League of Legends: Master the Brush

This is a post I wrote for a League of Legends fansite back in 2010. Some of it may have been changed to keep it more up-to-date.
 
The Brush

Basics:

•     Brush are the grass patches you can stand in
•     If you’re standing outside of the brush, you cannot see what is inside or behind it
•     If you are in the brush, you can see what is in the same brush patch, and the surrounding areas
•     Wards behave as other units do. It needs to be in the brush to see in the brush
•     If you are fighting someone, and they run into the brush, you lose vision of them
•     Attacking from inside the brush (except for some skills) reveals you, and a small bit of area around you
•     If minions are chasing you, you can run into a nearby brush patch to lose aggro
•     If neutrals are attacking you, running into a brush patch does nothing. They still see you
•     NPCs are also hidden in brush patches

Other Notables:

•     Attacks and abilities can be interrupted if your target runs into the brush before it executes
•     You can still hit people in the brush with skill-shots and AoE
•     Clairvoyance grants vision of what is inside the brush, even if not placed inside of it

Now that we have the basics, let’s get to the interesting stuff.

Why the Brush?

A true artist learns how to use a brush properly. It’s not just proper use of the brush for yourself, but also how you deal with others using it.

Having vision of what is inside and around the brush is very important for making the right decisions. If you cannot see what your opponent is doing, it becomes difficult to accurately judge the risks of your actions. Losing control of the brush, or not seeing what is behind the brush when enemy champions aren’t fully visible, is similar to someone being missing from action. You usually don’t know whether or not it is safe to approach a particular brush, if you’re being scouted, or if you’re about to get ambushed. This is also why wards, Clairvoyance, Destiny, Hawkshot, and other such vision skills are very useful.

  

Another key reason you want control of the brush is for zone control. If you are in the brush, and your enemy knows you are in the brush, then the brush increases your zone of influence because the enemy doesn’t know where you are in the brush. This often immediately places enemy champions on the defensive, since it becomes difficult for them to judge what you plan to do.

  

Neutral Brushes

Since brush not only hides champions, but NPCs as well, the brush becomes a useful tool for jungling. More specifically, the brush should be used when killing the lizard or golem buffs on either side in Summoner’s Rift. Not utilizing the brush puts you in danger for a few reasons. 

One reason is you cannot see what is in the brush immediately near the neutral, allowing enemy champions the opportunity to lie in wait, and ambush you and your buff when they wish. Not using the brush also means standing out in the open, making you easy to spot and target. Another key reason to move the lizard or golem into the brush is to prevent enemy champions from stealing it with Smite or another skill without moving into the brush themselves. Being in the brush gives you a chance to scout out who is trying to ambush you or steal your buff, and lets you have a better chance at escaping as well since the enemy champion cannot see you until you leave the brush.

Offensive Brush Dancing

Offensive brush dancing is primarily used by ranged champions during the laning phase, but may also be used outside of the laning phase in certain situations. First, let’s use the basics to sketch the outline of this technique. We know when you attack an enemy champion, nearby enemy minions will turn to attack you. We also know minions de-aggro you when you enter the brush. Finally, we also know that enemy champions lose vision of you when you enter the brush. This is all assuming they don’t have vision of what is inside the brush.

To begin your brush dance, step just outside of the brush within range of the enemy champion you wish to attack. Immediately after attacking your target, step back into the brush, then repeat this process. When you attack the enemy champion, nearby enemy minions will turn to attack you, but since you quickly step back into the brush, enemy minions lose sight of you and stop attacking you. Additionally, since you attacked from outside of the brush, the enemy champion will lose sight of you when you re-enter the brush, while if you attacked them from inside the brush you would be revealed to both the champion and minions.

Clearly, this technique is best used for harassing in lane, but it can be used to last-hit or harass outside of lane as well. If you wish to last-hit while minimizing enemy harassment, brush dancing is a good technique to lower this. Brush dancing gives the enemy champion only a small window to harass you, making it more difficult. Similarly, this can be done outside of lane to try and harass for some free damage if you were to meet an enemy champion outside of the lane. This is particularly good for baiting people into the brush, as well, since it does not provide vision of what is inside the brush if done correctly.

