Bilgewater Cutlass is a much-maligned item. What little play it saw vanished with the nerfs to Hextech Gunblade some months ago. As a jungler, however, I find Cutlass to be an item with potential.
My opinion of Cutlass changed when, on a whim, I built it instead of Wriggle's Lantern while jungling Jax. Though I sacrificed Armor, free wards, and the unique proc I gained AD, Life Steal, and an incredible active for ganking and dueling. Subsequently I dominated the game, enough to motivate an analysis of the role my early item choice played.
It's important to consider Cutlass on its own, without assuming it will be upgraded into Gunblade. While Jax and a few oddball junglers obviously enjoy Gunblade, the vast majority of junglers do not make good use of both AD and AP. On many champions Gunblade might not be the worst idea in the latest stages of a game, but realistically Cutlass must be treated as an alternative to Wriggle's.
Cutlass worked well in my Jax game because he has extremely high single-target damage, even without items. Through his passive and his ultimate's passive he already demolishes buff camps and dragon. Because Jax' simply doesn't need Wriggle's procs or defensive stats to quickly clear even the toughest of camps, the superior ganking and dueling power of Cutlass is more valuable.
The requirement for building Cutlass over Wriggle's is therefore the ability to clear and control the jungle without Wriggle's. Without this ability, no matter how much Cutlass' active may aid your ganks, Cutlass is not a viable alternative. Moreover, Champions who commonly build double gp10 will largely be uninterested in Cutlass. Unfortunately for Cutlass the list of champions who can both control the jungle without Wriggle's and don't build double gp10s is very small.
While Cutlass has potential on a handful of champions, it won't be replacing Wriggle's any time soon. I highly recommend trying it on Jax or any champion you think can get away with it, but most champions will still be better off with Wriggle's or double gp10s.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Thought: Justify Anything
It's possible to justify practically anything in LoL. Madred's Bloodrazor on Akali? Check. Tiamat on Fiddlesticks? Sure. Zhonya's Hourglass on Garen? Certainly! With the "correct" assumptions even the most ridiculously bad choices can be heralded as viable strategies.
You might think my examples facetious, but these are actual item choices I have seen players make and argue for in all seriousness. They were not trolling, but honestly believed they were making correct choices. Because of misplaced priorities, poor understanding, and/or fundamentally bad assumptions these players made and defended terrible decisions which lost them games.
Funny as those decisions may be there's nothing stupid about them. These players were simply doing what everyone else does, applying their assumptions and priorities to the game itself. What went wrong wasn't the thought process itself, but the inputs these players used.
The true problem and danger is becoming attached to one's decisions. A player invested in their choices closes their mind, becoming unable cautiously reevaluate a choice in the face of alternative viewpoints and data. It's a problem that affects players across the spectrum of skill. Avoiding this pitfall is critical to keeping up with the ever changing landscape of LoL.
Walking this fine line between confidence in your knowledge and dogma takes humility. That might sound like a tall order, but you have what it takes if you've read this far without thinking, "This doesn't apply to me." Keep your mind open, even to stupid ideas. It's effort but it's worth it.
You might think my examples facetious, but these are actual item choices I have seen players make and argue for in all seriousness. They were not trolling, but honestly believed they were making correct choices. Because of misplaced priorities, poor understanding, and/or fundamentally bad assumptions these players made and defended terrible decisions which lost them games.
Funny as those decisions may be there's nothing stupid about them. These players were simply doing what everyone else does, applying their assumptions and priorities to the game itself. What went wrong wasn't the thought process itself, but the inputs these players used.
The true problem and danger is becoming attached to one's decisions. A player invested in their choices closes their mind, becoming unable cautiously reevaluate a choice in the face of alternative viewpoints and data. It's a problem that affects players across the spectrum of skill. Avoiding this pitfall is critical to keeping up with the ever changing landscape of LoL.
Walking this fine line between confidence in your knowledge and dogma takes humility. That might sound like a tall order, but you have what it takes if you've read this far without thinking, "This doesn't apply to me." Keep your mind open, even to stupid ideas. It's effort but it's worth it.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Quote: On Guides
"You can get help from guides, but you are going to have to learn a lot by yourself, sitting alone in a custom game."
-Dr. Seuss
-Dr. Seuss
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Quote: On Champion Picks
"Everybody knows how to play a champion, except the player who picked them."
-P.J. O'Rourke
-P.J. O'Rourke
Friday, May 25, 2012
Team Composition: Poke
There's more to team composition than checking off important roles and winning lanes. Every good team composition has a strategy for team fights, taking objectives, and pushing towers. Today I'd like to highlight one of the most annoying strategies for victory, "Poke Comp".
The concept behind Poke Comp is very simple, defeat the enemy by constantly bombarding them at a safe distance and only engaging once the enemy is severely weakened (if at all). This composition values long range, high damage abilities such as Nidalee's Javelin Toss or Kog'maw's Living Artillery, and strong disengages such as Trundle's Pillar of Filth and or Anivia's Crystallize. When executed properly this composition can win without ever engaging in a team fight.
The most important attribute a player can have for this composition is patience. You're going to spend a lot of time standing outside of your enemy's range carefully poking at them without putting yourself in danger. When this composition fails it's almost always because its players ran out of patience and engaged in a team fight prematurely.
This is actually one of the few compositions where Promote can be a strong summoner spell. Most summoner spells are chosen in order to win skirmishes and team fights, but as this composition ideally does neither it's fairly safe and effective to grab something else. Promote is effective because you can cast it on a minion in one lane and then siege another. Even if your siege is halted the promoted minion will merrily push and take turrets.
Poke Comp's primary enemy is Oracle's. Robbing this composition of vision severely inhibits its ability to push or control objectives. Without prior warning it's very difficult for a team focused on long, drawn out poke fests to contest Baron unless there's a significant power gap. Maintaining ward coverage and punishing opponents for grabbing Oracle's is an important part of Poke Comp's execution.
Overall Poke Comp is super annoying to play against, and fairly boring to watch. However, it's fun to play and at the end of the day competitors use what works more often than what sells. Just be prepared for when all chat fills with the cries and lamentations of your severely frustrated enemies.
Poke Comp Champion Picks:
The concept behind Poke Comp is very simple, defeat the enemy by constantly bombarding them at a safe distance and only engaging once the enemy is severely weakened (if at all). This composition values long range, high damage abilities such as Nidalee's Javelin Toss or Kog'maw's Living Artillery, and strong disengages such as Trundle's Pillar of Filth and or Anivia's Crystallize. When executed properly this composition can win without ever engaging in a team fight.
The most important attribute a player can have for this composition is patience. You're going to spend a lot of time standing outside of your enemy's range carefully poking at them without putting yourself in danger. When this composition fails it's almost always because its players ran out of patience and engaged in a team fight prematurely.
This is actually one of the few compositions where Promote can be a strong summoner spell. Most summoner spells are chosen in order to win skirmishes and team fights, but as this composition ideally does neither it's fairly safe and effective to grab something else. Promote is effective because you can cast it on a minion in one lane and then siege another. Even if your siege is halted the promoted minion will merrily push and take turrets.
Poke Comp's primary enemy is Oracle's. Robbing this composition of vision severely inhibits its ability to push or control objectives. Without prior warning it's very difficult for a team focused on long, drawn out poke fests to contest Baron unless there's a significant power gap. Maintaining ward coverage and punishing opponents for grabbing Oracle's is an important part of Poke Comp's execution.
Overall Poke Comp is super annoying to play against, and fairly boring to watch. However, it's fun to play and at the end of the day competitors use what works more often than what sells. Just be prepared for when all chat fills with the cries and lamentations of your severely frustrated enemies.
Poke Comp Champion Picks:
- Top Lane:
- Nidalee: Her Javelin Toss is one of the best poke abilities in the game. Combined with a decent heal and mobility, she's a top pick for Poke Comp.
