Learn The League Update 04

Learn the League
The Unofficial League of Legends Super-Guide

Patrick O'Callahan
http://www.learntheleague.com/
http://www.youtube.com/user/ciderhelm/
Learn the League is copyright Patrick O'Callahan 2012. Images from League of Legends are copyright Riot
Games Inc., and are used in accordance with U.S. Fair Use law. This guide is intended for personal use
and may not be shared without written permission.
1|Learn the League

Contents
Introduction to Learn the League ............................................................................................................... 10
An Unofficial Guide ..................................................................................................................................... 11
Accuracy ...................................................................................................................................................... 12
Getting Started in League of Legends ......................................................................................................... 13
What is League of Legends ..................................................................................................................... 13
Setting Up An Account & Installing The Game ....................................................................................... 13
Name Your Summoner............................................................................................................................ 13
Choose an Expertise Level ...................................................................................................................... 13
The Tutorial Game .................................................................................................................................. 14
Battle Training ......................................................................................................................................... 14
What Now? ............................................................................................................................................. 14
Runes & Masteries .................................................................................................................................. 15
An Introduction to Runes & Rune Pages............................................................................................. 15
Masteries ............................................................................................................................................ 17
Basic Game Information ......................................................................................................................... 18
Elo Rating ............................................................................................................................................ 18
First Win of the Day Bonus ................................................................................................................. 18
Advice For New Players............................................................................................................................... 19
General Advice ........................................................................................................................................ 19
Don't Buy Runes Until Level 20 ........................................................................................................... 19
When & Why to Purchase Riot Points ................................................................................................ 19
Get Cheap Champions......................................................................................................................... 20
Playing One Champion vs. Playing Many ............................................................................................ 20
Snowballing Champions & Items ........................................................................................................ 21
The Meta - Who Goes Top, Mid, and Bot ........................................................................................... 22
Dive In & Don't Panic .......................................................................................................................... 23
Tips for Learning Champions .................................................................................................................. 24
Muscle Memory .................................................................................................................................. 24
Dashes & Blinks ................................................................................................................................... 25
Skillshots ............................................................................................................................................. 26
Steroids ............................................................................................................................................... 26
2|Learn the League

Attack Animation & Projectile Speed.................................................................................................. 26
Beating the Smurfs.................................................................................................................................. 27
Leavers & AFKers................................................................................................................................. 28
Bot Games (Cooperative vs. AI) .......................................................................................................... 28
Play With A Patient, Experienced Friend ............................................................................................ 29
Try 3v3 Twisted Treeline and Dominion ............................................................................................. 29
Ignore & Report Jerks.......................................................................................................................... 29
Summoner's Rift Guidebook ....................................................................................................................... 30
Game Objectives ..................................................................................................................................... 30
Map Layout ............................................................................................................................................. 31
Fog of War ........................................................................................................................................... 33
Bushes (Brush) .................................................................................................................................... 34
Impassable Terrain .............................................................................................................................. 35
Gold & Experience for Champion Kills ................................................................................................ 35
Structures ................................................................................................................................................ 36
Towers (Turrets).................................................................................................................................. 36
Inhibitors & Nexus............................................................................................................................... 38
Summoner Pool, Shop & Obelisk ........................................................................................................ 38
Team Minions ......................................................................................................................................... 40
Minion Waves ..................................................................................................................................... 41
Melee & Caster Minions ..................................................................................................................... 42
Siege & Super Minions ........................................................................................................................ 42
Neutral Monsters .................................................................................................................................... 43
Baron Nashor ...................................................................................................................................... 43
Dragon................................................................................................................................................. 45
Blue Golem (Ancient Golem) .............................................................................................................. 46
Red Lizard (Lizard Elder)...................................................................................................................... 47
Minor Camps (Double Golems, Wraiths, Wolves) .............................................................................. 48
Playing To Win ............................................................................................................................................ 49
Personal Skills.......................................................................................................................................... 49
Counter ............................................................................................................................................... 49
First Purchase: The Doran's Dilemma ................................................................................................. 50
3|Learn the League

Potions & Elixirs .................................................................................................................................. 51
Tab, Evaluate, & Invest Wisely ............................................................................................................ 51
Situational & Map Awareness (Wards!).............................................................................................. 52
Observe Your Opponents .................................................................................................................... 53
Track Timers ........................................................................................................................................ 53
Gold Matters ....................................................................................................................................... 54
Avoid Unfavorable Fights .................................................................................................................... 55
Movement & Positioning .................................................................................................................... 55
Juking .................................................................................................................................................. 56
That Awkward Moment When... ........................................................................................................ 56
You Have Been Slain............................................................................................................................ 57
Calling MIA .......................................................................................................................................... 57
Direct Your Team ................................................................................................................................ 57
Don't Give Up ...................................................................................................................................... 58
Teamplay & Objectives ........................................................................................................................... 59
Defend................................................................................................................................................. 59
Sometimes It's Better To Wait ............................................................................................................ 59
Control Your Lane Extension ............................................................................................................... 60
Press The Advantage ........................................................................................................................... 62
React To Enemies Who Aren't There .................................................................................................. 62
Dragon & Baron Nashor ...................................................................................................................... 63
Force Favorable Teamfights ................................................................................................................ 63
Inhibitors Matter, But So Does Their Nexus ....................................................................................... 65
Pushing & Split Pushing....................................................................................................................... 65
Backdooring ........................................................................................................................................ 66
Double Explosion ................................................................................................................................ 66
Team Composition .................................................................................................................................. 67
AOE Disables/Damage ........................................................................................................................ 67
Early Victory (Bruisers or Assassins) ................................................................................................... 67
Pushers ................................................................................................................................................ 68
Poking vs. Initiating ............................................................................................................................. 68
Map Dominance: Warding, Counterwarding & Clairvoyance..................................................................... 69
4|Learn the League

Sight Wards, Vision Wards, and Oracle's Elixir ....................................................................................... 69
Teleport & Champion Abilities ............................................................................................................ 69
Counterwarding .................................................................................................................................. 70
Towers................................................................................................................................................. 71
Map Zones........................................................................................................................................... 71
Who is Responsible ............................................................................................................................. 72
Too Much ............................................................................................................................................ 73
Dealing With Stealth Champions ........................................................................................................ 73
Warding With Teammates .................................................................................................................. 74
Protecting & Replacing Wards ............................................................................................................ 74
Clairvoyance ............................................................................................................................................ 75
The First Cast ....................................................................................................................................... 75
Chase the Jungler (Early Timers) ......................................................................................................... 75
Against Baiting .................................................................................................................................... 78
Against Juking...................................................................................................................................... 78
Clairvoyance as Protection.................................................................................................................. 78
Requests .............................................................................................................................................. 78
Specific Ward Locations .......................................................................................................................... 79
Team Warding ..................................................................................................................................... 80
Bot Lane .............................................................................................................................................. 83
Top Lane .............................................................................................................................................. 86
Mid Lane ............................................................................................................................................. 87
Jungle .................................................................................................................................................. 91
Dragon & Baron Nashor ...................................................................................................................... 93
Bases ................................................................................................................................................... 98
Special Cases ....................................................................................................................................... 99
Stats .......................................................................................................................................................... 100
Baseline Stats vs. Multiplier Stats ......................................................................................................... 100
Normal Attacks...................................................................................................................................... 101
Attack Damage (Baseline) ................................................................................................................. 101
Armor Penetration & Armor Reduction (Multiplier) ........................................................................ 101
Attack Speed (Multiplier) .................................................................................................................. 101
5|Learn the League

Critical Strike Chance (Multiplier) ..................................................................................................... 101
Critical Strike Damage (Multiplier).................................................................................................... 102
Lifesteal ............................................................................................................................................. 102
Range ................................................................................................................................................ 102
Abilities ................................................................................................................................................. 102
Ability Power (Baseline) .................................................................................................................... 102
Cooldown Reduction (Multiplier) ..................................................................................................... 102
Magic Penetration & Magic Resistance Reduction (Multiplier)........................................................ 103
Mana & Resources ............................................................................................................................ 103
Mana & Resource Regeneration ....................................................................................................... 103
Spell Vamp ........................................................................................................................................ 103
Defensive .............................................................................................................................................. 104
Health (Baseline), Effective Health & Shields ................................................................................... 104
Armor (Multiplier) ............................................................................................................................. 104
Magic Resistance (Multiplier) ........................................................................................................... 105
Health Regeneration ......................................................................................................................... 105
Tenacity ............................................................................................................................................. 105
Utility..................................................................................................................................................... 106
Movement Speed.............................................................................................................................. 106
Passive Gold Gain (Gold Per 10)........................................................................................................ 106
A Little More Regarding Defensive Stats .............................................................................................. 107
Low Health, Armor, and/or Magic Resist .......................................................................................... 107
High Health ....................................................................................................................................... 107
High Armor or high Magic Resist ...................................................................................................... 107
High Health, Armor, and Magic Resist .............................................................................................. 107
High Health Regeneration or Healing ............................................................................................... 107
Summoner Spells ...................................................................................................................................... 108
Exhaust (Summoner Level 1) ................................................................................................................ 108
Ghost (Summoner Level 1) ................................................................................................................... 108
Heal (Summoner Level 1) ...................................................................................................................... 108
Revive (Summoner Level 1) .................................................................................................................. 109
Smite (Summoner Level 1) .................................................................................................................... 109
6|Learn the League

Surge (Summoner Level 1) .................................................................................................................... 110
Teleport (Summoner Level 1) ............................................................................................................... 110
Cleanse (Summoner Level 2)................................................................................................................. 111
Clarity (Summoner Level 6) ................................................................................................................... 111
Ignite (Summoner Level 7) .................................................................................................................... 112
Promote (Summoner Level 8) ............................................................................................................... 112
Clairvoyance (Summoner Level 10) ...................................................................................................... 113
Flash (Summoner Level 12) ................................................................................................................... 113
Champion Roles & Recommendations ..................................................................................................... 115
Primary Roles ........................................................................................................................................ 116
All-purpose Runes, Items & Summoner Spells ................................................................................. 116
Finding Items in the Shop ................................................................................................................. 118
Ranged AD (Physical Attack Damage) ............................................................................................... 119
AP Caster (Ability Power Mage) ........................................................................................................ 124
Support.............................................................................................................................................. 130
Fighter ............................................................................................................................................... 135
Tank ................................................................................................................................................... 142
Secondary Roles .................................................................................................................................... 147
Carry .................................................................................................................................................. 147
Assassin ............................................................................................................................................. 147
Pusher ............................................................................................................................................... 147
Poke................................................................................................................................................... 148
Initiator ............................................................................................................................................. 148
Counter-Initiator ............................................................................................................................... 148
Disruption.......................................................................................................................................... 148
Jungler ............................................................................................................................................... 149
Stealth ............................................................................................................................................... 149
Mobile ............................................................................................................................................... 150
Zoning................................................................................................................................................ 150
Anti-Carry .......................................................................................................................................... 151
Major Patch Updates ................................................................................................................................ 152
Hecarim Patch ....................................................................................................................................... 152
7|Learn the League

Magic Resistance & Ability Power/Magic Penetration Runes .......................................................... 152
Atma's Impaler .................................................................................................................................. 152
Doran's Ring & Blade......................................................................................................................... 152
Lulu Patch.............................................................................................................................................. 152
Lifesteal & Bloodthirster ................................................................................................................... 152
About the 'Don't Feed' Guides .................................................................................................................. 154
Don’t Feed Ahri ......................................................................................................................................... 155
Don’t Feed Amumu ................................................................................................................................... 163
Don’t Feed Ashe ........................................................................................................................................ 167
Don’t Feed Caitlyn..................................................................................................................................... 172
Don’t Feed Fizz .......................................................................................................................................... 177
Don’t Feed Gangplank............................................................................................................................... 183
Don’t Feed Garen ...................................................................................................................................... 187
Don’t Feed Graves..................................................................................................................................... 191
Don’t Feed Jax ........................................................................................................................................... 195
Don’t Feed Kog’maw ................................................................................................................................. 200
Don’t Feed Lee Sin .................................................................................................................................... 204
Don’t Feed Leona ...................................................................................................................................... 210
Don’t Feed Lulu ......................................................................................................................................... 215
Don’t Feed Maokai .................................................................................................................................... 222
Don’t Feed Miss Fortune........................................................................................................................... 225
Don’t Feed Morgana ................................................................................................................................. 228
Don’t Feed Nautilus .................................................................................................................................. 233
Don’t Feed Nocturne................................................................................................................................. 239
Don’t Feed Nunu ....................................................................................................................................... 244
Don’t Feed Olaf ......................................................................................................................................... 248
Don’t Feed Rumble ................................................................................................................................... 253
Don’t Feed Sejuani .................................................................................................................................... 257
Don’t Feed Shyvana .................................................................................................................................. 262
Don’t Feed Sivir ......................................................................................................................................... 268
Don’t Feed Sona ........................................................................................................................................ 274
Don’t Feed Tryndamere ............................................................................................................................ 278
8|Learn the League

Don’t Feed Urgot....................................................................................................................................... 283
Don’t Feed Vayne ...................................................................................................................................... 286
Don’t Feed Viktor ...................................................................................................................................... 290
Don’t Feed Vladimir .................................................................................................................................. 296
Don’t Feed Volibear .................................................................................................................................. 302
Don’t Feed Xerath ..................................................................................................................................... 308
Don’t Feed Master Yi ................................................................................................................................ 312
Don't Feed Ziggs ........................................................................................................................................ 316
Don’t Feed Zilean ...................................................................................................................................... 323
9|Learn the League

Introduction to Learn the League
Hey, my name is Patrick O'Callahan. I want you to be a great League of Legends player. And I want to be
part of making that happen.
In this book I aim to teach you as much about League of Legends as possible. My goals are to:
• Teach you winning strategies and concepts;

• Outline the core League of Legends mechanics that define how you play;
• Make your experience more enjoyable.
To do this, I'm going to cover a number of different aspects of the game, including the game client and
how to best approach your first matches, along with tips regarding runes, masteries, and other out-of-
game interfaces. I'll also let you know about some of the stuff you'll run into when you're playing,
including the attitudes of other players.
Beyond this, there are two critically important subjects that players spend hundreds or even thousands
of games learning. The first of these are champions -- with nearly one hundred champions at the time of
writing this, each with their own totally unique combination of abilities, much of your time will be spent
figuring out how they work, how you can fight them, and which ones you want to play. I'll get you
started on this, teaching you not just the broader roles but also the specific mechanics of many of these
champions.
The second big concept is items and all of the options and combinations that work well together. My
goal here will be to give you a working knowledge, to the point that you will be able to play a champion
and pick up appropriate items without reading specific guides for that champion first. While I won't
cover every single item available in League of Legends, you'll learn all of the core items as they relate to
the primary champion roles.
10 | L e a r n t h e L e a g u e
An Unofficial Guide
Riot Games Inc. has not endorsed or authorized this guide in any way.
In very limited cases throughout this book I use images and text that are copyright Riot Games Inc. I
have done so after studying Fair Use cases and settlements. Since this is a commercial product, the bar
for Fair Use is higher, but I believe this book meets and exceeds the requirements of Fair Use:
• This work will in no way detract from the commercial gains of Riot Games Inc.
• This work is complementary to League of Legends and is not in competition with it.
• This work only uses content from League of Legends where it directly aids and benefits the
user's understanding of the game. Images are used so players can more quickly identify
important objects in the game client.
• The amount of copyrighted material used is insignificant, both in relation to their work and to
this work.
As Judge Posner said in Ty Inc. v. Publications Int'l Ltd.:
"... in fair-use case law, we may say that copying that is complementary to the copyrighted work
(in the sense that nails are complements of hammers) is fair use, but copying that is a substitute
for the copyrighted work (in the sense that nails are substitutes for pegs or screws) ... is not fair
use."
This work is not a substitute for League of Legends, but is complementary to it.
That said, if Riot Games Inc. requests that I remove the limited copyrighted material from this guide, I
may comply by removing these images. This would not be an ideal situation as I believe the images I use
are important referential markers and are completely protected under Fair Use, but I would prefer to
keep working on new guides for my fans than get into a legal battle.
(I'm also a big fan of Riot Games Inc., and am pursuing a dialogue with them in regards to this work)
Accuracy
I have strived for accuracy in everything I have done throughout this work. Wherever possible, I have
also attempted to make sure the information I present is relatively timeless, in the sense that game
updates are unlikely to change them. However, Riot Games Inc. frequently updates League of Legends.
These changes may affect the accuracy or validity of parts of this guide.
With each update I make to this work, I will also attempt to adjust parts of of it that no longer reflect the
current state of the game. I may miss some on occasion, but I will do my best.
Getting Started in League of Legends
What is League of Legends

League of Legends is a game based on Defense of the Ancients (DOTA), a custom game developed by
Warcraft III players. It shares a genre with DOTA, DOTA 2, Heroes of Newerth, and several smaller
games.
League of Legends has three primary multiplayer game modes. The first, and by far the most popular, is
Summoner's Rift. This game places up to five players against a group of human or AI opponents with the
goal of overrunning the opposing team's base. Twisted Treeline is a smaller game mode with similar
concepts and a maximum of three players on a team.
In late 2011 a new game mode called Dominion was introduced. This is a 5v5 capture-and-hold game
type, and usually involves much quicker matches. Though less popular than Summoner's Rift, Riot has
put significant development work into making sure it is polished and ready for players who are
interested in playing it.
At this time, this guide focuses primarily on the Summoner's Rift game mode, though nearly all concepts
translate to Twisted Treeline.
Setting Up An Account & Installing The Game

The first thing you'll need to do is create an account. To get started, go to this URL:
http://signup.leagueoflegends.com/en/signup/index
Once you've created an account you'll be able to download the game client, after which you can log in
for your first time.
Name Your Summoner

Choose a name for your Summoner. This can be different from your account name, and you can change
it later if you choose to. Once you're done, choose an icon to represent your Summoner.
Choose an Expertise Level

You'll be asked to choose between four different levels of expertise. Be honest about these choices, as it
will directly impact the experience of the human opponents you're matched against.
The Tutorial Game
Play it. The tutorial is a fantastic way of learning the most basic concepts in the game.
Battle Training
Play it. The Battle Training against bots is another fantastic way of learning the basics of the game. This
is set on the popular Summoner's Rift map (which most of this guide focuses on), and the tips and
messages throughout the game are genuinely worthwhile to read and remember. You won't necessarily
remember everything from Battle Training after you're done, but it is still worth the experience.
What Now?
After playing through the Basic Tutorial and Battle Training missions you have two choices.
You can either explore the game client, check out the news items, use the Riot Store, or poke around the
champion pages. If you need help with some of the basic functions of the game, the '?' in the upper right
hand of your client may be of assistance.
Of course, the more fun choice is just to dive right in and play another match. Click the red 'Play' button
at the top of your screen, then jump into a new match. I recommend the "Co-op vs. AI" to get started, as
this will ally you against computer opponents who can be a little more enjoyable to learn the basics of
your champions against.
Either now, or after your first few games, I strongly recommend reading the "Advice for New Players"
section of this guide. At the very least it will give you some things to think about.
Once you've played a dozen or so games, start really digging into the rest of "Learn the League." There
are very advanced concepts throughout the guide that will help you out immensely if you learn them
sooner rather than later.
As always, last hit, last hit, last hit!
(If you didn't catch the mention during Battle Training, last hitting enemy minions and monsters is how
you earn gold. It's one of the hardest and most important skills to master. Practice early, practice often!)
Runes & Masteries
In the upper-right of your game client you should see several buttons you can click on:
The first button (orange) is the Riot Store -- click this if you want to purchase new champions, skins, or a
wide variety of other perks for your account.
Next to this is your profile button. Once you click this you'll see several tabs. Peruse these at your leisure
(especially the Champions listing).
The two we want to get into in this section are Runes and Masteries.
An Introduction to Runes & Rune Pages

Runes are items purchased from the Riot Store interface that have the following characteristics:
• Stat bonus;
• Tier rating;
• Slot defined by color and name (ex. Red Mark);
• Primary or Secondary status based on slot.
Let's look at the Greater Mark of Strength. In order, here are its attributes:
• "Strength" runes indicate a physical Attack Damage bonus, meaning a player with this rune will
deal more damage on normal melee or ranged attacks and abilities that benefit from physical
damage;
• Since this is a "Greater" Mark, it is Tier 3 item. It is available to players who are level 20 or
higher. Second tier runes (available at level 10) have no prefix, and first tier runes (available
immediately) are labeled "Lesser."
• "Mark" indicates it is a red rune. Yellow runes are Seals, blue runes are Glyphs, and the large
slots are Quintessences. Red Mark runes can only be placed in red slots on a rune page.
• Greater Mark of Strength is considered a Primary rune, meaning it grants a strong bonus to its
stat (physical Attack Damage).
Runes can only be purchased with Influence Points (IP). This is a fairly important point because it means
your selection of runes is limited primarily by your games played, as well as your success within these
games.
Before we go further, let me outline what determines whether a rune is Primary or Secondary:
• Red Marks: Offensive runes are generally Primary;
• Yellow Seals: Defensive runes are generally Primary;
• Glyphs: Magical runes are generally Primary.
Quintessences provide their full stat bonus regardless of type (in other words, there are no Primary or
Secondary Quintessences).
For whatever reason, Riot does not currently tell you whether a rune is Primary or Secondary when
purchasing from the Riot Store. This is frustrating, and I recommend taking the time to check particular
runes before making a big investment.
Not All Secondary Runes Are Created Equal

Let's say you want to stack Flat Armor in your Marks, Seals, and Glyphs. To do this, you would buy Seals,
Marks, and Glyphs of Resilience.
You'd probably notice something when you were purchasing or putting these into your rune page: Even
though both the Mark of Resilience and Glyph of Resilience are 'Secondary,' the Mark of Resilience
provides more Flat Armor.
It's ok to use Secondary runes in a lot of cases, but it's usually not a good idea if it's a third tier
Secondary rune, meaning it provides a significantly lower return than other Secondary runes.
Not All Bonuses Are Equally Good

It's worth saying that some bonuses just aren't very good. Not all bonus stats you receive from runes will
help you on every champion.
In some cases, such as with Endurance runes (which provide a percentage bonus to your health), they'll
rarely ever be a top pick for any champion.
Not Always The Most Fun, But Always Reliable

I'll cover this in the Champion Roles & Recommendations guide, but it's worth saying here that there are
some runes that are universally good, and will work fine on the vast majority of champions in the
League:
• Red Marks: Armor Penetration (Desolation) or Magic Penetration (Insight), depending on your
primary damage type.
• Yellow Seals: Flat Armor (Resilience).
• Blue Glyphs: Flat Magic Resist (Warding).
• Quintessences: Flat Health (Fortitude).
These are staples. Most of the time there may be a bit better way to build your champion, but this will
be good enough. This is an especially helpful set of runes to have if you want to try out a lot of new
champions or test the champions that are free in a given week. This is also a good idea if you really don't
want to get a lot of rune pages.
Rune Pages
Runes are placed onto a Rune Page. Rune pages unlock new slots based on your level, with all slots
unlocked once you're level 30. You will gain Quintessence slots every 10 levels.
These are pretty straightforward, but there's a couple things you want to know:
• You can always take runes back out of a page (you never permanently lose runes by placing
them in a page);
• You can use the same runes in multiple rune pages.
In other words, you're never going to be penalized for using your runes
Masteries
If you've used talent or perk trees from nearly any other game, especially modern MMORPGs or RPGs,
this is the same concept. You'll get new points to spend every level and you can place them into any of
the available perks. Once you've spent enough points in a tree, a new set of perks in that tree will
become available to you.
You can have up to 10 Mastery pages (add more by clicking the '+' button). Unlike Rune Pages, these
don't cost you anything. Also, if you know you need to make a change to your runes while you're in a
game lobby, you can quickly edit and save them before a game starts.
Basic Game Information
Let me jump into a couple concepts related to the matches you play, but not part of the actual in-game
match-up.
Elo Rating
League of Legends using a rating system called 'Elo.' The effect a single match has on your Elo rating is
determined by two factors:
• Whether you won or lost the match;

• Who you won or lost the match against.
This is a relative ranking system, meaning the system attempts to place you at a rank in relation to your
peers. Only games against human players are rated.
When matching you against new opponents, the system will first try to match you against opponents of
similar Elo and party size. If this fails, it will continue expanding its parameters until it finds the most
suitable opponents for you. For this reason, matches that take an unusually long time before they're
found have a higher likelihood of being imbalanced either for or against you, as this can mean that the
parameters for acceptable opponents have been significantly broadened.
Players are assigned different Elo ratings for each different type of queue. For example, ranked 5v5
matches are separate from normal 5v5 matches, and solo queue ranked matches are different from
arranged team ranked matches.
Normal Elo is hidden. Only ranked Elo is visible to other players, and this is only true if a player has a
sufficiently high rank. Taken a step further, players can only see how many normal games you've won
through the normal public interface, not how many normal games you've lost. In other words, you can
do badly without worrying about being embarassed.
First Win of the Day Bonus

The first win of the day bonus is (surprise) a bonus you get in Experience and Influence Points (IP) for
winning your first match in a day. A lot of players (including many of my friends) will log on to aim for
this bonus.
Advice For New Players
In this section I'm going to cover a wide variety of topics regarding the new player experience. League of
Legends, like other competitive multiplayer games, can be an extraordinarily frustrating game to play if
you wind up with the wrong teammates or opponents. I want to help mitigate that by giving you a heads
up on some things to expect and how to deal with them.
General Advice
Don't Buy Runes Until Level 20
Runes cost Influence Points (IP), and this is a relatively scarce resource given the number of runes you
may want to purchase. For this reason, I recommend you wait until you're level 20 before you purchase
runes. This is when all of the best runes become available to you, and any runes you've previously
purchased are likely to be a wasted investment.
When & Why to Purchase Riot Points

League of Legends is a free-to-play game, and many of those who play League of Legends never
purchase anything with real money. It is certainly possible to play and enjoy the game without spending
any money. That said, Riot Games has a very successful business model, and there are real incentives to
purchasing Riot Points (RP).
If you're willing to invest some money into the game, I strongly suggest doing so. The fact that you're
reading this guide means you want to get involved with the game on a deeper level, and having RP is a
big help towards that. Here's how:
1. Influence Points (IP) can be used to purchase champions. However, it is also the only way to
purchase Runes, which have a big impact on your in-game performance. With limited runes, you
will not be able to play the game as effectively or with the same flexibility you could, so consider
purchasing any champions with RP to put your IP towards runes;
2. Because IP is so important to filling out rune pages, consider purchasing IP boosts under the
Boosts tab in the Riot Store. The per-win boosts do stack with the time-based boosts (ex. 10
Wins boost stacks with 14 Days boost), so you may wish to do this.
3. Reaching level 30 -- again, on the assumption that you also care about being a good player --
makes the XP boosts valuable as well. Like IP boosts, win-based and time-based boosts stack.
4. Runes are placed into rune pages, and while a wide selection of runes gives you more flexibility,
having more rune pages is necessary to give you more options when a game is starting.
Keep an eye on sales and price reductions. Over time, Riot tends to reduce the price on champions to
provide more incentive to purchase them.
BoostingTip
I mentioned using Experience and Influence Point (IP) boosts. It's definitely worth noting that per-win
bonuses will be maximized if you're playing on Summoner's Rift against human opponents. This is
because Summoner's Rift against human opponents grants the most Experience and IP per game.
Skins
I also like to buy skins from time to time, particularly for champions I play a lot. These are often
advertised around their store and interface, and can be fully searched under the Skins tab in the Riot
Store.
If you're a big fan of buying champion skins, it's worth remembering that new champion skin bundles
(where you get the two bonus skins along with the champion) cost the same RP as buying just the two
skins by themselves. Practically speaking, this means that purchasing a champion with IP, then buying
the two skins, doesn't save you any money (but does cost you a good chunk of IP).
You may see some skins that cost 1820 RP (this is unusually expensive). These are legendary skins and
nearly all of them have significant overhauls and pretty cool voicework. Brolaf (an Olaf legendary) is one
of my personal favorites. One exception to this rule is Magnificient Twisted Fate, which is listed and
priced as legendary, but has no significant changes and, in my opinion, is not worth the money.
Get Cheap Champions

There are two main ways to acquire a small collection of champions on a budget. The first is through
champion bundles, which can be purchased through the Riot Store with Riot Points. These offer 20
introductory champions, as well as some other bonuses, at a hugely discounted price.
The second is by purchasing the cheap 450 and 1350 Influence Points (IP) champions. While I
recommend limiting the amount of champions you purchase with IP while leveling, it's worth purchasing
these if you really want to play a champion without investing cash money into them.
I recommend purchasing any bundle you may want prior to purchasing specific champions. A lot of the
basic champions come with these bundles.
Playing One Champion vs. Playing Many

Do you best learn the game by playing one champion or by playing many different champions?
In my opinion, knowing one champion inside and out is a great benefit while learning a game like League
of Legends. The reason for this is that there is still a vast array of information you need to learn about
the game, such as items, mechanics, map awareness, objectives, and strategy. If you're good with a
champion, you can spend more of your time in game learning these other concepts.
But you should also take time to play at least one champion of each different primary role. Just knowing
how to play Support doesn't give you much of an idea how the other champions in the League play. You
don't have to play much of them, but you should commit to at least trying them.
I've played nearly more than a thousand League matches, but I still have not played every champion in
the game. In fact, I am still learning new things all the time. You'll have time to do this.
Play what looks interesting. Play until you find a champion you love. And if you want to experiment, do
so! But never feel guilty for playing a champion you love over and over again -- you'll still be able to
learn the game.
Snowballing Champions & Items

Snowballing refers to taking the advantage, then compounding it to get an even stronger advantage.
While snowballing is very common and smart in team play, doing so with specific champions or items (I'll
cover them in a moment) will not always teach you to be better at the game.
New players tend to make a lot of mistakes, including over-extending into dangerous areas of the map,
getting caught alone and without teammates, and not knowing their limitations. They also won't usually
make effective use of crowd controls and won't know the abilities of their opponents.
All of these factors make champions like Master Yi and Tryndamere, who can normally be shut down
with good use of crowd controls, very good at completely destroying these players. With each kill and
each new item, they become even more capable of killing their opponents.
Some items are meant for snowballing as well. Mejai's Soulstealer, an item that stacks ability power on
kills and assists (but loses stacks if you die), really lends itself well to overpowering opponents who
simply don't know how to respond to you. Sword of the Occult acts similarly, but provides attack
damage instead of ability power.
Winning is fun. Steamrolling your opponents is fun. If you want to take this route, go for it! My main
caution is that it doesn't hold up forever, and as you come across better and more knowledgeable
opponents, you'll need to know how to deal with them without relying on snowballing (specifically the
kind that relies on specific champions or stacking items).
The other side of the coin is that you'll probably have to deal with people who are snowballing, and in
many cases you'll come across players who are significantly ahead of you by no fault of your own.
Sometimes you can punish greed by crowd controlling your opponent under one of your towers as they
try to dive you. Other times you won't be able to do anything at all, or your options may not be obvious
while you're learning the game. Don't sweat it -- just focus on learning the game for yourself.
The Meta - Who Goes Top, Mid, and Bot
Throughout this guide, I try to be careful to avoid presenting a single team strategy as the best strategy.
This is because accepted team strategies often change, and along with this, the accepted way people
play the game changes. Where people go in a match and what roles they fill are all part of what many in
the community refer to as 'the meta,' or metagame. So let me go forward with the caveat that this may
change, and that pro teams are constantly looking for ways to shift this strategy in their favor.
Fighter - Solo Top

At least one player in a team should be playing a Fighter. This player should usually go alone to top lane,
and may also carry Teleport to get down to the bottom half of the map quickly, particularly when taking
Dragon in the early and mid game. This player normally focuses on maximizing their gold by last hitting
minions in the lane. Since they'll be solo, their ability to more reliably survive gank attempts makes them
better suited to this lane.
An AP Carry with strong escape mechanisms can also fill this role.
AP Caster - Solo Mid

At least one player in a team should be playing an AP Caster in the role of a carry. This player should
usually go to mid lane. AP Casters tend to gain more from levels and higher ranks in abilities than other
champions. By going solo mid, they can maintain a level advantage while they're in a relatively safe lane.
Alternatively, some assassins (such as Talon) and some anti-carries or long-range poke champions (such
as Urgot) can be good to send to this lane, as they can counter the enemy AP Caster.
Ranged AD & Support - Duo Bot

A team should have one Ranged AD in the role of a carry. This player should usually go bot lane with a
partner. Ranged AD tend to benefit more from gold income and items than other champions. For this
reason, they are well suited to playing in a lane with another player who is protecting them and allowing
them to farm more effectively.
The second player in this lane is usually a Support, though a team may choose to put an
initiator/disruptor such as Leona into the lane instead. This player is usually responsible for keeping the
Ranged AD safe and opening up opportunities to harass opponents.
Alternatively, some teams use a 'kill lane' setup that is designed to prevent an enemy Ranged AD from
being able to effectively farm. This is usually a pairing of champions that can quickly burst down an
enemy, even if they have a Support player. This is higher risk.
When playing with a partner at bottom lane (or any lane), keep in mind that your personal play is usually
not as important as how well you two work together.
Jungler
One jungler on a team is always ideal. This player should be playing a role that is complementary to the
team, such as a Fighter or Tank. The importance of having a jungler is that it allows another lane to run
solo (usually top lane), allowing more overall experience and gold potential for the team. It also
prevents the opposing jungler from gaining additional gold, experience, and buffs for their team by
invading frequently.
Why Not Send Two Top?

The most common question is why there are always two bot. After all, why not send two top instead?
The answer is Dragon. By having the majority of your players near Dragon, you can more readily move to
take the kill early in the game. If your opponents are taking Dragon, you have more people ready to
react. This is also why having a ward at Dragon (covered in the Map Dominance section) and having a
player in top lane carry Teleport (to get themselves to that ward) is important.
While Baron Nashor (on the top half of the map) is important, he doesn't become available until later in
the match when your team may already be moving as a group. Getting ahead in the early game is
important in your lane, but huge gains are made by securing early Dragon kills.
Can You Switch This Up?

Absolutely, and people do it all the time. The above lane designations work better than others, on
average, but are not always the best. They're stronger if you're in draft mode and picking counters to
enemy champions; however, in blind pick, there are advantages to being more flexible.
After all, if you send an AP Caster to mid lane and they are guaranteed to lose the lane to an opponent
that can destroy them, how does that benefit your team?
Experimenting as a team is fine. Switching lanes (even during the match) to a more favorable match-up
is always a good idea if it can recover a bad situation. And sending hard counters to lanes specifically to
lock your enemies down early is smart play.
As I said, the purpose of this book is not to tell you how your team must play in every circumstance. I
want to arm you with the knowledge to make smart decisions. I felt it was important to include this
section so you know what other players often expect, not because it is always necessarily the right way
to play.
Dive In & Don't Panic

If you've been playing against bots, don't get nervous about playing matches against real players. Just
jump into it and accept that you're not always going to do well against real opponents. Once you've
gotten over that hump, you'll be able to really enjoy the competitive matches, especially the close ones
where your actions made all the difference.
Once you're actually playing, don't panic if you're being harassed or getting hit with abilities you didn't
know about. It happens. It'll happen for a very long time. And not too long into playing, you'll likely be
using abilities that newer opponents don't know about. Just keep in mind that League of Legends has a
fairly big learning curve, and this experience is part of learning it.
Tips for Learning Champions

If you keep reading throughout this guide you're going to see all sorts of information about champions,
roles, and gameplay tips. However, I'd like to add three things for you to begin thinking about as soon as
you can.
Muscle Memory
Muscle memory is one of the most often overlooked essentials in gaming. When playing a game, your
brain will automatically learn patterns, and you will be able to more quickly bring knowledge to the front
of your mind when you need it. For example, once you've used the summoner spell 'Flash' for several
games, you will become far quicker to react and use it in tight situations. The same goes for using
'Cleanse' more quickly against opponents.
Muscle memory isn't just the concept of quickly remembering things, though. It is your physical
response time to your mouse and keyboard when assessing a situation. Your brain will develop it quickly
for using champion abilities or summoner spells, provided you practice. You've developed muscle
memory when actions become second nature for you.
I will tend to spend at least my first game fumbling with complex champions before really getting an
idea how they play. I might use an ability combo well, but it will be deliberative and thought out, not
second nature. This is true even when I know the basic concepts behind a champion already. I won't
perform my best with a champion until I've had a full night's rest after I've learned them.
I bring this up for two reasons:
• To reassure you that yes, you're going to make mistakes while learning, and yes, this is
completely normal;
• To encourage you to take time to practice with champions and summoner spells, even if they
are frustrating at first, if there's any chance you're going to enjoy them.
Some champions will give you new insight into the game as you play them, particularly when those
champions have abilities that force you to think differently. For example, Tristana and other champions
can frequently make use of jumping over walls both to escape and initiate, and as you play them you'll
get a feel for when to do that. A limited number of champions can utilize placeable units like wards, or
to allied units, such as Lee Sin, and this also forces you to rethink how you look at the map.
Once you've played champions like this and developed muscle memory for them, you'll be better at
playing against those champions, as you'll be able to think like them.
High Skill Cap Champions

Some champions are considered higher skill cap than others. Skill cap refers to how much there is to
learn about that champion, along with the associated muscle memory, before you are playing at the
champion's potential.
Lee Sin is a good example of this. He has three basic abilities, which can all be activated a second time
for a different effect. His abilities are all dependent on the position of other units, and using all of them
effectively takes an extraordinary amount of practice. Because of the large number of combos he can
pull off with his abilities, only a handful of the top players in League of Legends have mastered this
champion.
High skill cap does not mean that a champion is difficult to pick up and contribute to a team (though in
some cases they can be). It also does not make these champions inherently better than other
champions, though in some cases it will give them an edge.
If you're interested in really getting a challenge in League of Legends, consider trying to learn one of
theh higher skill-cap champions. You can get a fairly accurate idea of which champions these are by
looking through the champion information pages in your League of Legends client and looking at the
Difficulty slider.
Dashes & Blinks

A lot of champions have dashes or blinks that can move you towards a location quickly, or abilities that
dramatically increase your movement speed. Some of these are gap closers that require you move
towards an enemy target. However, others do not require this.
When learning a new champion you may be tempted to use this to jump into fights -- and in some cases,
you'll be right to do so! However, try to think about whether you'll need to use these abilities to escape
an upcoming fight if things start looking bad. Abilities that require you target enemies can sometimes be
used to escape, too, if there are minions or flanking opponents moving in.
By saving your movement abilities to escape, you will be able to recover from mistakes or bad calls while
you're learning. You might miss out on a kill here or there, but it often pays to be a little cautious until
you're confident in your play and your knowledge of your opponents.
Keep this in mind when using the Flash summoner spell as well.
Skillshots
Skillshots (skill shots) are abilities that are not targeted, but are instead aimed in a direction or on a
location. These abilities are not guaranteed to hit your intended target, and due to travel time,
opponents may be able to avoid these abilities by responding quickly.
While the number and types of skillshots are too diverse to cover here, here are some basic tips to help
you out as you're learning to use them:
• Lead your target based on where you believe they'll be when the projectile hits them, not where
they currently are, unless they're standing still;
• If your target is trying to dodge a skillshot you're about to use, wait until they've stopped before
you fire it;
• If your or an ally have a reliable crowd control, wait for that before using your skillshot against
them;
• If you're using a location-targeted skillshot that goes over units, such as Kog'maws Living
Artillery, try firing it right behind where your opponent is standing -- aim it so they'll get hit if
they stand still and they'll git hit if they run backwards. Many players, especially early on,
instinctively move backwards when a skillshot is being fired towards them (even if the skillshot is
also aimed behind them).
Steroids
When playing a new champion, look through your abilities for any that provide you a significant increase
to a stat, such as Attack Speed or Physical Attack Damage. These are called 'steroids.' If these are on a
short cooldown or, better, are passive and will always be applied to you, you should consider making
item choices based on them. For example, Fiora gains a massive bonus to Attack Speed with one of her
abilities, making it less important to build items that increase her Attack Speed.
There's a lot of theory involved here and you won't necessarily want to stray too far from basic role
items (covered in the 'Champion Roles & Recommendations' section of this guide). However, evaluating
steriod abilities will help you improve your overall understanding of the game.
Attack Animation & Projectile Speed

I'm going to get into a fairly technical concept here but it will help you as you're learning to last hit to
gain gold in the early and mid game.
Attack Animation is the speed at which a champion will complete a normal attack once an attack is
ready. Projectile Speed is the speed at which normal ranged attacks will travel towards their target.
These are not explicitly listed stats (as such I don't list them in the 'Stats' section of this guide).
Attack Animation & Projectile Speed have an enormous impact on attempting to farm and last-hit
minions that are receiving damage from other sources. Some champions, such as Nautilus, have very
slow swing animations that prevent them from immediately hitting a target when the player orders an
attack. Other champions, such as Corki, have extremely fast Attack Animations and Projectile Speeds
that allow them to very easily farm minions within range of them.
Attack Animation also plays a role in chasing and kiting enemy champions, as movement must be
interrupted while the animation reaches the point where the attack occurs. Once a projectile is in the
air, a player can immediately move again until their next attack is ready, and players should get in the
habit of moving between attacks. Being able to do this will dramatically increase your ability to chase
and kite, as well as reposition or dodge enemy skillshots while farming. Particularly fast champions can
even stay ahead of slow opponents who are attempting to flee while still getting normal attacks off.
Finally, I'll leave you with a tip. When I'm playing champions who have slower projectiles, such as Sivir
and Kog'maw, I'll tend to move closer to minions I'm trying to last hit (provided it's safe to do so).
Getting as close as you safely can to a minion greatly reduces the travel time of the projectile, allowing
you to more easily land that killing blow.
Beating the Smurfs

'Smurfs' is a term that refers to players who have significant game experience but have started a new
account and are playing with low-level players. In some cases, this is harmless, and is just used to get a
new character up to level 30, perhaps to attempt to start fresh on the ranked ladder. In other cases,
players are trying to get referral rewards. In other cases, players may be starting a new account after
playing DOTA, Heroes of Newerth, or DOTA2, and may play at a very high level just based on experience
in other games (these are not technically smurfs).
But in a lot of cases, players start smurf accounts because they're not enjoying playing against
experienced players as much as they enjoy slaughtering new players who don't know how to play the
game. And even in the cases of players with a more legitimate reason to be on a new account, a lot of
them will also bring a poor attitude towards the legtimately new players in their games.
Experience doesn't speak to skill, but it does speak to experience. Smurfs may not have much player
skill, especially against more experienced players, but they do have experience. They're going to know
more about champions, abilities, and basic strategies than their opponents. They're going to have some
of the basic concepts of the game down that new players haven't learned yet.
What makes many smurfs bad?
1. They will berate and insult you;

2. They will attempt to kill you over and over;
3. They will avoid objectives and prolong the game so they can continue killing you.
Worst of all, you will not learn anything about how the game is played at any competitive level by
playing against smurfs.
It's sad that I have to write such a significant section of this guide for such an obnoxious group of
gamers, but hey, it's the internet. A lot of people are jerks. Read the following sections to learn ways to
deal with them and make your way through the leveling process.
Leavers & AFKers

Leavers & AFKers are players who stop contributing to a match in progress. They're not smurfs, but
they're just as likely to ruin an otherwise good match. While leavers and AFKers will happen at every
level of the game, there is an astronomically high chance you'll come across them in the lower levels.
This is because this is the level range where people are:
• Getting frustrated due to other factors (such as smurfs) and quitting the game;
• Not at the point where they realize that leaving or AFKing in a match is hurting their teammates
and wasting their time;
• Not aware of other problems that may conflict with League of Legends, such as internet
connectivity or slower computers.
The reasoning doesn't really matter. And, in all honesty, there'll probably be some point where you need
to leave or AFK in a match yourself, given enough games (I've left a game three times in about 1600
matches).
If your team has more leavers and AFKers than the opposing team, chances are higher that you'll lose
the match. What do you do about it? Tough it out. I know that's not a great response, but it's the only
one I can give. The problem drastically diminishes as you get to higher levels and wind up against better
opponents.
Bot Games (Cooperative vs. AI)

Bot games (Cooperative vs. AI) place you on a team with other human allies. You'll be playing against
fairly well scripted computer AI opponents.
So, I'll start with the big thing. Bot games were really bad when I first started playing League of Legends.
The AI wasn't very good and there was a very limited number of champions that bots could control. Both
the AI and champion selection has improved since then. That said, you're still not playing against human
opponents, and you're not going to learn too much in the way of advanced tactics until you do.
But bot games are fantastic for learning all of the basics in a more friendly environment. There are still
going to be occasional jerks in these games, but you can ignore them.
Your Goal: Reach at least level 10 in bot games unless you're playing with friends.
Most of the smurfs stay in the level 1-10 range (many of them dropping off because the referral bonuses
only require level 10).
Play With A Patient, Experienced Friend

My wife and I played through the game and had a great deal of fun doing so. You probably have a friend
or significant other who plays League of Legends. Whether they're pro players or not, they're probably
going to be miles better than you if they're level 30 and you're brand new. They'll be able to give you
advice, especially on champions they've played, and they'll be able to help deal with smurfs.
By virtue of them being in a game with you, the average level of opponents you face will be a bit higher,
but this can work in your favor if it brings you out of the smurfs bracket.
In the same vein, try to make friends who play League of Legends. The game is just a lot more enjoyable
with friends. Having at least one other player with you will make all the difference.
Try 3v3 Twisted Treeline and Dominion

These game modes are a lot less popular than the 5v5 Summoner's Rift map. This works to your
advantage in having to deal a little less with smurfs.
Dominion matches are usually much shorter. While they won't teach you much about the main map
mechanics, they can be a good way to practice with a champion's abilities, and their length makes them
ideally suited to when you can't invest much time into the game. The best part of the short length is that
you won't have to put up with much from jerks.
Ignore & Report Jerks

You will likely come across jerks as long as you play this game. It happens, and it's not just a low level
thing. Even at the highest levels of play you'll still occasionally run across them.
If you would like to ignore a player, hold down 'Tab' and click the chat icon on the far right side of the
tab menu. After the game, report players who are being jerks -- they're sent to the Tribunal, a player-run
justice system, and can may be warned or even banned.
Summoner's Rift Guidebook
Summoner's Rift is the large 5v5 game map where the vast majority of matches are played. The design
is based heavily on the Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) game map, the predecessor to League of
Legends. In this section, I'm going to outline the core mechanics of Summoner's Rift, including terrain,
structures, and minions and monsters.
Advanced players: There are several finer mechanics in League of Legends that you may not be aware of
even if you've played the game extensively. I will highlight these in light orange so you can more easily
find them.
Game Objectives
Summoner's Rift ends in victory when a team destroys the opposing team's nexus or when a team
surrenders.
To attack and destroy the nexus, both towers defending the nexus must be destroyed and at least one
inhibitor must also be currently destroyed.
To destroy an inhibitor, all towers in that inhibitor's lane must be destroyed. Towers cannot be damaged
if there is another tower further in the lane that has not been destroyed.
Put more simply, a team must destroy three towers, followed by an inhibitor, followed by the two nexus
towers, before they can destroy the nexus. All of these structures are referred to as objectives, because
they must be taken out or the game cannot end without a surrender.
Baron Nashor and Dragon, two neutral monsters I will cover later, are also considered important
objectives as they have a disproportionately large impact on the game. However, killing minions and
monsters (or, for that matter, other players) is not technically necessary to destroy the nexus and win
the game.
Map Layout
Summoner's Rift has two symmetrical halves, divided diagonally by a passable river. The team on the
top right is designated as the Purple team, where the team on the bottom left is designated as the Blue
team.
Each side has a team base in their corner, along with three main paths extending outwards. These paths
are referred to as lanes. Players refer to these by their location:
• 'Mid lane' is the path going directly towards the enemy base. This is a short lane with the best
access to other areas of the map;
• 'Bot lane' is the path that ends at the bottom right corner of the map. This lane has good access
to the neutral Dragon monster;
• 'Top lane' is the path that ends at teh upper left corner of the map. This lane has good access to
the neutral Baron Nashor monster.
While the map is symmetrical, it is not mirrored in the sense that both teams have the same jungle
paths and monsters near each of their lanes. For example, Blue team has access to three monster camps
near their bottom lane, while Purple team has access to only two near their bottom lane.
Each team has an inhibitor at the start of each lane, followed by three towers extending out towards the
opposite side of the map. Behind this are the nexus and two turrets defending the nexus. Each team also
has a summoner pool where players start, recall to, and purchase items from.
Between these lanes and the river are areas referred to as jungle. There are a variety of different paths
here, as well as neutral monsters that can be killed for gold, experience, and temporary buffs.
Fog of War
In Summoner's Rift, persistent map vision is provided by the following sources:
• Structures;
• Champions & Minions;
• Wards, Clairvoyance, and player abilities.
At the start of the match, towers provide vision over most of the team's lanes, allowing players to safely
extend to their outermost towers. Everything shrouded in darkness if part of the Fog of War, and most
events that occur here will not be visible.
However, some abilities are visible even through the Fog of War. For example, Flash, Teleport, and
Clairvoyance all have animations that show clearly even if they're used in an area where opponents
don't have vision. Player abilities such as Shacos' Deceive are also clearly visible when used inside the
Fog of War.
Normally you cannot keep track of enemy items or minion kills while they're in the Fog of War.
However, if you kill an enemy and their corpse is in vision, you will be able to watch what items they're
purchasing while they're dead.
Bushes (Brush)
Small patches of high grass are littered throughout Summoner's Rift. These patches of brush (commonly
referred to as bushes) block vision to enemies who don't otherwise have a source of vision inside them.
In other words, entering a bush will immediately hide a unit, provided an enemy does not have ward,
clairvoyance, or another source of vision on them. Units within the same bush can see each other.
Using normal attacks and targeted abilities from within a bush will nearly always provide brief vision on
the attacker. However, leaving the bush and using a normal attack or targeted ability, then immediately
going back in the bush will instantly block vision again.
Using many untargeted abilities such as skillshots will not provide vision on the attacker. This is not
always true, such as with Morgana's persistent AOE effect, Tormented Soil.
Abilities that are visible in the Fog of War are also visible in bushes.
Determining If Opponents Can See In Your Bush

There are three ways to immediately know whether an enemy has vision in the bush you're currently in:
• If they use a targeted ability on you;

• If either they or their minions use normal attacks on you;
• If your champion attacks them or their minions without being explicitly commanded to (this will
not occur if you use a 'stop' command while in the bush).
• If an enemy who is not previously targeting you, as indicated by an orange outline covering their
unit, targets you and gains the orange outline. The orange outline is semi-sticky, meaning they'll
keep it even if they can no longer see you (such as when you run into a bush), so this only works
if they have no outline and gain the outline while you're in the bush.
While in a bush, champions naturally stop their attacks to preserve stealth. Though somewhat illogical,
your champion is aware of when an enemy has vision on them even if you -- the player -- aren't. This is
why it can be helpful to idle in a bush you suspect your opponents have vision in and see if your
champion starts using normal attacks on nearby enemy units.
Impassable Terrain
Throughout the map there is impassable terrain that cannot be walked over. Some abilities, such as
Flash, allow players to go over this terrain provided there is open space on the other side within range of
the ability. Other abilities interact with this terrain, such as Vayne's Condemn, which knocks players
backwards and will stun them if they collide with impassable terrain.
Player created terrain such as Anivia's Crystallize and Jarvan IV's Cataclysm will block movement, but
generally won't interact with player abilities the way impassable terrain does. For instance, Vayne's
Condemn will knock a player out of Jarvan IV's Cataclysm without stunning them on the edges of it.
Gold & Experience for Champion Kills

The first kill in a match is called First Blood and the killing player receives 400 gold.
A champion with zero kills and zero deaths has a bounty of 300 gold when killed. As that champion kills
opposing champions without dying themselves, they gain additional bounty (up to 600 gold with
multiple kills).
If that champion is killed while they have bonus bounty, their bounty is immediately reset. If they die
repeatedly (while having no bonus bounty), their bounty will be lowered dramatically, making it much
less valuable to kill them.
When a player kills an enemy champion by themselves, they earn the full bounty for that champion. If a
second player assists in the kill, they earn a significant bonus bounty that does not reduce the amount of
gold earned by the player who nets the killing blow. In other words, an asssist is always a net positive for
the team.
Players also earn experience for killing enemy champions. If two or more players are responsible for
killing a champion, the total experience earned is significantly larger than if only one champion had
participated.
Experience gained for killing enemy champions is increased if the enemy champions are higher level
than the killing player, and reduced if the enemy champions are lower level than the killing player.
Structures
Structures are objectives that must be destroyed in order to win the game, provided the other team
does not surrender. Structures grant vision in an area around them. All structures have a health pool;
like other units, when structures reach zero health they are destroyed.
The damage dealt to structures with normal attacks is calculated separately from damage dealt to other
units. If 40% of a champion's ability power is higher than their bonus physical attack damage, they will
deal 40% of their ability power in bonus damage instead. In either case, base (non-bonus) attack
damage is still dealt to the structure. Since structures are immune to nearly all spells, this allows ability
power casters to contribute significantly more damage than they otherwise could.
Related to this, note that Armor Penetration does not affect damage dealt to structures.
With the exception of the outermost tower in each lane, all structures require at least one previous
structure to have been destroyed before they will take damage.
Beware that structures count as impassable terrain for the purposes of player abilities. Even if a
structure is destroyed, the ruins of that structure are still impassable terrain.
Towers (Turrets)
Unlike other structures, towers have significant base armor and magic resistance. However, towers have
lower health pools than other structures, partly counterbalancing this. Towers also have attack damage.
The outermost towers have the lowest armor, magic resistance, and attack damage. Deeper towers
have successively more armor, magic resistance, and attack damage. Towers gain a small amount of
attack damage every minute, beginning at times in the game depending on which tier of tower they are.
This attack damage bonus caps after a relatively small gain.
Towers gain a massive amount of armor and magic resistance while enemy minions are not present. This
balances the game against champions who could otherwise easily 'backdoor' a tower (the process of
attacking structures while minions are not present).
Towers always prefer to target the closest champion pets and minions before they will target
champions. However, if an enemy champion in attack range of the tower deals any amount of damage
to an allied champion, even with a pet, the tower will change targets and attack the enemy champion.
Towers will not change targets unless the target is killed or moves out of range, or unless a nearby allied
champion is attacked by an opponent in who is in range of the tower. Towers will not attack targets who
are are untargetable, such as Fizz while using Playful Trickster.
It's worth noting that an allied champion that is not near the tower can be attacked by enemy
champions who are near the tower without the tower changing target. In other words, the allied player
must be in range of the tower for the tower to defend them.
Towers deal physical damage to their target, which means armor is effective when taking tower hits.
With each consecutive attack on a single target, towers deal more damage than their previous attack.
While the amount of damage they deal caps after several consecutive hits, the tower will be dealing
more than twice the listed base damage at that point.
The two towers protecting the nexus regenerate health if they are damaged. However, laning towers
never regenerate health, meaning all damage to these towers is permanent.
Towers grant 150 gold to everyone on the team when they are destroyed.
Towers detect stealthed units.
Tip For Last Hitting In The Early Game

When minions reach your tower, there's two basic rules to remember that will help you last hit minions
for gold:
• Let melee minions take two full tower hits, then time your normal attack to occur immediately
after the second tower attack.
• Attack caster minions once before a tower hits, then again immediately after the tower hits
them.
This works with minions that are at full health and are not taking significant damage from other sources
(such as other minions). If you get enough physical attack damage you'll need to stop attacking caster
minions before the tower has hit them.
Inhibitors & Nexus

The inhibitors and the nexus are similar structure, in that they have no armor or magic resistance and no
means to defend themselves. However, they regenerate health over time if they are damaged, meaning
it can be better to ensure they are focused and destroyed rather than leaving and trying to finish them
later.
When an inhibitor is destroyed, the opposing team spawns super minions instead of their normal siege
minions. These are covered later. Additionally, opposing minions that spawn while an inhibitor is down
have increased health and damage, regardless of which lane they're in. This bonus stacks, meaning
multiple destroyed inhibitors will further increase the stat bonuses to minions.
Inhibitors respawn after five minutes. This is announced to both sides 15 seconds before it occurs.
A player who last-hits the nexus is given 50 gold.
Summoner Pool, Shop & Obelisk

The summoner pool is the area where players spawn, recall to, and shop. The obelisk protecting this
area deals extreme, sustained true damage to enemies entering the summoner pool.
Team Minions
Minions are units that are allied with either the purple or blue team. They move in a predictable path
down their lanes, towards the enemy base.
Minions deal bonus damage to towers, which can make it ideal to clear out enemy minions they are
targeting before attacking the tower directly. Minions deal reduced damage to champions.
When choosing targets to attack, minions prioritize the closest enemy minions, followed by towers,
followed by the closest champion. In other words, they will not normally attack champions unless there
are no other available targets.
However, if an enemy champion deals damage with an normal attack to an allied champion, minions will
change targets and attack the aggressor. Most abilities do not cause nearby minions to attack. However,
many abilities that act like normal attacks and apply on-hit effects, such as Gangplank's Parrrlay, will
cause minions to attack.
Most minions increase in attack damage, health, armor, and magic resistance over the course of the
game. Additionally, minions offer more gold and experience based on the game time. This is determined
for each minion based on when they spawn, not when they're killed.
Minions grant vision to their team. They have slightly lower vision range than champions, meaning that
a team can most likely see an enemy champion if that champion can see their minions. Since the map is
symmetrical and minions spawn at the same time, it can be helpful to keep in mind that minions on
opposite sides of the map are in an identical place. This is especially true for junglers at an enemy team's
double golem camp. Note that minions will not engage enemy targets at their maximum vision range.
All minions move at 325 movement speed, making them slightly faster than the base movement speed
of many champions.
Minion Waves
Three groups, or waves, of minions spawn next to the Nexus beginning at the 1:30 time marker, then
every 30 seconds afterwards until the game is over. Each group corresponds to one of the lanes on the
map.
A minion wave normally consists of 3 melee minions and 3 caster minions.
Every third wave, each lane also has a siege minion. After 35 minutes, a siege minion spawns every
second wave instead.
If an enemy inhibitor in the same lane is destroyed, super minions spawn every wave, but siege minions
do not spawn.
If all three enemy inhibitors are destroyed, two super minions spawn in every wave for every lane.
Melee & Caster Minions
Melee minions move into melee range of their targets to use attacks that deal physical damage.
Melee minions are initially worth 22 gold in lane.
Caster minions are similar to melee minions, though their normal attacks are ranged. Like other minions,
these attacks are physical damage. Caster minions have higher magic resistance and lower health and
armor than melee minions.
Caster minions are worth the least gold in a lane, starting at just 16 gold.
Siege & Super Minions

