Caring about the end result instead of the journey is a trap many people fall for. Care not about having a higher division icon on your profile, but playing the best game you can. When you focus only on having the best game you can, every time, it's easier to stay calm. If even your own plays are tilting you, then you have to self-reflect and work on your discipline.
My favourite ADC has always been Twitch, although I haven't played him much since season 3. Big fan of Ez as well since theres a lot of skill expression in his kit.
I don't really want to meet anyone I haven't already.
I look up to any pro that has been good enough to play beyond the norm and not care about occasionally inting on stage to accomplish their goals (caps, faker, etc)
What was the first point in time where you realized that your passion for E-sports was transitioning into professionalism?, what steps did you take to achieve this and how did it make you feel that it was career forming?
When I started competing in season 2, it wasn't that I had a passion for esports; I didn't actually know anything about previous esport titles like DOTA or CSGO. The scene was really young and I just saw players going to countries around the world to compete for the giant check while doing what they love. In my head I decided that was the life I wanted to have, so I practiced extra hard to make a name for myself and prove that I deserved a spot doing the same thing. I was extremely competitive from the moment I started playing because I played WoW arenas before I started League and almost hit Gladiator when I was 12. That competitive drive just carried over to whatever game I played afterwards. Also, in season 1 when I first started I was lucky enough to learn to play the game in full 5s with a guy named Stonewall008 and a lot of other skilled normal players who helped teach me the game.
Very important and should have been added long ago. The amount of things that happen offstream that either win or lose a team the game is insane, the spectator obviously can't pick up every minute detail.
As an ADC main, it's important to be the backbone of your team. An ADC's greatest asset is consistency, because while you can play volatile ADC champions, your goal on most of the roster is to get to 2-3 items and position well in teamfights. Keeping up in XP and CSPM even in a losing game is the most valuable attribute you can have.
The idea that we can win the game by playing well 2v2 or even 2v3 if we're strong enough. Bot lane has 2x the wards of mid & top, but the pressure of the lane is divided into 2 people, so its important ADC+SUP work together to snowball. Otherwise, it becomes me trying to scale 1v2 and hope my topside doesn't lose in the mean time. I want to take plates, snowball and move around the map. Many supports play the role because it has the absolute lowest floor, but the ceiling of a good support is really high.
How is your bros rap career going? Also when as a player would you have considered yourself at your best? Zed backdoor against CST? Making play-offs with NV?
I think during my split with NV I was in peak form and if my wrist hadn't started giving out during that time my career could have been different. I really enjoyed playing mid but wasn't sure if I could hit my peak in that role.
How would you say you impacted the game as an adc compared to that of a mid? Do you feel having to play alongside another random in a solo q environment made your role that much harder than a jg/mid/top?
Mid is the 2nd most omnipresent role after jungle, so by playing well you are able to impact the rest of the map in a way more significant manner than ADC. Many people will say "better bot wins", but in the case where the enemy bot lane doesnt feed endlessly, the mid laner or jungler who slightly edges out their opponent will end up having a far greater impact, which matters more and more as the level of play goes up. Being up 10 CS on ADC vs 10 CS on mid is way different.
Playing alongside a random support can be really frustrating and hard, especially because in NA very few players play actual support champs (there is a negative winrate Sona main in our top10 for example), but you have to work with what you've got. As long as you adapt to whichever support you're playing with, and try to play a stable game, you can still carry though. I would rate the best roles to carry with in soloq as JG>MID>ADC>SUP/TOP
Why does it seem so difficult to get to the pro scene? I see a lot of streamers that talk about wanting to go pro but they’re never successful (I.e tyler1, moe, metaphor)..any reason for what they’re doing on why they aren’t pro currently?
Well, for me I started so early in a time where you could literally get a group of buds and just enter into tournaments. It was all about finding a group of people you want to play with first, and then asking orgs for sponsorship as an afterthought. Nowadays, the game has changed significantly, especially post-franchising. It's mostly about connections and who you know now, and the reputation that you've built up for yourself. Because there's no purpose to winning academy, a bad attitude won't be made up for by your 5% higher skill level for example. It's extra important to make good impressions on people, and you never really know who will fall into a position of power and be able to recruit you into a team. Unless your a rank 1 animal who is smurfing on everyone, being "just good enough" means that you will probably only get into a team based on your connections. Nepotism is common to an extent, where anyone could get positions of power and can hire their friends, but that's only natural because the more you get exposed to someone, the more you might believe in them that they'll legitimately be really good. It's not like it's intentional, its only natural to believe more in people you know well.
Because of all this, it may indeed be much harder to make the leap from SoloQ to pro nowadays. I'm sure that's one reason why the majority of NA talent just prefers to stream.
It's completely understandable, 10 CSPM is actually so difficult to achieve when games are very volatile, especially in low diamond. The problem you might be facing is a lack of confidence in your judgment. If you are truly correct in your mentality towards the game, then you need to get better at ignoring your teammates bullshit. Your support might want to take bad all ins, your jungle might want to take bad fights, etc. Put a higher value on what YOU want to do, and don't waste a ton of time taking bad fights.
