C,V
andspaceforownchampioncenter.ThiscanbeVERYhandyinteamplayasyoucanzoomin
instantlyonhiminsteadofhavingtoconstantlywatchhim.Otherthanthatiseenoreal
advantages.

4.CHAMPIONS
Easy
HereIwillexplainalittlebitabouttheADCtypes.

4.1 Types
IfyousayADC,thenitisaverybroadworddescribingaverylargegroupofchampions.You
cansplitthisgroupintosubgroupsbasedondifferenttraitsthechampionspossess.Inmy
opinionyoucansplittheADCsintothefollowingsubgroupsandsometimestherearefurther
subgroupswithinthosesubgroups.

4.1.1 Hard Carry

Asthenameimplies,hardcarriesrevolvearoundcarryingagameoncetheballgetsrolling.
Theoretically,everyadcisabletocarryagame,butoneimportanttraitofthesechampionsis
thattheyoftenpossessoneormore*DamageSteroidsandhave(Orshouldhave)an
extremelyweakearlygametocompensatefortheirmidtolategamecarryingpotential.

NotableexamplesofthissubgroupareVayne,KogMaw,TristanaandJinx.
Thosechampionsallpossessaformofdamageimprovementandexcellentitemscaling
comparedtosomeothersubgroupsmentionedlater.

HardCarrychampionsarealsousuallyvulnerabletoReversecarriesduetotheinverted
scalingsthatthese2categorieshaveandneedbetterprotectionastheysacrificeutilityforraw
damageoutput.

*Damagesteroids:Passiveskillsofchampionswhichboosttheuser'sattackstatsinsomeway.

4.1.2 Support Carry

Supportcarriesareararesubtypeofadc,whichhaveaccesstoteamwideutilitysuchasstuns,
strongslowsorotherformsofcc.Theysacrificerawdamageforit,sogenerallytheydontcarry
ashardashardcarriesdo.However,unlikehardcarriestheyhaveaneasiertimetomaintain
theirleadsincetheyarentboundtoonlydamagingorkillingpeoplebutcanaidtheteamaswell
withtheircc.

ThatisbecauseofthesimplefactthatCCcannotgetworse,astunwillremainastun,aslow
willremainaslow,eventhoughyoucanshortentheeffectofCC,youcanrarelycompletely
removeitwiththeexceptionofCleanse,QSS,HighTenacityoranyotherCCremovingeffects.
ButeventhenyouhavetousesomethingtocounterCC,meaningatworstyougeta1for1
tradeinskill/item.

10


ExamplesofthissubgroupareAshe,Sivir,Varus.
Thisdoesntmeanthattheycannotcarryagame.Butwhentheyarecomparedtothehard
carries,youseethatthisgroupisslightlyworseinthetermsofdamagebutmakeupforitina
differentarea.ThesechampionsallpossessoneormoreformsofCC.

*CC=CrowdControl,Anyeffectthatimpairsanythingfromanenemychampion.Comesin2variations.HardCCandSoftCC.

HardCCisanyeffectthatholdsachampioninplace,renderinghimunabletoperformlittletonoactions.

SoftCCisanyeffectthatdoesntholdachampioninplacebutdoesimpairhiminsomeway.

4.1.3 Reverse Carries

ReversecarriesaretheoppositeofHardCarriesmeaningthattheyshineintheearlygame/mid
gameandstartfallingofflate.Againthisdoesntmeanthattheycantcarry,itsthattheyare
weakerwhencomparedtotruehardcarriesintermsofrawdamage.

Animportanttraitofthesechampionsisthattheyhaveearlygamepowerspikes,mostoftenin
theformofburstdamageorearlyitempowerspikessuchassheenonCorki.

ExamplesofthissubgroupareGraves,CorkiandLucian

11

4.2 Making your own pool.

Easy
Despitethevarioustierlistsstatingwhatchampionistheflavorofthemonth,youcannotrelyon
thatinformationwhilecreatingyourownchampionpool.Youhavetotakeinaccountyour
preferences,playstyle,mentality,amountandviability.Iwilldescribethesepointsshortly.

Anotherthingisthatchoosingchampionsdoesntmeanthatyouhavetobeboundalleternityto
them,howeveritiswisetopracticethemoccasionallyastheydefineyou.WiththatImeanthe
following.Forexample.IfyouthinkofBestRivenNA,Rivenimmediatelypopsuptoyourmind
(Ifyouarefamiliarwithhim/her?)orFakersZedorMadlifesThresh,etc.

Theywerentnaturalborntalents,suretheyprobablyhavemoretimeonhandandthuscould
havepracticedthemmorebuttheystillhadtopracticethemtoreachthecurrentlevelof
masterywiththeirsignaturechampion.

4.2.1 Preferences
Whenyouchoosechampionsyoushouldfirstlookatwhatyouwouldlikethechampionsto
have,maybeyoulikedashes,slowsorbigults.Preferencescomeinallvarieties.Youcanhave
morethanonepreferencebutyouneedtoatleasthaveone.

Playstyle
Secondcomesyourplaystyle,youcannotpossiblyplaysquishymeleeaswellastanksifyou
areusedtoplayingtanksforthemajorityofyourtime.Again,imnotsayingthatyouwould
performbad,buthabitsstickandstayforlongamountsoftime.

Mentality
Thirdcomeshowyouthink.Ifyouarethekindofplayerwhichlikestodoepicengagesorheroic
saveswhiletankingtheentireenemyteamthenSorakamightnotbethechampionforyou.If
youarementallycomfortablewithachampionthenyouwillhavemorefunandaeasiertimeto
playthatchampion.

Amount
Fourthcomestheamount.Youcannotmastereverychampioninleague,itissimplyimpossible.
Youcanhowevermasteraselectfewchampionsandexpandthatpool.Theloweryour
championpoolis,thefasteryouwillmasterthatchampion.Howeverwiththatcomesthe
possibilityofbeingbannedout,whichcanbeapainifyouareaonetrickpony.TheIdeal
amountofchampionsyoushouldhaveis4mastered+1learning.Thiswaytheycannot
completelyoutbanyou,outpickyouorcounteryou.Whiletimepassesthosethingswillbecome
progressivelyhardertodo,becauseyourpoolexpands.
Beforethatpointyouneedtogetasolidfoundation.

12

Viability
Fifthcomesviabilityofthechampion.Whenpickingachampionyouwanttopickachampion
whichcanmakeadifferenceinthegame.Youcangoaheadandstartplayingunderdog
championsbutitwillbereallytoughandoftenovershadowedbythestrongerpicks.

AmisayingthatyoushouldplaytheHotorOPchampions?No!Thenwhatareyousupposed
toplaythen?Anythingyoulike,butfirstyoushouldlookatwhysomechampionsarepopular.

LucianforexampleinthePreseason4Jinxpatch,wasahighlycontestedpick.Heprovided
burst,lotsofmobilityandselfpeelagainstthepopularbruiserpickslikeShyvanna,Renektonor
Nasusfromthatpatch.Alsonowadaysheagainsthotlycontestedformoreorlessthesame
reasonsandtheintroductionofessencereaverwhichmakehimasnearlyasmobileashewas
before.

Sopickchampionswhichfitthemeta,eithernoworinthefuture.Pickingchampionswhichare
behindthemetaorwhoareoutdated(Urgot,Twitch),hurtyoumorethanhelpyou.Itforcesyou
toplayanupwardsbattle,whichcanbeenjoyable,orforcesyourteamtooptimizearoundyour
championinsteadofaidingthecompwhichbeatstheirs.

13

5 Basic ADC mechanics

Inthischapter,iwillexplainsomeofthebasicADCmechanicsyoumustknow.

5.1 Farming A
Easy
Likeanylaner(exceptthesupport/jungle),youllhavetoproperly*farmtogetstrong.Thisisto
becomestronginthemidand/orlategame.Dependingonwhichchampionyouhavethereis
alsoacertaindifficultywhenitcomestofarming.

Despitethedifferentcircumstances,therearesomenumberswhichyoushouldaimfor,
regardingyourfarm.Thismagicnumberis...

150atminute20
.

Thatnumber,inmyopinion,isanumberwhichisnottooabsurdlyhighortoolow.Ofcourse,
havingahigherfarmisbetterbuthavingalowerfarmisnottheendoftheworldaswell.Allof
thatdependsonhowthelanematchupdevelops.

5.1.1 How do you improve your farming?

Wellthisisaquestionpeopleoftenaskandisratherhardtoanswerto,sinceitdependsaloton
yourmatchup.Generallythoughpeoplesfarmislowbecausetheyfailtolasthitproperlyand
harassatthesametime.Thiscomesonlyfromknowledgeandexperiencebutthereisone
methodthativeusedmyselfforalongwhiletoimprovethelasthittingaspect.

Icallitthe
AniviaFarming.
ThemethodisverysimplebutREALLYhardtoexecute,butitsbyfarthebestmethodthati
couldthinkoffthatbothimprovesyourattacktiming(Takingnoticeofprojectilespeed)andthe
thresholdatwhichyoucanattackaminionsothatyourswillfinishitoff.

Youneedthefollowingtodoit.
AniviaorKarthus
NOMasterieswhichgrantADorANYTHINGthatcanaidyouinyourautoattacks
againstminions
NORuneswhichgrantyouADorArpen
Customgamewithnobots
YoumaybuyNOitemswhichgrantyouAD,Arpenoranythingelsethathelpsyouin
lasthitting.

Yourtargetgoalis180minionsonmidlaneonmin20,theutmostmaximumyoucangetatmin
20is200forbotandtopand215formid.

14

Youcandothisonceinawhile,aftersometimeitshouldgeteasierandsmootherbutittakes
practice.Thoughitwillpayofftremendouslyintheendbecauseyoulearnedwiththeverylow
adandwhenyousuddenlygetmoreADitllfeellikeagodsend!

Anothersmalltrickistonumbertheminionsfrom1to6or,1to7ifitsacannonminionwave,in
theorderwhichtheywilldieasfastaspossible.Thisshouldberelativelyeasyifyoursupport
wontautoattacktheminions,asthatisarandomfactorwhichyoucantreallytakeaccountfor.
Doingthiswillletyoumethodicallyfocusonthecreepsandyouropponentatthesametime.

BecauseInsteadofwatchingthewholewaveforthatoneminion,youwillhavemoretimeto
positionyourselfaroundthewaveandkeepyouropponentincheck.Howdoyouknowwhich
minionwilldiefirst?Well,thatunfortunatelytakesexperienceandsomeknowledgeaboutaggro
generation.

ThissumsupFarmingA

*Farm/Farming:Theactofsuccessfullylasthittingaminion/neutralmonsterandreceivingthegoldandexperienceofthesaid
creep.

5.2 Farming B
Intermediate
Byfarming,youcaninfluenceonhowthecreepwavemovesthroughoutthelane.Ifyouauto
attacktheminionsalot,thenyourwaveshouldpushtotheenemyturret.Thisiscalled
pushing/shovingthelane.Thisbringsbothadvantagesanddisadvantages,whichiwillexplain
now.

Iwillstartoffwiththeadvantages.Theadvantagesofpushingalanearethefollowing:

1. Iftheenemychampion/playershasproblemsfarmingundertheturret,thenpushingthe
lanecangoinyourfavorasyouwilldenyyouropponenttheminiongoldbecausethe
towerlasthitsthecreeps.
2. Youwillbeabletodamagetheenemyturretsafelywithouttakingturretaggro,bydoing
thisalot,youcanpotentiallytaketheturretearly.
3. Yourfarmshouldbehigherthanyouropponentsasyouwillattackmorecreepsthanhe
doesandhistowerwilldenyhimsome.Sowhileyoudenyhimsomegold,youwillalso
getstronger.
4. Youwillexertlanepressure,bydoingthisyoucanpotentiallydrawtheattentionofthe
enemyjunglerand/ormidlaner.Thiscanworkinyourfavor,astheenemyjunglerwillbe
lessfocusedonotherlanesandmoreontoyou.

Nowthedisadvantages:

1. Becauseyouarepushingyouropponentsofarintothelane,youalsomakeyourselfa
15

goodtargetforagank.Ifyourlaneisnotproperlywarded,thejunglercouldgankyou
andturnthelaneintoyouropponentsfavor.
2. Iftheopponentisgoodwithfarmingundertheturret,thenpushingthelaneispointless
asyouwillbeconstantlyinadisadvantageousposition.Comparedtohissafeposition
undertheturret.

Sointhelane,youhavetomakeachoice,betweenfreezingandpushing.However,learning
thischoiceisntthathard.Thesearesometelltalesigns,whichtellyouthatyouhavetoeither
freezethelaneorpushthelane.