Siege minions have significantly more health than other minions, as well as a buff that causes them to
take 50% reduced damage from towers. This makes them very effective at tanking towers while allied
units deal damage.
Siege minions are worth the most gold, starting at 27 gold.
Like siege minions, super minions take 50% reduced damage from towers. These attack more slowly
than siege minions but deal far more damage per hit, making them much stronger at pushing towers
and even pushing back enemy champions than their smaller counterparts.
Super minions have more armor than siege minions, but can have negative magic resistance, meaning
they take significantly more damage from magic damage attacks than physical attacks. This being said,
their health makes them more durable than siege minions regardless of damage type.
Unlike other minions, super minions do not gain additional health or damage, and are typically worth
less gold than other minions.
Neutral Monsters
Neutral monsters are not aligned with either team. They will not attack unless they are first attacked.
All monsters rapidly regenerate health when they are not in combat. Additionally, all monsters have a
leash range at which they will disengage from combat and return to their starting location.
With the exception of Baron Nashor, all monsters will continue to target whoever first engaged them
until they are either dead or they move out of their leash range. They will reacquire a target on a target
that damages them as they disengage.
All major monsters increase their stats based on either the game time (Baron Nashor, Lizard Elder,
Ancient Golem) or the level of the highest level champion in the match (Dragon). This will not occur
while the monster is currently engaged in combat, though it will occur shortly after disengaging from
combat if it is overdue.
Baron Nashor
Baron Nashor is the single most difficult unit to kill in Summoner's Rift. He is an immobile worm that can
be found in the river alcove on the upper-left side of the map. He has very high health, which increases
over time throughout the game. Additionally, he has substantial armor and magic resistance. His armor
and magic resistance cannot be reduced through player abilities or items. He cannot be disabled in any
way.
Baron Nashor deals high physical and magic damage with a mix of abilities. These are:
• Wrath of the Ancients, a green spit column that hits random targets, dealing magic damage and
applies a stacking debuff that increases incoming magic damage (cannot be blocked by spell
shields);
• Voracious Corrosion, which deals physical damage and applies a debuff that reduces physical
attack damage;
• A knockback that kicks nearby units away from him;
• A delayed knockup on a random target indicated by green bubbles beneath his target (move
out of this).
Baron prioritizes his primary attacks on the players closest to his center. This makes it very easy to select
which player will take the bulk of damage. If other melee players are low on health, they will need to
watch out for when Baron knocks tankier players away from him.
Baron does not prioritize his attacks on the team that engaged him. If an enemy player is closer to his
center, they will take damage instead. This can be helpful to remember when team fights occur at
Baron, as quick repositioning can move his damage onto opponents.
Baron Nashor first spawns on the map at the 15:00 minute marker and respawns 7 minutes after he has
last been slain.
When killed, Baron Nashor grants 300 bonus gold to all teammates, as well as bonus experience. The
player who deals the killing blow to Dragon gains an additional 25 gold. Also, all teammates who are
currently alive are granted a significant ability power, attack damage, and health and mana regeneration
buff for several minutes.
Baron can be reset by moving out of range of his attacks or stopping attacks on him for several seconds.
Dragon
Dragon is a significant monster who can be found in the river alcove on the lower-right side of the map.
He has low armor and magic resistance, but high health. His health increases based on the level of the
highest champion currently in the match. His armor and magic resistance cannot be reduced through
player abilities or items. He cannot be disabled in any way.
Dragon uses ranged attacks and will attack whoever attacks him first. When attacking, he applies a
damage-over-time effect to his target called 'Dragon Burning.' This also reduces the attack speed of the
target.
When killed, Dragon grants 190 gold to all teammates, as well as bonus experience. The player who
deals the killing blow to Dragon gains an additional 25 gold.
Blue Golem (Ancient Golem)
The blue golems are located near the river, directly across from Baron Nashor and Dragon. These camps
consist of one large golem and two trivial companions. The blue golems spawn at 1:55 and respawn 5:00
after they have been killed.
When killed, the Ancient Golem grants gold to the killer, as well as a buff that increases mana
regeneration, energy regeneration, and cooldown reduction for several minutes.
If the player with this buff is killed by another player, the buff is transferred to them with a fresh
cooldown. Because of this transfer mechanic, multiple buffs from the same Ancient Golem camp can
exist on different champions simultaneously.
Red Lizard (Lizard Elder)
The red lizards are located in the jungle behind Baron Nashor and Dragon. These camps consist of one
large lizard and two trivial companions. The red lizards spawn at 1:55 and respawn 5:00 after they have
been killed.
When killed, the Lizard Elder grants gold to the killer, as well as a buff that causes the player's normal
attacks to deal bonus true damage over time and slow their opponents.
If the player with this buff is killed by another player, the buff is transferred to them with a fresh
cooldown. Because of this transfer mechanic, multiple buffs from the same Lizard Elder camp can exist
on different champions simultaneously.
Minor Camps (Double Golems, Wraiths, Wolves)
Three minor camps exist on Summoner's Rift, each spawning around the 1:40 minute marker. These are
all relatively weak and easy to clear. Each camp has one large minion and at least one trivial minion. The
double golems and wolves respawn after one minute, while the wraiths respawn after 50 seconds.
All stats on these camps, including the gold and experience gained from killing them, are determined
when they spawn. These camps will retain the same stats until they have been killed.
The large minion in a camp gains a bounty over time that increases the amount of gold and experience it
offers when killed. This bounty caps out over time, at which point the unit gains a buff called 'Bountiful
Treasure.'
When killing the large minion in a camp, a champion will be granted health and mana based on how
much health and mana they are currently missing.
Playing To Win
In this section, I'm going to give you quick but very pointed tips on improving your gameplay. Read
through these carefully and evaluate where your weaknesses are as a player.
Personal Skills
While each tip in this strategy will help a whole team, especially if everyone practices them, they are
things you are personally responsible for.
Counter
In Blind Pick, you cannot easily choose counters to enemy champion selections, so this point is more
oriented towards Draft Mode.
In Draft Mode, you can see what your opponents are picking and you can respond by picking champions
that match up well. Try to choose a champion that:
• You are very comfortable playing;

• You believe will match up favorably with the champion you're most likely going to play against.
I'd emphasize the first point more than the second. If you play a champion you aren't comfortable with,
you're simply not going to perform as well as one that fits like a glove. It's better to go into an
unfavorable match-up with a champion you really know than go into a great match-up with a champion
you barely know.
Make sure you choose summoner spells such as Exhaust and Ignite to counter their most dangerous
selections. In Blind Pick, make sure your team has at least one instance of each of these spells.
Rock, Paper, Scissors

When choosing counters to a team there is a simple trio of attributes to keep in mind. This is:
• Effective Health: Effective Health refers to your total survivability in a given situation, factoring
both health and damage reduction. Champions with high effective health will tend to be
survivable fighters (bruisers) and tanks.
• Burst: Burst refers to your ability to output a lot of damage at once. Champions with high burst
tend to be assassin fighters or AP casters.
• Sustain: Sustain refers to an ability to stay alive over a long duration. Champions with sustain
tend to be ranged AD or support.
Here's how they work together:
• Effective Health beats Burst: In other words, champions who can survive a lot of burst damage
will in turn be able to counter them, either by crowd controlling them for other damage dealers
(tanks), or by killing them (tanky fighters).
• Burst beats Sustain: In other words, champions who can kill opponents before they can recover
a significant amount of health will counter them.
• Sustain beats Effective Health: In other words, champions who can stay sustained while
dismantling an opponent over a period of time will tend to counter them.
Many champions do not fall strictly into one role, and will have at least some strength in one or both
other roles. Beyond this, players may use items to cover their weaknesses (for example, building
survivability to survive burst). That said, this trio is worth remembering when you're selecting
champions at the beginning of the match, especially if you have a good idea who you'll be against in
lane.
First Purchase: The Doran's Dilemma

Throughout the Champion Roles & Recommendations section I encourage players to start with boots
and 3 health potions (with an exception for support) or some sort of health sustain item. The only
exceptions to this rule are when you'll have the health sustain you'll need, either from a healing ability
of your own or that of an ally, or you'll be able to keep enough distance that there's no reasonable way
the opposing team can harass you.
Boots and health potions go beyond simply helping you escape, chase, and avoid skillshots. They also let
you be aggressive and make exchanges with the opponent. In a solo match-up against a player with
Doran's Ring or Doran's Blade and no ability that offers them health sustain, you can recover your health
at a significant pace while they cannot. This is how "Sustain beats Effective Health" from the above
section plays out:
• You make several damage trades with your opponent, using health potions to recover between
them;
• Eventually your opponent backs off at low health (if they haven't been killed or ganked already);
• You push your minions to their tower, causing their tower to eat up your minions, denying your
opponent experience and gold;
• You recall and come back to lane with a Doran's (or another item), and perhaps more health
potions.
When you two meet up again, the match is reset completely in your favor -- you have more experience,
and now you have the same benefit from Doran's that they had in addition to your boots. Regardless of
whether they picked up some sustain or boots when they went back, you came out the winner.
Doran's Ring and Doran's Blade are both very cost efficient items, providing more stats than the gold
they cost to purchase. They're good items, and they're not traps. They're just not usually good first
items.
It should go without saying that it's usually a good idea to try and shut down a player who has a Doran's
item.
Potions & Elixirs

Remember to use your consumables, especially right after you've engaged in combat. Health potions
that are running throughout an exchange or team fight can surprise you, especially in the early game
where they have a disproportionate effect on your survivability.
Beyond health and mana potions, always keep elixirs in mind. Stat elixirs are situational and should be
purchased when they could significantly impact the outcome of the game. Good times to use elixirs are:
1. Immediately after the other team has completed Baron Nashor to help stand against them while
they have the Baron buff;
2. Prior to a significant skirmish or team fight, such as one at or immediately prior to Baron Nashor;
3. In the early game, particularly prior to ganks that are very likely to be successful with an elixir;
4. Any time you don't have inventory room for new items (you don't need inventory space to
purchase these; as long as you're alive, they will apply the buff directly to you).
The Elixir of Fortitude is a particularly helpful elixir. Not only does it provide you with more health and
survivability, but it recovers health (equal to the amount of bonus health gained), and it is not affected
by healing reductions. This means Elixir of Fortitude can be used as an emergency heal.
Tab, Evaluate, & Invest Wisely

When you press the 'Tab' key during a match, a screen pops up detailing both your team and your
opponents. On this screen you can see kills on champions and creeps, giving you a ballpark
measurement of how well they're doing, as well as items they're building and which summoner spells
they have. This will only update based on when the opponent was last visible to your team.
Tab is also a quick way of seeing who is missing. Enemies who are greyed out are not currently visible to
your teammates, so a quick Tab press can tell you who you need to watch out for.
When you have this menu open, look at the summoner spells your opponents have, with a special eye
towards Exhaust, Flash, Ghost, and Heal. All three of these must be accounted for if you want to be
aggressive. Never dive a tower or overextend attempting to kill a player who has any of these spells
currently available unless you're absolutely sure you can compensate for it, as well as any other abilities
they may have.
Take a second to really look at their items. You can do this by targeting them as well. Do they have
wards? If so, that may suggest they've been warding around your lane, or they're about to. Do they have
an empty spot between two other items? In the early game, this may also suggest they've placed a
ward.
Are they building defensively, such as an early purchase of Null-Magic Mantle (magic resist) or Cloth
Armor (armor)? Don't overestimate the damage you'll do to them if they are.
Do they have a Doran's item as their first pick? This can be used to your advantage in many matchups,
because it means they won't have boots and may have very limited sustain, allowing you to both close
distance and escape with them in trades, and potentially allowing you to push them back to their base if
you can get them low.
When you're building boots, open up your Tab menu and run down the list of enemy champions. Don't
buy damage-related boots if everything in your brain says you should buy Mercury Treads. In rarer
cases, Ninja Tabi is a good investment.
Not sure whether a Void Staff or Last Whisper are good bets? They usually are, but it's always worth
checking out whether your opponents are building any magic resist or armor before putting down a
chunk of money on them.
The point I'm getting at is that you need to really look at your opponents. Don't just try to snowball into
an amazing damage-dealing powerhouse -- thinking about your purchases and how they relate to your
enemy really will have a big impact on your performance.
As a related note (in terms of using the interface to your advantage), you can see which of your allies
have their ultimate abilities available by looking at the green or black dot on the upper right-hand of
their portrait on the left-hand side of your screen. Green means they have their ultimate and can use it.
Situational & Map Awareness (Wards!)

In most cases, being situationally aware largely involves being map aware. The mini-map in the bottom
right of your screen is important. Look at it. All the time. Along with the 'Tab' menu, it is a great way of
seeing who is missing at any given time, as well as a great way of knowing when you can take risks
because everyone is accounted for.
Aside from this, being situationally aware also helps you more quickly capitalize on times when there are
nearby teammates, either by helping them out while they're being attacks, or by getting in position to
gank with them.
Wards have a very large impact on the success of games, provided that you and your teammates will
capitalize on the vision granted. Denying map awareness to your opponents through the use of Vision
Wards and Oracle's Elixir, as well as general sneakiness, is also critical.
Some players, such as those playing Support champions, may choose to ward more frequently than
others. However, every player on a team should be willing to buy wards, especially to protect entrances
to the lane they're in.
Read the 'Map Dominance: Warding, Counterwarding & Clairvoyance' section of this guide for more
detail on this subject.
Observe Your Opponents
While you can calculate the relative power of an opponent by checking out their items and stats, you
will often learn the most about how strong or weak they are by watching them. Take time to
occasionally glance at other lanes, especially after dying, and run through a mental checklist:
• Does your opponent look like they're farming well?

• Are they being overly aggressive?
• Are they not taking advantage of an opportunity in front of them? Are they being too cautious,
or are they being smart?
• Are they responding quickly to their teammates needs?
• Are they avoiding ganks in a smart way, and do they seem to be reacting to your allies (i.e. are
they reacting based on ward vision)?
You'll learn a lot about your team by doing this. While these snap judgments won't always be correct,
they can give you a good idea how things are going, especially in conjunction with a glance at their
items. Just knowing when an opponent is not doing particularly well, especially if they're a counter to
your own champion, can help you make decisions later on in the match.
Track Timers
Track the timers of objectives like Dragon and Baron Nashor, and major jungle buffs such as the golem
and lizard camp if you know exactly when they were last killed. Here are the timers you need to know:
• Baron Nashor spawns 15 minutes into the game. He has a 7 minute respawn timer once he's
been killed.
• Dragon spawns at the 2:30 minute marker. He has a 6 minute respawn timer once he's been
killed.
• Ancient Golem (blue buff) and Lizard Elder (red buff) spawn at the 1:55 minute marker. They
have a 5 minute respawn timer once they've been killed.
Knowing these timers lets you move into position to take down these objectives even before they've
spawned. If the other team is not tracking the timers as well, it usually means your team can take out
the objective before the other team is even aware it was available again.
You should also track nearby wards that you've seen the enemy place. These all last for 3 minutes. This
knowledge can be helpful for your jungler or other gankers to know as they can move in immediately
once a ward expires, allowing for an unexpected gank (sometimes while they're already out of
positioning placing a new ward). You can also use this knowledge to decide whether it's worth
counterwarding them or just waiting it out.
You can check the remaining duration on allied wards by clicking on them.
Flash has a cooldown of 4:10 with masteries, which can be useful to track if you want to ensure a kill.
Personally, when I'm tracking any of these timers, I'll do a quick calculation in my head and type it
something similar to this in team chat: "ward bot tri-bush at 14:23," with the time corresponding to
when the ward expires. Having it in chat makes it easy to reference later.
Gold Matters
Gold has a significant impact on the game. Between equally skilled players, the team with a significant
gold lead -- provided they aren't taking stupid risks -- are favored to win.
Last hit! The biggest single improvement most players can make to their gameplay is learning to
effectively last hit minions, ensuring they get the bonus gold. Some champions are much easier to
achieve this with (Morgana, Mordekaiser, and Vladimir being among the easiest), while others must pay
far more attention to do it effectively (most Ranged AD carries). The only exception to this are
champions who intentionally forgo last hitting in order to let other players get more gold (the "Zero CS
Support" dynamic described in the Champion Roles & Recommendations section).
Passive gold gain items work great on champions who have a natural reason to build them. For instance,
Philosopher's Stone and Heart of Gold are great Support, Fighter, and Tank champions, but not usually a
good idea on AP Casters or Ranged AD champions.
Towers, Dragon, Baron Nashor, and jungle monsters all offer opportunities for additional gold gain. It's a
good idea to pursue these as often as possible.
If you kill an enemy champion more than once, and they haven't killed anyone on your team, they are
worth less and less gold. While you are denying them from being able to impact the game while dead,
there comes a point where you're sacrificing more to kill them than you could be gaining by just last
hitting minions or taking objectives.
In some cases, it's still a good idea to go out of your way to kill an opponent, especially if they can
potentially snowball into a powerhouse (such as Tryndamere). You're denying them experience and gold
by doing so. Be smart about it.
Finally, let your teammates get assists on champions you're fighting. You don't get any extra gold for
killing a champion by yourself, whereas your team gets a very significant chunk of extra gold if at least
one of your allies helps out. This bonus is not increased if more than one player helps out, so your main
goal is to have at least one other player involved as often as possible.
By the same token, don't be a nice guy and let a nearby teammate get a kill if no one will get an assist.
Do everything you can to get in, even if you are going to take the kill as a result.
Avoid Unfavorable Fights
It should go without saying that you don't want to get into fights you have a decent chance of losing.
If you've already been killed more than once in the early game, but don't have the kills or assists to back
it up, that's usually a sign that you need to focus on playing defensively. Pay attention to how you're
getting killed (such as a jungler or a particularly brutal combo from your laning opponents. If your
opponents are killing you, you're even less likely to be successful your next time around, as they may be
gaining a level and gold advantage.
Sometimes your teammates will get caught in obviously unfavorable fights. Discretion matters, but you
should never do something which is likely to result in your death with little or no gain to your team. In
other words, don't help when it doesn't make sense for you to help. By the same token, don't be the
player who is in that unfavorable position, not only for yourself, but because your teammates may be
drawn into a fight that is just as bad for them.
Don't get baited into fights when you're not aware of what you're running into or where your opponents
are. Some bait is more obvious than others, such as Shaco frequently running out of a bush and back
towards it to draw you towards a trap. But any time a kill seems to easy, you should think it through.
Avoiding unfavorable fights is a common theme and nearly everything else in this section offers you
something that is technically related to this concept.
All of this said, it's ok to take risks. As long as they're educated and you believe there's a reasonable
chance you'll come out on top. Without taking risks you won't learn all of the things you can get away
with (and the boundaries of your potential).
Movement & Positioning

Movement and positioning are important concepts for every player, and there's a myriad of ways to
approach this, usually dependent on the champion you're playing and who your teammates are.
Without going into detail on a subject that is so specific to the champion you're playing, one thing you'll
need to get used to is moving between your normal attacks and ability casts. There's usually a window
of time where you can safely move a little without slowing down your attacks or spells.
In terms of normal attacks, you can move the moment your character has attacked a target (in the case
of ranged champions, this will be when the projectile first appears in the air). Some champions have
slower wind-up animations than others, so knowing exactly when you can use a move command again
without accidentally canceling an attack is a matter of practice and muscle memory with your champion.
Virtually all top players are constantly moving, some of whom use over a hundred movement commands
every minute. This keeps them on their toes, prevents their opponents from landing easy skillshots, and
allows them to position better towards their next targets (or away from potential threats) while not
sacrificing their damage output. By constantly moving, they can continue to stay near -- or even ahead --
of the path of the champions they're attacking, securing kills that players who aren't moving between
attacks would miss. In other situations, skilled players can kite opponents, staying at a distance from
them while being pursued, but still landing a barrage of normal attacks and abilities on them.
Juking
Juking is when you telegraph the wrong moves to your opponents and fake them out. An example of this
is running in a straight line to encourage a Blitzcrank or Morgana to use their skill-shot abilities on you,
but instantly changing directions once they fire, thereby juking the ability.
Faking your movements can be very effective in escaping pursuers. For example, moving into a bush
while fleeing may lead someone chasing you to assume that you're going to continue running forward.
However, if you wait until they reach the bush and then immediately run back in the direction you came
from, you can sometimes more easily escape this way since they may need a moment to recognize and
react to it.
This is easiest (and often the most fun) to do with champions that can easily cross barriers in the jungle
such as Gragas and Nidalee. Lee Sin is among the best champions at advanced juking, especially if he has
wards or other enemy and allied targets available.
Keep an eye on your potential escape routes wherever you are, and try to have at least two available.
That Awkward Moment When...

...you know you're going to die, but you still have a few seconds left. One moment you're on top of the
world, the next you realize you have absolutely no possible escape unless your opponents are dumber
than bricks. What do you do with your final moments?
If you see their ally coming to attack you, try really hard to let your opponent kill you before their ally
gets in range. Stand still or get a tower to help your opponent out. It's much better to die to a single
opponent than to two or more, as it denies their team assist money.
If you haven't actually been attacked by an enemy champion, but you're surrounded with no escape
(such as trying to take a monster in their jungle, or being flanked in your lane), you can run straight for
their tower or for a monster that can quickly kill you (such as Baron Nashor). If you're killed without
being attacked by an enemy champion, you are considered "executed," and the enemy team gains
nothing. Keep in mind that towers that are further in towards an enemy base deal more damage and
can kill you more quickly.
If you're not the only team member person trying to flee, don't move towards allied champions. Instead,
actively move away from them so the enemy players are less likely to kill them as well. Or get suicidal
and take out the enemies who you're most likely to be able to kill or seriously harm before dying.
In most cases, you want to waste as much time of theirs as you can without sacrificing anything
important. This is especially true if it distracts them from taking out your structures after a major
teamfight.
When you realize you're going to die, try to do something cool with it. And sometimes you'll actually live
as a result.
You Have Been Slain

Once you die, take a moment to check out the Death Recap (an option to do this appears near the top of
your screen). This will break down the sources of damage that killed you, as well as their damage type.
Taken together with what you observed from the battle that killed you, this can help you make more
effective purchasing decisions for defensive items.
Calling MIA
Letting your team know that an enemy is missing from your lane is often a good idea. For some teams,
double pinging your lane will make that clear. In other cases, use chat to give some sort of indication
that your lane is missing. This can be commonly done with "bot mia" (if you're in the bot lane) or "ss."
If an opponent is constantly staying out of vision between minion waves, consider saying something to
that extend in chat.
While map awareness is a personal responsibility, and some people are better at it than others, your
goal is to win the game. You're more likely to win the game if you help your teammates out by letting
them know about missing opponents. From a very practical standpoint, you should be calling MIA for
your own benefit, even if you feel your teammates should be paying better attention to the map.
Direct Your Team

Good communication on a team can significantly increase your chances of winning matchups, even
when those matchups are in the other team's favor. Obviously you shouldn't berate and insult your
teammates, but you can take this a step further:
• Get your team's attention regarding objectives like Dragon and Baron Nashor. Do everything you
can to organize people quickly to take these before the enemy team can stop you;
• Sometimes just attacking these objectives with teammates nearby will get their attention and
get them to join in;
• Ask the team to group up and push an objective such as a tower, or have them group to help
force a fight against the enemy team;
• Say when you're going to initiate a team fight, especially on champions like Amumu, so your
teammates are prepared;
• Sometimes you can use obvious abilities, such as Sivir's On the Hunt aura, to indicate to your
team that they should initiate or back off;
• Use the "Fall Back" ping if you think your teammates are in a bad position (but don't spam
pings);
• If split pushing looks like a good idea, communicate to your team who should go where;
• Direct people to crowd control certain targets in fights (instead of placing blame for how the
previous fight went);
• Let your teammates know about enemy wards, as well as potential gank opportunities.
Not everyone is going to respond positively to this. Be tactful, not demanding, and you're more likely to
get a good reaction.
Don't Give Up
Nothing is better than that come-from-behind victory. It will happen more often than you think if you
really pay attention to all of your opportunities in a game.
There's a difference between playing well and doing well. Players can be doing well if they're racking up
a lot of kills in the early game and causing a major headache to your team. In these situations they may
have a lot of gold and be in a great position to snowball.
But playing well is a whole different story. Is the player racking up all those kills a melee champion
investing in pure damage items, making them extremely vulnerable to being bursted down later in the
game? Are they actively farming to gain more gold, or are they simply roaming to pick up kills on
opponents who aren't necessarily worth much anymore? Are they going for ideal targets in team fights
and playing safe or are they getting cocky?
Keep in mind that some champions, such as LeBlanc, will often have stronger early games than late
game. Also, keep in mind that some champions, such as Ranged AD Carries, can become extremely
strong powerhouses later in the game, and simply holding the game longer can turn it in your favor.
Finally, winning a single team fight in the late game, particularly one the enemy team didn't expect (such
as having your entire team hidden in a bush), can turn a game completely around. By the same token,
focusing on objectives like Dragon and Baron Nashor, or even stealing a Baron Nashor kill while your
opponents are doing them, can also turn games around.
Don't get discouraged. Stay calm and collected. You will play better.
Don't surrender a game unless your opponents are doing well and playing well. If they're not playing as
smart as your team, simply getting better map awareness (through wards) to deny them opportunities,
in addition to toughing it out until your team can outpace theirs, is enough.
Teamplay & Objectives
Slaughtering enemy champions is not your goal. Your goal is to destroy their nexus. This is achieved by
destroying their inhibitors, which is achieved by destroying their towers. Don't lose sight of this.
Defend
Defend your own objectives. Never give your opponents an opportunity to take an objective without
losing something in return. Make them pay for it.
• Don't go back to purchase items just because you have the money to do so, particularly if it may
give your opponents an opportunity to push the tower you're defending.
• Don't leave your lane while it is being pushed, or for long enough that you can reasonably
expect it to be pushed.
That said, there are two reasons to stop defending a tower. First, if your opponents are likely to win a
fight against you and the tower is at low health, it is usually good to give up the tower and get to a safe
position. Second, in rare circumstances it can be worthwhile to give up a tower in favor of locking down
another objective or securing multiple kills in a teamfight or skirmish (so long as that leads to working on
another objective).
Be able to reasonably justify letting an opponent push your tower if you leave it for any reason. It's ok to
lose first line towers if it's for a better cause, but never lose it because you're not paying attention or
you want to shop.
Sometimes It's Better To Wait

While objectives are very important, there are often situations where you don't want to take down a
tower in your lane. This is because minion waves will tend to gravitate to the mid-way point between
the current tower on either side -- and if your opponent is missing a tower while yours remains, minions
will spend more time on your opponents' half of the map.
Here are the basic reasons not to push:
• If you are farming very well and have been relatively safe in doing so;
• If you need to continue to farm but can't risk going past the river due to potential ganks;
• If you are effectively zoning your opponents and preventing them from farming;
• If your team doesn't need you immediately or if you'll be more of a benefit to your team by
farming further;
• If allowing your opponents to recommit to another lane could cause a problem;
• If you don't have a place to go after you've pushed the tower.
The last point is the most important, because it relates to when you should take a tower. The worst
thing you can do is take a tower early, then not be able to either secure kills or objectives elsewhere on
the map, leaving you either falling behind or leeching on another lane and causing them to fall behind.
Before going further, let me emphasize that taking out the middle tower is nearly always a good idea. It
has too much of an impact on the map to justify waiting longer than necessary, unless you simply cannot
go anywhere else with your champion and reliably pick up kills or experience.
Make sure that if you take a tower, you have a short-term plan to contribute to your team (take
Dragon, gank and push mid-lane, recall and gank top, etc.). That said, don't leave yourself unable to
defend your lane if your opponents push!
You should also take towers if you're not getting much out of your lane in the first place. If you're
constantly being harassed, or your opponents are not doing a very good job farming but are making it
very difficult for you (such as a kill lane with champions dedicated to taking you out rather than
effectively farming), taking their tower the moment you have an opportunity can allow you to move
somewhere more favorable while denying them easy shots at you.
As a rule of thumb, 20 minutes is about where you should be considering taking a tower regardless of
other factors, as you'll need to transition to mid and late game dynamics with your team. This isn't a
hard rule, but it works.
If you lose your first tower, there is a silver lining in that you can more safely farm and your jungler or
other lanes may potentially have an easier gank on your lane opponents if they stick around. You can
also move more freely around the map immediately afterward, which can help if your team has
seriously hurt one or both other lanes and easy ganks can be set up. It's not ideal and you shouldn't
intentionally throw a tower for this reason (since it does give easier Dragon or Baron access, among
other things), but it will occasionally turn games around.
Control Your Lane Extension

Don't blindly auto-attack enemy minions! There's an art to controlling how far you're extended in the
early game, especially in the side lanes. Here are some tips.
Gain a level before your opponents by pushing hard for the first minions, especially if you know where
the jungler is or you don't believe that their jungler will pose an early threat. You'll want to do this if you
can follow up a brief level advantage with very strong harassment, or if losing that level advantage may
make you particularly vulnerable.
This is usually good to keep in mind for an early level 2 or level 6, but don't push too hard at all times for
the sake of leveling. Keep in mind that minions don't spawn any more quickly, so pushing too hard won't
gain anything but a very small, temporary experience advantage.
You want to avoid minions reaching your tower whenever possible, not just because of the damage to
the tower, but because it makes last hitting those minions far more difficult. Beyond this, if a tower
helps clear minions, it can give your own minions an advantage and push the lane significantly further
out as a result. Push back when your opponents are pushing so you can keep the minions off the tower,
and consider a Wriggle's Lantern or Will of the Ancients if you may need to tank minions frequently in
order to achieve this.
By keeping minions closer to your tower without letting them get pushed back out by the tower, you put
yourself in a naturally safe position near your tower. This helps a lot in avoiding early ganks from the
enemy, while making ganks from your teammates a lot more likely to be successful.
Sometimes you'll need to fight under your tower. This can happen if the opponents are doing a good job
pushing, or if they're doing a good job harassing you (therefore making the only safe spot under your
tower), or both. On many champions, you can gain higher minion kills by keeping these rules in mind:
• Use one normal attack on a full health ranged caster minion before the tower hits it and it
should be low enough to last hit after the tower hits it (unless your attack damage is very high,
in which case you should wait until the tower hits it once);
• Wait for the tower to hit a melee minion twice from full health, then kill it with a normal attack.
Those rules help a lot, but the situation is usually very dynamic, and minions won't always be coming
under a tower at full health. You'll want to get used to ways of dealing with this on the various
champions you may play.
You want your minions to get to their tower, especially if the opponent is back at base. This makes it
much harder for them to last hit minions for gold, and if they're back at base, loses them all of the
potential gold and experience from that wave. This is a huge hit, especially when two solo laners are
against each other and one is losing waves.
Keep bushes in mind. If you've got a jungler or another player looking for an opportunity to gank in a
side lane, it can be to your benefit to push the minions in a lane far enough that the player can walk into
one of the bushes on the side of the map without being seen. This can give them an opportunity to get
close to opponents without being noticed, provided there is no enemy ward vision in the bush or the
approach.
As you get more comfortable with the lane dynamics, you'll start to recognize times when a wave of
your minions won't kill a single enemy minion in the next wave (either because an opponent is killing
them or a tower will take out all of your minions first). In some situations, this will be a back and forth
that occurs on nearly every wave, especially if both you and your opponent can clear full minion waves
quickly. At these times, it's usually a good idea to leave vision range of your opponent during the wave,
either by going into a bush or backing off. You won't be losing gold or experience, so this is perfectly
fine.
If you do this often enough, your opponent may not be able to recognize the difference between you
standing back for the next wave or actually being missing. This will allow you to more effectively gank
other lanes with less warning, or to simply back off to another bush where you can watch for opponents
coming into your lane.
Another thing you can do during this downtime is head to nearby jungle monsters. Due to travel time
this will not always be a big benefit to you, particularly if you lose a significant number of minion kills in
the lane as a result. However, if you kill an enemy camp (such as mid lane killing at least the blue wraith
in the four wraith pack), you can be assisting in setting their jungler back. This is best done while you
have vision control and your opponents do not.
Press The Advantage

One of the worst habits that League of Legends players fall into is seeing kills in a teamfight as the end of
an event, after which they go back to base, recover health, and purchase new items. In most cases, this
is the completely wrong thing to do.
If you've just killed your opponents, push. It doesn't matter how much gold you just earned or how low
you are on health, if you can reasonably push anywhere safely, do it. The only exceptions to this rule are
in the early game where you may intentionally avoid pushing first lane towers.
It sounds simple, but knowing and acting on this will put you head and shoulders above a huge portion
of the League of Legends community.
React To Enemies Who Aren't There

Just as important as reacting to nearby champions is knowing how to react when you know some enemy
champions aren't near you at all. This is part of pressing the advantage.
If your team is near Dragon or Baron Nashor and one or more members of the opposite team are on the
opposite side of the map with no way to respond (no teleport, etc.), that is a great time to either force a
fight or take these objectives. By the same token, don't show yourself in bottom lane later in the game
when your opponents may be ready to take Baron, as that's a clear indication to your opponents that
you will not be able to immediately assist your team.
If you can account for their jungler ganking another lane and believe part of their jungle is available
(particularly blue or red buff), invade the jungle and take it! This is risky, but often pays off as long as
you can continue to account for them.
If you can account for all five members of the opposing team on the map and believe you have an
advantage in your lane, push to take out a tower. This is especially true at the second towers and base
towers and inhibitors, where a teamfight on the other side of the map may leave these vulnerable while
your opponents are distracted.
Dragon & Baron Nashor
While I emphasize the importance of team objectives -- specifically, structures -- and want to discourage
you from looking at killing enemy champions as the goal of the game, gold does matter. Repeatedly
killing Dragon during the early mid-game, along with securing Baron Nashor, will give you a massive gold
lead over your opponents (not to mention Baron's buff). Being able to take these objectives before they
can respond can keep you ahead of them and in a game that they would otherwise be winning.
If you're going to contest Dragon or Baron Nashor, there's a very common trap you want to avoid. Both
Dragon and Baron Nashor have an outer wall around them, with their only real entrance being in the
river. For some reason, players on the purple team (top half of the map) will tend to congregate around
the outer wall (inside their jungle) when an enemy team is attempting Baron Nashor. This only makes
sense for a small number of champions with reliable blink or dash abilities, who can potentially move in
and attempt to steal dragon or otherwise engage in a team fight. Alternatively, champions with
skillshots that may hit Baron can attempt to steal the buff from here.
But doing so necessarily prevents you from organizing as a team and contesting the other team in a
normal team fight, unless each player without blinks or dashes burns Flash. It also isn't a good position
to come in from anyway: Baron Nashor attacks the closest valid target while he's engaged, and entering
a fight that close to him means his damage may be redirected to you.
As a rule, a team should usually move in from the river if they're going to engage the enemy team.
For Dragon, it's important to remember that he can be moved, and moving him outside his river
entrance puts him out of range of most skill-shots that can be fired from the outer wall. Like Baron, this
should usually be contested from the river (though players who can dash or blink over the outer wall can
do so more safely here, especially if a team fight is occurring there or only a small group of enemies is
working on Dragon).
Force Favorable Teamfights

There are four places teamfights should occur:
1. In a lane, with the goal of defending or taking a structure, or preventing opponents from
farming the minions in the lane;
2. In or around Dragon or Baron Nashor, with the goal of killing them for your team;
3. In the jungle, specifically to counter-jungle (killing their jungler or taking their important buffs)
or in response to counter-jungling (protecting your jungler or your important buffs);
4. In between any of these (such as moving to the enemy team's base after successfully killing
Baron Nashor).
The first thing that needs to be said is that if you're engaging in team fights elsewhere, either your team
or the enemy team is doing something that may eventually help them win the game, but rarely is an
ideal approach to doing so. If their team is ahead and trying to engage in fights unrelated to any of the
above, you're probably better off ignoring them as a team, and instead focusing on other objetives.
Forcing favorable teamfights is an important concept for a team. To do this, you need to make it clear
you're attempting to achieve one of the first three goals above, and you need to be ready to respond in
a way that will likely result in victory for your team.
The best example is forcing a Baron Nashor fight. If the enemy team has it warded, or you clearly show
yourself headed to Baron Nashor, then they'll know you're there and ready to take the buff. Your team
having the Baron Nashor buff, in addition to all of the bonus gold, is a huge risk to nearly any team, and
they will be forced to choose whether to respond to you or whether to let you have the buff.
In some cases they won't respond to you if they know it's an unwinnable fight, and they feel they are
more likely to come out on top fighting under towers (if it's your team, keep in mind that you don't need
to respond to fights like this).
In many cases, they'll wait until you're doing Baron Nashor and attempt to fight you during the
encounter while you're already taking damage from Baron. This is usually favorable to for them unless
you have lategame items that really mitigate Baron's damage output.
And in other cases, they'll wait until you're doing Baron Nashor and attempt to steal the gold and buff by
a well-timed Smite or other damage. Even if they lose one or two players doing this, successfully stealing
the buff can turn the game around for their team.
In this circumstance, forcing a favorable teamfight usually means not actually engaging Baron Nashor.
Instead, you want to make it clear that -- if they don't respond -- you will kill Baron Nashor. If you can
take the damage, you may even want to start attacking Baron briefly if they have vision on you, such as
with a Clairvoyance (with the intent of quickly resetting the encounter) to make sure they get in to try
and stop you.
If the enemy responds and comes near Baron, engage in a teamfight. If you're correct that it is a
favorable teamfight (after all, forcing unfavorable teamfights is usually bad unless it's a last-ditch effort),
you should come out on top. And if you come out with enough health and damage, you can take Baron
Nashor.
The advantage to a forced fight like this is not just that you've locked down the enemy team and
successfully taken Baron Nashor as a result. It also means the enemy team is crippled, likely with players
still dead if it's later in the game, and this gives you an opening to make significant dents to their
architecture (i.e. destroy their structures). In some cases, you can take a victory here straight to their
base, saving Baron Nashor for after you've done your damage to their defenses.
Baron is a well-known example, but you can force favorable teamfights anywhere, especially at towers
and inhibitors that your opponents must defend. This is an especially good tactic if you're already ahead
in the game, as it removes options for your opponents and gives you more dominance over the match.
But be careful not to overestimate your power or overstay your welcome when you're low on health.
Inhibitors Matter, But So Does Their Nexus
This is straightforward. If you're pushing into their base but feel you cannot take out their nexus (in
other words, pushing to win), knock out as many inhibitors as you can. Two inhibitors down, especially
on opposite sides of the base, makes it very difficult for a team to leave their base without risking their
nexus (either to super minions or an easy path in for your allies). If they're resurrecting with two
inhibitors down, that can be a good time to take out objectives like Dragon and Baron Nashor, as it will
be very difficult for them to respond (and very obvious if they do if your minions are giving vision inside
their base).
The nexus and its protective towers are actually pretty easy to take down if you have minions and a
good deal of damage output. This is true even with one or two of their players coming back life,
provided you still have an overwhelming presence. It takes a bit before you can judge whether you can
push to win, but you should get in the habit of making a real effort on it whenever its reasonably safe
(instead of killing more inhibitors).
Victory is achieved by killing the nexus. Don't get distracted by opponents who may be very easy kills.
Stay focused on bringing down the towers and the nexus itself unless you absolutely must respond to
opponents. Not pushing a nexus when you had an opportunity to will come back to bite you at least a
few times, given enough games.
Pushing & Split Pushing

Pushing is when you actively put pressure on a lane, usually with the goal of taking out structures. Split
pushing is when a team is actively pushing more than one lane at a time.
Split pushing tactic should be used when an enemy team is dead or crippled after a skirmish or team
fight and there are multiple easy objectives to take. However, it can also be a great way of safely
winning a game when all of your enemies are alive.
Pushing and split pushing is distracting. If your opponents work best as a cohesive group of four or five
players, split pushing forces them to split up to effectively respond. If they're currently attacking your
tower, or getting ready to, pushing or split pushing other lanes can get the pressure off of you.
Sometimes pushing and split pushing isn't distracting, especially when you're already in combat. I can't
recall the number of times I've been so engaged in a team fight we were winning that I didn't realize one
of my enemies was pushing down a base tower. This is a pyrrhic victory -- in other words, we won a
team fight, but usually lost as much as we gained. I've learned that it's often a good idea to purposely
engage in teamfights, even unfavorable ones, in order to let someone push directly to their base.
Consider pushing and split pushing when you cannot effectively respond to an enemy team doing Baron
Nashor or even attacking your own structures. This is risky to do, but it can pay off in the long run,
especially if you can knock out an inhibitor (or worse).
I recommend looking for any opportunities to split push when a game is clearly not in your favor and
you've been losing team fights. It can pull out unexpected victories.
Backdooring
Backdooring occurs when a team attacks enemy structures while their allied minions are not present.
With towers, this is more difficult to do because the tower gains additional stats when minions are not
present, but it can be done at points in the mid and late game. You will usually want to do this when
there is an undefended target of opportunity (such as while an enemy team is dead).
Double Explosion
If you're losing, try to have a successful Surrender vote as your nexus is being attacked. If you time it
right, you get two explosions.
Two explosions.
Team Composition
AOE Disables/Damage
When a team has at least one very strong AOE disabler, such as Galio, Amumu, or Morgana, they can
line up devastating combos for additional AOE damage from other teammates. Watch out for a team
that contains one of these disables, along with any other damaging ultimate (such as Miss Fortune's
Bullet Time), as they can very quickly knock out an enemy team even if they're behind.
AOE teams only work if a team is grouped up tightly enough that multiple important targets can be hit at
once. To counter these teams, make every effort to keep your most important teammates away from
each other and from other teammates, but close enough that they can immediately engage after the
AOE team has initiated a fight. The jungle is a death trap when going against AOE teams, as the tighter
corridors can sometimes make it virtually impossible to avoid a strong ability combo.
If you have teammates who can survive an initial round of burst from the AOE champions, having them
stay near each other can draw attention to them, allowing for effective counterplay once the initial
volley of abilities have been used. Another good counter is the use of champions such as Janna, Alistar,
and other disablers to lock down these champions as they try to initiate fights.
Finally, using split pushing (covered later) and other multi-faceted approaches that require their team to
split apart to deal with your team can very effectively counter teams that require their ability combo to
win fights.
Getting a good balance of AOE in your team to pick up at least some of the benefits of this team comp is
a good idea in most match-ups.
Early Victory (Bruisers or Assassins)

When a team is disproportionately comprised of either assassins (including casters like LeBlanc) or
bruisers (tanky DPS with disables), this usually points to a strategy of winning the game early on. These
champions excel in the early game, potentially netting several early kills in each lane and gaining early
towers.
However, this is a strategy that relies on snowballing an unusually strong advantage over the other team
early, ideally leading to a team that will either surrender or stop trying as hard to win.
Countering these teams relies on playing it unuusally safe and farming gold. You want a strong AD
and/or AP carry coming out of the early and mid game -- damage in League of Legends is designed so
that it will always outpace survivability, given time and smart gold investments. Non-carry champions
should focus on surviving the initial burst from these champions to protect the carries.
Balanced team compositions will usually win over heavy assassin or bruiser team compositions once the
game reaches late game.
Pushers
Teams with very strong pushers such as Heimerdinger, Master Yi, or Sivir may look for opportunities to
break away from their team to push lanes and structures around the map.
Ideally at least someone on your team has teleport or can otherwise immediately respond when a
structure is being pushed. In normal circumstances, this will usually cause the pushing player to burn
important cooldowns to escape, and may potentially net a kill for your team.
It may seem contradictory, but one of the best ways to counter pushers is to push down a lane hard as a
team while your own lane is getting pushed. Unless the other team's pushers are significantly ahead of
your own, this should eventually force them to back off the lane in order to defend.
If you do this, you may be met with a team fight. To take advantage of their teammates absence and
keep the pressure on them, you will most likely need to engage in a fight with their team immediately
(while they're down a player).
Poking vs. Initiating

Teams with strong, long-range poke abilities, such as Kogmaw's Living Artillery or Xerath's Arcanopulse,
excel at saturating an enemy team with damage prior to an engagement. Teams with strong initiation
abilities, such as Hecarim's Onslaught of Shadows, excel at getting full fights started.
Poke and initiation both counter each other. If a team can very effectively poke another team, initiating
a fight becomes increasingly less desirable as the fight is more likely to lose. However, if a team can very
effectively initiate an enemy team that is trying to poke, the entire advantage of poking is removed.
The effectiveness of poke is based on the range of the poke abilities and the effectiveness of team
crowd controls and escapes that can be used to limit incoming initiates (Janna and Lulu are excellent at
providing all three to their teams). As a rule, League of Legends has longer distance initiation abilities
than poke abilities. For example, Nocturne and Pantheon can jump into fights over large areas of the
map, and Gangplank can drop down a Cannon Barrage to slow opponents while allies move in.
Additionally, some champions have very strong gap closers that allow them to quickly break into fights
against opponents at a distance.
While there tends to be better initiation potential than poke potential in the League, this is no
guarantee that your team actually has a strong initiator against enemy poke, particular in Blind Pick
matches. In these cases you will need to look at effective counterwarding and flanking to get in position
and force fights.
Map Dominance: Warding, Counterwarding & Clairvoyance
Being able to see and actively track opponents on the game map can provide a massive advantage to
your team, provided your team will make use of the vision. It allows you to push, engage in team fights,
and take objectives like Dragon and Baron Nashor based on real information, not just perception.
By the same token, preventing your opponents from seeing and tracking your team will put them at a
disadvantage. I'm going to cover these concepts of map vision and awareness, particularly as it relates to
warding, counterwarding, and the use of clairvoyance.
Special Note: There are two downloadable Summoner's Rift maps that go along with this guide. You can
download them in the members section!
Sight Wards, Vision Wards, and Oracle's Elixir

Green Sight Wards and pink Vision Wards can both be purchased from the Consumables tab in the shop.
Sight Wards cost 75 gold and offer normal vision in an area around where they're placed. Vision Wards
cost 125 gold and offer both normal vision and stealth detection in an area around where they're
placed.
Both types of wards have a 3 minute duration and can be killed with 3 normal attacks. The duration of
an allied ward can be checked at any time by clicking the ward and looking at the resource bar; this is a
countdown timer that lists the remaining time in seconds. When placed, they are briefly visible and
targetable to enemies, meaning they can be killed if nearby opponents react quickly. Wards can be
placed a moderate distance away from your champion, allowing you to place them over walls.
The stealth detection from Vision Wards allows them to see stealthed units, including champions and
placeable objects such as other wards. However, if a Vision Ward is placed outside of a bush, that ward
will not grant vision on stealthed units inside the bush, even if vision is granted in the bush through
other means.
Oracle's Elixir is a 400 gold consumable that grants stealth detection to the player who purchases it. This
buff lasts until the player dies. Like Vision Wards, you will need to be inside a bush to see stealthed units
within the bush, regardless of whether you have vision in the bush from other sources.
Teleport & Champion Abilities

Allied wards are considered valid units for the Teleport summoner spell. Using Teleport clearly gives
away the location of the ward to any opponents who are paying attention to the area, but also makes
the ward invulnerable.
This can be used to your advantage in securing kills on Dragon and Baron Nashor, particularly if a player
on the other side of the map has Teleport available and can turn the tides of a fight in your favor. In
some circumstances, it can be a good method of getting a player near the enemy base quickly to take
down a structure before the team can react.
There are also a few champions, such as Jax, Lee Sin, and Katarina, who can use abilities to dash to
wards. If you're playing these champions it's often a good idea to carry at least one ward with you for
this purpose. If you're playing on the same team as them, keep it in mind if you need to help them
escape in a pinch. And if you're playing against them, you'll want to be more vigilant about destroying
enemy wards when possible.
Counterwarding
Warding is the process of increasing your own map vision and map awareness through the use of wards.
Counterwarding is the process of removing your opponents map vision and map awareness by getting
rid of their wards.
Counterwarding is important so long as it offers a tangible advantage to your team. If your team will not
or cannot realistically use it to their advantage, getting rid of a ward is a costly investment: if you're
using a Vision Ward, you'll be paying a premium; if you're using Oracle's Elixir, you'll be putting it at risk
if you move significantly out of position to destroy the ward.
What amounts to a tangible advantage? In the early game it can mean being able to push and zone your
opponents more effectively because they're afraid of being ganked.
Being able to engage Dragon and Baron Nashor before your opponents are aware, or in such a way
where they cannot guess how much health these monsters have while you're fighting, is an advantage.
In this case, I recommend warding before these objectives become available in the mid and late game,
as it will give you warning if a team is aware of the timer and is preparing to fight them the moment
they respawn.
In the early game, counterwarding tends to be specific, and pink Vision Wards are often suited to this.
As the game progresses, denying more vision across the map allows your team more latitude and better
opportunities, and this is where Oracle's Elixir tends to be more effective.
Counterwarding is virtually always good in a game, but is often not necessary for every single ward.
Don't put yourself in a position where you're being baited into bad situations by counterwarding wards
you didn't need to take out.
Both warding and counterwarding are mind games, and the better you shut down your opponent's
vision while increasing your own, the more your team can engage based on reality while your opponents
must engage based on perception.
One More Thing About Oracle's Elixir...
Make sure you carefully check for enemy wards as you pass through a bush while you have Oracle's
Elixir active. If you're moving quickly and are watching other events, you can miss wards that will only
pop up for a half second or so. Be deliberative when moving between bushes to make sure you're not
missing anything.
Towers
Towers are naturally defensible, providing strong area vision and high damage output. In balanced
fights, towers are safe havens and fallback points that allow for extension in the area around them.
Losing or destroying a tower can completely shift the balance in a match in terms of vision and map
awareness. Not only do you lose the vision of the tower, but you also lose the easy fallback position that
makes nearby warding much safer for your team.
If you lose a tower, take extra steps to ensure you have vision in the area. You cannot safely extend until
you do.
On the flip side, if you take a tower, take extra steps to destroy any wards they may try to place, as this
turns a large area on their side of the map into hostile territory for them. This prevents them from easily
farming, can offer you more gank opportunities, and can allow your team to more easily push the next
tower in their lane.
Map Zones
Understanding the effects of downed towers and map vision helps to understand one of the broader
concepts of map control. While the map is easily divided into two halves, it is better to think of it in
terms of smaller zones.
Let's say that purple team, which resides on the top half of the map, has lost their bottom lane tower. As
soon as this happens, a whole region around that tower, including their blue golem buff, suddenly
becomes vulnerable. Losing the vision and safety from the tower is not only a real, tangible loss of
safety, but also means that players on purple team have a lot more to fear. To counter this, they will
need ward vision out to the river.
Now, let's take this one step further, and say that purple team also loses their mid tower. Once this
happens, the entire area between the two towers, including blue golem and the three wolf pack, is
completely dangerous to purple team. They will need at least two wards to safely be in this area, and
will have less time to react to them as the wards need to be placed in more tightly to cover the
entrances.
Losing mid tower has the greatest negative impact in terms of map zones, as it affects both red buff and
blue buff, along with Dragon and Baron Nashor, and the length of the river. If you've lost this tower,
you'll want to do more to recover vision in this area.
If you've taken this tower, your team should usually be aggressive in asserting your presence in the
vulnerable zones. Remember, this is largely a mind game, and your goal is to give them the perception
you're in control of their territory.
Map zones overlap each other, and are extended further depending on your vision and the champions in
that area. For example, purple team's mid lane and bottom lane affect how vulnerable their blue golem
buff is, and champions who can move extremely quickly can assert control over more of this territory.
Response time and quickly countering players entering your territory is important to maintaining
control; vision doesn't matter if you're not going to react to someone entering your territory.
The main map zones are as follows:
Top & bottom river. This is controlled primarily with wards.
Middle, covering both red and blue buffs.
Top, crossing over to red buff for purple team, and blue buff for blue team.
Bottom, crossover to blue buff for purple team, and red buff for blue team.
Because of the shape of the map, the second set of towers offer very little map control, even in the
interior regions. If you're on the offense, this means taking down the outer towers can fairly easily give
you complete map control of their territory. If your own towers have been taken, wards are usually
necessary to safely move in your interior.
Who is Responsible
The players responsible for warding is a team decision. However, it is very common to see Support
players responsible for the bulk of warding, with a jungling champion helping out. In this setup, other
team members are usually responsible for warding and protecting their own lane, particularly if they're
alone in the lane.
Your opponents may choose to gank based on how ineffective they believe you will be at preventing a
kill. For example, if the bottom lane is well warded by your team, even counterwarded, and gank
attempts have been unsuccessful, that region is higher risk for your opponents. Even if they don't get
killed themselves, they may be wasting time with relatively little to show for it. When this happens, the
middle and top lanes will become higher priority, provided they aren't equally well defended.
This is why it can be very important, especially in the early and mid game, to make sure you're
controlling vision on areas of the map where a Support or other player may not be in a position to
provide wards themselves.
Keep this rule in mind: If you don't die because you placed a ward, that ward paid for itself several times
over. While you may feel it is ideal to use your gold elsewhere, you should invest in wards whenever
necessary.
Too Much
Warding is important, but there is such a thing as too much warding. You will need to balance the
contribution that more wards has to your team vs. the risk you're taking by not investing in items that
benefit your team in skirmishes and team fights. Simply placing wards, particularly alone, may leave you
at a distance or bad entrance to fights that may be coming up.
Provided you are generating a decent amount of gold, such as with a Philosopher's Stone and Heart of
Gold, a good rule of thumb is that you should be purchasing at least two wards when you go back to
base, but may be going overboard if you purchase five, unless you've got a specific reason such as
extended baron control. This is situational and it depends on whether your teammates are also helping
with vision.
Having vision is amazing, but if your team is losing fights without gaining objectives, it won't amount to
anything. Make sure you're not hindering your team.
Dealing With Stealth Champions

Before your team can carry around Oracle's Elixir in the mid and late game you may want to look for
quick kills on opponents who are frequently using stealth abilities (such as Akali). If you're fairly
confident you or your ally can kill these players given a few moments of uninterrupted burst, try to place
a pink Vision Ward in the location they will most likely be stealthed.
If at all possible, conceal this action by placing it while they don't have vision over the map (such as
while your minions are pushed to their tower) and, if at all possible, before they have had a chance to
see you had the ward in your inventory.
Alternatively, you can just hold onto a pink ward until they're stealthing to finish them off.
Since the gold return will generally be much higher than the cost of the ward, this can be a good
investment if you're quick to react.
As a note, Oracle's Elixir is not always best to have only on your Support in regards to stealth champions,
as it can lead to a positioning issue. Support tend to have specific positioning requirements that may put
them a bit away from your disruptors or carries. To actually hunt down and kill stealth champions, it
helps that the players that are either being attacked by those champions or are capable of securing kills
on those champions have an Oracle's Elixir running themselves.
Warding With Teammates

Depending on the situation in the current match-up, you may need the assistance of teammates to
effectively ward and counterward around the map.
The first factor is whether the opposing team has a vision advantage of their own and whether they're
quickly acting on that vision. It can be very difficult to win the vision game once your opponents already
control most of the map.
The second factor is how reckless your opponents are. Most advanced players will not put themselves at
risk by moving blindly into the fog of war while several opponents are not accounted for. The fear of
being caught out of position and being ganked is a very real thing, and it's one of the biggest advantages
of denying an opponent their map vision. By mid-game, a player wishing to place wards can usually do
so alone if they have already denied the enemy vision and will have some advance warning from their
own vision on approaching enemies.
It's also a good rule of thumb to immediately take opportunities to ward and counterward when you can
see the threats on your opponent's team somewhere else on the map. This is the safest time to move
around solo.
However, less experienced opponents are less likely to have picked up the habit of being careful about
overextending and avoiding potential traps. This will actually make it harder to safely place wards alone
if you're playing a less survivable champion. On the flip side, roaming with your team is more likely to
net kills on opponents who are out of position.
The bottom line is that warding without teammates is safest when you already have a vision advantage
over your opponent. By warding and counterwarding early and often, you can more safely maintain this
advantage without needing your team to break off every time you need to refresh vision.
Protecting & Replacing Wards

Once wards are out, they should usually be treated as secondary objectives. If you can defend a ward
before it is counterwarded, do so. Keep an eye on wards that are protecting your lane and quickly
respond if you reasonably can.
It can be frustrating when an enemy counterwards you, especially in the early game. However, if the
ward was necessary to your survival, or acted as a deterrant, it can sometimes be to your advantage to
immediately replace the ward even if there's a very high chance they'll kill it again. For example, if a
player placed a pink Vision ward in the river bush and killed your ward, placing a green Sight Ward may
result in them countering you again while their Vision Ward is still active.
Immediately placing a new ward can lead to two potential benefits. First, it can waste the time of a
jungler or another player who is counterwarding if they choose to go back and take out the new ward;
at the same time, you're aware of exactly where they are and they can't threaten another lane. Second,
it can be used to bait opponents out once you're ready to defend your ward and potentially kill them.
Clairvoyance
Clairvoyance is a summoner spell that grants vision for a brief time at any location on the map,
regardless of your own distance from that location. This spell does not reveal stealth, but it does reveal
inside bushes even when it is not cast within those bushes.
Clairvoyance markers can be seen by the opposing team, even in the fog of war, so using Clairvoyance
can give away an area of the map you're interested in.
If you suspect an opponent is waiting in a nearby bush, such as a jungler waiting for a gank, using
Clairvoyance on them may discourage them from sticking around.
The First Cast

At about 8-10 seconds into the match-up you will want to cast Clairvoyance near the enemy summoner
platform. This can give you an idea what starting items your opponents are choosing and may give an
indication which lanes your opponents are headed to. If your opponents are moving together down one
lane, that may indicate that they're going to protect their jungle or invade your own.
Chase the Jungler (Early Timers)

Clairvoyance is often best in the early game when you can accurately determine where a jungler or
roamer is. This is especially true against junglers with very strong early ganks.
Champions have different starting preferences, including killing the red lizard or blue golem very quickly
in a match. Many champions can choose either, while some champions are more limited to killing the
blue golem early due to mana constraints in their jungling route. For example, an Amumu will tend to
start at blue golem due to the mana regeneration buff, whereas a Lee Sin is more flexible and may start
near red or blue.
Because jungling is different for every champion, and because many champions have options, there's no
hard rule to tell you the best places to clairvoyance at any time. However, here's some quick notes:
Buff Check & Early Clairvoyance Strategy
Depending on the jungler, choose between checking the opposing blue buff or red buff between 1:45
and 1:55. If you've used Clairvoyance on the blue buff and your team has vision around your blue buff,
the enemy is most likely doing a route that starts near red.
Junglers who pick up an early red buff are more likely to also go for an early gank. If the purple team
(top) goes for red, expect a potential early gank at top. If the blue team (bottom) goes for red, expect a
potential early gank at bottom. (If either of these are your lane and you're also providing wards, it's a
good idea to ward the gank locations immediately)
Consider using your next Clairvoyances at the lanes you feel are in the most danger. This is even more
true if the lane you feel is in the most danger is also not warding to protect themselves (such as a solo
top lane). Even though it can be frustrating to use the ability to defend players who won't ward, your
goal is ultimately to win the match, and it can be worth it to compensate for them by doing this. (In
particularly rough match-ups, a solo player may not even be able to move near a place where they can
ward, so Clairvoyance will help them protect themselves while placing their own ward).
If a jungler goes for blue golem first, watch out for a potential early gank at middle. Also, an early blue
means you should use Clairvoyance again around 7:40 (shortly after it respawns) to check on their blue
buff again, as they may either not have gotten to it quickly enough, or they may be taking it then.
Develop & Trust Your Gut