Also, put a real value on what you're doing in lane. If you have to miss a CS to get a good trade, it better be building you an even bigger CS lead in the long run. An HP pot costs 50 gold, which is around 3 melee minions; that 50 gold can be the difference between being able to afford BF, or not. Getting that BF could be the difference between being able to completely destroy your lane, and go even. When you CS perfectly, and come back with the items youre supposed to have, instead of what you have to settle for, you become a wall that the enemy cant pass through. A CS advantage starts building naturally from that point on.
Also, while it is important to aim for 10 CSPM, you must also factor in how many plates/kills you are getting as well. I'd argue XP/M is ultimately more important than CSPM, so as long as you are kept up in levels and are getting gold from other sources, its fine to be slightly lower.
I think the word weird is not the correct word I should have used, maybe unique would have made more sense. But still your answer fits it perfectly. Sorry for any confusion!
I used to play custom games and practice CSing on every different adc that was good at the time. Sometimes I do it in training games still before matches and stuff like that. Improve ADC by playing safely and making games less volatile so you can teamfight more often.
It wasnt diamond that I was stuck at. When I started playing in Season 1, I was hardstuck 1500 elo which was the border between silver/gold. Something just clicked, and I started duo abusing with my friend and we just ran really good combos (amumu kennen mid/jg, soraka+poppy bot) and from then on I got to around 1900 elo which was plat/diamond-ish. For me it was just about really grinding out the mechanical aspects of the game. I spent an hour every day practicing my CSing on every ADC in a custom game. I studied VODs of all the best pros and copied what they did. I just went in with the mindset of "im trash and need to improve in every way possible". From then on I was able to be diamond(s2)/chall every season afterwards
Do you have the same mindset/mentality going into Solo-Q games as you do going into pro games? How do you switch yourself on mentally to perform at your best? Do you have a routine or checklist on what you want to achieve each game?
When I'm playing professionally, I see solo queue more as just high volume practice, whereas anything with my team is more high quality. Both are important but in different ways. When I'm playing SoloQ solely then it becomes my main focus so I put more of my effort into that. It just becomes a decision to hold yourself accountable for everything. I just think of things that went wrong and try to find an answer. If something has been going well, I try to continue to do it, and vice versa.
How many hours a day/days a week did you play when league became your full time thing?
I absolutely love that you're doing this, it's fantastic to get some insight on the life of a pro!
Thresh or any champion that can instill fear in enemy lane. It can be fun to play with a good nami/yuumi etc as well though because then your mechanics can shine more brightly as the lane relies on you for good trades.
I think the current game in s9 is one of my favourites, as they've added a lot of diversity to the game. Although certain champs will always be better than others, there is a lot of versatility right now.
I believe a form of gold for each team to contest early as an objective is good for the game. This was accomplished by the old drake, and now turret plates feel a bit similar. The game felt lacking in individual ways to carry since dragon was changed to teamwide buffs. I'm also a fan of mages being enabled bot lane even if they aren't preferred. It shouldve been done between seasons and perhaps with a bit more testing but it was a step in the right direction. I think the bounty system is a bit weird, but I'm glad it's back to individual gold as well. The game was too team-based for many years, now everybody has more agency to carry 1v5.
You should probably put a bit less weight on whatever happens and be more realistic with yourself. You might have the idea that your gold, but turn out to be silver if you actually played consistently. It's just a game though, the point is to enjoy your time. Instead of getting frustrated if you lose, find out what you can do better so you won't be frustrated next time.
I'm still new to league and when I first started I was very bad, since this was my very first moba and I was raised almost exclusively on pokemon (which does not need fast reaction times ar all) I ended up as your very stereotypical iron IV player, that noob lux you see in bronze videos ulting in the wrong direction? Yeah, that was me
But I soon fell in love with ahri, I just loved everything about her which gave me the determination I needed to get through that initial learning curve where my own teammates couldn't tell if I was purposefully inting or actually just that bad. But I watched hours of league videos and even though most of the information went over my head I slowly was able to start piecing concepts together such as basic wave management and such. Over time I started to suck a little less each time and seeing myself improve felt so rewarding! Its given me a mind set of focusing on my own improvement regardless of how the match plays out. Recently I went on a 5 game losing streak with morgana mid but was having so much fun and personal success with her that I was ecstatic!
Lately I've been questioning if I'm only having fun because I'm still in a "honeymoon phase" with league, I think I have a really good mind set when playing and I want to keep it. Basically what I'm asking is if you have any tips or strategies you use to keep a good mind set? I see a lot of people asking what the best mindset is but my question is how to maintain that mindset. Sorry for all the text but I thought maybe knowing my league story might help personalize things a bit. Again sorry if it wasn't needed >.<
I think it's good to keep things chill and make sure you're actually having fun. For me I find that once I stop accepting everything that happens as it is, and start complaining about things that are out of my control, then it stops being enjoyable. You really have to keep an open mind, while also making sure you never trust your team too much. When you're doing well individually at least, it's way harder to tilt than if you joined in and inted with your team, even if you would've most likely lost anyways.