- Teemo: While his poke isn't very strong, mushrooms and mobility make it difficult to engage on his team, ever.
- Olaf: His Axes are both strong poke and disengagement tools, and he can be used to facecheck dangerous initiation tools like Ashe's Crystal Arrow.
- AP Carry:
- Heimerdinger: Turrets for disengaging. Rockets and grenades for poke. An Afro for style. Heimerdinger has everything you could want.
- Karthus: Good luck engaging his team through his wall and Qs. His ult can either be the ultimate poke or the ultimate coup de grace.
- Lux: An excellent poke kit with slows, snares, and a spammable poke ult.
- Ziggs: Bombs for poke, bombs for zone control, bombs for escaping, and bombs for clearing a lane elsewhere that's pushing.
- AD Carry:
- Caitlyn: The space control she provides is unmatched by any other AD carries.
- Ezreal: Endless Q spam, a long range ultimate for stopping another lane from pushing or pressure the current lane, and an attack speed boost when the enemy finally relents.
- Kog'maw: Whether AP or AD, his(its?) ultimate hurts. Along with Void Ooze for disengaging Kog'maw is a strong pick.
- Varus: Long range poke, and area slow, and a great ultimate for disengaging.
- Support:
- Janna: The most disengages on any support, and the best support for warding period.
- Sona: While her poke range isn't the greatest, her speed boost and ultimate are extremely strong for disengaging.
- Soraka: While her poke isn't strong and she doesn't have any disengages, she's a mana/health battery that will keep your team going throughout a long siege.
- Jungle:
- Dr. Mundo: The perfect champion for eating the enemy's poke while poking back. Spam those Cleavers.
- Gangplank: While it's too dangerous to Parrrley many opponents, the mobility he gives his entire team and zone controlling ultimate are strong. That he can eat the odd CC as well is a great bonus.
- Trundle: He may only have Pillar of Filth, but with 40% CDR he can literally keep it up indefinitely.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Meta: Swapping AP and AD
The current lane setups have largely been set in stone for months, leading many players to declare the meta stale. While arguably the game hasn't been this multidimensional in its history, there are many alternatives to the current lanes which have yet to be fully explored. For the benefit of those players tired of the current lanes, here's an idea.
Swap your AP and AD carries.
Before we dive too far into this, let me emphasize that this idea has yet to be fully explored. This may not be the transformative idea players are looking for, or it may. It is, however, a different setup that has the potential to be competitive.
This idea is exactly as stated, place your ranged AD mid instead of bottom, and your AP carry bottom instead of mid. Pick an AD who scales well with levels (e.g. Ezreal, Corki) and an AP who scales well with farm (e.g. Cassiopeia, Veigar), and you're good to go. At face value it's a very simple idea, but there's a lot going on behind the scenes.
First and foremost, there are many AP champions who are weak against AD, such as Kassadin and Morgana. Though the threat of burst damage is always there, the AD carry can abuse their auto-attack range and their ability to push lanes without using mana to put the AP carry in an awkward position. In addition, Life Steal is cheaper, more readily available, and more effective than Spell Vamp. With the right matchup an AD can dominate an AP opponent.
These weaknesses get turned upside down bottom lane. Using auto-attacks to sustain is dangerous for the AD because the lane is much longer. Auto-attack harass is more dangerous and less effective due to the presence of an enemy support. Meanwhile, the high burst damage of the AP is a huge benefit for ganks and skirmishes. In the bottom lane it's the AD carry who is typically weak against the AP carry.
Blue buff is the most obviously hitch in this strategy. If you're on blue team you almost certainly need Soraka to support your AP. Thankfully on purple team Blue buff is readily accessible even from bottom lane. For this reason this team composition heavily favors purple team.
Again, this is not a tried and tested setup. It is, however, different and something to try if you're tired of playing with the same lane setup. Just be careful with your picks, give it a whirl, and see if this breaks your meta-boredom.
Swap your AP and AD carries.
Before we dive too far into this, let me emphasize that this idea has yet to be fully explored. This may not be the transformative idea players are looking for, or it may. It is, however, a different setup that has the potential to be competitive.
This idea is exactly as stated, place your ranged AD mid instead of bottom, and your AP carry bottom instead of mid. Pick an AD who scales well with levels (e.g. Ezreal, Corki) and an AP who scales well with farm (e.g. Cassiopeia, Veigar), and you're good to go. At face value it's a very simple idea, but there's a lot going on behind the scenes.
First and foremost, there are many AP champions who are weak against AD, such as Kassadin and Morgana. Though the threat of burst damage is always there, the AD carry can abuse their auto-attack range and their ability to push lanes without using mana to put the AP carry in an awkward position. In addition, Life Steal is cheaper, more readily available, and more effective than Spell Vamp. With the right matchup an AD can dominate an AP opponent.
These weaknesses get turned upside down bottom lane. Using auto-attacks to sustain is dangerous for the AD because the lane is much longer. Auto-attack harass is more dangerous and less effective due to the presence of an enemy support. Meanwhile, the high burst damage of the AP is a huge benefit for ganks and skirmishes. In the bottom lane it's the AD carry who is typically weak against the AP carry.
Blue buff is the most obviously hitch in this strategy. If you're on blue team you almost certainly need Soraka to support your AP. Thankfully on purple team Blue buff is readily accessible even from bottom lane. For this reason this team composition heavily favors purple team.
Again, this is not a tried and tested setup. It is, however, different and something to try if you're tired of playing with the same lane setup. Just be careful with your picks, give it a whirl, and see if this breaks your meta-boredom.
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Patch Day: Darius
The Darius patch is out, and with any patch comes the opportunity for analysis! I like an art revamp as much as anyone else, but I'm going to focus on the gameplay changes that caught my attention.
Increasing the damage Fiddlesticks' E does to minions is a boon to both his laning and jungling. I question, however, whether it will bring jungle Fiddlesticks back. A shift from maxing Q to maxing E will certainly help his clear speeds, but so much of his effectiveness as a ganker is dependent upon his Q that I'm not sure he'll be significantly more viable. Gauging how much this change increases his effectiveness will require some testing.
The Hecarim buffs will make him overpowered. While difficult to play he was, in my opinion, extremely strong before when played properly. Increasing the effectiveness of his primary farm and ganking tools only pushes him further forward. However, I don't expect him to be popular because, like Lee Sin and Orianna before him, he's hard to play effectively.
Athene's Grail does for Chalice what Maw of Malmortius did for Hexdrinker. You are not likely to rush this item, but now that Chalice has a decent upgrade it's a much more viable item. At this point Chalice will be as good or better than Catalyst or stacking Doran's Rings.
As for Darius himself, he's an instant ban. He has his weaknesses, but his ability to snowball is unmatched. He can crush games building simple items like a few Doran's Blades into Hexdrinker and Phage. Beware Garen's evil twin.
Increasing the damage Fiddlesticks' E does to minions is a boon to both his laning and jungling. I question, however, whether it will bring jungle Fiddlesticks back. A shift from maxing Q to maxing E will certainly help his clear speeds, but so much of his effectiveness as a ganker is dependent upon his Q that I'm not sure he'll be significantly more viable. Gauging how much this change increases his effectiveness will require some testing.
The Hecarim buffs will make him overpowered. While difficult to play he was, in my opinion, extremely strong before when played properly. Increasing the effectiveness of his primary farm and ganking tools only pushes him further forward. However, I don't expect him to be popular because, like Lee Sin and Orianna before him, he's hard to play effectively.
Athene's Grail does for Chalice what Maw of Malmortius did for Hexdrinker. You are not likely to rush this item, but now that Chalice has a decent upgrade it's a much more viable item. At this point Chalice will be as good or better than Catalyst or stacking Doran's Rings.
