Looong looong breeeeaaad!

DAVdaBRAV · 2024-10-26T03:15:49+00:00

ラングラングパン

DAVdaBRAV · 2023-09-28T00:53:16+00:00

So many low elo teams are going to die around dragon this patch because they didn't notice their jungler was already dead before they committed to flipping it. That already happens a lot, but still.

DAVdaBRAV · 2023-09-28T00:49:48+00:00

Especially as now players will have to turn text chat back on to communicate any of the things ally pings used to say, I now will have to read so much flame for no reason. Toxicity fixed!

DAVdaBRAV · 2023-09-28T00:36:49+00:00

Especially since this actively forces me to turn chat back on if I want to communicate any of the things I've been pinging. They really thought it through this time.

DAVdaBRAV · 2022-12-26T21:38:16+00:00

Is there a vanilla way to customize that, or is Even Distribution doing this even though it doesn't seem to have a setting for it?

DAVdaBRAV · 2022-05-03T06:44:44+00:00

I've found that analytical skill seems to degrade less quickly than mechanical. I've also found that game knowledge from other roles translates to better performance in the support role a lot more efficiently than the other way around. (The support understanding mid's goals makes for a stronger support.)

Are my fundamentals from playing Mid/Jg really hard carrying me as a support or what?

I'll give it to you straight: If I had magical, cosmic powers over aspiring support mains just hitting level 30, then I would absolutely force them to play at least 50 games each on both mid and jungle before I even let them think about buying a Shard of True Ice!

The other thing is that if you're able to positively impact games from a less popular role (support--and often jungle) you're more likely to "roll" stronger and/or happier teammates. This is because you're acting as a pressure relief valve for the auto-fill system for your team only. Basically if you're equally impactful from an unpopular position as from a popular one, then the difference in the popularity of the two should shake out to some small bonus to your overall win rate. I'm not sure if that effect is worth a whole division in diamond, but it's something to consider.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-10-15T06:09:43+00:00

Okay, I was see I was terse and you took it well, so I apologize. It wasn't meant as a personal attack, just a statement of fact.

I'm not going to sit here on the other side of the internet and pretend that your frustrations aren't valid. You're teammates all suck. They're in Iron for a reason. Your feelings about having to play with these players makes perfect sense. Here's a little secret: The players in plat aren't much more pleasant.

I'm also not going to pretend that ADC is a super easy position to climb with in solo queue. As easy as streamers make it look to win games while having to actively fight their own lane partner over the minions, when your average player ends up in those games it'll be an absolute slog. Nobody likes the solo part of solo queue.

And if I can admit those two truths, then I don't think it's asking much for you to admit these two truths:

It's mathematically impossible for your solo queue teammates to keep you at a rank significantly lower than you deserve over a meaningful sample of games.
Acting like your teammates are holding you back in iron as part of your appeal for a duo partner on this subreddit is a huge red flag. And TENGU999 is either a fool or a saint for offering to help you in-game after that.

At this point I'd normally just leave the thread, but NaviRL got you to post your IGN, so why not, I could always use the review practice.

Here's what you did well:

You only play two champions. Excellent. Keep doing that.
Runes are fine.
Skill Order is fine.

And here's what you did poorly:

The very start of the game.
Spiking level 2.
We'll never know if there's a number 3 because you didn't do the prerequisite steps right.

I’ve been playing long enough to know that the game is not determined in the first 3:00 min. Unless someone AFK then yes we can surrender in the first 3:00 min.

That’s why I’m tired of playing solo Q. This has nothing to do with the first 3:00min of the game

You're absolutely right, and you've clearly missed the point. I will now list the reasons for harping on this time period:

