League of Legends

[peener weener]

I'll backdoor while you backdoor

[Raven]

Usually there exists a way to win by having played better yourself, even given that everyone else played exactly the same. We've all had those games where really nothing can be done, but I question your competence at identifying them.

Probably but meh

[Kiriane]

I've done that to AI games before, too. Also as a last resort, and we also won. Suicide pushing OP!

[Eltoshen]

Did bots suddenly develop a brain or were you guys trying out troll builds and ended up feeding them levels lol.

[eclipse]

Did bots suddenly develop a brain or were you guys trying out troll builds and ended up feeding them levels lol.

Y'know those people that can carry an entire team when they're faltering? I'm not one of them.

[Raven]

The game that took me to Level 22... I really like using Lux.

[spoiler=+201 XP! Level 22 get!]

Anyone have any advice I could take with me to the battlefield regarding Lux?

[Pride]

What are your skill priorities with Lux? I like to go R>E>W>Q, cause man if I had a dollar for every time shield saved me from an ignite or some damage that woulda killed me

Anyways yeah Lux was the first champ I bought (on her release yo) and she sure is fun to play, but I feel that being consistent with her is difficult. Missing a single thing is usually the difference between dying and not dying, and depending on how good your opponent is at juking your shots/your own accuracy is you may find things getting...frustrating. Closing in to proc your passive is I think, generally unwise in fights since you usually want to stay back and chuck shit into the enemy instead of walking in while all your stuff is on CD and dying. She's good at ganking from mid too, once she hits 6 since she can just walk 1/2 to 3/4 of the way to a lane laser someone and walk away while the lane does what they do.

Just play it safe with that champ I think, she sure has the range for it

[Silvercrow]

Banshee's veil would have been a much better pickup against that lineup than FoN due to the fact that they rely on spells to dive and lock you down (and in the case where you don't want the bubble/HP I would still recommend Abyssal Scepter over FoN on nearly any AP carry).

I don't personally find that she needs Rod of Ages due to her extreme range, Doran's Rings usually suffice. It's a pretty costly item.

Also focus a bit on farming, that farm is pretty low for a 50min game (granted, everyone else's farm is pretty low too). Don't be afraid to use your ultimate to clear waves after you hit level 16, the cooldown is quite short especially with blue buff.

Nothing else to really say, can't comment without having seen you play her

EDIT: I disagree with leveling W over Q since even if you value the shield over the extra damage, the CDR on Q per level is vital in the midgame where you'll be defending/sieging towers and need to be able to fish for people with the binding. But whatever floats your boat.

Edited October 16, 2012 by Silvercrow

[Kiriane]

He might have been getting RoA for the mana, you know. Lux is quite bad with mana. I recommend Grail actually.

The other option is to reach 39%cdr only when you have voidstaff (therefore cdr boots) and only with blue buff. That's not much of an option IMO. Every bit of CDR counts, especially in mid game. Pick up the codex first if you're winning lane, and the chalice if you're losing, because MR is <3. Because seriously, who has pages and IP to spare for CDR runes?

Naturally, you're running standard APC 21/0/9, or will be once you reach lv30.

[Exiledwolf]

@ Raven- Another alternate replacement for lux I would suggest is the Athene's Unholy Grail item. It gives out a lot of ap (90), has CD reduction for dat laser, and is a good item to help with mana problems. It also has 40 MR to boot. I found that i was too mana hungry with Lux even when running Rod of Ages. But whatever suits your needs.

Another item replacement i would suggest is the void staff if the enemy team is stalking MR items I assume you were going to build a lich bane which is a good item i suppose. I never tried using the bane because its used mostly, i found, on mixed attackers who relies on a good burst, like Nidalee.

@Pride- My priorities for skill usage is R>Q>E>W. The shield is useful, but i found the level one shield can block out the effects of ignite and, if laning with someone like karthus, itll help his early games requiems. Her snare is incredibly useful when escaping too and can be used to go for the combo of Q>auto attack> E >attack> laser. But thats just my opinion

[Raven]

What are your skill priorities with Lux? I like to go R>E>W>Q, cause man if I had a dollar for every time shield saved me from an ignite or some damage that woulda killed me

I guess it kinda depends on the situation. If I'm with my allies pushing a lane and there's some enemy champs in the way, I lead with Q to get them from running back. That's usually when everyone else starts to dive in while I stay back and throw some E in along with W for myself and allies. Then to finish up I fire R into the fray and usually get a kill, and then some more assists.

However if I've been ambushed, the first thing I do is lay an E just ahead of the pursuers. Then I use Q if they somehow manage to catch up or keep up at a dangerous range. Flash is normally a last resort. I've also used the Q, W and E to help allies being pursued who were near death to escape.

Edit: Unless you mean overall whilst leveling up, then: R > E > Q > W.

