Often times, neutral objectives are secured in dynamic queue following a won team fight, vision denial, or poor enemy lane allocation. While you can accrue advantages via predictable play patterns, finding opportune moments to unpredictably secure neutral objectives can be the next step in elevating your existing palette of game knowledge. In this article, we will explore 1) how Albus Nox Luna's creative shotcalling translated into a wildcard region's first entrance into the League of Legends Worlds Quarterfinals, and 2) how you too can employ creative shotcalling to covertly secure neutral objectives.

----- Methodology and Definitions -----

Below are analyses of multiple games from the 2016 Worlds Group Stage that will be used to illustrate core strategic concepts. The teams we will be analyzing include: Albus Nox Luna (ANX), G2 Esports (G2), Counter Logic Gaming (CLG), and ROX Tigers (ROX). In my opinion, game analysis is one of the best ways to help contextualize strategic possibility because of how unique every game is. Rather than explaining concepts individually, game analysis can help layer concepts together in order to read future in-game scenarios. As a discretion, since League of Legends usually consists of ten people of differing skill levels, many of the following suggestions are hypothetical and circumstantial due to the variance of team synergy, game knowledge, etc. For ease of understanding, below is a key to better translate the assessed game frames.

Neutral objective control as you may already know involves multiple variables that consequently play into multiple potential scenarios. As such, readers need a firm understanding of strategic possibility. To help explain the intricacies of macro play, I have added the definitions of several key terms and concepts that will be employed throughout this article.

Priority: the state of pressuring an advantage enabled by superior resource accrual. Can be a product of superior vision control, favorable player allocation, greater champion potency, and pushing minion waves.

Counter-Priority: the state of reallocating resources into an opposing area of the map in reaction to the enemy team’s decision to invest resources elsewhere.

Player Gravity: the state of an allied player forcing enemy player(s) to respond and match map pressure. High player gravity attracts multiple opponents in an effort to respond to aggressive pressure, while low player gravity allows opponents the freedom to roam and abandon the mentioned player without compromising any map pressure.

Tempo: the state of a team’s ability to dictate the pace of the game (typically catalyzed from map priority). High tempo is often a result of a team’s ability to quickly rotate and secure neutral objectives, turrets, enemy jungle quadrants, or vision accrual/denial across the map. Low tempo on the other hand is often a product of extended laning phases, stagnating rotations, or stalemates between teams over neutral objectives.

----- Exploiting Priority Reset and Player Gravity -----

The series of plays in ANX vs. G2 is chock-full of circumstantial variables needed to pull off a 24 minute Baron sneak following Likkrit’s kill onto PerkZ’s Orianna. While ANX’s Baron sneak is impressive in of itself, we can analyze the two minute sequence to learn how to utilize priority reset and player gravity to lure opponents away from inspecting an impeding Baron heist.

Figure 1. Baron Sneak in ANX vs. G2 Group Stage Day 4 (23:30 - 24:40)

The first frame illustrates how wasted vision priority can lead to asymmetrical information abuse. Around 23:00, Mithy and the rest of G2 secure ANX’s right quadrant in an attempt to take their tier 3 mid lane turret. However, once PerkZ’s Orianna dies after ANX’s collapse, G2 is forced to reset as ANX reclaims map priority. If you examine closely, Mithy only has one Sightstone charge left in his inventory to secure defensive vision. Rather than securing a ward around the Baron pit for river knowledge, Mithy wards the entrance of G2’s right jungle quadrant before recalling. Likritt and ANX on the other hand, understanding G2’s unintentionally wasted vision, place a vision ward onto the Baron pit. While Mithy’s ward in retrospect seems to be poor, we can speculate his rationale was to provide Expect full coverage of a possible gank. With the knowledge that G2 did not secure prior on the Baron, ANX can now formulate a strategy to rush a 24 minute Baron.

The second frame illustrates how priority reset, wave manipulation, and player gravity can force opposing teams into predictable play patterns and lane allocations. What we see next is ANX's player gravity forcing two of the four G2 players to remain in lane. By having aMiracle continually wave clear the tier 3 mid lane turret, Zven is forced to match his pressure. Simultaneously, Smurf continually puts pressure in the top lane, forcing Expect to match. In G2’s priority reset, ANX now has a tempo advantage, giving them the ability to dictate how lanes are allocated. In doing so, the remaining ANX members are free to rotate their champions how they see it—in this case towards the Baron pit. It is important to recognize that PvPStejos's Elise, Kira's Anivia, and Likkrit's Brand have three champions with two major items in their inventory with fantastic damage per second (DPS), making it viable for the three of them to sneak Baron. If ANX allocated three low DPS tanks to secure Baron, it might not have been possible without a fourth member.

Now this may be fortuitous, coincidental, or irrelevant considering G2's recall timings, but look at the bottom lane. This is just icing on the cake. With ANX forcing G2 to respond to aMiracle and Smurf, Mithy and Trick are then forced to respond to the bottom lane wave. Encouraging G2's remaining players to path away from the Baron pit, ANX are free to sneak the Baron because it would not make sense strategically for G2 to allocate further resources towards their left quadrant.