There are no hard and fast rules to Clairvoyance, and a completely defined list of timers is as varied as
the champions and situations you come across. However, get a feel for the champions you're against
and when they may be moving to key locations. It may even help to play some junglers yourself to get a
feel for them.
Using Clairvoyance defensively is great, but it's always worth keeping in mind that the best players will
often use it offensively as a means of giving their teams opportunities.
Positioning
If you're checking the jungle with your Clairvoyance you have two choices. Normally you should try to
check two creep camps by placing the Clairvoyance between them.
For red consider the double golems and red lizard.
For blue get the wolves and blue golem.
These positions maximize your chance of catching the jungler. Your other choice is to use the
Clairvoyance more directly on a major buff to get vision on any opponents that may be there. This is
usually not ideal, especially since it can indicate you're looking to invade.
At Dragon and Baron Nashor, use Clairvoyance in the river in such a way that you can see them and
whether they're engaged, but may also see nearby opponents. If you're taking these objectives with
your team, consider using Clairvoyance to check beyond the outer wall for anyone either waiting to
move in to steal the kill or attempting to snipe it with long range abilities.
Against Baiting
If it looks like an opponent may be intentionally baiting your teammates towards a location, quickly use
Clairvoyance to see the most likely area where opponents may be hiding, particularly in bushes along
the path.
Against Juking
Clairvoyance is fantastic in its ability to see in bushes. Keep this in mind when an opponent is attempting
to flee or juke through bushes: if your team loses vision, they cannot use normal attacks or most
targeted spells. Even the briefest interruption can fully break a spell combo or prevent a killing blow. Get
in the habit of using Clairvoyance before an enemy reaches a bush to prevent them from breaking vision
while your team continues to focus them. (In rare circumstances you can pull this off with wards as
well.)
Clairvoyance as Protection
A well-placed Clairvoyance ahead of your path can give you an idea of when you can't be stopped. In
other words, when enemies are not in the paths ahead of you, you can reasonably assume that you can
safely move in. This is fantastic for positioning your team, but also for placing wards and
counterwarding. In this role, Clairvoyance can be used to help recover safe territory for your team when
you're otherwise shut down.
Requests
If someone on your team is running Clairvoyance, it's often a good idea to request they use it at a
location if you suspect opponents are there. This will depend on the player and whether they catch your
request quickly and feel it's a good idea, but in many cases they will oblige. The spell is frequently used
on educated guesses rather than hard knowledge, so occasionally directing it somewhere you strongly
feel opponents are (or want to make sure they aren't, such as at a jungle buff you're about to take) may
put it to better use.
Specific Ward Locations
At the beginning of a match, blue and purple team each control one half of the map. However, the hard
control mechanisms are towers, which means players can move in through the jungle unless they are
stopped by their opponents.
Knowing that, one of the goals with early wards is to make sure you're aware of opponents who enter
your jungle. This isn't always as important as using wards to protect your lane, but fortunately you can
achieve both at the same time.
Controlling your jungle is sectional. If your bottom lane and mid lane are properly warded, you will have
warning when opponents are coming into your bottom jungle.
However, if either your mid lane or top lane are not properly warded, your opponents will be able to
gain access to the top jungle before your team can reasonably react.
It follows, then, that failing to properly ward around the mid lane can have the greatest negative impact
on the game, regardless of the impact it has on the mid lane itself. It opens up map-wide
counterjungling and alternative gank routes that are harder to respond to.
Effective warding involves not only becoming aware of opponents, but also having time to react to
them. This is true both in defensive and offensive warding.
Enough theory! Let's get into specifics on great places to place wards throughout the game. I'll be
breaking these down by the area of the map you're controlling with them.
Team Warding
Most of the following sections will involve protecting individual lanes. However, if your team is on the
same page and you can keep a perimeter warded consistently throughout the game, there is a preferred
setup for this.
Example: Blue Team (Bottom)
At top lane, the enemy tri-bush should be warded.
At mid lane, the enemy red lizard ramp should be warded, as well as the ramp behind the enemy blue
golem.
At bottom lane, the ramp near the enemy blue golem exit should be warded, ideally in such a way that
you can see near Dragon as well.
If you're playing the purple team (top), flip each of these correspondingly.
If you ward these while keeping tabs on your opponents and preventing them from pushing hard
enough that they can use alternate routes, you will know when anyone is crossing into your territory.
You'll still want to consider other warding options described below, particularly side bushes, but that will
depend on the back and forth in your lane.
This is very cost efficient and effective and gives you more options for offensive action.
Bot Lane
With limited wards, the most important single ward location for protecting the jungle is in the river, a
little ways out from the lane. While you won't see players inside the gank bush, you should see them
entering or leaving the bush from the river.
Warding the tri-bush is also a good choice regardless of which team you are, as it can give you very
strong advanced warning on ganks, particularly from players approaching through the jungle. For the
purple team, who control the top half of the map, a tri-bush ward may be the only lower river ward
necessary as long as Dragon is also being warded.
Warding the gank bush itself is preferred if you either cannot safely extend into the river or your
teammates may not be paying enough attention to the map to see someone entering the bush. It is also
good against a team that is counterwarding, as it requires them to move to the bush itself to take it out.
One final benefit is that you can see champions who are recalling from this bush, meaning gankers who
are camping here will be visible.
The gank bush is usually not preferred, but it works. Place the ward at the farthest point away from your
tower as possible.
The side bushes can be important for warding. This is especially true if your opponents would otherwise
bully and zone you by using a bush, where quickly dropping vision makes it much harder to effectively
counter-attack.
Warding a side bush is also good if your lane is being pushed regularly past the mid-point of the lane, as
it makes you aware of players who may be attempting to capitalize on your lack of vision by sneaking
into the side bushes to contribute to a gank.
Top Lane
Top lane is symmetrical to bottom lane with the team positions reversed.
For the blue team, who control the bottom half of the map, a ward at the tri-bush and at the entrance
to Baron Nashor and blue buff can provide the greatest warning of incoming players while protecting
your jungler.
For the purple team, this same setup works provided your minions are regularly pushing to the midway
point of the lane. In other words, it works unless an enemy can use the lane itself to get in the gank bush
without you becoming aware of it.
Side bushes are important if you've been pushed towards your tower and you want to push any
significant distance back out while you are not aware of the location of their jungler or roamer.
Mid Lane
The most important ward spots for mid lane are at the ramps near the red lizard buff. This ward should
be positioned in line with the crease in the map to provide the best vision. This covers one of the best
gank routes against mid lane while also making it extremely clear when opponents are heading into the
jungle.
This spot can be altered a little to see when a jungler is attacking wraiths, though this comes at the
expense of some river vision.
On the opposite side of the lane, there are two solid options for warding. The first is at the bend near
the other ramp, giving vision over part of the river, as well as players entering or leaving the large
bushes at the entrance to the river.
The second is a bush further back, covering the corridor between the blue golem buff and three wolf
pack. This is very effective, especially for teams that give the blue buff to their AP caster, as it covers the
route and works against junglers or roamers.
The solo bush in the river is functional as a warning that someone is entering your jungle, though it
doesn't give as much warning of intent as other ward locations. This is usually used if you're low on
wards and want to cover the jungle entrances, as well as a high risk area near Dragon or Baron Nashor.
Alternatively, you should ward, counterward, or clairvoyance this location as a stepping stone to ward
more desirable locations.
Finally, the large side bushes can be useful to ward, especially if you don't currently have other vision
near them and can't risk going into the river. These are more useful later in the game when you're
anticipating team fights occurring there, or already know players are there and need to be able to target
them for an initiate. If you're careful, you can place a ward into these bushes over the thick walls.
Jungle
Both the blue golem and red lizard are very effective places to ward, and this is even more true if you're
counterjungling.
At the red lizard, place the ward at the very end of the bush where it loops around so the ward will have
vision on the monsters. It's important that it remains in the bush, though, as it prevents a player from
pulling the large lizard to the bush to conceal their actions.
At the blue golem, place the ward in the middle of the bush, in such a way that it has vision over the
blue golem while also having vision over all of the potential entrances.
You may also choose to ward the bush near your middle tower in mid-lane, as this gives vision over a
corridor that can act as a farming location, a team ganking bush, and an escape route players may use.
Dragon & Baron Nashor
When you can safely move in the river, place a ward in front of the Dragon or Baron Nashor inlet so that
you can see opponents coming through the river.
If you cannot safely move in the river, or believe the opposing team may already be engaged, place a
ward over a back wall. While this does not offer as much vision, it is much safer.
When counterwarding, particularly with Oracle's Elixir, always check the back wall of these inlets for
enemy wards.
Unless you're very confident that your opponents do not pose a threat to a Dragon or Baron attempt,
such as when they're visible on the opposite end of the map, you should also have at least two wards
out to give advance vision on anyone coming in.
Example: Blue Team (Bottom) Dragon
In normal circumstances, you will want wards on Dragon at the top of the ramp going up to blue golem.
Additionally, the bush that ramps up near mid lane is good.
Normally you'll want to place it higher up the ramp at mid lane, but if you can't see mid lane itself -- in
other words, if you don't have vision from minions -- then you'll want to place it lower in the bush so
you can see the river as well.
Example: Blue Team (Bottom) Dragon
At Baron, you'll want wards at the tri-bush near top lane.
You'll also want a ward up the ramp near red lizard.
Though significantly more dangerous, you'll want a ward at the bend in the bush behind the red lizard
wall, as this will let you see anyone attempting skillshots or waiting to jump in from behind the wall. This
is usually best placed when you're falling back after successfully engaging your opponents or pushing
their base. If you can place this, the ward at the ramp is less important.
Keeping in mind that the map is symmetrical, purple team (top) will mirror the locations, placing wards
similar to Baron when fighting Dragon and vice versa.
Dragon & Baron Nashor wards are complementary to other wards you're already placing, and in some
cases may be where you've already got wards. Depending on how effective your opponents have been
in the match, you may need more wards than this to safely take objectives.
Bases
If you are on the offense and taking out an enemy base, consider placing wards over the wall at points
between their towers. This will help your team land skillshots and poke abilities, avoid the same, and let
you know how they're shifting as a team, allowing you to more effectively choose which objectives to
move to.
If you're on the defense, place wards over your wall at the same points, for all of the same reasons.
Special Cases
At this point, I've covered all of the main warding spots. However, you should consider wards at any
location where you believe it may give a tangible advantage to your team, or may counter a very specific
play your opponents may use.
When playing against champions with global movement ultimates, or abilities that allow them to travel
a significant distance across the map, wards a little further out and in odd spots can be helpful.
For example, both the top and bottom lane have small pockets near the blue buff where Nocturne is in
range of using his rank 1 ultimate against opponents past the mid-way point in the river. Warding the
bush here can give you vision that they are likely not expecting.
Stats
There are a lot of stats and attributes to keep in mind while you're playing League of Legends. In this
section, I'm going to cover all of the major stats you'll have to deal with, as well as their quirks and
benefits.
Most stats stack additively, not multiplicatively. In other words, if you have two items that grant 20%
critical strike chance, you will have a 40% critical strike chance from these items. There are limited
exceptions, such as percentage-based armor and magic penetration, which stack multiplicatively
(thereby being less effective than they would be with additive scaling).
Items with bonuses listed as "Unique Passive" always mean that building two of the same item will not
contribute more of that bonus.
League of Legends will calculate most stats to several decimal places, meaning having partial stats (such
as 1.9% Attack Speed) will still contribute meaningfully to your damage.
Some stats are only visible by pressing 'C' while in-game.
Note: For readability, I've capitalized stats in their sections, but tend to avoid capitalizing them outside
their sections.
Baseline Stats vs. Multiplier Stats

In League of Legends, there are three main baseline stats: attack damage, ability power, and health.
There are rare exceptions, such as Ryze, who uses mana in functionally the same way most casters use
ability power.
To be clear, I am not using the term baseline to refer to them being more or less important than other
stats. These stats are considered baseline because they are increased in flat value increments.
Multiplier stats increase the effectiveness of their associated baseline stats. For example, attack speed
increases the rate at which you attack, which means you'll increase your damage output from attack
damage in direct proportion to how much faster you're attacking.
By finding an appropriate balance between Baseline Stats and Multipliers, you'll usually get more
damage output than you would by just stacking one or the other. This is especially true on physical
damage champions.
Normal Attacks
Attack Damage (Baseline)
Attack Damage increases the physical damage your normal melee attacks do. Additionally, it increases
the damage of some champion abilities.
Abilities that scale with Attack Damage will do so according to a ratio. For example, a damaging ability
with a 0.5 ratio will deal bonus damage equal to 50% of your Attack Damage.
Tip: Some abilities scale with 'bonus Attack Damage.' This refers to Attack Damage that is beyond your
champion's innate Attack Damage. When you see this, it's usually an indication that the developer
intends for you to use Attack Damage items (instead of, say, survivability items) to make the most use of
the ability.
Armor Penetration & Armor Reduction (Multiplier)

Armor Penetration causes your normal attacks and physical damage abilities to ignore a certain amount
of your opponents armor. Armor Reduction reduces the opponent's Armor, causing all incoming
incoming normal attacks and physical damage abilities to deal more damage (including those from
allies).
Armor Penetration cannot bring an enemy's armor below zero. However, Armor Reduction can. Armor
Reduction is applied first.
Tip: Check out whether or not your opponents are building armor. If so, I strongly recommend looking at
Last Whisper about midway through your item build, as this is often the most effective damage
multiplier against opponents with stacks armor.
Flat Armor Penetration/Reduction is more effective against champions with low armor, whereas
percentage-based Armor Penetration/Reduction is more effective against champions with higher armor.
Attack Speed (Multiplier)

Attack Speed determines how quickly your character uses normal attacks. You can have a maximum of
2.5 attack speed, literally meaning 2.5 attacks every second. Due to how the stat is calculated, Attack
Speed is more effective on champions who already have a high base Attack Speed.
Critical Strike Chance (Multiplier)

Critical Strike Chance determines the likelihood that your next normal attack will be a critical strike. A
small number of abilities, such as Garen's Judgment, also benefit from Critical Strike.
Critical Strike Damage (Multiplier)
Critical Strike Damage determines how much damage your critical strikes deal, based on a percentage of
your attack damage. Critical strikes normally deal 200% damage, though this number can be raised with
runes (Furor), masteries (Lethality), and items (Infinity Edge).
Lifesteal
Lifesteal restores health based on a percentage of damage done with normal attacks and abilities that
proc on-hit effects.
Lifesteal is reduced by healing reduction effects.
Range
Range is the distance you can use normal attacks from. Most melee champions have an attack range of
125, while a small number (such as Nautilus and Fizz) have an attack range of 175-200. Ranged AD, as
well as most other ranged champions generally fall between 500 and 650 range (Kog'maw, Tristana and
Twitch can go higher).
Tip: Range often has a big impact on how a game plays out, especially when two opponents are laning
against each other. When picking a physical damage champion to counter another champion, always
consider the range difference between them.
Abilities
Ability Power (Baseline)
Ability Power increases the damage or effects of many champion spells.
Abilities that scale with Ability Power will do so according to a ratio. For example, a damaging ability
with a 0.5 ratio will deal bonus damage equal to 50% of your Ability Power.
Cooldown Reduction (Multiplier)

Cooldown Reduction reduces the cooldown on most active champion abilities by a percentage.
Cooldown Reduction caps at 40%, meaning a player can only reduce the abilities down to 60% of their
original cooldown.
Tip: Cooldown Reduction tends to be more effective on champions who already have short cooldowns.
This is because having more Cooldown Reduction is more likely to allow for more spell casts in actual
skirmishes and teamfights with these champions.
Magic Penetration & Magic Resistance Reduction (Multiplier)
Magic Penetration causes your magic damage to ignore a certain amount of your opponents magic
resistance. Magic Resistance Reduction reduces the opponent's magic resistance, causing all incoming
magic damage to deal more damage (including those from allies).
Magic Penetration cannot bring an enemy's magic resistance below zero. However, Magic Resistance
Reduction can. Magic Resistance Reduction is applied first.
Tip: Magic Penetration is a very strong stat to have, especially if your opponents are stacking magic
resistance. Consider a Void Staff if your damage output comes primarily from magic damage.
Flat Magic Penetration/Magic Resistance Reduction is more effective against champions with low magic
resistance, whereas percentage-based Magic Penetration/Magic Resistance Reduction is more effective
against champions with higher magic resistance.
Mana & Resources

Most champions use Mana as a primary resource for using abilities. However, some champions use
energy, health, champion-specific resources, or no resource at all.
Mana & Resource Regeneration

This is the rate at which you regenerate your resource while you are not capped.
Tip: If you're very dependent on a Mana or Energy, consider getting the blue golem buff on Summoner's
Rift, as this will significantly increase your regeneration.
Spell Vamp
Spell Vamp restores health based on a percentage of damage done with abilities. This does not work on
most abilities that proc on-hit effects. To be clear, this applies to abilities that deal all types of damage,
including physical damage and true damage, not just magic damage.
Spell Vamp is only 33.3% effective on multi-target spells.
Spell Vamp is reduced by healing reduction effects.
Defensive
Health (Baseline), Effective Health & Shields
Health is your primary resource. Once this reaches zero, you will die (with limited exceptions for some
champion abilities and the Guardian Angel item proc).
The efficiency and effectiveness of Health is based on the type of damage you're receiving, as well as
sources of damage reduction you have to counter them. Put more simply, Health becomes better and
better as you acquire more sources of damage reduction such as armor and magic resistance. This is the
concept of Effective Health (EH).
In most cases, health shields operate exactly like Health, and will also be more effective with armor and
magic resistance.
True damage, or damage sources that ignore all magic resist and armor, will always deal damage directly
to your Health pool.
Tip: Think about Effective Health when building items. A player with 5,000 health isn't necessarily more
survivable than a player with 3,000,if the player with 3,000 has significantly more damage reduction
from armor or magic resistance. Simply stacking Health is not an effective strategy for survival except in
rare circumstances.
With high armor or magic resistance, champions with shield abilities can be unusually well suited to
taking damage, especially if the shield can be re-applied fairly often. This is not just because it acts as a
substitute for health, but also because you don't lose health while it's active. The practical effect of this is
that shields have an extremely good multiplicative effect on your longer-term survivability and
sustainability.
By the same token, healing is more effective on you if you're taking less incoming damage. Keep this in
mind if you have a healing heavy team and you're deciding whether to build Health or damage
reduction.
Finally, it's worth saying that -- in the early game -- it is virtually always better to build Health early on
than it is to build damage reduction, unless you have very reliable sources of healing and won't be
dealing with much burst damage. This is just due to a stat imbalance on most characters in the early
game.
Armor (Multiplier)
Armor reduces incoming physical damage from all sources. Due to the damage reduction calculation,
Armor will always provide the same bonus to your Effective Health, regardless of how much Armor you
currently have.
Tip: Even though Armor always provides the same bonus to Effective Health, that doesn't mean that it
will always be the best option for increasing your Effective Health, even against physical damage
opponents. Increasing your base health may have a substantially larger or smaller impact on your
survivability depending on what your Armor is currently at.
Magic Resistance (Multiplier)

Magic Resistance reduces incoming magical damage from all sources. Due to the damage reduction
calculation, Magic Resistance will always provide the same bonus to your Effective Health, regardless of
how much Magic Resistance you currently have.
Tip: Even though Magic Resistance always provides the same bonus to Effective Health, that doesn't
mean that it will always be the best option for increasing your Effective Health, even against magical
damage opponents. Increasing your base health may have a substantially larger or smaller impact on
your survivability depending on what your Magic Resistance is currently at.
Health Regeneration
This is the rate at which you regenerate health while you are not at full health.
Health Regeneration is reduced by healing reduction effects.
Tip: Health Regeneration tends to be more important in the early game than the late game. While
regeneration is nice, keep in mind that itemizing for this stat will not help much against heavy burst
damage (with exceptions for champions who can gain extremely high regeneration).
Health regeneration and other sources of healing are much more effective if you have high damage
reduction (such as armor or magic resistance).
Tenacity
Tenacity reduces the duration of Slows, Snares, Blinds, Silences, Stuns, Taunts and Fears by a
percentage. The only type of crowd controls not affected are Knockups, Knockbacks and Suppression.
Tenacity items do not stack to provide greater reduction.
Tip: You'll usually want to evaluate the types of crowd controls your opponents have available. Mercury
Treads are usually a good choice for boots, but you'll occasionally come into matches where there are
only a few crowd controls that will be affected.
Utility
Movement Speed
Movement Speed determines how quickly your champion travels over terrain.
Boots contribute to your base movement speed, while percentage multipliers (such as those from Zeal,
Phantom Dancer, Lich Bane, and Force of Nature) will multiply the combined effect of your base
movement speed and your movement speed from boots.
Tip: Movement Speed is one of the most overlooked and most important stats, especially for physical
damage champions. This is because you will tend to need to catch back up to a moving opponent after
your champion briefly stops due to their swing animation. With these stuttered attacks, your Attack
Speed stat is generally a lot less effective, and the best way to speed your attacks up is to more quickly
get back in range of the opponent.
Being able to move more quickly may allow you to get kills before opponents can reach the safety of
teammates or tower, or before they can simply get (and stay) out of your range.
Passive Gold Gain (Gold Per 10)

Passive gold is gold that is earned for the player over time with no additional actions required. Runes
(Avarice), masteries (Greed), and items (Avarice Blade, Heart of Gold, Philosopher's Stone, and Kage's
Lucky Pick) all grant bonus passive gold.
Tip: Even though each of the passive gold gain items says 'Unique Passive,' they do still stack with each
other. The only thing you can't do is stack the same item multiple times for more gold gain.
A Little More Regarding Defensive Stats
Defense is not intended to be more powerful than offense in League of Legends. One team has to lose,
and the only way that happens is if players have superior methods of breaking through defensive items
and champions. It's important to know how to do this, and to that end, here's some guidelines.
Low Health, Armor, and/or Magic Resist

Burst damage exists to punish players with low health. Use it when the opportunity presents itself.
High Health
High health is best countered with attacks that deal a percentage of health as damage, such as
Kog'maw's Bio-Arcane Barrage or Vayne's Silver Bolts.
In cases where an enemy has high health but low armor and magic resistance, their Effective Health
won't be too high and it may be much easier to kill them with normal attacks than other players who
have a more effective balance of stats.
Note: The Madred's Bloodrazor item grants bonus magic damage on attacks equal to a percentage of
your enemy's health. However, this is a fairly cost-inefficient item on most champions, and you will be
more effective by building damage in a normal way.
High Armor or high Magic Resist

Percentage-based penetration stats (Armor Penetration/Reduction and Magic Penetration/Reduction)
have a dramatic impact on enemies who are stacking armor or magic resist. Additionally, any source of
true damage, such as Olaf's Reckless Swing or Cho'gath's Feast, will be effective against these players.
High Health, Armor, and Magic Resist

Ignore these players until everyone else has been killed unless absolutely necessary. If a champion is too
bulky, it usually means they've invested an extraordinary amount into defensiveness but haven't picked
up items that would make them threatening to an enemy team.
High Health Regeneration or Healing

Ignite or any source of healing reduction. In a pinch, pick up Executioner's Calling, an item that grants
critical strike chance and lifesteal and can be activated to reduce your opponent's healin
Summoner Spells
In the following, I will outline each of the summoner spells you'll gain access to while playing League of
Legends. These are sorted by the level they're achieved. Very strong spells are highlighted in green,
though some champions can make more effective use of other spells.
Exhaust (Summoner Level 1)

This skill effectively shuts down an enemy champion for 2.5 seconds, slowing them and
dramatically reducing their damage output. Because this reduces the damage of normal
attacks more than the damage of abilities, this has a bigger effect on physical-damage champions such
as Ranged AD carries or melee fighters who would otherwise easily kill you.
At least one Exhaust on a team is strongly encouraged, especially if your team lacks many hard crowd
controls. It can help shut down champions who become unusually strong, such as a farmed Tryndamere,
buying enough time to kill them.
It's worth noting that Exhaust has a short-to-medium range and is not always easy to apply if you're a
long range champion.
Verdict: Great spell, best at countering physical damage AD champions but still works against other
champions. Good for ensuring successful ganks.
Ghost (Summoner Level 1)

Ghost dramatically increases movement speed for 10 seconds and allows you to pass freely
through units that you would normally need to move around. Movement speed allows for
more frequent attacks on targets that are fleeing.
This ability belongs on a small subset of champions who rely on auto-attacks and are pursuing
opponents who cannot easily crowd control them. Some highly ranked players use Ghost on a variety of
champions, including some AP Casters, as it can help with kiting or securing kills. Outside these
champions, Ghost is generally not strong enough to stay a priority pick due to the strength of other
summoner spells.
Verdict: Situationally good, but there are often better options. A first tier ability on specific champions
such as Olaf.
Heal (Summoner Level 1)

This ability heals you for a significant amount, based on your level, and heals nearby allies
for half of that amount. For several seconds after being affected by Heal, any follow-up
Heals will only be half as effective on that player (in other words, if a second player on your team casts
it). This is a strong enough skill that you will see it even in high-level play, depending on the champions
and the match-up.
Heal is generally seen as a spell that Support players pick up, though this is not always the case, nor is it
always the best way to play. Since Heal only heals half the amount to nearby allies, Support players may
instead opt to pick up an offensive spell such as Exhaust, while having an ally in the same lane pick up
Heal.
Heal can be effective at baiting enemy players, especially in the early game, since it allows you to keep
your health lower while still having the spell ready to fire. If opponents close in for the kill and dive a
tower, the heal may completely turn the fight around.
Verdict: This is a better spell than it used to be, but it is still situational. Use it only if you're sure it's a
better pick than Ignite or Exhaust (or any other alternatives), or if your laning partner already has Ignite
or Exhaust and you feel you won't need them.
Revive (Summoner Level 1)

Use this to instantly resurrect and gain bonus health for two minutes. In theory, it can be
used to bring you back to stop an important push from your enemies after your team was
wiped out. In practice, other summoner spells could have allowed you to live, and all of them bring more
utility to the table beyond just this worst-case scenario.
Verdict: Don't use it unless you have an extremely good reason to.
Smite (Summoner Level 1)

Smite deals true damage, based on your level, that ignores Armor and Magic Resist to a
target minion, monster, or pet. It is typically taken by players who spend their early levels in
the jungle as it greatly increases the speed and effectiveness while clearing monsters in the jungle. It is
also strong for securing major objectives such as Baron Nashor or Dragon.
In most cases, Smite is best used to finish off a monster. In other words, waiting until the monster is just
low enough in health that the Smite will kill it. To achieve this, hover over Smite on your interface to see
how much damage it deals at your level, then select your target and watch its health bar.
The reason for doing this is that it prevents the monster from being stolen by another player. It is very
common for enemies to place vision wards on important monsters, allowing them to respond to you
when you're killing them, and potentially allowing them to steal the buff.
In cases where you see all of your enemies on the map and they won't have time to respond, you're
usually safe to go ahead and use Smite right away. This gets the ability on cooldown, meaning it will
become available again sooner.
Consider saving Smite and not using it on jungle monsters when you know your team may do Dragon or
Baron Nashor soon. It has its biggest impact on the outcome of games when used to secure these larger
objectives.
An argument commonly crops up that you don't need Smite to jungle. It's technically true that you don't
need Smite to jungle on certain champions, but it also prevents you from using Smite to secure buffs
(such as using Smite on Baron Nashor, Dragon, or the large golem or lizards in the jungle). If you don't
have it, an opposing player with Smite can frequently secure these buffs even if you or your team are
currently doing them. Some of the highest level tournament games have been decided on a team
stealing a Baron Nashor kill with a well-timed Smite.
Verdict: Necessary for competitive jungling. Don't use it if you're not jungling or roaming unless you
have a very specific reason to.
Surge (Summoner Level 1)

This spell briefly increases your attack speed and ability power. The attack speed tends to
help physical damage champions, whereas the ability power tends to help magic damage
casters, though there's a small group of champions who benefit from both.
Surge lacks the utility that other summoner spells offer. Among summoner spells, Surge is strongest in
taking down enemy structures quickly.
Verdict: Don't pick it up unless you have a specific reason to. Consider that Flash, Ghost, Exhaust, and
Ignite will all tend to contribute more to securing kills than Surge, and all offer more utility.
Teleport (Summoner Level 1)

After briefly channeling, Teleport will move you to a target tower (but not other structures),
allied minion, or placeable object such as wards.
Teleport is situational, and you won't always know if it will be useful in a game before you go in. That
said, it can change games, and there are some times where you should certainly consider picking it up.
First, if you're in a solo lane on either the top or bottom of Summoner's Rift, it can be good to have. In
the first few levels, it gives you an opportunity to head back to your base and safely get back to your
lane, preventing an enemy from pushing the tower in your absence or preventing you from losing too
much experience or gold. It also allows you to teleport to Dragon (or later, Baron Nashor) to
immediately assist your team if a conflict starts.
Second, some champions, especially pushers, can use this to get in a group of minions who have pushed
into enemy territory, allowing for a very quick structure takedown before the team can respond.
Alternatively, it can be kept on hand while pushing, allowing for a very quick escape when enemies
respond, or to teleport to the opposite lane on the map and push once enemies have responded. It can
also be used to teleport to a ward near an unprotected inhibitor, allowing for quick pushing to bring the
inhibitor down.
Finally, Teleport offers a quick option to get back to your base if an enemy is unexpectedly pushing
structures and your team cannot otherwise respond.
Teleport can be used as an escape tool. The channeling effect is not canceled if you simply take damage,
meaning if opponents cannot use crowd controls such as Taunts, Stuns, Knockups/Knockbacks,
Supresses, or Silences, you can teleport away from them even if they're focusing damage on you.
Verdict: Situational, but definitely worth considering depending on your champion and lane.
Cleanse (Summoner Level 2)

This spell removes crowd controls and summoner spell debuffs (such as Ignite or Exhaust)
from your champion and dramatically reduces the duration of new crowd controls for 3
seconds.
This is a strong ability to use on champions that will be focused for crowd controls and potentially locked
out of contributing to their team as a result. This tends to occur more frequently on melee champions
who must get in range of champions with potential crowd control to be effective. For example,
Tryndamere and Master Yi are easily countered by crowd controls, and Cleanse offers a way to ignore
them briefly.
Cleanse also allows you to escape ganks and deaths that you shouldn't get out of, especially combined
with a spell such as Flash or Ghost.
Verdict: This is one of the harder spells to use effectively due to the reaction time and judgment
required, but it is definitely one of the strongest summoner spells for champions who must deal with
crowd controls. Strongly recommended, though Exhaust and Ignite may be better in some match-ups.
Clarity (Summoner Level 6)

When cast, Clarity restores a very significant amount of mana to your champion, with the
amount being based on your level. Additionally, nearby champions are also restored mana
equal to 50% of what you gained.
Clarity helps out in the low levels of the game, allowing you to stay in lane much longer, especially if at
least one of your abilities heals you. It can also allow for more constant harassment on your opponents.
Clarity is strong before you or your allies get used to the flow of a game and pacing ability use.
However, the ability has no staying power, and rarely assists in the powerful plays that shape games,
such as an early gank with coordinate summoner spells.
Verdict: If you're relying on this spell for your early game, you or your allies may need to reconsider your
playstyle, or your runes and masteries. While it's not a terrible spell, it prevents you from using spells
that are more likely to contribute to team victories.
Ignite (Summoner Level 7)

Ignite deals a moderate amount of true damage over 5 seconds to a target enemy. This
damage ignores Armor and Magic Resist. While active, all healing effects on the enemy are
reduced by 50%.
Like Exhaust, Ignite counters a wide number of champions, and is a staple spell that should be available
to most teams. The damage is nice for early kills, but the true value of this spell in the mid and late game
is often the healing reduction effect. This completely counters all forms of health gain, including healing,
health regeneration, lifesteal and spell vamp. Champions who rely on these mechanics (or champions
who rely on healing from a Support player) are temporarily shut down by Ignite, allowing them to far
more easily be focused down and killed.
Verdict: Great spell that is useful for securing kills in early engagement and ensuring a kill on a player
who would otherwise be benefiting from large health gains. This should be on at least one player on a
team in most match-ups.
Promote (Summoner Level 8)

Promote grants a target siege minion to gain additional stats and grant gold for any
enemies it kills. The siege minion gains massive survivability, allowing it to take more of a
beating from both champions and towers. This spell can be used in a lane to provide extra pressure and
is particularly effective at overwhelming a tower.
Verdict: Like Surge, this spell really doesn't serve a strong purpose beyond putting pressure on a
structure and potentially taking it down more quickly. Don't pick this up without a specific reason.
Clairvoyance (Summoner Level 10)
This spell reveals a moderate area anywhere on the map for 4 seconds, including bushes in
its vision area. Clairvoyance does not reveal stealth. A clearly visible eye animation and
sound occurs on the area of the map where vision is granted, and this can be seen by the opposing
team.
Well-timed, well-placed Clairvoyance casts can be a huge benefit to your team. The spell allows you to
more easily track junglers or roamers who are not constantly in vision if you can make an educated
guess as to where they might be. It can also be used to check on objectives such as Baron or Dragon to
check on whether they've been defeated by the opposing team or whether the opposing team is fighting
them or getting ready to.
If you have Clairvoyance, consider using it in the first few seconds of a match to see their summoner
pool where they start. This allows you to see which items they're purchasing and potentially get an idea
of which lanes they're going to (though you shouldn't rely on the direction they're moving as a sure-fire
indicator on which lane they're headed to).
Beyond this, consider using your next Clairvoyance at their blue buff (or red buff) in the jungle,
depending on which the enemy jungler is most likely to start (if you don't know, blue is the safer bet).
For blue, you want to clairvoyance a location that covers the nearby wolves as well. If you don't see the
enemy team in their jungle, they may be attempting to invade your jungle.
Clairvoyance is a knowledge-dependent skill, and you'll get better as it as you learn the rhythm of the
game and the champions you're playing against. You can always safely use the spell to check areas near
your lane (such as the river entrance or bushes that enemies may have gone in.
Verdict: This is a fantastic summoner spell. It tends to be difficult to have on damage-dealing champions
who see a huge benefit from other summoner spells. For this reason, Clairvoyance tends to be picked up
by Support players.
Flash (Summoner Level 12)

Flash instantly teleports you a small distance in the direction of your mouse cursor. This
ability can cross over walls and small barriers. It does not stop any targeted attacks or
abilities currently in flight towards you, though.
Flash is an amazing tool. It can be used to escape, initiate, secure a kill, show up unexpectedly to contest
an objective like Dragon or Baron Nashor, and get in range for targeted spells or skillshots.
When using Flash as an escape, look for nearby walls that will act as a barrier if you Flash over them.
This can put you in a position that is difficult or impossible to follow.
There is rarely a good reason not to use this ability. Even champions who have built-in blink or dash
abilities can benefit from Flash for all of the reasons listed above.
Verdict: Flash is a must-have. The decision between which summoner spells you use usually involves
Flash and something else, not Flash or something else. There are some limited exceptions to this rule.
Champion Roles & Recommendations
Every champion in League of Legends is unique. Even when they share similar abilities with other
champions, their specific collection of abilities and stats bring a different flavor to the game.
However, it's also true that we can broadly classify champions into several categories, and this can help
you more quickly pick up and play champions you're not familiar with. Here are the categories I'll be
covering:
Primary Roles
• Ranged AD (Physical Attack Damage)

• AP Caster (Ability Power Mage)
• Support
• Fighter
• Tank
Primary roles are generally exclusive, meaning a Ranged AD will not also be an AP Caster in a game, nor
will a Support also be an assassin. That said, some champions are designed so that players can choose to
play them as different primary roles, sometimes even at different points in the same game.
For example, Morgana has strong support abilities such as a shield, two disables, and an area magic
resist reduction on enemies. She also can dish out significant damage. For this reason, Morgana can be
played as a Support or an AP Caster, though to be most effective in either she will want to commit her
runes, masteries, summoner skills, and early items towards one role.
When I cover each primary role later, I will provide recommended runes, masteries, items, and
summoner skills.
Secondary Roles
• Carry
• Assassin
• Pusher
• Poke
• Initiator
• Counter-Initiator
• Disruption
• Jungler
• Stealth
• Mobile
• Zoning
• Anti-Carry
Unlike primary roles, secondary roles are not mutually exclusive. Even though some primary roles
naturally lend themselves to certain secondary roles (Ranged AD, for example, are generally Carries, and
Tanks are generally Initiators and Disruptors), the line is not absolute.
Sivir, a Ranged AD champion, is a good example of a champion who can fulfill several secondary roles at
once. She is able to be a strong Carry and Pusher, while having a moderate Poke.Nearly all champions
have some crossover in what they can provide to a team.
I will explain more about each of the secondary roles after covering the primary roles.
Primary Roles
Before jumping into each specific role, I would strongly recommend you check out the Stats section of
the guide. I cover concepts of Effective Health, Burst, and Sustain, which are important to these roles
and how you choose to play them.
In the Primary Roles I list examples of which champions fill those roles. This does not account for every
role that champions can fill, nor do I list every champion. Additionally, my list does not correspond
exactly with Riot's own listings. For example, I believe Gragas most appropriately fills an AP Caster role,
though he is listed as a tank. This does not mean it's impossible to tank with Gragas (or even play him as
a melee Fighter), but I made a few judgment calls based on how I see champions commonly played. If
you want to think outside the box and have fun, this is a good thing!
It needs to be said that the following recommendations are general, and work in most cases. Some
champions are designed with very specific quirks that make my recommended item builds inaccurate.
For example, you'll probably function as Ryze by building my recommended AP items, but because he
scales partly off of Mana, you'll be better off looking at a specific guide for him.
Many of my "Don't Feed" guides also have recommended builds for the champions, and I'd suggest
checking out their transcripts in this guide or on YouTube to learn more.
All-purpose Runes, Items & Summoner Spells

I'm going to get into recommended builds for all of the primary roles, but there are plenty of things that
are universally good across the majority of champions in the game.
Recommended Runes for Nearly Any Champion

The following runes should be some of your early Influence Point (IP) purchases. While you can certainly
justify using other runes in these slots (and I'll recommend them in the role-specific sections), you will
virtually never find yourself at a disadvantage if you use these runes, regardless of which champion
you're playing.
Red Marks: This slot should always be offensive, and should always be role and champion specific.
Yellow Seals: Flat Armor (Resilience). Armor is good on any champion, and will let you survive more
harassment and incoming damage than you otherwise could. I recommend Flat Armor as opposed to
Armor Per Level (Defense) because it provides a much stronger defense in the early levels of the game
where you are often most vulnerable. Winning the early game often means winning the game.
Blue Glyphs: Flat Magic Resist (Warding). For the same reasons as Armor, I choose this over Magic Resist
Per Level (Shielding).
Quintessences: Flat Health (Fortitude). Health is always a safe bet, especially in conjunction with Armor
and Magic Resist.
One final note about runes: I recommend both "Flat" and "Per Level" runes in several of the primary
roles. "Flat" items are generally for early game dominance, but "Per Level" makes sense on champions
who simply won't get as much out of their early game. With Cooldown Reduction in particular, you
should take into account Cooldown Reduction items you'll get that will contribute towards your 40% cap
-- in some cases, the flat runes are better at all points of the game simply because you'll be capped on
the stat with a couple items.
Situational Items for Nearly Any Champion
When you start a game, you should always consider Boots of Speed and three (3) Health
Potions. The run speed allows you to pursue, escape, and generally stay away from other champions
who also have boots. The potions help you stay alive and safe in the lane for longer, allowing you to get
more experience and gold in the early game.
There are limited exceptions.Support and Junglers often start with items specific to their roles. Some
champions, particularly those with built-in sustain or healing mechanics, or those in a lane with
someone that can heal, may choose a different item. Finally, some champions may choose
Regrowth Pendant to build towards another item, and this can work since it offers health sustain by
itself.
On the subject of boots, both Mercury Treads and Ninja Tabi should never be overlooked
when you're going to upgrade. Mercury Treads dramatically reduce the duration of crowd controls and
reduce incoming damage, which is useful in nearly every game. Ninja Tabi is more specific, and is
preferable when you're going against a team that is primarily physical damage but not as heavy on
crowd control. You won't necessarily pull quite the damage numbers with either of these boots that you
would with damage-oriented boots, but they tend to be very strong choices in games.
There are several core, situational defensive items that you should always keep in mind, and purchase as
early as you need them.
Quicksilver Sash provides magic resist and can be activated to break you out of hard crowd
controls such as Stun, Taunt or Suppress.
Banshee's Veil grants magic resist, health, and mana, and will stop one spell every 45 seconds.This
can be wonderful if an enemy team is successfully initiating on you with a specific combo (such as Flash
followed up by Taunt from Galio, or a Knockup/Knockback combo from Alistar).
Frozen Heart provides armor, cooldownreduction, and mana. For some champions, this is a must-
have combination.Beyond these, the aura makes it a situational item that's good to have on the team, as
it significantly hinders champions who rely on normal atttacks to deal damage.
Guardian Angel provides armor and magic resist, and can completely turn a game around if you
resurrect after they've focused you, and it has the added benefit of sometimes discouraging players
from focusing you in the first place.
You may not need an expensive item if you're just trying to survive a round of burst, such as from
LeBlanc. Consider simply buying a Null-Magic Mantle or Negatron Cloak for early Magic
Resist, and upgrade them to another item later if necessary. For Armor, Cloth Armor and
Chain Vest are cheap investments that also build into solid items for any role.
Finding Items in the Shop

In most of the core items I list throughout the following recommendations, I list the base stats that
come with the item within the first sentence. These base stats often correspond to categories in the
item shop. For instance, an item that grants health can be found in the Defense -> Health tab in the
shop.
As you play particular champions, you may find other tricks that help you. For instance, on champions I
play where I want to build Warmog's, I'll often click on Frozen Mallet and click Giant's Belt to find
Warmog's. As you play the game and work with specific champions you'll pick this skill up.
Ranged AD (Physical Attack Damage)
Examples: Ashe, Caitlyn, Corki, Ezreal, Graves, Kog'Maw, Miss Fortune, Sivir, Tristana, Twitch, Vayne
Ranged AD champions deal primarily physical damage, and often deal most of their damage through
normal ranged attacks. Generally speaking, Ranged AD champions have a long attack range, allowing
them to stay at a distance from their opponents.
Though some Ranged AD champions are stronger in the early and mid-game, they are all very capable at
later stages of the game, provided they have strong item builds and are playing smart.
The most important advanced skill to learn for the Ranged AD role is positioning. Being in the middle of
a fight unnecessarily exposes yourself to AOE damage and directly targeted spells that you may
otherwise be able to avoid. A well-positioned Ranged AD will have at least two escape paths available
regardless of where they are, and will be near their teammates without being too exposed to the enemy
team.
For Ranged AD, it's generally true that many fights come down to a decision on whether to focus a
specific enemy dealing a lot of damage to your team, or focus down the front line of enemies so you can
more safely break down the damage dealers in the rear. Evaluating when you prefer front-line targets
(targets of opportunity) over when to take the more risky approach of moving into their front line to hit
opponents in the rear, is important for any team.
Effective Ranged AD players will be very good at last-hitting minions to earn additional gold. This skill is
critically important and should be practiced in every match.
Recommended Masteries
This is a strong Ranged AD build that will work effectively in most circumstances. Depending on the
champion, you may prefer your 9 points in Defense to be spent on mana talents in Utility instead.
Put one point in Summoner's Wrath or Summoner's Resolve if the bonus to your summoner spells will
significantly help you.
Recommended Runes
Red Marks & Quintessences: Armor Penetration (Desolation) or flat physical Attack Damage (Strength).
Attack Damage helps with very low level last hitting, but Armor Penetration tends to be a more effective
long-term choice. You can either go entirely with Desolation or Strength, or you can mix and match your
Marks and Quintessences with one of each.
Yellow Seals: Flat Armor (Resilience).
Blue Glyphs: Flat Magic Resist (Warding).
Recommended Summoner Spells
Always take Flash. Your second summoner spell will be between the following.
Exhaust is typically a solid choice, especially if you're laning against another AD champion.
Take Heal if you don't have a Support, or your Support does not have Heal or healing abiities. This
assumes you're against someone who can harass you at range, and it isn't necessarily always the best
bet even in those circumstances.
Take Teleport if no one on your team has the ability and you're not playing with people you know or
trust. Or, take it if you're planning on being a strong pusher. This will allow you to save your base in a
pinch, and push unexpectedly (by using it to teleport to advancing minions) or safely (by having it ready
to escape).
Recommended Items
This is a very common build that will work for you in most situations. While I emphasize damage, make
sure you consider defensive items at any point along the way, as necessary. Though I won't specifically
mention a time to pick it up, a Vampiric Scepter anywhere in this build can add some extra health.
Base Items
You may want to go for any combination of the following items, depending on your champion.
Start with Boots of Speed and three (3) Health Potions in most cases. Purchase
Doran's Blade instead if you have a Support or another player you're confident of in your lane.
If you're not going to receive consistent healing, such as from a Support player, pick up a
Vampiric Scepter. Do this at any point in the early or mid game (you'll likely want it anyway, even with a
good Support player).
If you want early game survivability, sustain, and Dragon control, your early game goals will be two (2)
or three (3) Doran's Blades, along with Wriggle's Lantern. Purchase what you can afford each
time you're back. Once you have these, you'll aim for a Zeal next. This is a very cost efficient
combination and provides a significant boost to your effective health, damage, and sustainability. On
top of this, the Wriggle's helps you shred through Dragon (and Baron Nashor later on). However, this
comes at the cost of damage, and your most effective late game build will be delayed. I don't
recommend this item setup unless you're confident your team will want to do Dragon, or you need the
sustain and survivability to survive in lane, or you're good enough at last hitting to earn gold that you'll
be able to more easily transition to your better items. Sell Doran's Blades when you run out of space and
can purchase other major items. The worst thing you can do is sink gold into Wriggle's Lantern, but not
gain a tangible benefit from it and be out a good chunk of gold.
Berserker's Greaves are a solid choice for boots unless you reasonably expect to need Mercury
Treads or Ninja Tabi.
Core Physical Damage Items
Infinity Edge grants a huge bonus to attack damage, in addition to significant critical strike chance.
Making it even better, it will cause your critical strikes to deal a base of 250% damage instead of 200%.
This should usually be your first big purchase as a ranged AD (though you may want to build a Zeal
after you purchase the B.F. Sword component, as this can balance your damage a little better; You'll
upgrade the Zeal to Phantom Dancer later).
Bloodthirster gives significant bonus attack damage and lifesteal, and it stacks bonus attack
damage and lifesteal with every minion or champion kill, up to a generous cap. If you're killed, you lose
half of the bonus and must stack them again. Bloodthirster is a very strong item that you'll usually want
to pick up a little later in your build. However, it can be a good early or mid game alternative for Infinity
Edge if you simply don't have the sustain to stay in fights (no Support and/or lots of AOE or targeted
damage in skirmishes and team fights). With Bloodthirster, you can more easily stay in longer fights. In
some purely offensive builds, a second Bloodthirster as a final item can sometimes work out well, but
only if you have the other core stats you need in the matchup.
Phantom Dancer grants attack speed, critical strike chance, and movement speed. The attack
speed and critical strike chance multiply your potential damage output, so these are best when
combined with strong attack damage. For this reason, you'll usually complete a Phantom Dancer after
Infinity Edge or Bloodthirster. Later in the game, you may choose to use an additional Phantom Dancer.
Last Whisper provides bonus attack damage and a very strong armor penetration bonus. In most
match-ups, this will be the ideal purchase after Infinity Edge and Phantom Dancer, and it becomes even
stronger as the game goes on and your opponents gain more armor. Pick this up if your opponents are
stacking basic armor items.
Trinity Force can be good on certain Ranged AD, particularly those who use abilities very
frequently (such as Ezrael and Corki). The built-in Sheen, Zeal, and Phage are all decent items, though
this is not a recommended item on most Ranged AD unless it is a final item.
On-Hit Items (Specialized)

If your champion has abilities which proc "on-hit" effects, abilities which reset your swing timer, or a
very high attack speed, you may consider using On-Hit items. These are covered under the Fighters
section of this guide.
AP Caster (Ability Power Mage)
Examples: Ahri, Anivia, Annie, Brand, Cassiopeia, Fiddlesticks,Galio, Gragas, Heimerdinger, Karthus,
Kassadin,Katarina,Kennen, LeBlanc, Lux, Malzahar, Mordekaiser, Morgana, Orianna, Ryze, Swain, Veigar,
Viktor, Vladimir, Xerath, Ziggs, Zilean
Ability Power casters are champions who use abilities as their primary source of damage, deal primarily
magic damage, and often (but not always) deal most of their damage at a range. As their name implies,
these champions often scale in damage based on Ability Power (with outliers such as Ryze, who scale
differently but still function as AP Casters). These are mages and they are the most diverse group,
encompassing a wide variety of playstyles.
AP Casters often have ability combinations that significantly improve their performance and chances of
success. For example, Ahri's Foxfire and Orb of Deception are both strong damage abilities, but they can
be avoided by smart opponents. However, a successful Charm after dashing towards an opponent with
her Spirit Rush ultimate, guarantees she can easily land her Foxfire and Orb of Deception, thus
maximizing her damage output.
As always, positioning is critical, and it is dependent on the particular toolkit your champion has. For
example, champions such as Xerath and Lux benefit from being further away in a fight, but champions
such as Morgana, Karthus, and Fiddlesticks must stay in the middle of a fight to be most effective with
their abilities. If you're at the rear, keep an eye on your flanks in case an enemy champion attempts to
approach you from this direction.
AP Casters tend to benefit more from levels than from gold, though gold is certainly very important in
reaching their potential. Some AP casters such as Morgana, Mordekaiser, and Vladimir are able to easily
clear waves of minions and collect the gold from them, but good players on any AP champion should
know how to best approach farming gold from minions.
These are standard 21/0/9 masteries. The offensive points all contribute to your damage output,
whereas the utility points increase your mana and mana regeneration. Neutral buff duration from the
final point in utility allows is particularly useful if you can get the blue golem buff yourself, or if your
jungler is willing to provide it for you.
Put one point in Summoner's Wrath or Summoner's Insight if the bonus to your summoner spells will
significantly help you.
Recommended Runes
Red Marks: Magic Penetration (Insight), pretty much always.
Yellow Seals: Flat Armor (Resilience). Alternatively, FlatMana Regeneration (Replenishment) for early
game dominance or Mana Regeneration per Level (Clarity). If you're going for straight damage or do not
use mana, Flat Ability Power (Potency).
Blue Glyphs: Flat Magic Resist (Warding). Alternatively, Flat Ability Power (Potency), Ability Power per
Level (Force), Flat Cooldown Reduction (Focus), or Cooldown Reduction per Level (Celerity).
Quintessences: Flat Health (Fortitude). Alternatively, Flat Ability Power (Potency) is a fairly standard
choice.
Always take Flash.
Ignite is usually the preferred second choice, especially if your opponents have healing mechanics
that would otherwise prevent a kill.
This ability works with some AP Casters, particularly those who have abilities that increase the
effectiveness of healing, or those who naturally wade into the middle of fights.
If your particular champion relies on an ability combo to be successful, Cleanse can be a good way of
preventing opponents from locking you down before you can complete it. This should be chosen in draft
mode when you know your opponents will have crowd controls to lock you down and will likely focus
you.
Some champions can effectively kite enemies or chase them down and quickly secure a kill. Ghost
works with these. Flash/Ghost is usually best for these, though if you're really set on Ghost and you have
a healing-heavy team, consider Ghost/Ignite.
Recommended Items
There's quite a bit of variety to AP Casters, and because of this, there's no single build that will work
across the board. In this section, I'm going to outline item choices by their stage in the game and what
they offer.
Start with Boots of Speed and three (3) Health Potions in most cases. Purchase
Doran's Ring or Doran's Shield if you have healing mechanics or need more durability in lane and
have a solid escape that doesn't require boots.
Base Items
You may want to go for any combination of the following core items, depending on your champion.
If prioritizing a balanced approach, your first big purchase will be a Catalyst the Protector
(combined from Ruby Crystal and Sapphire Crystal). From here, combine it into a Rod
of Ages for your first core item. The earlier you get this, the sooner you'll gain its full effect.
This approach is generally best for champions who are likely to be in close proximity to enemies, though
it works well on most AP Caster champions.
If prioritizing pure damage, you have two early choices. Stacking 1-3 Doran's Rings can work in
your favor, followed up by a Needlessly Large Rod, which should quickly be turned into a
Rabadon's Deathcap. This build will give you survivability and mana regeneration (from the Doran's
Rings) while giving you plenty of damage output.
Alternatively, go straight for the Needlessly Large Rod and Rabadon'sDeathcap if you're doing
extraordinarily well.
Pure damage is inherently risky, and that's why the Doran's Rings are recommended. Do this if you're
very comfortable with the lane match-up in draft mode, or if you're playing a champion who can reliably
engage and escape with little risk, either due to long range or dash or blink abilities.
If prioritizing Cooldown Reduction, you're going to want an early Fiendish Codex (built from
Meki Pendant and Amplifying Tome). This can then be built into a Morello's Evil Tome fairly
quickly. Additionally, consider Ionian Boots of Lucidity.
This approach often works best on champions who already have very short cooldowns. The reason for
this is that your champion can realistically squeeze more spells into a fight with cooldown reduction
(whereas longer cooldown spells may still not be used more than once or twice in a fight, even with
cooldown reduction).
If prioritizing Spell Vamp, you'll want an early Hextech Revolver, which can quickly be turned into
Will of the Ancients.
This is very strong on some AP champions, particularly those who can use abilities very frequently
without worrying about a mana resource, such as Vladimir and Mordekaiser.
Core AP Caster Items

Your next set of items will generally be selected from a standard pool of options that most AP Casters
can benefit from. I will outline each one individually.
Rabadon's Deathcap is a staple item that provides a huge boost to ability power. This should be
built early, but not at the expense of other items that your specific champion may consider a core item.
Aside from being very high ability power on its own, it is also a huge boost to your other Ability Power
items.
Rylai's Crystal Scepter adds a big boost of health along with a moderate amount of ability power.
The big advantage to this item is the consistent 35% slow on single-target spells (or the 15% slows on
multi-target and damage-over-time spells). While this is generally a strong item, it is particularly good on
champions with single-target spells on short cooldowns, as it allows for effective pursuing and kiting.
Excellent item to have on a team that can secure kills on slowed opponents.
Void Staff grants ability power and magic penetration. It is a relatively cheap, very strong counter
to enemies who are building magic resist. This should be a core item in most full AP Caster builds, and
should only be passed over if the enemy team has very low magic resist.
Abyssal Scepter provides magic resist and ability power. It is another very strong option to
increase your damage against enemies, and is stronger the less magic resist your opponents have. This
item is a good choice if you need some extra magic resist yourself, and is especially good if you come in
a relatively short range of your opponents (such as when playing Fizz) so the aura can be more readily
applied to multiple opponents. All of that said, this is a strong item on tank/initiators as well, and they
may provide the aura for you.
Zhonya's Hourglass provides an extremely high ability power bonus in addition to bonus armor for
extra survivability. Though these are nice, the on-use effect that renders your champion untargetable
and invulnerable (though unable to take actions yourself) for 2 seconds is key. This can always be useful
if you're getting focused down in fights. It is especially strong on champions like Morgana and
Fiddlesticks, who need to move into the middle of groups of enemy champions to be most effective with
their ultimates, but can use Zhonya's without canceling their ultimates.
Lich Bane is a specialty item that grants mana, ability power, magic resist, and movement speed,
as well as a proc that causes the player's next normal attack to deal bonus damage based on their ability
power. This is an item that takes some practice to use to its potential. It is generally strong on
champions who have short cooldowns, high ability power, and decent attack ranges. To use this, the
player must make sure they're using normal attacks between spells, and may want to pace their spells to
about 2 seconds apart to maximize the benefit (due to a 2 second internal cooldown). With high ability
power, a champion can provide surprising burst to enemy champions and structures by weaving auto
attacks between ability casts.
Deathfire Grasp is a very strong, usable item that essentially provides your champion with an extra
spell to increase your burst potential. This item is best used by champions who benefit from the
cooldown reduction, and it is best used against champions with high health or low magic resist. It also
has the benefit of being built from two relatively cheap base items, one of which provides passive gold
gains.
Support
Examples: Alistar, Janna, Karma, Kayle, Lux, Morgana, Nunu, Nidalee, Sona, Soraka, Taric, Zilean
Support players assist their teammates in achieving victory. In the early game, they often stay with at
least one other player, providing them with survivability in the form of healing, shields, buffs or auras.
They may also have crowd controls, debuffs, or some damage that they can use against enemy targets.
There's a term, "Zero CS Support," which refers to Support who do not normally last-hit minions for CS
(creep score), instead leaving the gold to their ally in the lane. This is a very common playstyle, but the
best Support players do not treat this as a passive playstyle. Instead, they may attempt to:
1. Harass opposing players with spell usage and disables;

2. Actively and inconspicuously ward and counterward when their lane partner is safe;
3. Deal damage to certain higher-health minions to allow their lane partner to more easily last hit
them for gold;
4. Deal damage to higher-health minions when it may prevent minions from reaching a tower,
again assisting their lane partner in more easily last hitting them for gold;
5. Heal or buff allied minions (if possible) at key moments to deny the opposing team easy last hits;
6. Last hit and kill minions themselves when their lane partner will not lose gold or experience as a
result.
On the final point, knowing when you can safely get farm as a Support involves understanding the lane
and map mechanics. Simply because the lane partner is out of lane (at base, dead, or otherwise) does
not mean that the lane is safe to be farmed and pushed, as doing so may deny that player opportunities
when they return.
If I sound draconian on this, I certainly don't mean to. This is how "Zero CS Support" tends to play out,
but it doesn't mean it's the only way to play a Support champion, and it doesn't mean it will always stay
this way.
In most situations, especially in solo queue, a Support player may be best suited to placing most or all of
the wards on the map (even if this is not always ideal, there are a lot of players who simply don't or
won't place wards). The best Support players will be effective not just at warding great positions
frequently, thereby getting vision on critical areas of the map, but also countering enemy vision by
purchasing vision wards and even Oracle's Elixir. The main goals of vision are:
1. Prevent ganks on allies and unexpected team fights and skirmishes;