Banshee's veil would have been a much better pickup against that lineup than FoN due to the fact that they rely on spells to dive and lock you down (and in the case where you don't want the bubble/HP I would still recommend Abyssal Scepter over FoN on nearly any AP carry).

I don't personally find that she needs Rod of Ages due to her extreme range, Doran's Rings usually suffice. It's a pretty costly item.

Also focus a bit on farming, that farm is pretty low for a 50min game (granted, everyone else's farm is pretty low too). Don't be afraid to use your ultimate to clear waves after you hit level 16, the cooldown is quite short especially with blue buff.

Nothing else to really say, can't comment without having seen you play her

EDIT: I disagree with leveling W over Q since even if you value the shield over the extra damage, the CDR on Q per level is vital in the midgame where you'll be defending/sieging towers and need to be able to fish for people with the binding. But whatever floats your boat.

Banshee's Veil does look good. I'll give it a try next time. I too prefer leveling Q over W. To be honest I use W not even half as much as any of the other abilities.

He might have been getting RoA for the mana, you know. Lux is quite bad with mana. I recommend Grail actually.

The other option is to reach 39%cdr only when you have voidstaff (therefore cdr boots) and only with blue buff. That's not much of an option IMO. Every bit of CDR counts, especially in mid game. Pick up the codex first if you're winning lane, and the chalice if you're losing, because MR is <3. Because seriously, who has pages and IP to spare for CDR runes?

Naturally, you're running standard APC 21/0/9, or will be once you reach lv30.

@ Raven- Another alternate replacement for lux I would suggest is the Athene's Unholy Grail item. It gives out a lot of ap (90), has CD reduction for dat laser, and is a good item to help with mana problems. It also has 40 MR to boot. I found that i was too mana hungry with Lux even when running Rod of Ages. But whatever suits your needs.

Another item replacement i would suggest is the void staff if the enemy team is stalking MR items I assume you were going to build a lich bane which is a good item i suppose. I never tried using the bane because its used mostly, i found, on mixed attackers who relies on a good burst, like Nidalee.

The Unholy Grail looks good too. I didn't plan ahead in regards to what items I'd be using past the Deathcap, so I suppose the suggested items were what I went for next. I'll try Voidstaff over Lich, too. I'll give the suggestions a try next game with her, depending on the situations I'll be in.

Ta gaiz.

Edited October 17, 2012 by Raven

[Jaybee]

So, finally got back into League as a level 1 (joy), just in time for champ rotation! Looking at Kayle, Karthus, Irelia and Xin as the heroes which interest me, and a little bit of Yi doesn't sound too bad as well.

A little bit of help regarding these guys? Not stuff like lanes or whatever (though idk if Karthus can go solo mid), more skill builds and items.

[Kiriane]

Raven, normally you get voidstaff if your target has above ~100MR, and/or if you're an AoE mage and everyone's getting MR. Yes, leveling up you will almost always go REQW, that's correct. As for lich bane, it's normally played for extra burst when the mage has low-cooldown spells, or more often when the mage has an on-hit effect. Good examples would be Ryze for the former and AP Blitzcrank for the latter. Lux can use it, but as her spells outrange her auto attack by a great deal, it's not very often seen on her.

@JBCWK

Note that the suggested items are not meant to be built in order or anything. They're just items which work well on the champions in certain situations. I played Kayle and Karthus pretty extensively back when, and Yi is common knowledge even if I do only play him the one way.

Kayle:

Either go for a mid game or late game build. She's really, really strong levels 1-3, so either coast on it through midgame or build for an absolutely crushing midgame at the expense of late game. Mid game build involves rageblade and wits end, late game build is traditional ADC, possibly with BC instead, since she's playing as secondary ADC at that point. Skills are RQEW or REQW, depending how you feel that day - there's a specific jungling skill order, but for laning anything goes. Rincent's got a cool guide on solomid, read up on that. Oh yeah, and CDR is a noobtrap, you just have to time your E better.

Suggested items: zerks IE PD BT BC LW wriggles FM QSS/BV/GA rageblade wits

Skill order: RQEW or REQW

Karthus:

Build RoA and/or AA, Karthus eats a lot of mana. Learn to aim Q really, really well so it hits exactly one target. The play style of Karthus is to wade into a fight and deal BIG DAMAGE - by the time his passive is over, so is the fight anyway. So I'd recommend building for AP. Glass cannon Karthus is fine. Also, Karthus will teach you map awareness like no other.

Suggested items: sorcs RoA AA dcap voidstaff abyssal hourglass did I mention dcap yet guise

Skill order: RQEW

Irelia:

If ahead build triforce tanky, if behind build wits FM, standard bruiser itemisation otherwise, nothing to see here, move along. She's something of a tanky-assassin and she has ridiculous cc reduction. Very good lane sustain as well, strong laner, shines in midgame.

