In League of Legends, teamfights represent crucial moments where teams can gain significant gold advantages or capture strategic objectives that will ultimately help them win the game.

Being full of great outplays, countless spells flying around, and a great amount of uncertainty regarding the team that is going to end up victorious, teamfights are possibly the most entertaining part of a League of Legends game, since so many individual plays can determine the outcome of the fights. This being said, it is important to always be prepared and know your role’s responsibilities during all the stages of the fight if you want to have an advantage over your opponents.

In the next paragraphs of this guide, you will find explained the basics of teamfighting and you will become familiar with the most important duties of each role during this stage of the game.

Top Laners

Generally speaking, top laners should be found in the frontline during teamfights. Since their kit is designed to either sustain large amounts of damage and CC the opponents (tanks) or reach the enemy backline (bruisers), top laners can truly showcase their abilities during this stage of the game. Unfortunately, being a frontliner means that you will be exposed to great amounts of damage, and you may not always survive the fights, but knowing that you have played your role perfectly should be a positive factor for yourself and your teammates. Additionally, top laners can even look for ways to flank enemies using Teleport right before the start of a fight for easy access to the enemy backline, which would give the enemies a short time to react to the engage.

Maokai

In teamfights, a champion like Maokai is responsible for zone control and for CC. Using Nature’s Grasp (R) at the beginning of the fights to zone and root enemies in place, then following up with Twisted Advance (W), Maokai can very easily allow allies to deal damage to enemies while making sure to survive with a tanky build. The Bramble Smash (Q) can be used to knock enemies towards the allied frontline, whereas the Sapling Toss (W) can be used to slow enemies, making it more difficult for them to chase your team. Overall, Maokai is a great pick for a top laner that is focused on teamfights, and there is no surprise that this champion has been used in competitive play for such a long time.

Camille

In teamfights, Camille can either play front-to-back using The Hextech Ultimatum (R) to anchor the enemy frontline into a small area where they cannot easily escape from, making them unable to reach the allied backline, or Camille can use the Hookshot (E) + Tactical Sweep (W) combo to dash towards the enemy backline and following up with The Hextech Ultimatum (R) and Precision Protocol (Q) to finish off enemies. Depending on your own playstyle and on your team composition, choosing the right teamfight strategy for this champion can allow you to win the fights very decisively.

Junglers

Junglers should also be found in the frontline during teamfights. However, since most fights occur around objectives, junglers do not only have to play their part well, but they also need to remain alive to be able to secure Drakes/Baron. Although sometimes it may be tempting to go for the all-in plays, it is worth considering whether this is the wisest choice – if you feel like your play will secure the teamfight and will allow you to freely get the objectives, then going for it is the right decision. If not, caution should be exercised and picking the right moment should be the best way to go forward.

Nocturne

Nocturne is a champion that relies on Paranoia (R) and Unspeakable Horror (E) to engage on the enemy backline or finish off low-HP enemies in teamfights. Depending on individual playstyles, Nocturne can continue fighting because of the numerous Lethal Tempo (recommended rune choice) stacks obtained during the early stages of the fight, or tactically retreat using the bonus Move Speed from Duskbringer (Q) and blocking incoming spells with Shroud of Darkness (W).

Vi is another champion that can easily engage teamfights and escape right away. Using Cease and Desist (R) to reach the enemy backline and knock away all the enemies caught in its path, Vi is the perfect pick if your team needs a frontliner who can one-shot carries and survive afterwards. The Vault Breaker (Q) can be used both defensively (to dash away from teamfights after using your ultimate on the backline) and aggressively (to dash towards an enemy), whilst also stacking up Denting Blows (W) and allowing for an immediate Relentless Force (E), therefore making it a perfect ability for a bruiser champion.

Mid Laners

As a Mid laner, you play a crucial role in teamfights, so choosing the right moment for you to shine is crucial. Generally speaking, mages can excel in teamfights either by providing large amounts of damage from safe distances, but some mid laners rely on burst to finish enemies off. Regardless of the champion you play, seizing your opportunity to hit the spells on primary targets should be your main priority while playing this role.

Ahri

Ahri is a mid laner who is very good at catching enemies up with Charm (E) and finishing them off with Orb of Deception (Q) and Fox-Fire (W). Her ultimate ability, Spirit Rush ®, allows Ahri to reposition easily in teamfights and catch more enemies off-guard with the same combo, or escape without any issues if necessary.

On a general note, Ahri can one-shot the enemy backline with a full combo, but because of your low defensive attributes while playing this champion, you will expose yourself to a lot of damage, so picking the right moment for it is crucial. On the other hand, if you prefer a safer approach, you can opt for a front-to-back playstyle where you use your combo on the enemy frontline and work together with your team to finish them off before going for the enemy backline to minimize the risk of you getting one-shot.