As for Darius himself, he's an instant ban. He has his weaknesses, but his ability to snowball is unmatched. He can crush games building simple items like a few Doran's Blades into Hexdrinker and Phage. Beware Garen's evil twin.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Jungling: HotshotGG
HotshotGG is now a jungler due to a massive roster shakeup amongst the NA professional teams. It's mindboggling, but it actually happened. While HotshotGG is a very popular and well known player, I've been concerned about his ability to transition ever since I heard the news.
Of all the role swaps moving from top lane to jungle is the most problematic. The top lane is typically very isolated until the mid game, with few responsibilities save farming and winning the lane. The jungler, by contrast, is constantly interacting with the whole map, ganking/covering lanes, timing buffs/dragon, tracking the enemy jungler and more. Switching from having almost no responsibilities early game to having nearly all of them is difficult.
In addition, HotshotGG has long epitomized the "farm forever, carry later" style of top lanes. More than any other player he's known for staying top even while action is happening elsewhere. Becoming a jungler requires moving away from that mindset, a difficult task considering the many years of play cementing it in place.
These issues, while notable, are surmountable challenges and ones I previously expected HotshotGG to overcome fairly quickly. Unfortunately, HotshotGG has gone out of his way to make this transition as difficult as possible.
The very basics of jungling, item/rune build and skill order, are lost on HotshotGG. Despite personally witnessing many professional junglers at work and owning a website filled with guides for popular jungle champions, HotshotGG has applied none of this to his jungling. As a result his early jungle games have been painful to watch.
HotshotGG's mistakes are novice level, the sort of error you'd expect from an unranked player. Amongst his crimes against the jungle are such failures as taking a point in Tiger Stance at level 2 on Udyr, ignoring Wriggle's on Shyvana, and building Doran's Shield. Just a few minutes of research or thought would have averted these disasters, something any professional player should be capable of.
This is not to say transitioning is impossible for HotshotGG, but that he's chosen the slowest, most difficult path forward possible in learning his new role. With his team relying on him to prove they can still be competitive, time is of the essence. All eyes are going to be on HotshotGG in upcoming matches and tournaments, and if he's still floundering the ramifications could be dire for him and his team.
For now I remain concerned, and will watch HotshotGG carefully in the days ahead.
Of all the role swaps moving from top lane to jungle is the most problematic. The top lane is typically very isolated until the mid game, with few responsibilities save farming and winning the lane. The jungler, by contrast, is constantly interacting with the whole map, ganking/covering lanes, timing buffs/dragon, tracking the enemy jungler and more. Switching from having almost no responsibilities early game to having nearly all of them is difficult.
In addition, HotshotGG has long epitomized the "farm forever, carry later" style of top lanes. More than any other player he's known for staying top even while action is happening elsewhere. Becoming a jungler requires moving away from that mindset, a difficult task considering the many years of play cementing it in place.
These issues, while notable, are surmountable challenges and ones I previously expected HotshotGG to overcome fairly quickly. Unfortunately, HotshotGG has gone out of his way to make this transition as difficult as possible.
The very basics of jungling, item/rune build and skill order, are lost on HotshotGG. Despite personally witnessing many professional junglers at work and owning a website filled with guides for popular jungle champions, HotshotGG has applied none of this to his jungling. As a result his early jungle games have been painful to watch.
HotshotGG's mistakes are novice level, the sort of error you'd expect from an unranked player. Amongst his crimes against the jungle are such failures as taking a point in Tiger Stance at level 2 on Udyr, ignoring Wriggle's on Shyvana, and building Doran's Shield. Just a few minutes of research or thought would have averted these disasters, something any professional player should be capable of.
This is not to say transitioning is impossible for HotshotGG, but that he's chosen the slowest, most difficult path forward possible in learning his new role. With his team relying on him to prove they can still be competitive, time is of the essence. All eyes are going to be on HotshotGG in upcoming matches and tournaments, and if he's still floundering the ramifications could be dire for him and his team.
For now I remain concerned, and will watch HotshotGG carefully in the days ahead.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Jungling: Unopposed
Sometimes you may face a team without a jungler, leaving your top lane in a precarious 1v2 situation. With a jungler your team has an inherent advantage, but only so long as you take advantage of your position.
First and foremost you need to make sure your top lane is secure. While some champions can fare decently in a 1v2 situation, the vast majority can not. It's important to communicate with your top lane, gauge their confidence, and help them out preferentially (i.e. camp their lane). Winning a 1v2 top lane almost guarantees you'll win the game.
Next, take full advantage of the lack of a jungler on the enemy team. It should be impossible for them to get any of their buffs, dragon, or Baron. If your top lane is safe you can get obscene amounts of farm on the right jungler, enough to match solo lanes. So long as you don't neglect top lane your team's lead entering into the mid game is assured.
Finally, watch for desperate moves from the enemy team. Backed into a corner, the top lane duo is likely to roam and try to make plays in other lanes. This is particularly dangerous because your other teammates have likely been playing very aggressively without an enemy jungler to worry about. Stopping these last throes of enemy resistance will seal your victory, while ignoring them will drag out the game and potentially lead to defeat.
With enough experience it becomes relatively easy to punish the enemy team for failing to pick a jungler. Your team has inherent advantages, it's just a matter of learning to apply and extend them.
First and foremost you need to make sure your top lane is secure. While some champions can fare decently in a 1v2 situation, the vast majority can not. It's important to communicate with your top lane, gauge their confidence, and help them out preferentially (i.e. camp their lane). Winning a 1v2 top lane almost guarantees you'll win the game.
Next, take full advantage of the lack of a jungler on the enemy team. It should be impossible for them to get any of their buffs, dragon, or Baron. If your top lane is safe you can get obscene amounts of farm on the right jungler, enough to match solo lanes. So long as you don't neglect top lane your team's lead entering into the mid game is assured.
Finally, watch for desperate moves from the enemy team. Backed into a corner, the top lane duo is likely to roam and try to make plays in other lanes. This is particularly dangerous because your other teammates have likely been playing very aggressively without an enemy jungler to worry about. Stopping these last throes of enemy resistance will seal your victory, while ignoring them will drag out the game and potentially lead to defeat.
With enough experience it becomes relatively easy to punish the enemy team for failing to pick a jungler. Your team has inherent advantages, it's just a matter of learning to apply and extend them.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Jungling: Interpreting Tier Lists
Many jungle players post and maintain tier lists expressing their opinions regarding the vast array of junglers. Stonewall008's list is the most well known, but there are many others. Interpreting these lists correctly is important, as it's very easy to draw erroneous conclusions from them when they are taken at face value.
Players who misinterpret tier lists typically do so by viewing them in absolute terms. They assume in all circumstances a "god tier" jungler will be better than a jungler from a lower tier, and/or that the author of the list has a complete understanding of each and every jungler. Neither of these assumptions are true. Tier lists are not absolutes, but imperfect, generic tools crafted from the foibles and opinions of someone just as human as anyone else.
There are a few types of information you can safely draw from a tier list, provided you are careful. Comparing similar junglers in different tiers can give insights into what attributes or abilities set them apart. Analyzing what the top tier junglers have in common is often a good way to get a sense for what sets them above the other junglers. As long as you doggedly ask the question, "Why?" without settling for easy answers you can see a little ways into the complicated thoughts of your jungling peers.
As for me, I'm not planning on ever releasing a serious tier list; there are plenty tier lists out there already. I have my opinions obviously, but as a perfectionist it would be impossible to complete a list before I'd have to go back through and do half the work over again due to changes in balance and the meta. I'll stick to discussing individual junglers and general principles.