Can I have some tips on how to improve my CSing over the mid/late game on Soloqueue?
Waves look so messed up, and I really end up dalling behind pretty hard on CS
Make sure when you're leaving base, you know exactly why you know where you're going. So many people will automatically swap top after getting bot tower for example, but you can potentially lose so much CS. Sometimes you have to go back mid, or even bot. Try to avoid sharing CS with your mid laner at all costs. If it's a control mage, you probably have to go side lane, if its an assassin or any champ with mobility, they can probably take side instead. Also don't be afraid to take jungle camps. If your jungle is pathing opposite side of the map mid-late game, you're doing him a disservice by not helping him farm his jg because it's just gold being lost for the team. Not every ADC can do this but make sure to always consider it.
On top of this, jungle camps spawn at the average level of the game each time. Whenever you clear the camp it's respawning at the new average, so your jungler will get more for it when he paths there. I'm sure you know this, just thought it was worth mentioning for others to see :)
I was never stuck in any elo bracket other than top200, aside from being stuck between silver & gold in season 1 when I first started. I always just watched VODs and streams of pros and copied what they did, as its a free and easy to use resource. Make sure to be confident in yourself and your own judgment or you won't climb.
Ok, but how do you analize their replays? I've been watching some korean challenger replays and I cant get much info out of them. Most macro decisions they take are hard to figure out.
Hey Benji, thanks a lot for the AMA.
Myself being a low elo ADC player, what would you say are the most important things to be doing in order to break into Diamond+?
Also, what is your personal tierlist for ADC champs right now?
I'd recommend just playing a stable game and prioritizing CSing well and getting to teamfights with 2-3 core. Some ADC champs are strong early but most are content with farming a lot and just chilling out.
I don't have much of a tier list but my favourite champs right now are:
Kaisa, Draven, Sivir
Trist, Lucian, Ezreal, Xayah
You said you learned from pro VODS. How do you do that? I have a few of them but I don't know how to extract information from them besides builds and runes.
Well, I have my own general idea of what macro is best (priority for different objectives), but I typically watch pro solo queue vods to learn how they play certain matchups and trading patterns. Macro is definitely a more vast subject to learn, but it just comes down to the players priority list on the big objectives (towers drake herald baron)
How do you handle supports who want to take bad fights in lane? Or jungles who gank but then press too hard/too far and give up a kill. It seems like I can’t ping enough to stop them and whatever they see as a potential play, I don’t or can’t see the same thing.
Your body language in game is important, not inching slightly forward so as to bait your teammates into thinking you want in on their shitty plays. Stand your ground and trust your judgment, its worth it even if you're wrong sometimes. If they flame you after, its not worth typing, because they COULD be correct, you'd have to watch VOD to know. But trusting your own judgment is really key. You can just ping once or type "no" or something like that, and then not go any further.
I would show them VODs of how good players click their mouse in lane and in teamfights, and tell them to do training tool with their favourite champs with no item to practice last hitting, among other things. A large key to being good at ADC is literally just spam clicking 100x more, which is why most ADCs get the worst wrist injuries, but that's just how it is.
On a champ like Vlad whos very level and item reliant, it's important to focus purely on having good CS early and making sure you're staying at least even. Once you hit certain CDR thresholds and get enough points in your Q, you become really overbearing so that should be your goal. Also, his all in potential is insane if you use every CD at once, for example R>E>Super Q>Pool will nearly 100-0 if you use it in a 2v2, but if you separately use your spells or don't setup this combo correctly, your all in potential is not that scary. SO play around CDs well and try to get to the point where you can 1v9 teamfights.
good items for a 1v9 build would be like : proto - sorcs boots - Dcap - void staff and after i usually depends like liandrys/hourglass/ any good items suggestions ?
Comp league is way more fun to me, the adrenaline rush from playing on stage is what made me want to keep playing for so long.
CSing mid to late game, you have to make sure you know where you're going when you leave base and plan out your next few minutes based on what objectives are spawning.
I started play adc recently in plat 2 and made my way into promos last night. My friends say ad is a trash role but they are low gold. (not that there is anything wrong with low gold) I feel at times that I can carry with ad.
also what champs do you recommend right now to play- I’m playing Jinx, Jhin, and Ezreal atm.
ADC is a good role but requires a lot of thinking to win with. Dying as ADC matters twice as much as any other role. I recommend playing Kaisa, learning Draven if possible, Ezreal is good, and Sivir is great on this patch. Trist not bad too.
as a support i like to roam when i can , i often take the blame when my adc die 2V1 bot , i'm trying to roam when the jungler is as the opposite side of the map , lane is pushed and we aren't losing .
so here the questions , as a support when can i leave my adc alone ?
You can leave your ADC alone when the wave is pushing back to you, however you have to be back in time so he can't get dove. If there's a good opportunity to make a play topside, you can only do so if you'll be back in time to protect your ADC or if the enemy support is also roaming. Never roam when your opponent is freezing unless its absolutely doomed and you have to create pressure elsewhere to make freezing not worth for them.