Ifyoucanclearlysee,thatyouropponentjustportedbacktobase.Thatisasign,that
youshouldimmediatelystartpushingthewavetohistowertodenyhimtheminions
gold/exp.However,dontoverstay.Becausewhenyouropponentreturns,hewillusually
bestrongerthanyoubecauseheboughtnewitemsandisfullyhealed.

Ifyouareoftenganked,youshouldtrytofreezethelaneandneverpush.Becauseif
youdopush,youwillmostprobablygetgankedagain.

Iftheenemyisoverpoweringyou,youshouldtrytofreezethelaneUNDERyourtower.
Anywhereoutsideyourtowerrange,canputyouatriskofdying.However,mostoften.
Theopponentwillpushitdirectlyunderyourtower,ifthathappens.Trytofarmasmuch
aspossible.

Thesearesomeofthepossiblesituations,overtime,youwilllearntoreadthesituationand
makethechoicewhichgoeswiththecorrespondingsituation.Iwillgiveanexampleofone
situationwhichisacommonsightacrossalldivisions.

Namelywhentheenemybacks.Iftheenemybacksyouandyoursupportshouldimmediately
shovethelanetotheirturretsothattheyeithermissthegoldandexporifonlytheadcbacked,
thatthesupportgetsthegoldinsteadoftheadc.
Howeverdotakenoticeofyourownincomingminionwavesinceitsexactlyparalleltothe
enemyone.Ifyouareunabletoquicklyshoveandbackintime,thenyouwillbebehindinitems
andhp/mpandwhenyoudobacktheywillshove.

16

5.2.1 Advanced laning Slow push

Advanced
Thereisavariationofpushing,calledslowpushing.Thereare2variationsofslowpushing.A
variationwhereyouarebackingoffandavariationwhilstlaning.

5.2.1.1 Backing variation

Soletssaythatyoukillorforcetheirbotlaneoutoflaneandtheminionwavesmeetaroundthe
middleofthelane.Youwanttomakeitso,thatthelanewillbepushingtowardsyouandfreeze
justbeforeithitsthetower.
Thishasthefollowing
advantages:
1. Theenemybotlanehastooverextendfurtherintothelane,makingjungle,midortp
gankseasiertoperformfromyourteam.
2. Youaresafer,sinceyourtowerisrightbehindyou.
3. Theenemybotlanecannotsafelyfightagainstyou.Iftheyscrewup,theirtowerisvery
farback.
4. Farmingbecomesslightlydifficultforthem,duetotheamountofminionspresent,there
isahighinfluxofminiondamage.

Despitetheseadvantagesthereare
disadvantages:
1. Tradingdamagebecomesslightlyharderforyou,becauseoftheminions.Soifyou
attackthem,youwillimmediatelypulltheminionaggroofthewholewaveandifyouare
notcareful,thedamagedonemightbeequalizedpurelybecauseoftheminionspresent.
2. Youmightgettowerdived.Whilethesafetyofaturretishigh,thereisstillachanceof
gettingdived.Thehugeminionwavemakesitso,thattheyturretdoesntimmediately
attacktheenemyhero.Thereisalsopoint1,ifyouchoosetofightback,youwillpulla
lotofminionaggrothusalotofdamage.
Youexecutethismovebyleavingbehindahigheramountofenemyminionscomparedto
yours.Soletssaythatyouhave5,youwanttoleavebehind7.Youalwaysleaveeither2or3,
3whenyouwhentheminionwaveiscurrentlyveryfarintothelanesoitpushesquickerand2
whenitsnearbysothatitdoesntpushtooquickintotheturret.Bythetimeyougetback,the
waveshouldjustbenearyourturretorabouttohitit.Givingyoutheabilitytosafelytakeallof
thefarmwhilstdenying.

Foravideoexampleofthismethod,heresayoutubelinkofakoreantoplaner.Theresalso
commentarybysomeoneelse.Ihavenotmadeanythinginthisvideo.
Koreantoplanebackingwithcommentary.

17

5.2.1.2 Laning variation

Thereisalsothelaningvariationwhichisnotasclearasthebackingvariationsincethereisan
elementofrandomnessinvolved.Howtheminionsattackeachother.Whileitsstrictlynot
random,sincetheyfollowtheaggromechanics,itsnotreallyfeasibletofigureoutarepeating
patternandmakeuseofthat.

5.2.1.2.1 Method 1
Youcanstartalaningslowpushasearlyastheminionshit.Itseasiertodoonthesololanes,
butsamerulesapply.Whatyouhavetodoisquitesimple.
1. Cuttheenemyminionsbeforetheyreachlaneandmakethe3meleeminionsattack
you.
2. Walkovertothebushandgoinsideittoloseallminionaggro.
3. The3meleeminionswillnowbehuddledup.Becauseofthecloseproximityofthe
meleeminionsandhowaggromechanicswork,theywill(orshould)alltargetthesame
meleeminionoftheopposingside.Thefocusedtargetingkillsyourminionfasterthanif
alloftheminionsweretoattackatrandom.Whentheminiondiesitwillbe6>5minions
againstyourside,sothelanewillnaturallypushtoyoursideifyouONLYlasthit.

5.2.1.2.2 Method 2
Itsnearlythesameasmethod1,butyouonlylasthitaslateaspossibleandmakesuretonot
drawanyminionaggro.Everytimeyoudrawminionaggro,theyexpendtheirattacksonyou
andnotyourminionsandthuswontpushthelane.Theverylatelasthittingisslightlydifferent
thanregularlasthitting.
Whereasinnormallasthittingyouwaituntilthehpreachesthelasthitthreshold,inlatelast
hittingyouwaituntiltheminionisnearlydead.Whatthisdoes,itmakesyourminionsexpend
moreattacksonalowtargetandmakesthemwastetheirattacks,butalsogivestheenemy
minionmoretimetoattack.

Theonlyissueswiththisisthattheenemylanercanchoosetodothesame,thenitbecomesa
gameofrandomnessandwhocanaggrotheminionstheleast.

Theeasiestwaytomanageminionaggroisbyusingthebush.Aslongasitsunwarded,it
shoulddropallaggroimmediately.Otherthanthat,onlycomeincloseforthelasthitandhope
thatnothingwilltargetyou.

18

5.3 Farming C
Intermediate
Anotherimportantpartoffarmingisfarmingunderyourturretandyouropponentsturret.
Whenyouarepushedtoyourturretthenyoustillneedtobeabletofarmoryouropponentwill
accomplishthatwhatheplanned.Namely,denyinggold.

Intheearlygameitcanbetrickytofarmunderyourturret,butonceyougetsomeadfromthe
itemsthenitbecomesveryeasy.

5.3.1 Under your turret

Whenyouarepushedunderyourturretyouneedtolettheturretdomostoftheworkforyou,
butsometimesyouoryoursupportneedtoautoattackthecreeponcetobringitjustwithinthe
lasthitzone.Theamountofhitsgoesasfollowing.

Casterminion:1TowerhitandsupportAA.
Meleeminion:2Towerhitsandlasthit.
Cannonminion:34towerhitsandlasthit.

WhydoesthesupportneedtoAAthecreep?Becauseyouradisagood820pointshigher
thanyoursupportsAD.IcallthisAutoAttackWeaving.

5.3.2 Under your opponents turret

Whenyouaretryingtofarmundertheirturretthereisnopressurefromyourturretbutfromtheir
turretandtheirbotlane.

Nowwhenyouwanttofarm,youneedtogetintotheirzoningcircle(Moreexplainedinthe
chapterzoning)andpossiblytakehitswithoutanychancetosafelyharassbackasthereisa
possibilitythatyouwilltakeatowerhit.

Thereisnorealwayaroundthisexpectlookingathowtheplayerplays.Ifheoptstoharassyou
whilehecanhewillmissfarm,youvethensuccessfullydeniedthemgold.Ifhedoesntharass
youthenyoushouldattacktheturrettodestroyitasfastaspossibleandrotatetomid.
Otherwisethereislittlesensetofarmundertheirturretifyouwanttoplayafarminglane.

19

5.4 Trading
Easy
Trading,alsoknownastradingdamage,isoneofthecoreaspectsofanylane.Knowinghowto
successfullytradedamagewithouttakinganyorlessdamagethanyouropponent,winslanes.
Youcandefinetradingin3types.

Autoattacktrade,bursttradeandsustainedtrade

5.4.1 Autoattack trade

Thisisthesimplestformoftrade,butalsothehardestonetoperformwithouttakingdamage.
Likethenamesuggests,youautoattack(Withouttheuseofanyskills)youropponentforoneor
morehitsandgetoutbeforehecanattackyouback.

Thisisthemostcommontradeatlowchampionlevels(15).Whereaslateronskillsgetinto
play.

Rangedchampionsobviouslyhaveanadvantageovermeleechampions,sotheycan
autoattacktrademoreoften.Buteventhentherearestillsomedifferencesinrange.For
exampleanCaitlynoutrangesanVaynebyfar,thusyoucanharassheroutoflaneeasierthan
shecan.

5.4.2 Burst trade

Thisisatradewhereyoutrytodealasmuchdamageaspossibleinaslittletimeaspossible.
Normallyitsveryhardtoavoid,butyoucaneithertrytotradethedamagebackorpredictitand
trytoavoidit.

2goodexamplesofabursttradeare...
Vladimir:Q>*AA>E>Canbeperformedin1second.
Olaf:AA>E>Q.Canbeperformedin1second.
Graves:QRAA.Canbeperformedinlessthan2seconds.

Abursttradeisabursttradeiftheamountoftimeittakestoperformit,islessthan12seconds.
Morethan2seconds,meansitsasustainedtrade.Thesetrades,likeivementioned,arevery
hardtoretaliatetosincetheyareperformedsoquick.

*AA,isanacronymforAutoAttack.

5.4.3 Sustained trade

Thisisthefinaltypeoftrade,wherethedamageyoudealspanslongerthan2seconds.This
tradeisusuallycommonwithlowcooldownbasedchampions,orchampionswhichhave*DoTs
orsomethingsimilartoaDoT.Thesetradesarerathereasilyavoidable,ifyouhaveaformof
20

escapeorcanoutrunyouropponent.However,ifyoucannotoutrunyouropponent,thenyou
shouldtrytoavoidgettinginsuchatradeasyouropponentwillmostlikelywinthetrade.

3Goodexamplesofsustainedtradesare....
Rumble:Q>W>E>Q,repeatorbreakoffafter.Takeslongerthan2seconds.

Riven:Q>AA>W>AA>Q>AA>Q>Eout.Thisis,ifthecombocanbe
performedentirelylongerthan2seconds.Rarely,willyouabletogetthiscombooff
entirely..Also,ifultcomesintoplay.AddRtothebeginofthechainandattheend.

Jayceincannonstance:E>Q>WdontAA>R>W>Q>AAfromW>E.This
comboifmasteredandperformedperfectlycanbeperformedin23seconds.

Ifwelookattheexamples,weseethatsustainedtrades,areacombinationoflowcdskillsand
AAs.Yourarelygettofinishanentirecomboorsustainedattackbutifyoudothedamage
outputisveryhigh.

*DoT,isanacronymforDamageoverTime.Thisindicatesskillswhichasopposedtodealingdamageinstantly,dealdamageovera
certainamountoftime.

Example:SwainsEspell,Torment.

5.4.4 When to trade?

Intermediate
Likezoning,youwillhavetoreadthesituationandseewhetheryoucantradeornot.What
mattersthemost,isthatyouperformthetradewithouttakingdamageorverylittle.Though,
tradingsomedamageforasummonerspellisafairtradeaswell.

Whenyouwanttotrade,itdependsonhowgoodyouareinreadingyouropponentsmovement.
ThisissomethingIcannotexplain,butyouwillhavetolearnyourself.Hereareafewexamples:
5.4.4.1 The last hit blind spot
Themomentthatanopponentwantstotolasthitacreep.Thereexistsaveryshortperiodof
timewherethereisasmallblindspotinwhichyoucanharassthemastheyaretoofocusedon
takingthelasthit,cannotattackbackduetolowattackspeedandarefocusedontakingthe
creep(s).

Butyounevershouldbeconstantlyharassingifthisgoesatthecostofyourfarm.Because
insteadofputtinghimatandisadvantage,youreputtingyourselfindisadvantageaswell.

Anothersmallnoteisthatwhenthecreepwaveoftheopponentistoobig.Youshouldnttryto
tradeasthecreepswillaggroyouandintheendthetradecanbeequal,evenwhilstyour
opponentdidntdoanything.

21

Addexamples!!!
Thisconcludesthechaptertrading.

