The reason pros build the way they do is because it works. People in low elo have the wrong mindset; they believe their teammates are all bad before the game has even started, and feel that they must carry to win games.
The truth is, since you're in their elo, you're probably not that much better than they are. Helping your teammates carry is just as good, if not better than trying to carry yourself.
The reason you don't see these items as much is because people play like selfish bastards and don't buy team utility. This is the wrong way to approach League of Legends. You're not playing League to have a huge KDA and look cool, you're playing to win by destroying their Nexus.
Locket is very cost-efficient by giving HP, Armor, and CDR, and the teamwide active can turn the tide of a teamfight. Aegis is also an extremely good defensive item that also gives resilience to the whole remainder of the team. If you think teamfights don't happen enough for them to be worthwhile, force teamfights by calling objectives ("Push top turret/take dragon/take their blue"). If your team groups up and the enemy team doesn't, they lose; if they do, then you just forced a teamfight to happen, and a team with a locket/aegis is way better off than a team without.
The truth is, since you're in their elo, you're probably not that much better than they are. Helping your teammates carry is just as good, if not better than trying to carry yourself.
The reason you don't see these items as much is because people play like selfish bastards and don't buy team utility. This is the wrong way to approach League of Legends. You're not playing League to have a huge KDA and look cool, you're playing to win by destroying their Nexus.
Locket is very cost-efficient by giving HP, Armor, and CDR, and the teamwide active can turn the tide of a teamfight. Aegis is also an extremely good defensive item that also gives resilience to the whole remainder of the team. If you think teamfights don't happen enough for them to be worthwhile, force teamfights by calling objectives ("Push top turret/take dragon/take their blue"). If your team groups up and the enemy team doesn't, they lose; if they do, then you just forced a teamfight to happen, and a team with a locket/aegis is way better off than a team without.
#1 is that people don't like to buy things that don't increase their own kill potential. They usually want the "glory" for themselves, and end up losing a lot of games with that mindset.
I would say that a team with a Runic Bulwark or a Locket would have a pretty significant advantage, since they'd be able to outlast opponents (in theory). Skill does come into play, but if you think about it, you can't be everywhere on the map all at once. Low-elo players tend to focus tanks (or rather, whatever they hit first), so you can use this to your advantage and play a tanky jungler (Udyr is great for this), and then let the enemy focus you while your teammates down their squishies. Doesn't always work, but it's better than buying that "OMG GR8 AD ITEM" and dying repeatedly because your team has no defense.
I would say that a team with a Runic Bulwark or a Locket would have a pretty significant advantage, since they'd be able to outlast opponents (in theory). Skill does come into play, but if you think about it, you can't be everywhere on the map all at once. Low-elo players tend to focus tanks (or rather, whatever they hit first), so you can use this to your advantage and play a tanky jungler (Udyr is great for this), and then let the enemy focus you while your teammates down their squishies. Doesn't always work, but it's better than buying that "OMG GR8 AD ITEM" and dying repeatedly because your team has no defense.
Raiyuzaki wrote:
Low-elo players tend to focus tanks
If they actually did that they wouldn't be low elo. Low elo players don't focus at all; focusing a tank is loads better than the "zero-focus-attacking-different-people-syndrome" you see in low elo games.
Agree. Most fights devolve into "Oh, that one's low on health, let's hit him." or "Oh, that guy came out first, let's hit him."
I've bought Bulwark in a LOT of games. Not as jungler though, but as tanky top or tanky support. Most games, people tend to just buy whatever gives them a stat boost or increases damage (rarely defenses, though). Nothing worse than losing a game against an ALL AP team because no one on your team thought to buy MR.
I've bought Bulwark in a LOT of games. Not as jungler though, but as tanky top or tanky support. Most games, people tend to just buy whatever gives them a stat boost or increases damage (rarely defenses, though). Nothing worse than losing a game against an ALL AP team because no one on your team thought to buy MR.
Nom Nom Nom
I agree with everyone above. It is WAY more important to get your team fed, rather than just getting yourself fed, especially since many junglers can't singlehandedly carry games.
What I suggest doing is, at the beginning of the match, ask the support whether he/she is going locket or aegis. If she gets aegis, you get lcoket, and vice versa. The utility those two items bring is great, and can change a teamfight (the locket shield is awesome).
What I suggest doing is, at the beginning of the match, ask the support whether he/she is going locket or aegis. If she gets aegis, you get lcoket, and vice versa. The utility those two items bring is great, and can change a teamfight (the locket shield is awesome).

Check out my champion ideas:
My support builds recently have devolved into GP5 + sightstone + boots + wards; having to buy Aegis puts me behind by about 2k worth of wards, which is pretty significant. Since the stats benefit the jungler anyway, I feel that it's better for the jungler to just get both items, except the niche junglers who need to rush specific items like Spirit of the Ancestral Wraith.
You shouldn't just decide that you aren't going to build either of those and leaving it to the jungler without at least saying something to them. Some of my junglers I build those items on, but my
Hecarim build uses neither of them. So, if you assumed I was going to build either of those, we would be screwed out of both since neither of us would be building them but thinking the other was. I try to build Locket as my first item after GP5 and Sightstone. It's cheap plus the active works so well.
The main thing is, check and see what your support or jungler is building. Either by asking or by checking and seeing what they are building.

The main thing is, check and see what your support or jungler is building. Either by asking or by checking and seeing what they are building.
In fact, the Locket is more cost effective than Bulwark, that is better if the build is building massive AP.. However, Locket and Bulwark are often builded by the support and the tank of the team, so if you really don't need them to be more tanky or because no one builded them, you can focus on something else, like warmog,spirit visage or else..
Be a grammar nazi with me, i need to improve my english T_T
I probably qualify as low-elo, since I'm unranked.
And I will tell you one thing. Any game that I DON'T build
Aegis of the Legion, I lose. Mind you, I play support most of the time.
Locket of the Iron Solari is cheaper and 10% CDR, which is awesome, but it's too weak for me to like it in late game. I get it occasionally if I think the game will be ending early.
And I will tell you one thing. Any game that I DON'T build


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Watching LCS and high elo streams, it seems like, almost without question, locket and aegis/bulwark are THE priorities for pretty much EVERY jungler (with a few exceptions like ap jungles etc).
My question is, should this be the case in low-elo games, where it is more "carry or lose". Should i focus on more individual "kill potential" items, building more offensive or more individually oriented defensive items (sunfire, etc). I ask because I VERY rarely see aegis and locket being built in my games. I'm wondering if this is because low-elo players dont team fight well enough to make them worthwhile, or would a team that has locket and aegis have a huge advantage over teams without them? Thanks!