Introduction
Laning typically makes up the first ten to fifteen minutes of the game.
The laning phase is an intricate dance between two parties, often one-on-one,
one-on-two, or two-on-two. This phase of the match can be argued as the most
important phase, due to the snowball effect it brings. Capitalizing on an early
advantage serves to increase that advantage, such as more gold, experience, or
map control. The pace of a game is often determined during the laning phase,
and much of that comes from the lane match-ups.
Laning Divisions
In Summoner’s Rift, there are three lanes, top, middle, and bottom. The
middle lane holds the shortest path between opposing turrets and serves as the
best position for moving around the map. The bottom lane is the closest lane to
Dragon, which is an important neutral monster to Summoner’s Rift. Middle and bottom lane are usually the key laners in contesting Dragon throughout the laning phase.
If your team has a jungler, you’re more than likely going to end up with
one person in top lane, one in middle, and two at bottom, primarily because of
Dragon’s placement. With two at the bottom lane, it is easier to prevent the
enemy team from getting Dragon, since a solo laner often has a difficult time if
they’re stuck against two enemies in their lane. Because of these reasons,
1:1:2 is currently the most popular setup for teams who have a jungler.
If your team doesn’t have a jungler, your lane setup is more than likely
going to end up 2:1:2 for a few reasons. The most apparent reason for this is
because it has become the established norm, and is generally considered the
best setup for non-jungling teams. Another reason is due to the short distance
between the middle turret, making it more difficult to gank the opposing champion due to the shorter running distance back to
their turret.
Solo-mid
Now comes the question of who makes a good solo-mid. Solo-mid is different
from the other lanes due to the short distance between the towers. The battle in middle can be rather fast paced,
since both are leveling quickly and have no competition for farming gold. The
main worries are your laning opponent and possible ganks from either side. Additionally,
the wraith camp is right next to the lane, so any champion who can farm those
between waves is another plus. Consequently, it is best to put someone in
middle who needs the early levels and/or farm. Such champions include, in no
particular order:
Morgana, Karthus, Brand, Ziggs, Katarina, Heimerdinger, Annie, Cassiopeia
The strong start for these champions are almost necessary at times,
otherwise their damage falls behind and snowballs against them. It is critical
to give the solo lanes to champions who not only can handle them, but who
benefit the most from being higher level, which are generally AP caster champions.
Another important thing to note about the middle lane is how much you can pressure your opponent by pushing the lane toward their turret. Since it is the shortest lane, you can easily push the enemy turret, which can threaten their map awareness if it were to fall. This often keeps the enemy mid-laner pinned to their turret to defend it. Similarly, they can do the same to you, preventing you from leaving the lane to gank side lanes.
One-on-Two
This match-up tends to be more rare since both teams usually have a jungler in the current state of the game. Though the solo in this lane has no farming competition, they have a difficult issue to deal with, which is a dual lane. A single
champion against two champion is at a large risk of getting killed if they
aren’t careful enough. Being outnumbered often forces the solo to play
defensively, which puts the tower at risk of being taken down early. The key
thing necessary for the solo is to be able to manage the minion waves
efficiently. This often equates to some sort of AoE skill or ranged skills and
attacks. Because of being put on the defensive, it limits the capabilities of
some champions who typically excel in middle lane. Instead, being solo against
a dual lane often focuses more on farming, rather than denying experience or
killing your opposing laners. Some good champions for a 1v2 lane include:
Morgana, Janna, Malzahar, Zilean, Cassiopeia, Gragas, Chogath, Ziggs
Wave Management
Quite possibly the single most important aspect of laning is knowing how to
manage the minion wave. Knowing how to control the minion front can be the key
between life and death, victory and defeat. Wave management boils primarily
down to one thing, the minions.