Players who misinterpret tier lists typically do so by viewing them in absolute terms. They assume in all circumstances a "god tier" jungler will be better than a jungler from a lower tier, and/or that the author of the list has a complete understanding of each and every jungler. Neither of these assumptions are true. Tier lists are not absolutes, but imperfect, generic tools crafted from the foibles and opinions of someone just as human as anyone else.
There are a few types of information you can safely draw from a tier list, provided you are careful. Comparing similar junglers in different tiers can give insights into what attributes or abilities set them apart. Analyzing what the top tier junglers have in common is often a good way to get a sense for what sets them above the other junglers. As long as you doggedly ask the question, "Why?" without settling for easy answers you can see a little ways into the complicated thoughts of your jungling peers.
As for me, I'm not planning on ever releasing a serious tier list; there are plenty tier lists out there already. I have my opinions obviously, but as a perfectionist it would be impossible to complete a list before I'd have to go back through and do half the work over again due to changes in balance and the meta. I'll stick to discussing individual junglers and general principles.
Friday, May 18, 2012
Quote: On Theorycraft
"You can discover more about a champion in an hour of play than in a year of theorycraft."
-Plato
-Plato
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Jungling: Practice
I was playing a normal game with a friend when the following exchange occurred:
Random Jungler: First time jungling Irelia, I should be fine*.
Montegomery: Wouldn't it be better to do a run-through in a custom game first?
Random Jungler: Why would I practice in a custom game when I can practice in normals?
I didn't answer then because engaging in debates over the merits of practice in the middle of a game is ill-advised. To answer succinctly now, practice in a custom game takes five minutes and can save you hours of pain and suffering.
For reasons I can only speculate, the LoL community is generally averse to any practice done outside of live games. The concept of creating a custom game in order to practice a specific skill in a controlled environment is anathema. Many players prefer to spend fifteen minutes waiting to surrender rather than have the opportunity for more practice. While you can learn via this method, it's grossly inefficient and prone to reinforcing bad habits.
Almost every sport and performance art makes use of drills, and with good reason. Drills are short, simple, and repeatable; they make it easy to pick out a mistake and quickly correct it. A proper drill is the fastest way to train a specific skill. It's nearly impossible to do something complicated if you haven't first honed fundamental, prerequisite skills.
Practice is neither glamorous nor exciting, but jumping straight into the deep end is a lesson in drowning, not in swimming. A few minutes of practice will save yourself many an ignominious performance.
*For reference the jungle Irelia started Cloth Armor, farmed slower than a Warwick, tried to build Trinity Force without first building Wriggle's or gp10s, died on most of her ganks, and was generally an embarrassment to junglers everywhere.
Random Jungler: First time jungling Irelia, I should be fine*.
Montegomery: Wouldn't it be better to do a run-through in a custom game first?
Random Jungler: Why would I practice in a custom game when I can practice in normals?
I didn't answer then because engaging in debates over the merits of practice in the middle of a game is ill-advised. To answer succinctly now, practice in a custom game takes five minutes and can save you hours of pain and suffering.
For reasons I can only speculate, the LoL community is generally averse to any practice done outside of live games. The concept of creating a custom game in order to practice a specific skill in a controlled environment is anathema. Many players prefer to spend fifteen minutes waiting to surrender rather than have the opportunity for more practice. While you can learn via this method, it's grossly inefficient and prone to reinforcing bad habits.
Almost every sport and performance art makes use of drills, and with good reason. Drills are short, simple, and repeatable; they make it easy to pick out a mistake and quickly correct it. A proper drill is the fastest way to train a specific skill. It's nearly impossible to do something complicated if you haven't first honed fundamental, prerequisite skills.
Practice is neither glamorous nor exciting, but jumping straight into the deep end is a lesson in drowning, not in swimming. A few minutes of practice will save yourself many an ignominious performance.
*For reference the jungle Irelia started Cloth Armor, farmed slower than a Warwick, tried to build Trinity Force without first building Wriggle's or gp10s, died on most of her ganks, and was generally an embarrassment to junglers everywhere.
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Thought: The Meaning of Elo
Elo in LoL is not a measure of individual skill. This is a common assumption, but one that is deeply flawed. Though there is a correlation between Elo and skill in general, Elo is incapable of accurately predicting a player's proficiency in any given role, champion, or specific skill. Elo is, at best, a measure of ranking and nothing more.
That ranking, however, has value. The community uses it, for better or worse, as a means of evaluating the legitimacy of a given player's opinion. Individual players use it as a means to measure their progress or worth. The value of Elo isn't intrinsic, but emergent from the needs and desires of the playerbase. It is therefore unsurprising that many players obsess over their Elo.
Unfortunately, focusing so thoroughly on Elo is detrimental to actually making progress in ranked play. The entire concept of "true" Elo is toxic to self-improvement; players who believe they are better than their peers will eschew practice and introspection to simply grind out games. That method might work in the short term, but will eventually hit a wall. Long term progress requires all but ignoring Elo to focus on personal improvement.
This is not to say that solo queue is never frustrating, or that there aren't trolls, morons, and ragers ruining the experience. However, worrying about that which you can not control will neither gain you Elo nor improve your play.
While skill is not measured by Elo, increasing your skills is the surest method of improving your ranking. Work on your abilities by observing tournaments, practicing mechanics, asking friends for help, or even taking anger management classes, and a better ranking will follow on its own.
That ranking, however, has value. The community uses it, for better or worse, as a means of evaluating the legitimacy of a given player's opinion. Individual players use it as a means to measure their progress or worth. The value of Elo isn't intrinsic, but emergent from the needs and desires of the playerbase. It is therefore unsurprising that many players obsess over their Elo.
Unfortunately, focusing so thoroughly on Elo is detrimental to actually making progress in ranked play. The entire concept of "true" Elo is toxic to self-improvement; players who believe they are better than their peers will eschew practice and introspection to simply grind out games. That method might work in the short term, but will eventually hit a wall. Long term progress requires all but ignoring Elo to focus on personal improvement.
This is not to say that solo queue is never frustrating, or that there aren't trolls, morons, and ragers ruining the experience. However, worrying about that which you can not control will neither gain you Elo nor improve your play.
While skill is not measured by Elo, increasing your skills is the surest method of improving your ranking. Work on your abilities by observing tournaments, practicing mechanics, asking friends for help, or even taking anger management classes, and a better ranking will follow on its own.
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Thought: Diablo III
Diablo III launched today, and for a great many players defeating the minions of Hell will take precedence over everything else. It might be days or weeks before many normally stalwart LoL players return to the fields of justice. That's okay, because playing Diablo III could make you better at LoL.
Diablo and LoL actually share the same mechanical skills. Everything from animation cancelling to skill shots to mouse control is essentially identical. Thus playing Diablo III, especially on the harder difficulty settings, will potentially help your LoL mechanics.
So don't feel guilty about playing Diablo III, but enjoy yourself. Just remember to apply your demon-slaying abilities when you eventually return to LoL. Bonus points if you play a Demon Hunter with Vault, Impale, and Smokescreen for the full Vayne experience.
Diablo and LoL actually share the same mechanical skills. Everything from animation cancelling to skill shots to mouse control is essentially identical. Thus playing Diablo III, especially on the harder difficulty settings, will potentially help your LoL mechanics.
So don't feel guilty about playing Diablo III, but enjoy yourself. Just remember to apply your demon-slaying abilities when you eventually return to LoL. Bonus points if you play a Demon Hunter with Vault, Impale, and Smokescreen for the full Vayne experience.
Monday, May 14, 2012
Practice: The Hard Way
I've been asked a number of times, often critically, why I practice jungle routes without a leash. To many players such practice seems pointless, as you'll almost always get a leash. The problem is the word "almost", you will play games where no one leashes or some other hardship occurs. Being prepared for these adverse circumstances is essential to jungling.
