Mastering one champion can be a long and arduous task. There are times when your champion can be nerfed to oblivion and sticking through it feels like torture (shout-out to all the Azir and Kalista mains), but the payoff can be heaps upon heaps of what we are all searching for on Summoner's Rift, that ever elusive but deliciously satisfying LP. Here's a guide to help you start one-tricking your way to the top.

Image courtesy of aloyssiah.deviantart.com

Why become a one trick at all?

There are a myriad of reasons to start becoming a one-trick in League of Legends. First of all, sticking with one champion is a great way to start climbing the ladder, especially if you aren't exactly sure how. Of course, it would be best if we could all master every single champion in the game but not many people have the time, patience, or even the ability to do that. Being good at League of Legends takes time, a lot of it, and playing one champion over and over again just streamlines the process by producing similar situations for yourself to react, learn, and evolve from. Becoming a one-trick allows you to replay certain matchups over and over again so that you can learn and understand your mistakes a whole lot faster and easier. Mastering a singular champion means that you know the ins and outs of your champion and just how far they can go. Throughout all the failed plays and mistakes that you've made playing hundreds of games on your champion have now allowed you to learn when, and if you really can dive with 200 health and get out of it for the better. Most importantly, once you really do know the ins and outs of your champion, you can focus on the more important macro aspects of the game. Instead of thinking about how to play your champion, you can start thinking about how to destroy the nexus and getting that juicy LP.

Picking your champion

Picking your champion to one-trick can't be decided by anyone but yourself. It's a very personal choice that really depends on your playstyle and temperament. I can't tell you what champion to pick but there are some tips I can give you to make the right decision for yourself. It's important to win games and everything but don't necessarily pick a champion that is strong in the current meta. League of Legends is constantly evolving and changing and being a one-trick means that you will have to fight through the nerfs and carry through the buffs. Above all else, pick a champion that you enjoy playing whether they are strong or not. Being effective with a champion is more dependent on the Summoner controlling them as opposed to the design in game. Remember, you will have to play the same champion throughout its highs and lows so just make sure that you're having fun with it, whether you are fed out of your mind or just begging for scraps.

Tips once you pick your champion

Alright, so you've picked a champion and now what? Grind, grind, grind. Keep playing your champion over and over again but make sure you're having fun with it. Try your hardest to win every game and learn from your mistakes but don't think about it too much when you lose. You get what you put into League of Legends and improving yourself is the only thing you can control. Grinding is useless unless you can learn from your mistakes and apply what you learn. Remember the reason why one-tricking is effective is because it allows you to learn faster by playing over similar situations. Like anything else out there, practice makes perfect so make sure that if you're a Gangplank main to practice your barrel timings, if you're a Twisted Fate main then never miss that yellow card, and if you're a Lee Sin main then practice ward hopping until it's as clean as your flashes. Every champion has their own little tricks and it's important to practice all their mechanical processes in order to fully master your champion.

Gather as much information as you can.

Read guides on your champion, watch high ELO streamers that play your champion, and try to collaborate and learn with other people that main your champion on reddit. Here's a link to a thread to get you started: Reddit Champion Main Subreddits link. If your champion isn't on there then start your own! Two brains are better than one and mastering your champion can only be made faster by working with other like-minded people. Understanding both the strengths and the weaknesses of your champion is key to becoming a master of it. A common mistake people make is only understanding when your champion is strong, but not fully grasping when they might lose a certain matchup.

Find out what makes your champion both strong and weak, and discover your own ways to abuse their strengths and tough it out through their weaker areas. An important part of understanding your champion also comes from learning their timings. It's important to learn when you should have enough gold for certain core items, when you win a 1v1 matchup, when you lose a 1v1 matchup, when your powerspikes are, when to group up for fights, or when to split push. After each new game there's always something to learn. Even the best players make mistakes but learning from them is key if you want to find success in Summoner's Rift.

Experiment as much as you can.

Before you become a master of your champion, unfortunately, you also need to fail. Try different item builds and see what works and what doesn't. Don't be afraid to branch out and try different things out. You can look up what different pro's build on your champion at probuilds.net. See what kinds of things that they build and think about why they build it. Remember itemization tends to be situational across each game and once you build an understanding of your champion across several games you can start to see which items will be optimal in every given situation. Don't get wrapped up in one singular playstyle or item build. It's important to evolve and adapt because not every build or playstyle will always work against different compositions and different players. Even if two games have the same champions every game will have their own differences, and it's imperative to be able to read the situation and understand whether certain plays will work and when certain items will help. Even if you are playing the same champion be able to play a different version if necessary.

Flash that emote!

Level seven mastery definitely does not always equal mastery of your champion, but it's a staple of every one-trick out there so remember to flash that emote after every sick escape or kill that you earn.

Like our content? Support us by getting our merchandise in our shop