Suggested items: mercs/tabis triforce wits FM FH maw atmas

Skill order: RWQE or RWEQ according to solomid, I don't play Irelia

XinZhao:

Also a bruiser. Works well with aspd items and has a very strong early game. I don't play XZ either.

Suggested items: see Irelia

Skill order: RQWE according to solomid

Yi:

Melee carry, destroys unorganised low level games before people learn how to counter him. Plays as ADC but in melee range. Note that R is a skill reset if you get a kill or two assists, so pop it right before a big fight if you're participating. Also split pushes ridiculously well.

Suggested items: zerks IE PD BT LW QSS/BV/GA wriggles gankboots

Skill order: I think it's RQEW!

Alternatively, AP Yi:

Slightly unorthodox but very strong mid laner. Plays as follows: press R, Q into a fight, DFG, auto. If got a kill, Q again. If not, press W until two assists or Q cools down. Q again. Repeat from 'If', pressing R as necessary. Both versions of Yi get shut down quite hard by hard cc, but split pushing is again an option.

Suggested items: sorcs DFG lichbane dcap voidstaff guise

Skill order: RQWE or RQEW. The AP scaling on W makes the base pretty much irrelevant, but the extra armour/MR is not ignorable; E just adds even more damage to your combo. Pick a skill order based on how the game is going.

Key

zerks - Berserker's Greaves (Movement)

sorcs - Sorceror's Shoes

mercs - Mercury's Treads

tabis - Ninja Tabis

gankboots - Boots of Mobility

triforce - Trinity Force (shows up in just about all the trees so whatever lol)

IE - Infinity Edge (Attack > Damage)

BC - Black Cleaver

LW - Last Whisper

BT - Bloodthirster

wriggles - Wriggles Lantern

FM - Frozen Mallet

rageblade - Guinsoo's Rageblade

maw - Maw of Malmortius

PD - Phantom Dancer (Attack > Attack Speed)

wits - Wits End

RoA - Rod of Ages (Magic > Ability Power)

AA - Archangel's Staff

abyssal - Abyssal Scepter

hourglass - Zhonya's Hourglass

dcap - Rabadon's Deathcap

voidstaff - Void Staff (well duh)

guise - Haunting Guise

DFG - Deathfire Grasp (this item builds out of a gp10! well worth it)

lichbane - Lich Bane (duh)

QSS/BV/GA - Quicksilver Sash, Banshee's Veil, Guardian Angel (Defense > Magic Resist)

atmas - Atma's Impaler (Defense > Armour)

FH - Frozen Heart

Item rework in a couple weeks anyway, but for now here it is. What's your ingame name so we can add you.

[Jaybee]

In-game name doesn't really matter because SEA server :x but thanks anyway =P

EDIT: Just got in another game with Kayle. I'm liking her.

Edited October 18, 2012 by JBCWK

[Kiriane]

Ah yes, that's right, Tangerine did comment on our IP addresses a couple years ago.

There's uh 3 of us on SEA server now, so feel free to give your name anyway! (and if you want to get on NA server, I'll provide instructions and my referral link.)

[eclipse]

Just did a single game as Leona because I thought having Ezreal and Varus was more than enough carry. Turns out 4/5 of the people were experimenting, and the guy that chose Gangplank did damn well. Me? I had no idea how the hell to build her, but I managed some stupid number of assists, so yay. Kinda failed because I had four kills (and that's Vlad's fault for popping up in the middle of my E).

Also played a Normal game against a couple of aggressive bottom opponents (Cait/Kha'Nix). I think they were getting frustrated because I refused to put myself in danger (Cait outranges and outdamages me, while the butterfly thingy was advertising far too much that he'd punish out of the bushes). So while they were poking me with skills, Sona kept us alive, and I concentrated more on farming. Lost because no one could figure out what to do against Akali (hint: MEATSHIELD FOR ME).

EDIT: So my "support" list is Blitz and Leona. Leona does fairly well for offense, so I don't mind.

Edited October 18, 2012 by eclipse

[Jaybee]

So, after two absolutely pathetic games as Irelia (once due to connection, once due to team being full of shitheads) I'm probably giving her up. On to Yi next, I suppose. Or Ryze, since I remember breaking people's faces with him when I last played.

[Ether]

Just did a single game as Leona because I thought having Ezreal and Varus was more than enough carry. Turns out 4/5 of the people were experimenting, and the guy that chose Gangplank did damn well. Me? I had no idea how the hell to build her, but I managed some stupid number of assists, so yay. Kinda failed because I had four kills (and that's Vlad's fault for popping up in the middle of my E).

