Views: 237 LoL: Elements of Strategy
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A game can be broken into specific elements that I do not think have been articulated, yet, in the League community and by analyzing them we can know not only who has the advantage, but what that advantage is and how to use it. This will lead to what I believe is the main reason people in solo queue lose games—poor decision making. Come on, who hasn’t ran rogue down mid without your team only to be assassinated over and over again by some bastard*coughRengarcough*? The other main reasons, not the focus of the blog, I think people lose games are mechanical and tactical errors. Occasionally we may dive into the realm of tactics, but for the most part this blog seeks to address strategy. So, let’s get to it.
There are three main elements that are present in any game at any time; time, objectives, space, and power (gear & levels). Let’s take a closer look at what each of these means in game terms.
Time
Time is a dynamic advantage, which means if you do not use it, you lose it. Time is how much time your team has to move towards an objective or some other goal, such as placing vision before being confronted by the enemy who will attempt to deny you that goal or objective. For example, if you ACE the other team and the death timers are at 30 seconds, you essentially have free reign on the map to push an objective, take buffs, place vision or return to base, regroup and buy more gear for the next clash. Time can also take place due to the position of players on the map and the amount of pressure in lanes. For example, let’s say you have a massive creep wave pushing into the enemy base with super minions and it takes all five members to deal with the wave, meanwhile your team is split pushing mid and bottom. Due to the distance between your players and the enemy, you have a given amount of time before you will need to fall back from your objectives. So, time can be gained through lane pressure and by killing the enemy team. Both give you the opportunity to move on a goal or objective.
Objectives
There are two objectives in League of Legends; Towers & Inhibitors and the two neutral objectives, Dragon and Baron. Towers are static advantages, which means once destroyed, they never come back. It is a permanent advantage and thus, a primary target. All other types of advantages should be used to ultimately take towers, which leads to the Nexus. Inhibitors, Dragon and Baron buff have time limits and thus are a dynamic advantage. In one form or another all three of them boost the power of your team, which depending on other factors means you will be able to push for a win, if you have enough other advantages in your favor, or it may buy enough time to farm up, repel those giant waves, regroup and get ready for the comeback.
Space
Space has static and dynamic advantages associated with it and. One form of space is the space gained from taking down towers. This represents a permanent advantage in space. If you have taken down the three out turrets and your opponent has none, this gives you a greater freedom to move about the map, place vision deeper within enemy territory or set-up for ambushes. Another form of space is from lane pressure, i.e. minion waves. If you have a massive creep wave pushing the top inner turret, this gives you time to push another objective such as Baron, Dragon or other lanes or bide more time to defend your weakness and place vision. Essentially, having lane pressure offers the advantage of time, which is dynamic, because eventually that creep wave is going to be gobbled up by a hungry ADC (or Ziggs).
Power
Power also has static and dynamic elements to it. Power is the strength of your champions, which increases from items, levels and buffs. While upgrading items is permanent, the fact that the other team can also upgrade items with time gives them the ability to neutralize your advantage in power. For example, let’s say your ADC gets 1st blood and goes returns to base to buy a pickaxe, you now out power the other ADC for the time being. However, as the game progresses, players will farm and level up and if you do not press your advantage in power, items on the other team will eventually neutralize it. Power can also come from buffs from “red”, Dragon, Baron and consumables, which unlike items are completely temporary in nature. Thus, power is a double-edged sword with dynamic and static elements.
These are the three main elements that make up a League of Legends game at any given moment. In future posts we will delve deeper into the different advantages one gains from the elements and how to exploit them for a maximum advantage. What are your thoughts? Are there any missing elements? Leave a comment and let’s have a discussion!
There are three main elements that are present in any game at any time; time, objectives, space, and power (gear & levels). Let’s take a closer look at what each of these means in game terms.
Time
Time is a dynamic advantage, which means if you do not use it, you lose it. Time is how much time your team has to move towards an objective or some other goal, such as placing vision before being confronted by the enemy who will attempt to deny you that goal or objective. For example, if you ACE the other team and the death timers are at 30 seconds, you essentially have free reign on the map to push an objective, take buffs, place vision or return to base, regroup and buy more gear for the next clash. Time can also take place due to the position of players on the map and the amount of pressure in lanes. For example, let’s say you have a massive creep wave pushing into the enemy base with super minions and it takes all five members to deal with the wave, meanwhile your team is split pushing mid and bottom. Due to the distance between your players and the enemy, you have a given amount of time before you will need to fall back from your objectives. So, time can be gained through lane pressure and by killing the enemy team. Both give you the opportunity to move on a goal or objective.
Objectives
There are two objectives in League of Legends; Towers & Inhibitors and the two neutral objectives, Dragon and Baron. Towers are static advantages, which means once destroyed, they never come back. It is a permanent advantage and thus, a primary target. All other types of advantages should be used to ultimately take towers, which leads to the Nexus. Inhibitors, Dragon and Baron buff have time limits and thus are a dynamic advantage. In one form or another all three of them boost the power of your team, which depending on other factors means you will be able to push for a win, if you have enough other advantages in your favor, or it may buy enough time to farm up, repel those giant waves, regroup and get ready for the comeback.
Space
Space has static and dynamic advantages associated with it and. One form of space is the space gained from taking down towers. This represents a permanent advantage in space. If you have taken down the three out turrets and your opponent has none, this gives you a greater freedom to move about the map, place vision deeper within enemy territory or set-up for ambushes. Another form of space is from lane pressure, i.e. minion waves. If you have a massive creep wave pushing the top inner turret, this gives you time to push another objective such as Baron, Dragon or other lanes or bide more time to defend your weakness and place vision. Essentially, having lane pressure offers the advantage of time, which is dynamic, because eventually that creep wave is going to be gobbled up by a hungry ADC (or Ziggs).
Power
Power also has static and dynamic elements to it. Power is the strength of your champions, which increases from items, levels and buffs. While upgrading items is permanent, the fact that the other team can also upgrade items with time gives them the ability to neutralize your advantage in power. For example, let’s say your ADC gets 1st blood and goes returns to base to buy a pickaxe, you now out power the other ADC for the time being. However, as the game progresses, players will farm and level up and if you do not press your advantage in power, items on the other team will eventually neutralize it. Power can also come from buffs from “red”, Dragon, Baron and consumables, which unlike items are completely temporary in nature. Thus, power is a double-edged sword with dynamic and static elements.
These are the three main elements that make up a League of Legends game at any given moment. In future posts we will delve deeper into the different advantages one gains from the elements and how to exploit them for a maximum advantage. What are your thoughts? Are there any missing elements? Leave a comment and let’s have a discussion!
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