Hey y'all, Konduit here. Throughout my League of Legends career, one of the main sticking points that I've been drilling is map awareness - and I'd be willing to bet this same element of skill is a common sticking point for many others as well. So today, let's talk about the minimap, and how we can look at it more often. As simple as that sounds, it's a difficult habit to develop; that's why I've got a simple 3 step process to train this skill that I'll be showing you today:

1. Devote any number of games necessary (but at LEAST 3) solely to improving your map awareness and practicing the next two steps.

You could argue that this isn't really a step, but it's important enough that I've put it on the list. "The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on building the new" (Dan Millman). You need to build a new habit - specifically, checking the minimap frequently. As a byproduct of this endeavor, you'll spend less time focusing on your champion during times you don't actually need to. Our direction here is important - we're NOT focusing on not focusing on our champion when we don't need to. Instead, we're constructing a new tendency to check the minimap often, which consequently makes us look away from our champion when we can. Make sense? Let that sink in for a bit - the result might be similar, but the method and mindset with which you approach the change makes all the difference.

An older version of the minimap - brings back memories eh? Been spotting ganks for years!

In order to improve at any given skill, it's best to isolate it from all other variables, that is, to focus on it as much as you can as often as you can. If you're looking to improve your map awareness, commit yourself to at least 3 games of putting checking the minimap first on your priorities list. You may end up missing CS, losing trades, and even dying, but that's - in the long run - not very important. When you've developed a great sense of map awareness, those 3 games you might have performed suboptimally in will be the last thing on your mind, as you'll be reaping the rewards of a strong macro game sense. In a way, your focus in these practice games isn't even to win; sure, it'd be great if you did (and it's not as though you're trying to lose), but your primary goal is to learn. And when you go in prepared to learn something, you'll never lose. If you do poorly, your team for that game may be disappointed, but the teams you're on after you've mastered this critical game skill will sing your praises for generations to come (disclaimer: this is an exaggeration).

2. After each minion wave, check on - i.e. shift your camera towards - each of your other teammates. Do this after every single wave that you farm.

Quick side note - this article is directed towards laning. Junglers - your job directly requires that you be aware of what's going on around the map, so I'll leave that discussion to other jungle guides. In any case, this particular step will hardwire you to shift your camera (and your attention) away from your own champion and lane.

Staying map aware allows you to quickly respond with global abilities when your team is in danger.

After each wave, use your minimap to quickly navigate to each of your other teammates. Quickly click over each of your other lanes (as well as your jungler) via the minimap, observe what's going on for 1-2 seconds, then pull the camera back to yourself (the default quick command for this is the spacebar). Do this every time! Remember that you've committed to this for at least three games - don't stop doing it halfway through! Even to the detriment of your own lane (you taking free harass, or missing out on dishing out your own), check up on your other laners. After a while, this will become automatic.

As this habit becomes more and more ingrained (this should happen fairly soon, maybe even in the first game), you can simply look at your teammates on the minimap and not navigate to them. Actually moving your camera to observe them is important in the early stages of the improvement process, but you can let it go as soon as the checking becomes a regularity. When you're observing your teammates, also take note of the enemy team! Are the enemy laners in their lane? Where is the enemy jungler? Again, you'll begin to unconsciously find the answers to these questions. That's where you want to be - regularly and unconsciously checking at the minimap and processing information.

3. Play Twisted Fate.

TF is perhaps the most feared mid lane roamer in League. Playing a few games on the champion will deeply ingrain map-awareness in your skillset.

...or alternatively, any champion that likes to roam frequently. This is the most effective and most practical strategy I can give you; by playing a champion whose power is heavily embedded in the capacity to roam, you'll find that map awareness is fundamentally necessary to play that champion to a significant degree of effectiveness, and as a consequence, you'll develop the skill needed to perform better. If you don't roam, you simply won't be effective for your team! Play TF, Kassadin, Annie, or Talon for a week straight and I guarantee you that your map awareness will skyrocket in reliability.

That's it for the 3 steps. In essence, what you've got to recognize is the importance of information and knowledge. There's much more information to be gained by looking at the minimap (dodging ganks, responding to your own jungler's position, etc.) than by holding the camera over your champion when nothing's going on...to take this principle to an extreme, unless you're CSing or trading with your lane opponent, you should be looking at the minimap. As outlandish as that sounds, your performance in lane probably won't suffer much - if at all - when you do this! Remember, for a few games, make your primary focus minimap awareness. After each wave, quickly scan around to see how your team is doing; finally, get a couple games in on a roaming-inclined champion. I'm sure you'll see improvements in your macro game.

That's all for today, I hope you enjoyed the article. If you'd like to discuss anything League, have comments/feedback on this article, or just want to say hi, feel free to tweet me @k0nduit (with a zero instead of an 'o') and I'll get back to you. Until next time!

Are you into fantasy leagues? Then check out AlphaDraft and put together your allstar lineup!