Consider the first oRb vs TSM game at yesterday's Curse Invitational Tournament. oRb's crazy five-man push mid reversed the advantage TSM had gained from a jungle invasion. However, that advantage was quickly lost because Warwick, possibly the safest and easiest jungler in the game, failed to properly jungle immediately afterward. oRb's early game faltered almost entirely because their jungler did not properly gauge their ability to jungle after taking significant damage in a skirmish.
You can't practice every conceivable adverse scenario, but you don't have to. With a few simple practice exercises you can develop knowledge that applies universally.
SETUP:
Do not be discouraged if your chosen jungler can not clear in these circumstances. The goal is not to clear the jungle, but to obtain the ability to judge whether you can clear a few camps or should immediately recall. Dying or nearly dying to creeps is a natural part of this process, and nothing to be ashamed of.
This practice is not a daily routine, but something you can do when you have fifteen or twenty minutes available. You'll want to execute multiple runs in order to get the best sense of a jungler's capabilities. The more you practice this, the easier it becomes to understand new junglers and setups.
Consider the first oRb vs TSM game at yesterday's Curse Invitational Tournament. oRb's crazy five-man push mid reversed the advantage TSM had gained from a jungle invasion. However, that advantage was quickly lost because Warwick, possibly the safest and easiest jungler in the game, failed to properly jungle immediately afterward. oRb's early game faltered almost entirely because their jungler did not properly gauge their ability to jungle after taking significant damage in a skirmish.
You can't practice every conceivable adverse scenario, but you don't have to. With a few simple practice exercises you can develop knowledge that applies universally.
SETUP:
- Create a custom game without bots.
- Pick a jungle champion to practice.
- Restrict yourself with one of the following conditions, going as far as your health will take you before recalling:
- Instead of starting at Blue, start Red and clear twice without taking Blue.
- Simulate a Smite-stolen buff by using Smite a little prematurely, backing off, and then jungling as though the buff were gone.
- Take two tower hits shortly before minions spawn, and then attempt to jungle normally.
- Do not use Cloth Armor as your starting item.
Do not be discouraged if your chosen jungler can not clear in these circumstances. The goal is not to clear the jungle, but to obtain the ability to judge whether you can clear a few camps or should immediately recall. Dying or nearly dying to creeps is a natural part of this process, and nothing to be ashamed of.
This practice is not a daily routine, but something you can do when you have fifteen or twenty minutes available. You'll want to execute multiple runs in order to get the best sense of a jungler's capabilities. The more you practice this, the easier it becomes to understand new junglers and setups.
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Thought: Freezing Lanes
Freezing lanes is an important lane-control skill, one heavily dependent upon a knowledge of lane control in general and the state of the game. Unlike last-hitting, where the majority of the time it's a good idea, freezing a lane for more than a brief period is most often a mistake.
Freezing the lane is the art of holding a minion wave outside of your tower for an extended period of time. This is primarily accomplished by having you or an ally tank a wave of enemy minions just outside of tower range until your own wave arrives, and then by keeping the waves delicately balanced through last-hitting. Generally there should always be a slightly higher number of enemy minions than allies in order to keep the wave from pushing out, although special adjustments are necessary due to siege minions. By doing this you put your opponents in a situation where farming is dangerous, as they're likely to be ganked.
However, freezing the lane is not always a correct action. Just as how losing an inhibitor isn't a big deal so long as there are no objectives the enemy can take, so too is freezing the lane only safe when the enemy has nothing else they can safely accomplish. If you freeze the lane when dragon is available, when your lane opponent(s) can use the time to make plays by roaming, or when your jungle will become more vulnerable, then you are weakening your team's position considerably. Freezing the lane is the same as eliminating your presence on the map.
This technique mostly applies when you or your opponent have already lost a tower. While you can hold a wave outside your tower for a brief time during early laning, it's fairly simple for your lane opponents to upset the balance and cause the lane to reset. Lane freezing is also uncommon in the mid and top lanes because it carries greater risk; allowing higher level solo lanes to roam is dangerous.
Learning this technique is difficult, as is learning when it's safe to use it. Properly applied freezing a lane is a powerful tool for denying your opponent farm and taking an advantage. If you take or lose a turret early be sure to try this technique, and call in your jungler for some easy ganks.
Freezing the lane is the art of holding a minion wave outside of your tower for an extended period of time. This is primarily accomplished by having you or an ally tank a wave of enemy minions just outside of tower range until your own wave arrives, and then by keeping the waves delicately balanced through last-hitting. Generally there should always be a slightly higher number of enemy minions than allies in order to keep the wave from pushing out, although special adjustments are necessary due to siege minions. By doing this you put your opponents in a situation where farming is dangerous, as they're likely to be ganked.
However, freezing the lane is not always a correct action. Just as how losing an inhibitor isn't a big deal so long as there are no objectives the enemy can take, so too is freezing the lane only safe when the enemy has nothing else they can safely accomplish. If you freeze the lane when dragon is available, when your lane opponent(s) can use the time to make plays by roaming, or when your jungle will become more vulnerable, then you are weakening your team's position considerably. Freezing the lane is the same as eliminating your presence on the map.
This technique mostly applies when you or your opponent have already lost a tower. While you can hold a wave outside your tower for a brief time during early laning, it's fairly simple for your lane opponents to upset the balance and cause the lane to reset. Lane freezing is also uncommon in the mid and top lanes because it carries greater risk; allowing higher level solo lanes to roam is dangerous.
Learning this technique is difficult, as is learning when it's safe to use it. Properly applied freezing a lane is a powerful tool for denying your opponent farm and taking an advantage. If you take or lose a turret early be sure to try this technique, and call in your jungler for some easy ganks.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
Thought: Taking Inhibitors
Yesterday TSM and M5 played an interesting game where TSM snagged two of M5's inhibitors while M5 was taking Baron. Generally that sort of trade is considered extremely favorable for the team that takes the inhibitors. In this case, however, I think taking those inhibitors played into M5's hands.
A key factor to keep in mind is that LoL, unlike DotA, does not reduce the value of creeps when inhibitors go down. Taking an inhibitor therefore makes it easier for your opponents to farm, as they don't have to worry about pushing the lane. Unless you can apply pressure or take objectives while the enemy farms your opponents can quickly farm their way back into the game.
M5 abused this principle to set up a favorable situation. They were already ahead when they took Baron and because Baron is worth twice as much as a tower they remained so even after losing two towers and inhibitors. However, because Baron was no longer on the map M5 had no need to do anything except farm creep waves. That's exactly what they did, and it hurt TSM considerably.
TSM was in a fairly unenviable position. They were at a disadvantage already, and with Baron buff on the enemy team any teamfighting would be risky. To top things off with Shen split-pushing any attempts to siege turrets would be dramatically less effective than normal. Essentially, all of TSM options were bad, and as a result M5 was able to extend their lead even further.
In the end, M5 won that game not in spite of losing two inhibitors but because of losing two inhibitors. It may only have worked because M5 was already ahead and had a champion like Shen to split-push without losing team fight presence, but they took Baron specifically because they knew the conditions were favorable. That is the power of thoughtfully considered team compositions.
I highlight this match not to suggest routinely sacrificing inhibitors, but to illustrate that taking inhibitors is not universally good. If your team is not in a position to make something happen when the enemy is sequestered in their base, taking an inhibitor puts your team at a disadvantage. When next you play think about that as you choose between objectives.
A key factor to keep in mind is that LoL, unlike DotA, does not reduce the value of creeps when inhibitors go down. Taking an inhibitor therefore makes it easier for your opponents to farm, as they don't have to worry about pushing the lane. Unless you can apply pressure or take objectives while the enemy farms your opponents can quickly farm their way back into the game.
M5 abused this principle to set up a favorable situation. They were already ahead when they took Baron and because Baron is worth twice as much as a tower they remained so even after losing two towers and inhibitors. However, because Baron was no longer on the map M5 had no need to do anything except farm creep waves. That's exactly what they did, and it hurt TSM considerably.