Each team possesses three different types of minions during the laning phase: melee, caster, and
siege. Melee minions have the lowest damage with medium health, and generally take three
turret hits to die. Caster minions have medium damage, are ranged with low
health, and take two turret hits to die. Siege minions have high damage, high
health, and take several turret hits to die. Knowing the strengths of these
minions is key to managing the lane.
When your side of the lane is at a disadvantage in composition, it is often
a better choice to move the minion front toward your tower so it becomes more
difficult for the enemy to harass and gank you. The quickest way to do this is
to stop attacking any enemy minions at all, including forfeiting last-hits.
However, this limits your farming and puts you behind on gold, though it is
necessary at times to ensure your safety. If you still insist on farming gold, only last-hit
at the last possible moment so the enemy minions live as long as possible. If the enemy team kills your minions faster than you kill theirs, the
minion front will move toward your tower, giving you a better position in lane.
If you shift the lane toward your tower, it is important to keep in mind
which champions you’re laning against. If they have ranged champions, it is
usually best to minimize the size of the enemy minion wave as it approaches
your turret, otherwise they can chip away at its health. Similarly, melee
champions can attack your turret too if their wave is built up enough. It
becomes particularly dangerous if you’re a melee, and the enemy minion wave is
large, because you need to walk a bit away from your turret, which leaves you
vulnerable to harassment or even kill attempts. Also keep in mind that if you attack an enemy champion who is near their minions, the minions will turn to attack you and can deal a substantial amount of damage.
If your opponents don’t attack your turret, a large wave of minions will
still deal it significant damage, so it’s consider how much turret health you're willing to sacrifice in order to manage the minion front in the lane.
To push your lane out, focus on killing the caster minions and siege
minions first. Caster minions are not only the weakest ones, but they also do
the most damage to your minions, apart from siege minions. You want to build up
your minion wave as much as possible in order to create a large push on the
enemy turret. If you want to push quickly, kill the melee minions, but if you
want a large push, then you want to stall your wave in order to stack waves on
top of each other by leaving the melee minions alive.
If your minions are at an advantage in lane and you don't want the enemy team to be able to keep the minion front toward their tower, you have to keep your minions pushing as quickly as possible to their tower so the tower shifts the balance. This puts you at greater risk of harassment and ganks since it requires you to move closer to the enemy's side of the lane in order to keep pushing the wave forward. Try and back out quickly when you do this to avoid getting caught in ganks, and utilize wards to scout for enemy gankers.
Lane Presence
If pushing your lane out puts you in higher threat of being ganked, while
giving your opponents in lane an easier time farming, why would you ever do it?
After all, getting ganked in lane can easily mean losing that turret.
Use the minimap—the minimap tells you a great deal of information. Check
for who’s missing. Or better yet, watch the minimap more frequently so you can
tell which direction people leave their lane if they make the careless mistake
of showing it. This allows you to put significant pressure on your lane
relatively safely. Even better, have a ward placed to scout for possible ganks.
As soon as you notice the possibility of one of your allies getting ganked
in their lane, you want to push your lane as much as possible if your lane is
able to handle it. If another lane is being ganked, that means one of their
lanes will be undermanned (unless someone from one of your lanes goes to try
and help them out). Because of this, if your allies get ganked, you should be
able to overpower the enemy in your lane and take their turret while they are
in another lane. While you may not be able to save your allies from a gank, and
maybe even lose the turret because of the gank, you should at least be able to
take down one or two of their turrets if your team has a very strong lane
presence.
Keeping lanes pushed also places pressure on the opponents in the lane. If
the enemy lanes are constantly pushed, they are forced on the defensive,
restricting their freedom to enter the jungle or leave their lane to gank, or
even shop. This constant pressure is great for setting the pace in the match,
since it allows your team to switch lanes more freely to overpower another. It
also provides better control over the jungle, and Dragon. If anyone on the
enemy team in a highly pressured lane leaves, they risk losing their turret, or
their lane-mate getting killed. The main thing to be careful of in constantly
pushing your lane is possible ganks, especially if the enemy team has a
jungler.
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