Team Composition & Runes

In this tutorial we will learn about Runes, Team Compositions and how they work together.

What runes are for?

Runes give to your character additional attributes during the game. This increases the varieties of gameplays and each player can have his personal style with every champion. But there always a meta with the “best” runes and I will talk about this during the tutorial.

First thing, NEVER buy runes before reaching the level 20! It’s a waste of Influence Points because there is a Tier system. Exists runes from tier 1 to 3, the runes from tier 3 are way better than the ones from tier 1. Conclusion, if you bought tier 1 or tier 2 runes you will have to replace it for tier 3 runes.

There are 4 types of runes:

• Marks
• Seals
• Glyphs
• Quintessence

Each type of rune works better for a certain type of attribute. This is the main thought to choose your runes.

Marks are good with Physical Damage and Spells Penetration ( Mark of Attack Damage, Greater Mark of Armor Penetration, Greater Mark of Magic Penetration and Greater Mark of Hybrid Penetration)

Seals are good with Defense ( Greater Seal of Armor, Greater Seal of Health, Greater Seal of Scaling Health and Greater Seal of Scaling Armor )

Glyphs are good with Magic ( Greater Glyph of Ability Power, Greater Glyph of Magic Resist, Greater Glyph of Mana, Greater Glyph of Cooldown Reduction and Greater Glyph of Scaling Magic Resist )

Quints are good with Utility and other attributes ( Greater Quintessence of Movement Speed, Greater Quintessence of Gold, Greater Quintessence of Ability Power, Greater Quintessence of Attack Damage and Greater Quintessence of Life Steal)


SPACEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE


After you understand that each type of runes are better for some kind of attributes, you have to think: Which attribute my champion has a weakness or how I can empower my champions qualities?

Example

imagine that you are playing with . In the early game, Sona, has amazing skills for poke like ( Power Chord with Hymn of Valor). This is a reason to pick some magic runes ( Greater Quintessence of Ability Power and Greater Mark of Magic Penetration). But Sona also have a weakness that is her low HP, then you can buy Armor or Health runes! ( Greater Seal of Armor, Greater Seal of Health).

A third though

of choosing your runes is your Team composition (latter I will explain the types of teams and how to play each of them). The team composition will influence if you will choose Flat runes or Scaling Runes.

Flat runes: they are runes that don’t gain bonus attributes by level during the game; if your damage mark is flat, you will gain 0.95 attack damage in level 1 and this amount will be the same in level 18 ( Mark of Attack Damage)

Scaling Runes: they are runes that each level gain a bonus of attribute; if your health seal is scaling, then each level you will gain 1.33 of life ( Greater Seal of Scaling Health)

But when I take flat runes and when I take scaling runes?

If your team composition is early game focused, you should pick flat runes to win the early game, snowball and capitalize this advantaged by making objectives. If you team composition is focused in team fights (mid to late game), you should pick scaling runes to become a hyper-carry monster.

In season 3 the meta was flat runes, but now in season 4 they buffed scaling runes to balance and increase the variety of the viable runes.

If you are a beginner and don’t want to spent too much IP in runes for now, just complete your 2 initial pages.

But how I can separate all the champions in just two pages?

In general, you can separate all the champions by the ones who use Ability Power and the ones who use Attack Damage as they main attribute. Then you pick default runes like Magic Resistance and Defense.

Rune page 1 – Attack Damage Champions

Rune page 2 – Ability Power Champions

There are many types of team composition and which one of them have its characteristics and ways to be played.

Some types of team composition:

• Basic team
• Early game team
• Mid-Late game team
• AOE team
• Global influence team
• Poke team

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Basic Team

This is the classic composition. Consists in having a good early to late game with strong and constant heroes. The composition is made of two players with tank/ frontline champions, an AP Carry, an AD Carry and a Support.
The runes for this comp are a balance of scaling and flat runes depending on the champion and how you play it (aggressive / passive in early game).

How it meant to be played?

In the early game this comp needs to farm well, grab some objectives and maybe some lane kills with assist of the jungler. Falling into the mid game, this comp have a great frontline and a good support to protect the carries and initiate the team fights seeking destroy towers or killing the dragon.

Example of a good TF: Renekton with Volybear stun and hold the enemy frontline while Caitlyn and Orianna deals high amounts of damage. The support stays in the back to protect the carries from an extremely quick champion that had passed the frontline. The carries have to focus who they can (focus priority if possible: Carries – Fighters – Tankers) , stay in a good positioning to not get killed and don’t go insane after the enemies carries.
This stile of gameplays fits almost all types of compositions

Examples of good Teams:

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Early Game Team

This composition needs to rock on in the early game. Win the lanes and almost all the early game team fights. After picking up some items and level advantaged this composition NEEDS to capitalize this advantaged by taking objectives (towers, dragons). If the game goes to the late game this comp may lose some team fights and then the game.
The runes synergy with this comp are Flat Runes. Scaling runes wouldn’t be so great in a team that doesn’t have a good late game.
The champions that goes in this comp are champions with perfect early to mid-game.

Examples:

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Mid-Late Game Team

This composition is focused in surviving the early game to destroy in the late game. Play passively in the early game because this comp uses scaling champions that become hyper-carries in the late game. The team fight needs to be good and with great synergy to lead the team to the victory.
Scaling runes combined with flat runes are good to this comp. Flat runes helps to survive the early game and the scaling ones helps to become monsters in the mid-late game.
This comp need initiation heroes for the team fights like malphite, amumu, shyvana.

Examples of late game champions:

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AOE Team

As the name says, Area of effect team should be played with almost every champion that has a huge damage in area. This comp can or not have a good early game but it needs to have well played team fights synergizing all AOE damage. This composition makes nice wombo combos!

Examples of teams:

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Global Influence Team

Global team consists in having champions with global range skills. The main character is Twisted Fate because with his ultimate ( Destiny) he will reveal all enemy champions. With all enemies reveled champions like Nocturne , Ashe , Jinx, Ezrael, Ziggs, Pantheon can have fun landing they skill shots or going after a chase.

Examples of teams:

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Poke Team

This composition is all about poking your enemies to death. With heavy poke the team should get the enemies away or killed to focus objectives. But a poke team usually doesn’t make a great team fight with all players in full health. Because of this avoid solid team fights.

Good Poke Teams

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The End

Runes and Team Composition are totally linked! Buy your runes thinking in your role, in your champion and in your team. Unleash you champion’ power by buying runes that empower the qualities and reinforce the champion weakness. Think about your composition strategy and take a look in the enemy that you are facing to choose the right runes for the battle.
Thanks for reading this tutorial! Good luck with good runes and team comp in the Fields of Justice!
-Fawkis 01/06/2014