Galio

Galio is a tanky mid laner who excels at crowd control and sustained damage. Generally speaking, in teamfights, Galio should aim to hit as many targets as possible with the Shield of Durand (W), which is an AoE taunt, then use the Justice Punch (E) and Winds of War (Q) for the most damage possible. Hero’s Entrance (R) can be used both as an engage tool to CC enemies and support an allied frontliner, or as an escape tool by using it on the allied backline to get away from the enemies. Overall, Galio is the most effective in the middle of the fights, defying the ‘traditional’ definition of a mid laner who is supposed to stay in the backline, but the huge potential that this champion has to win teamfights by playing aggressively is definitely worth being noticed.

Bot Laners - ADC

As an ADC, you are responsible for dealing as much damage per second (DPS) as possible. Due to your high range and low/moderate mobility, you should always try to stay in the backline, because getting hit by multiple skillshots will most likely mean that you will die/become low HP and won’t be able to continue the fight.

Your attack range should be the highest in the game, so make sure to use this to your advantage! Position yourself so that you freely autoattack the opponents by clicking right outside of the edge of your AA range circle, and you should usually try to prioritize the targets closest to you, although if you feel like the timing is right, you can try to go in to last hit their carries too!

So, the main points for ADCs during the teamfights: stay safe, use your range to your advantage and autoattack the targets closest to you.

Caitlyn

Caitlyn excels in teamfights due to her consistent DPS, burst potential, and great attack range. Caitlyn players should initially try to zone enemies off using Yordle Snap Trap (W) located in critical points of the map, then follow up with the Piltover Pacemaker (Q), autoattack reset, and 90 Calibre Net (E) + autoattack to burst enemies caught by the traps. A different approach should be taken when opponents do not step into the traps, where Caitlyn is required to keep a safe distance from the fight. In this case, autoattacks should be used as the primary source of damage, Yordle Snap Trap (W) should be used on CC’d enemies to extend the duration of crowd control and increase the damage received from Caitlyn, and 90 Calibre Net (E) should be used defensively when the frontliners get too close, as the slow should allow Caitlyn to reposition and continue her DPS in fights. Lastly, the Ace in the Hole (R) should be used either at the end of the teamfights to secure kills from a safe distance or be used as a poke option on the primary carries at the beginning of the fights.

Samira

Samira is a unique ADC that relies on passive stacks to deal AoE damage. Since one ability equals one stack, and one autoattack adds another stack towards the ultimate, it is recommended that Samira uses a combo such as AA+Q+AA+E+AA+W+R to dash into fights and deal as much damage without becoming vulnerable to the enemy frontline. There are many ways to play the initial stage of the fights as Samira, therefore caution should be exercised before deciding when the right time to all-in is.

Support

Based on your kit, you will have different responsibilities in teamfights. Supports can either engage on the enemy backline (for example, Leona), enhance the teammates’ stats and keep the carries safe (such as Janna/Lulu), or poke the enemies with abilities (e.g., Lux/Heimerdinger).

As an engage support, you are responsible for the engage in teamfights, which means that you will try to lock the enemy carries in place when they least expect it. Nevertheless, nothing stops you from keeping your own carries safe, so if you consider that taking a step back and protecting your carries with your CC is the right step to do, then go for it!

Enhancers usually have to stay behind and provide stats to allies whenever needed. Because of their kit, they are also responsible for disengage and making sure that enemies will have a difficult time reaching the backline. Poke supports are responsible for zoning and they should try to hit as many spells as possible before the beginning of the teamfight. Because of their great spells range, the poke supports can reduce the HP of the enemies drastically whilst being allowed to maintain a safe distance.

Pyke

Pyke is a support who excels at catching enemies off-guard and finishing them off before and during teamfights. Using Bone Skewer (Q) to hook enemies closer to the allied team and stunning them with Phantom Undertow (E), Pyke is great at engaging teamfights and escaping with Ghostwater Dive (W). Also, don’t forget the best part – Pyke’s ultimate Death From Below (R) executes low health enemies and gets a reset if done successfully, so this champion’s kit is perfect for a teamfight – it can engage, escape, and get a pentakill at the same time! What more can we want from a support?

Janna

Janna is an enchanter whose kit is focused on disengage and sustain. Howling Gale (Q) can be a very powerful disengage tool, as it knocks enemies away, which allows your allies to reposition and deal free damage to the airborne opponents. Zephyr (W) can be used in teamfights to slow enemies, allowing the allied team to either chase low HP targets, or giving the backline enough time to reposition if the opponents get too close. Eye of the Storm (E) is good as it provides both a shield and bonus AD which can help your frontline survive or can help your ADC deal more damage whilst not having to worry about getting one-shot. Lastly, the Monsoon (R) is a disengage tool that throws enemies back and heals allies, making it useful both when the enemies get too close to the allied backline, and when the team needs more sustain during the fights.

Conclusion

In conclusion, each role has different responsibilities during teamfights, and making sure that everyone respects them highly increases the chances of winning. Regardless of whether you are a top laner, jungler, mid laner, bot laner, or support, trying your best during these intense fights and communicating with your team both before and after them represent the most important elements that will allow you to play better in the long term. So, regardless of whether you lose or win, make sure to keep a positive attitude and enjoy playing the game! See you on the Summoner’s Rift!