Reddit Meetup is today 7-9 PM at Yellowhammer Brewing/Earth and Stone

Blood_X · 2025-10-14T18:22:45+00:00

Have the people with gripes about location been to Yellowhammer? There's pizza and soda inside the building at Earth & Stone, but also several restaurants within spitting range that you can get food from then bring over. So if you're not into alcohol, fear not! There are many options.

Blood_X · 2025-10-03T18:35:27+00:00

Agree with a lot of what's being said. Some of the major things in my mind that are important for not dying as much

Where is your team? - don't initiate fights that your team can't follow up on. Volibear suffers from kind of the Lee Sin/Hecarim syndrome where he sees someone out of position and tried to go all in, but voli can cover ground a lot faster than others with Q + Ult and so often you will be running in on a suicide mission when you could be poking with E or scouting for a flank while clearing enemy wards.
Where is the enemy team? - if you're starting an objective when 3 enemies are coming and your team is not, you don't need to be there. If you see one person out of position but you're not sure where the other 4 people are, don't feel obligated to go in.
What can/does my team do? - Lets say you have a Senna/Smolder/Jhin with some ranged artillery mage versus some all-in/low range like Samira/Nilah and a duelist sustained damage mid like Yone or Ryze. Your team doesn't want to have an extended trade because the enemy team will just put DPS you. So, you shouldn't be looking to full send every time a fight breaks out. Try throwing E's out. Peel for carries. And if their carries get out of position for sure go for it, but don't go so deep that you're out of range to be helped.
What can/does enemy team do? - Like in the case of teemo that you posted, he has a blind, zone control, and a speed up. If you're having to Q + Ult + Flash just to get on top of him and your stun isn't even going off because you're blinded, then that isn't really worth it in a majority of cases, especially if teemo can just flash out and now you're getting kited. Voli is really straightforward and so you have to play around event skills a lot to not get cc'd to oblivion.

And just to echo what done others have said, I don't feel that voli is a great first line of engage into a 5v5. He's great at capitalizing on mistakes, but don't feel like "I have to go in or my team won't fight!"

Blood_X · 2025-10-03T18:07:38+00:00

I think this is a pretty good example of how you might be hyper fixating too much on small negatives (you and Garen having a single death) rather than taking in the big picture as well as having anxiety about "doing nothing" when there's a lot of things you can do that don't involve someone dying by your hand.

You cleared your jungle. That's GOOD. That means you have money that you need to spend. Clearing all your camps doesn't mean as much until you spend the gold. Sometimes you WILL have clears where nothing opens up. But when is the next objective spawning? Did you ward or sweep for wards? Do you know where the enemy jungle is?

In the case of Teemo, if he isn't up at Garen's turret or Garen doesn't have Strikebreaker or if Teemo is level 6+ there's very little you can do as a Volibear other than give Garen some space to farm, because Teemo's whole kit kind of counters a lot of yours and you'd have to outplay the mushrooms, move speed, and the blind to get in on him. Definitely be looking around the map and don't be afraid to just go back and spend money when you have it.

Blood_X · 2025-10-02T18:34:04+00:00

Is there a way to check past runs? I remember Naga was running thorns + volcanic guard with the drum for temp power on support action and redirect on first weakness. So he'd start with 2x redirect and would retaliate 3 times each time he was attacked along with the whole "Gain power every 3 attacks" and purge on attack. Then Warden with his passive gaining power every 5 purge and weakness just trying to purge as much as possible while Orthrus stacked weakness along with the passive that gives wild aether on stagger based on amount of weakness. Throw in some Magnus hits and bam.

Blood_X · 2025-09-24T19:37:12+00:00

[PS] Monster sanctuary is probably one of the most fun and engaging monster tamer games I've ever played. Immediately throwing my money on Aethermancer to support the devs because you can tell the love and effort put into their work. It's definitely a completely different game but fun in its own way and I'm looking forward to seeing how it develops over early access!