Also played a Normal game against a couple of aggressive bottom opponents (Cait/Kha'Nix). I think they were getting frustrated because I refused to put myself in danger (Cait outranges and outdamages me, while the butterfly thingy was advertising far too much that he'd punish out of the bushes). So while they were poking me with skills, Sona kept us alive, and I concentrated more on farming. Lost because no one could figure out what to do against Akali (hint: MEATSHIELD FOR ME).

EDIT: So my "support" list is Blitz and Leona. Leona does fairly well for offense, so I don't mind.

For Leona, the usual consensus seems to be building really tanky. Of course, I can't say I have a ton of experience with her, so I could be wrong.

[Kiriane]

<3 Leona so much! I know very few people who actually play mid Leona, as much as she does well there. Mostly she's played 0cs support, and yes, she's built tanky. Leona goes well with, well, any of the bursty ADCs. She is hands down my favourite support, both to lane (assuming competent ADC) and to lane with, and it's also my opinion that she's the (opposing) support with the least counterplay if the lane is played well. Kill lanes beat everyone, I swear.

Try building a GA against Akali, or a BV. It would also be good for someone (hint: NOT AKALI'S TARGET) to get oracles, so she can't just jump you from shroud.

And as for supports getting kills, nobody really cares once you get higher elo. As your teammates get more competent, they turn out more damage, while you're stuck on base-level burst and whatever tankiness you managed to build. The highlight of your damage is the +35AP from kage if you're going 3gp10 that way. As a natural result, your teammates will outdo you in kills all the time, whether you're trying or not. Also, your teammates recognise that a kill is a kill, and that supports appreciate the gold more than most. Nobody will begrudge you it as long as you're not actively trying to ks at the expense of...something.

[Solanum Tuberosum]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hPU9Ru1ftw

the only yi guide ever

[Kiriane]

what he said

[Silvercrow]

I know very few people who actually play mid Leona, as much as she does well there.

Uhhh I've played probably 1500+ games of midlane and I have never seen or heard of Leona mid. But to be completely honest I don't think it would work at all, she would just get shoved on and she has absolutely no way to deal with it. I would imagine she would play like Warwick mid where you are practically unkillable and extremely strong if the jungler helps you out, but otherwise pretty much useless. Except I think it works better for Warwick than it would Leona.

Jungle Leona is pretty fun, though.

Also this is just a personal opinion but I strongly recommend that you do not build GA on a pure tank like Leona. You want to give people incentive to focus you, not deter them from it. Your death is pretty meaningless so long as you got your rotation off.

[Kiriane]

Jungle Leona plays more or less exactly the same way as jungle Alistar and Blitzcrank - gank all day and can't clear worth anything. Not that that isn't fun! it fits exactly with the S2 jungle meta.

As for mid Leona. I'm curious how many mid Maokais you met in your 1500+ games. They actually play fairly similar to Leblanc, in the sense of jump you and burst you, but trade some of that burst for a fairly stupid amount of tankiness. The gap closer is vital here. Also, you're right, Leona does do very well with jungler help, which is to be expected - but the cc which makes her a (sort of) viable jungler works very much in her favour as a laner. (There's a reason gank-jungler and aggressive-support overlap so much.) Even without jungle help, Leona's burst combo is nothing to sniff at, especially as you literally cannot trade back while she knocks you around. Shield + stun OP.

Basically, it goes to a kill-them-all mid lane instead of a farming one. Even the pokey ones have to maintain distance or be comboed down, and Leona's E outranges everybody's auto attack in mid lane, even Caitlyn. Yes, she does have to play rather passive 1-3, but the reversal of fortunes after that is surprising. I know all-in mid laners without much poke aren't very much in fashion, but there you have it.

You'd probably want a bit more magic damage on the team to compensate for you eventually building tanky-AP instead of glass cannon, but then Galio, so...

Anyone else planning to spam games this weekend?

[Silvercrow]

I've played against Maokai mid, but I'm pretty sure Leona's damage is wayyy lower than Mao. Mao's base damages are like extremely high, while Leona's are low without sunlight. Which is why I would compare her to Warwick.

[eclipse]

While I was running around as Leona, I went E -> W -> Q, which did a good chunk of damage, but I noticed I was most effective when someone was shooting over my shoulder. I'd have to totally redo runes/masteries if I did mid Leona, though. Leona felt like an aggressive support, and if I do end up as support, that's what I want to play as (and all bets are off when it comes to the first two kills ).

EDIT: Game of the day was as follows.

Volibear - insult everyone, quit halfway through

Ezreal - forget that he goes squish, wind up in the middle of team fights, and die really fast (I was using him as a meatshield); while he wasn't using his ult as pro as Lux, it helped

Kassadin - do his own thing, somehow end up dead

me (Vayne) - destroy structures, because a fully-stacked BT with IE and PD backing it up wrecks turrets/inhibitors in a hurry

Lux - shank everyone and sometimes use ME as a meatshield

I was so glad that we won!

Edited October 19, 2012 by eclipse