League of Legends: What you can learn from the pros.

With the 2014 League of Legends World Championship in the books, League of Legends is on everyone’s mind. The fact that 40,000 people came to Korea to watch Samsung White and Star Horn Royal Club battle it out in the finals is pretty amazing. Even more people watched the World Championship stream or went to viewing parties to view all the action. League of Legends has an amazing reach and has worked its way into a lot of gamers' lives. A lot can be learned from watching high-stakes matches like these, so in this article, I will be outlining a few things you can take away from viewing the World Championship or other pro player matches.

The entire flow of a game can rest on a split-second decision made by you or one of your teammates. When you watch a stream or a tournament match, you are able to see the players in action and see what decisions and plays end up working for them, and what doesn’t. Put yourself in their shoes and try thinking what you could have done if you were in their situation. What did they do to cause the play or fight to go into a favorable direction? Did they make any errors in judgment when executing a play? What factors went into them making the decision to go in and start a fight? When watching a stream or a tournament like the World Championship understand what ended up being effective for them and why. Observe the decision making involved and try to apply it your own game. Again, one decision can turn the tide of a whole game and can drastically change the outcome of a match, so it helps to watch pro players to see what they do in the heat of the moment.

There are several different team comps one can run in a game of League of Legends. When it comes to the World Championship in particular, the stakes are high and the teams really want to make sure that they have the right champions for the comp they are trying to run. It’s also important to study the enemy and see what kind of comps they like to use. For example, In game 3 of the World Championships, Star Horn Royal Club knew that Samsung White favored assassin heavy champions like Fizz and Twitch, so in champion select, they picked tanky characters like Maokai, Braum and Rammus that can stand up to the high damage that assassins put out. Because of that, they had a leg up on Samsung White and ended up winning the game. That’s why studying and understanding team comps is important. With the right champions in your arsenal, you can gain an advantage in game. Know the enemy team likes to focus objectives with poke heavy champions? Picking a champion lineup with a lot of CC abilities can help shut them down. Knowing what certain champions can accomplish in game plays a big part in deciding what team comp works best for you and your allies. Concentrate on what your team’s focus is in game and build a comp around that while also keeping in mind what the enemy team likes to pull out so you can react and shut them down when needed.

Objectives play a big part in the flow of a game. Many games are decided by a dragon or baron fight. Yes, kills are great, but objectives are what really decide the game, and a lot of lot of people don’t realize that. However, when it comes to the pro scene, objectives can make and break the outcome of a match, which is why so much focus is put on them. You don’t want the other team to gain the gold and stat advantages from dragon or baron so they can buy better items and then snowball. Pro players will place high importance on objectives and will use those to gain a lead and keep on pushing to win the game. The best players in the world keep pressure on all the lanes and objectives and make sure nothing can touch them. Roaming is also a strategy to keep in mind if you want to dissuade the enemy team from pushing in lane or attempt to pull off a big play. Good use of wards is also much more prominent in pro matches since they don’t want any objectives to fall. Getting vision control across the map is critical for securing objectives and knowing when the enemy might try to make a move. Understanding all the aspects that go into objective control and why they are so important in League of Legends is crucial since they can often lead to a team getting ahead and closing out the game quickly.

The meta is born in the pro scene. Certain champions work well on the pro circuit, and some don’t. You want reliable, dependable champions that you know how to play and that will get the job done. There’s a reason why specific champions work so well and are so popular, and you can learn why by watching tournaments and games like the World Championships. For example, Tristana really comes alive in the late game due to her massive attack range, attack speed and her ability to move across the map with Rocket Jump. She can accomplish a lot more in battle and become more of a threat than a champion like Quinn that lacks in a lot of different areas. That’s why players like Uzi pick her up so often. That being said, even pro players break out off-kilter champions from time to time. Singed, Rammus and Fiddlesticks are just some of the more “rare” champions that have seen play in the World Championships and they have achieved success. Don’t be afraid to pick up a champion just because it isn’t exactly part of the meta. If you have a certain team comp that your allies want to pull off and you have a champion that you are comfortable with that isn’t as popular as some others, but will work in this given situation, then pull it out and just play it!

There are so many aspects of the game you can learn about from watching pro players battle it out. A lot of different things factor into a team’s success, and League of Legends is a lot more complex than people know. Streams and tournaments provide a wealth of information that can help you with your game and realize what is needed to succeed and win, so, play, watch and win!