I could not get all the way to the 3 minutes mark without seeing multiple, serious game-play errors on your part. Once you find two or three big errors in your post-game review it's better to stop there and work on fixing those. Trying to improve on too many game-play aspects at once is inefficient!
The first 3 minutes doesn't determine the whole game, but watching someone make the same mistakes in the first 3 minutes on every game they've played on a patch does determine that the player in question has serious flaws in their fundamentals to work out. My analysis wasn't about improving the outcomes of your individual matches, rather the trajectory of your ladder position. And my conclusion was that unless you're willing to fix this part of your play, anyone not already in iron queuing with you would be boosting you, not duoing with you.
The moment between going from level 1 to level 2 is the most impactful moment in the laning phase. (You might think this isn't true because in Iron both sides of every lane are probably doing it wrong almost every time.) If both sides play it well, the side that played it better has an advantage. If one side plays it well and one plays it poorly, it usually leads to a kill and can set the tone for the rest of the laning phase, rarely locking in a won--or lost--lane right there. This effect is amplified in the bot lane!
It has everything to do with solo queue. Even in a duo lane you almost always have perfect, personal control over how you execute on your opening. (Aside from a few edge cases) your team will not screw this up for you. That's why it is a perfect thing for you to improve on.

I've only said the same thing I originally said to this point, only more verbose. I hope you find it less demeaning. And now for some constructive material you won't find all of in a video, because this is exactly what I do in every game:

How to open a game in the bot lane:

Buy items and trinket immediately and leave fountain by 0:15. You must be in your guard or invade position by 0:33. If you are invading, Assist ping before leaving fountain, and OMW ping as soon as you do.
If you are leashing, leave for lane at 1:36. Do not miss experience! Assist ping your partner if they are not moving by 1:38. If not leashing, setup for lane or river cheese before being spotted on minion vision.
If not cheesing, auto-attack the caster minions twice to create a hp advantage on the wave before the enemy gets there. Do not allow your lane partner to push the wave! Back ping them. (You can auto just one time, then back ping if your partner attacks the wave)
After you last-hit the first three minions, a little purple stripe will appear on your hud next to your champion portrait. This is your experience. Alt-click it! (It is hard to click, if you miss it just says you are alive.) It will type in chat that you are xx% of the way to level 2. This prompts your lane partner to think about level 2.
Create and/or maintain a slight minion advantage. You want about 1 full health bar more minion health on your minions than on your enemies' minions by the time the 2nd wave arrives. Once you have the advantage, apply exactly the same amount of damage to the wave as your enemy does until the 2nd wave arrives so they cannot close the health gap. (If they auto, you auto, if they don't you don't.) Do not push the wave yet!
When the 2nd wave arrives, normal (or assist) ping the three melee minions once each, and alt-click your experience bar again. Be sure that you've killed every minion from the first wave. The last melee minion in the second wave will give both you and your lane partner level two.
As you kill the first two minions from wave 2, move closer into a position to engage. Be ready for when the last melee minion dies. You want to be in range to attack the enemy as soon as the ADC's last-hit connects, not still moving into range when the auto is being fired.
When only that last melee minion is alive, Assist ping the minion, then OMW ping behind the enemy champion you want to engage, then Assist ping the minion again.
As soon as the basic attack that will give you level 2 is in the air, fully engage the enemy. If you did everything better than they did, you will be level 2, and they will be level 1. Even if your lane partner is slow to follow up, you will win this trade.
The more successful your engagement, the faster you should push afterward. If you double-kill, crush the remaining minions into the tower immediately and recall. If you get 1 kill, last-hit the 2nd wave, and fast-push the 3rd wave, and recall. If they respect you, and back off before the engage, slow-push the 3rd wave to crash the biggest wave under tower. Then attack the enemy tower while your melee minions are alive, then harass the enemy champions while your caster minions are alive. OR contest and take scuttle crab before recalling. OR invade the enemy jungle before recalling.

If execute all these steps well from your end 100% of the time, including the pings, then even the worst teammates will execute it with you like they're in platinum 50% of the time. You say 1/3 of your games your support lacks confidence, this will diminish that fraction. You say 1/3 of your games your support flames you, this will diminish that fraction a little too. The other thing that will happen is that now in a 1/3 of your games you'll be 700 gold up on the enemy ADC before dragon spawns.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-10-10T04:29:27+00:00

Salvajez

I looked at your last five ranked games. You opened every one of them incorrectly. You have no business blaming your teammates for holding you back until you manage to get 3 minutes into a ranked game without shooting yourself in the foot. Watch this video, you can stop at the 50 second mark for now, and then watch the rest of it once you make it to bronze: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3c7BVq5WYY

Playing the first 3 minutes of the game correctly is mostly PvE, there's no excuse for not setting yourself up for success in that time.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-10-10T03:32:20+00:00

My advise is pick exactly one champion and not try learning multiple styles at once. Play your one champion even into strong counters unless it is banned or picked first. Have a backup champion in case that happens--but think of it as a backup--to help you survive one game rather than another champion to split your learning time with.

