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If you are losing lane, and keep dying

SnugglePuggle94··23 votes·5,999 views

**DO. NOT. BUILD. DAMAGE. **

For the love of God, I have seen so many people constantly dying in lane and still building damage thinking it will help but nope they just keep dying. if you have gone 0-2 and still are being hammered on, don't be one of those people who still dies and goes 0-10 by the time team fighting phase starts and all you have in your item slots is one damage item and a boots of speed, or even worse- still have the recipe items for a full item but don't have the money for it because you kept dying without trying to avoid your deaths.

If you are being hammered on, stop what you are doing. If it's against a Yasuo for example, like the Orianna in one of my games today, she kept going for Morello's even after my multiple attempts to get her to rush Zhonya's instead- guess what her score was around the 20 min mark? 0-7. So here's the deal: if you are up against AD, rush armor like Zhonya's if you are a mid laner. Top- rush an iceborn, DMP, frozen heart, etc. Don't freaking go for a black cleaver or morello's, thinking it will help you kill them- you are already way behind, they have the advantage over you. Live to fight another day and save some potential deaths, and help your team in the long run.

It's honestly so simple. If you are losing lane, stay back- farm under turret, ask for help, and most of all- BUILD DEFENSIVE if you keep dying. And do NOT try to 1 v 1, you already died a few times, how do you think you will kill them when they are a few levels up on you already? So swallow your pride, wait for help and build the right way.

35 Comments

WalkingInACircle12 votes

Midlane is not like toplane in this, because it is so often skillshot duels. Building damage and giving yourself the ability to 100-0 burst an opponent right back can be better than trying to get a mediocre defense going. Furthermore going for the defense after you've already ceded a few kills is usually useless.

DrCyanide6 votes

Midlane has a decent variety of hybrid damage/defense tools though: item 3151 item 3116 item 3001 item 3157 item 3111 item 3155 item 3814 item 3139

Lord Phazanor 4 votes

{quoted}

Midlane is not like toplane in this, because it is so often skillshot duels. Building damage and giving yourself the ability to 100-0 burst an opponent right back can be better than trying to get a mediocre defense going. Furthermore going for the defense after you've already ceded a few kills is usually useless.

If you died 2 or 3 times to the enemy mid laner, it means you can't dodge his skillshots so you should build defensive.

WiegrafOfValor1 votes

Dude you can buy item 1057 + item 1028 +item 1028 = 1520g and then go for AP items, later you can transition these items to item 3001 item 3151 item 3116

BLACK REALM GOD1 votes

item 2045 +item 3157 = comeback.

BobaFlautist1 votes

Also, building damage is essential to be able to WAVE CLEAR so you don't HAVE to fight the enemy anymore. If you don't build damage, you have to walk up and get chunked for each and every god damn creep you want to clear.

If you build defensive mid (and aren't doing ok/someone that scales well with tank stats) then you just either get no farm or die repeatedly.

Hyrum Graff1 votes

{quoted}

Midlane is not like toplane in this, because it is so often skillshot duels. Building damage and giving yourself the ability to 100-0 burst an opponent right back can be better than trying to get a mediocre defense going. Furthermore going for the defense after you've already ceded a few kills is usually useless.

In any lane actually, in a pure 1v1 it's better to build damage when behind for this same reason -- if they mess up you can potentially kill them. (Exception: if you need to farm up and outscale).

But in a team game, your priority is to stop the bleeding.

SnugglePuggle941 votes

Except that they are already a few levels ahead of you, plus the kills they already have awareded them more gold which means they have more recipe items than you or might even have a finished item already. How can you 1v1 that? You can't because you're behind, have been killed already, have less CS, have less items, etc. Unless you get a gank or they screw up horribly, you won't kill them, so get some defense going before you get damage and save yourself and your team some potential deaths.

Hyrum Graff1 votes

[{quoted}](name=Hyrum Graff,realm=NA,application-id=3ErqAdtq,discussion-id=00EcMLAb,comment-id=00020004,timestamp=2017-03-30T15:57:46.015+0000)

in a pure 1v1

That is to say, you misread my comment; I was agreeing with you.