2. Allow for ganks and ambushes on opponents;
3. General map awareness of where opponents are, allowing for the team to take objectives the
opponents cannot easily respond to.
Support should be positioned away from the front lines of fights. There are limited exceptions, such as
Alistar, Janna, Morgana, and Taric, each of whom have abilities that may strongly encourage being
closer to the fight, if only briefly.
In most cases, the Utility tree will be your best investment as a Support player. If you're just not going to
be dealing significant damage, you can drop the point in Arcane Knowledge in Offense, which frees up
another point in Intelligence, the deep Cooldown Reduction mastery in Utility. In the second tier of
Utility, you may want Scout for additional ward coverage. And if being a little behind in experience
doesn't bother you, you can get more points in Intelligence for Cooldown Reduction by switching out of
either Awareness or Sage. The additional gold, of course, is optional as well.The basic rule of Utility is
that it's all optional, but it all helps you.
Some Support players may prefer to run 0/21/9 for additional defensiveness.
Put one point in Summoner's Wrath, Summoner's Resolve, or Summoner's Insight if the bonus to your
summoner spells will significantly help you.Especially helpful if using Clairvoyance.
Recommended Runes
Red Marks: Flat Armor (Resilience) or Magic Penetration (Insight).
Yellow Seals: Flat Armor (Resilience) or Gold Per 10 (Avarice).
Blue Glyphs: Flat Magic Resist (Warding), Flat Mana Regeneration (Replenishment), Mana Regeneration
per Level (Clarity), Flat Cooldown Reduction (Focus), or Cooldown Reduction per Level (Celerity).
Quintessences: Flat Health (Fortitude) or Gold Per 10 (Avarice).
Flash may not seem like a high priority summoner spell at first glance, but not having it makes you
an even easier target for enemies, especially in the early game. This is an excellent escape and may be
used for certain champions who need to get in close.
Usually a very strong choice, though you may want to have your laning partner pick this up while
you choose another spell. The reason is that the heal is more effective on them when they cast it,
making it a superior choice for them if your goal is to keep them alive. In this situation, consider picking
up a spell that they would have had, such as Ignite or Exhaust. (It's perfectly fine to go with two
Heals in a lane as well)
Clairvoyance is a game-changing spell that can prevent ganks, deter nearby enemies, and give
advance vision before placing wards. While it isn't always the best choice in every match-up, it's usually
right up there.
Recommended Items
Support players may earn less gold and experience through the early and mid game than other
champions will. For this reason, items that offer passive gold gain are often a priority for Support
players, as they allow the Support champion to keep in step with their allies and continue to provide
vision and acquire upgrades to help their teammates.
The standard starting items for this build are Faerie Charm, three (3) Sight Wards, two (2)
Health Potions, and a Mana Potion. This can only be purchased with two points in the
Wealth mastery (in the Utility tree).
There's some flexibility in here. You'll want to keep the Faerie Charm for the mana regeneration, and
because it's a first step towards a Philosopher's Stone. However, you may want to go for a Vision
Ward for an early counterward (allowing your jungler to more easily gank, among other things), and the
money for this can be acquired by either buying only a single Sight Ward, or by giving up potions and
buying two Sight Wards.That said, understand that the advantage of the initial build is that it lets you
stay in the lane longer due to potions and longer ward coverage.
You'll need to keep up on wards and vision and that should be a priority when going back to base.
However, as early as possible (while still providing ward coverage), make sure you complete your
Philosopher's Stone. The sooner you can complete it, the sooner it will start paying off.
Your mid-game item goals are Heart of Gold, Ionian Boots of Lucidity, and Kindlegem.
The Heart of gold will increase your survivability and grant you further passive gold gains, so it should
usually be prioritized. Ionian Boots of Lucidity and Kindlegem both offer cooldown reduction, but the
choice in order is up to you (Boots for Movement Speed, Kindlegem for Health).
From this point on, always keep an item slot available for wards and purchase them often. Purchase an
Oracle's Elixir for counterwarding unless they are not warding at all, or you are being repeatedly
focused and killed (in that scenario, Vision Wards can be a better choice for counterwarding).
Core Support Items

Once you have boots and passive gold gain items you will need to start investing in support items based
on what your team needs. As always, prioritize defensive items if they're necessary, as you won't be of
any use to your team dead.
Shurelya's Reverie is built from the Philosopher's Stone and Kindlegem. This item provides health,
health regeneration, mana regeneration, and significant cooldown reduction. More importantly, it
provides a huge movement speed boost to all nearby allies when activated. Shurelya's Reverie is
strongly recommended unless movement speed is not a concern, either for pursuing, positioning, or
escaping.
Locket of the Iron Solari is built from Heart of Gold and offers health and armor, as well as an aura
that grants health regeneration to all nearby allies. Additionally, it can be activated to provide a
temporary shield to all nearby allies. While the shield isn't large, it's important to remember that it
doesn't need to stop all incoming damage, it just needs to stop enough of it that your team can achieve
its goal.
Aegis of the Legion provides health, armor, and magic resist to you, as well as armor, magic resist,
and bonus attack damage to your allies. This is good item not just because of its stats but because it's
built from three cheap items, allowing you to build it in small increments. Aegis is usually a strong item
to have on the team, though some fighters or tanks may choose to pick it up.
Zeke's Herald provides health and cooldown reduction to the user, as well as lifesteal and attack
speed to nearby allies. This is good for teams who have at least one player dealing their damage
primarily through normal attacks, such as a Ranged AD, but is better if more than one player uses
normal attacks for damage. Note: If you've already got Ionian Boots of Lucidity and Shurelya's Reverie,
this item will take you over the 40% cooldown reduction cap. As soon as possible, sell your boots for
Mercury Treads!
Will of the Ancients provides ability power to the user, as well as ability power and spell vamp to
nearby allies. This is less directly helpful to most Support players than Zeke's Herald, but still may be a
good investment if your team has a lot of outgoing ability damage, especially single-target damage.
As a Support, you have other options beyond these that you may want to pick up from time to time. For
example, Randuin's Omen and Frozen Heart can both be beneficial to your team, especially if no one
else on your team is picking them up and you're dealing with significant incoming physical damage.
Fighter
Examples: Akali, Blitzcrank, Dr. Mundo, Fiora, Fizz, Gangplank, Garen,Irelia,Jarvan IV, Jax, Lee Sin, Master
Yi, Nasus, Olaf, Poppy, Renekton, Riven, Shaco, Shyvana, Sion, Skarner, Talon,
Trundle,Tryndamere,Udyr,Urgot, Warwick, Wukong, Xin Zhao, Yorick
Like AP Casters, Fighters encompass a wide variety of champions in League of Legends. Some deal
primarily single-target damage, such as Warwick, while others deal more multi-target damage. Some
bring very strong crowd controls, such as Riven, Nasus, and Tryndamere, while others bring no crowd
control at all, such as Master Yi and Fiora. Not all of them are purely melee-range, as is the case of
Urgot, who plays similar to other Fighters such as Yorick, but is technically a ranged champion.
In the current environment, the majority of Fighters build significant survivability at the expense of
damage.Melee Fighters are often in the most dangerous position in skirmishes and team fights. If an
enemy team has "snowballed," or gained a significant advantage your team, the Fighter is often
penalized first as they must be a part of fights but may be at extreme risk of dying. For this reason, the
best Fighters will be those who will do everything they can to stay on top of their gold income by
effectively last hitting minions, and will make item decisions that allow them to survive the enemy team.
Only a minority may build purely offensive, and these tend to be assassins or champions with their own
mechanics that help them survive or escape (examples are Fiora, Master Yi, Shaco, Talon and
Tryndamere). This does not mean they should always build purely offensively, and the point is here
more to illustrate how few melee champions can get away with heavily offensive builds.
Melee Fighters tend to be the front line in engagements, and their goal is often to break up enemy
Fighters to reach and disrupt or kill carries. That said, melee Fighters with crowd controls should learn to
effectively peel opponents off their own carries as well, as this often leads to better results than simply
going after an enemy carry.
This is a standard Fighter build. Depending on your champion and intended build, you may want the 4%
Cooldown Reduction from Sorcery, and you may not need the bonus Critical Strike damage.
You may choose to go 9/21/0 instead, opting for a heavily defensive build for early game survivability. In
this case, it's usually a good idea to pick up Vigor for the bonus health regeneration, and make sure you
get the health and armor/magic resist early in the tree.
summoner spells will significantly help you.
Recommended Runes
Red Marks: Armor Penetration (Desolation).
Quintessences: Flat Health (Fortitude), Attack Damage (Strength), or Armor Penetration (Desolation).
Always take Flash unless you are confident another option is better based on your champion's
mechanics.
If you haven't taken Flash, chances are this is the spell you're picking up. Works well on champions
like Olaf.
Take Teleport if you're solo laning and may need to quickly move across the map to assist
teammates with team fights or objectives like Dragon.
Take Cleanse if being briefly locked down is likely to either kill you or prevent you from staying in a
fight. Ideal on champions like Tryndamere.
Heal is a relatively solid choice, especially if you're on naturally tanky champions who will get a
stronger effective benefit from using it.
Take Exhaust if you're specifically using it to counter someone either in your lane or later in the
match.
Same as Exhaust -- take Ignite if you're specifically using it to counter someone in your lane or later
in the match.
Recommended Items
Fighters have a very wide variety of builds they can pursue. If you're planning on building pure damage
(such as with a Tryndamere), I suggest reading the item recommendations in the Ranged AD section. If
you're planning on building very tanky, I suggest reading the item recommendations in the Tank section.
For specialized champions such as Fizz and Akali, you'll want to look up specific build guides for them.
In this build, I'm going to outline the common "Tanky DPS," or bruiser, builds that are commonly seen
among Fighters. This build works because it allows Fighters to come into the mid and especially late
game without being immediately destroyed by opposing carries.
Starting Fighter Options

There are three primary ways that most Fighters will start a match.
For movement speed, start with Boots of Speed and three (3) Health Potions. This will let
you escape opponents who would otherwise be faster, and may net you an early kill if you chase
someone while you have the movement speed advantage. Afterward, you may still want to pursue
either of the following options before getting into core items.
For sustain while building for passive gold, purchase a Regrowth Pendant and one Health
Potion or Mana Potion. This is usually turned into a Philosopher's Stone, with a follow-up
Heart of Gold a little later.
For sustain while building Wriggle's Lantern, purchase Cloth Armor and five (5) Health
Potions. Wriggle's Lantern is very common for Fighters because it offers cost effective armor,
lifesteal, and damage, as well as a ward (particularly useful while solo laning).
Mercury’s Treads should be your primary boot option in most cases. By virtue of being in the front
lines in skirmishes and team fights, you're not only going to potentially be hit with crowd controls, but
you're probably going to take both targeted and AOE magic damage as well.
Core Fighter Items

Once you have either your Wriggles and boots or passive gold items and boots, you'll want to move onto
your bigger purchases.
Warmog's Armor gives a massive health and health regeneration boost, and grants additional
health and health regeneration for every minion or champion you kill, and when you get assists on
champion kills. This is a big investment, particularly the Giant's Belt, but provides a massive boost to
your survivability.
Frozen Mallet provides health and bonus attack damage, as well as a very consistent slow on your
normal attacks.This will help you stay on targets who are fleeing. Frozen Mallet is built from Phage,
meaning the investment is a bit more palatable due to getting the partial slow even before you have the
full item built. Generally not an ideal purchase if you have already purchased a Warmog's Armor (unless
you really need the slow effect).
Atma's Impaler provides armor and critical strike chance. Most importantly, it converts 1.5% of
your maximum health to physical attack damage. This is an essential goal for champions who are aiming
to be tanky DPS, and it's the reason you build Warmog's or Frozen Mallet. Warmog's and Atma's is
typically referred to as "Atmogs."
Atma's is often a strong choice for champions with any serious amount of health, but it is better suited
to be used by champions who use normal attacks (thereby benefiting from the critical strike chance),
and to champions who are dealing with heavy incoming physical damage. Maw of Malmortius can be a
better choice when dealing with heavy incoming magical damage.
Hexdrinker and Maw of Malmortius both grant bonus attack damage and magic resistance.
Additionally, both of these items will create a temporary shield that blocks incoming magic damage
damage if magicd damage brings you below 30% of your health.
Hexdrinker upgrades into Maw of Malmortius. This upgrade provides higher bonus damage, a stronger
shield, and slightly more magic resistance. On top of this, Maw of Malmortius grants you additional
attack damage the more health you are currently missing. This special bonus makes it particularly well
suited to champions who are dealing with heavy incoming magic damage, but are otherwise survivable
enough that they can realistically survive at lower health to gain the benefit from the increased attack
damage.
Hexdrinker and Maw of Malmortius will shield the magic damage that would bring a champion below
the threshold, meaning a champion cannot take burst damage that might kill them without the shield
consuming at least part of it first. Because of this, the item can be deceptive to opponents who believe
they can burst you down quickly.
Trinity Force works well on a number of melee Fighters, though it should not be prioritized before
survivability without a very good reason. While the movement speed and on-hit slow are beneficial to
most champions, the bonus damage on normal attacks after using abilities is often what determines
whether this is worth pursuing. Make sure you're using abilities frequently enough to benefit from this.
If you've built your starting items and core items, you then choose whether to build tankier (necessary if
your opponents are packing a serious punch) or more damage. As said earlier, look at the Tank or
Ranged AD sections, respectively, for further item suggestions.
On-Hit Items
On-Hit items are items that apply a special bonus whenever you use a normal attack against an
opponent. They are usually good on champions who have abilities that apply On-Hit effects or abilities
that reset your attack timer or cause you to attack multiple times. They can also be solid choices on
champions with high attack speed.
Some of these items need to be stacked several times before reaching their full effect. In these cases,
consider whether you'll realistically be able to stack them fast enough to benefit you or your team.
Additionally, some of these items add attack speed -- keep in mind that attack speed is more beneficial
on champions who already have a high base attack speed.
Wit's End grants attack speed and magic resistance, deals bonus magic damage on hit, and
increases your magic resistance by a small amount. The bonus magic resistance stacks several times.
This item is great for champions who can stack it quickly while wading into skirmishes and teamfights
where they're going to take a lot of focused or AOE magic damage. Because it doubles as a survivability
item, Wit's End is usually a solid bet.
Malady provides ability power and attack speed, deals bonus magic damage on hit, and reduces
the target's magic resistance by a moderate amount. The magic resistance reduction stacks several
times. Since this is magic resistance reduction (as opposed to magic penetration), teammates who deal
magic damage will benefit from this effect.
Consider Malady under these conditions: Each of the stats benefits you and your team has several magic
damage dealers who would benefit from the applied effect. While the bonus magic damage on hit will
be increased by the magic damage reduction, Malady is better if you already have another source of
magic penetration, such as those provided by runes or masteries.
The Black Cleaver gives bonus attack damage and attack speed and reduces a significant amount
of the target's armor for several seconds. This armor reduction stacks three times. Since this is armor
reduction (as opposed to armor penetration), teammates who deal physical damage will benefit from
this effect.
Like Malady, The Black Cleaver is situational. Pick it up only if the stats benefit you, you can apply the
effect instantly (or very quickly), and your teammates deal significant physical damage.
While The Black Cleaver can work well against opponents without much armor, they will often be rolled
over anyway. Last Whisper can be a stronger choice against opponents who are stacking armor, and it
doesn't take time to stack. I recommend caution when purchasing this item.
Madred's Bloodrazor grants bonus attack damage, attack speed, and armor. Additionally, bonus
magic damage equal to 4% of the target's maximum health is applied on-hit. There's two things to keep
in mind when considering this item:
First, this is a fairly cost-inefficient item, though it is item-slot efficient. In other words, the gold cost of
this item doesn't usually provide the benefits that other items adding up to the same cost would
provide. However, Madred's Bloodrazor usually makes a good final item in a build because of how much
it brings in terms of stats compared to many other single item options.
Second, this item is designed to be used on champions who are less likely to have magic damage
reduction or penetration. Because of this, the 4% number is dropped to 3% if your opponents don't build
any magic resistance. If they do build magic resistance, this number quickly drops further.
Madred's Bloodrazor is intended to counter opponents who are stacking health, though it often falls
short of this when compared to pure damage items. In most games, you won't even get to the point
where you're able to pick this up unless you're rushing it, which I discourage. It's not an item I
recommend in most circumstances.
I'm not mentioning Wriggle's Lantern, Trinity Force, or Frozen Mallet. These have been covered
previously and are not specific to champions who benefit from On-Hit items. That said, Wriggle's
Lantern will shred Dragon and Baron Nashor (among other monsters) faster if you do have abilities that
lend towards quickly applying On-Hit effects.
Tank
Examples: Alistar, Amumu,Cho'gath,Galio, Leona, Maokai, Nautilus, Rammus, Sejuani, Shen,
Singed,Volibear
Tanks are champions who control skirmishes and team fights. Just as in modern MMORPGs, the tanking
role is a lot less dependent on raw survivability, and a lot more dependent on the ability to control chaos
by initiating and disrupting opponents. Simply being able to survive damage does not make a tank good
if your opponents realize they can ignore you and go directly for higher priority targets. That said, just as
in MMORPGs, survivability is necessary to being the most effective tank.
Tanks are similar to Support in that they may also lane with another player in the early game, and may
be best suited for ward and vision coverage if their allies are not helping with this. However, many tanks
can jungle effectively (such as Amumu, Maokai, and Rammus), and many can play a solo lane effectively
(such as Cho'gath, Galio, and Singed).
Tanks are not absolutely necessary in a team composition, particularly with the effectiveness of
survivable melee Fighter builds. However, they are still frequently used and can still be major assets to
the team they're on.
Because tanks must focus so heavily on balancing defensive stats, I strongly recommend reading the
Stats section of this guide before tanking.
This is a standard tank build. You have some flexibility in here as the Defense tree offers a lot of options.
If jungling, consider the early points on the right side of the tree, Tough Skin and Bladed Armor. If
movement speed is not an issue, swap out Initiator in the fourth tier with another talent. Health
Regeneration does not significantly help against burst damage, so you may opt to switch out Vigor in the
second tier for another option.
Alternative builds are 9/11/9 (with mana or movement speed and buff duration points in Utility) or
0/21/9 (again with mana or movement speed and buff duration points in Utility).
summoner spells will significantly help you.
Recommended Runes
Red Marks: Insight is best in most situations due to the additional damage output. Though not ideal, if
you're absolutely sure you want more survivability instead, go Flat Armor (Resilience).
Quintessences: Flat Health (Fortitude). If speed is a big issue for your champion (such as Leona),
consider Movement Speed (Swiftness).
As an initiator, Flash is usually the single best tool available since it allows you to instantly move in
and crowd control opponents before they can react.
Ghost is useful on some tanks, particularly those who benefit from dramatic speed increases. For
example, Singed is very potent with Ghost because he can use it to stay in front of opponents, dropping
his poison cloud in their path.
Teleport is a solid option, especially if you're solo laning and in the top lane. Use it to immediately
and unexpectedly enter team fights, and to assist in securing Dragon.
Heal can be a good option on a tank champion for several reasons. First, you will frequently be in
range of other champions on your team while fighting opponents. Second, it will give you additional
sustain in a solo lane, and potentially allow for baiting opponents with low health. Finally, Heal can be
taken if you're filling in the role of Support on your team, especially if you don't provide any other
healing to your allies.
Exhaust is a good option for another crowd control on the team, and tends to work better as a tank
since you're going to be in range of ideal targets. Exhaust can be useful in setting up ability combos or
getting in range for them, such as with Alistar.
Recommended Items
Tank builds are determined by their role in the match. Some tanks, such as Cho'gath, Nautilus, and
Galio, do well in solo lanes. Other tanks, such as Leona, work well in place of a Support, and may tend to
lane with a partner while not killing many minions for gold. Most tanks will also function well in the
jungle. Each of these builds requires a different approach.
If playing a tank in place of a Support and will need to focus on warding, read the Support section and
build similarly until you have the passive gold gains and cooldown reduction (in some cases, you can go
all the way with this and build primarily Support items). It's worth saying that tanks should probably be
picking up wards anyway, regardless of whether there's a Support in the match doing so.
If jungling, you will want to check out a guide specific to your champion to make sure you're going to
efficiently and safely clear the jungle. However, a few levels in you'll have a lot more flexibility in your
builds as you'll be in less danger in the jungle, so pick up on the core items here.
Starting Tank Items

Most tanks will benefit from starting essentially the same way Support champions do, as the
Philosopher's Stone and Heart of Gold not only provide passive gold gains, but they also provide cheap
survivability and sustain.
When starting, purchase a Regrowth Pendant and a Health Potion. As soon as possible,
purchase a Philosopher's Stone andbasic Boots of Speed. After this, build towards
Heart of Gold, followed up by Mercury Treads or Ionian Boots of Lucidity.
Core Items Against Magic Damage
Banshee's Veil provides you with health, mana regeneration, and significant magic resist, and
builds from in relatively cheap increments. While spell shields are generally helpful to all champions,
they can be particularly important if you're trying to initiate as a tank so you're not instantly countered
as you move in.
Abyssal Scepter grants you ability power and magic resistance, while providing an aura that
reduces the magic resistance of nearby enemies. This is a genuine gem in the right circumstances, as
you'll be making your own damage and presence more threatening while allowing your teammates to
dish out more magic damage. This may encourage opponents to focus you down, which is often
preferable to your teammates getting focused down while you're tanking.
Force of Nature provides significant magic resist and health regeneration, in addition to bonus
movement speed. All of these stats are good, but I cannot emphasize enough that Effective Health
matters (read up in the Stats section)! In other words, this is a good item, but it's much more efficient if
you're also building more health.
Core Items Against Physical Damage
Frozen Heart offers an enormous boost to armor, along with mana and coooldown reduction,
while reducing the attack speed of nearby enemies. This is an amazing item to pick up if the enemy team
has strong physical attack damage, even moreso if you fully benefit from the stats it offers. As with
Force of Nature, you'll get the most out of this item if you also build some items with health.
Randuin's Omen offers health, armor, health regeneration, and cooldown reduction, as well as a
debuff that slows attack and movement speed on enemy champions who use normal attacks against
you. When activated, you will dramatically slow movement and attack speeds on all surrounding
enemies. Randuin's Omen is a good idea to pick up once you're ready to lose the passive gold gains from
Heart of Gold (which is a component).
Guardian Angel provides a lot of armor and some magic resist. More importantly, it resurrects you
if you die. If you provide very consistent disruption and being resurrected is likely to help you stay a part
of the fight, this is a good choice.
Health Item Options

These are situationally useful, but I discourage prioritizing these unless you've already got core items
against your team's main threats.
Sunfire Cape offers health and armor in addition to passive magic damage to nearby enemies
every second. The damage isn't much, but combined with other AOE, such as on Amumu, it can be fun
and occasionally effective to run around in.
Frozen Mallet offers health and damage in addition to a slowing effect on normal attacks. This
works on some of the slower tanks, such as Leona, and allows continued, easy disruption on targets.
While Health is nice, this is not the most effective tanking item, so only consider it when the slowing
effect may tangibly result in more successful skirmishes or team fights.
Warmog's Armor provides a massive health and health regeneration boost. While strong, this item
is not necessarily among your first items because it lacks utility and won't necessarily provide more
damage reduction than core magic resist or armor items. It can also be problematic to build later
because you won't necessarily get a chance to stack it. For these reasons, Warmog's is situational, but
still a great way of increasing your effective health if you will realistically have a chance to stack it and
already have strong magic resist and armor.
Support Item Options
Aegis of the Legion is a solid, cheap choice if personal survivability isn't turning out to be a huge
issue (though it will help you out with it's combination of health, armor and magic resist).
Shurelya's Reverie isn't a bad idea to pick up for your team, as you'll already have a Philosopher's
Stone on hand, and building it gives you additional health and cooldown reduction. The on-use
movement speed will help you initiate as well.
Secondary Roles
As said earlier, secondary roles are not mutually exclusive. In this section, I'm going to expand on exactly
what each of these secondary roles does. It will help not only understand the game and the options
within the game, but the terminology that players use.
Carry
A carry is a champion who can wipe out an enemy team with extraordinary effectiveness. In most cases,
a carry has made damage items a primary investment and lacks the survivability of more durable allies
as a result. Carries are often high priority targets in team fights, both in defending them if they're allies
and killing or forcing them out if they're enemies.
As a rule, Ranged AD and AP Casters can -- and often should -- be built as carries. However, champions
from other primary roles can fulfill the role of carry if they're doing extraordinarily well in a match.
Assassin
An assassin is a champion who can quickly engage and kill most enemies with low survivability. The best
assassins have dash, blink, or gap-closing mechanics that allow them to quickly get in range, and may
also have a crowd control to keep their opponent from immediately reacting.
Like carries, assassins can come from different primary roles, particularly AP Casters and Fighters. Unless
assassins have an extraordinary gold lead (either from champion or minion kills), they usually must
transition to another role or be very careful about how, where, and when they enter skirmishes and
team fights (usually to burst down a carry in the rear).
Pusher
Pushers are champions who excel at rapidly clearing minions in lanes and, in many cases, at taking down
structures quickly.
Champions with naturally strong AOE such as Vladimir, Mordekaiser, and Morgana are good at pushing
minion waves towards enemy structures quickly. Champions with abilities that temporarily increase
their damage output or reset their attack swing timers are often very strong at pushing structures. Some
of the best pushers, such as Sivir, are capable of achieving both quick minion clears and high structure
damage.
Strategically, pushing does more than take down towers and minion waves quickly. Champions who are
strong pushers can force opponents to make a decision between staying and defending their structures
or leaving for another objective. In the mid and especially late game, strong pushing can lock down an
enemy team and force them away from objectives, including Dragon, Baron Nashor, and other
structures.
Two or more champions pushing separate lanes at one time is referred to as "split pushing." This can be
very difficult for an enemy team to counter, as they may be unable to group together without losing
structures as a result.
Teleport is generally a very strong summoner spell for pushing, either for getting into a lane or
quickly getting out of one.
Poke
Long range abilities, particularly those that can pass through minions, are poke. Champions with these
abilities can slowly saturate and damage opponents, softening them up for a team fight or harassing
them to where they can be killed (or, at the very least, to where they may avoid trying to kill you). Poke
abilities are spread out across a wide variety of champions. Examples are Janna's Howling Gale tornado
and Kog'maw's ultimate, Living Artillery.
Initiator
Champions with abilities or enough survivability that allows them to get a team fight started in a
favorable way are initiators. As a rule, all effective tanks should be capable initiators, and most
champions who have been designed as tanks have specific tools to initiate. For example, Amumu's
Bandage Toss can pull him to enemy champions, and his Curse of the Sad Mummy ultimate can
immobilize everyone around him, allowing his team to jump in.
Tanks are not the only initiators, though. Many champions, particularly those with crowd controls, can
be strong initiators even if they can't take much damage. For example, Ashe's ultimate, Enchanted
Crystal Arrow, can stun and slow opponents at a range, allowing her team to quickly follow it up. A
Morgana with a Zhonya's Hourglass can Flash into the middle of a group of enemy champions, activate
her Soul Shackles ultimate, and immediately make herself invulnerable to guarantee the cast completes.
Counter-Initiator
Imagine that amazing initiate listed above. Now imagine it didn't work because the initiator was
instantly crowd controlled (knocked up, knocked back, silenced) and their combo was broken. Not all
initiates can be effectively countered, particularly those that come in from a range (Ashe's ultimate).
Disruption
A disruptor is a champion that can prevent other opponents from functioning at their potential in
skirmishes and team fights. At the most basic level, any crowd control can function as disruption, though
some champions are better at the role than others. For example, Leona has an immobilize, stun, and
AOE stun/slow that she can use in skirmishes, giving her repeated opportunities to prevent enemies
from moving, casting, or attacking. Nautilus has a slow, an immobilize, and a knockup.
Many tanks are able to frequently disrupt opponents in fights. However, other champions have very
strong disruption abilities that can turn team fights in their favor. For example, Wukong's ultimate,
Cyclone, can knock enemy champions up in the air, preventing them from moving, casting, or attacking.
Jungler
Junglers are champions who gain levels, gold, and experience from killing monsters in the jungle. Ideally,
these players are also helping to gank and kill opponents in the main lanes, and are potentially harassing
enemy champions in the opposing jungle.
Any champion can jungle, though some champions do this more effectively than others. Also, jungling is
dramatically improved with full or near-full runes and masteries, meaning it is generally best achieved
by players with high summoner levels (though this is less true after the season 2 rework of the jungle).
Junglers are important because of their flexibility and their impact on the game. With a jungler, an
opposing team must be concerned about unexpected ganks and often must invest gold in wards for
additional vision around their lanes. If they don't, they will pay for it if the jungler successfully ganks
them.
By having a jungler, a team also has another lane with only a single player in it. This dramatically
increases the experience the solo player receives (and, if played well, the gold available to them from
minions).
Jungling is a significantly different playstyle than laning, and I strongly recommend taking the time to
research effective jungle routes for your particular champion. On YouTube, search for "Stonewall008"
and look for a jungling movie related to your champion. While this won't teach you jungling inside and
out, it will give you an idea how to get started.
Smite is generally necessary for the most effective jungling. Because of its ability to turn games in
the team's favor by securing kills on Dragon and Baron Nashor, it is better than having an ability that
helps more with securing early kills.
Wriggle's Lantern is a staple item for many junglers due to the armor, damage, lifesteal, and chance
to deal significant additional damage to minions and monsters. Consider buying this for many jungling
champions, especially if you're not totally comfortable with the champion yet.
Stealth
A small handful of champions have a stealth ability that allows them to go invisible to enemy champions.
Stealth has two primary benefits: First, it makes the champion much more difficult to hit with most
abilities, and impossible to hit with targeted abilities or attacks if the enemy does not have vision on
them. Second, it allows for unexpected or sometimes unavoidable attacks, especially when combined
with a movement mechanic such as Vayne's Tumble with her Night Hunter ultimate active, or Shaco's
Deceive.
Stealth can be countered by Vision Wards (the more expensive version of Sight Wards) and
Oracle's Elixir, as well as certain champion abilities (such as Lee Sin's Tempest). However, even though
there are ways to stop stealthers, a vigilant team with stealth champions may destroy vision wards and
prioritize or avoid champions with Oracle's Elixir.
Stealthed units are not targetable without vision, but most AOE attacks and skillshots will still hit the
target if you can accurately guess where they are.
Mobile
Mobile champions are those with abilites that dramatically increase their mobility in fights. This comes
in all forms, including movement speed increases (ex: Udyr, Skarner), dash abilities (ex: Irelia, Tristana),
or blink/flash abilities (ex: Kassadin, Ahri). In a class of their own are the champions with global
movement ultimates -- Twisted Fate, Nocturne, and Pantheon -- who can move across huge areas of the
map quickly.
Mobility is strong in chasing and escaping. It is generally best at closing the gap between a champion
and a high-priority target such as a carry. Mobility and positioning has a big impact on the outcome of
skirmishes and team fights, and a team with a very large mobility advantage usually has an advantage in
team fights since they may be more capable of pursuing fleeing opponents and escaping unfavorable
fights.
Zoning
Preventing or strongly discouraging opponents from entering an area, or keeping them in a favorable
area, is zoning. Though important throughout the game, this often has its largest potential impact in the
early game when initial gold and experience can be denied. Zoning usually occurs in one of two ways.
The first way is through champion abilities. Persistent AOE spells such as Morgana's Tormented Soil and
Anivia's Glacial Storm are very dangerous to opponents and deter enemies from standing in them unless
absolutely necessary.Delayed effects such as Lux' Lucent Singularity and Gragas' Barrel Roll can prevent
players from moving around them until the effect has expired. In the case of Ziggs, both Hexplosive
Minefield and Satchel Charge act as strong zoning tools and can block map chokepoints.
The second means of zoning is fairly simple, and can be achieved with any champion in the right
circumstance: The risk of death. If an opponent has been harassed down far enough, or if their lane
mate has been killed and they're facing two opponents, they may believe they are at a significant risk of
being killed if they stay too close. Zoning occurs if the champions with the favorable situation position
themselves very aggressively, often behind the enemy's minions, so the enemy champion cannot safely
approach to earn gold or even experience.
Some champions are naturally good zoners. Pantheon's Spear Shot and Gangplank's Parrrley both offer
short-cooldown harassment to their opponents, potentially bringing their opponents low enough after
several uses that they can no longer safely move in range. Olaf's Reckless Swing is a strong deterrant to
enemies who must use melee-range attacks on enemies near him to earn gold.
Player terrain abilities such as Anivia's Crystallize and Jarvan's Cataclysm prevent players from easily
moving in a direction. While these don't fall into the traditional meaning of zoning (as zoning usually
implies active, but not forced, pressure on opponents), they're still important to keep in mind.
Anti-Carry
The anti-carry is a very specialized role and is usually limited to a small number of champions. Carries
are often ranged champions with enough range that they can position themselves behind the front lines
of fights; they're also often champions who've invested more into damage than survivability. Anti-carries
are champions who have both the damage to burst these opponents down and the ability to reach them
in skirmishes and team fights.
Most assassins can be played as anti-carries in most match-ups as the game progresses. However, other
champions are particularly well suited to the role. For example, Olaf can be built very survivable while
still providing very strong damage, and his Ragnarok ultimate allows him to ignore all crowd control,
letting him run directly through an enemy line to burst down a carry. If Urgot lands his Noxian Corrosive
Charge on an enemy carry, his powerful Acid Hunter attack can wreck that carry at an extreme range.
Major Patch Updates
Big changes can occur in League of Legends, but these don't always make it into the guide. In order to
make sure you're aware that I'm aware of these changes, I'm going to make a few notes on how the
change affects you as a player, particularly in cases where I don't make significant revisions to other
parts of the guide based on them.
Hecarim Patch
Magic Resistance & Ability Power/Magic Penetration Runes
Magic Resistance (Warding) runes were reduced in effectiveness with this patch. Along with this, Ability
Power (Potency) and Magic Penetration (Insight) runes were increased in effectiveness.
The practical impact this has on you is that if you're very good with a particular AP-based champion, you
may choose to swing your runes over to a more offensive build instead. If you're still learning a
champion or getting used to their abilities, or if you're more survivability focused anyway, you're still
going to want magic resistance runes.
Atma's Impaler
Atma's Impaler was reduced from providing 2% of your health as damage to 1.5%. This makes it a less
effective item (reducing the AD gain by 25%). However, it is still a cost effective item on champions who
you'd pick it up for anyway.
If you make any change at all in regards to purchasing Atma's Impaler, it will likely be choosing between
Atma's Impaler and Maw of Malmortius based on whether you're dealing with heavy physical or magic
damage.
Doran's Ring & Blade

These items provide lower health now. Like Atma's Impaler, they're still cost efficient, and you should
still pick them up in the same situations. You might lean a little less towards them if you're doing well in
your lane and are choosing between going for damage or survivability.
Lulu Patch
Lifesteal & Bloodthirster
Several items providing lifesteal had their lifesteal bonus reduced. This affects two things:
• Jungle efficiency, safety, and speed, depending on the champion you're playing and how quickly
you are relying on lifesteal (such as an early vampiric scepter purchase);
• Outlier cases where a little bit of lifesteal would have been the difference between life and
death.
I've already had a few deaths in matches based on these outliers, where even slightly higher lifesteal
from my items would have saved me. But honestly, these were lopsided games my team was already
winning fairly handily (I usually died trying to take on multiple opponents).
I'd emphasize that the biggest benefit of lifesteal is sustainability over time. Unless you have extreme
amounts of lifesteal, it usually won't change the outcome of a brief fight.
On the subject of Bloodthirster, the item was changed so that it provides less in terms of potential stats,
but also only loses half of its stacks on dying. In my opinion, this is a big improvement for nearly all
practical situations.
About the 'Don't Feed' Guides
The 'Don't Feed' guides are the same guides that I used to create the movie series on YouTube by the
same name. When I first began the series, I intended to create extremely short mechanical descriptions
of the champions, and I produced the movies very quickly.
As the popularity of the series increased, and as I came across increasingly complex champions, I shifted
towards creating extremely in-depth movies for each new champion.
You will notice the difference as you read these guides. Some are very short (in some cases with one-line
descriptions) while some are monstrously complex, getting into the finest details on how champions
work.
As I continue to create more 'Don't Feed' guides, I will continue to update this document. Once I have
completed a sizable majority of the champions available in the League, I will go back and redo
champions that deserve to be redone.
The other thing you may find in these guides is a very candid, often off-the-cuff style. This is usually
what I wrote into the YouTube movie information, which is where I throw my thoughts on a champion.
These are purely opinion, and in some cases, they are a little dated. For example, with Graves I mused
on him potentially being too powerful; since writing that, he has been nerfed fairly substantially. This
happens occasionally on the newer champions, who I aim to complete shortly after they've been
released.
As a rule, most of the mechanical information (the gritty details on how abilities work) will remain
accurate for a long time. This is because I'm careful not to be too specific with numbers on abilities I
believe are more likely going to be changed with upcoming patches.
Don’t Feed Ahri
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6hsfw65qBM
Champion Notes
This is the best designed champion I have played to date.

She is a seriously good champion, very enjoyable, and has
a lot of options in any given situation. As a solo mid, I did
not find any problems playing against any other champion,
and if I felt there were going to be potential issues I
focused more on roaming. As a solo top, I found her farm
was outstanding, allowing me to get my core items very
quickly.
I'd place her in league with Lee Sin in terms of having a

high skillcap. There are things I can improve on with her,
such as better managing the return path of Orb of
Deception and landing Charm more reliably at close range
(I'm personally much worse with melee range skillshots
than long-range ones). I could also improve on utilizing all
three Spirit Rush jumps to the best positions at all times
(most times I do well, but sometimes I have to use Flash when a better jump would have secured the
kill). There are a bunch of little things I can improve on as well.
It goes without saying that you're going to have to land your skillshots, but smart casting and using your
ult to position make this easier. So does practice. I suspect a lot of the people upset with Ahri right now
simply need to take the time to get better with her shots.
I would feel very comfortable maining her in ranked games. I understand that a lot of high ELo players
consider her very good; I agree with them. I'd love an excuse to continue playing her while I move onto
other champions for Don't Feed.
Introduction
Ahri is a magic damage assassin. While her ultimate is available, she is extremely mobile.
Ahri has a moderate base movement speed of 305 and an attack range of 550, placing her movement
speed below other assassins and her range below the top champions. She has a relatively fast attack
animation, allowing her to last-hit more easily. She receives no increases to Magic Resist with level,
keeping a consistently low 30 Magic Resist throughout the game without items.
Essence Theft (Passive)
Ahri gains a charge of Essence Theft whenever one of her spells hits an enemy (max: 3 charges
per spell). Upon reaching 9 charges, Ahri's next spell has 35% Spell Vamp.
Ahri's passive is Essence Theft. When casting spells, Ahri gains a charge towards Essence Theft for each
time her spells damage an enemy. A charge will be gained even if the spell is negated by a spell shield.
She can gain up to three charges per spell cast, meaning she must cast at least 3 spells before reaching 9
charges.
Once she has reached 9 charges, the orb in her hand visibly changes from blue to green, indicating that
her next spell will gain significant spell vamp.
Once she has cast a spell that successfully strikes at least one enemy, the spell vamp bonus will be
consumed and her charges are reset to zero. With the exception of her Orb of Deception ability, this will
occur even if she strikes a target with a spell shield, and she will still gain the appropriate amount of
health.
Smite and damage sources other than her champion-specific abilities will not consume the Essence
Theft buff and cannot benefit from the spell vamp.
Orb of Deception (Q)
Ahri sends out and pulls back her orb, dealing magic damage on the way out and True
damage on the way back.
Ahri's Orb of Deception is a skillshot that travels out to max range, then back towards Ahri. While
traveling outwards, the ball deals magic damage to every enemy it hits. While returning, the ball deals
true damage to every enemy it hits, ignoring armor and magic resist. If Orb of Deception hits a target at
max range, it will deal both hits of damage instantly.
With Ability Power prioritized throughout the game, higher ranks of Orb of Deception will kill caster
minions and can potentially kill melee minions as well. The damage area of the ball is somewhat small,
so positioning and targeting needs to be taken into account to maximize the effect while farming.
Orb of Deception can be an excellent spell to use when Soul Eater's spell vamp buff is available. This is
because it can hit a large number of targets, and also because it benefits from the true damage, making
it useful regardless of how much magic resist the targets have.
Orb of Deception will burn spell shields such as Banshee's Veil while traveling outwards, dealing no
damage, but will successfully deal the true damage if it hits the same target coming back.
If her Soul Eater passive is charged and Orb of Deception strikes a target with a spell shield, it will not
consume Soul Eater. Orb of Deception will only consume Soul Eater once it has dealt damage to at least
one target.
Orb of Deception has a long-enough range that it can hit Baron from an outer wall. It is also capable of
hitting the dragon from an outer wall, provided he has not been moved.
Orb of Deception has a relatively short cooldown and can be used multiple times in longer fights.
Even though Orb of Deception is a ball of light, it casts a shadow.
Fox-Fire (W)
Ahri releases three fox-fires, which after a short delay lock on and attack nearby enemies.
Ahri's Fox-Fire forms three balls of energy that spin in a triangle around her and stay active for several
second. A moment after being activated, these balls will fire off at the closest enemies, dealing magic
damage. If an enemy champion is in range, the Fox-Fire balls will always prioritize them over minions
and monsters; however, it cannot distinguish between clones such as Shaco's hallucination.
Each ball targets independently of others and will go towards whatever enemy is closest to it. While Fox-
Fire shots will all hit a single enemy in many situations, they may instead split off to multiple different
units when Ahri is surrounded.
If more than ball hits a single target, the first shot will deal full damage while the next two will deal half
damage, combining for a total of twice the listed damage on the target.
Spell shields are broken by the first shot of Fox-Fire. Depending on the timing and positioning of the
shots, one or both of her follow-up shots may also be consumed by a spell shield. It is easiest to have
her follow-up shots hit a target after breaking the spell shield by activating Fox-Fire prior to entering
range of the enemy, or activating it at max range; however, even near melee range it is possible for both
follow-up shots to deal damage.
If a spell shield is broken and one or both of the follow-up shots deal damage, the first damaging shot
will deal the full damage of Fox-Fire, while only a second damaging shot will deal half damage.
To maximize damage or break multiple spell shields in a team fight situation, Ahri may need to position
with several enemy champions around her to better split her Fox-fire shots.
In single-target situations, Fox-Fire can be Ahri's strongest ability to use for Soul Eater's spell vamp. This
is because all three shots will grant health, and are considered single-target for the purposes of
This buff is applied instantly without cast time and does not interrupt movement.
Fox-Fire has a relatively short cooldown and can be used multiple times in longer fights.
-->Fox-Fire goes on cooldown once the charges are either used or expire.
Fox-Fire will not acquire targets against hidden enemies.
Charm (E)
Ahri blows a kiss that damages and charms an enemy it encounters, causing them to walk
harmlessly towards her.
Ahri's Charm is a skill-shot ability that deals magic damage and charms the first enemy she hits in a line,
preventing them from using abilities and causing them to move towards her with significantly reduced
speed. If the target is otherwise immobilized, they will still be unable to use abilities but will not move
towards Ahri.
Charm can be used to bring players out of channeled abilities, such as Galio's Idol of Durand.
Even though Charm causes an enemy to move towards Ahri, the slow and ability shut-out make it an
excellent escape tool to prevent players from catching up to her or her teammates.
Ahri's Charm has a moderate cooldown and may only be used 1-2 times in longer fights.
Spirit Rush (Ultimate)
Ahri dashes forward and fires essence bolts, damaging 3 nearby champions. Spirit Rush can be
cast up to three times before going on cooldown.
Ahri's ultimate is Spirit Rush, which causes her to charge to a nearby location. Once she lands, she will
deal magic damage to the three nearest targets. If enemy champions are in range, they will be
prioritized. Spirit Rush will not damage hidden targets.
Multiple bolts cannot hit a single target, meaning that fewer shots will be fired if there are fewer than 3
nearby opponents.
After using Spirit Rush, Ahri has a moderately long window of time in which she can activate the ability
two additional times for a total of three jumps. There is a very short cooldown after each that she must
wait before jumping again, though she can cast other abilities instantly. Each jump fires it's own three
shots, meaning a total of 9 shots may be fired.
--> Spirit Rush has a relatively short cooldown for an ultimate, and will be available in most fights and
skirmishes. While the ability is available, Ahri is one of the most mobile champions in League of Legends.
Spirit Rush goes on cooldown once all charges are either used or the time window to use them expires.
While Spirit Rush jumps will not travel over the largest walls, it can jump over walls that are slightly
thicker than the normal range of a jump.
In regards to her Soul Eater passive, only the first round of shots fired from jumping will grant her spell
vamp, while subsequent jumps will be counted as new spells. However, because Spirit Rush jumps are
counted as new spells, each of her three jumps can potentially grant her three stacks, meaning Spirit
Rush can bring her from zero stacks to having Soul Eater fully charged for her next spell.
Champion Notes & Countering
Throughout the early and mid games, Ahri can be played as a very effective assassin. Though she doesn't
have the movement speed of other assassins, her ultimate is up frequently and gives her mobility that is
nearly impossible to get away from without hard crowd controls.
Her ability power ratios are very low on a per-hit basis, meaning each shot of damage from her spells do
not scale up well throughout the game. This is largely offset by the sheer number of individual hits she
can get off, including two on every target from Orb of Deception, three from Fox-Fire, one from Charm,
and up to nine from Spirit Rush. Both her Orb of Deception and Fox-Fire have very short cooldowns.
However, it does still lag behind in the later game when against a single target, as both the Fox-Fire and
Spirit Rush damage is decreased against a single target. For this reason, Ahri may transition towards the
role of an AP bruiser or ranged nuker in the mid and late game unless she has had an extremely strong
early game.
Ahri's main weakness throughout the game, but especially in mid and late game team fights, is in her
Spirit Rush. Because there's a slight delay before the ability can be cast again, there is an opportunity for
a team to crowd control her before she can move away. Even a single crowd control can be enough time
to kill Ahri if the team focus fires.
For Ahri, this means she may not choose to use Spirit Rush to get into the middle of a fight, but may
instead skirt around the outside of a battle. And because of her Fox-Fire, Charm, and Spirit Rush hitting
her nearest enemy, she can often be countered by putting someone between her and the team that can
easily survive her damage or harass her out. For example, an equally farmed Volibear can form a wall
that will prevent anything but her Orb of Deception from getting in the mix, while potentially chasing
her entirely out of the fight or at least forcing her to use Charm against him.
It goes without saying that the best possible time to kill her is while Spirit Rush is on cooldown. Watch
for any opportunities to do this. Champions that can survive her burst are generally strong against her,
especially those with gap closers or crowd controls. Because she's a relatively slow champion, she is easy
to chase down while Spirit Rush is on cooldown. If you're chasing Ahri, try to juke an incoming Charm
shot, as the slow can prevent you from catching up.
Against teams with strong gap closers and chasers, it can be in Ahri's interest to save Spirit Rush
specifically for the end of team fights, where she can use it either to help clean up or, if necessary, as an
escape mechanism.
During the early game, the first thing you should do when potentially laning against Ahri is purchase
boots. Staying mobile to avoid her Orb of Deception dramatically reduces her ability to harass prior to
level 6. Additionally, keeping minions between you and her, or keeping your distance, is a good idea to
prevent Charm from landing on you.
Ahri is difficult to harass if she has boots, and it can be very dangerous to do so near a tower with Charm
available. Charm is good at pulling players near her tower, and can also be used to keep a player from
getting under their tower. On this note, ganks from any jungler or roamer with hard crowd controls or
strong slows can also make it virtually impossible to avoid a follow-up Charm, ensuring the kill.
Do everything you can to avoid being harassed to low health during the early game. If you're against her,
are at low health, and she is about to reach level 6, go back and heal. Always assume she will attempt to
kill you as soon as you're at low health once she's level 6.
A single successful Charm may be a death sentence to players who aren't at full health, as she can land a
devastating Orb of Deception and Fox-Fire attack on you during it. If she didn't use Spirit Rush to land
the charm, she may use it during the Charm to increase damage or immediately afterward to stay in
range for another Orb and Fox-Fire attack as you flee.
Don't check bushes if Ahri is not accounted for. Her Charm has a long enough distance that it can easily
trap you from the far end of a bush without your warning. By virtue of being in a bush, this generally
also means she has a clear shot for her Orb of Deception and can get in range for her Fox-Fire.
Overextending is always bad, but it's especially bad when you've left your rear open to a skillshot charm.
Ahri can move extremely quickly across an area of the map and performs her best with a clear Charm
shot on a player who didn't see her until she blinked in range to make the shot.
It's also generally true that Ahri can use her ultimate to get a clear shot for charm, no matter what the
situation is. The only good time to use Flash during this is when she fires her Charm, but she may not use
it after her first jump, and you won't necessarily be able to guess when she will. Your only other option
is to flash immediately once she's used Spirit Rush three times in total, or attempt a blind flash in a
possibly good direction if another jump will kill you.
Ahri is an exceptionally good ganker and roamer at level 6, as her ultimate will be available often. Spirit
Rush makes her a strong tower diver, and her mobility also lets her easily chase down low health
opponents deep into their lane. Save any crowd controls and be ready to use them immediately if she's
not accounted for and you're backing.
If Ahri may not be able to reach a fight in time to net a kill or save a teammate, she may use flash to help
get in range with her ultimate. By using flash before her ultimate rather than after, she risks wasting the
cooldown, but potentially gains more damage to secure a kill by getting an extra shot of damage on her
opponents with Spirit Rush.
Watch out for Ahri at both Baron and Dragon, and make sure the outer walls are warded or you
otherwise have Ahri accounted for. She is able to jump over the wall and harass or attempt to steal the
kill, then easily get back out unless crowd control is immediately applied to her.
Because her Orb of Deception can hit either Baron or Dragon from an outer wall, she may attempt to
steal the buffs without risking a counterattack. For Dragon, make sure he is pulled out to the river to
keep him out of range.
Thanks for watching this Don't Feed! Be sure to subscribe with the button on the upper right, and check
out the companion build guide with Ahri's Runes, Masteries, Items and Skills as it comes out by clicking
the moviethumbnail to the right.
You can also check out my previous movie in this series, "Don't Feed Nunu," by clicking the movie
thumbnail in the bottom right.
As always, check the movie information box below for general thoughts and series updates, and let your
friends know about this series to help promote it in the League of Legends community. Also, make a
post on the official League of Legends forum thread, linked below, if you really enjoy the series!
Don’t Feed Amumu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qh3yle16m-U
Champion Notes
For as long as I've been playing, Amumu has been

considered one of the strongest champions in the league
for his ability to affect the outcome of games, and is
frequently banned in ranked matches. He's my favorite
tank/initiator, though I do like a few others as well (Galio,
Maokai, and Leona, haven't played many other tanks yet).
Introduction
Amumu is a tank who has very strong team fight initiation

and sustained AOE magic damage.
Cursed Touch (Passive)
Amumu's attacks reduce the target's Magic Resistance for a short duration.
Amumu's passive is Cursed Touch, causing his normal melee attacks to debuff the target for 4 seconds
with up to 35 reduced magic resistance. This does not stack, but follow-up attacks by Amumu will
refresh the timer. Cursed Touch will apply through spell shields and any other shields.
Bandage Toss (Q)
Amumu tosses a sticky bandage at a target, stunning and damaging the target while he pulls
himself to them.
Amumu's bandage toss is a skill-shot throw ability that hits the first enemy target in a line, stunning
them and dealing magic damage. Additionally, Amumu will pull himself to the target he hits.
The stun can be very effective when chasing a fleeing opponent, as it prevents them from running
temporarily while the team can catch up. Since this also pulls Amumu in range, getting in range can be
enough to secure a kill due to his AOE damage.
It can also be very effective at protecting allies who are fleeing, as the stun can be used against chasing
opponents to buy time. The chasing enemy will then have to choose between continuing to chase an
opponent who is even farther away, attacking Amumu and taking his AOE damage, or retreating.
Bandage Toss can be useful in stopping enemies during channeled abilities and breaking ability combos.
If you're going against a team with Amumu, it's important to remember that his stun can be used in
melee range just as effectively. If you need to use a channeled ability, stay behind teammates or allied
minions during a team fight. If you're against him during laning, try to keep minions between you and
him to prevent a successful bandage toss, and make sure you stay unpredictable so he can't easily lead a
shot on you.
Despair (W)
Overcome by anguish, nearby enemies lose a percentage of their maximum health each
second.
Amumu's Despair is a toggled aura that deals base damage plus up to 2.7% his opponent's maximum
health per second, without any ability power.
Despair is the first if his strong AOE skills. As long as he can stay in range of members of an enemy team,
he can maintain damage on them. This is frequently useful in making sure that low-health opponents
cannot safely flee unless they have strong escape mechanisms.
This ability has a high mana upkeep and makes it difficult for Amumu to sustain himself over long
periods of time. However, if Amumu can acquire the blue buff on summoner's reach, he can run the
aura indefinitely.
Despair will deal damage to stealthed opponents. Additionally, silencing Amumu will not stop the aura if
it is currently running.
Tantrum (E)
Permanently reduces the physical damage Amumu would take. Amumu can unleash his rage,
dealing damage to surrounding enemies. Each time Amumu is hit, the cooldown on tantrum is reduced
by 0.5 seconds.
Amumu's Tantrum passively decreases incoming physical damage by up to 10. Additionally, he can
activate the ability to deal significant AOE damage around him. The activated portion of the ability has
its cooldown reduced by 0.5 seconds for every normal attack he receives.
Tantrum is very significant damage, especially in the early and mid game, and especially if Amumu is
ahead in gearing. If you or your teammates are near Amumu and you aren't guaranteed a safe kill on
him, do not use normal attacks against. Tantrum can wreck unprepared players.
Tantrum makes Amumu a very strong jungler, at least in terms of efficiently taking out monsters.
Because he takes less damage on every incoming attack, he can sustain himself well in the jungle.
Because the cooldown of Tantrum also reduces with every attack, most of the camps will benefit from
rapid use of Tantrum. Combined with Despair, Amumu can quickly clear a jungle.
However, Amumu is also a very vulnerable jungler, and he needs a team who can regularly watch out for
him if he is against an enemy champion who can potentially harass him in the jungle. Amumu does not
have very strong escapes and only limited single-target damage. If playing against a jungling Amumu,
look for opportunities to harass him in the jungle.
Curse of the Sad Mummy (Ultimate)
Amumu entangles surrounding enemy units in bandages, damaging them and rendering them
unable to attack or move.
Amumu's ultimate is Curse of the Sad Mummy, which immobilizes all targets within a medium range of
him and prevents them from using normal attacks for 2 seconds.
Curse of the Sad Mummy is a devastating initiation tool. Combined with bandage toss or flash, it is an
extremely powerful initiation tool that can change the course of many team fights. Additionally, it buys
Amumu a short period of time where he can use his AOE and auto-attack to soften targets around him
after using it. Finally, if Amumu used Flash to move in range, he may use his bandage toss at the end of
the Curse to keep a single opponent locked down even further.
If playing against an Amumu, avoid staying tightly clumped with other teammates. Additionally, be very
careful when you don't see Amumu, as he may be in a nearby bush or other area out of vision waiting
for a good opportunity to move in.
Curse of the Mummy can also be used in small skirmishes, as it can be effective in preventing a player
from escaping. And in a pinch, Amumu can use it to help him and his teammates escape as well.
If going against an Amumu, don't forget that Curse is not a stun and you can use abilities while
immobilized by his ultimate. Galio, for instance, can use his Idol of Durand AOE Taunt while inside Curse,
negating much of the advantage of the Curse.
Countering & Champion Notes
Like other tanks, Amumu is not usually going to be the most threatening player on a team once a fight
has begun. However, he does dish out a lot of damage and can disrupt a team even after he uses his
ultimate. While you should try to avoid focusing him down in team fights, it's also important that you
don't let him damage too many players on your team at a time, and, when possible, make it difficult for
him to land bandage tosses on key players.
As mentioned earlier, an Amumu is very vulnerable in the jungle. Take advantage of this by warding his
blue buff and moving in immediately when he goes for it. He usually won't gank before level 4, and
won't have a strong gank until level 6. However, he's still a fine jungler due to his relative speed in the
jungle and his ability to earn money there without costing other teammates.
Don’t Feed Ashe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6lER4xGiB0
Champion Notes
I enjoy Ashe a lot. She's a fairly straightforward champion

but her gameplay places tons of emphasis on not screwing
up, even a little bit.
In my opinion, Ashe really suffers in the current