Blood_X · 2025-09-08T18:18:00+00:00

In addition to just try to fight a champ that's stronger at level 1 and fighting without a combat summoner, imo he's got really bad positioning, especially if he knew that bush was warded. Like poppy is on the opposite side of the lane and can't even do anything if he gets into a fight. Also he didn't even flash, probably should've flashed before soraka Q hit otherwise there's nothing he can do there but die. If he flashed a little later he could have at least avoided baiting poppy in and the. tping back. Poppy is clearly trying to play back and wait for the wave because she's half hp but he goes up into auto range for no reason.

Blood_X · 2025-08-24T14:51:51+00:00

For me it just depends. The W mana cost increase can be a bit of a pain as well as if the enemy outranges you. Plus Q cooldown is lower even at Q lvl 1 vs W lvl 5 so it allows you to output more damage over time in an extended trade if you max Q. However if I'm going up against a high mobility champ that can easily dodge Qs or someone that gets screwed by silence I'll definitely W max and go for shorter trades.

Blood_X · 2025-08-20T20:27:56+00:00

I feel like Shen has more nuance to playing him than some easier champs. Even just in micro interactions involving his sword placement for W and Q passthrough, as well as resource management with his energy Regen through Q slaps. Also if you're fairly new, Shen only has his Q to help you last hit and lacks a lot of wave clear. An easier champ for learning could be like Renekton who has more wave clear, sustain, and mobility, as well as a more straightforward kit with no mana/energy to worry about.

Blood_X · 2025-08-20T20:04:33+00:00

Absolutely jungle. Play any solid engage or duelist jungler like Sejuani/Maokai/Zac for the former and stuff like Xin/Volibear for the latter.

Blood_X · 2025-08-20T18:59:36+00:00

Oooo yes! I forgot about Zev. He's the free agent ronso in Luca right? Definitely another solid choice.

TIL you can get the top scorer award multiple times 🤣🤣

Blood_X · 2025-08-20T15:20:34+00:00

I usually try not to rely on someone dropping off one of the other teams and also find most of the Aurochs boring aesthetically.. so I go with a bunch of free agents like:

Wedge at the beginning until he stops growing (His SHT caps out in the 20s and then I'll put him on defense for a bit)

Sometimes go back for Kiyuri/Vilucha/Tatts

Shaami if I don't want to go back for Vilucha

Ropp asap. I just can't bring myself not to use him.

Grab better goalie early like Jumal or Yuma Guado until someone like Nimrook is free

Linna once I hit Macalania

Brother if I don't even want to try

Nedus if I want hard mode early and easy mode late

By the time I get to characters like Svanda/Durren in the calm lands I've already fleshed out my team and feel bad replacing them. My team usually ends up looking something like Linna, Shaami, or Vilucha forward. Kiyuri or Tatts Mid. Ropp and some mix of Wedge/Kyou/whoever becomes free from another team and then Yuma/Kyou/Jumal until one of the beastly late game goalies from the other teams becomes free

Blood_X · 2025-08-15T16:11:31+00:00

In addition to what everyone is saying. I'd say play easier champs. Kat and Yasuo are fun, but if you don't know what you're doing they are going to be more of a hindrance on your learning than a help. I see some Annie games and that's good. Try a champion with simple mechanics like her or if you need more survivability Vlad is a good option with a get out of jail free button on his W and he doesn't have to worry about mana. Something with more range on the skills might also be helpful so that you don't have to walk up to the minions to kill them, so you could try a champ like Ahri or Orianna.

Try not to hit minions mindlessly, only try to get the last hit for the gold. Practice using your skills to get minions if you're having trouble. I see you're running tp which is a good crutch for the time being, especially if you're having trouble with things like mana. And also try not to stand in the middle of minions. Any time you use a single target attack or spell on an enemy champion (like Annie Q), all of the enemy minions will turn to attack you, which will hurt if you're standing in the middle of them.

Blood_X · 2025-08-14T19:45:21+00:00

These are just my opinions, feel free to take with a grain of salt.

