The meta hasn't really changed in a year, but regardless:
Jungler - You need one of these because it gives your team an overall experience and gold advantage and provides pressure on all the lanes. Jungle ganks can often decide the game.
Top - Because this is a long solo lane you need champions who can hold their own well and escape or survive ganks. This is why generally you'll see tanky or sustained champions who are good at prolonged dueling in this lane.
Mid - Because this lane is short it's a lot safer and less vulnerable to ganks so you can put your AP champion here. Since APs tend to be bursty it's much easier for them to get kills in a short lane compared to others. AP carries scale with levels, so putting them in a solo lane is much better than a duo. Also, from mid AP champions can roam to gank other lanes in early game which is one of their strengths.
Bot - An AD carry is necessary because of how strong they are lategame, however their early game can be weak against a lot of stuff. They don't really scale with levels and mostly need gold. For this reason it makes sense to put them in a duo lane with a support who can protect and help them early whilst letting them have all the gold. The reason why they generally go bot lane instead of top is because Dragon is close to bottom lane and having two people instead of one allows you to take it more easily.
Jungler - You need one of these because it gives your team an overall experience and gold advantage and provides pressure on all the lanes. Jungle ganks can often decide the game.
Top - Because this is a long solo lane you need champions who can hold their own well and escape or survive ganks. This is why generally you'll see tanky or sustained champions who are good at prolonged dueling in this lane.
Mid - Because this lane is short it's a lot safer and less vulnerable to ganks so you can put your AP champion here. Since APs tend to be bursty it's much easier for them to get kills in a short lane compared to others. AP carries scale with levels, so putting them in a solo lane is much better than a duo. Also, from mid AP champions can roam to gank other lanes in early game which is one of their strengths.
Bot - An AD carry is necessary because of how strong they are lategame, however their early game can be weak against a lot of stuff. They don't really scale with levels and mostly need gold. For this reason it makes sense to put them in a duo lane with a support who can protect and help them early whilst letting them have all the gold. The reason why they generally go bot lane instead of top is because Dragon is close to bottom lane and having two people instead of one allows you to take it more easily.
Luther3000 wrote:
The meta hasn't really changed in a year, but regardless:
Jungler - You need one of these because it gives your team an overall experience and gold advantage and provides pressure on all the lanes. Jungle ganks can often decide the game.
Top - Because this is a long solo lane you need champions who can hold their own well and escape or survive ganks. This is why generally you'll see tanky or sustained champions who are good at prolonged dueling in this lane.
Mid - Because this lane is short it's a lot safer and less vulnerable to ganks so you can put your AP champion here. Since APs tend to be bursty it's much easier for them to get kills in a short lane compared to others. AP carries scale with levels, so putting them in a solo lane is much better than a duo. Also, from mid AP champions can roam to gank other lanes in early game which is one of their strengths.
Bot - An AD carry is necessary because of how strong they are lategame, however their early game can be weak against a lot of stuff. They don't really scale with levels and mostly need gold. For this reason it makes sense to put them in a duo lane with a support who can protect them early without taking any gold. The reason why they go bot lane instead of top is because Dragon is close to bottom lane and having two people instead of one allows you to take it more easily.
This. However Mid has been extended to casters; including AD-based ones. Examples of these are
Pantheon, Talon and Zed. They are characterized by their superb laning power and strong early-game.
skala
<Member>
<Member>
GrandmasterD wrote:
Thanks guys, this helped a ton.
That being said, do you think this shoehorns certain heroes into roles, and also obsoletes many champions? It seems like I see the same pool of champions in each game.
My fear is that much of the flexibility of the game has vanished.
Sort of, but that's kinda how a metagame works. People find out the best ways to play the game and then for the most part stick to it because why would you lower your chance to win? Generally it arises from people watching tournament play and mimicking what they see.
With that said I believe something like 63 out of just over 100 champions were used at the world championships, which is a pretty good number. Almost every champion in the game is playable in one role or another at the moment if you're good enough with them.
With that said I believe something like 63 out of just over 100 champions were used at the world championships, which is a pretty good number. Almost every champion in the game is playable in one role or another at the moment if you're good enough with them.
skala wrote:
Thanks guys, this helped a ton.
That being said, do you think this shoehorns certain heroes into roles, and also obsoletes many champions? It seems like I see the same pool of champions in each game.
My fear is that much of the flexibility of the game has vanished.
A metagame is pretty much a set of unwritten rules. It gives the game structure and allows for strategies to develop. Most metagames naturally arise due to the nature of certain game aspects. In league of legends most of this comes from how characters work. Their base stats and skillset define their playstyle and that forces a certain metagame.
GrandmasterD wrote:
This was more out of necessity though, because people needed solid counters to middle lane characters. Generally, if you have one of the before mentioned champions playing middle lane, your ability power caster will go top lane.
Banishedd wrote:
This was more out of necessity though, because people needed solid counters to middle lane characters. Generally, if you have one of the before mentioned champions playing middle lane, your ability power caster will go top lane.
Mid is about casters; champions who scale with levels. It has nothing to do with being AD based or AP based.
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However, since I've been gone, the meta game has changed drastically. Back when I played, it wasn't uncommon to play whatever hero you wanted, in whatever lane you wanted (in non-ranked games, that is)
Now that I'm back, it seems that a philosophy or doctrine has evolved, and you're an auto-noob if you don't follow it to a T.
So, I'd like some advice on adapting. What is expected of each role and lane? Why are certain heroes better in top lane, middle lane, or bottom lane? Is it mandatory to have at least 1 support or 1 jungler on your team?
I need help wrapping my head around the "Why" of these issues. Thanks for the help! Happy gaming.