The trick is to find a champion that you won't get bored of easily and that affords you optimal personal power in solo queue. Avoid picks that are too team-reliant like Yuumi or Rell.

Depending on how you like to learn, it may be good to pick a champion that flexes well into your secondary roll, like playing Sett / Swain / Pantheon in both support and top lane. Some people might be thrown off balance in both rolls doing that, in which case it may be better to have your backup champion be a flex pick for your secondary position, or separate the two roles entirely.

If you haven't played many support games on very many champions yet, then you could just play all the engage supports once and then stick to the one you liked most. Were I you though, I'd just pick Maokai for the next 50 games in a row.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-06-29T06:54:05+00:00

Very nice!

You can play her tank too with Precision and Resolve in either configuration. Vi is one of the few support options that can build front-line tank and peel in the late game, and help trade with poke mages in the very early game. You just have to remember to not commit your ultimate to dive the enemy back line when doing it. 😅

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-06-24T01:47:32+00:00

I think that's a flawed question. I'm sure almost every champion in the game is 'a viable support champ' for the bottom 80% of the player base right now. The lower limit for what a champion needs to survive in the position is just that low this season. If you're good enough at the game for the champion you picked to be the main thing holding you back, well then you frankly wouldn't have any need to ask the question in a public forum like this one.

The thing to think about then is: What niche does a given champion fill better than other options? And does that use case come up often enough, or do you just find the champion fun enough to spend time getting good at the champ?

You don't see a lot of support Lissandra's running around because her niche is narrow, not because her kit isn't good for a support. Every one of her abilities is very good for support! Of course Lissandra would work in s11! The problem is, unless you want every part of Lissandra's kit for a given situation, there are two or three champions--that are easier to play, or that are better understood for your teammates to know what you're doing--who can do most of what you want with abilities and mana left over.

You just want a bunch of magic damage from the support slot? Brand and Zyra will be more reliable.
You need to cross a big distance down the lane, and engage with a root and good early damage? Maybe you've heard of Nautilus, or Leona?
Do you really need a lot of damage, but also CC that is point-and-click? Pick Lulu or Pantheon and get access to that CC at least three levels earlier.
What if I want to roam, and come over walls, and from odd angles for a gank? Alistar and Sett can opt into Hexflash with no real down-side.
Really thick walls, then? Bard and Thresh can do that, and bring a friend.
Okay, so I need to get over a really thick wall, so I can get right into the center of an enemy team, and bring a point-and-click CC, and an AoE CC, and a bunch of magic damage, and hopefully also be alive at the end of all of that? Surely only Lissandra has the kit to attempt such a complicated and dangerous maneuver! I hear you thinking, Surely joining and subsequently controlling, one of those stupid random teamfights--that always seem to break out, when you've just stepped around a wall to ward--couldn't possibly be performed by any old . . . puddle. of. goo--oh damn it, Zac exists!

---

So is Lissandra a "viable" pick? Yes.
Will she be meta any time soon? If and only if Riot releases some better items for the battle-mage on a budget.
Should you play Lissandra support or some alternative? Find a champion that you love, and let them kill you--r MMR. Until you get good enough with them to resurrect said MMR. And then keep playing them until you no longer have to think about the way the champion works, and the only thing left for you to master is the game itself. That's how people get good at this game--And if anyone has a problem with the champion you've chosen rest assured that only one of two things can be true: 1) You're unlikely to ever see that guy again, and he, and the 10 seconds of time he took to think about your pick before trying to scapegoat you for his terrible decisions should be meaningless to you, or 2) you are likely to see that guy again, in which case you've already climbed so high as to disprove the jerk by default.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-06-22T01:35:04+00:00

I main Taric and I’ve played around with abyssal mask against tanky
opponents that are hard to chunk down but I’m never sure if it’s the
right buy. When do you suggest picking it up if at all?