5.5 Runes/Masteries

Easy

5.5.1 Masteries
Likerunesanditems,masteriesshouldbecarefullypicked.LuckilyfortheADCthereislittle
differencesinceyouoftenrunonepageasofthemostrecent(thunderlord)patch

9/21/0AutoAttackCarries

TheonlyslightdifferenceisforcasterbasedcarriessuchasezrealorcorkiandwhenanADC
doesnthaveanyAPscalingatall.

Inthecaseofcorki/ezreal,yousubstitutefuryforsorceryintheferocitytreeandifyouprefer
havingmoreCDR.Youswapprecisionforintelligence.

InthecaseofnoAPscaling,youswitchnaturaltalentintovampirismfromtheferocitytree.

22

5.5.2 Runes
Easy
Nowfortherunes.InsteadofsayingwhichrunesyoushouldntgetIwilltellyouwhichonesyou
shouldconsiderlookinginto.AttheendthereisarunepagewhichnearlyallADCsrunor
servesasabasisforalotofrunepages.

FlatADmarks:
Goodforearlylasthittingandautoattacktrading.

ArPenMarks:
Betterchoiceformid/late,butyousacrificethecomfortofeasyfarmingforthis.

FlatArmorSeals:
I..reallywontbeexplainingthis.Standardoneveryrunepagethesedays.

Crit%Runes
:Iseemoreandmoreoftenthatpeopleoptforoneortwocrit%runes.Thismay
seemcheesybutitisworthoneadrune.Whyisitbetter?Forthiswehavetodoabitof
statistics.

Considerthefollowingexamples:Letsassumeeachattackhitsfortruedamageandthatthere
are3pages,onewithallflatADmarks,onewithonecrit%runeandonewith2%critrunes.

Wewillassumethatforeachscenariotherewillbe100attacksandIwillusesomedifferent
valuesbutitgetsthepointstraight.

runepage1:
FlatAD
Sinceyouhave11adthereisnorocketsciencehere,norandomchances.
11x100=1100damage.

Constantdamage,nothingwillchange.

Runepage2:
Flatad+1crit%
Nowwegettothegoodpart.Youhave1damage,so10adbutyouhaveonecritchancerune.
Sostatisticallyyouhavea1/100chanceEACHattacktodo200%damage=20.

10x100=1000damage,100lessdamageOVER100attacksBUTletssaythatwecritonce
every20attacks,wecandealfrom2to20xmoredamage,dependingonhowmanyattacks
youdidbeforethecritprocced

Butwehavetoconsiderthefactyouhaveachancetodo100criticalstrikesornoneatall,soit
israndomchance.Butdealing100moredamageover100attacksisnotaseffectiveasdealing
20damageinoneattack.

Runepage3
:Flatad+2Crit%
Youhave2damagethistime,so9adand2critchancerunes.
23

Statisticallyyouhavea2/100chanceEACHattacktodo200%damage.Thisadditionalrune
addsa50%increaseinprobabilitytogetacriticalhit,thenaskwhynot3?orthefullpagefor
thatmatter?Wellbecauseifwedothefollowingcalculation,100/3~33,3%,etc,thenwesee
thateachsubsequentruneislessinfluentialthatthefirstone.Youalsostartlosingvaluablelast
hittingAD.

Sameprincipleapplieshereastothepreviousone.
100x9=900damage,buthereyouhavea50%increaseinscoringacriticalstrike.Buttaking
2ispreference,statisticallyitisbetter.

ThoughhavingatleastONEruneisprettymuchworthlosing1adforhavingthatchanceto
potentiallywintradesbyrandomness.

MR/LevelGlyphs:
RarelyisthereanyMRbuildinanADCsbuildandADCshaveaverylow
MRthemselvesaswell.TopreventextremelyeasyoneshottingfromAPchampions,itisquite
goodtotaketheseglyphs.
WhywouldyoutakethemoverflatMRGlyphs?Becausetheyarebetterfromlevel9onwards,
andrarelydoesthemidlanercomebotatsuchearlylevels.Eveniftheydocomeatearly
levels,theyarenotyourprimaryproblemtillmidgame.

FlatMRGlyphs:
WhileideemtheScalingMRbetter,sometimesyouhavetotaketheflatones
forhugeaplanebullieslikeAnnie/Sona.Thebestoptionistosplittheglyphsintohalfflatand
halfscaling.

Mp/5Glyphs:
Rarelyseen,butcanbeworthwhileoncasterchampionslikeCorkiandGraves.
Theserunesincreasetheircastingpotentialbyalargemarginandkeepyourbluebarfull.

HybridPenMarks:
Veryrarelyseen,sincetheserunesonlyapplytoVarus,whichisgoingfor
anWheavybuildorCorkisincequitealotofhisspellsdealmagicdamage.

FlatADQuints:
SamereasonsasFlatADmarks.

ArPenQuints:
SamereasonsasArPenmarks.

MSQuints:
Rarelyseenquints,buttheyareverygoodonchampionswhichhavenogap
closingskillslikeVayne,KogMawandAshebecauseitenablesthemtomaneuvermoreeasily.

LifestealQuints:
Nerfedtheyarentaswidelyusedastheyhavebeen,thoughtheyarestill
goodforlaneswhereyouwillexpectalotofharass.

24

AttackspeedQuints:
Notlongagopeoplefiguredoutthatbeingabletopumpoutmorehitsis
actuallybetterthanlessstrongerhits.Notonlymakesitlasthittingeasier,youwillalsobeable
toharassmoreinbetweenfarming.Alsopartially,thereasonisthatoftenADCssacrificeany
attackspeedearlyonforrawdamageintheformanInfinityEdge.Sotheyneedtomakeupfor
itintheearly.

Heresanexampleoftherunepage.
ADCrunepageTemplate

25

5.6 Stages of game

Easy
InthischapterIwillshortlyexplainwhatanADCissupposedtodoineverystageofthegame.

5.6.1 Early game

Earlygamenormallylaststillmin1520.
TheearlygameisthemostimportantstageforanADC,becauseyouhavetoestablish
dominanceoraproperfootholdinthelaneandfarmextremelygoodwhileyouareunderless
pressurefromtheotherlanes.
Successfullyendingtheearlygamewith150CS,akill/assistandnodeathsguaranteesyoua
strongmidgameandanearlytransitionintoyourlategameADCstatus.
Ifyouhaveabadearlygame,thenexpectthatyouwillbeweakerinthemidgameandyouwill
`transitionintoyourgodstatuslater.Youwillalsohavetomakeupforthelostfarminthemid
gameorpickupafewkillsinskirmishesorteamfights.

5.6.2 Mid Game

Midgameusuallystartsaftermin20,butitcanstartevenfarbeforethatpoint.
IfthishappensthenwespeakaboutanEarlyMidgame,andyourobjectivesrapidlychange.
Thereisalsoanopposite,wherethelanesprefertofarmoutabitlonger.Ifthishappensthen
wespeakaboutanextendedlaningphase.

Midgameisalsoknownastheteamfightingphase,wherebothteamsclashagainsteachother
forobjectivesorotherthings.Yourjobhereisstilltofarmupbutalsotrytoparticipatein
teamfightsaswell,asyoucanpotentiallysnatchakillortwoboostingyourgoldbyalarge
chunk.
5.6.2.1 EarlyMid Game
Acommontraitofthisistherapidpushingoftowersandclaimingobjectives.Yourmaingoalis
stilltofarm,butyouwillbemovingmorearoundthemapandclaimingobjectiveswithyourteam
liketowers/dragonstoincreaseyourteam'stotalgoldinsteadofpurelyyourown.
WhilsttheveryearlyvariationsarequitecommoninProlevelandteamgaming,itisless
commoninSoloQduetothelackofgoodcommunication.

5.6.2.2 Extended laning phase

Thisisjustalongerthannormallaningphase,whereyoufarmupevenmore.Thedifferenceis
thatthemidlanercanvisityoumoreoftentotrytokillyouandthatthezoningdifferencecanbe
verybigduetothesheerpowerwhichtheADCshaveatthispoint.

26

5.6.3 Late Game

Lategameisanythingthatgoesbeyondmin.3040.
AtthispointtheADCsshouldbebuffedtothemax,holdingthepowertopotentiallydestroythe
entireenemyteam.Yourjobhereistosurviveanddealasmuchdamageasyoucan.
Farmingshouldntbeofutmostimportanceatthispointasyouhavefinishedorarenearingyour
endbuild.Eventhen,youalreadymostlikelyhavemostofyourcoreitemsandarejustslapping
moredamageorsurvivabilityontoyourADC.

27

5.7 Warding
Easy
Warding?!?Thatsansupportsjob!Wellyeah.Butsometimesyoujusthavetowardforsafety
orelseyouwontbeabletofarm.MoreexplainedinthechapterBushesintheadvanced
mechanicspartoftheguide.Iwilldescribehere,whereyoushouldplacethewardsandwhy.
Notethatiwillonlyshowthebotlanewardingpositions.

Firstoff,heresamapofbotlane.
BOTLANEWARDINGPOSITIONS

Onthemapyoullseethefollowing.
1. Dots.InBlue=bluesideandPurple=Purpleside.
2. Numbers.Theseareareferencepointsoyouknowaboutwhichwardiwilltalk.
3. Redencircling.Thisistheroughestimationoftheareaorzonethatthewardcoversif
placedonthedots.
4. Overlappingof2dots.Meansthatthatpointisagoodwardingspotforbothteams.

Wellcountdownthewards,startingby1.

1. Ward1
ispurelyawardmeantfortheblueside,itsaratherunusualwardbutwhenyou
haveafeelingthattheymighttrytodiveyoufrombehindyourturret,youwardthatspot.
Trytokeepthiswardtoaminimumasitprovidesnothingelse.
2. Ward2
,knownastriward.Isoneofthemostcommonwardsofbotlanewhichthebot
laneoftenfightsover.
a. Forthebluesideitsimportantasitprovidesvisiontopreventthepurpleside
junglerormidfromgankingyourback.
b. ForthePurpleitsimportantforthesamereasonsasfortheblueside.Toprevent
thebluesidejunglerfromganking.
3. Ward3and4
arelanewards,bothsideswardthemtograntvisionofthecontentsofthe
bushtopreventbushplaysorpreventtheenemyjunglerfromenteringyourlanethrough
thelanewhentheyarepushingextremelyhard.
4. Ward5
isanallroundward,itservesasprotectionfromriverganks.Thiswardisofhigh
importancetobluebecausetheyhavetowardbothtriandrivertopreventgankswhilst
purpleonlyhastowardriverandtriiftheyarepushingextremelyhard.
5. Ward6
isjustlikeward5withthedifferencebeingthatward6givesvisionoverdragon.
Itsusuallyagoodideatokeepdragonwardedtopreventanysneakydragonattempts
andspotthejunglerwellaheadoftime.
6. Ward7
isexactlythesameasward1,butforpurpleside.

28

6ADVANCEDADCMECHANICS

6.1 Stutterstep
Intermediate
Ahyes,thestutterstep.Sometimescalledorbwalking,autoattackcancel,microstep,many
namesforthesamething.Thoughthecorrecttermisstutterstepandnotorbwalking.

OrbwalkingisatermderivedfromDOTAwhichimpliestheuseofOrbs,alsoknownasattack
modifiers.Agoodexampleofaorbisthefrostarrowfromtheherocalleddrowrangerortraxex.
Whiletheorbisactivatedeveryattackslowstheenemyfor2seconds,howeverwhiletheorbis
activeotherorbeffectslikelifestealwontbeapplied.Howeveryoucanweaveregularattacks
enhancedbythelifestealorbandattacksenhancedbyyourslowingorb.

However,inLoL,youareabletouseAshesfrostshotcombinedwithlifestealandmuramana
procs.Hencethetermorbwalkingisincorrect.

6.1.1 But what is stutter step?

StutterStepistheactofcancelingthe3rdpartoftheattackanimationtosavetime,thisenables
youtomoveearlier.

6.1.2 Why would it be important for you?

Forone,thebulkofyourdamagecomesfrombasicattacks.Two,ifyoucanmovefasterwhile
stillbeingabletoattackyourchaser,youwillbeabletokitethepersonchasingyou.

6.1.3 Why can we do this?

Everybasicattackortobeexact,processofbasicattackingiscomposedof3+1parts.
Thewindupanimation
Theactualreleaseoftheprojectile
Theafteranimation

Withthe+1partbeingthetraveltime.Theautoattacksofrangedchampionshaveatraveltime,
theautoattacksofmeleechampionsdonotoritcanbeconsideredinstantaneous(Thresh).