TSM was in a fairly unenviable position. They were at a disadvantage already, and with Baron buff on the enemy team any teamfighting would be risky. To top things off with Shen split-pushing any attempts to siege turrets would be dramatically less effective than normal. Essentially, all of TSM options were bad, and as a result M5 was able to extend their lead even further.
In the end, M5 won that game not in spite of losing two inhibitors but because of losing two inhibitors. It may only have worked because M5 was already ahead and had a champion like Shen to split-push without losing team fight presence, but they took Baron specifically because they knew the conditions were favorable. That is the power of thoughtfully considered team compositions.
I highlight this match not to suggest routinely sacrificing inhibitors, but to illustrate that taking inhibitors is not universally good. If your team is not in a position to make something happen when the enemy is sequestered in their base, taking an inhibitor puts your team at a disadvantage. When next you play think about that as you choose between objectives.
Friday, May 11, 2012
Thought: Smurfing
A large number of players in the LoL community have secondary accounts, commonly referred to as "Smurfs". The primary purpose of these accounts is to play with or against players far below one's skill level. The reasons leading players to make these accounts vary, but more often than not smurfing undermines the player's ability to improve and can even cause a player to regress.
In some cases the player is being benevolent. A player introducing a friend to the game will often create a smurf account to play with them, as using the player's primary account would cause their friend to be matched against far more skilled and experienced opponents. Similarly, a player whose Elo is far, far higher than their friends' will use a second account in order to play ranked matches with them. Because the goal is to play with friends and help them improve, and teaching itself can lead to new perspectives and understanding, this type of smurfing is not detrimental to the player or to the community.
In other cases the player is selfishly looking to crush inexperienced players. For a veteran it's a trivial matter to slaughter newbies, and unfortunately a number of veterans find enjoyment in one-sided massacres. This type of smurfing is nothing but destructive because it encourages bad habits and deters new players from continuing to play.
While most players aren't so malevolent there's a dangerously alluring middle ground between the ends of the spectrum. Players tired of exerting themselves in the interest of victory will sometimes make smurf accounts in order to play more relaxing games. That seems reasonable enough, but often players take it too far, continuously creating new smurf accounts whenever they encounter adversity. By essentially fleeing whenever the going gets tough, the player stymies their ability to grow.
For these reasons I heavily discourage the use of smurf accounts. If you wish to have relaxing games I recommend you grab friends who won't care about victory or defeat and play with some other goal in mind, mess around in games versus bots, or even play Dominion (HERESY!). Smurf accounts, save for when you use them to instruct and help others, are simply a quick path to stunted growth.
In some cases the player is being benevolent. A player introducing a friend to the game will often create a smurf account to play with them, as using the player's primary account would cause their friend to be matched against far more skilled and experienced opponents. Similarly, a player whose Elo is far, far higher than their friends' will use a second account in order to play ranked matches with them. Because the goal is to play with friends and help them improve, and teaching itself can lead to new perspectives and understanding, this type of smurfing is not detrimental to the player or to the community.
In other cases the player is selfishly looking to crush inexperienced players. For a veteran it's a trivial matter to slaughter newbies, and unfortunately a number of veterans find enjoyment in one-sided massacres. This type of smurfing is nothing but destructive because it encourages bad habits and deters new players from continuing to play.
While most players aren't so malevolent there's a dangerously alluring middle ground between the ends of the spectrum. Players tired of exerting themselves in the interest of victory will sometimes make smurf accounts in order to play more relaxing games. That seems reasonable enough, but often players take it too far, continuously creating new smurf accounts whenever they encounter adversity. By essentially fleeing whenever the going gets tough, the player stymies their ability to grow.
For these reasons I heavily discourage the use of smurf accounts. If you wish to have relaxing games I recommend you grab friends who won't care about victory or defeat and play with some other goal in mind, mess around in games versus bots, or even play Dominion (HERESY!). Smurf accounts, save for when you use them to instruct and help others, are simply a quick path to stunted growth.
Thursday, May 10, 2012
Jungling: Cloth Armor
Cloth Armor was once the most common starting item for junglers. The damage incurred in the old jungle was far higher than what exists in the current game, warranting not only the need for additional armor but regeneration. Cloth Armor, along with five health potions, filled that need better than any other option. Today starting Cloth Armor almost always indicates an inexperienced player or a bad jungle champion.
Very few viable jungle champions require Cloth Armor to clear safely and securely. Even Mundo, whose abilities actively damage him, is fine starting Regrowth Pendant, Vampiric Scepter, or boots. Cloth Armor is only necessary when a champion lacks defense, sustain, and clear speed. Essentially, any jungler for whom Cloth Armor is a must does not have what takes to jungle.
Starting with Cloth Armor should only occur in a very limited number of circumstances, such as when you are new to jungling, when you plan on a very aggressive level 1 skirmish, or when there is a significant threat of direct counter-jungling. Otherwise you should never be taking so much damage in the jungle that you're forced to recall. Using Cloth Armor in other circumstances will set you behind due to the gold invested in potions, the often slower clear speed, and the incompatibility with junglers who need to rush Philosopher's Stone.
For the most part this was a history lesson, but I often see junglers using Cloth Armor when it's simply unnecessary. If you're uncertain regarding your ability to jungle safely you should practice rather than rely on a crutch. Hiding in the safety bubble of Cloth Armor will simply stunt your growth as a jungler.
Very few viable jungle champions require Cloth Armor to clear safely and securely. Even Mundo, whose abilities actively damage him, is fine starting Regrowth Pendant, Vampiric Scepter, or boots. Cloth Armor is only necessary when a champion lacks defense, sustain, and clear speed. Essentially, any jungler for whom Cloth Armor is a must does not have what takes to jungle.
Starting with Cloth Armor should only occur in a very limited number of circumstances, such as when you are new to jungling, when you plan on a very aggressive level 1 skirmish, or when there is a significant threat of direct counter-jungling. Otherwise you should never be taking so much damage in the jungle that you're forced to recall. Using Cloth Armor in other circumstances will set you behind due to the gold invested in potions, the often slower clear speed, and the incompatibility with junglers who need to rush Philosopher's Stone.
For the most part this was a history lesson, but I often see junglers using Cloth Armor when it's simply unnecessary. If you're uncertain regarding your ability to jungle safely you should practice rather than rely on a crutch. Hiding in the safety bubble of Cloth Armor will simply stunt your growth as a jungler.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Thought: Clarity
Clarity is the ultimate trap, the honeypot to which all inexperienced summoners are drawn. There is no role for which this spell is a good option. It isn't even close, Clarity is by far the worst summoner spell in the game.
The problem with Clarity is that additional mana is not as effective a tool for winning lanes or games as other mechanics. An AP mid champion with Blue buff, which returns over five times Clarity's mana and gives 20% CDR, can still lose a fight or the lane if they're down one summoner spell. Taking Clarity is a sure way to put yourself at a disadvantage; it's essentially the same as sacrificing a summoner spell for an inferior version of Blue buff.
Clarity is in many ways the last vestigial remnant of the days before the mastery remake. The other pariah summoner spells, Fortify and Rally, have been removed and replaced. Clarity alone remains an afterthought, largely undisturbed by otherwise sweeping changes. Of all the current summoner spells Clarity is ripe for a remake.
To brainstorm, a process where any and all ideas should be entertained, here are a few suggestions:
Obviously each of these ideas has a host of problems. The first potentially reduces the value of counter-jungling by making the Ancient Golem camp less important. The second is simply asking for a return to double-WotA shenanigans. The third will hard counter certain burst champions (e.g. Leblanc, Veigar). However, this is brainstorming; never let practicality get in the way of ideas when your goal is to come up with as many ideas as possible.