----- Exploiting Counter-Priority and Enemy Recall Timings -----

In the next example, ANX give up their potential map priority with the deaths of Smurf’s Trundle and Kira’s Jayce. Undeterred, ANX use CLG’s low health bars and desired neutral objectives to estimate CLG’s future 90 seconds of movement in order to contest—and eventually rush—another Baron. The following frames illustrate how you can utilize counter-priority to counter your opponents’ allocation of resources by investing resources to the opposite side of the map.

Figure 2. Baron Sneak in CLG vs. ANX Group Stage Day 3 (24:45 - 26:20)

Upon the death of two ANX members, CLG proceeds to take down ANX’s tier 2 mid turret at 25:30. Immediately after, ANX is given information that CLG rotated three of their members towards the Mountain Drake, as indicated in the first frame. By the time CLG arrive to the Mountain Drake, Kira’s Jayce and Likkrit’s Tahm Kench respawn. In their attempt to secure two neutral objectives, CLG leave the rest of the map vulnerable.

Notice the pushing top lane wave. While not shown, at 24:30 before ANX’s lost teamfight, aMiracle cleared out the top wave in order to have a pushing lane of minions by the time the Mountain Drake spawns. Initially, ANX’s pushing wave topside was intended to force CLG to make a hard decision: whether to send a member top and concede the Mountain Drake, or to let the minion gold dissipate in a 5 vs. 5 brawl. Creatively using the top wave to their advantage, ANX rush towards the Baron knowing that a CLG carry (in this case HuHi) would have to clear the wave out. Likewise, Darshan’s teleport encourages his Poppy to rotate to the bottom lane, as the next objective for CLG hypothetically would be to clear out ANX’s tier 3 top lane turret. If CLG sees a possible advantageous fight, Darshan can hypothetically teleport to the top lane without compromising any objectives near the bottom lane.

With all five CLG members busy securing neutral objectives and reassigning lanes, ANX's left jungle quadrant is left undisturbed since it is irrelevant to CLG's future plans. As such, ANX is free to make a cross map play away from CLG and utilize their counter-priority.

In a lost team fight, especially early on, it is a good idea to plan your enemies’ future movements and predict what their next objective might be. With counter-priority, teams can abuse a side of the map with little enemy resources invested in order to secure an objective, whether it be vision, buffs, or in this instance a Baron.

----- Exploiting Counter-Priority and Wave Manipulation-----

In the final example, ANX understands the limits of Kira’s Vladimir late game and utilizes him to whittle down the Elder Drake before the entire ANX squad secures it. Analyzing the following frames will help us understand the basics of utilizing pushing side lanes to contest or even sneak neutral objectives on the opposite side of the map.

Figure 3. Elder Drake Sneak in ANX vs. ROX Group Stage Day 5 (44:30 - 45:15)

In the first frame, we should first notice how ANX prepares a pushing top lane wave while blockading ROX’s entrance into the Baron pit. As of this moment, ANX has priority over the pit because GorillA’s Alistar is absent while Smurf’s Poppy is clearing the bottom wave. Kira’s Vladimir is absent in the fog of war, but ROX can assume he is near the Baron pit. If Kira was not there, ANX wouldn’t be so steadfast in holding their ground. What they don’t realize however is that he had been whittling down the Elder Drake in the fog of war.

In the second frame, GorillA arrives with the team, giving them priority in a hypothetical 5 vs. 4. As such, ANX succumbs to ROX's advancing movement, allowing ROX to secure vision over the Baron river. To prevent ROX from starting the Baron, Smurf rotates from the bottom lane to the Baron pit. Giving ROX priority over the Baron is calculated by ANX, as ANX’s player gravity forces ROX to respond with all five members. As such, ROX cannot invest resources onto the Elder Drake pit.

With the top wave building, KurO can now pick up the wave as ROX’s immediate objective is complete: securing vision around the Baron river. Still in the fog of war, Kira’s Vladimir whittles the Elder Drake to about half of its health. In a low tempo game, especially towards the late game, teams tend to congregate as four or five in order to avoid picks or sacrifice neutral objectives. With ROX Tigers resetting with KurO top side, ANX can quickly invest all five members towards the opposite side of the map and rush down the almost completed Elder Drake. Because KurO is in the top lane, ROX cannot even contest the fog of war, making this all the more ingenious from ANX.

----- Thinking Ahead -----

This article is not a debate whether or not the gap is indeed closing. Further discussion can be made regarding the regional variance of macro-level decision-making, proper infrastructure and support staff, scrim culture, and even effective practice regiments. What we can however surmise is that all teams are beginning to have a balanced, foundational understanding on multiple facets of strategic possibility, from rotational play to abusing asymmetric information.

Image Courtesy of flickr.com/photos/lolesports

What about for those not involved in competitive play? For everyone else, I hope the recent success of Wildcard Teams, especially Albus Nox Luna, inspires dynamic queue players to realize that while you can climb the ladder by simply improving your mechanics, having a better understanding of macro is one of the best ways to consistently improve your play. Yes, mechanical outplays occur in all tiers. Yes, teams can be put in disadvantageous situations simply through the laning phase. However, what you can do to set yourself apart from players in your skill range is think about how you can continually generate advantages outside of gold leads. In dynamic queue, any disadvantageous situation is always surmountable. While a gold advantage may not always be in your side, information and creative shot calling can be.

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