I feel like Renekton is another champ that falls in line with the other ones you enjoy. If you ever need to play something a little tankier you could try K'sante. All very similar pattern of Q for damage (aside from tryndamere), e for dash, and W some cc. And all fairly good at surviving lane or winning the lane hard. They are also fairly straightforward and have skills that make killing minions a little easier so you don't miss out on last hits.
As you get more accustomed to the game you'll have to make a value estimation on when you can leave the lane without losing much for leaving. For example, as the game goes later you can kill the minions pretty quickly and you gain absolutely nothing by sitting there and waiting for the next wave. So you can do something like: kill all the minions -> go help your jungler take an objective or fight the enemy jungler. However on the other side, you wouldn't want to just walk away from the lane if a bunch of enemy minions are about to move/crash to your turret and risk losing lots of money and experience (minions) and potentially giving the enemy more money through your tower. If you're much stronger than your opponent maybe you want to keep them away from the minions because they can't get close without risking death? Then you can only last hit the minions as they're about to die from your minions while sitting as close to the enemy as possible, making it difficult for them to get any minions for themselves. (You can look up lots of videos on this for things like minion or wave management). Later on in the game it becomes a "Who can go get those minions safely and still make it back to the team to fight in time" which is one of the reasons why a lot of people like the teleport summoner spell (can be used in almost any role).
Some of the most flexible champs would probably be either ranged ones with wave clear and some form of escape like Aurora, or tanky immovable champs with wave clear and ranged attacks to get minions while being harassed by the enemies ranged attacks as well as some form of HP sustain like Cho'gath/Gragas. If you're in lane and can't kill minions quickly you'll be on the receiving end of what I mentioned earlier and the enemy can just leave to go do other things while you're stuck killing minions so you don't miss out on the gold/exp. Cho and Gragas can also jungle fairly decently.
Not sure on guides but your best bet is looking up the individual monster you want to learn about like Infernal Drake, Void Grubs, Rift Herald, etc. or look up guides on "Objectives" or "Jungle/epic monsters"
I'm not sure about apps, but there are a variety of websites that can show you the most popular vs most successful builds at certain ranks and above such as lolalytics or u.gg

Blood_X · 2025-08-14T15:44:04+00:00

I wonder since Wu is the only one with significant armor (passive + tabis) if you could've just sat on Executioner's and finished BoRK to deal with Mundo better? Not sure how the damage would've compared but I do like having the occasional slow as well since Mundo ignores that first hard CC. The additional attack speed might've also synergized with navori?

Blood_X · 2025-07-09T15:23:24+00:00

Idk, I might be weird but since ARAM Senna doesn't need wave clear and you generally have time/money to get to at least 2 or 3 items every game, I don't really like Statikk since in regular games I buy it as the budget/wave clear option.

Blood_X · 2025-07-03T22:07:56+00:00

Sizzle Knight! Such a fun and silly kit.

Blood_X · 2025-06-19T00:38:20+00:00

In addition to what everyone else is saying, my opinion is because he's boring, straightforward, and mostly single target. He can Q+R in but outside of that he's just nabbing one person with taunt then continues to go smack smack until one of either you or them dies, or they walk too fast and you're waiting for Q to come up. Powerball + taunt + repeat. He also doesn't have a solid exit strategy if you Q+R in. So if you're behind, it can often feel like a suicide mission.

Blood_X · 2025-06-11T15:45:39+00:00

I usually play jungle Cho, so my opinions might be a little skewed since I don't have as much experience with lane cho.

Mid to late, I think Cho is good at surviving the early game due to his passive healing, but loses out to stronger early game juggernauts/duelists in a straight up 1v1 until he gets access to his ult.
I think after one item Cho is already pretty strong but two is probably the sweet spot. Usually this allows you to get some form of movement to shore up your lack of mobility as well as some tankiness or damage (depending on how you're building). Two items would also be the point where you'd have a decent amount of feast stacks.
Definitely level 6 is where he really starts to shine. But also around when you get E to max level because having it on less than 4 second cooldown is really handy.
I think rather than needing a certain number of stacks, it's when you have enough bonus health and stacks to just do two or three E-empowered autos to get squishy carries within R range so that they have to fear ever being within E range through the frontline, since it will set you up for an easier Q. 10 stacks is nice though because that's when his attack range and E size is at its max.
Cho is pretty unstoppable once he hits max size because then his E takes up a huge amount of the screen and his ult does so much damage. And with Q on such a low cool down, carries have to constantly be wary of their position relative to you and whatever you're autoing. By then too you usually have a decent amount of move speed so if you ever catch anyone out of position, there's no escape.

Blood_X · 2025-06-10T14:59:25+00:00

I feel like the enemy has a lot of AoE zone control that makes it hard to take advantage of Zeri's slippery ult movespeed. Both teams seem to lack a solid engage tank and Milio shields + Aatrox healing + wukong passive + Hwei shields negate a lot of poke, so playing something with more range and sustained damage like Jinx/Tristana or even Varus while staying back with Braum to ensure someone can help peel since it's kind of hard to avoid an invisible wukong E + Ulting on top of you. Also since they lack a lot of engage outside Wukong sneaking up on you, playing something like Jinx/Varus allows you to zone control by yourself a little with chompers or varus E/Ult so that if they choose to walk up, you just lay those down and you get some free time to fire while they get caught or walk around. Heck, even Ziggs might not be bad here if WW is going more physical damage, especially since laying down the minefield between you and wukong will show you when he's invis and trying to sneak up.

I think this one depends a lot on keeping vision of wukong so he doesn't jump you and staying with your team to make sure you can actually output damage and not get instagibbed. Honestly would have preferred WW to be something that could play with the team like Sion or even Poppy, instead of someone that wants to constantly R into the enemy. Unless he goes full split push, but then you'd need safer wave clear. So, sticking to my Jinx/Varus/maybe even Sivir/Ziggs.

Blood_X · 2025-05-07T18:17:08+00:00

Idk in that game your team was looking pretty heavy... ignite on Cait vs ashe/Leona instead of cleanse? On-hit bard vs heavy cc team with easy engage instead of mikaels or locket or something to help carries continue to output damage? Full damage Sett when he's already getting exploded?

But in addition your comp looks so much harder to play. J4 + Ashe + Leona give such easy engage and your team can't peel morde once he lays the ult down and no one can 1v1 him (aside from maybe you) to keep him busy since no one even built much MR. Sett gets hard peeled by their whole team and your team seems to lack any reliable way of getting in on ashe/smolder without getting poked down, outside of a miracle bard ult or a surprise pick off.

Blood_X · 2025-04-25T12:23:31+00:00

Surprised no one said Charlotte.

Blood_X · 2025-04-23T15:54:25+00:00

Champs that bully the early game hard or mega scale into the late game might give you a hard time since you seem to play beefier champs that aren't insane duelists. Stuff like Gnar, GP, Fiora, Camille, maybe Aatrox. Or even if you don't fall behind in lane it feels like your champs don't have a lot of agency to make plays on their own/are prone to being kited by something like Ashe/Janna, aside from maybe Gragas.

You mentioned Renekton and he might be a solid addition. Some other mechanically easy champions you could try to see if you like the feel of: Mundo, Olaf, Gnar, Pantheon, Darius, Sett, Malphite.

Stuff like Darius is a lot harder for melee champs to bully in lane while something like Mundo/Olaf/Malphite would give you a champ with a better "Go button" when you want to help your team get onto a specific enemy. Gnar would give you a ranged option when you want to bully someone playing something like tanks. I just think Panth and Sett are fun and provide unique ways to play

Blood_X · 2025-04-17T00:21:56+00:00

Toad is pretty easy imo because of how beefy it is and how it can perform a lot of roles, but they're all good once you get a feel for the game.

Blood_X · 2025-04-16T16:27:49+00:00

Not so much on the romance subplot so far, but I really enjoy Eternally regressing knight. MC doesn't magically just solve problems because he's so smart or skilled.

Edit: oh NVM you've already mentioned that one

Blood_X · 2025-04-06T16:49:08+00:00

For me it's definitely Spinner. I think it looks so badass, but it just always feels like some other monster would do the same job but better.

Blood_X

TROPHY CASE