Afterthereleaseoftheprojectilethereisnoneedtosuffertheafteranimation,sowithsome
timingyoucanissueamovecommandexactlyafterthereleaseandthuscancelingtheafter
animation.
Donotethoughthatsomechampionshaveaeasiertimestuttersteppingthanothers.Some
easyexamplesareGravesforrangedandDariusformeleeandwiththeharderonesbeing
MalzaharforRangedandUdyrforMelee.

29

6.1.4 Example of stutter step

(Thisisontheoldashe,whenherQwasfrostshot
andatoggleableability)
IwilltakeAsheforthisexample.(DespiteAshebeingreworked,thisstillbringovertheideaof
stutterstepverywell.

AshesherQspell,FrostShot,enhancesyourbasicattackwithaslowwhichincreasesfromthe
levels1to5.Theslowlastsfor2secondsanddoesntdecayuntilthecctimerexpires.Each
shotalsodrainsanXamountofmana.

SoimaginethefollowingScenarios.WegotAsheA,BandC.
AsheA:
Shedoesn'ttoggleandshedoesntstutterstep
AsheB:
ShedoesnttoggleherQinbetweenattackswhilestutterstepping.
AsheC
:ShedoestoggleherQinbetweenattackswhilestutterstepping.

AsheA
ischasingTargetA,sheattacksthetarget8timesoverthespanof10seconds.She
used160manaandgot8attacksoffbecauseshedidntstutterstepandshavedoffany
millisecondsfromherautoattacks.

AsheB
ischasingTargetA,sheattacksthetarget10timesoverthespanof10secondsand
didstutterstep.Sheused200mana.Howeversincetheslowlastsfor2seconds,youonly
needtotoggleyourQ5timesinsteadof10.Thissavesyouawhole100mana,whichgivesyou
onefreevolley.HoweverAsheBdidstutterstepandthusgot2moreattacksontargetA.

AsheC
ischasingtargetA,sheattacksthetarget10times,toggledherQ5timesandfired
volleyonce.AsheCdidthemostdamageandsavedthemostofherresources,howeverAshe
Chadtoutilizeawidearrayofskillstodothis.

1. AsheChadtoremembertotoggleherQonandoff
2. AsheChadtocountthedurationoftheslowtoapplyitontime.
3. AsheChadtostuttersteptoget2moreattacksjustlikeAsheB.
4. AsheChadtofirehervolleyinbetweentheperiodwhereshecouldntautoattackto
landthenextautoattackontime.

TheoreticallyAsheCoutputsthemostdpsandismostefficientwithherresources,butlikeI
statedearlier.AsheCneedstorememberalotofthingsanddoitinordermaximizeher
damageandresourcepool.

30

6.2 Zoning
Intermediate
Zoningistheactofclaimingterritoryfromyouropponent,whichforcesthemtositbackand
misscreeps/goldorgetharassedforit.Sincebotlaneconsistsof2peoplenamely,youand
yoursupport,thisissomethingthatisdonetogether.

Toproperlyzone,youneedtohavehugeknowledgeabouteveryskill/championanditeminthe
gametoavoidmistakeswhiletryingtozone.

6.2.1 Zoning circle

InthischapterIwillusealotofexamplestodemonstrateonhowtozoneandhowtoavoid
gettingzoned,Iwillusesupportsforthis.Whyiwillbeusingthesupports,willbeexplainedlater
onintheguide.

Tostartzoning,youneedtounderstandhowbigyourzoningcircleisandwherethecreepwave
ispositionedandwhatkindofterrainisplacedaroundyou.

Firstoffiwillexplainhowyoucanlearnyourchampion'szoningcircle,forthisiwilluseLeona
andLulu.

6.2.1.1 Leona
Leona
isatankymeleesupportwhichexcelsinlockingdowntargetswiththeuseofher
massivearrayofCCspells.

Excludingherskills,thezoningcircleofleonaislimitedtoherveryshortattackrange.Soif
leonaweretozonearangedopponentwithhermeleeattack,shewouldhavetoenterhis
zoningcircle(Whichisbiggerbecauseofhisautoattackrange)andtakehits.

Nowifweincludeherskillsthenthingsgetslightlymorecomplicated.Ifyouseetheenemy
leonausingQatlevel1,thenitistheequivalentofameleerangezoningcircle.Meaningthat
fortheentiretyoflevel1to2,youwonthavetoworryaboutLeonazoningyouwhatsoever.

Butatlevel2,icanGUARANTEEyou.ThatleonawilltakeherEspell.Thisincreasesher
zoningcirclebythemaximumrangeofherzenithblade,makinghersomuchmoredangerous
knowingthatshealreadyhas2hardCCs.ThisdangerfadeswhenevershemissesherE,that
isuntilherEcomesbackfromcooldown.Sotimingitcanprovebeneficialtoyouinvarious
ways.

Thiskindofzoningisquitestrong,asyouknowthatherCCcouldleadtoyourdeathquickly.
Hercircleincreasesagainatlevel6,whereicanguaranteeyouagainthatshewilltakeher
ultimatespell.Whenshetakesherultimateherzoningcircleincreasesbythemaximumcast
31

rangeofherultimate+themostouterboundaryofherultimatecircleattheedgeofthe
maximumcastrange.Thedangerfadesagainafterthespellisputoncooldown.
6.2.1.2 Lulu
Lulu
israngedcastersupportchampion,whichexcelsinaidingherallieswithvariousbuffsor
impairingtheenemywithamixofsoftandhardCC.

Excludingherskills,Luluszoningcircleisquitebigbecauseofthefactthatsheisranged.This
getsfurtherenforcedbyherpassive,whichmakesherautoattackshurtmore.SounlikeLeona,
Lulucanzonepeopleefficientlyatlevelonewithoutanyskills,evenwhenbeinginan
opponent'szonewhichautoattacksyou,youwillstillmostlikelywinthetradebecauseofyour
passive.

Withherskills,Lulubecomesquiteabigharassmonsterinthelane.Beingabletodishoutalot
ofdamage,withoutanyretaliationfromyouropponent.

Likeanyotherchampions,herzoningcircleislimitedtothemaximumrangeofherspells.
BecauseofherE,whereyoucanputPixonacreep/allyorenemychampionandthencast
glitterlance.Itincreasesherzoningcirclebyaverylargemargin.Thisisbecauseshecanstill
harassyou,evenwhilebeingfarfromyourzones.Butalas,evenLuluisconstrainedbyCDs,
soherzoningcirclebecomesasbigasherautoattackrangewhenshecantcastanyspells.

Thatishowyoucanidentifyyourandyouropponentszoningcircle.Therearesurprises
sometimessoyouhavetowatchoutforsuchthingsbutgenerallypeopletrytoachievethe
mostoptimalskillbuildforachampion.Soifyouknoweverythingaboutachampion,youcan
predictoratleasthaveanunderstandingofwhatthesaidchampionisabletodo.

Addpictureswithzoningcircles!
6.2.2 Bushes
Easy
Besideshavingyourownzoningcircleyoucanalsoutilizethebushtozone,how?Firstoff,you
shouldresearchthebushmechanics.Tobespecific,researchthemechanicswhichgovern
underwhichconditionsyouarerevealedinabush.

Howcanyoustartzoningwithabush?Thatssimple,justenterthebushandremaininthe
bush.Assumingthattheyhavenovisioninthebush,theyhavenoideaofyourexact
whereabouts.Youcanbeattheveryedgeclosesttothem,butyoucanbesafeawayfrom,they
dontknowsotheyautomaticallyhavetoassumethatyouareascloseaspossibletothemand
32

thushavetoeithertakedistanceorfindawayaroundit.

Herewecomeincontactwithoneofthe3visiontypesyouhave,thoseare:

Novision
:Alsoknownas
FogofWar
.
SemiVision
:Younoticedsomeoneenteringthebush,soyoudohaveanideaof
someonebeinginsidethebushbutyoucantknowhisexactpositionorwhetherthere
arealreadymorepeopleinsidethebush.
TrueVision*
:Youhavevisioninsidethebushandthustherearenodoubtsaboutthe
contentsofthebush.

*Stealthchampionscounterthispartly,assumingthatonlyaregularwardwasplacedandnotavisionward.

Sohowdoyoucounterit?Thereareacoupleofwaystocounter,buttheeasiestoneiswarding
orusingskillswhichgrantvision.Examples:AshesHawkshot,Luluspixifcastonatarget,
Caitlynstrapiftheenemystepsonitandmanymore.

YoutheADCshouldntwardit,thatsthejobofthesupport.Ifthesupportisntdoingitthenask
ifhecould,ifhestilldoesntdoitthenyouhavetodoityourselfasthezoningcanreallysetyou
backandbuyingasinglewardishighlyworthitinthatscenario.

Butbyhavingtowardthebush,theywoninasensethatyouhadtospendresourcestoward
theclosestbush,insteadofwardingtherivertopreventganks.Sotrytousethebushwhenever
youcan,becausemostoftenitpaysoff.

6.2.3 Position to zone

Intermediate
Whenyouwanttozone,thenyouwantthemtobackofffromwhateveryouarezoningthem.
Butyouwantdothiswhilenottakinganyorlittledamage.Youcantakedamagefrom2from
differentsources,thoseare:

Minions
Champions

Bothofthemcanpotentiallydealdamage,butonlyoneofthemistrulypredictable.Namely
minions.Minionsfollowanalgorithmwheredependingonwhathappensaroundthem,different
amountofaggroisdrawn.Ifyoudrawthehighestamountofaggro,thenyouwillbetheirtarget
andthuswillbeattackedbythem.

Ivecopiedthefollowing
article
fragmentfromleaguewikiaboutminionsandtheaggro
algorithmtheyfollow.

33


Behaviour
Minionsandturretswillonlydeviatefromtheirstandardbehaviortocometotheaidofanallyunder
duress.Wheneveranyunitisunderattack,itgeneratesacallforhelp.Minionsandturretshaveslightly
differentreactionstoacallforhelp.

Undernormalcircumstances,aminionsbehaviorissimple.Minionsfollowtheirattackrouteuntilthey
reachanenemytoengage.Everyfewseconds,theywillscantheareaaroundthemforthehighest
prioritytarget.Whenaminionreceivesacallforhelpfromanally,itwillevaluateitscurrenttargetin
relationtothetargetdesignatedbythecall.Itwillswitchitsattacktothenewtargetifandonlyifthenew
targetisofahigherprioritythantheircurrenttarget.Minionsprioritizetargetsinthefollowingorder:

1. Anenemychampiondesignatedbyacallforhelpfromanalliedchampion.(Enemychampion
attackinganAlliedchampion)
2. Anenemyminiondesignatedbyacallforhelpfromanalliedchampion.(Enemyminionattacking
anAlliedchampion)
3. Anenemyminiondesignatedbyacallforhelpfromanalliedminion.(Enemyminionattackingan
Alliedminion)
4. Anenemyturretdesignatedbyacallforhelpfromanalliedminion.(Enemyturretattackingan
Alliedminion)
5. Anenemychampiondesignatedbyacallforhelpfromanalliedminion.(Enemychampion
attackinganAlliedminion)
6. Theclosestenemyminion.
7. Theclosestenemychampion.

Becausetheyarecontinuouslyreevaluatingtheirtarget,minionswillloseinterestinanenemychampion
ifthatchampionbreaksoffanengagementwiththem,providedthatthereisanyothertargetleftforthem
tochoosewithinrange.

Minionswillonlyreevaluatetheirtargeteveryfewseconds.Thismeansthatifachampioninitiatesan
attackagainstanenemychampion,theattackingchampionwillcontinuetobeviewedasthemost
threateningtargetforashorttimeaftertheyhavebrokenofftheattack.Thisistrueevenifoneoftheir
alliedchampionshasjoinedthefight,sinceminionsalwaysprioritizetheircurrenttargetoveranewtarget
ofequalpriority.Ifatargetedchampionleavestheminions'sight,theminionswillautomatically
reevaluatetheirtargetandwillcarryonwalkingorattackingsomethingelse.

Sowhenyouaretryingtozone,youhavetokeepalittlebitofdistancebetweenyouandthe
enemyminionsorstandinyourminionwavetodivertyouraggrotoadifferenttarget.
Thisscenarioonlyappliesifyouhavetooccasionallyautoattacktozonethem,ifyouaretruly
zoningthemthenautoattacksarentnecessaryandyourpresenceisenoughtoletthemfear
you.Ifthishappensyouhavetostandinbetweenthemandtheminionstodenythemgoldor
goldandexp.

Theseconddamagesourcearechampions.Ifyouaretryingtozonethemtrytonotget
34

damagedintheprocess,becauseifyoudothenatsomepointsyourhealthmaydipbelowa
certainthresholdandtheywillzoneyouback.
Whenzoningchampionsneverruninastraightlinetowardsthem.Youhavetowalkuptothem
bitbybitandgoslightlybackifoneofthemtriestoattackyou.