environment due to the number of champions with gap
closers and high burst, and this is even more true with
each new champion they release. Even a couple months
ago I didn't have as frustrating a time w/ her as I am some
games now. When I say in the video that it all comes down
to your team (and your own positioning), I mean that
moreso than I have with other champions I've covered
recently. Yes, she can keep people slowed, yes, she has her
Enchanted Crystal Arrow in a pinch, but sometimes you'll
just be screwed if opponents can walk past all of your
teammates. I would *not* recommend her against serious
opponents unless you're confident in your knowledge of most of the dynamics in League of Legends.
That said, she's extremely good. In a couple days of playing I managed to pull off a pentakill, quadra kill,
several triple kills, a couple baron steals and a lot of buff steals. The Crystal Arrow is fantastic, but I also
should have emphasized that Hawk Shot is really a game changer, too, and gives her a utility that makes
her very valuable in a good team.
Build Recommendations
As far as builds, I usually started with boots and 3 health potions, or Doran's with an early return to base
for boots and health pots (using teleport early). Infinity Edge is an absolute must; you may not always be
able to rush it, but it is a core item and you should absolutely have it as soon as you can reasonably put
it together. Boots -- Berserker Greaves, Merc Treads (if necessary), or the +3 movespeed boots; I know
people dog on those a lot but every little bit counts. Defensive items were iffy -- if people can regularly
reach you, chances are you're totally screwed anyway. I did pick up Banshees a few games. There's a lot
of discussion about Zeal and how quickly to get it (if ever), as well as Last Whisper, and I found I
preferred IE first, LW second, finished boots third, and zeal fourth, if I could.
Introduction
Ashe is a ranged, high physical damage champion.
Focus (Passive)
While out of combat, Ashe's Critical Strike chance increases every 3 seconds for her next
attack.
Ashe's passive is Focus. This increases her chance to critically strike by a percentage every 3 seconds. At
level 1, this provides 3% critical strike chance every 3 seconds, culminating in 18% every 3 seconds at
endgame.
This bonus stacks. For this reason, Ashe will begin many encounters with at least one guaranteed critical
strike, and will critically strike more frequently than most other champions. Focus will help Ashe in early
and mid game minion farming as well.
Frost Shot (Q)
While active, each of Ashe's basic attacks slow her targets. This drains Mana with each attack.
Ashe's Frost Shot causes her normal attacks to slow their target by up to 35%. This can be very effective
both at chasing down players who are running away, as well as keeping close range attackers at a
distance while she is moving away.
This costs mana per each normal attack, and if Ashe keeps it active when she does not need the slow,
she will rapidly deplete her mana reserve. Ashe may prefer only to use Frost Shot in specific situations
where the benefit is nearly certain to help acquire a kill or keep her or a teammate alive.
Volley (W)
Ashe fires 7 arrows in a cone for increased damage. Volley also applies Ashe's current level of
Frost Shot.
Ashe's Volley fires 7 arrows in a cone, dealing a base amount of physical damage plus bonus damage
equal to her attack damage. Additionally, any targets hit by Volley also have Ashe's current rank of Frost
Shot applied to them, slowing them.
Volley begins with the very long cooldown of 20 seconds, but reduces down to 4 seconds by the final
rank. At max rank, Volley can be used very frequently for strong area damage. It is also very effective at
farming minions.
Hawk Shot (E)
Each time Ashe kills a unit, she gains some extra gold. Ashe can activate to send her Hawk
Spirit on a scouting mission.
Ashe's Hawk Shot passively increases the gold she earns from last hitting enemy units by up to 5.
Additionally, she can activate to fire a shot that grants vision over a large area for 5 seconds.
The vision granted from Hawk Shot does not detect stealthed units but it does give sight to bushes in the
affected area.
Hawk Shot initially has a short range that allows her to see in potential gank spots near her lane but not
too much further. Higher ranks have a massively increased range and can be used for strong scouting in
preparation for team fights or escapes.
Hawk Shot has a very long cooldown, and this cooldown does not decrease with higher ranks.
During skirmishes, Ashe may fire Hawk Shot before an enemy enters a bush to ensure her and her
teammates do not briefly lose target on the opponent.
Enchanted Crystal Arrow (Ultimate)
Ashe fires a missile of ice in a straight line. If the arrow collides with an enemy Champion, it
deals damage and stuns the Champion for up to 3.5 seconds, based on how far the arrow has traveled. In
addition, surrounding enemy units take damage and are slowed.
Ashe's ultimate is Enchanted Crystal Arrow, a massive skill shot arrow that is fired in a line and will travel
across the map until it hits a target. This arrow ignores all unit collision and will only hit champions.
The champion that is hit by the Enchanted Crystal Arrow is stunned, takes magic damage, and is slowed
by 50% for 3 seconds. The duration of the stun is increased by the distance the arrow has traveled
before landing, maxing out at 3.5 seconds.
Additionally, all champions near the target take half the damage and are also slowed by 50% for 3
seconds.
While Ashe is a respectable carry in her own right, Enchanted Crystal Arrow is what sets her apart as a
very strong addition to most teams. If it lands in an ideal spot, it is one of the best initiations in the
game. This is true both in the early game, where she can fire either to her lane or across the map to any
other lane, and in mid game and especially late game, where a well placed arrow can decisively change
the beginning and outcome of a fight.
Enchanted Crystal Arrow is also a good escape mechanism if she is being chased. While the stun
duration isn't as long when fired nearby, it can stop most aggressors, especially those who attempt to
tower dive.
Followed up with frost shot to keep opponents in range, Ashe can kill many opponents who attempt to
flee.
Enchanted Crystal Arrow has a variety of uses for sniping kills or buffs. Since the AOE damage hits all
enemy targets, it can kill minions such as the blue golem, red lizard, dragon, or baron.
Though Riot has marked her as a recommended champion, Ashe is extremely dependent on her team in
competitive play due to her limited escape options and her need for farm. There are very few
champions Ashe can go toe to toe with in a 1v1 situation before she has a significant item investment.
Countering Ashe primarily involves getting past her team. As a ranged carry, she does best by
positioning herself out of reach of opponents and making herself hard to reach. Assassins with strong
gap closers are best suited to reaching her and bursting her down during a team fight, though nearly
anyone else who can reach her will be effective against her.
Don't underestimate Ashe's AOE damage in team fights. Volley is essentially a spammable AOE that can
quickly turn the tide of a fight while also preventing easy escapes from those affected by the slowing
debuff.
Ashe is an incredible farmer, especially at late game. If you can knock her farm down in the early game,
especially to a point where she cannot acquire Infinity Edge quickly, it will benefit your team.
Keep an eye on her mana. Ashe players who are less familiar with her will quickly run out of mana by
accidentally leaving Frost Shot active too long. Even so, Ashe does have a limited mana pool, and may
not be able to use many abilities after extended team skirmishes.
If you see Ashe backing away from the minions in a lane any time after she hits 6, assume she is
checking the map and potentially firing an Enchanted Crystal Arrow towards an opponent. This can
sometimes be an ideal time to attack, as she may be distracted.
Watch out for an Ashe with the Teleport summoner ability. If Enchanted Crystal Arrow lands from across
the map and she has a nearby allied unit, she can teleport directly to the target while they are stunned
and follow it up with other attacks.
Don’t Feed Caitlyn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqn1nXcYihg
Champion Notes
Caitlyn is a very straightforward champion in terms of what

she does and how she works (with a few small caveats on
her Ace in the Hole mechanics). If you've practiced as an
AD carry, it's not too difficult to pick her up, though paying
attention to using bushes and trap placement will have a
big impact on her success.
I took out a section in the champion notes that I wasn't

totally confident in, but I'll put it here: Sivir seems to be a
very strong laner against Caitlyn, not necessarily because
she can completely shut down Caitlyn, but because she can
completely ignore her. All of Caitlyn's abilities are easy to
spell shield, and traps are mana cupcakes for Sivir. The only
reason I didn't leave it in the movie is because there is still
a base range difference, and Sivir overcomes that only by
smart use of her Boomerang and Ricochet.
Standard ranged AD setup. Runes are Armor Pen/Flat Damage for reds and quints, along with flat Armor
and Magic Resist in yellow and blue. 21/9/0 or 21/0/9, with an emphasis on all physical damage in
offensive. Exhaust/Flash are always solid bets. Skill order is flexible on your situation, but Piltover
Peacemaker loses its value later in the game compared to simply auto-attacking, so maxing it first can
give it more time to shine.
Infinity Edge is always a good bet. Bloodthirsters, Zeal/Phantom Dancers, Attack Speed/Merc
Treads/Ninja Tabi for boots.Again, standard ranged AD items based on your situation (Last Whisper if
they're stacking armor).
Introduction
Caitlyn is a long-range physical damage champion with strong single target damage.
Caitlyn has a slower base movement speed of 300, putting her on par with several other ranged carry
champions. Her normal attack range is 650, the highest currently in the League at early levels. Her
projectile speed is extremely fast, allowing for easier last hitting in lane.
Headshot (Passive)
Every few basic attacks, Caitlyn will fire a headshot dealing 150% damage to a champion or
250% damage to a minion.
Caitlyn's passive is Headshot. Caitlyn gains a stacking buff every time she uses a normal attack. Once she
has several stacks she gains the Headshot buff, causing her next normal attack to deal significantly more
damage.
Headshot makes a clear sound when the buff is gained, and a clear shrapnel animation persists around
Caitlyn until it is consumed.
Headshot procs deal more damage to minions than champions, though the damage bonus is significant
in both cases.
Caitlyn gains two stacks instead of one every time she attacks from within a bush. If her next Headshot
proc only requires one more stack and she fires from a bush, that shot will be a headshot.
While attacking structures, Caitlyn gains Headshot stacks but will not consume the Headshot buff.
Headshot will not be consumed while Caitlyn is silenced. Because it affects a normal attack, Headshot is
not consumed by spell shields.
While Headshots can critically strike, the bonus damage from Headshot is only applied to Caitlyn's base
damage, not to any bonus damage from the critical strike.
Piltover Peacemaker (Q)
Caitlyn revs up her rifle for 1 second to unleash a penetrating shot that deals physical damage
(deals less damage to subsequent targets).
Caitlyn's Piltover Peacemaker is a line skillshot that deals physical damage. This will hit all enemies in its
path, though it deals less damage after each enemy it hits in its path, down to a minimum of 40% of the
ability's damage.
Once the ability has been activated, it cannot be canceled, even if Caitlyn is stunned while casting.
This ability has a clear cast time and animation that allows enemies to more easily dodge it.
Yordle Snap Trap (W)
Caitlyn sets a trap to find sneaky yordles. When sprung, the trap immobilizes the champion,
reveals them for a short duration, and deals magic damage over 1.5 seconds.
Caitlyn's Yordle Snap Trap is a trap placed at any nearby location and remains active for several minutes.
If an enemy walks over this trap they take magic damage and are briefly immobilized. Additionally,
Caitlyn's team is granted vision on the affected player for a relatively long duration.
When cast, Yordle Snap Trap briefly grants vision in a very small area around it. The trap has a very brief
setup time before it becomes functional.
Caitlyn's traps are visible to enemies while in sight, and will appear on the mini-map. If inside a bush that
enemies don't have vision on, the trap is not visible.
Only 3 traps can be active at a time. If there are already 3 traps active on the map when a new trap is
placed, the oldest trap will be removed.
90 Caliber Net (E)
Caitlyn fires a heavy net to slow her target. The recoil knocks Caitlyn back.
Caitlyn's 90 Caliber Net is a line skillshot that deals magic damage and briefly slows an enemy hit by it.
Additionally, Caitlyn is knocked back a moderate distance.
90 Caliber Net can launch Caitlyn over small walls and obstructions. The ability can be used both to get
in range of a target for a kill or as an effective escape mechanism.
Ace in the Hole (Ultimate)
Caitlyn takes time to line up the perfect shot, dealing massive damage to a single target at a
huge range. Enemy champions can intercept the bullet for their ally.
Caitlyn's ultimate is Ace in the Hole. This is a targeted ability that can be used on any champion within a
massive range. After briefly channeling, Caitlyn fires a shot that deals very high physical damage to the
target once it lands.
While the shot is preparing and firing, there is a clearly visible red line between Caitlyn and her target
and Caitlyn's team gains vision on the target. The red line indicates the exact path the projectile will
follow. If an enemy champion stands in the projectile's path, they can intercept the shot themselves and
take the damage. Clones, such as Shaco's Hallucinate, can also block the effect.
In other words, a champion quickly running into the red line can save another champion's life. By the
same token, the targeted champion running behind an ally can have the same effect.
If a target dies during the initial channeling of the ability, the ability is canceled but the full cooldown of
the ability is not applied. This is also true if Caitlyn is stunned or silenced during the channel.
Instead, Caitlyn needs only to wait a few seconds before attempting the shot again. In this situation, the
ability does cost double the mana due to casting the ability twice.
That said, if the channeling has finished and the shot has been fired, it will take the full cooldown of the
ability regardless of whether it hits its target or not. In other words, if the target is killed before the shot
lands but after the initial channeling completes, she will take the full cooldown.
Caitlyn is a very strong single-target champion, and this remains true throughout the game. Though the
role of ranged AD carry is fairly straightforward, there are a few things to keep in mind when dealing
with a Caitlyn.
First, in terms of counters, Caitlyn is a very strong early game counter to many other ranged carries,
including Vayne. Her range allows easy farm and harass and, if played well, will allow for early game
domination.
That said, in matchup between two ranged carries, Sivir is completely unthreatened by Caitlyn. Because
of the cast time on Piltover Peacemaker and Ace in the Hole, combined with Yordle Snap Traps being
visible to opponents, Sivir has no problem utilizing her spell shield in the lane to her advantage.
Additionally, Sivir can harass Caitlyn with Boomerang Blade.
Yordle Snap Traps are dangerous throughout the game, but can be especially devastating in the early
game. Because of the vision granted and the brief immobilize, they can fully stop attempted ganks. They
can also allow for an easy Piltover Peacemaker shot on a player who accidentally steps on the trap.
Though they have a wind-up time, there are several places where a trap can simply be placed under a
player and they will be affected by the trap. For instance, a trap placed under an allied Urgot as he
swaps another player into his spot will trap the affected player.
Pay attention to positioning. Caitlyn has great range on her own, but her 90 Caliber Net is not strictly a
defensive ability. It can also be used as a blink to quickly get her in range of someone who is out of her
attack range and at low health.
Once Caitlyn reaches level 6, keep positioning in mind. An Ace in the Hole is a death sentence for a low
health player, but it can be easily stopped by a more survivable champion if both players are watching
out for it. If Caitlyn moves out of vision, she may be moving into an unexpected angle for an Ace in the
Hole shot, so be prepared.
In the mid and especially late game, team fights in or near the jungle become especially dangerous
against a farmed Caitlyn. Anywhere Caitlyn can get away with staying in a bush, her sustained damage
will be significantly increased due to her passive.
Don’t Feed Fizz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clHYLLICm74
Champion Notes
Slippery Fizz. Without a doubt, the single most gratifying

thing about him is Playful/Trickster and its ability to anger
people and get you out of crazy situations. The second
most gratifying thing about him is the bleed that kills
people who think they might get away.
Fizz was enjoyable but I felt his farm in a lane was very
weak and made him very, very easy to harass. It gets
better as the game goes on, but he can really be locked
down in farm against good players or a good comp.
Jungling, on the other hand, was fantastic with him -- I
didn't get many clips of jungling games because they were
also the first games I played (i.e. the games I don't use on
new champions b/c there's not much good footage). Aside
from AP, which is most of what this movie shows, I dabbled
in AD, hybrid, and tanky DPS -- Fizz functions very well with
all of them.
I will specifically cover AP Fizz in a solo lane. As stated, he works fantastically in a variety of roles.
Runes: Magic pen reds, Armor yellows, AP blues, AP quints. I tended to go for that early burst simply
because I could so easily get away from most incoming damage.
Masteries: I went 21/9/0 with an emphasis on AP and Magic Pen in Offense. I also got 2/3 Armor and
2/3 MR, as well as the +30 health and prereq in Defense. The defensive points gave me a little more
lasting time in the lane and help offset the lack of MR from runes.
Skills: Either Playful/Trickster at level 1 if you're laning against an opponent who can easily zone/harass
you, or Seastone Trident under any other circumstance. Beyond this, get 1 point in Urchin Strike, then
always prioritize Seastone Trident, then Playful/Trickster, and save more ranks in Urchin Strike until last.
Ultimate always a priority.
Summoner Skills: Whatever you want. Flash/Ghost both have strong uses on Fizz, as does Ignite (to
really just piss people off when combined with Seastone Trident). Haven't used Surge much to know if
it's good at the expense of another ability. Cleanse is probably a good bet as it gets rid of his only real
weakness in heavy team fights. I personally tended to use Ghost or Flash in combination with Ignite.
Gear: Boots/Health Pots or Doran's first, Rod of Ages after tier 1 boots, Deathcap after this. Once you're
done with these, build whatever you feel is best against the team you're fighting (more AP, more
survivability, etc.). It was the single most effective build I found for AP Fizz. I tried lots of other things,
including my Gragas go-to of 3 Doran's Rings and Deathcap, but Fizz really benefits from the Rod of Ages
benefit due to his need to stay in range and last long enough to get back out.
Introduction
Fizz is a highly maneuverable champion with abilities that deal primarily magic damage.
Nimble Fighter (Passive)
Fizz's dexterity allows him to ignore unit collision and take less physical damage from basic
attacks.
Fizz's passive, Nimble Fighter, allows him to pass through all units without collision. In other words,
where other champions may need to path around nearby minions, monsters, or champions, Fizz can
simply walk through them.
Additionally, Nimble Fighter reduces incoming damage from auto-attacks by a small, flat amount.
Urchin Strike (Q)
Fizz strikes his target and runs them through, dealing magic damage and applying on hit
effects.
Fizz's Urchin Strike is a targeted ability that causes Fizz to dash a set distance. This can only be activated
once he is within a range where the dash will definitely hit his target; however, if he is any closer than
max range, he will travel past the target until he reaches the full distance of the ability.
Urchin Strike deals his attack damage to the target, in addition to bonus magic damage. It also applies
on-hit effects.
Urchin Strike is an excellent gap closer against targets who are at a distance. It can also be an excellent
escape mechanism against targets who are in melee range, especially if Fizz can position himself to
travel in a beneficial direction.
In regards to passing over walls, Urchin Strike has a specific tweak. The ability will pass over walls if he
has not reached his target yet; however, if he has already reached his target and still has more distance
on the dash, the dash will no longer go over walls.
In tight areas, this can be used to his advantage by allowing him additional burst without putting him out
of range of his target.
Seastone Trident (W)
Fizz's Trident causes rending wounds in his opponents, dealing magic damage to the target
based on their missing health.
Fizz's Seastone Trident passively causes his normal melee attacks to bleed for additional magic damage
over 3 seconds. The magic damage dealt is equal to base damage plus a percentage of the target's
missing health; in other words, the damage dealt is significantly more powerful against a target at low
health.
If he strikes a target that currently has the bleed effect applied, he will refresh the duration.
Every tick of damage dealt is calculated on it's own; in other words, if a target has high health when the
bleed effect starts, but rapidly loses health, the bleed will deal more damage with later ticks.
The passive component of Seastone Trident is excellent for harassing or sustained combat, as well as
netting kills on fleeing opponents. Since Urchin Strike applies on-hit effects, Fizz can land this bleed on a
low-health opponent by using Urchin Strike, helping to ensure a kill.
When Seastone Trident is activated, Fizz's normal melee attacks deal additional bonus magic damage
on-hit and temporarily debuff the target with grievous wounds, reducing healing on them by 50%.
The active component is excellent for last hitting minions during the laning phase. It's also excellent for
providing burst on enemy champions. In some cases, he may wish to save the active component for
opponents who reach low health and may attempt to heal themselves to prevent death.
Both the passive and active effects of Seastone Trident, combined with the passive damage reduction
Fizz receives from Nimble Fighter, give Fizz excellent jungling speed.
Playful/Trickster (E)
Fizz hops into the air, landing gracefully upon his spear becoming untargetable. From this
position, Fizz can either slam the ground or choose to jump again before smashing back down.
Fizz's Playful/Trickster ability combo vaults Fizz into the air at a nearby location, temporarily making him
untargetable.
While in the air there is a half-second window where Fizz can activate the ability again to launch himself
a little farther in any direction, dealing damage to nearby enemies when he lands.
If Fizz does not activate the ability again, he will drop to the ground beneath him, damaging enemies but
also slowing them.
When Fizz vaults himself into the air, anything currently targeting him is canceled. This includes spells
that are in-flight towards him, as well as normal attacks. If timed well, Fizz is extremely good at avoiding
harassment spells, such as stuns that must travel towards him. While in the air, skillshots passing
through him will also not land on him. If Fizz is chasing an opponent, avoiding critical crowd controls can
secure a kill.
Vaulting will also stop incoming tower attacks. This can allow Fizz to effectively tower dive or harass
players under a tower. Because of the bleed from Seastone Trident, Fizz may need to briefly pause
before activating Playful/Trickster under a tower so a tick of the bleed will not cause the tower to
immediately retarget him.
Playful/Trickster is excellent at covering distance. However, because maximum distance has two smaller
hops, it is limited to jumping over smaller walls that the individual hops can handle.
Combined with the Urchin Strike dash, this ability gives Fizz enormous mobility. The ability can be used
to help Fizz get in range of a distant or fleeing opponent to use Urchin Strike, and can also be used to
immediately dash away from a target he hits with Urchin Strike.
While the damage of Playful/Trickster increases with each rank, the relative power of the ability remains
the same at all ranks. Higher ranks dramatically reduce the cooldown of the ability, though, and it can be
used several times in team fights at later ranks.
Playful/Trickster can be a good farming ability at later ranks if Fizz has built ability power. The AOE will
kill caster minions and deal significant damage to other minions.
Chum the Waters (Ultimate)
Fizz unleashes a magical fish that latches onto enemies or hovers over terrain, slowing
champions if it is latched on to them. After a brief delay, a shark erupts from beneath the earth, dealing
damage to enemies around the fish and knocking them aside.
Fizz's Chum the Waters is a long-range skillshot that fires at a champion or location. After 1.5 seconds, a
shark comes out of the earth, dealing magic damage to all nearby enemies, knocking up an enemy if the
fish is attached to them, knocking back other nearby enemies, and slowing all affected enemies by a
significant amount.
Getting into more detail on the mechanics, Fizz fires the fish towards a target location. If the fish comes
close to any enemy champion in its path, it attaches to them. Otherwise, it will reach it's location and
leave a circle on the ground. Even if the fish has stopped on a location, it will still attach to any player
who runs over it before the shark comes. The player the fish is attached to is slowed.
Vision is granted to the area around the fish, allowing it to see in bushes or other hidden areas. As the
shark comes out, a much larger area of vision is briefly granted, and this is not obstructed by barriers.
A fish in a bush is not visible to anyone outside the bush, even when the aura extends significantly
outside the bush. Additionally, there can be a delay before a fish fired from a bush is visible to enemy
champions who don't have vision inside the bush.
Chum the Waters is a high-damage ability that can significantly alter skirmishes and team fights. Though
it can be used immediately at the start of a fight, it is often best saved for key moments where it can
best disrupt a team.
The slow is strong, and the relatively quick cast on the ability is great at disrupting players that are either
attempting to flee or chasing your own teammates.
Chum the Waters is very effective in tight areas, especially in the jungle, as it's much harder to avoid and
can potentially affect more players. It is also fantastic when used after disabling abilities and ultimates
from other champions.
Fizz can be built and played effectively in a number of different ways. While his abilities suggest building
him as an AP caster, he can also be effective as an AD champion; this is in part due to his effective gap
closers and his Seastone Trident damage buff. His Urchin Strike also benefits directly from his attack
damage as it will deal the physical damage as well as any on-hit effects. Watch what he's building to get
an idea how to counter him.
Fizz is very effective in a solo lane, especially against a champion who has abilities with travel time that
he can avoid with Playful/Trickster. He works in a duo lane as well. That said, he has excellent jungling
capabilities on top of all of this. If he jungles, he may prefer to wait until at least level 3 or 4 before
ganking due to the benefit of having all of his active abilities ready.
Countering Fizz comes down to harassment and crowd control. In the early game, Fizz will have extreme
difficulty farming if he is constantly harassed from a range. While Playful/Trickster can help him, it has a
long cooldown and high mana cost in the early game.
Slows are not too effective against Fizz as his abilities still allow him to get a strong distance between
himself and his opponents. However, hard crowd controls are very effective, and he has no recourse
against them unless he has built tanky.
Don't ignore his burst potential, though. If he and his teammates have taken off a significant chunk of
your health, he may be able to jump in and quickly finish you off, either immediately or over time with
his Seastone Trident bleed.
Chasing Fizz is not always a good idea, especially if you can't account for his teammates. Only ever chase
him if you are absolutely sure you can net the kill on him or you know there won't be any serious risk in
attempting to. Keep in mind that Fizz can use his cooldowns as they come up to quickly deal burst
damage and apply his bleed while still avoiding a lot of incoming damage, so long chases can be to his
advantage.
Don’t Feed Gangplank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrlu-JdyO8k
Champion Notes
YARRRR! Very strong burst and a fairly interesting

champion. He's getting his Raise Morale nerfed today, but
it shouldn't be a huge deal. My games with him generally
started very well, tapered off mid-game depending on how
bursty my opponents were, then became very strong in the
late game; this may mean I need to adjust the item builds
I'm working with for a little more health and survivability
sooner. Either way, he's a beast of a champion.
Introduction
Gangplank is a melee champion with powerful ranged

burst damage. He deals primarily physical damage.
Grog-Soaked Blade (Passive)
Gangplank's basic attacks and Parrrley apply a poison that deals magic damage each second
and slows movement speed. Lasts 3 seconds and stacks up to 3 times.
Gangplank's passive is Grog-Soaked Blade, which causes his attacks to deal a small amount of additional
magic damage each second over 3 seconds and slow the target by 7%.
Grog-Soaked Blade can stack up to 3 times, increasing both the damage and the slow, and the cooldown
is refreshed by additional attacks. If Gangplank is able to stay in melee range of a target and continue
attacking them, he can keep them perpetually slowed.
While Gangplank is quite capable in a lane, Grog-Soaked Blade is an excellent addition to his early
jungling potential if he chooses to jungle. This is because he can keep his additional damage rolling on
the higher-health targets and kill them much more quickly than normal.
Parrrley (Q)
Gangplank takes aim and shoots an enemy unit with his pistol. If he kills it, he gains extra
gold.
Gangplank's Parrrley is a single, ranged shot on a very short cooldown. This ability deals a base amount
of physical damage plus additional damage equal to his normal attack damage. When he kills a target
with this ability, he gains up to 8 bonus gold.
Though Gangplank's normal attacks are melee range, this ability is mechanically similar to an auto-
attack. It will apply his Grog Soaked Blade passive and can critically strike. It gains bonus damage from
Sheen. Finally, it is affected by items like Thornmail and benefits from Lifesteal. However, Parrrley
cannot be dodged and is not prevented by blinds, and is blocked by both Banshee's Veil and Pantheon's
Aegis Protection.
Parrley offers incredible burst damage and can be used to effectively harass or kill targets throughout
the game. If Gangplank cannot safely get in melee range of a fight, he can still make effective use of
Parrley.
Since Parrley applies Grog Soaked Blade, it is a good precursor to a gank.
Because of the bonus gold, Parrrley is always very strong for farming, and places Gangplank in the top
tier of champions in terms of gold potential.
Remove Scurvy (W)
Consumes a large quantity of citrus fruit which clears any crowd control effects on him and
heals him.
Gangplank's Remove Scurvy heals him and removes most types of crowd control effects on him,
including Supression effects.
It will not stop knockups, knockbacks, or pull abilities.
Remove Scurvy is simple in concept, but it is a signature ability that makes him very hard to effectively
lock down. Due to a relatively long cooldown, the best counter to Remove Scurvy is having a crowd
control ability on reserve until he activates it. Alternatively, using refreshing AOEs such as a slowing AOE
on the ground or Ashe's Frost Shot.
Raise Morale (E)
Gangplank fires a shot into the air, increasing nearby allied champions' increased attack
damage and movement speed.
Gangplank's Raise Morale passively increases his Attack Damage and Movement Speed. When activated,
Raise Morale grants substantially higher Attack Damage and Movement speed for several seconds, while
also granting half the effect to nearby allied champions.
Though the passive effect is technically disabled during the active, there is no additional downtime
associated with activating it, and it is effectively always a buff to use the active when it is available.
Gangplank may use this to help push towers, both solo and when teammates are around. Additionally, it
is very useful at all stages of solo and team fights, and especially useful to chase down fleeing opponents
if a fight turns in his favor. This ability should also be used when jungling and when it can benefit lane
harassment.
In a pinch, Gangplank can use Remove Scurvy to clear crowd controls and Raise Morale to quickly get
away from a bad situation. Combined with Ghost, this can be even more effective.
Cannon Barrage (Ultimate)
Gangplank signals his ship to fire upon an area for 6 seconds, slowing enemies and dealing
random damage in the area.
Gangplank's ultimate is Cannon Barrage, a large area of effect ability that slows all enemies within it and
randomly drops cannonballs throughout the effect that deal damage on impact. This ability can be used
on any location in the game map, regardless of Gangplank's current location.
Cannon Barrage can be used to very effectively ensure kills for his teammates when team fights are
occurring in the early and mid game. Alternatively, it can be used to help his teammates get away from
otherwise-assured death.
If an enemy champion at low health flees beyond the range of him or any of his allies, Cannon Barrage
can be used to kill them. Alternatively, it can be very effective at cutting off an escape they may be
using, forcing them to choose between taking the damage and slow or attempting to come back
towards their enemies.
In team fights, Cannon Barrage can be used to provide additional damage in a stationary fight or force
movement on the part of the team taking damage. If used once Gangplank's enemies are low, it can
help prevent them from escaping while helping to net kills.
Cannon Barrage is excellent at providing assists and potentially kills for fights he is not otherwise
involved in. Since it can also quickly clear out minions, it can provide additional gold in lane fights or
remove minion protection from his opponents.
Gangplank has flexibility and the ability to stay at a range and offer support to his team at a distance if
he has fallen behind in a game or if he simply cannot survive the melee pressure from an enemy team.
However, he is still best used when he can provide these benefits to his team and stay in a team fight. If
against Gangplank, put pressure on him when he enters the fight.
Never underestimate the potential damage of Parrrley. It has enormous burst potential and can be used
to annhilate opponents who are at low health. In the early game, a lucky crit with Parrley can kill you
even when you think you're safe.
When fighting Gangplank, avoid relying on crowd control to net the kill. He'll just eat some oranges and
be k.
Don’t Feed Garen
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dG0SjvGqHQA
Champion Notes
I tried out Garen as tank, off-tank, and carry. I found off-

tank and carry to be most effective, since he could be
ignored pretty well if he built full tank (and using my ult to
net kills would sometimes be bad for the team since our
carries could use the gold). I look at several guides on
mobafire and solomid and the wiki when researching these
champions, and I have to say that the top rated crit guide
on Mobafire was the most enjoyable (I won't speak to the
effectiveness in high elo games).
Introduction
Garen is a fast, survivable melee champion. He deals

primarily physical damage, though he has one high-
damage magic ability. He does not use any resources to
cast abilities and is only limited in ability usage by his cooldowns.
Perseverance (Passive)
Garen will regenerate .5% of his maximum health per second after not receiving damage for 7
seconds.
Garen's passive causes him regenerate a half percent of health per second once he has not taken
damage for 7 seconds. This allows Garen to sustain himself for long periods of time in a lane by simply
stepping back to recover health more quickly. If Garen is regenerating health nearby, ranged attacks and
harassment can stop his passive.
Decisive Strike (Q)
Garen's next attack strikes a vital area of his foe, dealing bonus damage and silencing them.
Garen's Decisive Strike increases his movement speed for 4 seconds and causes his next melee attack
within 6 seconds to deal additional damage and silence the target for 2.5 seconds.
This ability also resets Garen's swing timer, which means that he can activate this ability immediately
after an auto-attack for added burst damage.
Decisive Strike is an excellent initiation tool due to the strong silence and the speed boost. Garen can
use the speed either to get in range of an opponent, or to stay in range of an opponent he's already
near. The silence, while being helpful for a variety of reasons, also prevents an opponent from using
flash or other blink abilities to escape.
Decisive Strike can be used against structures. Due to the relatively high damage output of the ability,
Garen can deal substantial burst damage against undefended towers.
Courage (W)
Garen's kills increase his armor and magic resistance. He may also activate this ability to give
himself a damage-reducing shield.
Garen's Courage ability passively increases his armor and magic resistance by 0.5 every time he kills an
enemy unit. This bonus caps at 25 Armor and magic resistance.
When activated, Garen creates a shield that reduces all incoming damage by up to 36% for 3 seconds.
This can allow him to safely initiate some fights or stay in combat, and can help with surviving tower
hits.
Judgment (E)
Garen performs a dance of death with his sword, dealing damage around him for 3 seconds,
and reducing the duration of slows by 50%. Garen removes any slow effects on him at the start of the
dance.
Garen's Judgment causes him to whirlwind, dealing high physical damage every half second for 3
seconds. Additionally, Garen will remove all slows when he begins this and any slows applied during the
whirlwind will have their duration reduced by 50%.
Each tick of damage from Whirlwind can critically strike, increasing the bonus damage the ability gains
from his attack damage; watch out for a Garen with high attack damage and critical strike chance as this
can greatly increase his damage output with Judgment. This ability deals half damage to minions, but
can still be used to very effectively farm minion groups throughout the game.
Combined with the damage reduction from activating Courage, Garen can use the slow removal of
Judgment to effectively escape. If Decisive Strike is also available, it will make it even easier for him to
get away from dangerous situations.
Garen can cancel this ability early. This ability cannot be interrupted by stuns, silences, or taunts.
Demacian Justice (Ultimate)
Garen calls upon the might of Demacia to deal a finishing blow to an enemy champion that
deals damage based upon how much life his target has missing.
Garen's ultimate is Demacian Justice. This ability deals a base amount of magic damage, plus additional
magic damage based on the amount of health his target is missing. This is a basic execute ability which is
designed to allow Garen to effectively kill targets with low health.
If you're at low health, avoid letting Garen get close to you. If you've been marked for Demacian Justice,
it is possible -- but difficult -- to avoid it by flashing or breaking line of sight immediately. As a general
rule, keep the execute in mind when deciding whether to back off in an engagement with him, as you'll
want to leave a little earlier.
Because Demacian Justice is magic damage, Garen may choose to target champions who have lower
magic resist.
Garen has a primary ability combo that makes him very dangerous. In particular, an auto-attack and
Decisive Strike can silence a player in melee range while making sure Garen can follow the target if they
flee. Followed up by Judgment, the player Garen is pursuing will take most, if not all, whirlwind damage.
And if you think about attacking him, he may also use Courage for the additional damage reduction.
While Garen can do this anywhere, players can easily move away from him if he is nearby to avoid taking
the initating decisive strike. For this reason, Garen often prefers to stay in bushes.
This brings us to the number one rule of Garen. Don't go near the bush. Any bush. Ever. Unless you can
see Garen on your mini-map, assume Garen is inside every bush on the map.
If you must pass near a bush to gain experience, you should have flash, ghost, or an ability that can
quickly move you away. If none of these are options, you should have boots. Alternatively, you can use
ranged skillshots, wards, or vision-granting abilities such as clairvoyance to check bushes.
Don’t Feed Graves
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crftg_31j58
Champion Notes
Holy balls, what a good champion. Outstanding burst

damage. I'm a little surprised that Riot managed to make a
champion carry what is essentially a shotgun, and have it
look and feel right while having no randomness associated
w/ it.
I'm not sure if he's really balanced or not, and this is why I
was fairly non-specific with numbers (I'm only specific w/
numbers on champions who feel balanced and have been
around/tuned a lot already). The buckshot math right now
is 1x damage for one shot, and .35x damage for each
additional, making a maximum of 1.7x damage if you can
land all three shots. Not 3x damage, but still extremely
good for an ability that already does fine damage.
Most ranged AD carries have a more difficult early game,

whereas this guy has an amazing early game that carries into an amazing endgame, and he has a
stronger farm ~15 minutes into a game than any champion I've played.
Because of his early burst and potential for early kills, I started going Bloodthirster first in my later
games because that gave the biggest bang for my buck, followed by Zeal, then Infinity Edge. Is this the
best route? Up to you. It worked great for me.
Introduction
Graves is a ranged physical damage champion with strong anti-melee burst.
True Grit (Passive)
Graves gains increasing armor and magic resistance the longer he remains in combat.
Graves' passive is True Grit. This grants him a small bonus to his Armor and Magic Resist for every
second he remains in combat, stacking up to 10 times.This continues stacking as long as he is dealing or
receiving damage within a 4 second window.
For this reason, Graves may choose to auto-attack more frequently to keep the bonus rolling, and can
become harder to kill as a chase drags on.
Buckshot (Q)
Graves fires three bullets in a cone, damaging all enemies in their paths.
Graves' Buckshot fires three shots in a cone. Each of these shots pierces all targets hit. Since all three
shots begin at the same location, enemies near Graves may get hit by more than one shot, though each
of the shots that land beyond the first deal significantly less damage.
Despite the reduced damage on the additional shots, getting hit by multiple shots can be brutally
damaging, and it's important for players who cannot sustain the burst to avoid getting in melee range of
Graves where he can easily land all three shots. Buckshot makes Graves one of the few ranged carries
who can effectively defend himself against melee champions.
Watch out in the early game against Graves. Even champions who can normally harass effectively may
find it's not a good idea to do if it involves getting near him.
Buckshot is Graves' primary source of burst damage and it has a relatively small cooldown. Beyond being
major burst damage against Champions, it is also outstanding at clearing minions quickly, especially in
mid and late game when Graves has basic damage items.
Smoke Screen (W)
Graves fires a smoke canister at the target area creating a cloud of smoke. Enemies inside the
smoke cloud have reduced sight range and Movement Speed.
Graves' Smoke Screen is an area of effect ability that deals a small amount of magic damage and slows
targets in the area. After the ability lands, a temporary cloud persists in the area, and any enemies who
are caught in it or enter it lose all vision to everything outside the effect. Enemies caught in this can,
however, still see any opponents who are attacking them. Stepping out of the Smokescreen immediately
removes the effect.
Smoke Screen can be used both to chase and to flee thanks to the slow and the vision reduction.
Additionally, it can be used on opponents as one of Graves' allies enters the area to gank, temporarily
preventing affected enemies from being aware of the newcomer. Finally, it can be useful in preventing a
champion from using an ability that requires a specific target.
Due to the AOE damage, Smoke Screen can be followed up by an immediate Buckshot to quickly clear
minion waves if Buckshot will not kill the minions by itself.
Quickdraw (E)
Graves dashes forward gaining an Attack Speed boost for several seconds. Hitting enemies
with basic attacks lowers the cooldown of this skill.
Graves' Quickdraw causes him to dash forward, temporarily granting him dramatically increased attack
speed. While this ability has a long cooldown, each of Graves' normal attacks will reduce the cooldown
by 1 second.
Quickdraw travels over units and can go over barriers such as small walls. This can be effective in
escaping and also in disorienting an enemy.
Graves may use Quickdraw to immediately close the distance between him and a target and land a
Buckshot where all three shots land on the target. Against an opponent who cannot effectively counter
him, this can be devastating as it keeps Graves' in range with increased attack speed, after dealing a
large burst with Buckshot. If playing against Graves, make sure you are prepared to take his damage if
you go near him.
Quickdraw can be used to help Graves push towers. However, attacks on towers do not reduce the
cooldown of Quickdraw. For this reason, Graves must choose whether to take the tower down faster
and potentially not have Quickdraw available for an escape, or whether to play it safe but not get as
much damage on the tower.
Collateral Damage (Ultimate)
Graves fires an explosive shell dealing heavy damage to the first champion it hits. After hitting
a champion or reaching the end of its range, the shell explodes dealing damage in a cone.
Collateral Damage is Graves' ultimate. This fires a shell in a straight line, dealing massive physical
damage to the first Champion it hits. On impact, it will also explode in a cone behind the champion,
dealing very strong damage to everything behind them.
If the shell does not hit a champion while in flight, it will still explode into a cone once it reaches its' max
range.
Collateral Damage is a devastating skillshot that can be used effectively both in close range and at a
distance. Though the single target damage of this ability is strong enough to warrant using it to net kills,
it is also extremely effective in tight team fights. For example, Graves can stay to the side of a team fight
and look for an angle that affects the most teammates; alternatively, he may get a very clear shot on
most of a team simply by firing on their initiator or tank.
Despite being a ranged AD carry, Graves is an extremely potent champion at close range. For this
reason, don't let him get close to you, especially if you are also a ranged AD carry. When possible, keep
damage and pokes on him until he must use his Quickdraw as an escape, then finish the job.
Graves is not a particularly fast champion. Though he has Quickdraw, this has a relatively long cooldown
and covers a small distance. Smokescreen is also a long cooldown. He may build Phage, Trinity Force, or
Frozen Mallet to help slow opponents, but it's generally true that you can keep your distance from him if
you need to, especially if you have an escape mechanism of your own.
Don't get overconfident. Graves is very good at punishing mistakes, and he may only need one solid
opportunity to seriously hurt or kill an opponent.
Don’t Feed Jax
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xhm33LphTs
Champion Notes
I finished Don't Feed Jax shortly after he was reworked.

Riot decided he needed a few buffs in the Ziggs patch, and
the mechanical changes aren't in this video. Here they are:
-Counterstrike can be canceled early to stun immediately

-Counterstrike deals a bonus percentage of damage based
on the number of attacks dodged, up to a maximum of
100% bonus damage
-Counterstrike reduces damage from AOE
There were a few other small numbers buffs as well,

though they don't affect the content in the video.
There are a few other things that I need to cover that

aren't in the video. First, Jax may be reworked slightly
again, particularly his ultimate and some quality of life
issues (I just read these posts as I was finishing up the video).
Let me cover a few ability notes:

1. Jax used to gain run speed if he needed to move to reach his target after Leap Strike. I could not
reproduce this with the new patch. The mechanic may still be there but I tried a number of scenarios
with no success.
2. Using his Empower with his Leap Strike is a sure hit. You can activate abilities while he is Leap Striking,
by the way, so you can use anything in-flight.
3. Empower won't go on cooldown until it's consumed.
4. An empowered attack is completely consumed by spell shields (not just the bonus damage).
As far as runes/masteries/etc., I generally followed advice on solomid. Because of the shortage of space
for this movie field (given how much I took up w/ the notes above), I'll link you directly to Dyrus' guide
which is partially updated at this stage:
http://solomid.net/guides.php?g=10154
Introduction
Jax is a survivable melee range champion who deals a mix of physical and magic damage.
He has a relatively high base movement speed of 325. He begins the game with 30 magic resist and
continues to gain a small amount of magic resist per level.
Relentless Assault (Passive)
Jax's consecutive basic attacks continuously increase his Attack Speed.
Jax's passive is Relentless Assault. Every time he uses a normal melee attack he gains a temporary attack
speed buff. This buff can stack several times.
In other words, Jax will attack significantly faster as long as he continues to use normal melee attacks in
quick succession.
This attack speed bonus is effective against structures.
Leap Strike (Q)
Jax leaps toward an enemy and strikes them with his weapon.
Jax's Leap Strike causes him to jump to any mid-range target, including both enemy and allied
champions and minions, and objects such as wards. If the target is an enemy, Jax will deal physical
damage, which scales both on bonus attack damage and ability power.
Jax is still vulnerable to abilities and attacks while jumping, and spells in flight will not be disjointed.
Knockbacks and knockups in particular are effective against him and will prevent him from reaching his
target.
Additionally, Leap Strike acts similar to a dash ability, and skillshots can still hit him in flight. Traps like
Teemo's mushrooms or Caitlyn's Yordle Snap Trap will often, but not always, be triggered as he passes
over them, though they will not prevent him from reaching his destination.
Spell Shields block the damage from the Leap Strike but do not prevent the jump itself.
Higher ranks in this ability dramatically reduce the cooldown. At max rank, this ability is available very
often.
Empower (W)
Jax charges his weapon with energy, causing his next attack to deal additional damage.
Jax's Empower causes his next normal melee attack to deal additional magic damage. The extra damage
scales on Ability Power.
Empower causes his swing timer to reset, meaning he can use it immediately after another normal
melee attack to attack again very quickly.
The bonus damage from Empower is not consumed when Jax attacks structures. However, the swing
timer reset still allows Empower to be used to more quickly take down towers.
Empower consumes spell shields, blocking the bonus damage of the attack.
Higher ranks in this ability dramatically reduce the cooldown. At max rank, this ability is available very
often.
Counter Strike (E)
Jax's combat prowess allows him to dodge all incoming attacks for a short duration and then
quickly counterattack stuning all surrounding enemies.
Jax's Counter Strike causes all incoming normal attacks to be dodged for a brief period of time. While
active, Jax has a clearly visible spinning animation above him.
When the dodge bonus wears off, all nearby enemies take physical damage and are briefly stunned. The
damage scales on bonus attack damage, and bonus damage is granted for every attack he dodged
during the wind-up.
Abilities that are mechanically similar to normal attacks, such as Gangplank's Parrrlay, are also dodged.
Tower attacks are not dodged.
Grandmaster’s Might (Ultimate)
Every consecutive third blow deals additional magic damage. Additionally, Jax can activate
this ability to unleash his inner strength, increasing his Ability Power and Attack Damage for a short
duration.
Jax's ultimate is Grandmaster's Might. After two normal melee attacks, Jax gains a brief buff causing his
third normal melee attack to deal bonus magic damage, scaling with Ability Power. This bonus is passive
and Jax does not need to activate the ability for this to occur.
The bonus damage every third attack is not blocked by spell shields, but will proc items like Rylai's
Crystal Scepter.
Jax can proc Grandmaster's Might while attacking towers, granting him the buff. However, the tower
will not consume the buff.
When activated, Jax gains significant bonus attack damage and ability power for several seconds. This
bonus is increased by his bonus attack damage and ability power, respectively.
Jax is an extremely capable fighter, and there are very few champions who can win a melee fight against
him without exceeding his level or itemization. There are some general rules, however, that will help
win matches against Jax.
Like other melee fighters, countering Jax is most easily done by keeping him crowd controlled and at a
range. Consider spells like Exhaust, and consider taking a ranged champion to counter him in a lane. If
you have flexibility in your lineup, champions with blinks, very high movement speed, and slows or
snares all dramatically reduce Jax's effectiveness.
In the early game, Jax does not have sustain beyond potions or lifesteal he may bring to the lane, so it
may be possible to use this to your advantage with enough harass. While he can stay at a range and
Leap Strike to last hit minions, he does so at a significant mana cost and is still vulnerable to being
attacked.
There are two primary keys to dealing with his Counterstrike ability. The first and most obvious is not to
use normal attacks against him during this period, as it will not damage him and will increase the
damage he deals at the end. Second, save any blink or dash abilities until he activates the ability,
allowing you to avoid the follow-up stun.
Watch out for Jax taking minion aggro before activating Counterstrike. This can be an effective way of
increasing his damage output, as the extra dodged attacks increase the ability's burst potential.
As soon as Jax reaches level 6, his power in skirmishes and 1v1 fights dramatically improves.
By the mid and especially late game, both Leap Strike and Empower may have very short cooldowns
depending on which skills he's maxed. This can make it very difficult to get away from him, but also very
difficult to fight him 1 on 1. Transition to more favorable team fights when possible, prioritize
movement speed if he's a serious threat, and don't extend too far beyond the safety of towers or
teammates.
In team fights, Jax can seriously disrupt players who are too close together with his Counter Strike stun.
Watch out for activation and stay apart from teammates to avoid having too many people affected by
the ability at once.
While Jax may have significant lifesteal or spell vamp, he will still be susceptible to burst damage unless
he has built significant survivability items. Consider focusing him down with spells, or focusing him once
Counter Strike's dodge bonus ends.
As a hybrid champion, Jax can very effectively build a wide variety of items depending on the
circumstance. Keep this in mind, and check out his items to see what he's most vulnerable to throughout
the game.
If playing Jax, keep an eye on minion waves and nearby wards whenever you're extended beyond your
towers. This will help in using Leap Strike for a clean escape from a gank. Additionally, having a Wriggle's
Lantern or ward available in your inventory allows for an effective ward and leap strike combo to gain
some extra distance.
In the early game, be careful about how you use Leap Strike. Unless you absolutely need to use it to get
in range for a gank, save it until after you've already gotten in range. Enemies may blink or use other
abilities to escape the stun at the end of Counter Strike, so keeping Leap Strike available specifically to
catch them for the stun can be very effective.
Don’t Feed Kog’maw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VyYG2qYdm7g
Introduction
Kog'maw is a long range, high damage champion. Kog'maw

benefits strongly from attack speed, and may choose items
that increase his physical or magic damage or carry proc
effects. If Kog'maw is giving your team issues, it's a good
idea to glance at what items he's building throughout the
game to have an idea how to counter his attacks.
Icathian Surprise (Passive)
Upon dying, Kog'Maw starts a chain reaction in his body which causes him to move faster and
detonate after 4 seconds; dealing 100 + (25 x lvl) true damage to surrounding enemies.
Kog'maw’s passive is Icathian Surprise. When Kog'maw dies, he has four seconds to continue to move
around before exploding on all targets around him for moderate true damage. While Kog'maw players
should never intentionally die, good Kog'maw players may realize when they are certain to die and get
in a position where they can exact revenge.
Caustic Spittle (Q)
Passive: Increases Kog'Maw's Attack Speed. Active: Kog'Maw launches a corrosive projectile
which deals magic damage and corrodes the target's Armor and Magic Resist for 4 seconds.
Kog'maw’s Caustic Spittle is a relatively short range missile that reduces the target's armor and magic
resist and deals magic damage. This can be used when enemies are nearby or to assist in last-hitting
minions in the early game.
Caustic Spittle also passively increases Kog'maw’s attack speed.
Bio-Arcane Barrage (W)
Kog'Maw's attacks gain range and deal a percent of the target's maximum health as magic
damage.
Kog'maw’s Bio-Arcane Barrage temporarily gives Kog'maw a much longer attack range. Additionally,
normal attacks will temporarily deal bonus damage to their target equal to a certain percentage of their
health; at max rank without items, Kog'maw’s auto-attacks will deal 6% of their target's maximum
health as magic damage per hit.
This works well with Caustic Spittle's passive increase to attack speed, as well as any other attack speed
increases from items. Even though this can potentially deal more damage to high-health players, it's still
very effective on low-health players, particularly those who haven't built much magic resist.
The other key feature to Bio-Arcane Barrage is the additional attack range. Kog'maw has a relatively
short attack range, which is a huge weakness for him. While this is active, his attacks reach very far and
he can stay safely out of reach of most champions.
Countering Kog'maw in the early game comes down to waiting out his Bio-Arcane Barrage range buff
and then taking advantage of his short attack range.
Void Ooze (E)
Kog'Maw launches a peculiar ooze which damages all enemies it passes through and leaves a
trail whichslows enemies who stand on it.
Void Ooze is a puddle of puke Kog'maw leaves in a line in front of him. This deals damage when cast and
slows any enemies hit by it or attempting to cross it for 4 seconds. This can be used defensively to slow
enemies chasing him, or it can be used to chase enemies, or it can be used to cut off an escape route for
enemies.
Living Artillery (Ultimate)
Kog'Maw fires a living artillery shell at a great distance dealing damage and revealing targets.
Additionally, multiple Living Artilleries in a short period of time cause them to cost additional mana.
Kog'maw’s Living Artillery is a very long-range, skill-shot nuke with an extremely short cooldown. This
ability deals AOE damage in a small radius and temporarily grants vision where it is landing. Additionally,
targets hit by Living Artillery are revealed for four seconds, making it impossible for them to hide by
running in a bush or breaking line of sight.
As a skillshot with travel time, Kog'maw players will need to guess where their enemy is going to move
to land shots. Because many players instinctively move back when they hear the shot being fired, Kog
can be very effective by simply aiming right behind where a player is standing; this allows him to hit the
opponent if they move backward or don't move at all, and can have the added benefit of forcing a good
opponent to move closer to them for other attacks. As with most skillshots, having boots can help a lot.
If multiple enemy champions are grouped up, Kog'maw can stand back and deal massive damage with
little risk.
This ability makes Kog'maw excellent at chasing down fleeing opponents and killing players who would
have otherwise gotten away. If you're being chased, remember that Living Artillery is a skillshot and you
should try to be unpredictable as much as possible. When going down a lane, juke left and right as much
as possible, but never get yourself trapped on the edge where Kog'maw is virtually guaranteed to hit
you.
Kog'maw can also use this ability to poke at players under or behind towers without risk of taking tower
damage himself. This can be effective in saturating an enemy team with damage before a tower push
occurs.
Living Artillery is mana expensive, especially if used quickly. Each cast within 4 seconds will cost him an
additional 40 mana, capping at 200 mana per cast. This means Kog'maw must choose between rapidly
firing at extreme mana costs or pacing himself and potentially allowing an opponent to get away.
Kog'maw is a glass cannon. While his abilities and damage output are amazing at a distance, he is
vulnerable to champions with strong gap closers and high burst. If he is a serious danger to your team,
do your best to flank him or kill him in team fights early, and always make sure you're trying to avoid
Living Artillery.
Don’t Feed Lee Sin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7B-0y3xcPg
Champion Notes
Lee Sin has a high learning curve and a high skill cap. I
played him for two days, really enjoyed him, but it took me
a while to even be competitive with him. I can definitely
improve on this champion in the future.
The video took an extraordinary amount of time to edit,

and unfortunately I had to cut a lot of clips out in order to
do the examples in the most visibly clear way.
I'd recommend Lee Sin for anyone who has the patience
and desire to do well with him. He's not as powerful as he
used to be, but he's very, very good at what he does. If you
played a Prot Warrior in WoW during Cata, this is kind of
like that in terms of mobility.
Introduction
Lee Sin is an extremely mobile champion who deals mostly physical damage. Lee Sin operates on an
Energy resource, not a mana resource. His Energy rapidly regenerates over time.
Lee Sin has two core abilities that can reveal stealthed opponents.
Lee Sin's non-ultimate abilities are each combo abilities, meaning they have an initial use, then a
different use if cast again in 3 seconds. Since his abilities can be used to form several combos, not just
with themselves but with his other abilities, this video will first explain his skill functionality, then several
potential combos he can use.
Flurry (Passive)
After Lee Sin uses an ability, his next 2 basic attacks gain 40% Attack Speed and return 15
Energy each.
Lee Sin's passive is Flurry. Every time Lee Sin uses an ability, his next two normal attacks within 3
seconds gain 50% attack speed and return 15 Energy.
Due to the energy return, this passive is essential to Lee Sin's ability to rapidly use his abilities over any
extended period of time. Though he can use most of his abilities twice in immediate succession, he may
pace himself between the second activation to gain more hasted attacks and energy.
Pacing his abilities dramatically increases his effectiveness both in the jungle and in a lane. Additionally,
Lee Sin may choose to use abilities when attacking towers to gain the haste, even if the abilities do not
deal any damage to a target.
Sonic Wave / Resonating Strike (Q)
Sonic Wave: Lee Sin projects a discordant wave of sound to locate his enemies, dealing
physical damage to the first enemy it encounters. If Sonic Wave hits, Lee Sin can cast Resonating Strike
for the next 3 seconds.
Resonating Strike: Lee Sin dashes to the enemy hit by Sonic Wave, dealing physical damage plus 8% of
their missing health.
Lee Sin'sfirst combo ability is Sonic Wave and Resonating Strike.
Sonic Wave is a skillshot that deals physical damage to the first target it hits and reveals them, even if
they're stealthed, in a bush, or out of line of sight, for 3 seconds.
Sonic Wave can be used to last hit minions at a distance if Lee Sin cannot safely get into melee range.
Additionally, it can be excellent for checking bushes for enemies.
Sonic Wave can be blocked by spell shields, but is not affected by Morgana's Black Shield.
Resonating Strike is the follow-up ability to Sonic Wave. If Sonic Wave has hit a target, Lee Sin will be
able to charge them while they are revealed, dealing physical damage and an additional amoung of
damage equal to 10% of their missing health.
This ability can be used at a very long range, meaning if a target has been hit by Sonic Wave and
attempts to flee, they may not be able to get far enough away to avoid Resonating Strike.
Because of Resonating Strike, it's best to be careful about your positioning once you've been marked by
Sonic Wave. If you can surround yourself by other teammates or a tower, it may discourage Lee Sin from
using Resonating Strike. Additionally, if you've been marked, be ready to use any crowd control or
strong burst abilities immediately if Lee Sin charges you.
Safeguard / Iron Will (W)
Safeguard: Lee Sin rushes towards a target ally, shielding them both from damage. If a shield
is broken, half the Energy cost is returned. After using Safeguard, Lee Sin can cast Iron Will for the next 3
seconds.
Iron Will: Lee Sin's intense training allows him to thrive in battle. For 5 seconds, Lee Sin gains Lifesteal,
Spell Vamp, and Armor.
Lee Sin's second combo ability is Safeguard and Iron Will.
Safeguard causes Lee Sin to dash to a target ally unit, granting both Lee Sin and his target a shield.
Unlike Sonic Wave, this is not a skillshot.
Aside from helping teammates, Safeguard can be extremely effective at getting Lee Sin out of dangerous
situations, especially when combined with wards. If Lee Sin has wards or a Wriggle's Lantern on him, hey
may have placed one or be ready to place one to charge if there are no other allies in range. Wards
placed over the edge of walls in the jungle or in a base make excellent Safeguard targets since they stop
most players who are chasing.
Safeguard can be cast on himself if Lee Sin is looking for the shield or simply using it to activate Iron Will.
For 3 seconds after using Safeguard, Lee Sin may use Iron Will on himself. This ability gives him up to
25% Lifesteal and Spell Vamp, in addition to an Armor bonus.
While helpful in combat, Iron Will also gives Lee Sin very strong sustainability. Even after taking very
significant damage in a team fight, Lee Sin can quickly recover his health on minions and monsters with
by activating Safeguard and Iron Will. Combined with Lifesteal items, Lee Sin has very little need to
return to base except when purchasing items.
Tempest / Cripple (E)
Tempest: Lee Sin smashes the ground sending out a shockwave that deals magic damage and
reveals enemy units hit. If Tempest hits an enemy, Lee Sin can cast cripple for the next 3 seconds.
Cripple: Lee Sin cripples nearby enemies revealed by Tempest, reducing their Movement and Attack
Speed for 4 seconds. Movement and Attack Speed recover gradually over the duration.
Lee Sin's third combo ability is Tempest and Cripple.
Tempest deals AOE damage to all targets in a medium range, revealing them for 4 seconds. This will
affect all currently stealthed champions. While it won't affect wards, it will de-stealth Teemo
mushrooms as well.*
Because of the range of the ability, Tempest makes Lee Sin excellent at bringing enemy champions out
of stealth and forcing them to fight on even ground.
If Tempest has hit at least one enemy, Lee Sin will be able to cast Cripple for 3 seconds. Cripple causes
all enemies hit by Tempest to have their movement and attack speed dramatically reduced for 4
seconds. This reduction will recover over the duration, meaning it will be stronger right after it hits than
right before it expires.
Like Safeguard and Iron Will, Tempest and Cripple help Lee Sin in the jungle and with overall
sustainability, due to the AOE damage from Tempest and the reduced incoming damage from Cripple.
Dragon’s Rage (Ultimate)
Lee Sin performs a powerful roundhouse kick launching his target back, dealing physical
damage to the target and any enemies they collide with. Enemies the target collides with are knocked
into the air for a short duration. This technique was taught to him by Jesse Perring, although Lee Sin does
not kick players off the map.
Lee Sin's ultimate is Dragon's Rage, a roundhouse kick that deals significant physical damage and knocks
his target back. Any enemies that the knocked back target collides with also take the damage and are
knocked up in the air. If the target is killed by the ability, no knockback will occur.
Dragon's Rage is very strong for ganking players and preventing them from getting away. Because of the
collision mechanic, it is also excellent in team fights, especially when either the target knocked back or
any targets knocked up are using combos or channeled abilities. A well-placed Dragon's Rage that hits
multiple targets can easily turn a team fight around.
Dragon's Rage is also excellent at stopping a group of opponents chasing him or his teammates,
especially through the jungle where it may be easier to hit all chasers with a single kick.
Finally, Dragon's Rage can be great at getting a ranged carry out of the back of a fight and forcing them
into the main battle.
Like other champions with knockbacks, using this ability poorly and knocking an enemy champion away
from the team can easily cost his team a kill. Lee Sin should be absolutely sure a kick will kill his target if
he uses it without positioning for it first.
Lee Sin can very effectively combo his abilities together. Here are som examples of things Lee Sin can do.
First, and often the most common in early game, Lee Sin can mark a target with Sonic Wave, charge to
them with Resonating Strike, then immediately charge back out with Safeguard on an allied unit to
prevent retaliation.
Second, as mentioned, Lee Sin can make us of wards by rapidly placing a ward over a wall and
Safeguarding to it. Alternatively, he can kill a low-health target behind an enemy tower and Safeguard
back to a ward he's placed nearby to safely get out.
Third, Lee Sin may Safeguard to a friendly target who is either near an enemy or has no minions
between them and the enemy, allowing him to safely Sonic Wave/Resonating Strike to the enemy.
Fourth, Lee Sin may move in melee range of a target and use Sonic Wave on them, marking them. If they
choose to flash away, he can use Resonating Strike to get back to them.
Alternatively, Lee Sin may move in melee range of a target, use Sonic Wave to mark them, use Dragon's
Rage to knock them back, then use Resonating Strike to move immediately back to them.
Fifth, Lee Sin may use Sonic Wave on a target, then immediately use Resonating Strike to charge them,
followed up with a rapid Tempest/Cripple to slow them. While they're slowed, he can move behind
them and Dragon's Rage them back towards his team.
Alternatively, Lee Sin may Safeguard to a target who is already behind the enemy, Sonic Wave them,
Dragon's Rage them towards his team or away from his escape, then Resonating Strike to them. This can
be even more effective with a stealthed ally that the enemy is not aware of.
These are just examples, and Lee Sin is enormously flexible in his options in any given situation.
While Lee Sin is very mobile and able to get out of many rough situations, he is ultimately a melee
champion who needs to stay in range of fights to have a real contribution. In a 1v1, if a player has both a
gap closer and better damage and survivability than Lee Sin, they may be able to kill Lee Sin simply by
saving the gap closer until he safeguards to flee; keeping fights away from walls makes this easier.
In team fights, he may be more easily focused if necessary.
Chasing Lee Sin can be extraordinarily difficult. If there are softer, easier targets, go for them. Lee Sin is
is naturally survivable, but he may burn his Safeguard to save a teammate, putting himself in a situation
he cannot quickly get away from.
Try to avoid getting hit by Sonic Wave. However, if you do get hit, wait three seconds or until he's used
Resonating Strike before using Flash or other escape mechanisms so he cannot immediately get in range
of you again.
Don’t Feed Leona
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1J_F6Wi-Kk
Champion Notes
I was pleasantly surprised by her. I knew she could be

annoying, but I didn't realize how effective she was at
locking down targets and disrupting teams. Her short
cooldowns (benefited even more with cooldown
reduction) let her be extremely annoying while avoiding
the huge "let's wait a minute for my ult" problem that
Amumu runs into. Among the tanks I've played, Leona may
be the best yet for initiation and sustained disruption. She
is heavily skill-shot oriented though, so be warned.
The very last clip is a nod to Fortify, the summoner spell on

