Ideal Rift Herald Usage in Pro Scene

woodvsmurph·8/12/2017, 9:49:09 PM·1 votes·534 views

Remember how rift herald was so busted when it first came out? How it was a guaranteed 1.5 tower - more likely 2 or 3? The pros showed people how to deal with it - because they rotate lanes more and move quickly to objectives as well as better predict when and where pressure will be applied. Now herald is basically half a tower of damage in most pro games. But how can it get more? We simply have to look to the theory of split-pushing 4-1 with baron buff while your team takes an objective elsewhere. Ideally, you want to give your toplaner rift herald. You try to push up with said laner maybe 1 min - 30 sec before an objective like baron or drag spawns on the other side of the map. Once the enemy is shoved in, drop back out of vision and drop herald. This does one of two things. The first possibility is that you can tp into the teamfight around the objective and get a 5v4 for 3+ sec while the enemy toplaner deals with rift herald. The second possibility is that your opponent also tp's to make it a 5v5. In this scenario, the rift herald is all the way across the map with no way to stop it killing towers - meaning the enemy has to send someone back (and probably still lose one tower) and give you a 5v4 anyways or give you a solid 2 towers for free.

Been wondering why no team does this for awhile now. It's perfectly possible to pull off. Maybe, just maybe the playoffs or at least worlds will see something like this.

13 Comments

YambrinZ8/13/2017, 12:59:04 PM1 votes

A. Pro players "showing people how to deal with it" doesnt hold up. If that was the case everyone would be pro player caliber level. Because we should all be cs gods and trading in lane gods and etc. B. Pro game and what you play in solo queue are 2 completely different games. Literally. The ban phase isnt the same. The champions you see arent the same. And so on. C. EVERYTHING is "broken" for like 2 games until people understand how to play around it.

ChompyWulf8/13/2017, 4:49:59 PM1 votes

Your idea of spawning Herald the same time as a Baron or Drag attempt assumes a LOT. First that a Dragon will be spawning during the Eye being held. Second that the enemy team isn't pressuring any towers, Drag, or Baron themselves. Third, big assumption that the Baron bait or actual effort early on is possible and that your team won't suffer deaths for it.

Herald should be taken either by your best wave clear champ on your team to shove it down middle, or a solid split pusher. A tank top with Herald won't get as much mileage from it.