Whenyouarelearningtozonechampions,itsaslowprocesswhereyousteadilylearnyour
boundariesandthingsyouhavetodotozonethem.

Thisconcludesthechapterzoning.

35

7.3 Power Levels

Intermediate
No,powerlevelsisnotlevelingextremelyfastalthoughitisinsomegames.Powerlevels,also
knownaspowerspikes,aremomentsinthegamewheresuddenlyyourchampionreceivesa
massivedamageorutilityboost.Thebestexampleigiveiswhenyouhitlevel6andtakeyour
ultimate,thoughtherearepointslongbeforethiswhichcaninfluencehowyourlanedevelops.

Learningtousethesespikescanquicklyturnthelaneintoyourfavorandletyouzonethe
opponent,thusfurtherreducinghisstrenght.

7.3.1 Learning your power spikes

Tolearnyourchampion'spowerspikes,youhavetoanalyzehis/herkit.Forthischapteriwill
takeGravesandVayneasexamples.

7.3.1.1 Skill Power Levels

7.3.1.1.1 Lucian
AsweknowLucianisanADcasterandthusbenefitsfromhavinglevels.Atleveloneyouwill
mostoftentakeyourQ,butyouwilllackareliablegapcloserwiththeexceptionofflash.
Howeveratlevel2youcantakeyourE,makingyouverydangerousasyounowdonthaveto
wasteasummonerspelltoclosethedistance.Anotherbonusisthatyouimmediatelytrigger
youpassiveafterdashing,soyourtradingwillalwaysbeslightlystronger.

Aswecansee,Lucianhitsapowerspikeasearlyaslevel2.Combiningthiswithasupport
whichhasalevel2powerspike,likeLeona,willallowyoutoallin*anopponent.

*Allin:Amethodwhereyouuseyourpowerspikeanduseeverythingyouhaveatyourdisposaltogetakillorforcetheopponent
outofthelane.

Thenextpowerspikeislevel3,whereyouwillhavealevel2Qincreasingitsdamage.Ifwe
combinethiswithLuluwhichhasall3ofherskillsatthatpoint,youcansetupforeasykillsor
atleastblowoneormoresummoners.

Afterthat,thereisyourfinalearlygamepowerspike,namelylevel6whereyourskillyourR.
CombiningthiswiththelikesofLeona(Whichhasher3rdCCskillatlevel6),youwillnearly
alwaysgetakillifyouropponentmakesamistake.

36

7.3.1.1.2 Vayne
VayneworksalittledifferentthanLuciandoes,whereasLucianisanADcaster,Vayneisan
autoattackbasedchampion.Sincethedifferenceisnotasclear,whendoyougetyourpower
spikethen?

WhenwelookatVayneskitthenweseethatVaynedependsontheprocofherWpassive.
SincebothQandEapplyastackofherW(Whichyouhavetoskillaswell),youwillhaveto
getall3skills.Withthatinmindtheearliestpowerspikeyoucangetisatlevel3.

Herbiggestpowerspikecomesatlevel6.Whereyougetfaster,moreadandstealthedQ.

ButcomparedtoLucianitsnotthatgreatofapowerspike,thatsalsobecauseofthetypeof
carriestheyare.VayneisalategamehardcarryandLuciananearlymidgamereversecarry,
soitsalsoquiteobviousthatyouwontbeasstrongasLucianintheearlylevels.

7.3.1.2 Item Based power spikes

Besidesskillbasedpowerspikes,therearealsoitembasedpowerspikes.Thedifferenceisthat
expectinganitempowerspikeismoredifficultandhardertoacquirethanaskillbasedone.

Whyisitharder?Obviouslybecauseyouhavetogetgoldandyoucangetdeniedfromgetting
gold.Theotherdifferenceisthatitempowerspikesarestrongerthanskillones,buttheyalso
mixverywellwithskillpowerspikes.Thatisifyoumanagetosynchronisebothspikesatonce.

Anotherdifferenceisthatitempowerspikescomeinthemidgameasopposedtoskillspikes
whichcomeearly.Nowthatweworkedoutthedifference,iwillexplainwhatanitempower
spikelookslike.

2Excellentexamplesarewhen
LuciangetsanEssenceReaver
CaitlyngetsanInfinityEdge

Whenthosechampionsgettheiritems,youveprobablywitnessedmorethanoncethatthey
suddenlybecomeverystrongandsomethingtobefearedoff.ThatexactlyshowswhatanItem
powerspikelookslike.

Thisconcludesthechapterpowerlevels.

37

8.1 Bot Lane, Support and you

Easy
Sincebotlaneisnotasololane.
*gasp*
Surprisingisntit?Youwillhavetoworktogetherwith
thesupport.Ifyouhaveabuddysupportwithvoicecomms,thengreat!Younowhavevery
easycommunicationsanditbecomeslessofaguessingjobandmoreskillandunderstanding
betweeneachother.

However,unlessyouqueue24/7withthisfriendorhaveacoupleofsupportbuddies,thenyou
willhavetoplaywithsomerandomsupportatleastonceinyourleagueoflegendscareer.This
cangoverysmoothorveryhorrible,andthiscomesfromfirsthandexperience.

WhiletheADCcanbeaplaymaker,youwillbeatthemercyofyourandtheenemysupportfor
thefirstfewlevelsofyourinfantADCstage.ThatisbecauseADCsthemselvescannotdo
anythingbecauseoftheirkitsandthenatureoftherole.ADCsrarelyhavegoodorreliableCC
atearlylevels,comparedtosupportslikeLeona/Lulu.
Soattheearlylevels,youhavetobethefollowerandnottheplaymaker.Thiscanbeveryhard
tograsp,butitishowthingsare.ThoughfollowingasupportwhichsynergizeswithyourADCs
isquiteeasy.

IfyouhaveLucianandyoursupportisLeonathenbothofyouhaveaverygoodsynergy
betweeneachotherintheformofkillpotential.Leonatriestoholdthem,whileyoutrytounload
yourburstandkillthetarget.

However,ifyouhaveDravenandyoursupportisSona.Thenthesynergywontbeasgreatasit
wouldbewithanaggressivesupport.But,
SowhatdoyoudoasanADCifthepicksdontsynergize?Firstandmostimportantofall,you
havetotrytopreventitfromhappeninginchampionselectbyusingthehandydandychat.If
youarepickingbeforeyoursupport,thencommunicatewhatworkswellwiththisADCAND
againsttheirteam.WhatiftheypicksomethingthatdoesntsynergizewithyourADC?Thatwill
beexplainedshortly.
Ifthesupportpicksearlierthanyou,thenyouareOUGHTtomatchthesynergyforanoptimal
botlane.

Uff,beyondchampionselectionandyourlaneisKogMaw/Blitzcrank.Alanewhichhas
practicallynosynergywhatsoever.Youwerefirstpick,soBlitzcrankmadeaterriblechoice.
Whatdoyoudothen?

Atthispointitboilsdownto2options,youeitherplaythelanesoloandhopeBlitzcrankdoesnt
trytomakestupidplaysoryoucommunicatetotheBlitzcrankthatyouwishtoplaythelane
passivelyandhopethathelistens.
Whatifsupportwasfirstpickandyousecond?Thenyouareentirelyatblameandyouscrewed
upyourownlane.Inthiscaseyoucanonlyhopeforanunderstandingfromthesupport,or
38

youreboned.Inthisscenario,youhaveNOrightstobemadatanyoneexceptyourself.You
shouldalsolearnfromthisandtrytopreventitfromhappeningagain.

Besidescreatingachampionsynergyinyourlane,youneedtolearnyoursupportquicklyas
wellunlesshesyourBBFF(ButtBuddyForLife).Thiscanbedoneinacoupleofdifferentways
like:
Lookingathowhetalks(Ifhedoesatall.),
moves
thethingshesdoing.

Fromreadingthesethingsyoucanmakearoughsketchofyoursupport,ifsomethingsdont
meshwelltogetherthentrytocommunicateinafriendlywayifhecanchangesomethings.Ifit
worksthenyoullhaveahigherchanceofwinningthelane,ifnotthenyouhaveverywelllost
thelanealreadyastheypossiblyhavea2v1v1advantage.

Icangiveagoodexampleofbadsupportcommunicationinoneofmygames.

AfterhavingpickedKogMawfirstandLuluassupportitseemedlikeadecentsynergy,butthe
enemyTwitchandTaricweregoingtobeatoughcombotobattleagainst.Immediatelyfromthe
secondtheminionwavehitseachother,Lulugoesfullaggressiveandgetspunishedforitvery
quickly,nettingakillforTwitch.
Iaskedherifsheshouldgoalittleeasy,becauseKogMawisntparticularlystrongearlyandwe
couldbeatthemlateronifweweretoplaysafer.Nevertheless,Imustvehitanerveor
somethingasshelaughedinmyfaceandkeptdoingwhatevershewasdoingandshestarted
takingordisruptingtheminionsaswell.ThisresultedinanearlyfedTwitchandmegetting
zonedhard.Ileftthelaningphasewith46minionsandacoupleofdeaths.Longstory,short
story.Welostthatgameprettyhardasthetwitchstartedstompingeveryotherlane.

MaybeImisunderstoodher,maybeIwasntpoliteenough,ormaybeshewasjustablatanttroll.
Thatdoesntmatterasthisisjustanexampleofbadcommunicationsbetweenthesupportand
ADC.

Unfortunatelyyoucannotalwaysachievethiscommunicationduetothedifferencebetween
peoplesthoughtsandopinions.Butpeoplethinkthishappensveryoftenandthusisthereason
whytheyarelosingbotlanesooften,whileinrealityitdoesnthappenveryoftenatall.
ThatisoneofthedelusionsbadADCshavethinkingtheyaresogood.

Nowifwelookcloselyatthisentirechapter,thenwecanseeonthingwhichisveryimportant.
Thatis.Communicationbetweenyouandyoursupport,oratleastaformofunderstanding
betweeneachother.Soalwaystrytoachievethis,asitwilltremendouslyimproveyourlane
performanceandincreaseyourgeneralunderstandingofpeople..

ThisendsthechapterBotlane,SupportandYou.

39

9.1 Positioning
Advanced
Positioning,alsoknownasthebaneofexistenceforbeginnerADCs,isthesecondmost
importantskillanADCneedstomastertobecomeagoodADC.Themechanicitselfissimple,
buthardtoutilize.

Whereaszoningistheactofdenying/limitingyouropponent'smovement,positioningistheact
ofkeepingdistancebetweenyouandthepersontryingtokillyou,whilststillbeinginattack
distanceofanytarget.Preferablyafavorabletargetsuchastheircarries.

9.1.1 Where do I stand?

Advanced
Inanidealworld,youwillbestandingbehindyourtankswithyoursupportbesideyou.But
knowingleague,thishappensonlyonceinawhile.Ifthishappens,thenyourpositiondepends
ontheenemyteamswhereabouts.
Likezoning,positioningrequiresahugeamountofknowledgeabouteverychampioninthe
gametoproperlyjudgethedistanceyouhavetokeepbetweenyouandnextguywhichhasan
eyeoutforyou.

The2questionsyoushouldaskyourselfwhenpositioningare:
1. AmIsafehere?
2. CanIattacktheoppositionfromthisdistance?

Point1
isprettymuchselfexplanatory.AdeadADCisauselessADC,sobeingatthefront
witharmsreachofanyassassinsornukersisnotaveryfavorableplaceforyou.
Whenestablishingasafepositionyouhavetotakenoticeofyourpersonalsafetycirclewhich
equalstoyourzoningcircle.Anythingthatcanquicklybreachyoursafetycircle,makesthe
positionnotsafe.Butyougotflash!Blinks/dashesonsomechampions!Wecanescape,so
whatstheproblem?Thatsnext.

Anotsafepositionisalsoapositionwhichrequiresyoutouseoneormoreescapetoolsifthe
enemytriestokillyou.SomechampionareveryforgivinginthislikeEzreal,Gravesand
Tristana,thatisbecausetheyhaveinbuildblinks/dashesonlowCD.Combinedwithflash,
thesechampionscanescapeeasilyiftheyarecaught.
Butthisisverydisadvantageousforyouaswell,insteadofsearchingafavorablespottoattack
from,youwillbetryingtoescape.Whereasyoumaybecouldvepreventedthisallinthefirst
placebynottakingthatrouteorbystandingtherebeforethefight.