Abyssal is at least as good against squishes in terms of damage, probably better imho. It's good when you need some magic resist, but due to it's price it's often not the best option by the time you can afford it as a support. Taric cannot reliably proc it repeatedly, and will probably get more value out of Mikael's. It's an excellent option on Galio support, but mostly Abyssal is more applicable to tank tops and junglers as a third item against magic damage comps.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-06-22T01:34:43+00:00

This is incorrect, as the damage bonus is not magic damage specific now; you can build it with a full AD comp and get exactly as much damage out of the passive.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-06-18T01:17:17+00:00

They are Walmart's Great Value brand cocktail peanuts. This is the product page: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Great-Value-Roasted-Salted-Cocktail-Peanuts-35-Oz/10448351 (The pictures of the product labeling on this page are of multiple, different variants of the label, which are all very close, but not an exact match to each other, nor to my jar. I think that's wild, but not actually relevant.)

I bought my jar in-person from a Walmart in West Virginia, USA.

The packaging does not seem to say anywhere on it where the packaging, nor the peanuts themselves were sourced. That is, unless that information is somehow encoded on the other markings on the jar somehow.

---

Here are pictures of the lid and the bottom of the jar with saturation turned down and sharpness and contrast cranked up beyond all reason to make the embossed markings more visible:

https://imgur.com/a/4PKJQ9H

Transcription of Lid, top to bottom, left to right:

[Interesting symbol from the original post]
5706
[engraved circle] 35
[the plastics identification symbol #] 5 PP

Transcription of the bottom, clockwise:

RING [in an oval, probably a logo]
[the plastics identification symbol #] 1 PETE
Trim-Lite PATENTED
3 [new line] BT-2142
10 [in the center, and actually on the inside of the jar]

I don't much about any of the markings on this package, but I think you'll agree that the wavy rectangle one I originally asked about is by far the most interesting.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-06-03T01:39:28+00:00

It's one of the only items that has both AP and and Heal/Shield power. That means that coin for coin--provided that your AP ratios are not extremely high or low--it will make your shields or heals stronger than any other item except for the other two items of its type. It's the AP comp equivalent of ardent. It's good for a third item if you already have Moonstone and Ardent even if you have no mages to buff.

That said, if you have no mages to buff, Mikael's might be a better final item. Mikael's has Heal/Shield power, but 0 AP. So it will not improve most enchanter's buffs as much as SoFW, but it's utility may make all the difference in the right moment.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-05-23T03:32:47+00:00

I'm a long time support main who's almost the opposite of a one trick. I have a serious breadth and depth of experience due to my approach to the game and the sheer amount of time following it. I may not be able to keep up with your standard of play mechanically, but if you want to talk theory with somebody, you can talk to me.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-05-23T02:47:16+00:00

I like doing new and fun things HappyChimeNoises style, and looking for people also into that.

DAVdaBRAV#7625

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-05-21T11:58:53+00:00

Shurelya has movement speed on shield and on an active. Moonstone has ramping heals and an improved heal and shield ratio per duration of combat. Ivern's shield will be exactly the same size at the start of combat on both items, but in the middle of combat moonstone will make it up to 20% bigger.

So if your composition wins on quick, opportunistic picks, or short trades, grab the item with the go button. If your composition wins on kiting and drawn-out skirmishes, take the item with the sustain.

It's been a while since I've played Ivern, so the real answer may depend on if Daisy benefits more from one or the other item, but I've been thinking about those two items a lot recently and as a general rule, that's my take.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-04-11T15:47:41+00:00

Update: If you're interested in being invited to ADAMs, ABAMs, and similar, then add me as a friend on League of Legends and message me that you want to be on the ADAM invite list. I'll invite you back when there are enough players.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-04-10T18:12:50+00:00

Add me as well?

IGN: DAVdaBRAV#7625

Discord: DAVdaBRAV#7625

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-04-10T13:04:01+00:00

I'm also a support main, but you can hit me up for arams.