I highly doubt anything in my bulleted list will ever be implemented, but the bottom line is Clarity needs to be replaced. It is a terrible summoner spell, useful only in ARAM/ARAB games for laughs, as a tool for trolling, or for low-level summoners who simply don't have other options.
The problem with Clarity is that additional mana is not as effective a tool for winning lanes or games as other mechanics. An AP mid champion with Blue buff, which returns over five times Clarity's mana and gives 20% CDR, can still lose a fight or the lane if they're down one summoner spell. Taking Clarity is a sure way to put yourself at a disadvantage; it's essentially the same as sacrificing a summoner spell for an inferior version of Blue buff.
Clarity is in many ways the last vestigial remnant of the days before the mastery remake. The other pariah summoner spells, Fortify and Rally, have been removed and replaced. Clarity alone remains an afterthought, largely undisturbed by otherwise sweeping changes. Of all the current summoner spells Clarity is ripe for a remake.
To brainstorm, a process where any and all ideas should be entertained, here are a few suggestions:
- Make Clarity grant blue buff instead of provide an instant mana return. Possibly make it ally-targetable.
- Make Clarity temporarily apply a Spell Vamp buff to affected targets.
- Make Clarity apply the Zhonya's untargetable effect.
Obviously each of these ideas has a host of problems. The first potentially reduces the value of counter-jungling by making the Ancient Golem camp less important. The second is simply asking for a return to double-WotA shenanigans. The third will hard counter certain burst champions (e.g. Leblanc, Veigar). However, this is brainstorming; never let practicality get in the way of ideas when your goal is to come up with as many ideas as possible.
I highly doubt anything in my bulleted list will ever be implemented, but the bottom line is Clarity needs to be replaced. It is a terrible summoner spell, useful only in ARAM/ARAB games for laughs, as a tool for trolling, or for low-level summoners who simply don't have other options.
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Challenge: Crazy Bot-Game Builds
Nothing super serious today, just a few builds for when you're messing around in Coop vs AI.
AD Malzahar: R>E>Q>W, Manamune -> Brutalizer. Spam spells, spawn Voidlings, ult enemies, instant Zerg Rush. Super-effective against towers!
AP Gangplank: R>E>W>Q, Sheen -> Deathcap -> Lich Bane. Enjoy the instant full heals from W and super effective cannon barrages.
Bulwark Blitzcrank: R>E>W>Q, Sheen -> Manamune -> Frozen Heart/Banshee's Veil/Trinity Force/Archangel's Staff. Nothing says troll like a 2k+ shield the moment before you would have died.
Hecavroom: R>Q>W>E, Trinity Force -> Phantom Dancer*3. Bonus points if Janna or Zilean is on your team.
Tiamat Fiora: R>W>Q>E, Tiamat*4 -> Last Whisper. Wait for the bots to inevitably group up and push, gather your allies, press R.
These builds are more hilarious than challenging, but stepping outside of your rote builds from time to time can loosen habits and help you look at how you approach itemization with a fresh mind.
AD Malzahar: R>E>Q>W, Manamune -> Brutalizer. Spam spells, spawn Voidlings, ult enemies, instant Zerg Rush. Super-effective against towers!
AP Gangplank: R>E>W>Q, Sheen -> Deathcap -> Lich Bane. Enjoy the instant full heals from W and super effective cannon barrages.
Bulwark Blitzcrank: R>E>W>Q, Sheen -> Manamune -> Frozen Heart/Banshee's Veil/Trinity Force/Archangel's Staff. Nothing says troll like a 2k+ shield the moment before you would have died.
Hecavroom: R>Q>W>E, Trinity Force -> Phantom Dancer*3. Bonus points if Janna or Zilean is on your team.
Tiamat Fiora: R>W>Q>E, Tiamat*4 -> Last Whisper. Wait for the bots to inevitably group up and push, gather your allies, press R.
These builds are more hilarious than challenging, but stepping outside of your rote builds from time to time can loosen habits and help you look at how you approach itemization with a fresh mind.
Monday, May 7, 2012
Jungling: Wriggle's Lantern
Since its introduction in patch v96 Wriggle's Lantern has been a jungling standard. It gives a jungler everything they could want: sustain, durability, damage, and free wards. Wriggle's is also highly overrated.
For all its benefits Wriggle's is no longer the de facto jungling item it once was. It was designed with a very different jungle in mind, one which was unforgiving and brutal. Between the mastery and jungle remakes that difficulty, and the necessity of Wriggle's, vanished. Clearing the jungle safely and quickly no longer requires a specialized item.
This is not to say that Wriggle's should never be built, but that it should be built only when it has strong synergy with the jungle champion. These champions are typically, but not always, bruisers with attack speed steroids or spammable resets, making them threats to dragon as soon as they've completed the item. Without that threat the value of Wriggle's drops dramatically. Champions whose clear times and dragon control don't significantly improve with Wriggle's are usually better off with a different item.
Too often the community defaults to Wriggle's for new jungle champions. Despite the fact that Nautilus has the worst attack speed scaling in the game and is clearly from the Amumu school of jungling (i.e. Philo + Hog) I've seen Wriggle's on him many times. Hecarim is a less obvious example, but his lack of attack speed steroids and huge synergy with movement speed and CDR (e.g. Shurelya's) puts him in a similar category. It's important make item decisions based on an examination of a jungler's qualities rather than auto-piloting a build.
Again, Wriggle's is not a bad item, but it is not the preeminent jungling tool it once was. The alternatives have never looked better, and should be considered even on champions who historically have been lantern bearers.
For all its benefits Wriggle's is no longer the de facto jungling item it once was. It was designed with a very different jungle in mind, one which was unforgiving and brutal. Between the mastery and jungle remakes that difficulty, and the necessity of Wriggle's, vanished. Clearing the jungle safely and quickly no longer requires a specialized item.
This is not to say that Wriggle's should never be built, but that it should be built only when it has strong synergy with the jungle champion. These champions are typically, but not always, bruisers with attack speed steroids or spammable resets, making them threats to dragon as soon as they've completed the item. Without that threat the value of Wriggle's drops dramatically. Champions whose clear times and dragon control don't significantly improve with Wriggle's are usually better off with a different item.
Too often the community defaults to Wriggle's for new jungle champions. Despite the fact that Nautilus has the worst attack speed scaling in the game and is clearly from the Amumu school of jungling (i.e. Philo + Hog) I've seen Wriggle's on him many times. Hecarim is a less obvious example, but his lack of attack speed steroids and huge synergy with movement speed and CDR (e.g. Shurelya's) puts him in a similar category. It's important make item decisions based on an examination of a jungler's qualities rather than auto-piloting a build.
Again, Wriggle's is not a bad item, but it is not the preeminent jungling tool it once was. The alternatives have never looked better, and should be considered even on champions who historically have been lantern bearers.
Sunday, May 6, 2012
Quote: On Solo Queue
"The only thing that sustains one through solo queue is the consciousness of the immense inferiority of everybody else, and this is a feeling that I have always cultivated."
-Oscar Wilde
-Oscar Wilde
Saturday, May 5, 2012
Quote: On Overpowered
"It is obvious that 'overpowered' is not a term capable of exact legal definition; in the practice of balance, it means 'anything that shocks the developers.'"
-Bertrand Russell
-Bertrand Russell
Friday, May 4, 2012
Jungling: Efficiency
Jungling is a role where your most valuable resource is time. Because the jungle perpetually respawns every action taken outside the jungle comes at a cost. It is therefore critical that junglers pursue only worthy actions and even then avoid wasting time unnecessarily. Efficiency is the essential attribute every jungler must cultivate.