40

Point2
isequallyimportant.Youmaybesafe,milesbehindyourteam,butwhenyoucannot
unloadyourdamagethenyouareequaltoadeadADC.Sowhenyouaretryingtoescape,it
limitsyouralreadyshorttimeframeyouhave,tofindagoodspottoattackfromandtoattack!
Afteraskingyourselfthose2questionsanddeducingthatthespotissafe,youcanstandthere.
Butwait!Theresmore!
Thatdoesntmeanyoucanstandtheretheentiretime!Asweallknow,LoLteamfightsarevery
dynamicandyouareonlyoneofthe10peopleinthegame.Theirpositionschangeconstantly
aswell,soyouwillhavetoconstantlyaskyourselfthose2questionsoverandovertofinda
safespot.Becauseafterall,thesamespotthatwassafeasecondago,isnowterritoryofTalon
andtotallynotasafeplacetobeforanADC.
Thisconstantsplitseconddecisionmakingiswhatmakespositioningsoveryhardandtrickyto
master

9.1.2 Prediction
Intermediate
AnotherimportantpartofbeingagoodADCistopredict,becauseifyoucanpredictthenyou
canalsopositionbetterandplanoutfuturespots.WaitDoesnteverylaneneedtodothat?
Wellyes,butsomelanescanbeforgivingdependingonyourpick,whilstanADCwillalways
remaininitsglasscannonstate.

Soyounotonlyhavetopredictyouropponent,youhavetopredicthim
successfully.
Thiscan
begodawfulhard,becauseitis.Notonlydoespredictionrequireimmenseknowledgeabout
everythinginthegame,butahugeamountofoverallawarenessaswell.Youneedtotake
noticeofCD/summonertimers,difficultywithCSing,somequirkstheenemysummonerhasand
manyotherdifferentthings.

Learningtopredictisveryhard,asoftenwhenyouplaythegameyoufindyourselfdoingthings
automaticallyandtendtoforgetthings.Whatyouneedtotrytodoisbecomeawareofall
actionsyouandyouropponentsperform.Formethefollowingworkedinthepast.
Insteadoftryingtorememberit(Youllforgetitmostofthetimeanyway.),placeanoteofsome
sortveryclosetoyourscreen,withsometextthatmakesyouaware.Withthisyoubreakyour
automatismandbecomeawareofyouractions.Eventuallythisawarenesswillbecome
automaticaswell,butyoulltakenoticeofitasyourgameplaywilldefinitelyimprove.

41

Thereisachartforthis,calledthefourstagesofcompetence.

Linktoarticle:
fourstagesofcompetence

And.Thatsallthereistoit!Itseemslittle,butitislittle!Itsasbasicasprecisionclicking.The
ideaisdeadsimple,buttheexecutionofitisveryhardandrequiresconstantpractice.

42

9.1.1 The botlane party

Intermediate

Sometimesthiscraphappensatbot
(Forthosenotfamiliarwithhearthstone,itsareferencetoadeckcalledpatronwarrior.Whereitspurposewastosuddenlycreatea
largeamountoftokenswithchargetoimmediatelyattacksomeone.Itwasarguableoneofthebestdecksever.)

Yourememberthetimewhenyouplayedasololaneandgotcampedbythejungler?Yeah,bot
lanehasitworsesometimes.Thisphenomenahappenswhentheirmidandtopknowthe
importanceofhavingtheirbotlanewin,ortonotloseinabadmatchup.

Theeffectsarethatthetoplanewillusetheirteleporttobotveryoften,junglewillcampyouand
ifthetoplanerhasnotp,thenthemidlanerwillroamtobotwiththeworstvariationbeingthat
quiteliterallytheirentireteamisatbotintheearlygamesothattheymayscrewyouover.

Thiswillleadtodying,gettingchasedaway,gettingchunkedand/orhavingtobackorrisk
gettingdove.Sowhatcanyoudoaboutit?

9.1.1.2 Clearing wards

Oftenasupportoradc,willattempttoplaceawardbehindyouandthenmakeyouoverextend
oroveraggres.Thisllallowtheirtoplanertoteleportyouintheback,givinghimavery
favorableentry.Youhavetoeitherclearthiswardorwardsiftherearemore.Ifyouareunable
todoso,youwillhavetogiveupground.Basedonthefactthatyouknoworthatthereisahigh
likelihoodthattheywilldothis.

9.1.1.3 Warding
Puttingupwardsaheadoftimeisaprettysmartinvestment,seechapter5.7foritandrefer
yourselftothechart.
N

9.1.1.3 Playing Safe

Puttingupwardsaheadoftimeisaprettysmartinvestment,seechapter5.7foritandrefer
yourselftothechart.
N

9.1.1.3 Freezing
Puttingupwardsaheadoftimeisaprettysmartinvestment,seechapter5.7foritandrefer
yourselftothechart.
N

43

9.1.1.3 Ask for assistance

Puttingupwardsaheadoftimeisaprettysmartinvestment,seechapter5.7foritandrefer
yourselftothechart.
N

Thissumsupchapterpositioning.

44

10.1 Itemization

Intermediate

10.1.1 Which items?

Ineverylaneyouwillhavetobuilditemsandsothebigquestionarises.Whichones?For
ADCstheanswerisrathersimple.Anythingthatincreasesyourdamageoutputanddepending
onthecircumstances,somesurvivability,whichincreaseyourpoorlifespanbyacoupleof
secondsoraidswithescapingfromstickysituations.

Yeahyeah,butwhatdoIneedtobuildEXACTLY?Thematterisnotassimple,yourplaystyle,
yourchampionandtheoppositionallinfluenceyourbuild.Whenlookingforabuildyouwill
alwaysprimarilystartlookingatthechampionyouareplayingcurrently.

DoeshebenefitmorefrommakingrawAD?
DoeshebenefitmorefrommakingATSPD?
Doeshebenefitmorefromrushingaspecificitem?

Aresomeofthequestionswhichshouldcrossyourmindwhendecidingyouritembuild.
Forexample,ifwelookattheskillsetof
KogMaw
,thenwecanseethatmakingmoreATSPDis
verybeneficialtohimcomparedtomakingrawAD.
Butwhenwelookat
Graves
,thenwecanquicklyseethatATSPDisntasefficientstatasitis
onKogMaw.Graveshowever,prefersrawADtoincreasehisburstpotential.

Ichosetwoverydistinctexampleswherethechoiceisrathersimplebecauseofhow
straightforwardthosechampionkitsaredesigned.IfwelookatEzrealandAshe,thenit
becomesahardchoicetomake.Thatisntsurprising,becausebothofthemareorcanbe
playedassupporttypeADCsorHardCarrytypeADCsandarethusnotboundtoaverystrict
groupofitems.

Whatdoyoudothen?Youlookatwhatyourteamneeds.Iftheyneedamoredamageoriented
ADC,thenyoushouldbuildaccordingly.Howeverdontforgettoincorporateyourownplaystyle
intothebuildwhenyoumakethechoice,becauseifyouconstantlyplayhardcarryoriented
ADCsandthensuddenlytransitionintoSupportbasedADCs,thiscanresultinaweaker
performance.

Now,foraverygoodexampleofapersondoingthiswasGenja,amemberofGambitGaming
alsopreviouslyknownasMoscow5orM5forshort.
GenjahasbuildaBloodthirster,LWandGA(Excludingboots)onnearlyeveryADCheplayed.
Thatismainlybecauseofhowhisteamplayed.Histeamwasoftenbuildaroundthecore
(Mid,topandJungle),divingintothefightandleavingGenjatofendforhimself.
Withthisinmindhedevelopedabuild/playstyle,whereeveryshothemakes(sometimesthere
arenotmany)needstocount.Butwhycantheattackmuch?Because,heneedstorelocate
veryoftenduetotheamountofprotectionhereceives,whichtosay...isnotmuch.
45

SowhatsbetterthanrawADand%armorshred?Itdoesnthaveanyrandomfactor
whatsoeveranditsaveryconsistentstatasitalsocanimprovethedamageofhisskills,soitis
abrilliantchoice.
IntheendhedoesmakeAtSPD,buthedoesntprioritizeit.

ThenwearrivebytheGA.
GAisanfrequentlybuilditemonADCsbecauseofthepassiveandthestatsitoffers.Itgives
youresistsandarevivepassive!Holyhell!Notonlydoesitgiveyouasecondchance,it
STALLStheopposition.Why?
Because.theyhavetomakeachoicenow.
Dowewaitforhimtodefinitelykillhim?Ordowechangeourtarget?

Iftheychoosetowaittheyllhavetostandanddonothing.Somethingthatcanworkagainst
them.Whilsttheyaredoingnothing,yourteamhopefullyisdoingsomethingtomakeyourdeath
worthwhile.Maybetheyarekillingoneormorepeopleoftheirteam,ortakinganobjectivelike
baron,orpushingatower.

Butwhentheychoosetoswitchtargets,youllbeback.Readytowreckmorehavoconthe
battlefield,orfleelikethecowardsyouare,readytofightanothertime.Evenifyoufleeyou
alreadyaccomplishedsomething,youmadethemwastetimeandresourcesonkillingyouand
theyevendidntkillyou

ForGenjathisisverybeneficialtohisteam,asitgiveshiscoretimetocomebackand
potentiallysavehim.
Thatiswhyhebuildthese3itemsonnearlyeveryADCheplays.

46

10.1.2 Itemization
InthischapteriwilldiscussitemizationingeneralandnotonlyADCspecific,thisisvitalto
knowandunderstandingthisenablesyoutoreadyouropponent'sitempathandcounteritlong
before.

10.1.2.1 Item starts

Therearealotofitemstartsandyoushouldfindoutwhatsuitsyouandthechampionthatyou
have.Thepointofgettingthecorrectstartingitemsisthatyouwilleitherwinyourlaneor
stalematewithyouropponent.

Hereareafewofthepossibleitemstarts.

Corruptingpotionstart
CPstartisgoodwhenyouneedtohavesomesustain,butalsowhenyouwanttofightback.
Themanaandtheburndamagegiveyoutheopportunitytostrikebackandpossiblywinan
unfavorablelaneback.

Clothstart

ThisstartiscommonagainstADmatchups.Thisstartgivesyoualotofsustainandarmor
againstthatpeskyadwhichwantstokillyou.YougetaClotharmorand5healthpotionsor
Clotharmor,4healthpotionsand1manapotion.
ThisstartisgoodforADmatchupsorforaquickconversionintotankitems.Generallyanytop
lanerbenefitsfromthisifyouarefightinganADchampion.

Bootsstart

Ah,goodlboots.Thisstartissomethingofthepastnowandisrarelyseenthesedays.This
startgivesyoualittlebitmoremobilityandsomesustain.Yougetbootsofspeedand4health
potions.Thisstartisgoodforkitingbasedcharacters,thoughtheybenefitalotfromotherstarts
aswell.ExamplesofsuchchampionsareKennen,VladimirandTopADCs.

47

Doransstart

Onceacommonstartandtheuncommon(WiththeexceptionofDoransBlade)andnow
becomingcommonagain,thetrioofDoran'sitemsgiveyoualargevarietyofstatstostartoff
yourgame.

ADoransBladestartisoneofthemostcommonstartsforADCatthecurrentmoment,thatisif
youtake2or3lifestealquints.Whyisitacommonstart?Itoffersalotofconsistentsustain,as
longasyoucankeepattackingthecreeps.Opposedtohealthpotionswhichprovideburstheals
butleaveyouwithnosustainafter.

10.1.3 Defense
10.1.3.1 Defensive Items
Everythingdependsonwhichchampionyouarefightingagainstandwhichchampionyouhave,
soitisimportanttoknowtheskillsandtheprimarydamagetypeofyouropponentandyourself.

Wehavethefollowingdefensivestats.

Magicresist:
ReducestheamountofmagicdamageyoureceivefromanyAPsource.Has
diminishingreturns.

Armor:
ReducestheamountofphysicaldamageyoureceivefromanyADsource.Has
diminishingreturns.

Health:
Governshowmuchhealthyourchampionhasandhowmuchdamagehecantake,
armor/mrandotherthingsarecalculatedinthisaswell.

HealthRegen:
YourchampionautomaticallyreplenisheshisownhealthbyXper5second,or
persecondifyoudivideitby5.

Tenacity:
Governshowlong*CCwilllastonyou.Tenacityhasdiminishingreturnsanditis
impossibletoreach100%tenacity.HighestpossiblewaswithZac.

Quotefromthefollowing

Article
ThehighestavailablecrowdcontrolreductioncanbeachievedbyZacThiscombinesthe35%fromTenacity,15%
fromTenacious,and50%fromLet'sBounce!,reachingatotalof1((10.35)*(10.15)*(10.50))=72.4%.Or90.3%for
3secondswithuseofCleanse.

