I freakin’ love this game, I really do. It’s been a while since I’ve played a game that gives me the competitive adrenaline rush I crave. LoL does the trick. Fortunately and unfortunately, matchmaking puts you up against tough opponents, and learning the intricacies of the game is difficult. I’ll admit that I’m still pretty new to the game, but I wanted to give some friendly advice to new players or players that are just interested in reading my opinion on how to play. Here goes:
1. DON’T DIE. The absolute WORST thing you can do in this game is die. In fact, it would be a million times better for you to stand around and do nothing than die. When you die, you give the opposing team lots of gold and experience, they become stronger, and then they kill you, and then you die. Don’t feed the opposing team their power.
2. Don’t go for the kill unless you KNOW you can finish the job AND SURVIVE. Unless you can kill 2 or 3 people… Remember, that if you’re on a killing spree, your opponents will gain lots of bonus gold for killing you.
3. Control your emotions! Bloodlust is one-way ticket to Deadville. The moment you seek out your revenge is the moment 5 guys show up to slaughter you. Don’t be a hero.
4. Early game is EXTREMELY important. Pretend that a game of LoL is like a giant 5-ton sledgehammer standing on its handle with teams on either side trying to push the head to crush the opposing team. It’s really easy to sway the battle when the weight isn’t pushed to either side, but once the hammer has started to crush you, it’s almost impossible to push it back up and onto the other team. Don’t ever think, “oh I died, that’s ok, it’s still early in the game.” WRONG! A death at level 1 is ten times worse than a death at level 18. First blood sets the tone for the rest of the game. You simply cannot afford to be careless at the beginning.
5. LoL is a TEAM game. Communicate with your team constantly. Work together. Set up ganks. Be aware of what’s happening all over the map. Let your team know when opponents are missing. When a teammate needs help, RESPOND QUICKLY. Saving a life or a tower is WAY more important than finishing off that minion that will give you blue buff. If something goes wrong and someone does something stupid, GET OVER IT and start planning for the next attempt.
6. If your opponents are missing, they’re waiting for you to become vulnerable to gank. It’s not a good time to push. Get one or two hits on a tower and get back and do something else. Don’t be alone.
7. Don’t stand around and don’t spend forever shopping. While you’re dawdling, the other team is getting more powerful. If you don’t have minions to kill in the lane, get in the jungle and start acquiring buffs.
8. If you’re low on health, get back to the base and heal. Don’t think you’re too useful to go back. You’re a target. You’re a liability. Get out of the fight. Do not stay and kite, do not turn around to get another hit in. RUN AWAY AND HEAL.
9. If you’re ahead in levels, hunt your opponents down and feed on their weakness. Use equipment that makes you more powerful as you acquire more kills. The payoff is more significant than you’d think.
10. If you’re losing, think of creative ways to drastically tip the scales. Kill the dragon for gold. Get the Baron buff. Work with your team to take out the opposing carrier. Don’t keep playing the same way you were. You’ll keep losing, I promise.
11. Know which items you’re going to buy before you get to the store. Memorize the exact amount you need to make your next purchase to make your shop stops infrequent. If you’re going back to the store, you’re not gaining XP. You’re losing. If you already have all your final items, purchase consumables that give you temporary power.
12. Prevent your opponents from acquiring XP. If you can, body block them from the minions they need to kill. Constantly harass them and make them return to heal. Control significant points of the map. Place sight wards near important buffs and gank your opponents before they acquire them.
13. DON’T DIE.
I know a lot of this seems like common sense, but I think they’re still worth mentioning. If I think of anything else, I’ll update the list. Feel free to comment, correct, or give your own mad strats for LoL.