Riot's cutting block. Per the rest, there were only a couple
games where I wound up with a disproportionate number
of kills to assists (one of them being where I'm solo top and
went 10-4 before they conceded). Most of what's in this
video is me helping others acquire kills, and me
occasionally snagging one for any of a variety of reasons (shield going off, player getting away, or
accidentally on my part).
Runes: Magic Pen reds, Dodge (or Armor if you don't have Dodge) Yellows, and Cooldown Reduction (or
magic resist) blues, along with Movement Speed quintessences.
Masteries: 9/21/0, with an emphasis on getting CDR and Magic Pen in offensive and also the Dodge run
speed in Defensive (only if you've got Dodge runes as well).
Skills: First point in Shield of Daybreak because this can be used not only for initiating but also escaping
at low level (whereas Zenith is strictly initiating, not escaping). After this, one point in Zenith Blade, then
maxing Eclipse and Zenith Blade, in that order. Ultimate is always priority.
Gear: Philosopher's Stone and Heart of Gold are very early purchases, along with boots. I'll tend to get
either merc treads or cooldown reduction boots, though let me emphasize that cooldown reduction
boots are nearly always the better choice (you can get tenacity from upgrading Philo Stone later if
necessary). Heart of Gold isn't actually necessary as it may be more prudent to just move to another
item.
It seems unusual for a tank/support with all magic damage, but Phage/Frozen Mallet are very effective
purchases, and I nearly always get them. Leona has a problem staying in range, which is why I get
movespeed quints, and why I go w/ Phage/Mallet early. Also, Glacial Shroud for the cooldown reduction
was good, and Frozen Heart was a sensible upgrade against AD heavy teams. Force of Nature was
another purchase I usually didn't get to but strongly recommend for mid-late game because of the
additional movement speed (and the great itemization all around).
Introduction
Leona is a tank with multiple crowd controls who deals moderate magic damage. She is exceptionally
good at initiating team fights and disrupting opponents.
Sunlight (Passive)
Leona's damaging spells affect the target with Sunlight for 3.5 seconds. When allied
champions deal damage to those targets, they consume the Sunlight debuff to deal additional magic
damage.
Leona's passive is Sunlight, which causes any target hit by any of Leona's spells to be temporarily
debuffed with a faint yellow aura. If one of Leona's allies attacks a target affected by Sunlight, the debuff
will be removed and between 20 and 140 magic damage will be dealt to the target, depending on
Leona's level.
The Sunlight debuff cannot be consumed by Leona, only by her allies. The magic damage dealt is
affected by the allies’ magic penetration. Multiple targets can be affected by Sunlight at a time if hit by
any of her AOE spells.
Shield of Daybreak (Q)
Leona uses her shield to perform her next autoattack, dealing bonus magic damage and
stunning the target.
Leona's Shield of Daybreak causes her next normal melee attack to deal significantly more damage as
magic damage. Additionally, this ability stuns the target for 1.25 seconds. This ability resets her swing
timer, meaning it can be used immediately after another attack for added burst damage.
Shield of Daybreak is excellent both for initiating and for escaping or helping an ally to escape. It is also
effective against structures, allowing her slightly more damage while pushing.
Eclipse (W)
Leona raises her shield to gain Armor and Magic Resistance. When the duration first ends, if
there are nearby enemies she will deal magic damage to them and prolong the duration of the effect.
Leona's Eclipse is shield that grants Leona dramatically increased Armor and Magic Resist for 3 seconds.
Once the shield expires, she deals magic damage to all enemy targets in a wide area around her. If even
a single enemy is damaged, the Armor and Magic Resist bonus continue to benefit her for 3 more
seconds.
This ability provides a large burst of AOE damage that can help clear minion waves or deal damage to
players who are staying just out of range of Leona.
Zenith Blade (E)
Leona projects a solar image of her sword, dealing magic damage to all enemies in a line.
When the image fades, the last enemy champion struck will be briefly immobilized and Leona will dash to
them.
Leona's Zenith Blade fires a spell effect in a straight line, dealing magic damage to all targets hit.
Additionally, Leona will pull herself towards the last champion she strikes with this ability, immobilizing
them for 0.5 seconds.
Zenith Blade will pull Leona regardless of most conditions. For instance, Banshee's Veil and Morgana's
Black Shield will not stop the pull, though it will stop the immobilize. A champion in stealth and even a
target who dies from Zenith Blade will still bring her to their position. Even if Leona has been stunned or
snared after the cast, she will still be pulled towards the target.
That said, Zenith Blade's pull effect is strictly limited to champions. Even player-like pets such as Shaco's
Clone are unaffected by the ability.
While this ability will never latch onto minions or monsters, it can be helpful both in last hitting, both
against groups of minions or against low-health minions Leona cannot get near.
Zenith Blade can be useful in juking away from a potentially dangerous situation.
At certain points in the game, a combination of Eclipse and Zenith blade can clear minion waves.
Solar Flare (Ultimate)
Leona calls down a beam of solar energy, dealing damage to enemies in an area. Enemies in
the center of the area are stunned, while enemies on the outside are slowed.
Leona's ultimate is Solar Flare. This is a long range skill shot that deals magic damage in a moderate
area. Any enemies near the center of this effect are stunned; enemies near the outside of this effect
have an extremely strong slow applied to them. Finally, Solar Flare grants sight to the affected area for
several seconds.
Solar Flare has a relatively short cooldown by comparison to other tank-initiators in the League, and will
be available for skirmishes and team fights. Unlike several other tank-initiators, Solar Flare has the
added benefit of being cast at a significant range, giving her the option of using it to initiate a fight or
helping teammates escape tight situations.
However, Solar Flare has a delay when it is cast before the effect occurs, meaning Leona must predict
any movements her opponents may make before casting.
Because of the burst of the ability, Leona can also use this ability to snipe fleeing opponents.
Leona has a potent toolset, allowing her to continuously disrupt an opposing team during skirmishes.
There are a few things to watch out for to help counter her effect on your team.
First, she has a primary combo that she will use throughout the game. This is Eclipse, followed up by
Zenith Blade, then Shield of Daybreak.
With this combination, she will pull herself towards a target, stun them or someone near them, and
Eclipse will explode during this process. If she is confident she can stay in range, she may delay the use
of Shield of Daybreak until at least one normal melee attack has occurred or until she needs it. In the
early game she may use this simply to harass opponents or allow her laning partner to jump in and get
damage on their opponents.
In this case, watch out for the activation of Eclipse. Unless she is fleeing, an Eclipse cast is a sure
indication she is about to get in range of either minions or enemy champions. Because she's a skillshot
champion, do your best to juke away from a potential Zenith Blade cast the moment you see or hear
Eclipse, or when you feel she's about to combo.
Like other initiators in the laning phase, Leona may choose to stay in a bush so you are unable to see the
activation of Eclipse. If this is a problem, either occupy the bush or use wards.
Alternatively, Leona may use Shield of Daybreak if an enemy is already in range of her, then follow it up
with Zenith Blade as they flee.
While Leona can solo lane, she is very effective when paired with a high-damage player in a lane.
Leona's initiates can be very strong.
Leona's ultimate is powerful and on a short cooldown, but the area affected is not too large. Stay spread
out as much as possible to mitigate the potential impact on your team if she has a successful ultimate.
Because of the delay on Solar Flare, juking can be especially effective if you suspect she's going to cast it
soon.
Leona has relatively weak Ability Power scaling. For this reason, she is likely to build either for cooldown
reduction, which is enormously beneficial to her disruption potential, or either to improve her support
or tanking ability.
Leona's biggest single weakness as a champion is her speed. While she does have a number of options
to lock champions down, she cannot permanently lock down a champion who is significantly faster than
her; they will eventually break free. For this reason, Leona may wish to build items that either improve
her speed or help slow her opponents. If you're playing against a Leona, don't get too close to her, and
avoid situations where you can easily be hit by her ultimate, such as in tighter areas in the jungle.
A well-played Leona adds a lot of crowd control to a team, generally enough that the team can get away
with fewer direct crowd controls on their other champions.
Don’t Feed Lulu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t51zjipmHzY
Champion Notes
Correction: Glitterlance will not always hit a target Pix is

applied to. If the target is currently in motion, a
Glitterlance will miss if it is not fired towards them.
(Thanks Marky92)
Very fun champion, she reminds me most of Janna and

Orianna. A good Lulu player also reminds me of a good
Soraka, in the sense that the lane is pretty much
untouchable if she's supporting and both players are
smart. That said, I'm not a very good Lulu player (and
readily admit it, as Support is my weakest role).
Check out http://www.learntheleague.com to learn about

my complete League of Legends book!
Lulu is really flexible, in the sense that she can fill most
roles pretty well. However, whether she's playing as a zero CS support, ap caster, or tank (or heck,
anything else), her abilities are still fundamentally support spells, so I'm comfortable just calling her
support.
I played her primarily as support, though I ventured a little out of the way to play her as an AP carry in
one game and as an aura tank in another. For the following recommendations understand that they're
for playing her as Support:
Runes: Magic Pen or Flat Armor reds, Gold (Avarice) yellows, Magic Resist or CDR blues, Health or Gold
(Avarice) quints.
Masteries: 0/21/9 for tankiness and mana or 9/0/21 for more harass, mana, CDR, and extra gold.
Summoner spells: Flash and Clairvoyance/Heal/Exhaust/Ignite. Your choice.
Skills: R, E, W, Q, with one point in Q very early.
Items: Start with 3 green wards, mana regen component of philo stone, and however many health
potions you can afford (depends on masteries). Build Philosopher's Stone, then boots, then Heart of
Gold. Buy wards each time you're back at base.
After this, build either CDR boots or Merc Treads depending on the enemy team.
From here, build Shurelya's Reverie and Randuin's Omen or Locket of the Iron Solari. Or Aegis, or
anything else that you feel will help your team more.
Introduction
Lulu is a ranged caster who specializes in buffing allies and debuffing opponents.
She has a moderate attack range. Additionally, she has a slow base movement speed, though this can be
temporarily increased with one of her abilities.
Pix, Faerie Companion
Pix is a wild Faerie that accompanies Lulu. Pix will fire a barrage of magical energy at targets
that Lulu attacks.
Lulu's passive is Pix, Faerie Companion. Pix normally hovers around Lulu, though he can be moved onto
either allied or enemy champions or minions with her Help Pix ability.
When Lulu or an allied champion with Pix uses a normal attack, he will follow this up with three normal
attacks that deal magic damage based on Lulu's level.
These attacks can be intercepted and will deal damage to the first enemy unit in their path.
While Pix is attached to an allied champion, the allied champion will be credited for last hits that occur
as a result of his attacks. Pix will not attack if abilities such as Parrrlay are used.
While his damage increases based on Lulu's level, it will provide more damage output based on the
attack speed and magic penetration of the host champion.
Pix will return to Lulu immediately if the unit he is on moves a signficant distance away from Lulu.
Attacks from Pix will not break spell shields. Additionally, his attacks are not affected by blinds on the
host champion.Pix will not attack structures.
Glitterlance (Q)
Pix and Lulu each fire a bolt of magical energy that heavily slows all enemies it hits. An enemy
can only be damaged by one bolt.
Lulu's Glitterlance is a pair of mid-to-long range skillshots that fire from both Lulu and Pix. Both shots are
targeted simultaneously towards a single location. Glitterlance shots pass through units and do not
diminish in strength by doing so.
Enemies hit with Glitterlance take magic damage and are briefly slowed. The slow is extremely strong,
but decays rapidly over its duration.
An enemy can only take damage from a single Glitterlance, meaning landing both skillshots on an enemy
will not result in more damage.
If both Glitterlance shots hit at once, a Spell Shield will consume both charges. However, if one shot
lands more quickly than the other on a target with spell shield, the damage and slow from the second
shot will not be blocked. This can more easily occur if Pix and Lulu are not equally distant from their
target.
Whimsy (W)
If cast on an ally, grants them movement speed and ability power for a short time. If cast on
an enemy, turns them into an adorable critter that can't attack or cast spells.
Lulu's Whimsy operates differently depending on whether it is cast on an allied or enemy champion.
When cast on an ally, Whimsy dramatically increases movement speed and grants bonus ability power
for several seconds.
When cast on an enemy, Whimsy polymorphs them briefly and slows them by a flat amount. While
polymorphed, an enemy cannot attack or cast spells, but they can still move freely. Whimsy will
interrupt channeled abilities.
Help, Pix! (E)
If cast on an ally, commands Pix to jump to an ally and shield them. He then follows them and
aids their attacks. If cast on an enemy, commands Pix to jump to an enemy and damage them. He then
follows them and grants you vision of that enemy.
Lulu's Help Pix places Pix on an allied or enemy unit, usually on the far side of the unit from where Lulu is
standing. Like Whimsy, this ability operates differently depending on whether it is cast on an ally or
enemy.
When cast on an ally, Help Pix provides a shield to the ally. Even if this shield is broken early, Pix will
remain on the ally for the normal duration of the shield.
When cast on an enemy, Help Pix deals magic damage to the enemy and grants vision on them for
several seconds.
While the damage and vision from casting on an enemy is blocked by spell shields, Pix will still move to
the target.
Wild Growth (Ultimate)
Lulu enlarges an ally, knocking enemies away from them and granting them a large amount
of bonus health. For the next few seconds, that ally gains an aura that slows nearby enemies.
Lulu's ultimate is Wild Growth. When cast on an allied champion, this ability knocks back enemies
around that champion. For several seconds, the champion grows in size, gains bonus health and is given
an aura that dramatically reduces the movement speed of nearby enemies.
The knockback has a relatively short range, though it can knock enemies over very small walls. Spell
shields will prevent the knockback from occurring, but will not also prevent the slowing aura.
The bonus health increases the champion's maximum health, while also restoring an equal amount of
health. Once the effect wears off, the champion retains the health restored.
For nearly all purposes, this bonus health can be considered a single-target heal, with the benefits being
that it can be used while the target is at full health and it cannot be reduced by healing reduction effects
such as Ignite.
This ability can be cast on champion clones such as Shaco's Hallucination.
It's worth noting that, during one of our testing games, Lulu's ultimate would consistently fail to provide
the persistent effect. In several follow-up matches, we could not replicate the issue, but there may be
some bug or mechanic that causes the ability to fail periodically.
Despite her multi-use skills, Lulu is a fairly simple champion to understand. All of her abilities can disrupt
opponents, keep allies alive, or initiate fights. In most cases, she will be able to do all three at the same
time.
While Lulu does not have sustain, a combination of well-timed shields and health potions will
dramatically increase how long her or any of her allies can stay alive in lane. Because of her ability to
slow you and either polymorph you or grant a speed bonus to her or an ally, attempts to secure a kill can
be frustrating and often impossible against a good Lulu.
To counter her, you'll want a combination of sustain and long-range poke abilities. If you can keep
yourself near full health through her harassment, you will deny an easy kill on yourself. Poke and long-
range attacks let you get some counterplay and slowly wear down Lulu or her allies, especially when the
shield is on cooldown. Once she or her allies are low enough, you can more reliably move in for a kill.
It's usually a good idea to identify if she or a nearby opponent do not have health potions to sustain
themselves, as these are ideal targets to soften up. On that note, also keep an eye on Lulu's mana pool
and take advantage of the situation when she's low.
Keep in mind that Lulu can only shield one ally and can only polymorph one opponent. Unless you're
confident you can quickly burst through the shield, consider targeting any unshielded opponents
instead. Baiting polymorph, especially right before an ally enters the lane to gank, can greatly improve
your odds of a successful kill.
Watch out for Pix on nearby allies or enemies. While you may be unable to avoid a Glitterlance cast, it
may be a good idea to change your position in relation to Pix to prevent other allies from also being hit
by the same cast.
Lulu is a good addition to ganks in any lane as she can polymorph and slow opponents, or use her speed
boost to get in range very quickly for a slow. If you can't account for her on the map, be careful.
Don't invest too much effort chasing down a Lulu unless you're very confident that you'll kill her quickly
and won't be diverting your attention away from more important opponents or objectives. All four of
her abilities excel at getting her out of a pinch, even against some of the very best chasers. If you do
need to kill her, get behind her in her escape route so you have more time to damage her.
Lulu is a high skillcap support champion, meaning to play at her potential you'll need to dedicate time to
learning to best use her abilities.
Getting used to the relationship between Help Pix and Glitterlance is critical. While Pix is on an enemy,
remember that Glitterlance will always hit -- because of this, it can sometimes be helpful to apply Help
Pix, despite the shorter cast range, on an enemy who would otherwise dodge Glitterlance.
Keep in mind that Help Pix effectively gives you a new position and angle for Glitterlance casts. Good
Lulu players will always keep this in mind and will be able to reliably line up Glitterlance shots on
enemies that would otherwise be beyond her own reach. Great Lulu players will also find times where
both Glitterlance bolts will be able to hit unique targets in the same cast.
Separate of Pix, make sure you're keeping Help Pix on hand if you're dealing with a champion who may
use stealth or may be running for the cover of a bush to escape. The vision offers a very significant
counter in these situations.
Help Pix has a relatively short cooldown, and with cooldown reduction and mana it can be kept on
herself or an ally nearly all of the time. Keep this in mind and don't forget to use it if the survivability will
help.
Using Whimsy effectively is also important to understanding Lulu. While placing wards or moving around
the map, the speed boost of Whimsy allows you to do so more quickly with a lower likelihood of
enemies responding quickly enough to do anything about it.
At lower ranks, using Whimsy on herself or an ally can be better than polymorphing an opponent when
attempting to secure a kill, provided your ally will react immediately to the bonus movement speed. It is
also excellent throughout the game when applied to an initiator to allow them to get in range of their
opponents quickly.
If you're really in a pinch, make sure to cast Whimsy on yourself before casting other abilities, as the
bonus ability power increases the strength of each of her other abilities.
Using the polymorph on enemies becomes more important as the games goes on, as it helps disrupt
players from using critical abilities in team fights and skirmishes. It is also stronger if multiple allies need
to stay in range or get in range of an opponent; this is because slowing the target will allow more players
to initiate than speeding up one ally.
Using Whimsy as a polymorph also tends to be superior in situations where both sides are somewhat
stationary and movement speed won't come into play. This does depend on how much an ally would
benefit from the bonus ability power, though.
Whimsy has a relatively short range, which means using it as a polymorph against enemies requires you
be somewhat close to them. If you know that your team will benefit from a Whimsy cast in a team fight,
try to stay nearby. The last thing you want to be doing is using Whimsy on yourself to get in range of a
fight you could have been in from the start.
Learning the best situations to use Wild Growth will dramatically improve your Lulu play. While it can be
reserved as an emergency heal, it's often better to use it strategically to make better use of the full
duration of the slowing aura.
Wild Growth can be very effective at keeping ranged carries alive, especially if melee opponents attempt
to dive at them. It is best to use the ability once opponents are already in melee range to make use of
the knockback. The carry should often consider making use of the slowing aura to kite away from
opponents who are still pursuing them.
The ability can also be good on initiators such as tanks, particularly if they're near opponents who will be
interrupted by the knockback. In some cases, you can even use this to move opponents a small distance
towards your team.
Wild Growth can also be strong on anti-carries or melee champions that need to stay glued to an
opponent. Even though the ability knocks back, the persistent slowing aura will help stay in range of the
enemy.
While these situations make sense, the rules to using Wild Growth are not set in stone. If any player on
your team is being focused down by opponents and poses a serious threat to them, using this ability on
that player can change the dynamic of team fights.
Both Wild Growth and the shield from Help Pix are more effective on allies who have stacked armor and
magic resistance. While this won't always determine who the best players to apply these to are in team
fights, it's good for teammates to be aware of when making defensive item choices.
In addition to this, it's a good idea for anyone laning with you to pick up healing potions. If you use the
shield from Help Pix to block incoming attacks and spells, some health potions can help you or your
teammate last a very long time in the lane even if you're being harassed.
Don’t Feed Maokai
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xswNvHWoLQM
Introduction
Maokai is a tank. He is a relatively slow champion.
Sap Magic (Passive)
Each time a spell is cast near Maokai he draws energy from it, gaining a charge of Magical
Sap. When he has 5 charges his next melee attack energizes Maokai, healing him for 7% of his max HP.
Maokai's passive heals him for 7% of his maximum health on his next auto-attack every time 5 spells
have been cast near him. This can make him extremely survivable against champions with spammy
abilities. As much as possible, deny him the opportunity to auto-attack.
Arcane Smash (Q)
Maokai knocks back nearby enemies with a shockwave, dealing magic damage and slowing
them.
Arcane Smash is a short range knockback. This can interrupt certain abilities such as Katarina's Death
Lotus. This ability has a quick cooldown and can be used frequently.
Twisted Advance (W)
Maokai dissolves into a cloud of arcane energies. He regrows near a target enemy, dealing
damage and rooting it in place.
Twisted Advance is a targeted charge ability that roots an enemy for 1-2 seconds. While charging,
Maokai cannot be targeted. This is not a skillshot, and Maokai being in range of you guarantees he can
land this. At max rank with a 2 second immobilize, this is very dangerous.
Sapling Toss (E)
Maokai flings a sapling that deals area damage on impact. The sapling then wards the nearby
area. When enemies approach, the sapling attacks enemies with an arcane blast.
Watch out for Saplings. These are little minions he tosses out that deal damage to targets they land on
and will chase any enemy who comes near them, exploding for additional damage. Watch your
positioning and try to avoid being closer to these than other minions. If you're fast enough, you can
simply outrun them if they're chasing you.
Saplings have a 35 second duration and grant vision to wherever they are. For this reason, Maokai is also
able to use them as wards for nearby bushes, giving him additional vision. Well-placed Saplings can
make it extremely difficult for his opposing team to flank in team fights.
Vengeful Maelstrom (Ultimate)
Maokai shields his allies by drawing power from hostile spells and attacks, reducing non-
tower damage done to allied champions in the area. When Maokai ends the effect, he unleashes the
absorbed energy to deal damage to enemies within the vortex.
Maokai's ultimate ability, Vengeful Maelstrom, is a targeted AOE effect. Any of his allies are protected
from 20% of all incoming damage while within the circle. As long as Maokai has mana he can sustain this
ability; when he chooses to cancel it, any of his enemies inside the circle will be dealt a certain amount
of damage, plus an additional bonus amount based on the damage the circle absorbed from his allies.
While his ultimate is powerful, it's very important to remember that you do not take constant damage
or suffer any other negative effects until he cancels the effect. While you don't want to stick around
unnecessarily, it can be to your advantage to either push his team outside of the protection of the circle.
Alternatively, it's often better to just not allow team fights to take place near the circle at all.
Vengeful Maelstrom has a relatively short cooldown and may be used both in defending and pushing
towers in succession.
Don’t Feed Miss Fortune
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lOCssWOwC8
Champion Notes
Miss Fortune has been a lot of fun. I enjoy her speed, but
she is lacking the options of both Ashe, Caitlyn, and other
AD carries. That said, she does so much damage...
Introduction
Miss Fortune is a fast, high damage champion that deals

sustained physical damage and some burst magic damage.
Strut (Passive)
Miss Fortune gains an additional 25 movement speed after 7 seconds of not being attacked,
increasing each second up to 70 maximum bonus speed.
Miss Fortune's passive is Strut. After 7 seconds without being attacked, her movement speed will
increase dramatically. Deal any type of damage to her to stop this, especially if you're being chased. If
you want to land your skillshots on Miss Fortune in the early game, attempt to land an auto attack first.
Double Up (Q)
Miss Fortune fires a bullet at an enemy, damaging them and a target behind them.
Miss Fortune's Double Up ability is a physical attack that hits a target and bounces to a second target
behind the initial target, dealing even more damage. Double Up acts like a normal attack and can apply
on-hit effects. However, the bonus damage from Sheen or Trinity Force is only applied on the first
target.
Against a Miss Fortune, do not stand directly behind your minion waves. This makes landing Double Up
exceptionally easy for her. You should watch out for Miss Fortune attempting to put a minion directly
between you and her in the early game, as this will often mean she is preparing to use Double Up.
Impure Shots (W)
Miss Fortune passively increases damage dealt to a target with each strike. This ability can be
activated to increase Miss Fortune's attack speed and cause her attacks to lower healing received by the
target.
Miss Fortune's Impure Shots ability causes her to deal an increasing amount of bonus magic damage on
a target every time she attacks. This is a passive ability. Try to avoid being in situations where she can
easily attack you mulple times in succession.
Impure Shots also has an active component, which temporarily increases her attack speed by up to 50%
while decreasing the healing received and health regeneration of targets she hits by 50%. This can
dangerous against champions with high health regeneration. However, it can also be a very effective
way of preventing much of the benefit of healing potions in early games. If you need to use a health
potion in the early game, make sure you don't let her get in range of you.
Because of the attack speed bonus, Impure Shots can be used to devastating effect against unguarded
towers. Temporarily leaving a lane undefended against her can cost you a tower, so be careful about
moving away from a lane she's in.
Make It Rain (E)
Miss Fortune unleashes a flurry of bullets at a location, dealing waves of damage to

opponents and slowing them.
Miss Fortune's Make it Rain is a relatively short range AOE that deals magic damage and slows affected
enemies. This ability also grants vision to the area, allowing it to be used to see inside bushes.
Bullet Time (Ultimate)
Miss Fortune channels a flurry of bullets into a cone in front of her, dealing large amounts of
damage to enemies.
Miss Fortune's ultimate is Bullet Time, a channeled ability that deals massive, sustained magic damage
to all enemies in a cone.
Combined with AOE crowd control, such as Galio's Idol of Durand or Miss Fortune's own Make It Rain,
this ability can cause serious damage. Avoid grouping up in places where your team can be easily
controlled.
Bullet Time is especially effective in the jungle and areas where a team must pass through a chokepoint.
Additionally, it passes through barriers, meaning she can fire on players defending towers, either from
directly on the opposite side of a wall, or from the flanks, where weakened players may be attempting
to return to base or stay behind more survivable teammates.
Like many carries, Miss Fortune may stay out of sight, waiting only until a fight has been initiated to get
involved; she is especially capable of flanking and getting involved quickly due to her passive movement
speed. If she is the largest threat to your team, pay attention to where and when she enters the fight
and immediately counter her:
Bullet Time can be stopped by crowd control abilities, forcing her to move, or killing her. Preventing her
from getting into a good position and not allowing battles to take place to her advantage is always good
practice.
Miss Fortune's biggest weakness is high burst champions, particularly those with gap closers. Once she
has taken damage, she has few effective escape mechanisms.
Don’t Feed Morgana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQH4xc0E4FA
Champion Notes
AP caster! Let me start by saying she is probably one of the

most irritating champions to solo queue with due to the
sheer number of pubs who think Tormented Soil presents a
ripe opportunity for stealing easy farm. Thank you, Soraka,
real helpful.
Runes: Magic pen reds, flat mana regen yellows, flat

cooldown reduction blues, health quints. Armor and flat
magic resist yellows/blues wouldn't be bad bets, but I
found her ability to recover health lessened the need.
Masteries: 9/0/21 with an emphasis on magic pen in

offense and cdr/mana regen in utility. Masteries could be
completely reworked as soon as tomorrow, so this'll be dated very soon (sorry!).
Skills: First point in Tormented Soil if I was solo laning mid or top, first point in Dark Binding if I was duo
laning. Tormented Soil immediately helps w/ health recovery as necessary and it can be effective even
at low ranks for farming in the right situations. Dark Binding, on the other hand, can have a huge impact
on a level 1 gank or saving you or a teammate from one.
Tormented Soil maxed first after this. An early point in Black Shield (by level 4). Maxing out Dark Binding
vs Black Shield came entirely down to whether I was playing really defensively or not -- in almost all
circumstances I maxed Dark Binding before Black Shield, only changing this if I knew someone on the
opposing team (my lane or otherwise) was getting out of control. Ultimate always maxed when possible.
Gear: Usually Doran's first, only occasionally boots/health pots (such as against a brand). Keep in mind
she has spell vamp, so Doran's helps keep her alive often as much as boots and health pots can.
Rod of Ages was virtually always my first purchase after basic boots, and I'd wait for the investment.
Depending on my gold when I returned to base after this, I would either get Sorc shoes next, or a
Needlessly Large Rod towards Rabadon's. Either way, I'd usually get Rabadon's and Sorc Shoes next.
After this, it was a question of Glacial Shroud, Banshee's, or Zhonya's. Take your pick based on your
situation. Zhonya's can be safely used during her ultimate.
Morgana can perform well in a number of roles and I didn't get a chance to try them all. This was what
worked well for me in these games.
Introduction
Morgana is a magic-damage caster with strong AOE damage and disables.
Soul Siphon (Passive)
Morgana has Spell Vamp, healing herself whenever she deals damage with her spells.
Morgana's passive is Soul Siphon. This grants Morgana between 10% and 30% spell vamp, depending on
her level. This passive helps her sustain herself throughout the game, limiting her need to return to
base.
Dark Binding (Q)
Morgana releases a sphere of dark magic. Upon contact with an enemy unit, the sphere will
deal magic damage and force the unit to the ground for a period of time.
Morgana's Dark binding is a skillshot spell that hits the first enemy in a line, dealing high damage and
immobilizing the affected enemy. The enemy is not stunned and can still continue to use non-movement
abilities and attacks.
Dark Binding will hit stealthed enemies or enemies hiding in a bush. If Morgana fires the spell and spell
stops before her full range, it has definitely hit an enemy. For this reason, Dark Binding can be effective
at scouting bushes.
The Dark Binding projectile has a relatively slow speed, and it is possible to juke it when at a distance
from Morgana.
Tormented Soil (W)
Infects an area with desecrated soil, causing enemy units who stand on the location to take
continual damage.
Morgana's Tormented Soil is a targeted AOE puddle that deals magic damage every second to all
enemies who remain on it. This puddle lasts for five seconds.
Additionally, enemies who remain on it have their Magic Resist reduced a small amount every second.
This is a cumulative effect, meaning enemies who stay on Tormented Soil can lose a significant amount
of magic resist. The Magic Resist reduction can bring enemies below zero magic resist, causing them to
take more than the stated damage of abilities.
Morgana can be very effective by following up a successful Dark Binding cast on an enemy champion
with a Tormented Soil underneath them, maximizing her damage by preventing the enemy from
moving. Even as an AOE spell, this can be devastating harassment against a single opponent.
Tormented Soil makes Morgana an excellent farmer. In the early game, a rank 3 Tormented Soil will kill
caster minions in the back of each minion wave. In most minion waves, the puddle can be positioned so
it hits all minions.
Black Shield (E)
Places a protective barrier around an allied champion, absorbing magical damage and
disables until penetrated or the shield dissipates.
Morgana's Black Shield is a shield that Morgana can place on any nearby champion, including herself,
that absorbs a set amount of magic damage. While this ability is active, the shielded champion cannot
be disabled. This ability lasts 5 seconds or until the shield has been depleted.
Black Shield is very useful both in keeping Morgana and her allies alive. Even though the shield blocks
magic damage, it will still block physical-damage crowd controls. Used at the right time, it can negate
critical crowd controls her opponents must land. It is especially useful when placed on initiators or
interruptable champions, such as Katarina during her Death Lotus.
Soul Shackles (Ultimate)
Latches chains of energy onto nearby enemy champions, dealing initial damage to them and
slowing their move speed by 20%, and then echoing the pain 4 seconds later and stunning them if they
remain close to Morgana.
Morgana's ultimate is Soul Shackles. When in a moderate range of at least one enemy champion,
Morgana can activate this ability to create chains between her and all nearby enemy champions. This
deals magic damage immediately upon activation, and slows the affected enemy champions.
Any Champions Morgana has stayed in range of after 3 seconds take a second burst of magic damage
and are briefly stunned.
Soul Shackles can be combined effectively with Dark Binding, either by using Dark Binding to get in close
against an enemy or Soul Shackles to slow them for an easier Dark Binding shot.
Soul Shackles can be effective at splitting a team up during a skirmish or forcing a player to use a specific
escape route. Because taking the full effect can be devastating, players may attempt to avoid it by taking
the fastest or most effective route out of it. Depending on positioning, the most effective escape from
Soul Shackle can leave an enemy team split up or a specific player out of position and ready to be killed
by one of her allies.
Soul Shackles cannot be activated unless an enemy is within range. This gives the ability an added quirk -
- If Morgana can activate the ability but she does not see enemy champions nearby, it means an enemy
is either stealthed, in a bush, or nearby out of sight. If activated, the ability will work against these
champions.
Soul Shackles is not channeled. Disabling Morgana will not prevent a Soul Shackles cast from completing
and stunning enemy champions. Killing her, however, will.
Morgana can be a strong harasser in the early game in either a solo or duo lane. She only needs to land
one Dark Binding, followed up with Tormented Soil, to deal significant damage to her opponent. Unless
you have a strong early-game crowd control, it's best to be careful about Dark Binding casts and stay
behind creeps.
In the early game, any time Morgana casts Dark Binding there is short window of time where she can be
harassed. Additionally, if you have decent burst from a range, you may be able to harass her
immediately after she casts Tormented Soil on minions as long as you can take a Dark Binding without a
concern.
It's important to remember that Black Shield is only effective against magic damage, not physical
damage. It will not help against towers, and it doesn't do anything about physical damage champions. If
you see Black Shield active on her or an ally, do not hesitate to continue dealing physical damage to
them.
Black Shield lasts for five seconds but has a much longer cooldown. When possible, simply save your
crowd controls and burst until Black Shield expires. If you have a crowd control available, such as the
stun with Annie's passive, try to bait Morgana into using Black Shield without firing your crowd control.
Both Soul Shackles and Dark Binding can punish players who chase her into poor positions, especially
under towers. A well-placed Soul Shackles can stop multiple aggressors under a tower, breaking up an
attempted gank or push.
Soul Shackles is a game-changing ultimate. It's very strong when following other AOE disables such as
Amumu's Curse of the Sad Mummy, Leona's Solar Flare, or Galio's Idol of Durand. When possible, save
escape mechanisms such as flash or other mobility spells to avoid taking the full duration of Soul
Shackles. Watch out for Morgana using Flash or coming in from the rear to get in position.
Though Morgana is an AP caster, her ultimate forces her to the middle of team fights to most effectively
use Soul Shackles. While she can build to be very survivable, it can be a better idea to immediately focus
her down as she moves into your team, thereby preventing her from finishing the Soul Shackles cast.
This can be a good idea anyway since her abilities have relatively short cooldowns, especially with
cooldown reduction.
Don’t Feed Nautilus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PR-hMPkR_g
Champion Notes
Fairly straightforward champion. I played him primarily as

a tank and a jungler, though I did do well with him top lane
when I tried him out there. I also built him primarily tanky,
and I know people have been successful with more AP
heavy builds, so he has some versatility in that regard.
In my opinion, he's not quite a Leona or Amumu in terms

of playstyle. He's a fantastic initiator and can pull off some
very solid ganks, but his kit is somewhat more disjointed
than either of the other two. He plays very similarly to
both when played as a tank.
Painfully slow champion. I had my most success building

boots of mobility and ganking very frequently in the early
game (while the move speed 5 boots knock off when you
get in combat, once you're in you're usually able to lock someone down long enough for a kill). But all
that said, don't take my advice as the be-all, end-all -- I have more to contribute with him in terms of
mechanics than I do in recommended builds.
Here's how I built. Let me stress that this is *NOT* the only way to play this guy, and I tended towards
very tanky for my team. Heavier on AP works, and I've seen it work.
Masteries -- 21/9/0 or 21/0/9, your call, but the offensive is prioritized around AP and casting buffs. You
can go more defensive if you want, but he does decent enough damage that it isn't bad to improve on it
w/ masteries even if you're tanking.
Runes -- Magic pen reds, flat armor yellow, flat magic reset blue (CDR optional), and health or
movement speed quints (if you're planning on move speed 2 boots such as merc treds, CDR boots, or
sorc shoes, use move speed quints).
Summoners -- Smite and Flash or Ghost for jungling.
Skill order -- W or E first depending on how you're jungling. Both W and E are good skills to max first and
second, and you can choose which you want to, but generally the W was my choice because it
dramatically increased survivability and made jungling much faster. One early point in Q, usually level 4
unless I was ganking sooner, and saved that to max last. Ult always priority.
Items -- How I built, generally Cloth Armor + healing pots first for jungling, then boots (sometimes move
speed 5 as my first core item followed up by immediate ganks; you can see this in some movie clips;
ganks must be successful or you're going to be hurting). Heart of Gold and Philosopher's Stone for early
gold and tankiness. From there, I'd prioritize a Frozen Heart unless the team was very heavily magical,
and a Force of Nature if the team was magical. Generally speaking, you have options (Randuin's,
Shurelya's, or any of various tanky options).
Though his shield scales on Health, keep in mind that Armor and Magic Resist both have big impacts on
its effectiveness as well. Health is fine to build but don't get trapped into thinking you must build it to
scale your shield.
Both Rod of Ages and Zhonya's are excellent examples of items you should consider for more damage,
since both improve your survivability as well. Rylai's is a safe bet as well (by the same token, for more
tankiness and CC, Frozen Mallet is often a good choice).
Introduction
Nautilus is a melee-range initiator with several forms of crowd control.
His base movement speed is among the slowest in the League. Additionally, he has a very slow melee
swing animation. His attack range is slightly longer than that of many other melee champions.
Staggering Blow (Passive)
Nautilus' basic attacks deal bonus physical damage and immoblize his targets. This effect
cannot happen more than once every few seconds on the same target.
Nautilus' passive is Staggering Blow. On his first normal melee attack against a target, he deals
additional physical damage and briefly immobilizes them, preventing them from moving.
Staggering Blow cannot be triggered on the same target again for several seconds. Cooldown reduction
does not reduce this time. However, Nautilus can switch targets and apply the effect immediately
without regard to the cooldown on previous targets.
The bonus damage is not effective against towers.
Staggering Blow will consume spell shields and the enemy with the shield will not be immobilized.
However, they will still take the increased damage from the melee attack.
Dredge Line (Q)
Nautilus hurls his anchor forward. If it hits a champion, he drags both himself and the
opponent close together. If it hits terrain, Nautilus instead pulls himself to the anchor.
Nautilus' Dredge Line is a wide skillshot that can latch onto enemy units or vertical terrain. If Dredge Line
hits a unit, both he and the affected unit will be pulled towards each other, stopping once they meet
near the middle. Additionally, the affected unit will take damage and be briefly stunned.
If the unit he hits has a spell shield or Morgana's black shield, they will not be affected by dredge line.
However, Nautilus will still pull himself halfway towards them.
If the enemy unit is killed by Dredge Line, Nautilus will pull himself all the way to their location.
If Dredge Line hits vertical terrain, including standing and destroyed structures, he will pull himself to
the anchor's location. Dredge Line has a significantly shorter cooldown after being used if it lands on
terrain.
If he is near the edge and glances off terrain while traveling, he will stop short of his destination.
Dredge Line does not latch onto player-made terrain, such as Anivia's Crystallize, and the ability will pull
himself over these obstacles if it successfully lands on a unit or terrain.
Nautilus can cast other abilities while being pulled with dredge line.
Titan’s Wrath (W)
Nautilus surrounds himself with dark energies, gaining a shield that blocks incoming damage.
While the shield persists, his attacks apply a damage over time effect to enemies around his target.
Nautilus' Titan's Wrath is an activated shield that absorbs incoming damage. The amount of damage this
shield absorbs is increased based on his bonus health.
While the shield persists, Nautilus will apply a strong, but very brief damage over time effect on any unit
he uses normal melee attacks against. This deals magic damage and is increased based on his ability
power.
Units in close proximity to the affected unit will also have the damage over time effect applied.
The damage over time effect has no effect on towers, and attacks on a tower will not apply the effect to
neighboring units.
When activated, Titan's Wrath resets Nautilus' swing timer, allowing him to more quickly use a follow-up
attack.
A spell shield will block one application of the damage over time effect, but follow-up attacks during the
same Titan's Wrath shield will apply the effect.
Riptide (E)
Nautilus slams the ground, causing the earth to explode around him in a set of three
explosions. Each explosion damages and slows enemies.
Nautilus' Riptide fires small aoe explosions outwards in three rings. Enemies hit by these take magic
damage and are briefly slowed. While the slow is relatively strong, affected enemies rapidly regenerate
their movement speed over the duration.
Enemies can be hit by multiple explosions, but they take significantly reduced damage from later
explosions.
Riptide is fired from the location where it is cast, meaning that they will not have a greater total range if
Nautilus is moving.
Depth Charge (Ultimate)
Nautilus fires a shockwave into the earth that chases an opponent. This shockwave rips up the
earth above it, knocking enemies into the air. When it reaches the opponent, the shockwave erupts,
knocking his target into the air and stunning them.
Nautilus' ultimate is Depth Charge, a targeted ability that chases a champion. While traveling towards a
champion, enemy units take magic damage and are knocked up. Once the charge hits the target
champion, a final explosion occurs and the target takes significant damage, is knocked up, and is briefly
stunned.
Depth Charge begins moving slowly, but rapidly accelerates towards its target. If a target moves a
significant distance away on the map, such as with a teleport or recall, the spell stops functioning.
Depth Charge does not path around terrain.
According to a developer, it is technically possible to outrun Depth Charge for 5 seconds and the spell
will fizzle. We were not able to confirm this.
When playing against Nautilus, there are some things to understand.
Nautilus can be a strong ganker, and the width of his Dredge Line allows for relatively easy pick-up of
champions he has a clear shot of. Don't offer him an easy shot. You can use minions to block you, move
in the small area between a tower and the terrain, or try to skirt around corners. All of these will greatly
reduce the chance he can successfully land Dredge Line on you.
His crowd control is not indefinite. Since his abilities have relatively long cooldowns, even with
cooldown reduction, there are usually openings in his combo where you can walk away provided you
have abilities to more easily allow this.
Try to wait until he has used Riptide, and only move after a half second once the waves are beyond
where you'll be running. This will help you avoid taking multiple hits from the ability and allow for an
easier escape.
Nautilus is naturally very slow. While he can build to minimize this weakness, it may be in your interest
to consider movement speed items that naturally fit into your build to maximize this weakness.
Don't trade melee hits in a 1v1 with Nautilus unless you're sure you'll come out on top. Because of his
Titan's Wrath shield, he will dish out significant damage while mitigating a good chunk of it at the start.
If you don't manage to break the shield, he'll have a few seconds to extend the duration of the damage
over time effect by slowing and disabling you with his other abilities.
That said, if you've seen his Titan's Wrath expire recently, there is a relatively long cooldown before he
can use it again, and that may be an ideal time to get some damage on him.
In team fights, the main thing to watch out for is the initiate. His Dredge Line can very easily peel
someone off or bring a key player closer to his team if given the opportunity.
Once a full skirmish or fight has begun, try to identify the obvious Depth Charge target -- he may try to
go for either a very high priority target, such as a carry, or a target in the rear that will cause other
champions between him and them to be knocked up. Once you've figured out who that is, avoid the
path the Depth Charge will follow.
The shield from Titan's Wrath provides a constant, draining AOE on grouped up opponents. There are
three ways to counter this. First, you can break his shield quickly, either through natural AOE damage or
by focusing him down. Second, you can spread apart to avoid multiple people taking too much damage.
And third, you can refuse to play on his terms, using his slow speed against him to stay away from his
melee hits.
When playing as Nautilus, there are a few key things to learn and get used to.
First, and at a very basic level, look for opportunities to use melee attacks against multiple opponents
during fights. If laning, the passive can be very helpful for last hitting minions. In team fights, the
immobilize can be very helpful, and switching targets to apply it briefly to other targets can be a good
idea.
Dredge Line is a wide skill-shot. This helps in clear spaces with the right angle, as it can allow easy pick-
ups of enemy champions. However, it can be difficult to use in crowded areas, as it can easily latch onto
nearby units or terrain in its path.
Look for opportunities to use Dredge Line on terrain, either to hook ahead of an enemy's path to ensure
your slow, or to escape during long chases. Structures are ideal grabbing points in many situations
because they are unlikely to glance.
Dredge line, followed up with Staggering Blow and Riptide, allows for fairly potent crowd control, and
the combo is fairly natural to use. Additionally, the use of Titan's Wrath during this can net you a good
chunk of damage, especially against an opponent in a lane who must break the shield if they want to
counter you with any damage.
Depth Charge also makes a fantastic opener for this combo, making Dredge Line very easy to land.
If you've got the survivability to outlast incoming damage, consider saving your Titan's Wrath shield until
after any initial area damage in team fights. This will ensure the shield isn't popped and you don't lose
the AOE Damage Over Time without them consciously focusing you.
Don’t Feed Nocturne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uenimJYvaaU
Champion Notes
Nocturne was a good champion, very much an assassin

though I did build him a few times to survive in melee
range (frozen mallet, though I know a few people prefer
atmogs on him). I really didn't know much about him or his
potency prior to doing these games.
Great jungler, one of the better ones I've played, and very
strong early ganking potential. He really punishes people
who overextend in their lanes.
My build for these games generally all started with

Wriggle's Lantern and boots, and usually had Bloodthirster
early. I used Ghostblade a few games as well, but generally
went for Bloodthirster first. If I was getting away with kills without survivability or was significantly
ahead of them I'd go for more damage items; if not, a phage at the very least for some more
survivability. A couple games I was totally locked out by teams that stayed very, very tightly grouped and
used their CC's the moment I got in.
Introduction
Nocturne is a high physical damage assassin with a limited crowd control.
Umbra Blades (Passive)
Every 10 seconds, Nocturne's next attack strikes surrounding enemies for additional physical
damage and heals himself for a certain amount per target hit. Nocturne's basic attacks reduce this
cooldown by 1 second.
Nocturne's passive is Umbra Blades. After 10 seconds, Nocturne's normal attack will deal 120% damage
to all surrounding enemies and heal him for a small amount per enemy struck. The 10 second timer is
reduced by 1 second for every normal attack he deals.
This ability provides excellent burst damage. Because of the reduced cooldown per normal attack, it
becomes dramatically better with higher attack speed.
Umbra Blades also makes Nocturne an excellent jungler, both due to the healing and the AOE damage.
Duskbringer (Q)
Nocturne throws a shadow blade that deals damage, leaves a Dusk Trail, and causes
champions to leave a Dusk Trail. While on the trail, Nocturne ignores unit collision and has increased
Movement Speed and Attack Damage.
Nocturne's Duskbringer creates a trail in a line, damaging enemies hit. While on this trail, Nocturne has
increased movement speed and attack damage, and can pass freely through units.
Additionally, any champions hit by the initial cast will continue to create a trail of their own for several
seconds when moving.
If Nocturne can hit an enemy champion with Duskbringer, it becomes very difficult for them to get away
without using crowd control or some sort of flash ability, since Nocturne can follow the trail they leave
behind with a major movement speed increase, and won't be affected by any minions in the path.
The additional attack damage Nocturne gains while standing on the Duskbringer trail is substantial. Even
without the speed bonus, Duskbringer is great to use for the additional damage when staying in a small
area. This is true both when fighting champions and when taking out targets such as towers, dragon, or
baron.
Duskbringer has a big impact on Nocturne's jungling potential. Because of the area damage of the
ability, in addition to his increased attack damage and his Umbra Blades, Duskbringer is usually ideal to
pull a jungle pack with, and will often be the first point a jungling Nocturne should pick up.
Shroud of Darkness (W)
Nocturne empowers his blades, passively gaining attack speed. Activating Shroud of Darkness
allows Nocturne to fade into the shadows, creating a magical barrier which blocks a single enemy ability
and doubles his passive attack speed if successful.
Nocturne's Shroud of Darkness passively increases his attack speed. Additionally, it can be activated to
provide a 2 second spell shield that will block a single incoming spell.
If the Spell Shield is consumed by an enemy spell, Nocturne temporarily gains twice the attack speed
provided by the passive effect.
Shroud of Darkness gains the most passive attack speed with the first point spent. For this reason, one
point invested early can be a good idea, especially for a jungling Nocturne.
Unspeakable Horror (E)
Nocturne plants a nightmare into his target's mind, dealing damage each second and fearing
the target if they do not get out of range by the end of the duration.
Nocturne's Unspeakable Horror deals magic damage to a target for 2 seconds before briefly fearing the
target. This ability is broken if his target gets out of range.
Unspeakable Horror is extremely dangerous because it buys time for Nocturne to continue attacking his
target, but also makes it extremely easy for him to land Duskbringer if he hasn't used it yet.
If targeted by Unspeakable Horror, do everything you can to get out of range of him. If you have any
kind of slow or crowd control, use it to get more distance. If you can Flash or have another blink-like
ability, use it. Simply breaking vision, such as by running in a bush, will not break the effect.
Because of the counters, Nocturne may choose to wait until a player has used Flash or another ability
before entering into a fight to make sure he can get Unspeakable Horror off.
In the jungle, Unspeakable Horror can be used to temporarily damage and crowd control targets such as
blue golem, red lizard, or the large wraith.
Paranoia (Ultimate)
Nocturne reduces the sight radius of all enemy champions and removes their ally vision in the
process. He can then launch himself at a nearby enemy champion.
Nocturne's Paranoia temporarily removes allied vision from all enemy champions, causing their vision to
be strictly limited to what they can see nearby. This also reduces their own vision radius substantially.
During the effect, Nocturne can activate Paranoia again to charge across a long distance towards a single
enemy champion that he can see, damaging them and putting him in melee range of them.
Paranoia is extremely effective at killing players who are alone, over-extended, or fleeing at low health.
If Paranoia has not been used recently and you cannot account for Nocturne, you should assume that he
will be ready to engage you immediately if you make a mistake. A 2v2 lane fight in your favor can
instantly become a 3v2 without warning.
Paranoia is also good to cast immediately after someone has used their escapes to get away from
Nocturne or to break Unspeakable Horror, as this immediately puts him back in range.
At the first rank, Paranoia has a relatively limited range and some well-placed wards can prevent him
from getting in range without being seen. However, you should also watch out for the jungle pocket
near each blue golem pack, as he can punish anyone over-extending if they come past the river.
Later ranks of Paranoia have a much larger range.
Paranoia does not need to be followed up by a charge. In some situations, Nocturne's team may benefit
from casting Paranoia even if Nocturne is not in range to charge. For instance, Paranoia can allow for
easily killing a tower without warning, or getting players to back off a tower they're attacking because
they're nervous about Nocturne or his team attacking during Paranoia.
The key to countering Nocturne is not presenting easy targets to him. If you are in danger of Paranoia,
stay near a tower, or stay with higher-health teammates until they go to a safe spot, or make sure you're
out of the enemy team's vision.
If Paranoia is cast and a teammate is at low health, go towards them under the assumption they will be
targeted. If you're at low health, alone, or are otherwise in danger of being killed by Nocturne,
immediately back towards the tower or teammates.
If Nocturne is a serious threat, the best single counter to him is to stay grouped up as a team through
the mid and late game any time he's alive and Paranoia hasn't been cast for a while. While he excels at
assassinating players, he leaves himself very vulnerable if he charges into a group of players.
Focusing Nocturne down the moment he enters a fight is a quick way of eliminating his threat to a team.
Like many melee champions, chain crowd controls can easily lock him down.
Don't use blinks or flashes during Paranoia. Wait until he is in range of you, and ideally until he has cast
Unspeakable Horror, then move away.
In large team fights, especially in mid and late game, Nocturne may wait until people are fleeing before
using Paranoia. Keep this in mind if you're attempting to flee a fight.
Don’t Feed Nunu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUAld2S_Mhg
Champion Notes
Bush surprise! I had a few enjoyable moments with him,

particularly that quadra kill at the end of this movie
(kicking myself that I didn't go after Wukong for the penta).
To me, the great moments always had to do with his
ultimate and whether I could complete the cast.
Nunu is one of the simplest champions in League of

