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Deep understanding of your main champions
Understanding Strengths and Weaknesses
- Early Game: Recognize your champion’s power level in the early game. Are they a strong laner (e.g., Darius, Lucian) or do they need to survive until later (e.g., Kassadin, Vayne)?
- Late Game: Understand how your champion scales into the late game. Some champions (like Jinx or Veigar) become incredibly strong, while others may fall off.
- Sustain: Know how your champion sustains in lane. For example, Aatrox has built-in healing, while champions like Zed may rely on careful resource management.
- Mobility and Escapes: Evaluate your champion’s mobility and escape tools. Champions like Ahri have high mobility, while others like Ashe need to position carefully to avoid getting caught.
3. Matchup Knowledge
- Common Matchups: Learn how your champion fares against popular picks in your role. Understand whether the matchup is favorable or unfavorable and adjust your playstyle accordingly.
- Counterplay: Identify what counters your champion and how to mitigate their strengths. For instance, if you’re playing against a hard counter, you might focus on farming safely and waiting for ganks or team fights.
- Adaptation: Be ready to adapt your build, runes, and playstyle based on the matchup. For example, if you’re playing a champion that struggles against burst damage, you might build defensively or take defensive summoner spells like Exhaust.
4. Understanding Your Role in Team Fights
- Positioning: Know where you should position during team fights. For example, ADCs should stay at the backline, while bruisers might dive the enemy backline.
- Target Priority: Understand who to focus on in team fights. Should you be peeling for your carries, diving the enemy backline, or protecting an objective?
- Ultimate Usage: Learn when to use your ultimate. Some ultimates are best saved for crucial moments (e.g., Malphite’s R for a game-changing engage), while others might be used on cooldown for consistent pressure (e.g., Jinx’s R for finishing off low-health enemies).
5. Itemization and Build Paths
- Core Items: Know the core items for your champion and why they are essential. For instance, understand why certain items are better in specific matchups or game states (e.g., Hexdrinker against heavy AP or Blade of the Ruined King against tanks).
- Situational Items: Be familiar with situational items that can enhance your champion’s performance in different scenarios. For example, opting for Guardian Angel if you’re being focused in fights or buying Zhonya’s Hourglass for survivability against burst damage.
- Adaptive Builds: Adapt your build based on the enemy team composition. If the enemy has a lot of CC, you might consider Mercurial Scimitar or if they have healing, consider Morellonomicon.
6. Runes and Summoner Spells
- Optimal Runes: Understand the best rune setups for your champion, including primary and secondary trees, as well as the ideal keystones (e.g., Conqueror for sustained fights or Electrocute for burst damage).
- Flexible Runes: Know when to switch your rune choices based on matchups. For example, you might switch to Resolve secondary for extra sustain in a tough lane or go for Domination for more burst.
- Summoner Spells: Choose the most effective summoner spells based on the matchup and game plan. For example, opting for Cleanse against heavy CC or Teleport for map pressure.
7. Champion Synergies and Team Composition
- Team Synergy: Understand how your champion synergizes with others on your team. For example, Orianna’s ultimate works well with champions that can dive into the enemy team, like Malphite or Wukong.
- Counter Compositions: Know how your champion fares against different team compositions. For example, some champions excel against poke comps, while others might struggle against heavy engage.
- Flexibility: Be aware of your champion’s flexibility in various roles or strategies. For example, some champions can be played in multiple lanes or have different builds depending on the game plan.
8. Game Knowledge and Adaptation
- Objective Control: Know how your champion contributes to securing objectives like Dragon, Baron, or turrets. For example, understanding your damage output against these objectives or how to zone enemies away.
- Map Control: Use your champion’s strengths to gain map control. For example, use a champion with high mobility to roam and create pressure across the map.
- Adapt to the Game Flow: Adjust your playstyle based on the state of the game. If you’re ahead, you might play more aggressively to extend your lead. If you’re behind, focus on farming and playing defensively until you can catch up.