The solo lanes are generally about yourself or potential gank synergy with your jungler. You try to position yourself advantageously against the enemy, try to harass, to trade, to zone or all-in him, all while farming yourself up and trying your best to keep your flanks warded. Bot lane technically works the same way, only that you are facing two enemies at once. Luckily you are not alone yourself, but adding another member to both sides also adds more importance on the concept of teamwork within the lane. In this 2v2 you also try to harass, to trade, to zone or to all-in, but as a team of two. And as in solo lanes, using your level 2 spike to your advantage is a huge part of the early game and the source of countless tears about crushed hopes and dreams.

I have played through many different tiers now and also know players across the whole possible range of levels, and if that has taught me anything it is that the higher you rise, the more important it is not to make a single mistake. Lanes and even games are won not mainly by flashy outplays or by insanely outclassing your opponent but by recognizing and taking advantage of mistakes. Why this short explanation about mistakes as a win/lose condition? Well, playing a duo bot lane is much like synchronized diving in the Olympics. Diving alone is pretty difficult already but doing it perfectly synchronized with a partner, having this exact same timing on every move, just adds even more difficulty to it. The point is, the moment you and your bot lane partner are out of sync, you have made a mistake that your enemy can now take advantage of. But there is more! Even if you succeed in diving perfectly synchronized with your partner, you might still lose, because you have chosen an easier form than what you could have gone for. Only going for the easiest form can bite you in the end because you missed an opportunity to score more points and while some forms may be too risky to go for, some risks are small and need to be taken. In League, it is pretty much the same thing. Not going for an opportunity can end up being a mistake nearly as impactful as an actual misplay. This allegory of synchronized diving describes the possible mistakes around the level 2 power spike: individual misplay, bad teamwork or not taking opportunities.

As in every aspect of the game, there are tons of facets and details to laning on bot lane but there are some general mistakes many people do; first and foremost, their level 1. Level 1 and 2 are crucial, in most occasions, when it comes to lane dominance for the first few minutes and, if hugely misplayed by one party, can even completely snowball the whole early game. There is a reason why in LCS they most often start at a jungle camp to get that experience advantage or to prevent an experience disadvantage. Before the implementation of Gromp, pro players would even swap their bot lane on purple side to top, simply because of the EXP disadvantage and how it affects the dynamic of the lane. In an organised environment you can certainly copy that, but in most non-professional games, the jungler generally starts bot side expecting you to help him. As this leaves both sides on equal ground, it is important to either get to level 2 first, at the same time, or to fall back to the turret. When arriving in lane on level 1, both the support and the marksman should follow the goal of reaching level 2 before the enemy. Don’t be shy to attack creeps at this stage of the game, don’t be afraid to miss some last hits on level 1, or as a support to accidentally deny some.

Wallpaper by u/Anibaaal

One of the biggest mistake supports tend to do in the early game is not to care about the pushing advantage and simply sitting in a bush waiting for something to happen. Try to impact the minigame! Be as impactful as possible! The first wave is when you should try to get some sort of dominance over your opponent. As soon as the waves hit each other you can try to fight your enemy off the creeps or, if you are the weaker level 1 lane, try to push as fast as possible while not getting driven off. Use the bushes to your advantage, the team with control over the bushes is greatly favoured when it comes to trading and fighting. Also, you need a bush to drop minion aggro after attacking an enemy close to the waves, use them wisely. After the first wave, it is almost always clear who is going to get the level 2 advantage already. The team that successfully gained some ground gets the first few attacks on the seconds wave and, with that, both the push- and level advantage. This level-up highlights another mistake many players tend to do. The moment your partner and you are level 2, with your enemies being only level 1, you are stronger than them and can aggressively trade with ease. I cannot count how many times I saw players just sitting around, letting their enemies get level 2 without them losing any pressure or health. Also, I cannot count how many times – and this is even worse – I saw one player trying to aggressively trade with the enemy, because of the spike, with his partner just sitting around, either farming or hiding in a bush doing nothing, resulting in a lost trade for the side that should actually be able to easily establish dominance over the lane. If you are on the winning side of the level 2 game, try to zone the enemies off the creeps or trade with them if they fail to fall back fast enough. Additionally, alert your lane partner and then do it together! When you are on the losing side however, fall back to your tower, if the enemy wants to trade, don’t fight back – and generally be cautious. If they fail to apply their advantage, just get level 2 and appreciate the fact that you just got a second chance.

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