Withthosestatsinmind,wenowcanlookatwhatthosestatscounterandwhatotherstats
counterthesestats.
Generallythecounteringofstatsgoeslikethis.
48


MagicResist>Magicdamage
Armor>Attackdamage
Health>Truedamage
MagicPenetration>MagicResist
ArmorPenetration>Armor
%damage>Health
Truedamage>Resists

Knowingthesecounters,inowcangiveanexampleofhowyoucanutilizethissimpleyet
complicatedknowledge.
10.1.3.1.1 Defensive Itemization
Letssaythatyouhavepicked

Shen
,andyouarefacing

Renekton
whichisanADbruiser.
NaturallybecauseShenisatank,youllbebuildingtankitems,butwhich?Inthestart,youwill
mostlikelywanttobuildbothHealthandarmortocountertherenekton.Butafterwardsyoualso
shouldlookatthewholeenemyteamanditemizeagainstit,oryoumightbeanveryeffective
tankagainstonetypeofdamagebutnotagainsttheother..

Soletssaythattheirteamlookslikethis:
Top:Renekton(Mixed,butADmostly)
Middle:Diana(AP)
Jungle:Jarvan(AD)
ADC:Tristana(Mixed,butADmostly)
Support:Sona(AP)

Thisteamhasquitealotofmixeddamage,soyouritemscouldlooklikethis.

SinceADisamorecommonstatontheirteam,thesebootswillreducethisdamageby
addingarmorandaniftypassivewhereyoureceive10%lessdamagefromauto
attacks.

SamereasonsasNinjaTabi,butthistimeyougetsomehpandagainaniftypassive
whereyourpresenceisalreadyenoughtodamagethem.

TitanicHydra:Makesyourwaveclearingevenbetterandgrantsyoutheabilitytoheavilybrawl.
Sinceitusesyourhptoboostyourpassive,theitembecomesbetterthemorehpyouhave.

RanduinsOmen:Givesyouhp/armor/cooldownandmakesyouanunattractivetargetfor
tristanatoattackduetothepassive.
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AbyssalScepter:BooststhepowerofEVERYskillyouhave,givesyouamassivechunkofmr
toplugthemrholeandgivesyourentireteamthemrdecreaseaurawhichboostsyourteam's
damageoutput.

Spiritvisage:Morehp,boostsyourenormousregenyougetfromyourtitanichydra,makesyou
hitharderbecauseofhydraandoverallagoodtankitem.

Thisbuildprovidesaveryhealthyamountofdefensivestats,butoffensivestatsaswell.So
whilst,stillbeingabletotankalotofdamage,youwillbedishingoutalotofdamageatthe
sametime.Thereareotherpossibilitiesaswellandyoucanswitchoutafewitems,butthisis
justtogiveageneralviewofhowtoitemizeagainsttheopposingteam.

10.1.4 Offensive
10.1.4.1 Offensive Items
Besidesthedefensivestats,wealsohaveoffensivestats.Mixingtheminyourbuildisvery
importantaswell,somechampionsneedmorethanothersbuttherewillbeoffensiveitemsin
yourbuildsinmostcases.

Forthecountersyoucanlookatthedefensivestats,asiwillbedescribingthesynergyof
offensiveitemshere.

Wegotthefollowingoffensivestats.

AttackSpeed
:Increasestheamountofbasicattacksyoucandopersecond.
AttackDamage:
GovernsthedamageofyourbasicattacksandanyskillsthathaveanAD
scaling,worksgoodwithArPen.
AbilityPower
:GovernsthedamageofspellswhichhaveanAPscaling,worksgoodwith
Mpen.
ArmorPenetration:
Governshowmucharmorofyourenemyyouwillignore,appliestoboth
basicattacksandphysicaldamagespells.
MagicPenetration:
GovernshowmuchMagicresistyouwillignore,appliestoanythingthat
dealsmagicdamage.
%Damage:
UsestheenemyHptoincreaseyourdamageagainstthemineithermagicor
physicaldamage.
Critchance:
Givesanx%,todealdoubleyouradwithabasicattack,worksgoodwithattack
speedandAD.
CritDamage:
Increasesthe%ofdamagethatyourcritdeals.
Lifesteal:
YougethealthbackdependingonhowmuchADyouhaveandhowhighyour
lifesteal%is.Sincetheactofgettinghealthbackinvolvesattackingatarget,iconsiderittobe
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anoffensivestat.
SpellVamp:
Yougethealthbackdependingonhowmuchmagicdamageyourspells(Which
canbeincreasedbybuildingAP)doandhowhighyourspellvamp%is.Sincetheactofgetting
healthbackinvolvesattackingatarget,iconsiderittobeanoffensivestat.
ItemProcs:
Enhanceyourbasicattackinsomeway,readthetooltipoftheitemtofindoutthe
effectandwhatdamagetypeitdoesandtofindoutwithwhichstatsitsynergizes.

10.1.4.1.1 Damage Itemization

Itallsoundsnice,butbuyingrandomstatstodealmoredamagewontbeeffective.Forittobe
effectiveyouhavetotakeyourownchampionintoaccountandlookatwhichstatsyour
opponentisbuildingtomaximizedamageoutput.

Onceagain,iwilltake

Shen
forthis.WellhavetoanalyzeShendamagingcapabilitiestosee
whichstatsarethemosteffectiveonhim.

Ifwelookathiskit,wecanconcludethefollowing.

Passive:
Freeshieldwhichscaleswithhpandhasreducedcooldownwhenyouaffectatleast
onechampionwithaskill.SoyouhitsomeonewithyourQonthewayback.

Q:
Autoattackmodifier.Yournext3hitswilldeal%maxhpmagicdamageoftheenemy.
Whentheswordcollideswithsomeoneyouget50%attackspeedandthetargetgetslowedby
35%for2seconds.

W:
Eventhoughtheskillitselfdoesnotdamagetheenemy,thepersistenteffectwhiletheshield
ison,isimportant.Itmakesyoudodgeallautoattackswhilstyouareinit.

Otherskillsarentreallyworthmentioningasdamageabilities.

SoletsseewhichstatscouldpotentiallyworkonShen.

AbilityPower:
ShenhasalotofAPscalings,thoughtheyarentthebiggestthatyouhave
seen,hedoesscaleveryhardonhisult.
AttackSpeed:

ExcellentsynergywithhisQ,asyoucanattackfasterandthusshredhishp
faster.
MPen
:
GoodSynergywithhisQbutthatsaboutit.
AttackDamage
:Sinceyoullbeautoattackingalot,someADmightbenefityou.Butnottoo
much,sinceyouhaveno*steroidsorADscalings.
ItemProcs:
Someitemprocsbenefitalotfromhavingahighattackspeed,sinceyoullbe
buildingitwelllookatsomeitemprocsaswell.
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and2statswhicharenotoffensivestats,butdogovernShensdamageoutput.

Health:

SinceShenspassivescaleswithhealth,thatmakeshealthadamageincreasingstat
forShen
CDR:

Thisisneitheradefensiveoroffensivestat,butitdecreasesthecooldownofskills.So,
youllbeabletouseyourskillsmoreoften,whichequalstomoredamage.

Thehighlightedstats,arestatswhichprovidethebiggestdamageincreaseovertheother
offensivestats.Imnotsayingthattheotherstatsarebad,andshouldnotbebuildonShen.It
justthatiobservedgreatersuccessrateswhenitcomestothesestats.

Now,letslookattheitems.Arethereitemswhichhaveall4ofthosestatsinthem?

Thereisoneitem...Namely.

Trinityforce
:Great!Ifwelookatthestatsoftheitem,weseethatitgiveseverystatexcluding
Mpenandavarietyofneatitemprocs.Soamustget!Butdowerushtheitem?Definitelynot!
Sinceitssuchanexpensiveitemsanddoesntmakeyoureallytankycomparedtosomeother
items,idbeaveryriskymovebygettingthisitemfirst.

Butwhatabouttheotherstats?Sincetherearenomoreitemswhichgivesallofthosestats,
wellhavetosplititinsmallergroups.WelllookatAttackspeed+ItemProcsitems.
Therewewillfind...

Rageblade
:Providesattackspeed,ad,autoattackspeedandaniftypassivewhich
complementsyourwaveclear.Theitemisarguablethebestthingyoucangetintheoffensive
department,butitleavesyouverysquishyandtheitemisnotveryefficientuntilyouactually
finishit.

NextwelllookatMpen.ThoughnotaverycommonlybuildstatonShenitisaverystrongstat
onShen.Butwhichitemsarethereinthiscategory?Afew,butiwillexcludeVoidstaffandSorc
bootsasiconsiderthemtobeitemsfortrueAPchamps.Whatremains?

AbyssalScepter:
ThefirstthingthatsomepeoplewillnoticeisthatitdoesnthaveMpen,but
magicreduction.ItssimilartoMpenbutisapplieddifferently.BesideshavingMRreducing
capabilities,itofferssomemagicresist,APandthemagicreductionisanaura,meaningit
benefitsyourentireteambyimprovingtheirdamageoutput.

LiandrysTorment
:Health,ApandMpenandagoodpassive.Lookslikeaperfectitemon
Shen,butitlackstankiness.ItofferssomeHPfortheearlygame,butitfallsofmidgamewhere
youaresupposedtobethetank.Whatisinterestingisthelessercomponent,
HauntingGuise.
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Thisisaverycheapitem,whichprovidesverygoodstatsforitsprice.Dependingonwhat
runes/masteriesyouhave,itcanbefirstrushitemduetoitscostefficiency.

Sowhichoneshouldyouget?First,nevergetboth.Second,itdependsonhowyouplayShen.
Anearlyhauntingguisecanreallyboostyourlane,thoughitsanearlyitemexclusivelywiththe
purposetoboostyourlane.AnabyssalscepterisunlikeHauntingGuisealategameitemfor
tankShentosupportyourteamwiththeauraandincreaseyourdamageslightly.

ThenwellgettoHealthand/orCDR.Likestatedearlier,thesestatsarenotoffensivestatsbut
doincreasethedamageofShen.

Therearealotofitemswhichhavehp,cdr,butsinceShendoesnthavemanawecanexclude
anymanaitems(WiththeexceptionofSheen,butyougetitfortheprocnotforthemana).
Whatremains?

SunfireCape:
Rememberthemisc.damageboosts?Thisisthegotoitem.Youget
health,armorandaverygoodpassive.ThisisprettymuchcoreonShenasitalsohelpshis
beastsplitpushingabilitiesanditboostsyourabilitytoduelbyahugemargin,especiallyifyour
opponentdoesnthavelifesteal.

TherearemanymoreitemsaShen,butyouhavetofindthatoutforyourself.Hopefullyive
shownyouhowtoanalyzeitemsandseeiftheysynergizewellwiththechampion.

10.1.5 Misc. stats

MiscstatsarestatswhichIdontdeemastruedefensivestatsortrueoffensivestats,butthey
arestillusefultoachampion.Thesestatsare:

Movementspeed:
MSenablesyoutorunawayfasterbutalsotochasebetter,socantbeput
ineitherofthose.
Cooldownreduction:
CDRlowersthecooldownofskills,whichcanbeoffensiveordefensive
skills.
Passives&Actives:
Apassiveoractiveofaitemthemselvescannotbeclassifiedasdefensive
oroffensive.Youcanonlyclassifyitbyreadingwhatthepassive/activedoes.
Theyarealsoneitherdefensiveoroffensivebecausetherearemanyitemswhichcontainamix
ofoffensivepassivesanddefensivepassives.Exampleswhichmakemypointare:

Porosnack:Doesntmakeyourdamageoutputhigherortankingabilitiesbetter.

Nowthatyouveseenhowtocustomizebothdefensivelyandoffensively,youwillhavetofinda
balancebetweenthose2categoriesofitems.Becauseifyoudontthenyouwillbeeithertoo
squishyortootankyanddealnodamageatall.
53

Italsoboilsdownonhowtheplayerplaysthechampion,sochoiceisveryvariedhereanddont
beafraidtotryoutnewthings.

Thisconcludesthechapteritemization.

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11 EXPERT MECHANICS
Expert
ABANDONALLHOPE,YEWHOENTERERE!

WORKIN
PROGRESS
11.1 Concept: Micro and Macro Mechanics

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11.2 Concept: Maximum Advantage Threshold

Whenyoustartout,youlearnthateveryadvantagethatyoucangetisgood.Whiletheoretically
thisiscorrect,sincetheword'advantage'meanstobenefit,profit,gainsomething,oppurtunity
tofavorablesuccess,itsnottrueinpractice.