Defensive Brush Dancing

The benefits of brush dancing are most clear in an offensive situation, but brush dancing has its defensive uses as well. This technique works best against melee champions due to the fact they need to be close to you to hit you. To illustrate some of its potential, let me paint a picture by referencing when I first discovered how useful it is defensively.

I was at top lane as Nidalee when a fight ensued. My lane partner and I managed to kill the two opposing champions, but a jungling Yi swung by and killed my lane partner. Being at very low health from the battle, and Yi having Highlander, I decided to pounce into the brush and distract him as long as I could. I made my way to the gap between the two brushes against the outer wall, and as soon as he stepped into the brush I was in, I moved into the other brush. He chased me into that brush, so I made a small loop outward to avoid his melee attack range and snuck into the original brush I was in. Constantly dancing between the two brush patches, I managed to survive for the duration of his Highlander with a sliver of health the entire time. I even managed to cancel one of his Alpha Strikes by entering the brush right as he used it, preventing it from fully executing. It wasn’t until after about eight seconds that he realized how I was managing to delay my death that he finally intercepted my path and killed me.

While it may be hard to visualize, the key idea in brush dancing is the vision abuse and the de-aggroing it causes. Taking advantage of this can create a frustrating chase for an enemy champion, and can greatly reduce the amount of damage you receive. However, brush dancing defensively is very difficult.

Bushwhacking

Due to the vision advantage provided by brush, a team can use brush as a strong ambushing tool. Thanks to the magical grass of Runeterra, even a massive monster from the void and steam golem can be completely hidden in the tiniest of patches. With this in mind, it can be an effective tactic to hide in the brush, waiting for some unfortunate adventurer to wander into it, and ambushing them as soon as they enter the brush or near it. This can be done with as many people as necessary, and can quickly turn the game around when it comes to team fights.

If your team knows where the enemy team is going to pass through, you can all gather up, hide in a brush patch, and wait for them to pass by. As soon as they pass by, you have the element of surprise, with every champion in range, allowing you to quickly burst the enemy team down in your favor. This element of surprise grants you the initiation, allows you to determine when to attack and who to attack, and can catch enemy teams when they are separated or positioned poorly. A few ways to bait them into these deadly ambushes is to push a tower so they go to reinforce it, bait the enemy team by dangling a delicious “wandering” champion, or keeping an eye on the status of lanes, dragon, baron, and buffs.

While setting up a brush ambush can be very useful, it can also lead to serious problems. One big threat to this strategy are AoE heavy teams that can out-perform your team in a tight-quarters fight. An example would be a team with Amumu, Fiddlesticks, Gangplank, Annie, and Corki. If this AoE team can predict an ambush, Amumu can bandage in and Curse everyone onto the spot, leading into some major AoE havoc. Since the team is gathered into a tight spot, everyone will be hit by the AoEs and it can quickly spell an Ace against the team in the brush. Similarly, these ambushes can also be avoided with good use of wards, Clairvoyance, and skill-shot checking.

Checking the Brush

The brush may be very strong and useful, but there are ways to deal with people who frequently use the brush. The simplest way to deal with brush is to use skill-shots to check the brush, such as Mystic Shot, Volley, Infected Cleaver, etc. Tossing these skill-shots into the brush can hit any enemy units or champions hiding within. You can hear the collision sound, as well as see the projectile stop traveling, essentially revealing to you where the person was in the brush, while harassing them at the same time. Frequently checking the brush with skill-shots before you pass through them can save you and your team's lives, so be sure to check the brush before getting near it!

Another effective method of dealing with frequent brush users is to buy wards and place them in popular brushes. An example would be the river brushes at top and bottom lane, as gankers often perch themselves in those brush to wait for an opportune moment to strike. Not only can this save you from potential ganks, but it may even lead to possible counter-ganks.

  

Use the Brush Wisely

Whatever you do, if there is a strong chance the enemy team is hiding in the brush, do not run headlong into it. A careless mistake such as falling into a brush-trap can cost the game, and it is often better to be safe than sorry. On the flip side, overusing the brush can prove fatal as well, as it becomes predictable which brush people may use for ambushes, and a well-warded brush can spell disaster for your team if you are unaware the enemy team has vision of you. The brush is a very important aspect in League of Legends, and those hoping to improve must understand its potential. Learn, practice, and master the brush.