Legends -- he is super 1-dimensional. He is effectively a
tutorial-mode champion who I can really see as being ideal
for new players (which doesn't make him bad in more
competitive matchups by itself, don't misunderstand).
There is a decent skillcap on being really effective with his
ultimate, and his Blood Boil benefits from players getting
used to smart casting.
Introduction
Nunu is a high mobility champion that can be played effectively as a tank, support, damage dealer, or a
hybrid of these. He has strong buffs and debuffs built into his ability kit.
Visionary (Passive)
Nunu can cast a spell for free after 7 attacks.
Nunu's passive is Visionary, which allows him to cast any spell without using mana after seven normal
attacks. This buff clears if Nunu dies before utilizing it.
Consume (Q)
Nunu commands the yeti to take a bite out of a target minion or monster, dealing heavy
damage to it and healing himself.
Nunu's Consume causes him to attack a target minion or monster, dealing a large amount of true
damage that ignores Armor and Magic Resist. Additionally, Nunu is healed for a significant amount of
health.
The healing component of consume scales well from ability power and can be very powerful if he has AP
items.
Consume is very strong in the jungle, where it effectively acts as a second Smite on a much shorter
cooldown.
Nunu can consume player-owned minions as well, such as Annie's Tibbers.
Blood Boil (W)
Nunu invigorates himself and an allied unit by heating their blood, increasing their Movement
and Attack Speeds.
Nunu's Blood Boil is a targeted ability that significantly increases the attack and movement speed of an
ally for 15 seconds. Though he can target this on himself, if he chooses to use it on an allied champion or
minion, he will also gain buff on himself.
Blood Boil lasts as long as its base cooldown, allowing Nunu to keep it up permanently provided he can
sustain the mana. With high Cooldown Reduction, Nunu can keep very high uptime on two allies other
than himself.
Ice Blast (E)
Nunu launches a ball of ice at an enemy unit, dealing damage and slowing their Movement
and Attack Speeds for 4 seconds.
Nunu's Ice Blast causes him to throw a snowball at an enemy, dramatically slowing their movement
speed and decreasing their attack speed for 4 seconds. This has a good range, and can be used both to
pursue enemies and prevent enemies from coming into range of him or his allies.
With cooldown reduction, this debuff can be kept active permanently. The ability does benefit from
Rylai's Crystal Scepter for a stronger slow.
Absolute Zero (Ultimate)
Nunu begins to sap the area of heat, slowing all nearby enemies. When the spell ends, he
deals massive damage to all enemies caught in the area.
Nunu's Ultimate is Absolute Zero. This ability is an AOE effect that dramatically slows all affected
enemies and reduces their attack speed. After channeling for 3 seconds, the spell will end, dealing
extremely high magic damage to all enemies still within the effect. This damage scales extremely well
with ability power.
Absolute Zero can be stopped early with hard crowd controls. If the ability is stopped early, it will still
deal damage, but considerably less than if it had finished channeling.
Nunu can also cancel the effect himself for reduced damage, and may choose to do so when it becomes
clear that his targets will escape the area before the channeling would normally complete.
Nunu is marked as a recommended champion by Riot. With high sustainability and survivability, and his
ability to get away from bad situations, he is a forgiving champion. On top of this, he's good at
supporting his teammates, both in helping them get kills and helping them escape, and he can do this
even if he's doing poorly in the game.
On the whole, he is one of the better picks for new League of Legends players.
Watch out for Nunu's item build. He can go for serious damage through ability power and magic
penetration, which makes him more of a threat but much easier to kill, provided he is bursted before he
can consume a minion. If Nunu has masteries and runes built for this role, and has some basic mana
regen or the Clarity summoner skill, he can be an extremely good harasser in the early game.
Alternatively, he may go for more of a support role, building cooldown reduction and support items with
survivability. By doing this, he is much less of an initial threat in fights, but can sustain his buffs and
debuffs far more effectively.
In the early game, Nunu is best harassed by AD carries who can stay just beyond the throw range of his
Ice Blast. Continually harassing him as he comes near minions will prevent him from building Visionary
stacks for free spells and help deplete his mana, as well as his health.
Throughout the game, do everything you can to secure a kill on Nunu before he can get in range of
minions or monsters that could potentially heal him. Pet champions like Annie should avoid summoning
their own minions unless the risk is necessary.
Nunu's ultimate is extremely dangerous but also very easy to handle. If possible, have at least one
person on your team responsible for saving a hard crowd control for immediate use when Nunu begins
channeling his ultimate. If you don't have an immediate interrupt, don't forget that he can cancel his ult
early if he chooses, so prioritize getting out of the area immediately.
Also, be careful not to facecheck bushes or run into melee range of Nunu unless you have a clear
escape, such as a blink, or you can crowd control him. An Ice Blast combined with being near the center
of his ultimate can make it impossible to get out of the area otherwise.
Against competent players, Nunu won't see many opportunities to finish his ult and deal full damage to
multiple players. Instead, it may ideal for him to look for places where his ult can help secure kills or
initiate a fight by forcing the enemy team out of position.
Don’t Feed Olaf
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKG19hIjTWU
Champion Notes
Olaf is my personal favorite champion. I don't play him as

much as I'd like, as I prefer to go into games and choose a
champion that complements what other players have
chosen, and this usually means a ranged carry or a tank.
(Well, I don't play him as much now due to the DF series).
He's an amazing troll champion because he takes virtually
no risk of being trapped if his ultimate is available, and
that's why I frequently have videos of stupid Olaf tricks on
this channel.
In my opinion, his primary weakness is that he is difficult to

play effectively due to his Undertow. Missing or
consistently overshoot targets will cost you kills, where
other champions don't require as much. Also, while he is a
relatively strong ganker and can be decent in the early
game, he has a weak mid-game depending on his build and
how much the other team cares about locking him down. He does have a strong lategame, though,
when games get to that point.
Introduction
Olaf is a fast, high damage melee champion who deals physical and true damage.
Berserker Rage (Passive)
For each 1% of health missing, Olaf's attack speed is increased by 1%.
Olaf's passive is Berserker Rage. This ability causes him to attack 1% faster for every 1% of health he is
missing. Because of this, he becomes much more damaging at low health.
Undertow (Q)
Olaf throws an axe into the ground at a target location, dealing damage to units it passes
through and slowing their movement speed. If Olaf picks up the axe, the ability's cooldown is reduced by
6 seconds.
Olaf's Undertow causes him to throw an axe to a target location, damaging and slowing all enemies hit.
Additionally, Olaf can pick the axe up by running over it, reducing the cooldown by 6 seconds. The axe
very briefly grants vision in the area it lands.
While Undertow makes Olaf an excellent chaser, it is a skillshot, and it is one of the harder skillshots to
use effectively because it only applies a 2.5 second slow but has a 10 second cooldown. To be most
effective, an Olaf player needs to not only pick up the axe after each throw to reduce the cooldown by 6
seconds, but also needs to land each axe throw on the target to keep them from escaping.
If Olaf can continually strike you with Undertow and can pick up his axe, you will be continually slowed.
If you are being chased by an Olaf and have some distance on him, change directions when he has
thrown an axe at you. If you can make a serious course change, do so. The goal is to make it harder for
him to pick up his axe and continue pursuing you. Additionally, if you have a gap closer and have a
serious chance at killing Olaf without his Undertow, wait until he has thrown it towards you and
immediately jump to him and keep the fight on him, preventing him from picking up the axe.
Olaf has a predictable path he needs to follow when ganking if he is relying on Undertow. Because he
needs to pick up the axe, he must throw it in a direction he will be running while pursuing you. In other
words, he is a true chaser, not a flanker, and will often benefit most from coming at you directly rather
than from behind. This certainly doesn't mean he won't come from behind if it's a relatively assured kill
or he is flanking into a lane where his teammates have hard crowd controls.
If you flash away from Olaf, immediately juke or he may land yet another Undertow on you.
In melee range, Undertow is brutally effective since Olaf can target it directly in front of him, deal
damage to all targets in front of him, and instantly pick the axe back up without moving. With cooldown
reduction, Undertow has effectively no cooldown, often deals more damage than auto attacks, and hits
all targets.
Because of the melee range strength of the ability, Undertow is part of what makes Olaf a very effective
jungler. It also makes him a very effective ganker.
Vicious Strikes (W)
Olaf's attack damage is increased, based on his health, and he gains massive lifesteal and
spell vamp.
Olaf's Vicious Strikes temporarily grants him a flat amount of attack damage, plus additional attack
damage equal to 1% of his maximum health. Additionally, he receives between 9 and 21% lifesteal and
spell vamp.
This ability can dramatically increase his attack damage, depending on how he is building. Combined
with other sources of lifesteal and his passive that causes him to attack faster while at low health,
Vicious Strikes can often mean the difference between life and death and can completely turn around
fights that look like they are lost causes.
Because Olaf's Undertow is based on attack damage, using Vicious Strikes also increases the damage of
Undertow.
Vicious Strikes can be effective for pushing towers due to the additional damage.
Reckless Swing
Olaf attacks with such force that it deals true damage to his target and himself.
Olaf's Reckless Swing causes Olaf to deal a substantial amount of True Damage to a target at the cost of
some of his own health.
Since True Damage ignores all armor and magic resist, this ability is excellent against any champion
stacking those stats. However, it is a substantial amount of damage on its own, and can be used
effectively on any target who happens to be in melee range of Olaf.
Olaf generally should not use Reckless Swing at low health, for the obvious reason that he can wind up
helping to kill himself. However, in a 1v1 battle, Reckless Strike is safe to use if Olaf is sure it will kill his
opponent, as it cannot be used if he does not have the health to spend.
Where Undertow is very effective for farming in the jungle, Reckless Swing is excellent at last hitting
minions in the laning phase, provided Olaf has some basic health regeneration. It is also excellent
harassment due to the relatively low health pools of most champions in the early game.
Ragnarok (Ultimate)
Olaf is immune to disables, has increased armor penetration and reduces incoming damage.
Olaf's ultimate is Ragnarok, which grants him between 5 and 8 seconds of immunity to all disables
except silences and blinds, and reduces incoming damage by up to 40.
Additionally, this ability passively increases his Armor penetration by between 10 and 30 points.
Ragnarok has a variety of uses, depending on what Olaf's role is on the team.
First, it makes him an excellent initiator, since he can run into a group, take quite a bit of damage and
get the group focused on him so the rest of the team can jump in.
Second, it allows him to knock out specific players in team fights. Since Olaf can effectively get to any
target he needs without fear of CC, he is often very effective by focusing on the single most dangerous
opponent, such as an ranged AD carry hanging behind the team, and burning them down. Even if he fails
to kill his target, it will most likely be because they fled the fight, still giving your team an advantage.
It's worth noting that Olaf can effectively counter many seriously fed opponents by doing this. As long as
he can survive to reach, harass, and ideally kill a strong opponent, he can turn a game around -- even if
he dies in the process.
Third, it's fantastic for solo'ing opponents who may use stuns or other crowd controls to turn the battle
in their favor. Used at the right time, Ragnarok can guarantee a kill.
Fourth, it's a great escape mechanism, especially combined with a speed enhancer such as Ghost or
Youmou's Ghostblade. If Olaf is surrounded and likely to be CC'd, he can use Ragnarok to get out of most
situations.
Ragnarok is best saved for when it's needed. This can be immediately on initiating a fight, but often it
will be after a fight has already begun or even when Olaf needs to fall back.
Ragnarok's damage reduction and CC immunity, combined with Vicious Strikes and Berserker Rage,
make Olaf extremely deadly and survivable at low health. If you're going to kill Olaf, your team must
absolutely commit to killing him, not leaving him at low health, or he can completely turn a fight around.
Ragnarok cannot be activated while he is disabled. Because of this, commiting to kill him may involve
chaining crowd controls.
Unlike a handful of other melee champions, Olaf does not rely on his ultimate to be effective. He can be
effective throughout the game if he is good with his Undertow. That said, if Olaf is locked out early he
will have a difficult time recovering, and may only be effective for the brief periods his ultimate is
available.
Olaf can build a variety of ways depending on the game he's in. Watch for Olaf players who build health
items such as Phage and Frozen Mallet sooner, as their damage will be lower until they can acquire
Atma's Impaler.
Additionally, an Olaf who builds primarily damage items, such as Youmou's Ghostblade, can be brutally
effective in the early game, but have a window where they're also very vulnerable to being bursted
down. Take advantage of this.
Like many junglers, Olaf is ready to gank just a few short minutes into the game, after a pass of only a
fewminion camps. Don't overextend if you don't have wards.
Don’t Feed Rumble
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgK8rY1sOHg
Champion Notes
Had a lot of fun with this class. He wasn't a total game

changer late game no matter how I played him, but he was
excellent in the early and mid game. He probably ranks in
the top 5 "most infuriating to lane against" category.
Introduction
Rumble is a quick, highly survivable magic damage

champion who is able to constantly harass champions in
the early game without much risk. He has strong
sustainability and very few champions are capable of fully
countering him through the early game.
Rumble uses a unique resource, Heat, to determine

whether he can use abilities and how effective his abilities
will be. Each of his abilities costs 20 Heat; if he is above 50 Heat, his non-ultimate abilities are
significantly stronger. Four seconds after using an ability, he will rapidly cool off.
Junkyard Titan (Passive)
Every spell Rumble casts gives him Heat. When he reaches 50% Heat he reaches Danger Zone,
granting all his basic abilities bonus effects. When he reaches 100% heat, he starts Overheating, granting
his basic attacks bonus damage, but making him unable to cast spells for a few seconds.
Rumble's Passive is Junkyard Titan, which causes him to become silenced for 6 seconds while he cools
down if he reaches 100 Heat, but also causes his melee attacks to deal significantly more damage during
this 6 seconds. The 6 second silence cannot be reduced by crowd control reduction items such as
Mercury Treads.
Flamespitter (Q)
Rumble torches opponents in front of him, dealing magic damage in a cone for 3 seconds.
While in Danger Zone this damage is increased.
Rumble's Flamespitter is a flamethrower that deals conal damage in front of him. This deals half damage
to minions and requires he be facing his intended targets through the duration. Above 50 Heat, this
deals an additional 30% damage.
While Flamespitter is a straightforward ability in concept, it is one of his most powerful harassment
abilities. Though it deals relatively low damage per tick, it ticks 6 times over the course of 3 seconds.
Additionally, it can be used very frequently.
If you are caught in Flamespitter and know you will be unable to get away, you can use the positioning
requirement of the ability to your advantage. If your nearby minions are at low health and he is trying to
farm, move away so he must choose between damaging you or last hitting minions; if your minions are
at higher health, move on top of them to help push the battle back towards the safety of your tower
without giving him easy last hits. And, if you simply cannot get away from the Flamespitter, deal as
much damage as you can to Rumble during the duration to discourage him.
That said, do your best to avoid getting caught in many Flamespitters during the early game. Boots can
help, as well as having ranged champions with strong harass in the lane with him.
As a minor note, Flamespitter does not have a visible animation for players who don't have vision on
him. This means that you can sometimes deal damage to players near a bush without them being aware
of it. There is still a fiery animation on the affected champions that you should watch out for.
Scrap Shield (W)
Rumble pulls up a shield, protecting him from damage and granting him a quick burst of
speed. While in Danger Zone, the shield strength and speed bonus is increased.
Rumble's Scrap Shield is a 2 second shield that blocks a certain amount of incoming damage and
dramatically increases his movement speed for 1 second. Above 50 Heat, both the shield strength and
move speed bonus are increased by 30%.
Because of the speed bonus, Rumble may use this in conjunction with Flamespitter to increase his
harassment potential. Because of its short cooldown, this can be a very effective ability to chase with. In
some cases, this shield triggering Overheat can net you a kill during a chase due to your ability to stay in
range and your extra auto-attack damage.
As with all shields, this can save Rumble's life in near-death situations. It is rarely a good idea to tower-
dive a low-health Rumble unless you are absolutely sure you can net the kill, because he can either
quickly move away from you or he can stay alive long enough to kill you first.
Electro Harpoon (E)
Rumble launches a taser, electrocuting his target with magic damage and slowing their
Movement Speed. A second shot can be fired within 3 seconds. While in Danger Zone the damage and
slow percentage is increased.
Rumble's Electro Harpoon is a skill shot slow. Once fired, Rumble has 3 seconds in which he can fire it a
second time without any Heat penalty. Rumble can fire the second shot even if he is currently
overheated and silenced.
This ability stacks, meaning you can hit the same target twice for an additional slow. While these are
additive slows, meaning landing it twice on one opponent is very good, Rumble gains a 30% increase to
this slow while he is above 50 Heat. This 30% is not additive, meaning it is not an extreme slow, but it is
still very effective. If the Electro-Harpoon hits his target twice, the duration of the first slow will be
refreshed.
That said, Rumble does not need to hit the same target twice. Instead, he may choose to slow two
targets separately. Like Scrap Shield, this can be used very effectively in chasing, but also defensively to
help get away.
The Equalizer (Ultimate)
Rumble fires off a group of rockets, dealing magic damage in a line and creating a wall of
flames that damage and slow enemies.
Rumble's Ultimate is The Equalizer, a ranged ability that fires rockets in a line beginning at a point of
Rumble's choosing and in a direction of his choosing. This is achieved by a mechanic where Rumble
chooses a start location and drags his mouse cursor in the direction he wishes the rockets to land before
releasing.
The Equalizer deals massive magic damage on impact, leaves a ground AOE that deals damage every
second, and slows enemies on the charred ground significantly. It can be used effectively in team fights
by keeping opponents from escaping too quickly, blocking escape routes, and controlling jungle
chokepoints. It can be used in netting early kills as well as punishing players attempting to kill you or
your teammates.
The Equalizer has a long cast range. Do not underestimate the effectiveness of this ability in team fights,
and try to avoid closed-in battles where a combination of his Ultimate and Flamespitter can severely
penalize your team. If the Equalizer has not been used recently and you may need to back out of a team
fight, try to keep at least two escape routes available in case one is cut off.
Unlike Rumble's other abilities, this receives no damage from being above 50 Heat. Because of this, it
can be a good idea for Rumble to use this early in a fight to avoid overheating issues.
Don’t Feed Sejuani
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNP_8_nds4k
Champion Notes
Sejuani has a very clear role as a tank and initiator, both in

the early and late game. She has a lot of usefulness as a
jungler, where she can roam and gank, but I personally
didn't see much use for her in a lane (someone at high ELO
might prove me wrong on this statement). Her early jungle
is a little rougher than some other champions but it picks
up quickly.
I found her to be unusually enjoyable, but I also enjoy

tanks like Amumu and Leona.
I tried a few builds on her and they all worked decently

well. What I settled on was 9/11/9, with both Barbed
Armor and the bonus health perks in Defensive (along with magic pen in offensive and buff duration in
utility). For runes, I did a standard Magic Pen (Red), Flat Armor/Magic Resist (Yellow/Blue), and Health
Quints. Run speed Quints worked well, too, but you're more vulnerable in your early jungle doing this.
For skills, Flash was a little better than Ghost in my games, and Smite is always a must-have for jungling.
I went W-Q-E for my first three levels, then prioritized W and E until both were finished, with Q finishing
last. W isn't super important but it has a huge impact on your jungling speed, and I felt that was worth it.
Items: A lot of options, including Frozen Mallet and Frozen Heart (on a frozen champion?). Sunfire cape
and other tanky things all work for her. I didn't build her as a bruiser at any point, and can't speak to the
effectiveness of doing so. I usually built GP5 health and regen items, but only finished Shurelia's when I
finished either.
Honestly, as a tank you have a lot of options with what you do, and you should choose based on what
you're against. In my personal opinion, her AP ratios don't justify investing anything serious in AP. Rylai's
I don't think is worth it (all of your spells are AOE, so you take a big penalty on that).
Introduction
Sejuani is a tank and initator with very strong slows. She has a base movement speed of 315.
She is one of a limited number of champions who begin the game with a base of 30 magic resist, but also
increase their resist per level.
Frost (Passive)
Sejuani's basic attacks apply Frost, reducing enemy Movement Speed by 10% for 3 seconds.
Sejuani's passive is Frost. When she uses a normal melee attack against a champion, the Frost debuff is
applied to them, slowing them by a small amount. This debuff does not stack.
Spell shields do not block Frost from being applied through normal attacks.
Arctic Assault (Q)
Sejuani charges forward to deal magic damage and apply Frost to enemies. Sejuani stops
upon colliding with an enemy champion.
Sejuani's Arctic Assault causes her to dash a short distance. Upon reaching the end of the dash or
colliding with a champion, all nearby enemies take magic damage and have the Frost debuff applied to
them. Minions are also knocked back.
Sejuani can use this ability to cross over many walls with ease.
Sejuani can choose to do a shorter dash by targeting the ability closer to her. This can be useful in
minion and monster farming.
Stealthed opponents are hit by Arctic Assault and stop her dash. Additionally, clones, such as Shaco's
Hallucination, can block Arctic Assault as well.
Even though her normal attacks apply Frost through spell shields, Arctic Assault will not apply Frost
through a spell shield.
Northern Winds (W)
Sejuani summons an arctic storm around her which deals magic damage to nearby enemies
every second. Damage is increased against enemies affected by Frost or Permafrost.
Sejuani's Northern Winds is a short to mid range AOE effect that lasts for several seconds, dealing magic
damage to all nearby enemies. This damage is increased slightly by Ability Power and also by a
percentage of Sejuani's maximum health.
This damage is significantly increased on targets with the frost debuff currently applied.
Because her Arctic Assault dash applies frost to targets, a quick follow-up of Northern Winds helps both
against champions and while farming minions and monsters.
Permafrost (E)
Sejuani converts Frost on nearby enemies to Permafrost, dealing magic damage and
increasing the Movement Speed reduction dramatically.
Sejuani's Permafrost converts the Frost debuff on enemies to a new debuff called Permafrost. This
instantly deals magic damage and massively slows affected targets for several seconds.
Higher ranks of this ability dramatically increase the strength of the slowing effect.
Permafrost cannot be activated unless an enemy is affected by Frost. That said, Sejuani can be a fairly
significant distance away from targets affected by Frost and still activate the ability.
While Permafrost is active, Frost cannot be applied. Northern Winds gains the same bonus damage from
Permafrost that it gains from Frost.
Permafrost can be activated regardless of whether Sejuani has vision on a target affected by Frost. This
includes stealthed targets.
Permafrost can be used as the last component to an effective escape combo. By using a normal melee
attack against an opponent, then using Arctic Assault, Sejuani will still be in range to activate
Permafrost, stopping most pursuers.
Glacial Prison (Ultimate)
Sejuani throws her weapon, stunning the first enemy champion hit. Nearby enemies are
stunned for a shorter duration. All targets take magic damage and are affected by Frost.
Sejuani's ultimate is Glacial Prison. This is a long-range, skill-shot ball of ice that will travel in a path until
it reaches max distance or collides with a champion.
In either case, it will explode, dealing magic damage to all enemies in a significant area. This also briefly
stuns all enemies. If the ability collided with a champion, that champion will be stunned for a longer
duration.
Glacial Prison applies Frost to all affected enemies. At maximum range, it reaches just beyond Sejuani's
Permafrost range, meaning she will need to move towards the affected targets to activate Permafrost.
This can be useful for escapes.
Glacial Prison will hit stealthed opponents. Additionally, Glacial Prison will collide with clones, such as
Shaco's Hallucination.
Sejuani is an excellent initiator, making her a dangerous ganker throughout the game. Along with this,
she is a strong jungler, putting her in an ideal position to roam and gank from an early point in the game.
Like all initiators, countering her effectiveness means map vision and map awareness. Place wards at
routes you're vulnerable to.
Do not underestimate her ability to lock you down during a gank. Even a Flash is unlikely to keep you out
of range more than a couple seconds with a Permafrost debuff applied. In other words, do not
overextend and watch your positioning at all times.
Though she is capable of ganking earlier, Sejuani's initiates are dramatically improved once she reaches
level six.
Because of the long range of Glacial Prison, along with the fact she doesn't need to directly land it on a
champion to stun them, she can use this to initiate at a distance. Following this with an Arctic Assault
and Permafrost can shut down an escape.
It goes without saying that players shouldn't stay tightly grouped while her Glacial Prison is available,
especially if her team can follow it up with additional AOE ultimates.
This being said, it's important to remember Glacial Prison is her only hard crowd control. While she has a
very strong set of slows and can pursue fleeing enemies, these do nothing against opponents who
commit to a fight and area in a good position.
Against a team with Sejuani, it is best to simply commit to fights. It is unlikely you will be able to flee
while she is still alive and nearby, but she also lacks strong burst damage outside of her Glacial Prison.
Because she cannot disrupt or interrupt spells and attacks without her ultimate, it can be best to simply
ignore her until higher priority targets have been killed.
That said, while built with survivability, she can do an effective job blocking routes and preventing
players from getting in a good position. She can also ensure an escape for her teammates with her
slows, giving her added utility to the team. In any tight area, such as the jungle, her abilities all shine, as
she can cross over barriers and deal her full AOE to grouped up players.
As a Sejuani player, keep Arctic Assault and Glacial Prison off cooldown until you are assured of landing
it. Arctic Assault has a long enough cooldown that you rarely get a second chance with it. Failing to apply
it, especially during a gank, can easily cost you an assured kill. If possible, try to land a normal attack and
permafrost first, then use Arctic Assault only if they use Flash or another blink to retreat.
Don’t Feed Shyvana
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=77gTQlJw5gw
Champion Notes
I'm a dragon! I didn't get to play as many games as I

normally do while preparing one of these videos, but I also
couldn't use as much footage as I had because there were
so many details that were easiest to show in a custom
game. The champion is a lot of fun -- though she's
mechanically pretty complex, in practice she's not too hard
to get used to because her dragon form feels pretty
natural.
As far as builds, I tried a lot out, some of which were

recommended here. Hybrid, pure AD, tanky, etc., and they
all seemed to work. I also jungled, solo top'd, and went bot
w/ other players.
Ultimately, I settled on a recommendation from a Shyvana I played against that usually priorotizes Wit's
End and Phage quickly. Boots I would go Berserker when I could, but most often Merc Treads due to my
need to not only stay in melee but also stay in range (the tenacity was a big help). As far as extended
items, Lifesteal of any sort (wriggles, bloodthirster, etc) was very good; very occasionally Black Cleaver
was good. Sunfire cape and Atmog's in a couple games as well, after the core items. All in all, I
considered Wit's End and Phage important, but not absolutely necessary. Madred's should be great if
you can afford it early. (What I don't recommend: Tiamats. Theoretically it should be awesome on this
champion, but the range is so small and it is so situational)
Alternatively, I did a little spying on Splug's profile, who has also been playing a lot of Shyvana and been
very successful with her. He seems to go for Phage and Frozen Mallet relatively soon, with an early
Zeal/Phantom Dancer. Merc Treads and the occasional Bloodthirster.
First item purchase was usually Doran's Shield unless I was very confident I was going against a caster.
For masteries, 21/0/9 heavy in offensive worked well (don't bother w/ the crit damage increase), but I
settled on a tankier 15/6/9 build that went for the low-hanging armor and magic resist in defensive.
Summoner spells were exhaust and ghost or flash, almost exclusively, unless I was jungling. Lacking
either as a jungler (where I would pick up Smite) was a huge hindrance.
Introduction
Shyvana is a melee champion whose abilities deal a mix of physical and magic damage.
Shyvana uses a single resource, Fury, and this is used only for activating and sustaining her ultimate
ability. As such, Fury only becomes available once she has acquired her ultimate ability. Fury is gained
slowly over time, even while dead, and a small amount is gained for every normal melee attack.
Fury of the Dragonborn (Passive)
Shyvana's melee attacks enhance her abilities.
Shyvana's passive, Fury of the Dragonborn, causes her normal melee attacks to uniquely affect each of
her abilities. Additionally, Shyvana's ultimate, Dragon's Descent temporarily alters her other three active
abilities. For this reason, this video will first cover her ultimate, then will cover the effects of her passive
and her ultimate while covering her normal abilities.
Dragon’s Descent (Ultimate)
Shyvana transforms into a dragon and takes flight to a target location. Enemies along her
path take damage and are knocked toward her target location.
Shyvana's ultimate is Dragon's Descent. This ability passively increases her Armor and Magic Resist.
When activated, Shyvana is transformed into a dragon and flies forward towards a target location,
dealing magic damage to all enemy targets in her path and briefly pulling enemy targets in the direction
she is traveling. While in her dragon form, the bonus Armor and Magic Resist from her ultimate is
doubled.
Dragon's Descent can only be activated once Shyvana has 100 Fury. Once activated, she will rapidly lose
Fury until she reaches zero, at which point she will revert back into her normal form. Because Shyvana
gains Fury from normal melee attacks, she can prolong her time in Dragon form by continuing to attack
targets.
Dragon's Descent can be used both for initiating and escaping. However, it can be used in a variety of
ways mid-combat, in particular to stop runners, deal damage to a single enemy or a group of enemies,
or pull enemies towards a desired location.
Dragon's Descent is excellent at peeling chasers off one of her allies by moving them away, and the
additional survivability granted by using it can help her to either stay in a fight or get out herself.
Because Dragon's Descent is very effective at keeping you somewhere you don't want to be, try to keep
yourself positioned safely out of her reach. When diving towers, be cautious of her using her ultimate to
keep you from escaping the tower.
Shyvana can use Dragon's Descent instantly once she reaches level 6, as putting a point in the ability
grants her an initial 100 Fury. The ability can pass over walls, and can carry enemy players over walls if
positioned well.
Twin Bite (Q)
Shyvana strikes twice on her next attack.
Shyvana's Twin Bite causes her next normal melee attack to strike twice. Additionally, this ability resets
Shyvana's swing timer, meaning she can use it immediately after another normal melee attack to
provide a total of 3 attacks in succession.
Twin Bite's additional attack triggers on-hit effects, such as those provided by items like Wit's End or The
Black Cleaver. This allows stacking effects to rapidly apply to a target and allows for increased burst
damage. Twin Bite also grants Fury twice.
Only the first attack of Twin Bite can critically strike.
Aside from the useful burst in solo and team fights, Twin Bite is excellent at helping bring down towers.
Fury of the Dragonborn, Shyvana's passive, causes all of her normal attacks to reduce the cooldown of
Twin Bite by 0.5 seconds. This means that Shyvana can use Twin Bite more rapidly while consistently
melee attacking targets. Though Twin Bite is effective against structures, her normal attacks against
structures will not reduce the cooldown of Twin Bite.
While in Dragon form, Twin Bite will cleave, dealing attacks to all targets in front of her. All of the targets
affected will have on-hit effects applied. Because Twin Bite attacks increase Fury, landing Twin Bite can
dramatically increase the longevity of dragon form by recovering a large amount of Fury instantly.
Burnout (W)
Shyvana surrounds herself in fire, dealing magic damage per second to nearby enemies and
moving faster for 3 seconds. The movement speed reduces over the duration of the spell.
Shyvana's Burnout causes her to deal magic damage in an area around her and dramatically increases
her movement speed for 3 seconds. The movement speed bonus is moderately reduced every second
she remains spinning. Burnout is not channeled, and Shyvana can move, attack, and cast while it is
active.
Fury of the Dragonborn causes all of her normal attacks while using Burnout to extend the duration of
Burnout by 1 second, granting up to a maximum of 6 additional seconds. In other words, Shyvana can
keep the ability active for up to 9 seconds if attacking a target to increase the duration.
While Burnout does not deal damage to structures, attacking structures will increase the duration of the
ability. For this reason, Shyvana may wish to go to the rear of a tower when attacking to allow Burnout
to damage incoming minions while she is attacking the tower.
Burnout can be used as a limited escape mechanism. However, it is much stronger in chasing, as she will
be able to benefit from the prolonged duration while continuing to attack a target.
Along with her other abilities, this can be used effectively in the early game jungle if she chooses to
jungle. It can also be used to harass or farm in some circumstances while laning and in the late game.
While in Dragon form, Burnout will leave scorched earth wherever she has traveled, leaving a patch of
fire for 5 seconds that will deal magic damage to enemies who path over it.
Burnout will continue to stay active while switching in or out of Dragon form. For this reason, it can be a
good idea to trigger Burnout immediately before activating Dragon's Descent, leaving a massive burning
trail in a line where opponents may be.
This ability can also be used to more effectively escape with Dragon Form, as the damage from the trail
may deter attackers.
Flame Breath (E)
Shyvana unleashes a fireball that deals damage to the first enemy it encounters and leaves
cinders on the target that reduces their Armor for 4 seconds.
Shyvana's Flame Breath is a skillshot fireball that deals magic damage to the first enemy it strikes in a
line. Flame Breath also debuffs the target, reducing their Armor by 15% for 4 seconds.
Fury of the Dragonborn causes normal attacks striking a target with the armor debuff to deal 15% of
Flame Breath's damage as extra magic damage. Both attacks from Twin Bite will deal this bonus damage
if used on a debuffed target.
Flame Breath can be used during the laning phase to snipe last hits on targets she cannot easily get near.
It can also be used effectively while engaging higher health minions, monsters, or champions, to provide
quick burst by landing the fireball on an enemy in melee range and immediately following it up with
Twin Bite.
Flame Breath is also useful for quickly checking small nearby bushes. Though neither the spell nor the
debuff grant vision, if the spell stops short it is a sure indication that an enemy is in the bush.
While in Dragon form, Flame Breath shoots out in a cone, debuffing all targets in front of her. Combined
with Twin Bite's cleave in Dragon form, this can provide massive burst in a close-quarters team fight.
Unlike the single-target version of this, the conal flames continue traveling past enemies they've hit,
allowing Shyvana to saturate a wide area with the attack.
As a general recommendation, Shyvana is an excellent champion for players who need to learn to stay in
fights rather than immediately run out. Though Shyvana is complex, there are a few simple rules to
understanding her.
First, her Dragon form is essentially her team fight form. While it can -- and should -- be used to secure
kills in 1v1 situations and small skirmishes, being in Dragon form defines her role in many large team
battles, in mid and especially late game. While all of her abilities help her excel in 1v1 situations, her
Dragon form abilities transform them into AOE and strongly encourage her to stay in the fight.
Second, Shyvana always wants to be in melee range of at least one opponent and consistently using
normal melee attacks unless fleeing. Countering her means making use of blinds, exhausts, or abilities
that either keep her away from you or get you away from her. If you cannot take her 1v1, do anything
that prevents her from auto-attacking you. And in team fights, try not to group too closely together or
get in a position where she can easily pull team members towards undesirable positions.
Third, Shyvana's Twin Bite gives her a lot of build options, and you'll need to watch out for exactly what
she's building at any step of the way. She can be effectively played to suit most roles, but Twin Bite
strongly emphasizes any items that are proc-based. Wit's End is very, very good because it
disproportionately increases her damage output while adding to her already-strong survivability. Phage
is frequently used as well, providing her a high chance of slowing one or many targets with a single use
of Twin Bite.
Fourth, Shyvana is naturally very tanky, especially once she acquires the Armor and Magic Resist from
her ultimate. However, she has very little long-term sustainability without a significant item investment,
and her lack of crowd controls can leave her vulnerable to being kited.
Finally, while Shyvana is capable at jungling and Riot has said as much in their official video, she is not a
strong ganker until she reaches level 6, and this is further hindered by losing a summoner spell to
accomodate Smite. If you choose to jungle with her, make sure your lanes have crowd control available
if they're looking for early ganks.
Don’t Feed Sivir
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkR2kvjmmv0
Champion Notes
Sivir is a seriously good champion. Once I got used to her

spell shield and started using it well, I performed better w/
her (in terms of wins, kills, and team contribution) than I
have with nearly any other champion. Very strong multi-
target, pretty good poke, and very strong farm.
Runes: Armor Pen for either Reds or Quintessences, Attack

Damage for the other. Yellow Armor, blue Magic Resist.
Masteries: 21/9/0 with Physical masteries in offensive and

Armor/MR/Health in Defensive.
Summoner Skills: Flash and Teleport/Exhaust/Heal/??. If

you're going to get opportunities to hit undefended lanes, Teleport is excellent. Exhaust is always good,
Heal is good especially if your support has Exhaust already.
Skill Priority: R, Q, W, E, with your second skill being one point in E.
Items: Sivir gets away with being more AD-centric than some ranged AD carries, but you'll still want
attack speed. My general build was boots + 3 health pots, BF sword, then Bloodthirster OR zeal, then
vamp scepter/Infinity Edge if I didn't get a Bloodthirster.
Once I have an IE or BT, turn Zeal into Phantom Dancer, then build another straight AD item, either
Bloodthirster or Last Whisper if the enemy team is stacking any significant armor. Once the next AD item
is built, another Zeal.
Defensive items at any time you need them. If your team can keep people off you, watch your
positioning and stay offensive.
Introduction
Sivir is a ranged, physical damage champion who specializes in multi-target damage and pushing
objectives.
She has a relatively short attack range for ranged carry, as well as a relatively slow projectile speed. She
has a moderate run speed, which can be temporarily increased with her passive and her ultimate.
Fleet of Foot (Passive)
Sivir gains a short burst of Movement Speed when she attacks an enemy champion.
Sivir's passive is Fleet of Foot. When one of her normal ranged attacks strikes a champion, she briefly
gains a dramatic movement speed increase.
Boomerang Blade (Q)
Sivir hurls her crossblade like a boomerang, dealing damage each way.
Sivir's Boomerang Blade is a line skill shot that damages all enemies in its path. Once it reaches max
range, it returns to Sivir, continuing to damage enemies.
The return path of Boomerang Blade moves towards Sivir's current location, not the location it was
originally cast from, meaning Sivir can alter its path by moving.
Each target hit by Boomerang Blade takes less damage than the previous target.
Spell Shields will block either the outgoing or returning damage from the ability. However, if a spell
shield blocks the outgoing damage, the Boomerang Blade will still deal damage to the target if it moves
through them while returning.
Ricochet (W)
Sivir's next basic attack will bounce between targets, dealing reduced damage with each
successive hit.
Sivir's Ricochet causes her next normal ranged attack to deal bonus damage and bounce to several
nearby targets. Like Boomerang Blade, each bounce deals less damage than the previous bounce.
Ricochet resets Sivir's attack animation, meaning it can be cast immediately after another normal ranged
attack to more quickly attack again.
The first Ricochet hit functions similar to a normal ranged attack, dealing on-hit effects and benefiting
from lifesteal. However, bounces only deal damage and do not benefit from on-hit effects or lifesteal.
Ricochet can be cast while attacking structures, and the additional bounces will still occur. However,
Ricochet will not bounce from enemies to structures.
While Ricochet hits can land on champions, they are not guaranteed to hit nearby champions.
Ricochet bounces do not affect spell shields.
Ricochet has a very short cooldown at higher ranks.
Spell Shield (E)
Creates a magical barrier that blocks a single enemy ability cast on Sivir. She receives Mana
back if a spell is blocked.
Sivir's Spell Shield is a temporary buff that blocks the negative effects of a spell used against Sivir. If Spell
Shield successfully blocks a spell while active, Sivir is granted a significant amount of mana.
Spell Shield will stop most AOE spells, skill-shots, and targeted abilities. It can also be activated prior to
running onto a trap to negate the effects and return mana.
Baron Nashor's spells can be blocked with spell shield.
If Sivir has Banshee's Veil and Spell Shield active at the same time, both shields will be consumed by a
single spell.
Spell Shield can absorb more than one spell, provided multiple spells land on Sivir in the same moment.
When this happens, all spells are blocked, but mana is only gained once.
It's important to note that spell shield stops negative effects on Sivir, but doesn't block spells from
occurring. For example, AOE spells will still deal damage to other players without a spell shield. Charge
and dash abilities will generally still move an enemy to Sivir.
Spell Shield will stop most spells that it seems like it should stop, but there are exceptions and special
mechanics. Because there are too many spells to cover here, I strongly recommend looking at other
Don't Feed guides to learn how each champion's spells are affected.
On The Hunt (Ultimate)
Sivir leads her allies into battle granting them increased Movement and Attack Speeds for a
period of time.
Sivir's ultimate is On the Hunt. When activated, Sivir gains significant attack speed, with nearby allies
gaining a lesser attack speed bonus. Additionally, both Sivir and allies gain a significant movement speed
bonus. This bonus lasts for several seconds.
On the Hunt does not need to be cast while Sivir is in range of allies. Once it has been cast, Sivir can
move into range of allies and they'll gain the buff.
Allies who have On the Hunt do not need to stay in range of Sivir to maintain the buff.Killing Sivir does
not remove On the Hunt from her allies.
When playing as Sivir, there are a few things you'll need to learn.
First, learning to use Sivir's spell shield will dramatically improve your performance and potential
throughout the game.
One key to using Spell Shield effectively is timing and reaction. If you see a spell or ability coming,
quickly blocking it is essential.
It's worth noting that Spell Shield blocks abilities of all sorts, including physical damage abilities, not just
ability-power nukes and crowd controls.
The second key with spell shield is general game knowledge. While you can use spell shield to block
anything that's obvious, it may not be wise to use it immediately in every situation.
For instance, against a Caitlyn, you can very easily gain mana back by running over one of her traps with
Spell Shield active. However, if you're low health, you may be opening yourself up to an immediately
Ace in the Hole ultimate or piltover peacemaker that will kill you while your Spell Shield isn't available.
Once you're very solid on your reaction times and you know when its safe to use spell shield, baiting out
spells can be effective for getting mana back or putting an enemy spell on cooldown. This can be
especially effective against champions who telegraph their abilities while casting, such as a Taric or
Blitzcrank.
Understanding and using Boomerang Blade in a smart way can also dramatically increase your potential.
Players who are hugging one side of a lane can be very easy to hit with Boomerang Blade if the blade is
fired from the center of the lane and Sivir moves towards their side while the blade is in flight.
Whenever possible, try to stay away from minions when using Boomerang Blade so the potential
damage isn't reduced. Staying at one edge of the lane, such as in a bush, can allow clearer harassment
shots.
Before team fights, especially near towers in the later game, Boomerang Blade can be an effective poke
tool to soften enemies before engaging.
If your enemy has a sliver of health left and you simply can't get in range to attack them one more time,
use Ricochet on an enemy between you and them to allow for a potential jump to them.
Sivir is best matched in a lane with a champion who has a hard crowd control, such as Taric. Hard crowd
controls often guarantee she can get her full combo off, including Boomerang Blade, Ricochet, and at
least two normal attacks.
On a team, AOE crowd control ultimates such as Cassiopeia's Petrifying Gaze, Galio's Idol of Durand, and
Leona's Solar Flare can dramatically improve Sivir's performance. By forcing players to stay near each
other, even briefly, a full Boomerang Blade and potentially two Ricochets can quickly soften a team.
Timing On the Hunt is different depending on the situation. Since it applies to teammates when you
move in range of them, it is often a good idea to use it right before entering a team fight that is already
occurring to help yourself get in position more quickly. Your allies will get the majority of the buff this
way.
By the same token, if you want to help an ally who's being chased, using On the Hunt to get yourself in
range of them sooner, while still giving them a few seconds of the buff, can be smart.
On the other hand, if you have a significant advantage over an enemy team, saving On the Hunt for
chasing them down to secure any stragglers can be a good idea. And if you're at a significant
disadvantage in a team fight or skirmish, using it to help change the tides or assist in potentially escaping
can be good.
Though Sivir has some weaknesses in early game farm by comparison to other ranged physical damage
carries, this is very quickly made up for as she gains ranks in Ricochet and Boomerang Blade. By the early
mid-game, using Ricochet and Boomerang Blade on a line of minions moving towards your position in
lane can immediately clear the lane and easily net you the last hits and money from the lane.
This also makes her an excellent pusher. As always, if pushing hard into enemy lanes, have enough
vision or map awareness to have warning on when you'll need to leave. The Teleport summoner skill can
be very strong for this. Once up against towers
Early and mid-game team fights can quickly wipe out Sivir's mana pool, even if Spell Shield has been
used effectively. While this deficiency largely disappears in late game, keep an eye on your mana before
going into fights where you may need to use On the Hunt or Spell Shield to escape.
Don’t Feed Sona
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJJ_jwLWekE
Champion Notes
This is the first Support I'm adding to the series. I played

Sona a lot when I started the game because she was brand
new back then. There have been fairly significant changes
to her since then (Power Chord being the big one). I
haven't played Karma and really haven't played much in
the way of support in the last year, so I won't speak to her
effectiveness in comparison to other support classes.
Introduction
Sona is a support champion who provides unique auras

that benefit nearby allies. Sona's auras have an immediate
effect when activated, a passive effect that lasts two
seconds after the aura is deactivated, and a special bonus
applied to her Power Chord. While she will not always have
all auras active, she can keep more than one up at a time by rapidly switching between them.
Power Chord (Passive)
After casting 3 spells, Sona's next attack deals bonus magic damage in addition to a bonus
effect depending on what song Sona is currently playing.
Power Chord is Sona's passive. After casting three spells, Sona's next normal attack will deal significant
additional magic damage, as well as apply a unique effect depending on the last aura activated.
Power Chord can be dangerous, especially at low levels, and Sona may prepare a Power Chord prior to
the beginning of the laning phase to deal additional burst in an early battle.
When Power Chord is available, a colored white aura will appear around Sona's midsection. The bonus
damage from Power Chord will affect towers.
Sona will not automatically attack enemies she comes in range of while Power Chord is ready.
Hymn of Valor (Q)
Sona plays the Hymn of Valor, granting nearby allied champions bonus Damage and Ability
Power. Additionally, casting this ability sends out bolts of sound, dealing magic damage to the nearest
two enemy champions or monsters.
Sona's Hymn of Valor is her blue aura. When activated, this aura will fire a beam at the two closest
enemies. If champions are within range, Hymn of Valor will prioritize them over any minions.
This aura passively increases the attack damage and ability power of nearby champions.
If this ability is the most recent aura cast and Power Chord is active, Power Chord will gain the effect of
Staccato and deal triple the bonus damage.
This ability is a basic nuke that can be very effective at last hitting minions and harassing opponents. If
playing a pure Support role, Sona may choose to keep this active to help another champion in the lane
get last hits on minions.
This ability can be very damaging if Sona has built for Ability Power.
Aria of Perseverance (W)
Sona plays the Aria of Perseverance, granting nearby allied champions bonus Armor and
Magic Resist. Additionally, casting this ability sends out healing melodies, healing Sona and a nearby
wounded ally.
Sona's Aria of Perseverance is her green aura. When activated, this will heal both Sona and a nearby
champion as well as give them a 3 second increase to armor and magic resist. The target that is healed is
prioritized for the champion with the lowest percentage of health remaining.
The aura passively increases bonus armor and magic resistance for nearby champions.
Diminuendo and cause her target to deal 20% less damage for 4 seconds. Diminuendo can be helpful in
knocking out the burst potential of high-damage champions, including casters and AD champions if
they're in range, but also initiators who move in close.
For Sona to heal the target she intends, she may need to move into specific positions to avoid other
teammates who are in less immediate harm but are also at low health.
Aria of Perseverance leaves a very visible beam, meaning Sona can give away the location of hidden
allies if she's not careful.
Aria of Perseverance receives very little benefit from Ability Power. Support Sona players who want
more effective healing may instead focus on cooldown reduction and mana regeneration.
Song of Celerity (E)
Sona plays the Song of Celerity, granting nearby allied champions bonus Movement Speed.
Additionally, casting this ability energizes nearby allies with a burst of speed.
Sona's Song of Celerity is her purple aura. When activated, this will provide a 1.5 second movement
speed increase to her and her allies.
This aura passively increases movement speed for nearby champions.
Tempo, which slows the target by 40% for 2 seconds. This can be excellent when chasing to ensure a kill
for your team.
Song of Celerity is very effective at allowing her team to both escape and chase opponents very
effectively.
Crescendo (Ultimate)
Sona plays her ultimate chord, forcing enemy champions to dance and dealing magic damage
to them over time.
Sona's ultimate is Crescendo, which fires music in a wide area in front of her, damaging opponents and
causing them to dance for 1.5 seconds. This is effectively a stun.
Crescendo has a relatively short distance and has travel time, so it is more difficult for Sona to use this to
try to stun people escaping a fight. However, it is excellent in controlling a fight that is centered on her
team, and can be an excellent escape to get away from multiple opponents safely.
While Sona can rarely determine the outcome of a game if her teammates aren't playing smart, she also
has a relatively easy time staying alive, doesn't need much gear, and can greatly benefit a team of smart
players. For these reasons, Sona can be a good champion for newer players who are still learning the
game, and especially for players who are playing with more experienced friends.
Don’t Feed Tryndamere
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0x9kGsGLWg
Champion Notes
This champion was more interesting than I originally

expected him to be. While he's relatively simple to play
(and play decently well) with, there's a lot involved with
managing his health and fury.
I didn't mention this in the video, but I'd also add that
there's a strong benefit to using Bloodlust before Undying
Rage, not just using it afterward. This is because you'll
instantly gain 50-100 Fury just from using Undying Rage.
You shouldn't use it if the cooldown of Bloodlust will
prohibit you from using it again at the end of Undying
Rage, provided you're concerned about dying, or if you're
going to burn Undying Rage at the same time anyway.
I've seen a number of different Tryndamere builds, and tried a number of them as well. The ones I was
most successful with almost all involved Berserker Greaves, Bloodthirster, and Zeal at an early point
(Bloodthirster fast if I earned significant gold early). I also went beefier in a number of games, and there
should be a few clips mixed in with Mercury Treads (even though I don't use them most of the time,
there are some teams where you'll just need to).
I do these guides and learn champions in normal matches, so there wasn't much counter-picking going
on, and Exhaust was iffy, so I got away with pure damage builds where I think I'd be more cautious in
draft mode games.
Introduction
Tryndamere is a high physical damage, melee champion. He does not use a traditional resource system,
but scales in damage based on both Health and Fury, a red bar underneath his health.
5 Fury is gained for each normal attack, 5 extra Fury is gained if the attack critically strikes, and 10 extra
Fury is gained for any unit killed. Tryndamere can have a maximum of 100 Fury.
The rate of Fury Tryndamere gains scales both on critical strike and attack speed, and to the degree it
helps him with killing units, attack damage as well. Because of these factors, Tryndamere benefits
strongly from all forms of attack scaling.
Battle Fury (Passive)
Tryndamere gains Fury for each attack, critical strike, and killing blow he makes. Fury
passively increases his critical strike chance and can be consumed with his Bloodlust spell.
Tryndamere's passive is Battle Fury. This increases his critical strike chance by a small amount per Fury
he has available. At maximum Fury, this provides a 35% chance to critically strike.
Bloodlust (Q)
Tryndamere thrives on the thrills of combat, increasing his Attack Damage as he is more and
more wounded. He can cast Bloodlust to consume his Fury and heal himself.
Tryndamere's Bloodlust passively increases his attack damage, and also increases his attack damage by a
small amount per 1% of his missing health.
The passive effects of this ability cause Tryndamere to be stronger at lower health. Combined with the
critical chance gained by staying at high Fury, Tryndamere is deceptively dangerous at low health.
Bloodlust can be activated, consuming all of his current Fury to heal himself. This heals for a base
amount, plus an additional amount per his current Fury. In a tight situation, Bloodlust can be activated
with no Fury for a very small heal.
Both the increased damage and the heal from Bloodlust make Tryndamere a strong jungler, able to
more effectively burn through difficult camps and sustain himself to immediately help gank in the lanes.
Bloodlust also makes Tryndamere excellent in a solo lane due to his ability to sustain himself over time
with the healing.
Mocking Shout (W)
Tryndamere lets out an insulting cry, decreasing surrounding champions' Attack Damage.
Enemies with their backs turned to Tryndamere also have their Movement Speed reduced.
Tryndamere's Mocking Shout causes all surrounding enemies to have dramatically decreased attack
damage. Any enemies with their backs turned towards Tryndamere are also dramatically slowed for 4
seconds.
Mocking Shout is one of the stronger slows in League of Legends, and it makes Tryndamere a great
ganker while also allowing him to stay range if he is slowed as well. If making the decision between
whether to stay and fight against a Tryndamere or flee, understand that he may very well be able to
continue dealing damage to you if you turn your back unless you can also stay out of range of the shout.
However, the Attack Damage reduction should not be ignored, either in a 1v1 against a Tryndamere or
team fights where Tryndamere can hit most or all of a team with the shout.
Mocking Shout cannot be activated unless Tryndamere can see a champion in range.
Spinning Slash (E)
Tryndamere slices toward a target unit, dealing damage to enemies in his path.
Tryndamere's Spinning Slash causes Tryndamere to spin towards a location, dealing damage to all
enemies in the path. This ability ignores collision.
Spinning Slash is effective as both a gap closer and a fleeing mechanic. It can be used to cross over many
walls and other terrain.
Spinning Slash is often used to immediately close the distance between Tryndamere and an opposing
champion, either to initiate a fight or to chase someone who has used a blink ability. Combined with
Mocking Shout, this can be very good against opponents fleeing, or simply to harass while in a lane.
Undying Rage (Ultimate)
Tryndamere's lust for battle becomes so strong that he is unable to die, no matter how
wounded he becomes.
Tryndamere's ultimate ability is Undying Rage. When activated, Tryndamere receives up to 100 Fury and
becomes immune to death for 5 seconds. During this time, he cannot go below 1 health.
He can activate this ability when stunned, silenced, or suppressed, making it difficult to rely on crowd
controls to burst him before he can activate the ability.
Undying Rage defines Tryndamere's playstyle in the midgame and especially lategame. Due to Bloodlust,
which increases his attack damage based on missing health, and Battle Fury, which increases his critical
strike, Tryndamere is most powerful while he remains at or near 1 health.
Undying Rage is also effective very early in the game to tower dive low health opponents and survive
long enough to get back out of the tower's range. Towards the very end of the duration of Undying
Rage, Tryndamere may use Bloodlust to heal himself and, if has the gear, use normal attacks to lifesteal
health back, so that Damage Over Time effects such as Ignite don't kill him.
Once Tryndamere reaches level 6, never assume you can kill him quickly, especially if it involves tower
diving him.
Tryndamere can completely destroy players on an opposing team during Undying Rage if he isn't
countered. Left unchecked, he is one of the strongest champions in the League. However, there are
ways to counter him at each stage of the game.
First, if playing in a Draft Mode, make sure you're choosing summoner skills to help. The single most
important ability is Exhaust. Ignite may also be helpful, especially against a less experienced
Tryndamere, as the effect will continue dealing DOT damage after Undying Rage ends. When possible,
you'll also want champions with crowd controls; since Tryndamere uses normal attacks for his damage
output, champions with blinds can be as effective as many other champions who provide crowd
controls.
Second, Tryndamere still needs farm. His sustain is based on generating Fury to use Bloodlust for healing
himself; he generates Fury based on being in melee range and attacking minions or players. The key to
breaking his early farm in a lane is dealing enough burst to him that he cannot safely get in melee range
to generate Fury from minions. The degree to which you can effectively prevent him from healing
himself will determine his strength in the mid game.
Third, Tryndamere is devastated by all forms of crowd control, but is particularly vulnerable to strong
slows in team fights. In the mid and especially late game, you can remove even a very fed Tryndamere's
effects by preventing him from getting in range of anyone on your team when he is using Undying Rage.
This is where Exhaust comes in, but also any other slows or stuns that will keep him at a distance.
Tryndamere may use either Cleanse or Quicksilver Sash to break these if necessary, and may choose to
go for items like Mercury Treads or Cloak and Dagger to decrease the effectiveness of crowd control.
Tryndamere is one of the few melee carries who can get away with building more directly offensive
items with little penalty. Part of this may mean Lifesteal items such as Bloodthirster. This makes it
especially important to keep at range during Undying Rage, so you can make sure he remains at low
health once Undying Rage ends, ideally allowing you to easily nuke him from a range.
It goes without saying that you want Tryndamere using Undying Rage. Against a good Tryndamere, you
should always burst him to the point of using it, then immediately focus damage on other targets and
stay away from him if possible. While many teams make the mistake of burning all their crowd controls
and burst on Tryndamere at the start, not realizing he can activate Undying Rage while crowd controls,
other teams make the mistake of ignoring him altogether, allowing him to kill off members of their team
without even needing to burn Undying Rage.
Don’t Feed Urgot
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZiozOpFjpA
Champion Notes
Champion is absurdly fun, I had no idea how cool he was

until I started playing him. Since I didn't say it in the video,
I'll add a quick suggestion -- if you think you may lane
against Urgot, you really should consider purchasing boots
with your starting income. Urgot is slow, so it not only
helps avoid his skillshots, but also get away from him.
One thing Tashim (one of the people I play with) and I

started doing was swapping players onto Caitlyn traps.
You'll seee it occur when I swap Ashe at the tower. Kind of
dirty.
Introduction
Urgot is a ranged physical damage champion. While he can

provide high burst damage, he brings substantial utility to his team.
Zaun-Touched Bolt Augmenter (Passive)
Urgot's attacks reduce his targets' damage by 15% for 2.5 seconds.
Urgot's passive causes targets he attacks to deal 15% less damage for 2.5 seconds. Because of this, Urgot
may choose to attack high-damage targets during team fights. Combined with other damage reduction
effects, such as Maokai's Vengeful Maelstrom or the summoner ability Exhaust, this can significantly
blunt an opponent’s damage.
Acid Hunter (Q)
Urgot fires an Acid Hunter missile that collides with the first enemy it hits, slowing the target if
he has his Terror Capacitor up. Acid Hunter missile-locks on enemies affected by Noxian Corrosive
Charge.
Urgot's Acid Hunter is a skill shot missile that fires directly towards the mouse cursor, using the same
functionality as smart casting. While this ability does not apply other on-hit effects, it still applies Urgot's
passive to the target it strikes. Though this ability is relatively weak at first, it dramatically scales in
damage through each rank. In the early game, try to avoid becoming an easy target for Acid Hunter
shots. As a skill shot with relatively long range, this can be used effectively over terrain or to land shots
in bushes.
Noxian Corrosive Charge (E)
Urgot launches a corrosive charge that damages enemies in an area and reduces their armor.
Urgot's Noxian Corrosive Charge, though, will make this difficult. This is a skill shot ability that drops a
cloud of poison on the ground, granting temporary vision to the affected location. Any target hit by this
cloud has their Armor reduced and receive physical damage over 5 seconds.
More importantly, though, any target hit by this ability can be targeted by the Acid Hunter missile. By
mousing over a target affected by the charge and seeing the targeting reticule, Urgot can fire his Acid
Hunter at large distances and over terrain. If the charge is followed up quickly, Urgot can get multiple
Acid Hunter shots on his target before the effect expires.
The combination of Corrosive Charge and Acid Hunter make Urgot brutally effective in the early game. If
he lands even a single Acid Hunter, this can allow him to get a kill. Be very, very careful to avoid Charges,
and if you get hit, you may want to immediately get out of his vision to help avoid further Acid Hunter
shots. Though the damage output is not as dangerous in the later stages of a game by comparison to
hard carries, he brings other utility to teams by that point.
Terror Capacitor (W)
Urgot charges up his capacitor to gain a shield. While the shield is active, Urgot gains slowing
attacks.
Part of his additional utility comes in the form of Terror Capacitor. This is a 7 second shield he applies to
himself that prevents a certain amount of damage. While this shield is active, he can slow any target he
lands either normal attacks or his Acid Hunter missiles on by up to 40%.
Hyper-Kinetic Position Reverser (Ultimate)
Urgot charges up his Hyper-Kinetic Position Reverser, swapping positions with the target. His
target is suppressed for the duration of the channel. He gains increased armor and magic resistance after
the swap.
Urgot's ultimate is Hyper-Kinetic Position Reverser. This ability allows him to swap places with a nearby
enemy after 1 second. During the 1 second channel, Urgot gains additional Armor and Magic Resist, and
his target is stunned and suppressed. Once the swap has completed, the target is slowed by 40% for 3
seconds.
The Position Reverser can be used to bring targets into range of his towers, allowing for unexpected
burst damage. Be very careful any time you are fighting Urgot near a tower.
Position Reverser can also be fantastic for avoiding ganks. When attacking Urgot, keep an eye on his
possible targets for swapping and be prepared to either crowd control him during the swap or
immediately change directions to follow him.
This ability makes Urgot a fantastic initiator in team fights, and can be used over terrain. Be careful if
you see an Urgot but cannot account for his teammates on the mini-map. In games with coordinated
teams, Urgot can be especially effective when coupled with other champions that can provide support
and crowd controls when Urgot initiates. In these situations, Urgot can surgically remove champions
from the enemy team before the real fights even begin. This is especially dangerous to watch out for as
an initiator for an opposing team -- if you have a charge or other gap closer, you can be pulled even
further back and killed before your team can reach you if you're not careful.
Don’t Feed Vayne
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yH06YfJjm8
Champion Notes
Pretty good champion, definitely a much higher skill cap

than the abilities would make it appear.
Introduction
Vayne is a fast, high damage champion who deals primarily
physical damage but also deals some true damage.
Night Hunter (Passive)
Vayne ruthlessly hunts evil-doers. She gains 30 Movement Speed when moving toward nearby
enemy champions.
Vayne's passive is Night Hunter, which causes her to gain 40 movement speed when running in a
direction towards a visible enemy champion. This allows her to chase effectively.
Tumble (Q)
Vayne tumbles, maneuvering to carefully place her next shot. Her next attack deals bonus
damage.
Vayne's Tumble causes her to roll a short distance in the direction of the mouse cursor. Additionally,
once she has finished the roll, she gains additional damage on her next attack.
Tumble can be used to avoid skillshots, and can pass directly under some skillshots.
Tumble can be used to help chase down a fleeing opponent. Additionally, it can be used to help escape
dangerous situations, though the cooldown does not begin counting until Vayne has attacked a minion
or waited six seconds, making it difficult to use more than once in tight spots.
Finally, Tumble is effective at last hitting minions in the early game due to the bonus damage.
Vayne cannot Tumble over walls or other terrain. The bonus damage from Tumble does not apply to
attacks on structures.
Condemn (E)
Vayne draws a heavy crossbow from her back, and fires a huge bolt at her target, dealing
damage and knocking them back. If they collide with terrain, they are impaled, dealing bonus damage
and stunning them.
Vayne's Condemn is a large crossbow bolt she fires towards an opponent. When it hits, the target is
knocked back; if they are knocked back into a wall, they are impaled, stunning them for 1.5 seconds.
Though simple in concept, this ability has a huge impact on whether Vayne is effective or not. If you're in
danger of being killed by a Vayne, always keep her in a position where a Condemn will knock you farther
away from her and her team.
Tumble and Condemn have enormous synergy. Tumble allows her to get into positions where she can
Condemn a player against a wall easily. Never assume you're safe just because Vayne is closer to a wall
than you are, because she can simply Tumble out and Condemn in. This is also effective in chasing and
fleeing, as she can tumble forward to condemn an opponent into a wall.
Condemn will stun targets against structures and ruins such as towers, but not against player terrain
such as Anivia's crystalize.
Silver Bolts (W)
Vayne tips her bolts with a rare metal, toxic to evil things. The third consecutive attack or
ability against the same target deals a percentage of the target's maximum Health as bonus true
damage. (Max: 200 damage vs. Monsters)
Vayne's Silver Bolts is a purely passive ability that causes every third consecutive attack on the same
target to deal up to 8% of a target's maximum health as True damage.
The animation for this is very clear: Two silver rings will stack around her target before the third shot.
This ability can make it obvious who Vayne is focusing during team fights, so keep an eye on teammates
if you have defensive abilities.
Silver Bolts can make Vayne more effective against high-armor or high-health champions than other
ranged carries. However, as a carry, she may still prefer softer targets who are a greater threat to her
team.
Silver Bolts can be an effective tool for minion farming. This can be combined with Tumble for a large
damage attack which ensures a kill.
Final Hour (Ultimate)
Readying herself for an epic confrontation, Vayne gains increased Attack Damage, stealth
during Tumble, and triple the bonus Movement Speed from Night Hunter.
Final Hour is Vayne's ultimate. When activated, Vayne gains additional movement speed when pursuing
targets and additional attack damage for 8-12 seconds. Finally, her Tumble also causes her to stealth for
1.5 seconds.
Though the movement speed and attack damage are core, the stealth on Tumble adds the most
versatility. The stealth occurs before the Tumble motion occurs, which means she has several options
for ambushing, including moving out of bushes and splitting a fleeing opponent off from their team by
moving ahead and condemning them back. Additionally, this prevents her from taking targeted attacks
while she cannot be seen, and can be effective in a pinch to juke or escape opponents.
The damage bonus on Final Hour allows Vayne to deal substantial additional damage when attacking
structures.
Vayne does not have any skillshots. However, both Condemn and Tumble have high skill caps, meaning
Vayne is deceptively difficult to play at a very high level with.
While Vayne is an excellent chaser, her movement speed does not benefit her when she is fleeing if
there are no enemy champions in her path.
Don’t Feed Viktor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq2L76E0-l0
Champion Notes
I didn't have many good games with Viktor, and those

