After reading this guide, you will play better! If you do not become a better player from this guide, you can get the hour you spent reading it back! That's right, you don't like it get your time back. Minus shipping. Enjoy...


If you are anything like myself, you longed for a guide with which you can simply read and proceed to play better over night. I have read many a guide seeking this same thing. I have additionally watched streams online and done just about everything to learn. However, most guides, although they give some helpful information, simply tell you to keep practicing and never to give up. They tell you there is no secret to paying better. This guide is here to tell you that that is absolute *********. There are millions of little things from the way one builds, to how they farm, even how they move which will make one twice the player they were. Most of these are very minute and will develop with game play. However, throughout this guide I will illuminate the major techniques with which I feel have the greatest impact in game play.

First off, I want to explain that I am not a plat or diamond. In fact, I just started playing recently. I reached lvl 30 extremely fast dueto exp boosts and playing every day. I was amazing at Draft pick pre 30. I once went on a 13-15 ish win streak. At lvl 30 I sought to be ranked gold. I played my provisional games and won four straight, lost four, and won one. Going 5-5 and getting Silver IV. let it be known, four of the games I won I carried hard leading the team from what was an inevitable loss. I got no breaks and no good team mates. I started playing ranked every day and eventually went on a ten game loosing streak. I got
dropped to Silver 5. Again, the only games I won, with the exception of maybe one or two, I carried. I only carried maybe 1 in 5 games. When I go to play non ranked, however, I dominate. I wondered how there could be such a skill discrepancy between ranked and non ranked play.

I am writing this guide because I recently had a break through. I figured out how to win. I have applied what I learned in my last 3 games and I won 2-3 while carrying the team in the third. (Despite still losing) I know it's only 3 games, however, the way I think about the game and how I've been playing is completely different and I can notice i'm better. I'm here to share what I have learned with you. I feel by delineating the newly discovered aspects of what I have learned, will even further my successes.

I'm eager to start playing more games because I truly feel I have gotten better from these simple tips.

Throughout the rest of this guide I will give the most viable tips that will change your game-play forever.

There are arguments that there is no such thing as counter champs, just counter play. I somewhat agree with this, however, I must admit this much: There are certain champions that, when built and played the norm, counter other champions, when they are built and played the norm. To that end, skilled player will not have a problem with a champion that counters them. They will simply not play that champion the norm. Thus, skilled players will say their are no counter champions. But some champions still do have an inherent advantage over others. And while a Jax could easily dominate a lane against Garen, I find it helpful to at least have an advantage in lane. (even if it's small.) Thus, one of the most important things to do is to try and pick Counter champions. Now, this is not to say to play a champion that's a counter you have no experience with. Rather, if you are top lanning a Jax and are good with the Champions renketon, fiora, nasus, riven, and garen. Than go ether riven or garen to get a slight advantage. I recommend lolcounter.com and championselect.net

Far more important, however, are counter items. If anyone knows of a site that lists every counter to an item let me know. However, there are some basic counter item tricks I can share with you now that will make a huge impact. First, use your brain. If you are facing a Cho'goth he is most likely going to build hp. Thus, building items that deal X amount of damage will not be very efficient. One will want to therefore build items that do percent based damage. Off of the top of my head I would think of blade of the rained king because of its active effect to deal 15 percent damage of the opponents full health. I would also recommend building life steal against high health opponents. However, it is not guaranteed that Cho will build health. Maybe there are people who build attack speed cho'goth... Idk. Don't judge, you don't know what some people do. Regardless of attack speed Cho, below are some of the counters which are obvious to some builds. However, I would like a high level player to weigh in on this because this is only based off of pure common sense. Moreover, if there is any site that lists items that are directly countered by other items that would be nice .i have failed to find such site.

Attack speed/burst damage

---

active effect slows and active effect invincibility of which also apply to what your building.

Health/high hp regeneration----percentage based damage and life steal

Armor----items that ignore physical damage.

Ad----thorn mail

Etc... As you can see it is really common Sense. However, I never did this. All I did was find the highest rated guide and stick to that build.

Now, let me point out that you shouldn't go extremely crazy with counter builds. I don't want people building a tanky temmo because it counters someone's attack damage. However, there are items that are similar in stats that have different active and passive effects. When building, one must pick the active and passive effects of a selection of 3 items which BEST counter one's opponent. In addition, I would say one could build one item which directly counters an opponent that doesn't apply to their build during the laning phase. Keep in mind
that once it's 5 v 5 the fact that you counter one champ but have a ****py over all build will not matter.

