Why You Should Focus the Bottom Lane

19 Jul 20

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Why You Should Focus the Bottom Lane

Understand the value of Bot lane and be the chad play making machine every team dreams of having.

With a game as big and intricate as League of Legends, the ways that it can be played might just be infinite. Some players find value through breaking down the latest patch notes and forming a new strategy while others stick to their gut and hold on to what they have already perfected in a Champion or tactic. Considering this game is constantly changing every few weeks, it can be hard to find a way that can surely secure victory time and time again. While there may be countless ways to win a game, I have found that focusing the Bot lane yields more consistent results throughout all skill levels of play.

Patch 10.11 brought some much needed buffs to a lot of popular Marksmen giving them more survivability throughout the game. Note that I did not say that focusing Bot will give you a win no matter what. That's simply impossible. Before anything else, it is crucial to determine what your win condition is for the game. There is a reliable chance that it will be through the Bot lane, but that is not guaranteed. Here I will break down the “why” behind focusing Bot lane and how it will bring you better results within your game. Buckle up all you Junglers, Mid laners, and Top laners (and potentially Supports) because this guide has the power to shine that Gold rank into Diamond in no time!

What is “Focusing”

The term “focus” may seem a little vague at first, so I want to break down what it means and how to go about it. To focus something in League of Legends means to play around an objective or player(s). Focusing on those points means you are willing to give up an aspect of your gameplay to another that will bring victory. Every game you play will involve “focusing”, otherwise everyone would just wander around Summoner’s Rift aimlessly forever.

An example of this could be seeing your Mid laner pop off early game and having the Jungler or Support take a little more priority in ganking/counter-ganking since that's your team’s main source of damage and carry potential. This may result in other lanes going without help momentarily, but the payout would be a clear cut road to victory. It will take a slight shift in play style from “all for one” to “one for all” or, in this case, the player or thing that will lead to your success.

Another example could be that you are in fact the player who pops off. Your team would have to focus on keeping you alive and that your damage is safely applied to the enemy team. This also means that your own focus has to shift a little bit. If you go down, the rest of the team falls with you, so it's important to recognize your value and not run it down 1v5.

Why Bot Lane?

Bot lane always seems like this looming disaster of farming for 20 minutes and then getting destroyed by a fed Mid laner or Jungler but I promise it can be something so much more. Think about all the resources that are on the Bottom half of the map. Including both sides, you have a full Jungle clear, a Rift Scuttler, 3 Towers and an Inhibitor, Dragon, and 2-3 Champions. That's just the basic take away and when you compare it to the rest of the map, the profit is just too valuable to pass up for at least the first 15 minutes. This is a game where you're constantly trying to create better odds for you and your team, and this is how it can reliably be done.

Players

Perhaps the most influential part of the Bot lane are the players themselves. The classic 2v2 match up between the Bot laners often ends up being a coin flip on who wins unless they get attention from outside help. Getting kills and resources always leaves players feeling confident about heading into the later parts of the game. This confidence leads to less tilting and more proactive plays that will lead to victory. While this applies to everyone in the game, the fact that Bot lane usually has 2 players means that the confidence and proactivity doubles regardless of the Champions they are playing. Number advantages are huge in this game and can dictate what plays are to be made and where. Gain the advantage Bot lane by having the Jungler and Mid laner constantly roaming and creating pressure.

Top laners can also hop in on this action if they have Teleport, so it's up to the players down Bot lane to keep wards in deep locations to increase the success of the gank. These coordinated ganks will create trust and cohesion within your team and will lay the ground work for many plays to come throughout the game. Consistent focus can also throw off the enemy team's tempo and will force them to make unfavorable decisions such as a Jungler changing their pathing to run Bot or a Top laner to panic Teleport just to salvage what's left. Regardles, your team will benefit somewhere. It's a team game so it's best to utilize that feature and trust your fellow Summoners, even if the first few plays go poorly!

Dragons

Summoners Rift has plenty of resources to take that can be extremely advantageous for a team to have. It’s important to note beforehand that I am not saying to totally abandon the top side of the map, because there is still plenty to gain before Baron spawns at 20 minutes. Rift Herald brings a lot of value and pressure to the table and if possible, should be picked up whenever a window is open. The significance in the Bot side of the map lies heavily on Dragon. Thanks to Season 10, the Dragons make big changes to both the map itself and the buffs they give your team.

Each Elemental Drake brings its own unique value that can help highlight certain Champions or team comps that can totally shift the pace of the game, not to mention Dragon Souls that gives your team a massive buff after killing 4 Dragons. The most influential Dragons being Ocean that brings crazy sustain and Mountain that gives incredible defensive stats. Once the Dragon Soul is claimed, Elder Drake is next up. Elder Drake was changed to literally be a game ending buff as it can instantly kill anybody below 20% health and leaves a nasty burn that can also trigger the execution. All of these insane buffs are prioritized when the Bot lane is focused. A Bot lane lacking in power or pressure will let each of the Dragons slip through until the Elder Drake is taken and the game is over. Bring your focus to the Bot lane and automatically your team will be in a favorable position for each Drake.

Champions

League of Legends has a vast number of Champions to play and all have their own unique way to find relevance in the game. Support Champions have many self-sufficient ways to get gold and experience but the same cannot be said for the Marksmen. Hence the reason why the Support go Bot lane; most Champions in the Marksmen position tend to struggle early on and are very easy targets for a proactive enemy team. Not to say that Marksmen are completely helpless without attention, but they can be put into a much more preferable position with minimal effort.

High play rate Champions such as Aphelios, Ezreal, Ashe, and Vayne all struggle early but can literally dictate the fate of a game if their laning phase just goes even. The possibility of getting these types of Champions ahead and the enemy Bot lane behind guarantees so much pressure that grows stronger throughout the game. Note that Marksmen are not the only style of Champions taking that Bot lane position as a lot of Control Mages have taken the scene and also benefit from ally attention such as Syndra, Heimerdinger, or Ziggs. Taking the time to get these types of Champions ahead will already set up win conditions and will make plays much easier to execute, making Bot lane a high priority.

Understanding and applying this knowledge to your gameplay will bring positive results to not only your rank but overall quality of game. There is plenty of value in the Bot lane so capitalize on it now! Be the leader your team needs and make the plays that others may be too scared or too new to make.

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