To understand better, consider the gold and exp value of the jungle. The small camps in the jungle can be cleared once a minute and are worth 154 gold and 441 exp in total, before scaling or banking. That's almost as much gold as an assist and nearly as much exp as two full creep waves. Each minute spent not jungling costs a jungler those resources.
For this reason whenever you leave the jungle being efficient is key. The greatest threats to efficiency tend to be moments of indecision. Running back and forth because you aren't sure which lane needs your assistance, spending a lengthy amount of time in a bush because it isn't clear whether the gank will succeed, sitting in the fountain because you haven't decided what item to buy, all of these moments of indecision waste time and resources. Your goal should be to eliminate waste in movement, action, and intention.
It is possible to go too far in the other direction, endlessly farming without ever having an impact on the game is as grave an error as failing to secure your development by failing to properly farm. Keep in mind that while it comes at a cost, the jungler's role is to establish and maintain map control. The job of a jungler involves leaving the jungle, at cost, in order to give their allies the advantage. Efficiency is leaving the jungle at the right time to perform the right action, not avoiding action altogether.
It's a principle that is universally applicable, not just in the jungle. Learning this delicate balancing act is difficult, but mastering it will propel you into the later stages with a stronger champion and team.
To understand better, consider the gold and exp value of the jungle. The small camps in the jungle can be cleared once a minute and are worth 154 gold and 441 exp in total, before scaling or banking. That's almost as much gold as an assist and nearly as much exp as two full creep waves. Each minute spent not jungling costs a jungler those resources.
For this reason whenever you leave the jungle being efficient is key. The greatest threats to efficiency tend to be moments of indecision. Running back and forth because you aren't sure which lane needs your assistance, spending a lengthy amount of time in a bush because it isn't clear whether the gank will succeed, sitting in the fountain because you haven't decided what item to buy, all of these moments of indecision waste time and resources. Your goal should be to eliminate waste in movement, action, and intention.
It is possible to go too far in the other direction, endlessly farming without ever having an impact on the game is as grave an error as failing to secure your development by failing to properly farm. Keep in mind that while it comes at a cost, the jungler's role is to establish and maintain map control. The job of a jungler involves leaving the jungle, at cost, in order to give their allies the advantage. Efficiency is leaving the jungle at the right time to perform the right action, not avoiding action altogether.
It's a principle that is universally applicable, not just in the jungle. Learning this delicate balancing act is difficult, but mastering it will propel you into the later stages with a stronger champion and team.
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Thought: Remember the Mid-game
One of the most common problems I've seen when a player is attempting to figure out an unfamiliar champion is a failure to consider the mid-game. For whatever reason they forget that there's a period of transition between laning/jungling and the late-game. This leads to some very interesting, and misguided, ideas.
A good example is the odd decision by a number of players to max Hecarim's E first. The concept is to utilize E's strong burst and flat mana cost to harass opponents in lane or crush opponents during ganks. Regardless of whether or not this works, the concept is fundamentally flawed because it doesn't account for the mid-game. A Hecarim whose primary damage tool is on a 16 second cooldown essentially has no role in a teamfight beyond his ult. By focusing only on the early-game these players overlook how useless they will be during the crucial mid-game.
Another example is are Galio players who max E second rather than W. For laning this makes sense, as it makes it easier to clear creep waves, but for team fights it's incredibly wrongheaded. The power of 90 Armor/MR on an otherwise squishy ally far, far outweighs slightly more damage and positional movement speed, and that's without considering the self-healing. Again, these players are losing sight of the big picture in their quest for a perfect laning phase.
This is not to say that early-game considerations are insignificant, they are important, but you always need a strategy for the mid-game. The transition from your early-game skill order and item build into your late-game is as crucial as the either of those two phases.
A good example is the odd decision by a number of players to max Hecarim's E first. The concept is to utilize E's strong burst and flat mana cost to harass opponents in lane or crush opponents during ganks. Regardless of whether or not this works, the concept is fundamentally flawed because it doesn't account for the mid-game. A Hecarim whose primary damage tool is on a 16 second cooldown essentially has no role in a teamfight beyond his ult. By focusing only on the early-game these players overlook how useless they will be during the crucial mid-game.
Another example is are Galio players who max E second rather than W. For laning this makes sense, as it makes it easier to clear creep waves, but for team fights it's incredibly wrongheaded. The power of 90 Armor/MR on an otherwise squishy ally far, far outweighs slightly more damage and positional movement speed, and that's without considering the self-healing. Again, these players are losing sight of the big picture in their quest for a perfect laning phase.
This is not to say that early-game considerations are insignificant, they are important, but you always need a strategy for the mid-game. The transition from your early-game skill order and item build into your late-game is as crucial as the either of those two phases.
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Quote: On Morello
"If you want a vision of the future, imagine Morello nerfing Irelia - forever."
-George Orwell
-George Orwell
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Theory: Rune Pages
Rune pages are a luxury, and as with many luxuries they bring benefits to those who can afford them. A player with twenty rune pages has an obvious advantage over one with just two rune pages. The reason for this is intuitive; being able to carefully tailor a rune page to the specific needs of a champion greatly increases their effectiveness.
Building a rune page is something of an art. While most pages aren't "wrong" per se, finding the right rune page can make or break champions, match ups, and item builds. This takes time, effort, attention to detail, and most of all purpose.
Rune pages should focus on the following purposes or goals as they relate to a particular champion:
The best rune pages tend to address multiple purposes in an elegant way or take one purpose to an extreme. An good example of both is the pure Armor rune page.
For jungle Nautilus a pure Armor rune page serves multiple purposes. It improves his jungling speed (#2), increases his sustain (#2), and allows him to use more advantageous starting items (#1). The best alternatives might barely surpass the pure Armor rune page in speed, but only at the cost of sustain and starting item selection.
The pure Armor rune page can also be used against champions with absolutely obnoxious harass or early kill potential such as Pantheon, Yorick, or Garen. By going all in on defense it becomes possible to survive the early abuse of these match ups without needing a specific champion to counter them. This is an extreme measure, but more effective than being shut out of the game.
Not all rune pages will push champions over critical thresholds or apply in a multitude of situations, but that doesn't mean the effort is wasted. The further you progress as a player the more you'll encounter matches where lanes and skirmishes are won on razor-thin margins. The right rune page can change whether it's you or your opponent who walks away from kill with infuriatingly low health. It may take time, but the more you think about and experiment with rune pages the better you'll become at building them.
Building a rune page is something of an art. While most pages aren't "wrong" per se, finding the right rune page can make or break champions, match ups, and item builds. This takes time, effort, attention to detail, and most of all purpose.
Rune pages should focus on the following purposes or goals as they relate to a particular champion:
- Avoiding awkward or costly itemization.
- Shoring up a critical weakness.
- Maximizing a strength/abuse case.
- Countering a specific champion/match up.
The best rune pages tend to address multiple purposes in an elegant way or take one purpose to an extreme. An good example of both is the pure Armor rune page.
For jungle Nautilus a pure Armor rune page serves multiple purposes. It improves his jungling speed (#2), increases his sustain (#2), and allows him to use more advantageous starting items (#1). The best alternatives might barely surpass the pure Armor rune page in speed, but only at the cost of sustain and starting item selection.
The pure Armor rune page can also be used against champions with absolutely obnoxious harass or early kill potential such as Pantheon, Yorick, or Garen. By going all in on defense it becomes possible to survive the early abuse of these match ups without needing a specific champion to counter them. This is an extreme measure, but more effective than being shut out of the game.
Not all rune pages will push champions over critical thresholds or apply in a multitude of situations, but that doesn't mean the effort is wasted. The further you progress as a player the more you'll encounter matches where lanes and skirmishes are won on razor-thin margins. The right rune page can change whether it's you or your opponent who walks away from kill with infuriatingly low health. It may take time, but the more you think about and experiment with rune pages the better you'll become at building them.
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