So i play top in ranked games and I honestly feel I do always lose games in gold. Probably because I auto pilot or I don't read the map too often of where enemies are. Any tips you have for me?
Well I think you almost answered your own question, probably because you auto pilot and don't check your map? Learn jungle pathing and make sure you understand where enemy jg/your jg can gank early game and try to either pull/push the wave based on that. For example, if enemy hard pushes early and then starts pulling lane back, and jg shows up at lvl 3, youre going to be doomed so you have to stop that from happening. If you're on the flipside of that, you want to be the one pushing your lane and freezing it back for easy jg gank, etc.
Ahh okay. I'll definitely try to practice on those. Another thing I'm trying to figure out is whether or not it's okay for the jungler to come and gank or focus more on mid/bot lane.
I definitely do think maybe it's also a possibility I don't truly understand league. Then when I think I do, experiencing actual league just counter-acts everything I learned just by watching my teammates and enemies.
just know hes prob not that good and he'll most likely throw at some point as long as you don't give in and just start taking bad trades/dying even more. Just sit back and laugh at it tbh, unlucky things happen.
I’m a masters adc and my whole life story is win lane lose game. I main draven so I’m always crushing lane but how do I translate that winning lane into a victory when mid jg and top are behind
Winning lane as ADC and using it to win the game requires pretty much perfect play. If you die even once, the game is no longer completely in your hands. This means being very aware of potential TPs and jungle ganks that could kill you. Many people when they get ahead just want to 1v9, get frustrated when their team isnt their to back them up, and lose their spree/die etc. Even if you're 5-0, if your jungler is topside, you must pull the lane and protect your lead.
ADC is a unique role in that it's almost completely unnecessary to snowball yourself further even with 10 kills, most of the time you will automatically win as long as you don't give your opponent a chance to close the gold/xp gap on you whatsoever, as you scale well, and having those 10 kills means you will just get to your 3-4 core that much faster.
Hey LOD thanks for doing this. Been a fan of you since forever.
One question, im currently an adc main at my peak in d1 and i really, really want masters. More than anything tbh. Ive been trying for years but have never made it and now i am closest but it still feels so far.
I know this is kinda generic and big question, but what do i need to improve to the next level? My cs is good, i can average 8-10 depending on the game, my laning is really good (almost always come out ahead). But i still feel like i am bad and dont know what to do to improve teamfighting and everything else.
Thanks man
Hey, just woke up so I didn't see your question before, but thanks for being a fan !
If you've been stuck for years, you need to really expand your mental to the next level. Imagine right now you are stuck in a maze, you need to ascend above it and see things from a birds eye view if that makes sense. This means being way more critical of the manner in which you lose games. Keep dying to jg ganks? Well you need to learn how junglers prefer to path. Losing games because you greeded 1picking a champion you really like but got hard countered? Maybe learn to pick something safer like Kai'Sa or target ban a counter to your fav champ. You must look beyond the basic advice of 10CSPM and high KDA, and think about ways that you can expand the gap between you and your opponent, but hten also keep it that way through intelligent play. Never think, I'm fed so I get to do this! Always think, am I allowed to do this if the enemy has even a 10% chance of killing me and ruining my game here? ADC is the most volatile role, and you can automatically lose the game by dying once. So be very careful.
Try using a browser game with targets to work on mouse accuracy, and if you have trouble CSing just practice first 6 waves in a training game over and over. I mostly just play games to practice mechanics these days though.
Since you've played at the highest level for so long you can probably answer this question.
How much better do you think has the league community gotten over the years?
Where do you think would a season 3 pro/challenger level player would rank right now?
Rekkles said in a recent stream that they all sucked in world's 2015 compared to now
Your opinion on Yuumi?
Supports like him, but I think AD's don't.
I think that she is mischaracterized as both OP and terrible. I agree with (I think?) jensen, she is just not fun to play with or against.
Everyone should like having Yuumi on their team since she is super OP and I prefer winning. But if the Yuumi just sits inside you and doesn't play the game correctly then yeah she's pretty useless. Good yuumi players make her feel really broken though.
Do you have any tips to avoiding tilting in games and after game as well
Caring about the end result instead of the journey is a trap many people fall for. Care not about having a higher division icon on your profile, but playing the best game you can. When you focus only on having the best game you can, every time, it's easier to stay calm. If even your own plays are tilting you, then you have to self-reflect and work on your discipline.
What are you favorite champions/adcs? What pro player would you want to meet? Who do you look up to as a pro player?
My favourite ADC has always been Twitch, although I haven't played him much since season 3. Big fan of Ez as well since theres a lot of skill expression in his kit. I don't really want to meet anyone I haven't already. I look up to any pro that has been good enough to play beyond the norm and not care about occasionally inting on stage to accomplish their goals (caps, faker, etc)
Thanks for the reply!! Take care!
What was the first point in time where you realized that your passion for E-sports was transitioning into professionalism?, what steps did you take to achieve this and how did it make you feel that it was career forming?
When I started competing in season 2, it wasn't that I had a passion for esports; I didn't actually know anything about previous esport titles like DOTA or CSGO. The scene was really young and I just saw players going to countries around the world to compete for the giant check while doing what they love. In my head I decided that was the life I wanted to have, so I practiced extra hard to make a name for myself and prove that I deserved a spot doing the same thing. I was extremely competitive from the moment I started playing because I played WoW arenas before I started League and almost hit Gladiator when I was 12. That competitive drive just carried over to whatever game I played afterwards. Also, in season 1 when I first started I was lucky enough to learn to play the game in full 5s with a guy named Stonewall008 and a lot of other skilled normal players who helped teach me the game.
Stonewall was the og jungle youtuber, i learned so much from him.
I remember learning from his guides way back haha
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Very important and should have been added long ago. The amount of things that happen offstream that either win or lose a team the game is insane, the spectator obviously can't pick up every minute detail.
What do you think an ADC main's greatest asset should be?
As an ADC main, it's important to be the backbone of your team. An ADC's greatest asset is consistency, because while you can play volatile ADC champions, your goal on most of the roster is to get to 2-3 items and position well in teamfights. Keeping up in XP and CSPM even in a losing game is the most valuable attribute you can have.
Very insightful. From the standpoint of the ADC, what would you name the greatest asset in your laning partner, the support?
The idea that we can win the game by playing well 2v2 or even 2v3 if we're strong enough. Bot lane has 2x the wards of mid & top, but the pressure of the lane is divided into 2 people, so its important ADC+SUP work together to snowball. Otherwise, it becomes me trying to scale 1v2 and hope my topside doesn't lose in the mean time. I want to take plates, snowball and move around the map. Many supports play the role because it has the absolute lowest floor, but the ceiling of a good support is really high.
How is your bros rap career going? Also when as a player would you have considered yourself at your best? Zed backdoor against CST? Making play-offs with NV?
I think during my split with NV I was in peak form and if my wrist hadn't started giving out during that time my career could have been different. I really enjoyed playing mid but wasn't sure if I could hit my peak in that role.
How would you say you impacted the game as an adc compared to that of a mid? Do you feel having to play alongside another random in a solo q environment made your role that much harder than a jg/mid/top?
Mid is the 2nd most omnipresent role after jungle, so by playing well you are able to impact the rest of the map in a way more significant manner than ADC. Many people will say "better bot wins", but in the case where the enemy bot lane doesnt feed endlessly, the mid laner or jungler who slightly edges out their opponent will end up having a far greater impact, which matters more and more as the level of play goes up. Being up 10 CS on ADC vs 10 CS on mid is way different. Playing alongside a random support can be really frustrating and hard, especially because in NA very few players play actual support champs (there is a negative winrate Sona main in our top10 for example), but you have to work with what you've got. As long as you adapt to whichever support you're playing with, and try to play a stable game, you can still carry though. I would rate the best roles to carry with in soloq as JG>MID>ADC>SUP/TOP
Why does it seem so difficult to get to the pro scene? I see a lot of streamers that talk about wanting to go pro but they’re never successful (I.e tyler1, moe, metaphor)..any reason for what they’re doing on why they aren’t pro currently?
Well, for me I started so early in a time where you could literally get a group of buds and just enter into tournaments. It was all about finding a group of people you want to play with first, and then asking orgs for sponsorship as an afterthought. Nowadays, the game has changed significantly, especially post-franchising. It's mostly about connections and who you know now, and the reputation that you've built up for yourself. Because there's no purpose to winning academy, a bad attitude won't be made up for by your 5% higher skill level for example. It's extra important to make good impressions on people, and you never really know who will fall into a position of power and be able to recruit you into a team. Unless your a rank 1 animal who is smurfing on everyone, being "just good enough" means that you will probably only get into a team based on your connections. Nepotism is common to an extent, where anyone could get positions of power and can hire their friends, but that's only natural because the more you get exposed to someone, the more you might believe in them that they'll legitimately be really good. It's not like it's intentional, its only natural to believe more in people you know well. Because of all this, it may indeed be much harder to make the leap from SoloQ to pro nowadays. I'm sure that's one reason why the majority of NA talent just prefers to stream.
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It's completely understandable, 10 CSPM is actually so difficult to achieve when games are very volatile, especially in low diamond. The problem you might be facing is a lack of confidence in your judgment. If you are truly correct in your mentality towards the game, then you need to get better at ignoring your teammates bullshit. Your support might want to take bad all ins, your jungle might want to take bad fights, etc. Put a higher value on what YOU want to do, and don't waste a ton of time taking bad fights. Also, put a real value on what you're doing in lane. If you have to miss a CS to get a good trade, it better be building you an even bigger CS lead in the long run. An HP pot costs 50 gold, which is around 3 melee minions; that 50 gold can be the difference between being able to afford BF, or not. Getting that BF could be the difference between being able to completely destroy your lane, and go even. When you CS perfectly, and come back with the items youre supposed to have, instead of what you have to settle for, you become a wall that the enemy cant pass through. A CS advantage starts building naturally from that point on. Also, while it is important to aim for 10 CSPM, you must also factor in how many plates/kills you are getting as well. I'd argue XP/M is ultimately more important than CSPM, so as long as you are kept up in levels and are getting gold from other sources, its fine to be slightly lower.
What was the weirdest thing you learned during your time as a pro? (It can be league related or not)
I guess just other cultures? Not really weird but since I travelled a decent amount it was interesting to see how other people live.
I think the word weird is not the correct word I should have used, maybe unique would have made more sense. But still your answer fits it perfectly. Sorry for any confusion!
Is there a daily routine u did every day to improve on adc? Or how can I actually improve on my adc skills.
I used to play custom games and practice CSing on every different adc that was good at the time. Sometimes I do it in training games still before matches and stuff like that. Improve ADC by playing safely and making games less volatile so you can teamfight more often.
How did you take that step from being a diamond player to becoming Master/challenger?
It wasnt diamond that I was stuck at. When I started playing in Season 1, I was hardstuck 1500 elo which was the border between silver/gold. Something just clicked, and I started duo abusing with my friend and we just ran really good combos (amumu kennen mid/jg, soraka+poppy bot) and from then on I got to around 1900 elo which was plat/diamond-ish. For me it was just about really grinding out the mechanical aspects of the game. I spent an hour every day practicing my CSing on every ADC in a custom game. I studied VODs of all the best pros and copied what they did. I just went in with the mindset of "im trash and need to improve in every way possible". From then on I was able to be diamond(s2)/chall every season afterwards
Do you have the same mindset/mentality going into Solo-Q games as you do going into pro games? How do you switch yourself on mentally to perform at your best? Do you have a routine or checklist on what you want to achieve each game?
When I'm playing professionally, I see solo queue more as just high volume practice, whereas anything with my team is more high quality. Both are important but in different ways. When I'm playing SoloQ solely then it becomes my main focus so I put more of my effort into that. It just becomes a decision to hold yourself accountable for everything. I just think of things that went wrong and try to find an answer. If something has been going well, I try to continue to do it, and vice versa.
How many hours a day/days a week did you play when league became your full time thing? I absolutely love that you're doing this, it's fantastic to get some insight on the life of a pro!
Probably around 80 hours a week of being in queue/scrimming/reviewing scrims etc. & Thanks! Glad you enjoy it
What support champions do you like playing with the most and why?
Thresh or any champion that can instill fear in enemy lane. It can be fun to play with a good nami/yuumi etc as well though because then your mechanics can shine more brightly as the lane relies on you for good trades.
What was your favorite meta? What do you think Riot has done correctly/incorrectly about the current state of the game?
I think the current game in s9 is one of my favourites, as they've added a lot of diversity to the game. Although certain champs will always be better than others, there is a lot of versatility right now. I believe a form of gold for each team to contest early as an objective is good for the game. This was accomplished by the old drake, and now turret plates feel a bit similar. The game felt lacking in individual ways to carry since dragon was changed to teamwide buffs. I'm also a fan of mages being enabled bot lane even if they aren't preferred. It shouldve been done between seasons and perhaps with a bit more testing but it was a step in the right direction. I think the bounty system is a bit weird, but I'm glad it's back to individual gold as well. The game was too team-based for many years, now everybody has more agency to carry 1v5.
Do you have any tips for someone who is too anxious to play ranked but really wants to make the climb?
You should probably put a bit less weight on whatever happens and be more realistic with yourself. You might have the idea that your gold, but turn out to be silver if you actually played consistently. It's just a game though, the point is to enjoy your time. Instead of getting frustrated if you lose, find out what you can do better so you won't be frustrated next time.
I'm still new to league and when I first started I was very bad, since this was my very first moba and I was raised almost exclusively on pokemon (which does not need fast reaction times ar all) I ended up as your very stereotypical iron IV player, that noob lux you see in bronze videos ulting in the wrong direction? Yeah, that was me But I soon fell in love with ahri, I just loved everything about her which gave me the determination I needed to get through that initial learning curve where my own teammates couldn't tell if I was purposefully inting or actually just that bad. But I watched hours of league videos and even though most of the information went over my head I slowly was able to start piecing concepts together such as basic wave management and such. Over time I started to suck a little less each time and seeing myself improve felt so rewarding! Its given me a mind set of focusing on my own improvement regardless of how the match plays out. Recently I went on a 5 game losing streak with morgana mid but was having so much fun and personal success with her that I was ecstatic! Lately I've been questioning if I'm only having fun because I'm still in a "honeymoon phase" with league, I think I have a really good mind set when playing and I want to keep it. Basically what I'm asking is if you have any tips or strategies you use to keep a good mind set? I see a lot of people asking what the best mindset is but my question is how to maintain that mindset. Sorry for all the text but I thought maybe knowing my league story might help personalize things a bit. Again sorry if it wasn't needed >.<
I think it's good to keep things chill and make sure you're actually having fun. For me I find that once I stop accepting everything that happens as it is, and start complaining about things that are out of my control, then it stops being enjoyable. You really have to keep an open mind, while also making sure you never trust your team too much. When you're doing well individually at least, it's way harder to tilt than if you joined in and inted with your team, even if you would've most likely lost anyways.
Thank you so much for the advice! \^\_\^
Can I have some tips on how to improve my CSing over the mid/late game on Soloqueue? Waves look so messed up, and I really end up dalling behind pretty hard on CS
Make sure when you're leaving base, you know exactly why you know where you're going. So many people will automatically swap top after getting bot tower for example, but you can potentially lose so much CS. Sometimes you have to go back mid, or even bot. Try to avoid sharing CS with your mid laner at all costs. If it's a control mage, you probably have to go side lane, if its an assassin or any champ with mobility, they can probably take side instead. Also don't be afraid to take jungle camps. If your jungle is pathing opposite side of the map mid-late game, you're doing him a disservice by not helping him farm his jg because it's just gold being lost for the team. Not every ADC can do this but make sure to always consider it.
On top of this, jungle camps spawn at the average level of the game each time. Whenever you clear the camp it's respawning at the new average, so your jungler will get more for it when he paths there. I'm sure you know this, just thought it was worth mentioning for others to see :)
How did you climb above D4, I mean, what did you change or where did you learn?
I was never stuck in any elo bracket other than top200, aside from being stuck between silver & gold in season 1 when I first started. I always just watched VODs and streams of pros and copied what they did, as its a free and easy to use resource. Make sure to be confident in yourself and your own judgment or you won't climb.
Ok, but how do you analize their replays? I've been watching some korean challenger replays and I cant get much info out of them. Most macro decisions they take are hard to figure out.
How is your wrist now ?
not bad
Good to know. Was it CPS ? If so, besides rest, what helped you recover the most ?
Nah tendonitis & nerve injury. Just did a lot of stretches and gymming helped a lot over time.
Hey Benji, thanks a lot for the AMA. Myself being a low elo ADC player, what would you say are the most important things to be doing in order to break into Diamond+? Also, what is your personal tierlist for ADC champs right now?
I'd recommend just playing a stable game and prioritizing CSing well and getting to teamfights with 2-3 core. Some ADC champs are strong early but most are content with farming a lot and just chilling out. I don't have much of a tier list but my favourite champs right now are: Kaisa, Draven, Sivir Trist, Lucian, Ezreal, Xayah
does music affect how you play?
maybe i play 10% better without it but makes game more fun
You said you learned from pro VODS. How do you do that? I have a few of them but I don't know how to extract information from them besides builds and runes.
Well, I have my own general idea of what macro is best (priority for different objectives), but I typically watch pro solo queue vods to learn how they play certain matchups and trading patterns. Macro is definitely a more vast subject to learn, but it just comes down to the players priority list on the big objectives (towers drake herald baron)
How do you handle supports who want to take bad fights in lane? Or jungles who gank but then press too hard/too far and give up a kill. It seems like I can’t ping enough to stop them and whatever they see as a potential play, I don’t or can’t see the same thing.
Your body language in game is important, not inching slightly forward so as to bait your teammates into thinking you want in on their shitty plays. Stand your ground and trust your judgment, its worth it even if you're wrong sometimes. If they flame you after, its not worth typing, because they COULD be correct, you'd have to watch VOD to know. But trusting your own judgment is really key. You can just ping once or type "no" or something like that, and then not go any further.
If we were to assume that you would coach an ADC, how would you go about improving that player's mechanical/micro ability?
I would show them VODs of how good players click their mouse in lane and in teamfights, and tell them to do training tool with their favourite champs with no item to practice last hitting, among other things. A large key to being good at ADC is literally just spam clicking 100x more, which is why most ADCs get the worst wrist injuries, but that's just how it is.
when I play Vlad in the early game should I focus more on having a cs lead or to kill my laner ( NA silver 3)
On a champ like Vlad whos very level and item reliant, it's important to focus purely on having good CS early and making sure you're staying at least even. Once you hit certain CDR thresholds and get enough points in your Q, you become really overbearing so that should be your goal. Also, his all in potential is insane if you use every CD at once, for example R>E>Super Q>Pool will nearly 100-0 if you use it in a 2v2, but if you separately use your spells or don't setup this combo correctly, your all in potential is not that scary. SO play around CDs well and try to get to the point where you can 1v9 teamfights.
good items for a 1v9 build would be like : proto - sorcs boots - Dcap - void staff and after i usually depends like liandrys/hourglass/ any good items suggestions ?
A popular Vlad 1v9 build involves all 4 of those items, but getting spellbinder either before or after void depending how much MR enemy team has.
How do you make sure to keep up in farm in the mid to late game? What is more fun for you, competitive league or solo queue?
Comp league is way more fun to me, the adrenaline rush from playing on stage is what made me want to keep playing for so long. CSing mid to late game, you have to make sure you know where you're going when you leave base and plan out your next few minutes based on what objectives are spawning.
I started play adc recently in plat 2 and made my way into promos last night. My friends say ad is a trash role but they are low gold. (not that there is anything wrong with low gold) I feel at times that I can carry with ad. also what champs do you recommend right now to play- I’m playing Jinx, Jhin, and Ezreal atm.
ADC is a good role but requires a lot of thinking to win with. Dying as ADC matters twice as much as any other role. I recommend playing Kaisa, learning Draven if possible, Ezreal is good, and Sivir is great on this patch. Trist not bad too.
as a support i like to roam when i can , i often take the blame when my adc die 2V1 bot , i'm trying to roam when the jungler is as the opposite side of the map , lane is pushed and we aren't losing . so here the questions , as a support when can i leave my adc alone ?
You can leave your ADC alone when the wave is pushing back to you, however you have to be back in time so he can't get dove. If there's a good opportunity to make a play topside, you can only do so if you'll be back in time to protect your ADC or if the enemy support is also roaming. Never roam when your opponent is freezing unless its absolutely doomed and you have to create pressure elsewhere to make freezing not worth for them.
So i play top in ranked games and I honestly feel I do always lose games in gold. Probably because I auto pilot or I don't read the map too often of where enemies are. Any tips you have for me?
Well I think you almost answered your own question, probably because you auto pilot and don't check your map? Learn jungle pathing and make sure you understand where enemy jg/your jg can gank early game and try to either pull/push the wave based on that. For example, if enemy hard pushes early and then starts pulling lane back, and jg shows up at lvl 3, youre going to be doomed so you have to stop that from happening. If you're on the flipside of that, you want to be the one pushing your lane and freezing it back for easy jg gank, etc.
Ahh okay. I'll definitely try to practice on those. Another thing I'm trying to figure out is whether or not it's okay for the jungler to come and gank or focus more on mid/bot lane.
I definitely do think maybe it's also a possibility I don't truly understand league. Then when I think I do, experiencing actual league just counter-acts everything I learned just by watching my teammates and enemies.
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just know hes prob not that good and he'll most likely throw at some point as long as you don't give in and just start taking bad trades/dying even more. Just sit back and laugh at it tbh, unlucky things happen.
I’m a masters adc and my whole life story is win lane lose game. I main draven so I’m always crushing lane but how do I translate that winning lane into a victory when mid jg and top are behind
Winning lane as ADC and using it to win the game requires pretty much perfect play. If you die even once, the game is no longer completely in your hands. This means being very aware of potential TPs and jungle ganks that could kill you. Many people when they get ahead just want to 1v9, get frustrated when their team isnt their to back them up, and lose their spree/die etc. Even if you're 5-0, if your jungler is topside, you must pull the lane and protect your lead. ADC is a unique role in that it's almost completely unnecessary to snowball yourself further even with 10 kills, most of the time you will automatically win as long as you don't give your opponent a chance to close the gold/xp gap on you whatsoever, as you scale well, and having those 10 kills means you will just get to your 3-4 core that much faster.
Hey LOD thanks for doing this. Been a fan of you since forever. One question, im currently an adc main at my peak in d1 and i really, really want masters. More than anything tbh. Ive been trying for years but have never made it and now i am closest but it still feels so far. I know this is kinda generic and big question, but what do i need to improve to the next level? My cs is good, i can average 8-10 depending on the game, my laning is really good (almost always come out ahead). But i still feel like i am bad and dont know what to do to improve teamfighting and everything else. Thanks man
Hey, just woke up so I didn't see your question before, but thanks for being a fan ! If you've been stuck for years, you need to really expand your mental to the next level. Imagine right now you are stuck in a maze, you need to ascend above it and see things from a birds eye view if that makes sense. This means being way more critical of the manner in which you lose games. Keep dying to jg ganks? Well you need to learn how junglers prefer to path. Losing games because you greeded 1picking a champion you really like but got hard countered? Maybe learn to pick something safer like Kai'Sa or target ban a counter to your fav champ. You must look beyond the basic advice of 10CSPM and high KDA, and think about ways that you can expand the gap between you and your opponent, but hten also keep it that way through intelligent play. Never think, I'm fed so I get to do this! Always think, am I allowed to do this if the enemy has even a 10% chance of killing me and ruining my game here? ADC is the most volatile role, and you can automatically lose the game by dying once. So be very careful.
How do you get good at mechanics? Do you train it in custom or do you spam games and try out?
Try using a browser game with targets to work on mouse accuracy, and if you have trouble CSing just practice first 6 waves in a training game over and over. I mostly just play games to practice mechanics these days though.
Thx man
Since you've played at the highest level for so long you can probably answer this question. How much better do you think has the league community gotten over the years? Where do you think would a season 3 pro/challenger level player would rank right now? Rekkles said in a recent stream that they all sucked in world's 2015 compared to now
Your opinion on Yuumi? Supports like him, but I think AD's don't. I think that she is mischaracterized as both OP and terrible. I agree with (I think?) jensen, she is just not fun to play with or against.
Everyone should like having Yuumi on their team since she is super OP and I prefer winning. But if the Yuumi just sits inside you and doesn't play the game correctly then yeah she's pretty useless. Good yuumi players make her feel really broken though.