11.2.1 Why doesnt it hold true?

Imaginethefollowingscenario.Youaresomebotlanematchupversusanotherbotlane
matchup.Youcompletelystompthemandtheyaresouselessthatliterallytheonlyoptionthey
haveistoroam,orwaitforyoutopushintogetsomefarm.
Butyoustillattempttokillthemandmanagetodoso.

Isitworththetime,skills,summonersandefforttokillthemdespiteknowingthattheyare
alreadysofarbehindthatyoucannotputthemfurtherbehind?Notonlythatbutwhenyoutryto
makethatgapevenfurther,youhavetotakeincreasinglymoredangerousriskstocreatethat
gap.Whilstinsteadofdoingriskystuff,youcanrotatearoundthemap.Takingtowers,killing
otherlanesordisruptingtheirteamasawhole.

Theycanfollow,ortheycantrytofarmup.Eveniftheymanagetofarmupandgetbackinthe
game,thedamagehasalreadybeendoneontotheirteam.Youpressuredtheirteam,took
junglecamps,towers,dragons,etc.Sotheyarestillnotasstrongasyouareandtheirteamis
weakeraswell.

Solikethechaptertitlestates,thereisamaximumadvantagethreshholdwhereyouadvantage
isindeedstillanadvantage.

11.2.2 How do you discover the threshold?

Thespecificknowledgestemspurelyfromexperiencefromplayingthegameandtobemore
specific,fromplayingyourlane.Youwilleventuallylearn,atwhichpointthereisnothing
anymoretheycandoinwhatmatchups.

Aquickexample,wouldbemalphitevsanyAD.Oncemalphitegetshisfirstarmoritem,more
oftenthannotthereislittletheotherpersoncando.Anythingbeyondthatwouldbesimple
overkillandnotaidyourteaminanyway.Malphiteisalsoateamorientedchampion,so
whoringkillsalldaylongwouldbedetrimentaltoyourteam.Ifyouwishtosplitalldaylong,then
pickachampionwhichbenefitsfromdoingso.

Splitpushchampionsareafunnycase,becausetheysomewhatignorethisconcept.Whenyou
havetheadvantageyouwanttopushitashardasyoupossiblycan.Doingthiswillinevitably
drawattentionandsinceyouropponentalreadycantstopyou.Theyhavetodistributeextra
manpowerinstoppingyou,orrisklosingturretsandeventuallytheirinhibitor.Howeverdespite
havingsaidthis,therearestillcaseswhereyouwanttojoinyourteam.Thisischampion
56

dependant,FioraorTryndamereneveractuallywanttoteamup.ButVladhasgoodAOE
damageandaverystrongultforteamfightsandisntquiteasgoodatpushingtowersthanthe
othertwoare.

11.2.3 What do you do?

Soifyouarenotsupposedtocampyourlanetheentiredaywhatelsedoyoudo?
YouseeBilly,thereareotherlanesandpartsofthemaptowhichyoucanroamand
subsequentlydestroywhoeverlivesthere.Thisiscalledroamingandifdonecorrectly,rotating.
Whatdoesdonecorrectly,mean?Basicallyitmeansthatyouroamedsomewherebeforethey
hadachancetoreacttothatroamandasaresult,yougotanadvantageoutofit.Likeatower,
maybetwo,theirredbuff,etc.

Luckilyunliketheadvantagethresholdwhichrequiresgrindinglaneexperience,rotationsare
somewhatsetinstoneuntilyouactuallyreachthehighdiamond/master/challengerdivisions
wheretheysuddenlystarttodiffersubtly.Thehigheryougo,themoreoftheserotationsyouwill
beabletochain.Untilfinallyyourteamhassuchalargeleadthatthegameisonlyyoursto
lose.
11.2.3.1 Bot to mid rotation
Youwinyourlane,orpushoutyourlaneandtaketheturret.Youbackandthenwithyour
supportyougoovertomidtotakemidtower.Unlesstheyarepreparedyoushouldoutman
themby4(support,Jungle,Adc,Mid)to2(Mid,Jungle)andeasilytakemidturret.

11.2.3.2 Mid to top rotation

Nextupistopturret.Becausetheirbotisatbot,theywontreliablyeverreachtopintimeunless
theybackpreemptively.Moreoftenthannot,inresponse,theywilltrytotakeyourbotturret.In
suchacase,youcanassignthejunglertobotorsacrificeitfora2for1towertrade(Mid&top
forbot).

TopandBotswitch

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11.3 Concept: Distribution of resources.

Thisconceptis,inmyopinion,themostimportantthatyouneedtounderstand.Understanding
thisPERFECTLYcanliterallyelevateyourunderstandingofthemacrogametothenextlevel
andifyouunderstandhowthegamewillturnyou,thenyoucanpredict.Butnotonlypredict,but
predict
successfully.

11.3.1 What are resources?

Resourcesareeverythinginthegame.Yourhp,mana,items,gold,junglecreeps,time,absolutely
everythingisaresource.Somearemoreprominentandimportantthanothers.Mostnotably
exp,gold,timeandglobalobjectives(Dragon,baronandstructures).
Managingyourdistributionofresources,canmakeorbreakyourgame.Aneasyexampleofthis
isnotspendingyourtimeefficiently.Likeyouwalkfrombottomid,butthenthereasonyou
walkedovertomiddisappearedandnowyouhavetowalkback.Youdidn'tgetanythingoutof
thiswhatsoever,insteadyoulostsomethingwhichyoucannotgetback.Orbuyingthewrong
items.Youcanrefundthem,butonlyatthemomentyouboughtthem,notwhenyoualreadyleft
yourbase.Thiscanleaveyousquishyorunabletobreakthroughcertaindamagetypes,
makingitaninefficientpurchase.

Thesearethefollowingresourcesthatcanbefoundinthegame:
Exp,HP,Gold,Mana,Skills(CC,Damage,Buff,Heal),vision,stats,itemactives,time,
consumables,minions,junglecreepsandanythingthatismeasurable.Theseresourcescanbe
dividedintocategories:

Champion:
Championresourcesareresourceswhichallchampionspossesalbeitinvaryingforms.These
arethemainresourceswhichyouwilltradewithforgreateradvantages.
Exp
Hp
Mana
Skills
Time

Ambient:
Ambientresourcesareresourceswhicharealwayspresentandconstant.Minionsandjungle
creepsspawnatsetintervalsandarebasicallyalwayspresent.Visionisincludedintothissince
Iaccountthefogofwarasasubcategoryofvision.
Vision
Minions
JungleMobs
Dragon&Baron
58


Situational:
Situationalresourcesarethingswhichcomeandgo,orthingswhichyoucanattainlikestats.
Theseresourcesgiveatemporaryboostinsomethingorhaveaneffectofsomesortswitha
cooldown.
ItemActives
Skills(CC,Damage,Buff,Heal)
Consumables
Stats

Global:
Globalresourcesareresourceswhichaffecteveryoneglobally.Inthecaseofbaronanddragon
itsquiteobvious.
Baronbuffs
Dragonstacks
Towergold
Minionpower

11.3.2 Distributing Resources

Sohowdoyoudistributeyourresourcesproperly?
Firstoffyouneedtonotehowmuchyouhaveofwhat.Youcanstartoffbydoingitevery45
minutes,butthegoalistobringitasclosetorealtimeaspossible.Ifyoucancalculateyour
resourcesrealtimeyoucanbaseyourdecisionsquicklybasedonthatinformation.
Notenotonlyyourbaseresources,whicheveryonehasbutresourceswhichyoudonthave.
Oftenthesewillbetheskillsofenemychampionsbecauseofthefactthatachampioncanbe
pickedoncepergame.Theresourceswhichyoudonthavearetheoneswhichwillmakea
difference,anddependingonhowyouplayaroundit.Youwilleitherloseorwinagame.
11.3.2.1 Laning
Someresourceswhenexchangedhaveapositivenetgain.Inalaningscenario.Tradingmana
andskillsforenemyhpwhenhehaslittletonoregen,isapositivetradeaseventuallyhewill
havetobackorriskydying.Ifhehasalotofregen,thensuddenlyyoumightwanttoholdback
ontradingyourresourcesortrytospenditevenmoreaggressivelyinanattempttobreak
throughhisregen.
11.3.2.2 Macro/ Map wide trades
Inamacroscenariotradingdragonforatowerisapositivenetgain,sinceyougaingold,deny
visionandminionstrengthandtheygetabuffwithnegligiblestatgain.Whilstyourteamopened
upthemapforadditionalmapmacroplays,theygotadrake...

11.3.2.3 Team Compositions

Theworthofresourcesincreasesanddecreasesdependingonteamcomposition.Ifyouarea
59

pokecomp,thenglobalresourcesthatrequiremultiplemembersareahighpriorityforyou.Not
sothatyoucangetthemfirst,butyoucaneasilypokethemawayfromitandtakeitafterwards.

Foraprotecttheadccomp,visionismoreimportantasyouwanttopreventattemptsatthe
assassinationofyouradc.Sospendingmoregoldforwards,isaworthwhileinvestmentas
eventuallyyouwillpresentinevitabilitytowinwithyourcompiftheycantcrackit.

11.3.2.4 Champion Type

Asascalingchampion,tradingtime,andwiththatImeannotgroupingbutfarming,for
additionalfarmingtimeisagreattrade.Youwilleventuallyspinoutofcontrol.Agoodexample
ofthisisNasus.Stallingthegameandgivinghimthetimetofreefarm,willmakehimquite
literallyascendtoimmortaltier.Whereshesoneshottingyoursquishies,3shottingyourturrets
andtankingtheentireenemyteam.Sospendingresourcesforvisionandpreventingdowntime
onhisfarm,isaworthwhileinvestmentforyourteam.

11.3.2.5 Unfavorable Matchup

Foranunfavorablematchupassigningyourjunglertowardsthatlanemightbeagood
investment.Insteadofgettingabsolutelywrecked,thepersonwillstillgetthechancetofarmup
andmaybeevenbeattheotherguythroughsheerstatadvantage.Somematchupsareonly
toughincertaintimeframesofthegame.IreliavsRenektonforexampleisforthefirst9levels,
Renektonfavoredandifhegetsafewkillsonher,itwillremainRenektonfavored.AfterIrelia
getsanitemortwoandreacheslevel9andmaxesoutW,shecaneasilybursthimdownifyou
playitright.Sosupportingherduringthoselevelsmightspeedthisprocessupandstop
RenektonfromcementinghisdominationoverIrelia.

11.3.2.6 Follow up
Theseareafewexamplesofhowyoucandistributeyourresourcesaccordinglytoyourteams
strengthsandtheirweaknesses.Therearemanyotherscenariosbutwiththisknowledgeyou
shouldbeabletofigureitoutforyourself,implementitandlearnfromit.Theresultdoesnt
matterasfailuremeansthatitsjustnottherightwaytodoit,butnowyouknowthatthatisnt
therightwaytodoit.Ifyouwouldnthavetriedandfailed,youdneverhaveknown.

Sincetogainanadvantage,youneedtoputinacertainamountofresourcesintogainingan
advantage.Inleaguetheissueisthatyouonlyhaveafiniteamountofresources,mostnotably
goldandtime.Besidesresourcesbeingfinite,thereisalsothepossibilityoffailure.Your
opponentcanoutsmartyou,orevensimplyoutplayyou.Makingyouwasteyourresources.

Soitsveryimportanttolearnfromyourpreviousattemptsorriskrepeatingthesamemistake.
Thesamemistakecanhaveachaineffectwhichwilleventuallyleadtoyourdefeat.Athigher
levelsofplays,thisholdsespeciallytrue.Stickingoutyourfingerwillleadtothemtakingyour
entirearm.
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61

12 END WORD
Thisistheendofmyguide,andihopethatyoulearnedathingor2alongtheway.Imaywrite
moreguidesinthefutureabouttheotherlanes,butthatisuncertainatthispoint.

Beforeyouleave,refer,favoritethisguide.Iwouldgreatlyappreciateifyoucouldfilloutthis
formaboutmyguide,tohelpmetoimproveitormakefutureguidesbetter.

Ifyouhoweverspotacrucialmistake,feelfreetoleaveeverythingopenexpectthepartwhat
needstobeimproved.Thesuggestionwillbethentakeninconsiderationandmaybe
implemented.

Link:

Form

Thankyoufortakingthetimetoreadtheguide,andiwishyouluckonthefieldsofjustice.

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13 CONTACT INFORMATION
Hereismycontactinformation,incaseyouwanttocontactmeaboutsomething(Request,Error
spot,Goodjobs,whatever).

Butdontabusethis,asiwilljustblockanypeoplewhichwilltrytodothis.

LeagueofLegendsIGN
:EloGoblin(EUW)
Reddit
:Cloud_Sensei

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