Teleport is one of the most powerful Summoner Spells in League of Legends history, allowing any Champion that takes it the opportunity to present global map pressure, gank potential, and lane dominance if used correctly. The most important thing to remember when you’ve got Teleport in your arsenal is that not every use of the spell is going to be as valuable as all others; you should consider all your alternatives and as many factors as possible before you commit to the play. Through this guide we will cover the best uses of Teleport, as well as some of the most common mistakes, so that you can control the game from anywhere on Summoner’s Rift.

Returning to Lane

Teleporting to return to lane is one of the safest ways you can use Teleport to extend your lead over your opponent. The difficulty is that the safe choice is not always the optimal choice, and many players that are new to using Teleport will throw it away unnecessarily on returning to lane when they should have just laced up their Boots of Speed and run it back. So what makes a return Teleport worth? Well, first and foremost, you need to consider how much CS you’ll be missing if you don't Teleport, so that you can understand the opportunity cost of Teleport’s long cooldown; if you confidently shove out the wave so that it’s under the enemy’s tower before recalling, you should be able to just run back without worrying about losing too much CS. On the other hand, if you get bullied away from a big wave that’s moving towards your tower in an unfavourable exchange, Teleport can be your lifeline from falling behind in lane.

Let’s dive a little deeper on this:

Level 3 ganks are not uncommon in the current meta, as a lot of Junglers are capable of hitting that mark around the same time as solo laners now thanks to the recent buffs to Jungle XP. Assume you’re playing Top Lane and you get ganked just after you’ve hit level 3. You barely escape with your life and are now faced with a choice of either running back to lane or burning your Teleport to get back a little quicker. This is a pivotal time in the game for a solo laner, as the difference between level 3 and level 4 is only decided by a wave or two; losing this to an aggressive lane opponent can spell your doom, as you allow them to gain priority over you in lane unless you can get help of your own. Using your Teleport in this time is a way to keep the game even, and also force your opponent into a precarious position as you return with a minor item advantage and replenished health and mana.

Securing Kills in Fights

When you’re playing as someone in a solo lane with Teleport, you also pose a constant threat to players on the enemy team all across the map. Bot Lane is the best target for your aggressive, playmaking Teleports, and it’s beneficial to open a conversation with the dynamic duo on your team to ask for deeper wards when you’re looking for these plays. Allowing the enemy to push up to your team’s tower and then Teleporting behind them to attack them from both sides is a neat way to give your team an early lead in kills but remember that not all Teleport plays are worth making! If your enemy is knocking down plates on your top tower and you fail to secure those kills after Teleporting, you’ll lose out on a significant amount of gold and find yourself on the back foot. Communication is key, so don’t forget to spam those pings and voice your intentions in chat if you want to start a fight.

As the game goes on, Teleport can be used for fights in more ways than a simple flank. 4 seconds, in some situations, is a fairly long channel for any ability, but if your team has strong engage tools through Supports such as Leona or Nautilus then you can use Teleport to join your teammates and surprise the enemy team by suddenly turning a 4v5 into a fair fight. In the moments leading up to a fight, you should ensure that your teammates have a Warding Totem charge or Control Ward ready to go, so that you can find a point at which to join the action whenever you’re ready. This can, however, work against you if your communication isn’t on point, as 4 seconds is plenty of time for your team to back off and leave you isolated for the enemy team to blow you away as soon as you arrive.

Providing Global Pressure

The importance of map objectives on Summoner’s Rift is at an all-time high, thanks to the potential for a second coming of the Rift Herald and more powerful preseason changes to the Drakes than we’ve seen in the past. This has given more competitive viability to Teleport as a Summoner Spell than ever before, as the potential to rotate to vital objectives when your team needs you most will trump the kill pressure of Ignite as an alternative (in most cases). The aggressive nature of Ignite in lane falls off as the game continues, with Grievous Wounds and greater damage being accessible through a variety of items, while Teleport remains a constant force to be reckoned with.

Teleport poses a threat even when you’re not using it; enemies looking to make a sneaky play around Baron, Junglers trying to find a gank, and teams trying to force an engage will always have to think twice if someone on your team has Teleport, as an advantage they think they have can be squandered just as quickly. You should use this to your advantage, by allowing your Teleport-taking solo laner the opportunity to split push and apply pressure on different areas of the map and creating a threat all across the Rift to give your opponents a headache.

Playing Against Teleport

When playing against Teleport, you should take all this information, understand it, and play around it. The downside to such a strong ability is that it has a very high cooldown, and if you can coordinate with your team well enough you can very easily make plays while it’s unavailable. When a Teleport is coming, you should either reset and attack the enemy on level terms, or rush in for a counter-engage and attempt to burst down the opposing carries before the 5th man can arrive to bring a beatdown. Additionally, while we previously discussed how Teleport brings greater longevity to your game, Ignite still holds up in the early game to create greater kill pressure in laning phase than Teleport. While it is a risk, if you’re confident enough on your champion of choice to combat a laner that is likely to take Teleport with Ignite, so that you can shut them down before their potential global pressure overwhelms the efforts of your team.

Taking this advice into your games is guaranteed to generate greater value from your Teleport plays than ever before. From using it, to playing with it and even playing against it, the points outlined in this guide are designed for you to slowly work into your game and become conscious of how the spell should be used for optimal results. Taking advantage of this knowledge will improve your performance during such a Teleport-focused meta in casual games, on the ranked ladder and everything in between. GLHF!