One of the biggest differences between low and high elo games in League of Legends is the drastic difference between kills. At the top of the Ranked ladder and on the main stages of the world, you’ll notice a significantly lower number of deaths than you will in your average Bronze game. For those wondering why, it’s simple: having a deeper understanding of the game (matchups, power spikes, and worthwhile trades) influences your playstyle so you can stay safe until the time is right. Working on this element of your game is one of the best ways to improve your rank and climb in no time, and through this guide we will cover the most important elements of stayin’ alive. Read on!

Reading the Game

The first thing you should do to prevent feeding is figure out what kind of game you’re about to play, as you’re in Champ Select and loading in. There are a lot of key pieces of information for you to analyse in the pre-game that should dictate your style of play, areas of strength and the enemy’s biggest threats. Champions are the first thing to look at; what kind of composition does the enemy have? Are they more powerful early on, or are they a late-game powerhouse? What should I be wary of in my role? All of these questions are vital, and the best example of this in action is when the enemy team locks in Blitzcrank.

Everyone knows what kind of support Blitzcrank is - his hook is one of the biggest playmaking abilities in the game and poses an instant threat right from level 1. This being said, the first thing you should do when you’re welcomed to the Rift is expect an invade, regardless of the other components of the team. Warding early and then backing off is a great way to prevent an avoidable first blood after a nasty Rocket Grab.

This should apply to every champion in every game; identify who will roam, who will need time to power spike, and who you can feel confident fighting to cash in early on. This is also relevant to the Summoner Spells in the game, regardless of whether they’re in your lane or not. Teleport is an incredibly popular pick at the moment that can have map-wide implications, and bearing this in mind as you load into the game should change the way you play (pushing up in lane without clearing wards opens up opportunities for the enemy to TP behind you). The same thought should apply to all Summoner Spells, although Teleport is particularly important to take note of.

Playing in Lane

When you get into the laning phase, and you’re up against your opponent, it is important to gain an understanding of the unique factors that you will be influenced by in this particular match. There are a plethora of things to consider, but the first thing you should start with is your XP. The amount of Experience you will gain from killing minions will differ depending on whether you are a solo laner or if you are laning with someone else, and can be seen below:

XP required to reach Level 2 = 280
Melee Minion XP Yield = 60.45 solo, 75.4 shared
Caster Minion XP Yield = 29.76 solo, 37.12 shared
Typical Solo Laner Level 2 = 7 minions ((60.45 * 3) + (29.76 * 3) = 270.63, + Melee or Caster > 280)
Typical Duo Laner Level 2 = 9 minions ((75.4 * 6 / 2) + (37.12 * 3 / 2))

While this might look confusing, here’s the simple breakdown: 1 full wave and 1 minion for solo lane and 1 full wave and 3 melee minions for bot lane. This is vital in your lane matchup as a level 2 champion is far stronger than they were at level 1, and an overextended, underleveled player is often easy pickings for their enemy. Keep track of your enemy’s clear, and if they are on track to hit level 2 before you, it’s probably smarter to play safer until you are about to hit it yourself (and playing aggressively if you are ahead is the smart alternative).

Another hugely important factor of the laning phase is the difference in Runes. You can see which keystone your opponent is taking by simply checking the scoreboard, and you should adjust your gameplay accordingly. As an example, take the matchup of Camille and Wukong in the Top Lane, where Camille takes Grasp of the Undying and Wukong takes Conqueror. Camille will want to force small trades around her Grasp proc, taking chunks out of Wukong’s health and then backing off, whereas Wukong would prefer to opt for longer fights so that he can benefit from the extra true damage and healing granted to him at 12 Conqueror stacks.

The last and arguably hardest thing to track for newer players is power spikes between you and your opponent. Power spikes can be achieved at certain levels or at particular points in a champion’s item progression, and are essentially indicative of a Champion becoming more powerful. Arguably the most recognisable power spike in the game is Kassadin coming online at Level 16, at which point his Riftwalk gets a base cooldown of 2 seconds and a huge jump in damage too. There are other power spikes within the game as well, but the most obvious indicators of a jump in power are completed items; if your opponent has a completed item and you only have basic items, it’s probably smart to avoid confrontation. Likewise, if you can come back to lane with a full item while your opponent is still slummin’ it with their Phage, for example, then you’d want to capitalise on that and bully them in lane.

In Skirmishes and Teamfights

Everybody loves the feeling of getting a Pentakill. It’s just the truth. The harsh reality is that you shouldn’t try to bag one for yourself in every single teamfight, or else you’ll just end up feeding more often than not. When players start wandering out of lane and teamfights start breaking out, you need to identify where you fall in your team’s composition quickly so that you can influence teamfights most effectively. An Annie with 12 kills at 8 minutes is no good if they’re standing in the frontline, waiting to be blown up by the enemy team before they can pop off. Let your tanks take the charge and wait for the right time to fight rather than being trigger happy. This means back out if you’re not in a good spot! It’s better to wait for a 5v5 with your ultimates available than dive in early and risk being wiped off the map.

Speaking of ultimates, tracking cooldowns is essential in all stages of the game, but it becomes the difference between victory and defeat in the late game. If you can draw out a cooldown before a fight (Flash, Quicksilver Sash, etc.), ping it in chat so that your team knows that there is a window of opportunity to take advantage of. This applies to your own team’s abilities as well, and if you are forced to burn a Summoner Spell or Ultimate leading up to a fight, let your team know and caution ping everyone away until your cooldowns are gone. This isn’t always going to be the case, and sometimes you will have to go in without your cooldowns, so stick close to your tanks and focus on targeting! You have a better chance of surviving if your tanks can soak up the damage, and if you manage to take out the enemy carries before they can use their abilities, you nullify your cooldown disadvantage.

Following along with these tips as the game goes on, you should be able to drastically reduce the time you spend dead and maximise your impact on the game. Focus on one element at a time, starting with your Champ Select awareness, and evolve your game to climb the ranked ladder to new heights. GLHF!