who've been following my stream know that I have a few
complaints about him. That said, his ultimate and his Death
Ray are pretty solid abilities, and I won't speak to whether
he's overpowered or underpowered or where he fits in the
current balance -- that's really up to the high ELO players.
His Gravity Well is situationally good as well, especially for
escapes.
Anyway, I used both the Power Transfer and Death Ray

augments extensively in the games I played. I did better on
average with Death Ray just because I could actually
unload damage, but my late game was usually more
dangerous by going glass cannon route, especially since
Power Transfer required me to stay in tight proximity to
enemy champions. Basically, you can't get away with it if
you're the only person on your team that's snowballing.
I don't have much advice on builds for Viktor because -- again -- I didn't have many good games with
him. The best games I had were straight Rabadon's/Death augment and spell pen boots, along with
flash/ignite summoners, and prioritizing my E, then Q, and lastly W for abilities. 21/0/9 masteries with a
focus on all the AP options as well.
The games where I went Power Transfer weren't all bad. The speed boost really is nice.
For kicks I did Support Viktor with the Gravity Field augment, where we did surprisingly well. This was a
Leona-style role where I played disruption rather than nuker.
Introduction
Viktor is a mid-range, magic damage champion with strong AOE damage and utility.
Viktor has a base movement speed of 310 and an attack range of 525, placing him as a mid-speed
champion with decent auto-attack range. He has among the lowest mana regeneration rates in the
League. He has a base 30 Magic Resist and this does not scale with level.
Evolving Technology (Passive)
Viktor starts with a Hex Core that provides him with stats and can be upgraded in the store to
augment one of his abilities. The Hex Core can only be upgraded once, and cannot be sold back to the
store.
Viktor's passive is Evolving Technology. When he starts the game, one of his item slots is already filled
with an item called the Hex Core, granting him 3 additional ability power per level.
While at the store interface, Viktor can click the Hex Core to choose between three upgrade options
called Augments. Each upgrade offers unique stats and affects one of his three non-ultimate abilities.
Each augment will be covered with their affected ability.
The Hex Core cannot be sold or removed from his inventory in any way. Once upgraded, Viktor's staff
will change colors and he cannot change the Hex Core again.
Power Transfer (Q)
Viktor blasts an enemy unit dealing magic damage, returning a portion of the damage dealt
as a shield.
Viktor's Power Transfer is targeted, mid-range spell that deals damage to a target. Once the projectile
reaches its target, it returns to Viktor, granting him a temporary shield based on the listed damage of
the ability.
Power Transfer does not need to successfully damage a target for the spell to return and grant him a full
shield. If the projectile hits a target with a spell shield or even a target that dies before it can deal
damage, Viktor will still gain a full shield.
However, a disjointed cast, such as when Fizz uses Playful/Trickster, will completely end the spell,
preventing Viktor from gaining the shield.
The yellow Hex Core augment for Power Transfer increases his health and health regeneration.
Additionally, any time Power Transfer is cast, Viktor briefly gains dramatically increased movement
speed.
Unlike the shield, the movement speed increase is instantly applied simply by using the ability on a valid
target.
For clarification, Power Transfer does not need to finish casting, such as if the targeted dies before the
cast time completes, and Viktor will still gain the movement speed buff. In this situation, Viktor gains run
speed without spending mana or putting Power Transfer on cooldown.
Gravity Field (W)
Viktor conjures a heavy gravitational field that slows any target in its radius. If enemies stay
too long within the radius of the device, it gets stunned.
Viktor's Gravity Field is a slowing field placed on the ground within a moderate range. Enemies within
the field gain a rapidly stacking slow effect, resulting in a stun if they remain within the field for 3 stacks.
If placed within a bush, the effect is visible to players outside the bush.
This ability can fully block the path in tighter corridors, such as those in the jungle.
Spell shields will prevent a player from being stunned in a Gravity Well. The player will still take two
stacks of the slow, but the third application that would stun the player consumes the spell shield and is
blocked. If the player stays in the same field after it consumes their spell shield, they will build slow
stacks again but will reset again without a stun. In other words, a player with a spell shield is slowed but
cannot be stunned by a Gravity Well.
The blue Hex Core augment for Gravity Field increases his mana and mana regeneration and grants him
cooldown reduction. Additionally, it dramatically increases the range from Viktor where a Gravity Field
can be placed.
Death Ray (E)
Viktor uses his robotic arm to fire a chaos beam that cuts across the field in a line, dealing
damage to any opponents struck in its path.
Viktor's Death Ray is a line skill shot that is fired in a direction from any nearby location. All enemies in a
small area around where the line travels are dealt magic damage. Once the Death Ray has begun, Viktor
can move freely while it is firing.
This is targeted by clicking a start point and dragging in a direction. Though he can only begin the Death
Ray in a medium range of himself, the ray can fire significantly beyond this point, making it useful as a
long range poke and damage dealer.
Death Ray grants vision, allowing it to be used for scouting bushes and hidden locations at a distance.
Additionally, Death Ray does not grant vision of Viktor to enemies hit by the ability while he is in a bush.
With ability power prioritized throughout the game, Death Ray can be a strong tool for farming, able to
kill caster minions instantly and deal significant damage to other minions.
The red Hex Core augment for Death Ray grants additional Ability Power. Additionally, it adds a damage-
over-time effect to Death Ray, causing it to deal a percentage of the original damage as bonus damage
over several seconds.
Chaos Storm (Ultimate)
Viktor conjures a singularity on the field which deals magic damage and briefly silences
enemies. The singularity then does magic damage to all nearby enemies every second. Viktor can redirect
the singularity.
Viktor's ultimate is Chaos Storm. This is an area-of-effect spell that is cast on a location within a
moderate range of Viktor. When it is cast, it deals a burst of magic damage to all affected enemies and
briefly silences them.
Once cast, Chaos Storm will remain active for several seconds. During this time, the storm will continue
to deal a small amount of magic damage every half second to any enemies who remain under it. Any
enemies affected by the storm for the full duration will take very significant damage.
Chaos Storm is a mechanically complex skill. Once it has been placed, the ability can be frequently
redirected without regard to range while it is active by using the ultimate again and selecting a new
location. The storm moves faster the closer it is to Viktor, but can still go to extreme distances in some
circumstances.
If Chaos Storm is initially placed near an enemy champion, it will latch onto them and automatically
follow them unless redirected. This will occur even if the champion was stealthed when the ability was
placed, or goes into stealth during the ability, making it very easy to track an escape.
If Chaos Storm is not initially placed near an enemy champion, it will not automatically latch onto
enemies that cross its path while it is active. The silence and initial burst will not apply to champions
moving in range once it has already been cast.
The storm grants vision over a small area.
If the storm is cast within a bush and enemies do not have vision over the bush, enemies will be unable
to see the storm for the full duration, though parts of the animation will still be visible while the storm is
dealing damage. This remains true both if they walk into the bush or if the storm is redirected out of the
bush once cast.
Viktor is versatile in how he builds throughout the game and it is generally a good idea to check out
whether he's building heavy ability power or more survivability and sustainability.
Aside from dramatically increasing his per-cast damage, Ability Power builds have the advantage of
providing him with an easier farm. However, they leave him vulnerable to burst damage in team fights, a
significant issue due to his relatively short spell ranges that encourage him to be closer to potential
threats. If Viktor has a strong early game and prioritizes Ability Power, it is strongly recommended that
you build health, magic resist, or both.
Survivability builds generally increase his ability to stay in fights but come at a cost of providing relatively
little beyond the utility of his spells and damage from his ultimate. While the Power Transfer augment
can make him a brutal opponent in extended 1v1 engagements, it is generally acquired in the early mid
game where it may be more difficult to find many 1v1 environments.
One of the biggest keys to shutting down Viktor lies in managing his early game and sending the right
opponent against him. While he can effectively harass and zone players with his Death Ray, a player
with boots may find this easier to avoid.
His weakness is in his Power Transfer. In quick single-spell exchanges between casters, particularly in the
early game, Power Transfer will rarely shield him quickly enough that he hasn't already taken the full
damage of the enemy's spell first. Beyond this, many champion spells simply have a longer range than
Power Transfer, putting Viktor in a position where he has no counter at all beyond Death Ray.
Champions such as Kassadin can quickly and easily zone Viktor.
Viktor is a far stronger champion with the blue golem buff, allowing him to more consistently poke
laning opponents at a distance with Death Ray and keep enough mana on reserve for Gravity Field if a
gank is attempted. Do what you can to prevent him from acquiring the blue golem buff.
Without the augment, Gravity Well has too short of a range to use offensively in many situations. Viktor
may wait for another crowd control or slow to be applied by a teammate, guaranteeing the slow is
applied.
That said, Gravity Well is outstanding at stopping aggressive opponents. This is true during any chase,
especially in the jungle, or ganks at his lane. It is a strong deterrant from enemies with gap closers. If
Viktor is doing particularly well, he can use it to zone opponents from getting into their minions, and can
be good to slow or stop tower pushes throughout the game.
In team fights, understand that Viktor can be devastating, especially to players that are grouped tightly
together. His Chaos Storm, Death Ray, and Gravity Well all significantly alter the dynamics of team
fights. Avoid having too many people grouped up too tightly.
Watch out for Gravity Well being applied on or near carries or other critical players in these encounters.
If the team fight is going poorly, a well-placed Gravity Well can often allow a clean escape for a team by
forcing opponents to choose to go through the well or around it.
If Viktor is a serious threat to your team, keep in mind that he must stay within a moderate distance of
players in any fight to get his full damage out. You can either burst him down or wait for him to get out
of position chasing low health targets.
Don’t Feed Vladimir
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6NUTPytYOFM
Champion Notes
He's not what he used to be, but he's loads of fun in the
right matchups. I chose to work on this champion
specifically because you guys requested him so frequently,
but I was very pleasantly surprised by how cool he could
be. He's one of the few champions where I felt like a
penta-kill was around the corner in every fight, and even
though I didn't get one, he still had a huge impact on the
team battles.
For Masteries, I went 9/0/21 with an emphasis on CDR and

Ability Power, and avoiding the mana-related perks. CDR
has a big impact on his abilities in fights and skirmishes
since they're already at short cooldowns, so you really can
squeeze more casts in during fights by having it.
For Runes, I went Insight magic pen reds always. For yellows, either health/level or flat armor (armor if
you're likely to go against a physical player in lane is better). Blues are 9x ability power, or 8x CDR and 1x
ability power (8x gets you ~5% so you'll still cap at 40% w/ items). Quints are either flat Ability Power or
6% spell vamp (totaling 9% spell vamp with masteries, making Tides of Blood spam viable right off the
bat).
Summoner was almost always Teleport and Flash, though this had more to do with my preference for
top lane than anything else (teleport gives dragon control and gank opportunities, a couple of which are
shown in the video). If you're mid or bot, Ignite/Flash can be good.Summoner heal gets a big bonus from
his stacked Tides buff, so you can very easily justify heal/flash as well.
In game, I almost always maxed Q first, E second, and W last, with one early point in W. Ultimate
whenever you can, as always. Q is not only great for last hitting (whereas E is great for destroying creep
waves quickly), but it comes down so much in cooldown with ranks that it gives amazing sustain.
Items: Boots and 3x health pots, or occasionally Doran's Shield if I was going against a strong physical
harass in lane. Will of the Ancients was virtually always my first big purchase, and it's easy to build
towards quickly. Lucidity for CDR I found better than Sorc shoes, but others disagree -- your call.
Rabadon's or Rylai's are both fantastic next purchases, in either order. Zhonya's is a very solid pick too if
you know you're going to be a high priority for the other team.
Introduction
Vladimir is a magic-damage caster with strong sustainability and durability. He has moderate base run
speed and a relatively short attack range.
Vladimir does not use mana or energy as a resource. Instead, two of his spells cost him health and one
returns his health.
Crimson Pact (Passive)
Every 40 points of bonus health gives Vladimir 1 ability power and every 1 point of ability
power gives Vladimir 1.4 bonus health (does not stack with itself).
Vladimir's passive is Crimson pact. This grants him bonus ability power based on his health and bonus
health based on his ability power.
This does not stack with itself. For example, bonus ability power gained from health through his passive
will not also grant him more health.
This passive means that health and ability power items are more cost effective for Vladimir, and he may
take this into consideration when gearing.
Transfusion (Q)
Vladimir drains life from his target.
Vladimir's Transfusion instantly deals magic damage to a target. This is followed by blood moving from
the target to Vladimir. Once this reaches him, he is healed for a set amount that scales with ability
power.
Though spell shields will block the damage of the ability, Vladimir will still gain health back.
The cooldown on this ability is dramatically reduced by level.
Sanguine Pool (W)
Vladimir sinks into a pool of blood becoming untargetable for 2 seconds. Additionally, enemies
on the pool are slowed and Vladimir siphons life from them.
Vladimir's Sanguine Pool causes him to turn into a pool of blood, briefly becoming untargetable. While in
this state, he can move freely, slowing enemy units he passes over and dealing periodic damage based
on a percentage of his bonus health. He cannot cast any abilities until the effect ends.
To use this ability, he must spend a significant percentage of his remaining health. Note that this is his
current health, not his maximum health. While in the pool, he is healed for a percentage of the damage
he deals to targets. In other words, he can recover health if he is hitting units with the ability, but will
not recover health if he is using the ability strictly as an escape mechanism without hitting opponents.
Becoming untargetable means targeted spells that are in flight will be disjointed, completely ending
them. Skillshots such as Morgana's Dark Binding will pass directly through him without impacting.
While in pool form, Vladimir will not be targeted by towers or normal attacks from enemy champions or
minions.
However, damage over time effects such as Ignite will continue to damage him while in the pool, and
some area effects such as Veigar's Event Horizon will still affect him. Channeled effects such as
Fiddlesticks’ Drain will also continue to function.
Sangunine Pool also has one more important caveat. If it is used immediately after casting Transfusion,
he will disjoint the blood returning from the cast, preventing him from receiving the heal.
Sanguine Pool applies both its damage and slowing effect through spell shields, and does not consume
them.
Tides of Blood (E)
Vladimir unleashes a torrent of blood, damaging surrounding enemies. Additionally, multiple

Tides of Blood in a short period of time cause them to cost additional health and deal additional damage,
and increases his healing and regeneration by 8%.
Vladimir's Tides of Blood fires projectiles at all enemies within a moderate range. Upon hitting them,
they take magic damage.
Tides of Blood costs a flat amount of health. Each time he casts it, he gains a stacking buff which
increases his healing and regeneration, including healing from abilities.
Each stack also increases the damage of the ability and the health cost of the ability. This stacks a
maximum of four times.
Tides of Blood will hit stealthed targets, as well as targets within nearby bushes, clearly indicating their
location.
Tides of Blood cannot kill Vladimir, and can be cast even if he cannot afford the health cost. If this
occurs, he will be brought to one health.
Hemoplague (Ultimate)
Vladimir infects an area with a virulent plague. Affected enemies take increased damage for
the duration. Hemoplague deals additional magic damage after a few seconds to infected enemies.
Vladimir's ultimate is Hemoplague. When cast on a location, all nearby enemies are debuffed for several
seconds. While debuffed, these targets take significant additional damage from all incoming attacks and
abilities from Vladimir and his allies.
After the debuff expires, all surviving enemies will be dealt a large burst of magic damage.
Hemoplague can only be blocked by spell shields when it is initially cast. Activating a spell shield when
Hemoplague explodes will not prevent damage.
Vladimir is an extremely survivable champion in his lane. Right out of the gate, his Transfusion allows
him to sustain himself. Since it costs him nothing and does a moderate burst of damage in the first few
levels, he can use it to effectively last hit low health minions.
To counter him in the early game, look for an opportunity to seize the advantage through effective burst
and zoning. If he cannot comfortably stay in range of minions and cannot safely build stacks of Tides of
Blood, he will have a far more difficult time recovering his health than he normally will.
In the early levels, his Transfusion has a long enough cooldown that shorter-cooldown harass spells or
auto-attacks with a moderate range can punish him.
Also, the moment you see him cast Transfusion on a minion, immediately move in range and counter-
attack him. If you can pressure him into using Sanguine Pool, he will not only lose health but also lose his
strongest escape in the lane, allowing for a more effective gank.
Avoid pushing minions to his tower while you have a lane advantage. A large group of minions means he
will gain excellent farm and likely recover most of his lost health with little risk.
That said, pressing an early game advantage over Vladimir does not lock him out of the game as much as
it does with other champions. Vladimir is one of the strongest farmers in the game, and basic spell vamp
is enough for him to recover more health from casting Tides of Blood than he spends on it. Multiple
stacks on Tides of Blood can allow for him to clear full minion waves in just a few seconds. In other
words, he can sustain and heal from minion waves by rapidly clearing them, without needing to worry
about a resource like mana.
By the same token, his best farm occurs by pushing the lane and potentially overextending, which can
lead to good opportunities for a gank. Sanguine Pool can be a daunting escape, but keep in mind that it
does cause significant damage to him if he uses it without moving into enemies.
If possible, use an ability such as a targeted crowd control to encourage him to pool, then follow it up
with another crowd control. Don't forget that damage-over-time effects such as Ignite work, and a well-
timed Ignite before a pool can wreck his health returns. Aside from that, be careful not to waste abilities
when Vladimir is pooling, as he cannot be effected by an enormous number of the abilities in League of
Legends.
Don't be put off by Vladimir's high health. Unless he has also built high magic resist or armor, he can still
be burst down relatively easily in team fights, if necessary. He may build Zhonya's or other items
specifically for avoiding this.
All that said, Vladimir is ultimately a pure AOE champion with only one moderate single-target nuke. His
Hemoplague is devastating, especially when combined with AOE ultimates and abilities from other
champions. Watch out that you're not grouping too closely to each other, and avoid fights in tight areas
such as the jungle.
Watch for his build. A Vladimir who builds cooldown reduction and items like Will of the Ancients is
going to have a lot of sustain and quick farm, but can more easily be bursted than a Vladimir with high
health items such as Rylai's, or a Vladimir with Zhonya's.
As Vladimir, there are three main things you must learn.
First, take the initiative if you can. In a lane, you are strongest when you are able to maintain stacks of
Tides of Blood and can stay in range to recover health with Transfusion. However, you cannot easily get
back into lane dominance if you're already being zoned. Identify quickly whether you can zone an
opponent or at least keep them from being aggressive, and consider using some early Transfusion casts
for harass instead of last hitting.
Second, try to judge your Sanguine pool casts. Making the wrong decision can kill you. As a general rule,
try to use Sanguine Pool to avoid heavy CC's or skill shots that are likely to kill you. Never overestimate
Sanguine Pool as an escape when considering whether to overextend. Damage over time effects are
their most deadly while you're in Sanguine Pool and at low health, simply because you're also prevented
from casting other abilities to recover your health.
Finally, learn to manage Tides of Blood stacks. You can keep it stacked when minions are not around, but
it's better if you do so closer to its expiration than spamming it the moment its off cooldown. This helps
keep you at a little higher health.
By the same token, you want to judge when team fights are about to occur, or when there's about to be
a big wave of minions you want to clear in a nearby lane. When this occurs, begin stacking Tides of
Blood as fast as possible while moving towards them.
Don’t Feed Volibear
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyGkdC1wNIA
Champion Notes
My games were hit or miss with Volibear. I guess you could

say I was a bi-polar bear! He was enjoyable but I felt he
was very specialized to certain types of teams -- as I said in
the movie, he'd be a lot better in draft mode where you
have some idea of who you're up against. His lack of a
strong escape mechanism, combined with his complete
inability to close in on many champions without a
summoner ability, or move-speed items like Shurelya's, or
QSS, etc., made him frustrating in a number of games. (I
particularly liked my game with Ezrael/Vayne/Riven/Talon,
with an exhaust to really send the message home that I
would never get near them until they made a mistake; my
score was good and I believe we won, but I did not enjoy
the game)
I tried Volibear as a jungler, as a bruiser, as a pure tank, as

a pure warmogs-stacking monster, and as a support tank. I never did an Ability Power or spell vamp
build for him, so I won't speak to its effectiveness. I found I performed best with Warmog's, Atma's, and
Shurelya's Reverie as my core items, and I rarely went far beyond this build as the games didn't last long
enough. Shurelya's was a huge benefit. I saw a Solomid recommendation to pick up Wit's End, though I
only tried this a few times.
As always, this section is opinion, and is not included in the movie because it won't always be true, nor is
it likely to be the best way to play this champion in many situations. Check out solomid.net, mobafire,
and leaguecraft for guides and information when picking up a champion!
I will cover how I played him successfully as a bruiser. The following works for laning or jungling.
Runes: Armor pen or Attack Speed reds (both are effective, I might give an edge to Attack Speed
depending on items). Armor yellows, flat magic resist blues. Health or Movement Speed Quints (both
are good for him; I would only get Movement Speed if I had the speed bonuses from masteries as well).
Masteries: 0-21-9 was my go-to build for a beefier role on my team or as a jungler. The 21 points in
defensive are fairly flexible, just make sure you get the health, armor and MR perks and the 21 pointer.
When I wanted to dish out more damage, I'd go 21-9-0 with an emphasis on physical damage in
offensive and picking up the health perk in defensive.
Skills: W first in most cases. If I knew I would not be getting near minions or champions in my lane early,
I'd go for Majestic Roar as my only escape, just so I could more safely stay in XP range. W is always
priority from then on, with E secondary, and one early point in Q at level 2 or 3 but maxing it last. Ult
whenever it's available.
Summoner Skills: Flash. After this, I tended to go with Ghost or Heal. In hindsight, I should have made
more use of Exhaust and/or Cleanse, and I'd recommend giving them a try. Use other summoner spells
situationally.
Gear: If I had Movement Speed quints and bonuses from masteries, I would get boots and health pots at
the start. Otherwise, I would almost always get a rejuv pendant and a health pot to start.
If you can get an early Warmog's or at least a Giant's Belt towards one, do it! Otherwise get a
Philosopher's Stone, then boots (if you don't have them), and then Warmog's. After Warmog's you can
choose to either go straight for Atma's (if incoming physical damage is more of an issue than getting in
range of your target) or Shurelya's Reverie.
Boots can safely be Merc Treads (any CC/slow heavy team), Lucidity (CDR is great for disrupting teams,
and this goes well with Shurelya's), Berserker Greaves are not bad.
Introduction
Volibear is a very durable melee-range champion with moderate crowd control.
Chosen of the Storm (Passive)
Volibear heals rapidly for a few seconds when his health drops to a critical level.
Volibear's passive is Chosen of the Storm. When Volibear drops below 30% of his maximum health, he
automatically heals 30% of his maximum health over 6 seconds.
Unless a healing reduction is applied, Chosen of the Storm can be looked at as a straight additional 30%
health.
Though this ability scales in effectiveness off his health, it can be important for Volibear players to keep
Effective Health in mind and understand that both Armor and Magic Resist also improve his survivability
in regards to this passive.
When the heal occurs, a visible debuff appears that indicates the cooldown before the passive becomes
available again. If Volibear dies, this debuff is cleared. However, even without the visible debuff, the
cooldown still continues, and both Volibear and other players should be aware of this if he has recently
died.
Chosen of the Storm has a relatively long cooldown, though it is in line with many ultimates and may be
available for many or all team fights and skirmishes in the mid and late game.
Rolling Thunder (Q)
Volibear drops to all fours and runs faster. This bonus speed increases when chasing enemy
champions. The first enemy he attacks is thrown backwards over Volibear.
Volibear's Rolling Thunder causes Volibear's next normal melee attack to deal additional damage and
fling the target behind where Volibear is currently facing. Additionally, Volibear will receive a very
significant run speed bonus if moving towards an enemy champion.
Volibear does not gain any movement speed when moving towards stealthed enemies or enemies
hiding in a bush. However, if a visible enemy he is chasing runs into a bush, he does not immediately
lose his run speed buff.
When Volibear begins his fling, there is a brief window of time where the fling has been initiated but a
champion can still finish casting blink abilities. If this occurs, an enemy may blink away from Volibear,
wasting the cooldown, but still be flung behind Volibear. For this reason, do not attempt to use blink
abilities when Volibear is at or near melee range and Rolling Thunder is off cooldown; instead, wait until
you've been flung, then go in a better direction.
The bonus damage from Rolling Thunder is effective on towers, though he cannot fling towers behind
him.
Because Rolling Thunder deals bonus damage and acts as a brief crowd control, using the ability on
targets who are already in melee range and unable to escape can be effective.
Activating Rolling Thunder does reset the swing timer so he can immediately get two attacks in by using
the ability.
Frenzy (W)
Volibear's repeated attacks grant him additional Attack Speed. Once Volibear has repeatedly
attacked three times, he can perform a vicious bite on his target which deals increased damage based on
the target's missing health.
Volibear's Frenzy causes him to passively gain attack speed after every attack, with this bonus stacking
up to three times. Frenzy stacks will build up while attacking structures. The attack speed bonus only
lasts for a few seconds.
Once it has been stacked, a red paw will appear above his head. While the red paw is visible, Volibear
can activate Frenzy to deal physical damage to a nearby target, plus bonus damage equal to a significant
percentage of his health, plus additional damage for every percentage of missing health his target has.
In other words, this ability is an execute-style ability that deals more damage based on his own health
and is even stronger on opponents who are at low health.
Activating Frenzy does not consume its stacks and he continues to retain the attack speed bonus.
However, the activated component of the ability has a very long cooldown and can only be used 1-2
times in most skirmishes.
If Volibear is not in danger of immediate team fights or skirmishes, Frenzy can be very effectively used
for killing higher health minions and monsters.
Majestic Roar (E)
Volibear lets out a powerful roar that damages and slows enemies. Minions and monsters are
feared as well.
Volibear's Majestic Roar deals magic damage and dramatically slows all nearby enemies for a few
seconds. Additionally, minions and monsters are feared for the duration.
Majestic Roar has a slightly longer range than either Rolling Thunder or Frenzy. For this reason, it can be
useful to help get in range of a fleeing opponent to activate either of these abilities.
If Volibear can definitely catch up to an opponent using the runspeed bonus of Rolling Thunder, he may
instead save Majestic Roar for immediately after the toss has occurred, to ensure that the enemy cannot
flee.
Majestic Roar is Volibear's only escape mechanism, as it is the only tool that he can rely on to get
distance between an enemy and himself. It is a better tool for helping his allies escape an opposing
team, though, as he can charge towards chasing enemies to apply the slow.
Volibear is a strong disruptor because of the synergy between Rolling Thunder and Majestic Roar.
The fear on minions helps reduce damage he takes while ganking or harassing in a lane. It is also very
helpful for jungling, especially when combined with Frenzy.
The fear on minions has one other quirk -- it will fear clones, such as Shaco's hallucination, immediately
distinguishing the real player.
Thunder Claws (Ultimate)
Volibear channels the power of the storm causing his attacks to blast his targets with
lightning that bounces to other nearby enemies.
Volibear's Thunder Claws causes his normal melee attacks to shoot out chain lightning for 12 seconds.
The first charge hits his attack target with bonus magic damage, and this then chains to three unique
targets in succession, dealing magic damage.
Thunder Claws can be very effective in skirmishes and team fights because of the raw multi-target
damage being dealt. Though Volibear cannot control the unique chain lightning hops, it appears to
always prioritize nearby champions over minions, making it useful even in large groups of minions.
Because Thunder Claws has a decent jump range, it can be used to kill enemies who've gone just out of
range, by simply activating the ability and attacking approaching minions or nearby enemy champions.
Even in a 1v1 situation, the bonus damage from Thunder Claws makes it worth activating if the outcome
of the fight is uncertain or the burst would be beneficial.
Thunder Claws will not jump to stealthed targets and targets hiding in a bush.
While this ability does scale from ability power, it can be more cost effective to acquire Attack Speed
instead, as it can be more beneficial to sustained DPS.
There are a number of things to keep in mind when countering Volibear.
If Volibear gets to less than half health during the laning phase and you can safely harass him to burn his
passive, this is usually worth the investment to prevent him from being overly aggressive. Alternatively,
keeping him at this health while waiting for a gank, then bursting him before his full heal can occur is
also effective.
Don't be baited by a low-health Volibear who hasn't burned his passive, especially if he has health items.
Volibear cannot be effective unless he can reach his targets. While his Rolling Thunder speed boost does
help him in many situations, it simply is not effective against high-mobility champions, especially
champions with blinks or significant speed boosts. He also has a serious problem chasing players with
decent crowd controls or skill-shot slows or snares.
Volibear may purchase items such as Shurelya's Reverie to help with this, and his team may help him
break in towards enemy champions. Volibear is still strong at peeling off players on a team who are not
as mobile, and this benefit alone can be very effective.
For this reason, it is important to remember that you don't have to run faster than the bear, just faster
than a less-important teammate.
Keep in mind that Volibear only has his Majestic Roar as an escape mechanism, and the max range on
this ability is relatively limited. A ranged carry with Phage, Trinity Force, or Frozen Mallet can secure a
kill on a fleeing Volibear relatively easily. Champions like Ezreal and Caitlyn can kite Volibear indefinitely
with no risk to themselves if they're careful.
In a 1v1 or team fight where Volibear is a serious threat, pay attention to whether his passive is available
and his health is low enough that it is about to go off, then use a healing reduction effect such as
Grievous Wounds or Ignite. Additionally, bursting him immediately at 30% health before many healing
ticks get off makes him much easier to kill.
Because of his mobility strengths and weaknesses and his passive, Volibear is better suited to draft
mode games than blind pick games. He is a very strong pick against champions he can consistently get in
range of that don't have built-in healing reductions. And if you're counter-picking a Volibear, champions
with blinks are your safest bet.
The final thing to keep in mind with Volibear is his Frenzy. While he has strong AOE damage, his
signature ability is this execute ability, and it can be extremely dangerous if he has built any significant
amount of health. If you are at low health, do everything you can to stay away from him for a few
seconds until his red paw falls off; by doing so, you not only save yourself but can potentially save other
teammates since he will need to build stacks again.
Don’t Feed Xerath
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOAqhUqDFJI
Champion Notes
In my opinion, this is a fantastic example of a snowball

champion. I found that he rides a line between being a
team-destroying siege tank and an assist-bot who has to
play it safe. As I mentioned in the movie, this line was
pretty easy to distinguish by simply looking at whether I
could one-shot caster minions (if not, I was falling behind).
All the games I played w/ him were fun, though, and he's
definitely a well-designed champion. (Sad that I'll have to
move past him for the next DFs)
Introduction
Xerath is a long-range magic-damage caster. He is very

cooldown and mana-dependent.
Ascended Form (Passive)
Xerath feeds on arcane power, making him increasingly resilient to physical harm. He converts
15% of his Ability Power into Armor.
Xerath's passive is Ascended Form, which causes him to gain 15% of his ability power as Armor. Though
the extra survivability is good, it generally should not discourage players who deal physical damage from
attacking him as it benefits their team.
Arcanopulse (Q)
Fires a long-range beam of energy, dealing magic damage to all targets hit.
Xerath's Arcanopulse is a long-range burst of lightning that shoots in a line directly in front of him. This
ability deals damage to all targets hit. Though the cast is quick, opposing champions will see a brief red
indicator warning them of the direction it will be shot.
Aside from securing kills, Arcanopulse is an excellent harassment ability. It has enough distance to fully
cover the distance between walls in a side lane.
If you will likely be laning against Xerath, consider taking boots as your first item and staying in motion
throughout the laning phase. This will dramatically increase the difficulty of landing his Arcanopulse on
you.
Arcanopulse is a strong farming ability, especially if Xerath snowballs and can maintain enough ability
power to one-shot caster minions.
Locus of Power (W)
Xerath immobilizes himself near a source of magical power, increasing the range of all spells
and granting him bonus % Magic Penetration. When the effect ends, Xerath's Movement Speed is
increased for 2 seconds.
Xerath's Locus of Power causes him to anchor himself to the ground for up to 8 seconds and gain a
massive range bonus on each of his other abilities. While in this form, Xerath immobilizes himself,
though he can still be knocked back and moved by enemy champion spells. When Locus of Power
expires, he gains a 2 second movement speed increase.
Locus of Power is a fairly straightforward ability. However, it defines his playstyle, as it allows him to act
as extreme-range artillery.
To benefit most from Locus, Xerath will not want to reveal his location before the bombardment begins.
This prevents players from easily focusing him or using gap closers to reach him, and allows for
unexpected burst damage.
To achieve this, he may use bushes, where he can safely poke at towers. Alternatively, he can go entirely
to the other side of terrain or into the jungle, or just stay farther back in a lane than any teamfights.
Map vision is extremely effective both for Xerath and for teams trying to counter Xerath. If playing
xerath, make sure your team is placing wards; if playing against Xerath, place wards but also make a
strong effort to counterward.
While mana can be an issue for Xerath, Locus costs him no mana and may be used freely aside from the
cooldown.
During Locus, Xerath is extremely vulnerable to skillshots, especially skillshots that can travel over
minions.
Mage Chains (E)
Deals magic damage to an enemy and marks them with Unstable Magic. The next spell Xerath
strikes this enemy with stuns them for 2 seconds.
Xerath's Mage Chains is a moderate range spell which deals magic damage and debuffs the target for 3
seconds. This debuff causes Arcanopulse and Arcane Barrage, his ultimate, to stun the target for 1.5
seconds if they land while it is active.
Mage Chains is targeted and is not a skill shot. It also has a shorter range than his other abilities.
Because Mage Chains can hit a little harder against a single target than Arcanopulse, he may use it as a
single-target nuke when other abilities are on cooldown, but doing so means he may not have it
available when a stun combo would net a kill.
Mage Chains has a small travel time, which means Xerath cannot instantly fire off a stun combo before
you can react. If you see Mage Chains fired, be very, very careful to avoid his other abilities.
Arcane Barrage (Ultimate)
Calls down a blast of arcane energy, dealing magic damage to all enemies in an area.May be
cast up to three times before going on cooldown.
Xerath's ultimate, Arcane Barrage, is a long-range skill-shot artillery blast that can be fired up to 3 times
within 12 seconds before going on cooldown. Arcane Barrage also temporarily grants vision around the
area he has fired.
This ability has a relatively short cooldown of a minute at rank 3. With cooldown reduction, this can be
reduced to 36 seconds. Though he can't necessarily use it twice in most team fight situations, it does
allow him to safely use it for farming minions and monsters between team fights.
With Locus active, Arcanopulse and Arcane Barrage have identical range limits. If you can see the end of
the Arcanopulse line shot, you can use that to determine how far away to stay to avoid his ultimate.
This ability is especially destructive in team fights, to deal damage to players who are grouped up as well
as snipe players attempting to leave. Combined with Arcanopulse, Xerath can effectively fire on ranged
carries behind team fights while he stays away himself.
If you haven't seen Arcanopulse fired recently, assume it is available. Do not underestimate the burst
potential of the ability, and watch out for a combo where he applies Mage Chains then rapidly fires an
Arcane Barrage. It is much easier to land an Arcane Barrage than Arcanopulse, and landing the Barrage
makes it easy to land the arcanopulse.
Finally, don't forget that he gets three casts within 12 seconds. This is not an insignificant amount of
time, and he may kill you with an unfired shot if you stick around.
Xerath is extremely vulnerable to being bursted down if players can get in range of him. As mentioned
earlier, he is vulnerable to skillshots while in his Locus form. Xerath also has a limited burst potential;
once he has fired off his Arcane Barrage, he must wait several seconds between each Arcanopulse, and
longer between Mage Chains.
In other words, if he doesn't kill you with his initial barrage, he doesn't have much to follow up with, so
take advantage of this.
The other thing to watch out for is Xerath running low on mana. With low mana it is very difficult for him
to perform combos. Take advantage of this.
Don’t Feed Master Yi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w35-cYbSJp8
Champion Notes
Such a good champion against poor team comps or teams

with poor coordination, but I found he was completely
unable to enter team fights against serious opponents.
That didn't necessarily mean the game was lost, but I
wouldn't try this champion in any serious setting unless
the opposing team simply didn't have much crowd control.
Definitely good for new players, though, so he belongs in
the recommended category.
Introduction
Master Yi is a very fast, high-damage melee champion.
Double Strike (Passive)
Master Yi strikes twice every 7th attack.
Master Yi's passive is Double Strike which causes him to swing twice every 7th attack. If laning against a
Master Yi, watch out for him attacking minions to gain stacks, then quickly landing a double strike on
you or a teammate.
Alpha Strike (Q)
Master Yi leaps across the battlefield with blinding speed, dealing magic damage to multiple
units in his path with a chance to deal bonus magic damage to minions.
Alpha Strike is one of Master Yi's signature abilities. This ability causes him to strike four enemies in
rapid succession.
Alpha Strike is targeted on an enemy within a moderate range of Master Yi. During Alpha Strike, Yi
cannot be targeted or hit with skill shots or AOE damage. However, targeted spells, such as Taric's
Dazzle, that were in flight towards Master Yi prior to Alpha Strike will still land on him once Alpha Strike
has finished.
After Alpha Strike has finished, Master Yi will usually be in melee range of his initial target. While this
makes it an excellent gap closer, allowing him to easily get in range of someone he is chasing, it can also
be used against him. If a Master Yi is frequently targeting you with Alpha Strike, quickly running,
flashing, or using an ability to reach your tower will cause him to reappear under your tower. Followed
up with any type of hard stun or crowd control, this can net you a kill.
The final component of Alpha Strike is a chance to proc a large burst of magic damage on minions and
monsters. This proc can occur on every non-player target the Alpha Strike hits. This ability makes Master
Yi an incredibly good gold farmer. This often means Master Yi will be able to build strong items sooner
than many other champions.
Meditate (W)
Master Yi rejuvenates his body by focus of mind, restoring health and increasing his armor
and magic resistance for a short time.
Master Yi's Meditate is a channeled ability which regenerates health and temporarily increases armor
and magic resistance by a large amount. Watch for Master Yi stepping back to his tower to quickly
regenerate health during the laning phase.
Because of the health regeneration and damage reduction, Master Yi can use this to survive abilities or
sustained damage from enemies that may look like guaranteed kills. The best way to counter this is a
hard stun, silence, fear, or other crowd control ability.
Wuju Style (E)
Master Yi becomes skilled in the art of Wuju, passively increasing the power of his physical
attacks. Activating Wuju Style doubles the passive bonus damage for a short time, but the passive bonus
is temporarily removed after the effect wears off.
Master Yi's Wuju Style provides a passive physical damage increase.
If activated, Master Yi temporarily gains double the passive damage; however, once the temporary
effect wears off, Master Yi will receive no additional damage until the ability is off cooldown.
In other words, Master Yi can choose to take a temporary damage buff with a long-term damage
penalty.
Highlander (Ultimate)
Master Yi moves with unparalleled agility, temporarily increasing Master Yi's movement and
attack speeds as well as making him immune to all slowing effects. Additionally, killing a Champion
refreshes all of Master Yi's cooldowns.
Master Yi's Highlander is his second signature ability. This ability dramatically increases his movement
and attack speed. Additionally, it causes him to be immune to all slowing effects. Finally, if he kills a
champion during this temporary buff, all of his cooldowns are reset and become available to him again.
If he gets an assist on a champion, his cooldowns are cut in half.
In conjunction with Alpha Strike, Highlander makes Master Yi an extremely good chaser. The movement
speed bonus is also excellent for getting out of a tight spot.
Highlander makes Master Yi an excellent choice for taking down undefended towers and structures. This
is because he can quickly get in or out of the area with the movement speed bonus, and because the
attack speed helps him rapidly damage the structure while he is there. Always be careful about leaving
undefended lanes and openings for Master Yi to exploit.
When Master Yi kills a champion his cooldowns are reset. This includes the Highlander cooldown itself,
meaning if he chases someone and kills them while under the effect of Highlander, he can use the ability
again to get back out or simply continue the fight.
While Alpha Strike is helpful to have refreshed, Wuju Style is perhaps an equally important ability to
watch out for. If a Master Yi kills a player with Highlander active and Wuju Style active, Wuju Style's
passive will kick in. This means Master Yi will temporarily have the effect of both Wuju Style's double
damage active and the normal damage passive. This effect cannot be stacked multiple times, but at max
rank, this is a very significant attack damage buff.
During Highlander, Master Yi cannot be slowed. This can be frustrating, but it suggests a solution to
Master Yi. Master Yi has no built-in defenses to hard crowd controls, particularly stuns. Master Yi can be
devastated by a stun heavy team, even if he is well geared and has been effective through the early and
mid game. Though an unchecked Master Yi can wipe out a new team in a group fight, a few well placed
crowd controls and a team paying attention when he enters the fight can completely negate his
effectiveness. But, as mentioned earlier, this makes it especially important to watch your undefended
lanes, because Master Yi players may avoid team fights in favor of low-hanging fruit.
Don't Feed Ziggs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9HfWqz9tno
Champion Notes
Ziggs is a complete blast to play. As those of you who

watch the streams know, I had an immense amount of fun
playing him, and there's all sorts of things he can pull off.
He's fairly simple to jump into, but I place him firmly in the
high skill cap category -- I guarantee you'll see some pro
players pulling off amazing stunts with his Satchel Charge
in the coming months.
For masteries, 21/0/9 with an emphasis on Ability Power

and magic damage bonuses in offensive along with mana
and neutral buff duration in utility.
For runes, magic pen reds (insight) for sure, then all your
other slots are completely flexible. Know you'll be getting blue or otherwise won't have cooldown
issues? Go for Ability Power. Want cooldown reduction or mana regen? Get them. He can be built
effectively with any of these. Armor/Health/MR is fine as well, in a pinch.
Summoner skills -- I personally went teleport and flash nearly every game. In theory, teleport is a great
skill because it gives you total map control -- you don't need to get to a lane or right in a fight, you just
need to get generally on that side of the map for your ult in many cases. In other words, even wards just
at dragon or baron you have nearly full map coverage. But Ignite is fine, of course, as are other options,
and I'm only explaining the logic of teleport, not necessarily saying its best!
As far as abilities, I always maxed Q first, E second, and W third, with one early point in W. Ultimate
always prioritized over the others.
And for items, you've got lots of flexibility! I typically went Boots+3 health pots to start, got 1-3 dorans if
I went back early, rushed Rabadon's Deathcap. After this, I'd go for some more AP items such as void
staff (if they had high MR).
Morello's is a good bet for cooldown reduction unless you reliably have blue buff and another source of
CDR. Will of the Ancients I wasn't a huge fan of because a) all his spells take an AOE penalty on spell
vamp and b) if someone got in my face I was usually dead before spell vamp would pay off.
When I used Zhonya's Hourglass I frequently saved myself, so a huge recommendation for that. And as a
late game item, I strongly recommend Lich Bane, it is absurd what it can pull off.
Get survivability items anywhere you need to, especially a Rylai's and/or Banshee's in a pinch.
Introduction
Ziggs is a magic-damage caster. He is a relatively slow champion, though his normal ranged attacks can
be thrown unusually far for a caster.
With the exception of his passive, all of Zigg's abilities deal area damage.
Short Fuse (Passive)
Every 12 seconds, Ziggs' next basic attack deals bonus magic damage. This cooldown is
reduced whenever Ziggs uses an ability.
Ziggs' passive is Short Fuse. After several seconds, Ziggs gains a buff that causes his next attack to deal
bonus magic damage, which is increased both by level and ability power.
The cooldown on this ability is significantly reduced every time he uses his other abilities.
This damage is not considered a spell, and is not blocked by spell shields. However, he will not consume
the buff and deal bonus magic damage while silenced.
This bonus damage is effective against structures. For this reason, Ziggs may use abilities to reduce the
Short Fuse cooldown even if they will not hit enemies.
Bouncing Bomb (Q)
Ziggs throws a bouncing bomb that deals magic damage.
Ziggs' Bouncing Bomb is a skill-shot throw that deals AOE damage.
Ziggs can choose to cast the ability anywhere within a moderate range. Once cast, the bomb will arc into
the air as it travels towards the location. This arc can easily go over large terrain, but can also easily go
over enemy champions within the path.
Once it reaches its destination, it will have shorter follow-up bounces. The distance of these bounces is
determined by how far he initially threw the bomb, meaning bombs thrown farther away will bounce
significantly farther than bombs thrown nearby. At maximum range, bombs can be thrown beyond his
vision range.
The bomb can explode and deal its damage at any point along the path. This occurs when it collides with
either an enemy or vertical terrain. If it misses these targets, it will explode once it stops bouncing.
Bouncing Bomb has a very short cooldown.
Satchel Charge (W)
Ziggs flings an explosive charge that detonates after 4 seconds, or when this ability is
activated again. The explosion deals magic damage to enemies, knocking them away. Ziggs is also
knocked away, but takes no damage.
Ziggs' Satchel Charge is an explosive charge that is cast on a nearby location. While active, the charge
grants vision in a small area around it. After several seconds, the charge will explode, dealing damage to
all nearby enemies. Ziggs can activate this ability to explode the bomb more quickly.
In addition to the damage, Satchel Charge also knocks all enemies within its radius away from it. This
interrupts channeling abilities.
If Ziggs is near his own Satchel Charge, it will knock him back, but he won't take damage. The distance he
is knocked back is significantly larger than the distance enemies are knocked back.
The distance of Satchel Charge's knockback is determined by the proximity to the charge. Being closer to
the center of the blast results in a much larger knockback than being at the outer edge.
While airborne, Ziggs is vulnerable to abilities such as knockbacks and knockups, and these can prevent
him from reaching his destination.
Also, while airborne, Ziggs can cast his other abilities.
Against melee opponents, Satchel Charge can knock Ziggs and his opponent in opposite directions,
allowing for a very strong escape.
If placed within a bush, enemies who do not have vision will not be able to see the area indicator of the
effect if they approach it.
Even though this ability can be activated a second time to detonate it more quickly, only the first cast
will reduce the cooldown of his Short Fuse passive.
Even at higher ranks, this ability has a relatively long ability for a non-ultimate ability.
The ability will not go on cooldown until the bomb has been detonated.
Hexplosive Minefield (E)
Ziggs scatters proximity mines that detonate on enemy contact, dealing magic damage and
slowing.
Ziggs' Hexplosive Minefield places small mines in a circular area near him. After a very short activation
time, they will damage any enemies currently on them or any enemies who cross over them.
If an enemy crosses over a mine, they take damage and are briefly slowed. Multiple enemies in
activation range of the same mine at the same time will all take damage from its explosion.
If an enemy is affected by more than one mine, all follow-up mines only deal half damage to that target.
Mines expire after several seconds.
Spell shields operate normally against mines, fully blocking the damage and the slow. However, if
multiple mines are detonated instantly, such as a minefield thrown onto a player with a spell shield, the
shield will block all of them. If the same target hits any new mines once the shield is down, the first one
will deal full damage, while only the later ones will deal half damage.
Hexplosive Minefield briefly grants vision when cast. Vision is also briefly granted on players who take
damage from a mine.
Each individual mine is visible to enemies unless it is not in vision, such as those within brush.
To conceal mines in brush, Ziggs can cast Hexplosive Minefield onto nearby impassable terrain. All mines
that spawn on this terrain will be destroyed, and, if placed well, the only mines that spawn will all be
hidden in the brush.
Mega Inferno Bomb (Ultimate)
Ziggs deploys his ultimate creation, the Mega Inferno Bomb, hurling it an enormous distance,
Enemies in the primary blast zone take more damage than those further away.
Ziggs' ultimate is Mega Inferno Bomb. This ability can be cast at any location within an extremely long
range. Once cast, a bomb quickly travels across the map towards the target location.
When the bomb impacts, massive AOE damage is dealt to all enemies within its radius. Enemies on the
outside of the impact take partly reduced damage.
Shortly after casting, the impact target becomes visible to all enemies.
There are several things to keep in mind when countering Ziggs.
If playing draft mode and potentially laning against Ziggs, look for champions who have long-range
harass and high mobility or speed.
This will allow you to more easily avoid all of his abilities, while potentially allowing you to push Ziggs
out of lane and deny experience or farm. Zilean, for instance, can do a good job at early counter-play
due to his Time Bomb range and Time Warp speed bonus.
As a general rule, champions with dashes and especially blinks are better to have on the team opposing
Ziggs. This allows you to more easily escape and dodge his abilities, but also lets you close in on Ziggs. As
powerful as his damage potential can be, he is extremely vulnerable if players reach him.
If Satchel Charge is on cooldown, that is an ideal time to engage him. This is doubly true if Hexplosive
Minefield has also been placed recently, as it will leave him without any escape options. Do everything
you can to avoid being displaced or slowed by either ability as you look for an opportunity to engage.
Without early counter options for Ziggs, try to stay at an angle away from minions to make it harder for
him to land his bouncing bomb on you. The further you are from him, the harder it is to be hit by his
bombs, as they slow down significantly before exploding provided they don't hit anything in their path.
And, of course, make it a priority to buy boots to avoid his abilities.
Ziggs is a strong zone control champion. Both his Satchel Charge and Hexplosive Minefields can block
chokepoints, including tight areas in the jungle. Even if a team can safely ignore the damage from either
of these abilities, the associated knockback and slow from them can physicall prevent entry.
In a lane, this zone control can be used to Ziggs' advantage. By using Hexplosive Minefield, he can push a
champion towards a more favorable location for his Bouncing Bomb tosses.
Beyond simple crowd control and zoning, it's important to note that Ziggs is extraordinarily strong in any
team fight, and becomes more effective the more tightly his opponents are grouped. Aside from all of
his abilities being AOE, his mines will also proc on all grouped enemies when they activate. By slowing
grouped enemies with mines, he makes it even easier to land a Mega Inferno Bomb on them.
Ziggs synergizes amazingly with other champions who have AOE ultimates, including Galio, Amumu, and
Vladimir. Using these abilities together can devastate an enemy team in seconds.
It's worth noting that Ziggs does extremely well against a team currently doing Baron. This is because
these teams will often be more tightly grouped with a narrow chokepoint of escape. By placing a
minefield at or near the entrance, all of his other abilities can become effective at quickly demolish
several opponents who may also still be getting attacked by Baron. With teammates who have AOE
abilities, a Baron fight can quickly and easily be turned in Ziggs' team's favor.
And, barring the ability to enter a team fight, he can attempt to snipe the kill on Baron with Mega
Inferno Bomb.
In the later game, Ziggs can become a structure demolitionist. Because his passive scales with ability
power and works against structures, he can deal large bursts of damage instantly to structures during a
push. This is especially true with some Ability Power items and a Lich Bane, along with well-timed casts
of abilities to proc the passive and lich bane in quick succession.
As a Ziggs player, there are a few things to learn to be most effective.
Because of the physics involved, Bouncing Bomb needs to be handled differently than most skill-shots.
It's important to keep in mind that the initial throw can easily go over enemy champions if you target a
location beyond where they are, and can easily fall short if you fire aim it too close.
One key to reliably landing Bouncing Bomb is to know where your opponents are most likely going to
move. If they're engaging you, under-shoot the bomb. If they're moving away, you'll want to shoot out a
little farther so the bomb doesn't fall short. In either case, a quick player who anticipates the move may
be able to dodge it. This is especially true if they can use dash abilities to quickly reach you or another
target.
There are two other things that increase the likelihood of landing a bomb. Tightening the area a player
can move with Satchel Charge or Hexplosive Minefield can make it easier to land the shot. If they do
move into the minefield, the slow will make it easier as well.
The other thing is to use minions and even terrain to your advantage. Since these are more reliable
targets for collision, bombing them when an enemy is nearby can increase the chance to land the bomb.
Satchel Charge is another key ability that you'll want to master. The best Ziggs players will be those
players who can use the charge not just as a simple interrupt, escape, reposition, or zoning tool, but to
pull off a combination of these in ways that dramatically alter the dynamics of fights.
The Hexplosive Minefield is an extremely good tool for zone control and keeping opponents where you
want them. Despite the relatively low damage numbers per mine, Hexplosive Minefield is often
extraordinarily good damage in team fights, where bombs can hit multiple people, and the slow can
guarantee follow-up from other abilities such as Mega Inferno bomb.
The minefield can be very effective at securing a kill on an escaping player. It has a decent range, which
often allows it to be cast in the path of players who are running away, guaranteeing they will either run
over them taking damage from most of the mines while being slowed, or will turn around and
potentially be easier to hit with bouncing bombs.
That said, the minefield is also a defensive tool, and using it too soon can prevent you from using it to
save yourself or a teammate in a fight. Players with a dash or blink ability may choose to immediately
close the distance on you once your mines have been used elsewhere, and they will not need to fear
one of your largest sources of damage. Very good opponents may even bait you into using the
minefield, ready to instantly move off them towards you before the mines activate.
Ziggs is an exceptional farmer. At early levels, the combination of Hexplosive Minefield and Bouncing
Bomb can clear caster minion groups and can help clearing the other minions as well. By later ranks and
with some ability power, bouncing bomb can clear these alone, while minefields can help clear up
others. In either case, be careful about mana usage with minefield as it can be taxing, and bouncing
bombs may be enough.
Ziggs gains a dramatic benefit from having the blue mana and cooldown reduction buff gained from the
large golem. While you can wait on a jungler to help you acquire this, you can also do it on your own
after a few levels. This is because Bouncing Bomb can be cast frequently, and the monsters in the pack
can be kited through a minefield, taking the full potential damage of the entire minefield. In general,
Ziggs does fine clearing camps in the jungle.
Thanks for watching this Don't Feed! Be sure to subscribe with the button on the upper right. Check out
my previous movie in this series, "Don't Feed Vladimir," by clicking the movie thumbnail on the right.
I regularly stream League of Legends and other games right here on YouTube. Make sure you like me on
my new Facebook page and follow me on Twitter.
As always, check the movie information box below for general thoughts and series updates, and let your
friends know about this series to help promote it in the League of Legends community. Also, make a
post on the official League of Legends forum thread, linked below, if you really enjoy the series!
Don’t Feed Zilean
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jc7bZZlGIo
Champion Notes
He can be one of the most frustrating champions to play

against, especially when you don't know his abilities and
how to counter them.
Introduction
Zilean is a fragile but fast magic champion.
Heightened Learning (Passive)
Increases experience gain of all allied champions by 8%.
Zilean's passive increases experience gain for all allied champions by 8%, no matter where they are on
the map, while Zilean is alive. This means enemy champions will level faster, all else being equal. Watch
out for a team with Zilean reaching level 6 and acquiring ult abilities before their opponents.
Time Bomb (Q)
Places a bomb on any unit, allied or enemy, which detonates after 4 seconds, dealing area of
effect damage.
Zilean's Time Bomb is a debuff placed on a friendly or enemy target that will explode after 4 seconds
dealing significant AOE damage to enemies around the target. Though shields such as Banshee's Veil,
Sivir's Spell Shield, and Nocturne's Shroud of Darkness will prevent the application of the bomb, they will
not prevent the damage from a bomb that has already been applied.
Time Bomb will explode instantly if the target dies before 4 seconds.
If a Time Bomb is applied to you during the early game, you will not be able to avoid the damage.
Instead, make sure to move away from your lane partner to avoid dealing damage to them. Additionally,
it can be useful to stay near your minions and let the bomb explode on them, helping to push the battle
back towards the safety of your turret.
Time Bomb has a high mana cost. If you can outlast his harassment in a lane, he will become much less
threatening.
Time Warp (E)
Zilean bends time around any unit, decreasing an enemy's Movement Speed or increasing an
ally's Movement Speed for a short time.
Zilean's Time Warp is a targeted speed modifier. If cast on an ally, this will increase their speed by 55%.If
cast on an enemy, this will slow their speed by 55%. Because of this ability, it is rarely effective to chase
Zilean past his team.
Rewind (W)
Zilean can prepare himself for future confrontations, reducing the cooldowns of all of his other
abilities.
Zilean's Rewind ability causes all of his current cooldowns to reduce by 10 seconds. This effectively
means he can apply two bombs immediately after each other. If Zilean places a bomb on a target that
already has a bomb, the first bomb will explode immediately.
Additionally, Rewind greatly reduces the time Zilean needs to wait between Time Warp, allowing him to
quickly buff the speed of two allies, reduce the speed of two enemies, or buff one ally and reduce the
speed of one enemy.
Chronoshift (Ultimate)
Zilean places a protective time rune on an allied champion, teleporting the champion back in
time if they take lethal damage.
Chronoshift is Zilean's signature ability, allowing him to place a 7 second buff on an ally that resurrects
them if they die. This effect occurs before any other sources of resurrection occur, including Guardian
Angel and Anivia's Rebirth.
Chronoshift, along with Time Warp, make Zilean and his laning partner very poor targets to attempt to
kill under a tower. Do not be baited by the possibility of what appears to be an easy, quick kill.
Additionally, Chronoshift, along with Time Warp and a short cooldown time bomb, allow Zilean or his
allies to tower dive effectively in some situations.
Combined with a Guardian Angel, it can be very time consuming to kill Zilean or his allies. Because of
this, you may need to be selective on who you target in team fights. Either attempt to kill Zilean and
force him to use his Chronoshift on himself, or take out his weakest allies. Any hard stuns or silences,
combined with high burst damage, will have a dramatic impact on your ability to affect a team with
Zilean.
It goes without saying that once Zilean has used his Chronoshift, he and his teammates are completely
vulnerable to being killed. Take advantage of this.

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Learn the League

The Unofficial League of Legends Super-Guide

1|Learn the League

2|Learn the League

3|Learn the League

4|Learn the League

5|Learn the League

6|Learn the League

7|Learn the League

8|Learn the League

9|Learn the League

• Teach you winning strategies and concepts;

As Judge Posner said in Ty Inc. v. Publications Int'l Ltd.:

What is League of Legends

Setting Up An Account & Installing The Game

Name Your Summoner

Choose an Expertise Level

As always, last hit, last hit, last hit!

An Introduction to Runes & Rune Pages

• Red Marks: Offensive runes are generally Primary;

Not All Secondary Runes Are Created Equal

Not All Bonuses Are Equally Good

Not Always The Most Fun, But Always Reliable

• Whether you won or lost the match;

First Win of the Day Bonus

When & Why to Purchase Riot Points

Get Cheap Champions

Playing One Champion vs. Playing Many

Snowballing Champions & Items

Fighter - Solo Top

AP Caster - Solo Mid

Ranged AD & Support - Duo Bot

Why Not Send Two Top?

Can You Switch This Up?

Dive In & Don't Panic

Tips for Learning Champions

I bring this up for two reasons:

High Skill Cap Champions

Dashes & Blinks

Attack Animation & Projectile Speed

Beating the Smurfs

What makes many smurfs bad?

1. They will berate and insult you;

Leavers & AFKers

Bot Games (Cooperative vs. AI)

Play With A Patient, Experienced Friend

Try 3v3 Twisted Treeline and Dominion

Ignore & Report Jerks

Determining If Opponents Can See In Your Bush

• If they use a targeted ability on you;

Gold & Experience for Champion Kills

Towers detect stealthed units.

Tip For Last Hitting In The Early Game

Inhibitors & Nexus

A player who last-hits the nexus is given 50 gold.

Summoner Pool, Shop & Obelisk

A minion wave normally consists of 3 melee minions and 3 caster minions.

Melee minions are initially worth 22 gold in lane.

Siege & Super Minions

Siege minions are worth the most gold, starting at 27 gold.

• You are very comfortable playing;

Rock, Paper, Scissors

Here's how they work together: