What Matters Most in the Early Game of League of Legends

Mastering the Early Game

1. Farming Efficiency: The Gold and XP Foundation

Farming is the cornerstone of early game success. Securing last hits on minions ensures you gather gold for core items and maintain level parity with your opponents.

• Why It Matters: Falling behind in farm leads to a weaker mid-game presence.
• Key Tips:some text
  • Learn to Farm Under Tower: For melee minions, let the turret hit twice before last-hitting. For ranged minions, auto-attack once before and once after the turret shot.
  • Avoid Unnecessary Abilities: Use abilities sparingly to conserve mana unless they help secure multiple last hits.

‍

2. Jungle Pathing and Influence

The jungler’s role in the early game is pivotal. Their presence can secure early leads for lanes and control critical objectives like Scuttle Crabs, Dragon, and Rift Herald.

• Optimal Pathing: Adapt your jungle route based on the enemy jungler’s likely starting position. For example, a bottom-side start suggests they’ll gank top or mid early.
• Successful Ganks: Coordinate with laners to secure kills. Prioritize high-impact lanes like bot lane to maximize map pressure.

‍

3. Vision Control: Seeing is Winning

Vision dictates whether your team can avoid ganks and make aggressive plays.

• Warding Essentials:some text
  • River Entrances: Place wards in river brushes to track enemy movements.
  • Counter-Warding: Use Control Wards to deny the enemy team vision in key areas like Dragon Pit or Baron Pit.
• Effective Usage: Avoid warding alone; bring a teammate for safety when placing deep vision.

‍

4. Wave Management: Controlling the Lane

Wave manipulation is critical for creating advantageous situations in lane.

• Freezing the Wave: Keep the wave near your turret if you are weaker or need to avoid ganks.
• Shoving the Wave: Push waves when you want to recall or force your opponent to miss farm under turret.
• Avoiding Mistakes:some text
  • Don’t overextend when you lack vision of the enemy jungler.
  • Don’t auto-attack the wave unless you have a clear goal in mind.

‍

5. Champion Power Spikes

Understanding your champion’s strengths at different points can help you decide when to play aggressively or defensively.

• Level 6 Power Spikes: Champions like Zed, Malphite, or Amumu become significantly stronger with their ultimates. Use these opportunities to engage or gank.
• First Item Timing: For champions like Ezreal or Syndra, hitting an early item power spike (e.g., Manamune or Lost Chapter) can swing trades in your favor.

‍

Bonus Tips for a Strong Early Game

1. Track the Enemy Jungler: Use your team’s vision and jungle spawn timings to predict their movements.
2. Communicate Effectively: Ping danger when an enemy goes missing or you spot the jungler.
3. Adapt to Matchups: If you’re playing a weaker early-game champion, focus on surviving and scaling rather than trading aggressively.
4. Objective Awareness: Prioritize Scuttle Crabs and early Dragons for team-wide benefits.

‍

Conclusion

Mastering the early game is a skill that rewards players with better control over the match. By focusing on efficient farming, strategic vision control, effective jungle influence, and understanding power spikes, you can set the stage for mid and late-game success. Make every early game decision count, and watch your win rate climb!

‍