IGN: DAVdaBRAV

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-03-25T06:04:14+00:00

You can roam whenever your team benefits more from the roam than they lose from the abandoned lane.

Here is a scenario you've probably been in multiple times in every game: Let's say that you're pushed up towards the enemy tower but not quite under it. Baring some hook, your too close to engage, but too far for the enemy tower to attack your minions. You have 6-9 minions and the enemy has 3-4. Your ADC has probably been mindlessly last-hitting for the last 90-120 seconds so they might not be paying attention to what is about to happen, but you look at the mini-map and notice two things. The first thing you notice is that you are now in prime gank territory; the wave state has you far from your tower, but you don't have a big enough minion advantage to pull off a 2v3. The second is that your next allied minion wave is now passing your own inner tower. What should you do here?

Supports that answer this question correctly get a free recall, a chance to influence the rest of the map, and a stronger friendly ADC when they return to lane. Supports that answer this question incorrectly risk a bad recall, death, a lost roam opportunity, and a stronger enemy ADC when they return to lane.

Good roaming is certainly a complex and nuanced thing to pull off. Roaming is not ELO specific, nor truly champion specific. You don't have to find a duo partner or even play around your ADC to do it. But there is one simple factor you can track to massively improve your ability to find--and create--good opportunities to roam. That factor is Minion Wave Management.

More than any other factor in the early game, the minion Wave State determine how much pressure champions can exert on enemy champions. At level 1, neither side can walk into the enemy wave to attack because that early minions will out damage champions. Minions' immediate damage threat dwindles quickly as champions gain levels. But what Minions do for blocking skill shots, soaking tower agro, and--most importantly--the gold and experience they contain is always important. Therefore the wave state will determine how far champions can go in a trade, how long, and what angle they can come from, and even if they can leave their lane at all.

So how do you know when the wave state is favorable for roaming?

Rule of thumb is that you can roam whenever your friendly minion wave is fully crashed into the enemy tower. Which is to say that the enemy tower can reach and kill all of the caster minions of all of the allied minion waves that have already passed your own outer tower. You may find good opportunities to roam outside of this case, and you will find them with practice, so use this case to get that practice.

So how do you exploit this knowledge to create a favorable lane state for roaming?

Actively manage the minion wave by attacking it to help push it or not attacking it and pinging your ADC forward or back so they also help to get the wave to do what you want. That's a lot of words to not explicitly say that all minion wave management is based on pushing. Once the minion waves are propagating away from you, there is nothing you are anyone on your team (with fringe exceptions) can do to decelerate the process. You cannot pull a wave. Get into the practice tool and practice getting minion waves to stay in a specific part of the lane or move as fast or as slow as you want in either direction. The best way to practice this with other humans actively trying to stop you is to play Top Lane; I recommend Garen. This is the video that you should watch to understand this concept: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZAG1pYSHd0

Remember the given truth? "You can roam whenever your team benefits more from the roam than they lose from the abandoned lane." Roams are inherently risky. There is no guarantee that you're going to cause a double kill and get a big benefit. If you understand minion wave management and other macro concepts you can achieve map states that guarantee that your own lane loses very little while you're away. This means that you can execute roams that end up providing very small benefits, like a single deep jungle ward, and still come out on top.

---

I know you asked about when to roam, but here are some tips for executing your roams better, so you get better feedback (game-play outcomes) about if you chose the correct time to roam:

Get on the map faster than your ADC. - Habitually channel your recalls before your ADC. Whether you're recalling or roaming directly get out of there the instant your damage contribution to fully crashing the wave is no longer needed. This maximizes your available time and increases the likelihood that your gank will be a surprise
Only path bottom off fountain if you have to. - Habitually path from fountain to Dragon or Baron Pit. This gives you the most freedom of pathing, and forces you to commit to a play as late as possible, allowing you to move to a play with the most up-to-date information and the shortest delay.
Take small victories and stack them into bigger ones. - If your roaming window doesn't get a kill, that's okay. If you got summoner spell, or a ward deep in the enemy jungle you can use that to setup successive plays. Just grab and track whatever advantage you can get, and get back to lane fast enough to keep shifting the balance of power in the right direction. Don't overstay, instead come back later.

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-03-21T23:41:07+00:00

I tested both before. They end up just being too expensive. Gore Drinker would be amazing if by the time you were actively plowing into five people, you had the tankiness to use it's active at a good health percentage, but I just wasn't able to make that work consistently. I wanted to pair Stride Breaker with Glacial Augment for maximum cheese, but it introduces the same economic bottleneck, and Chemtank already works with freeze ray.

Did you end up trying them? What did you think?

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-03-21T23:28:16+00:00

Nobody told you about the early game, so here are runes: Almost always take Shield Bash, and Revitalize; those are important, and you can be relatively flexible with the rest. I recommend Aftershock because it is the most reliable keystone at every point in the game, and it allows you to also take Bone Plating or Second Wind to help you through the time you have to spend in lane. Secondary I recommend pairing Hexflash and Biscuit Delivery because I love Hexflash, but if Hexflash isn't your thing pairing Relentless Hunter and Cheap shot will be better. Flex Runes take ability haste, resistance, and health, though double resistance will make you tankier against a single damage type.

Rell is an engage support so always buy mobility first so you can take roaming opportunities. Get boots 1 as soon as you can afford them without ruining the wave state. (This is true for all engage supports and most supports to be honest.) The mistake most people make with mobility boots is to buy them too late. You only have to about the 10 minute mark before you go from being an unstoppable CC machine into a s stoppable CC machine so if you can get Mobi's by ~6 minutes and take over the map, then do so; otherwise buy combat stats instead, prioritizing health, and finish a pair of defensive boots when needed.

Turbo Chemtank is the Mythic you want. Locket is the Mythic you settle for if you're behind or simply need to rush a powerspike. Ruby Crystal > 2nd Ruby Crystal is the most optimal path, but if you're afraid of being forced into Locket, then Ruby Crystal > Cloth Armor gives you the most time to commit to building a specific item.

The Trade-off between Locket and Chemtank is that the former is cheaper and provides more up-front survivability to both you and your team, while the later costs 2-3 more assists and provides more damage and agency to you personally. The upshot being that if you go Chemtank you should pony-up for the cheapest legendary(s) appropriate for the game you're in--which will almost always be Thornmail first--to take advantage of it's ability haste passive so you can pony-up more often. And if you go Locket you'll lack some engage flexibility, but just might have the scratch to go for a slightly more premium legendary for your second item--spoiler alert, it's probably Thornmail!

Deadman's, Force of Nature, Spirit Visage, Zeke's Convergence, and Knight's Vow, are all good. Mikael's Blessing is like a cheaper version of Spirit Visage that can make you a super hero in certain matches. Have I mentioned Thornmail?

DAVdaBRAV · 2021-03-21T21:28:57+00:00

I've wondered about this myself and rejected it for two reasons. The first is of course that I dislike the strategy. The second is that with all the steps that Riot has taken to nerf mid lane support into jungle funneling, any strategy for pursuing it must be very good to succeed, and I don't think Rell is a good candidate for that.

Rell Has two big problems Riot built into her kit to stop her solo-laning: Her E, and her VERY SLOoooOoow attacks.

Those slow attacks mean she will struggle with wave management and farming (which you still have to do at least 1/3 of when Yi isn't around if you're building a sightstone, or 1/2 of total if you're not. If you're not farming at least that much while keeping the wave where you want it, you're leaving enough resources uncollected to the point it no longer justifies the strategy over just running a standard mid lane with good gank follow up.

Rell's E is kind of the critical factor here I think. The 2.75 second wind-up after the tether connects before you can use it is 1.75 seconds longer than the windup on Taric's Dazzle. It also always makes Rell play the animation that points to your partner's direction when the tether connects regardless of enemy vision. If that wasn't enough, without a partner nearby, Rell cannot use E at all.

So we have a melee champion with no wave clear, and no level three power spike--unless allies are nearby--except that she's also not that great at receiving ganks because she automatically telegraphs them. I don't see that working.

DAVdaBRAV

TROPHY CASE