This goes into a whole other concept regarding building for the 5 v 5. No one else does this at my elo, and I'm not sure if they do at higher elos, but if I'm going up against someone who is building odd, I will tell my team members. Whether In chat or on Skype if I'm mid lane and Ziggs is, for whatever reason, building AD. I will type or say Ziggs building ad.
This let's my teammates know and hopefully think.. Hmm. Their jungle is ad, top ad, a dc ad... I don't really need any magic resist. I'm going to build counter ad. Maybe some thorn mail. at least I hope that's what they do.

As you can see, there are many variable's that go into play and it is a lot more complex than the guides make it out to be. Rejoice in the fact, however, that you will only get better at building. It may seem complex now but just but reading this guide and
attempting to try counter building you will only get better. I urge some plats and golds to weigh in regarding some tips about counter building they have learned through their experience.

Predicting what your opponent will do and knowing your champions is huge and it will also come with time. As of now, I would say I am an expert player with about 4 champs, knowing all their combos, all their builds everything. This is extremely helpful for me when playing against these four champs, because I know them very well. I know their cool down lengths, I know their combos, I know everything that might happen. Additionally, I am good (but not an expert) with about 15 other champions. I know their moves some of their combos most of their builds etc. Lastly, I am familiar with probably 30-40 champions knowing their moves and what they do. That leaves a lot of champions that I have no idea what they do, why they do it, or even how it's done.

Let me give you an example of how knowing a champion can help you. I'm sure most of you know the champion Malahzar. He is one of the champs with whom I am very good. When playing lane at lvl 1, I used my visions (E) on an enemy champ. My E does a lot of damage at lvl one and creates a black shadow of death thingy that surrounds the enemy's head and does damage over time. My opponent reacted accordingly, backing away from me to her turret screaming ahhh there is a black thing on my face get it off. It did a quite a bit of damage. While she was at her turret probably calling for her jungler i free farmed using my E again on the minons. When she returned I visioned her again. The same thing happened. To a player who doesn't know Malhazar, this must have been frustrating for her. (I believe it was an Ahri) She didn't get her farm in and kept getting hit with my visions every time she got close. Myself, knowing malhazar, would have reacted differently. After I cast my E, there is about a ten second cooldown at lvl 1. I literately can do nothing else for 10 seconds expect farm and try to get my visions (in 8-10 seconds) on the minions before she comes back. This would be her time to q me and get off an auto attack or two while I have to wait 8 seconds and do nothing. Noted, be quick about the q, auto, auto, q, and then out before Mals vision comes back. Once you see Mal use his visions on a minion, you are free to attack again. In addition to this one trick which only applies to lvl 1, there are many more I wish I could Vulcan transfer to you brain. Additionally, their are probably extremely stupid things I do against champs who I have no idea how to use which I wish I could instantly know. But, one needs to learn and play other champs in order to get better. Once you do this and know the strengths and weaknesses of some chars, you will play so much better. You will be able to predict what they will build, what they are going to do, etc.

Also, your probably not going to need know how to play 100+ champs. If your mostly a mid lanne, there are about 10 champs who are commonly played that you should learn and maybe 30-40 total. Play those champs in reg non ranked and play against them versus Bots and learn their weaknesses. Whenever someone asks if their are ban prefs I also say none for me. Although someone people are like ban ****ing Nasus I hate him, I don't think this way. If i'm constantly losing to a Nasus I'm doing something wrong and could use another time playing against him to learn. If you know your opponent and know what their going to do, how their going to build (which ties into counter play) and act accordingly, you will start playing much better.

Note: If your having trouble with a specific champion let me know and let others reading this know and maybe we can help. Remember, every time you play a game you learn something. Thus, those with more games are usually better players.

I hope I have helped everyone thus far and will be adding more shortly. Attitude is one of the most important aspects of a game. I will soon finish this and the rest of the guide explaining how to deal with having a bad game, having an amazing game and having terrible teammates, and staying positive and learning from every game win or lose. This and more will be up shortly.

I will also, eventually, adding really small things one can do to play better.

On a completely unrelated note, I am looking for a team with whom to play. I am a Silver V but when I'm playing duo quo with a friend I play better and win way more often. I can imagine playing really well with 4 other team mates who are helpful have a nice attitude, don't yell and don't feed etc. Looking for silvers and up but I don't mind bronze players with a nice learning attitude. HMU.