Ban Picks in Competitive League of Legends

Introduction

This article is a viewer's guide to the bans & picks, where I try to explain the logic behind the champion and set a general framework for how to ban. HotshotGG has famously said that 90% of the game is won in champion select, as much of a team's play-style and teamfight potential hinges upon the champions they get to play.

Several things I will need to say first to lower your expectations. First, you won't be able to call out ban picks like a caster just by reading this article, you need to scout the teams individually, there is simply no way around that. Second, this is not an article that talks about team comps(though I do touch upon the issue to illustrate ban picks), it is an article that tries to show the intentions behind the pick and bans of a team, and shows the general thought process of today's ban picks.

NOTE:

Currently working with different Blog sites, this is an insurance policy for me.

Lanning Set-Ups: WE in Season 3 (3/3)

Scouting Report: WE in StarsWar League Season 2

Current Roster: Weixiao(AD), Misaya(AP), Caomei(Top), ClearLove(Jungle), Fzzf(Support)

WE boasts one of strongest carry lineups known to LoL, with Misaya(mid as well as play-caller) and Wexiao at the top of their positions, and Caomei showing massive improvements from last year. Only TPA has a comparable line-up of laners that can win games solely through lanning. They manage minion waves very well, and have good coordination which is where I believe they are ahead of most pro teams. So far in Season 3 they have only dropped one game to iG's unconventional bruiser duo lane.

Many perceive of WE as a five man team, but they themselves always refer to themselves as a six man team, with "Aaron" as a strategist behind the scenes. He has been seen hitting Caomei on the head when he plays bad, and acts as a statistician and routine enforcer as well. His job includes setting exercises, watching foreign streams and scouring forums for interesting posts(reddit?). As scara has recently pointed out, a well prepped team will easily defeat a one that comes unprepared. Having the infrastructure for dedicated scouting will be one of the most crucial factors for any of the teams going forward. If the NA teams of LCS wish to have a fighting chance in Season 3 they will need this type of logistics.

Lanning Set-Ups: Typology (2/3)

Part II:Lane Set-Ups

A. Cross Lanes

This is when Blue Side sends their duo to bot lane and Red Side sends theirs to Top Lane. This is basically the new standard of play, and most games will see this set-up.

Lanning Set-Ups: Introduction (1/3)

Part I:Introduction

This article is meant to give the community in general better tools to think about lane set-ups, and understand how the game is played accordingly. I have two goals in this article:

1. Set Terminology
2. Discuss Lanning Set-Ups


 A basic problem facing theory-crafters and players alike is a lack of terminology to describe what teams are using as their lane set-ups. Therefore I have set-up four segments to describe common lanning set-ups and have given them each a title. Here is diagram of each of the starts I will be talking about through this article:

Cross Lanes                                   Mirrored Lanes

 

Reverse Lanes                            Standard EU Lanes

The Science Behind Lvl 1 Strats and Openings (5/5)

I. Observations on what TPA does in their openings

1. Group as 5:

In all 9 games TPA groups after leaving fountain. As I mentioned previously if you 5 man steal something against a team that is split, you will usually come out ahead a smite on your Jungler, which can either facilitates another steal or prevent one.

2. Put a Wraith Ward:

Taipei Assassins always goes for this ward, without exception. This Ward has been described by casters as the “Throat of the Jungler”. Note that the Ward position discussed here is actually referring to two Wards at once, one the Ward which is placed directly in front of Wraiths, and second the Ward that is placed inside the Wraith Brush. Teams prefer the later one, however due to the extra possibility of being assaulted when approaching this bush, the former one is the more commonly placed.

Finals: TPA vs AZF (4/5)

S2WC Finals Round

TPA vs. AZF: Game 1

The Players:

AzubuFrost: Shy(Top), CloudTemplar(JG), RapidStar(Mid), Woong(ADC), MadLife(Sup)

Taipei Assassins: Stanley(Top), Lil_ballz(JG), Toyz(Mid), Bebe(ADC), Mistake(Sup)

Semi-Finals: TPA vs. M5 (3/5)

S2WC: Semi-Final Round

TPA vs. M5: Game 1

The players:

M5: Darien(Top), Diamondprox(JG), Alex Ich(Mid), Genja(ADC),

Taipei Assassins: Stanley(Top), Lil_ballz(JG), Toyz(Mid), Bebe(ADC), Mistake(Sup)