TheHappyReaperz8 votes

Exemptions to this:

Late-game Champs

ADCs

Most Toplaners

Yasuo

Tryndamere

Most Mages

Building defenses is good and all, but that cloth armor you bought isn't going to do anything against that 3/0 Fiora. It is much better to keep building damage, because you may as well. At least you'll push them out of lane when they kill you, or get them when they try to tower-dive you.

Spicy Rice3 votes

Exactly, building defense is nice in theory, but for many champs, you have to build damage.

Building defense allows you to survive in lane longer.

Building damage allows you to potentially kill your opponent, all the while allowing for a comeback snowball

Ralanr3 votes

Though building damage when behind is more risky and you're unlikely going to be able to defeat your opponent now that he has kills, gear, and more CS on you.

On certain champions I can see why building defensive doesn't look like a good option, but after dying in lane you should be more focused on not dying again rather than trying to get payback at a disadvantage.

Ruin Lance1 votes

I disagree completely. I can't even count the amount of times that I've bought a null magic mantle or cloth armor (based on matchup) on Yasuo and had it save me.

TheHappyReaperz4 votes

There's a difference between itemizing efficiently, and forgoing damage and building defensively. Getting a Zhonyas first item is efficient itemization, it isn't forgoing damage to get tank stats. Because, building a Dead Man's on Orianna, is pretty foolish. You picked up an early cloth armor, good for you. If you are literally any mage, you can build it into Zhonyas. If you are a fighter/diver/tank/juggernaut, you can buy any of the other armor items. If you are and ADC, what you did was, unless it was a lethality team, stupid, and all you have done is put yourself further behind.

Regardless, its still just itemizing efficiently. Actually forgoing damage, is playing Renekton, going 0/5, realizing you have no way of coming back, and then just building straight tank.

Tundra Hunter5 votes

Well said. Have a look at this platinum ranked game: http://matchhistory.oce.leagueoflegends.com/en/#match-details/OC1/168444967/200842675?tab=builds&participant=9

Renekton gets stomped against Vladimir (0/11/0), yet, he build his first magic resist item at 20 minute into the game. (he died 9 times before building MR) Yay.

Troll for Trump3 votes

That's the renekton being bad, if he ends up 0/11/0.

Even for a bad game, that's ridiculously bad.

But no, you shouldn't be getting tank that early on renek. Maybe a Maw, but he needs AD; he can't go full tank.

Tundra Hunter1 votes

yeah I agree... as you said, he could've gone Maw, wouldn't have helped though, he was just bad. I saw after the game that it was the first time he ever played Rene in ranked.

My Sea Cow4 votes

Black Cleaver has health though so I may argue the fact that it would still be an okay (not smartest, but an okay) option depending on the champ... but yes you are right but unfortunately since we are talking about low elo players, they just don't have the knowledge to do that. Most have the "okay I have the build XYZ and only that", not the "okay I'm playing against champ A so I should build EFG, instead of XYZ especially since I'm behind". Best thing to do is politely suggest it and hope they listen, and if they don't, hope another lane is far enough ahead that it doesn't matter or that they can come back.

Zane Zephyr3 votes

That's like the game I had the other day, I had a maokai that died to irelia 3 times in under the 7 minute mark, and when I looked in his inventory he had a ruby and sapphire crystal and NO armour

I was like are you seriously trying to build a RoA when you died 3 times and you have crap for farm

he died one more time to her and AFK'd after that

Anhartamin1 votes

[deleted]

Zane Zephyr2 votes

Okay and I understand that but trying to buy a Rod of ages when you died 3 times and have really bad farm is not something you should be doing, especially as maokai, who you want to build tank items on anyways

Athenes Lulu2 votes

not damage on ADCs oooookay then

SnugglePuggle941 votes

ADCs are the exception but any other role, you go defensive, not damage.

The Sword Saint2 votes

Depends on the champion. If you are someone like kennen or rumble who needs to have damage to use their teamfight ult and be relevant, or someone like quin, riven, etc. who is basically useless if they don't build damage then building damage is the correct thing to do.

It's the macro play that needs to change. If they are getting pressured that hard, they need to swap to a different lane so they can catch up and let their strong teamates handle the fed enemy. That or the team needs to leave the lane phase and start going for objectives. Playing passive enough that you won't get dived by the enemy and the jungler/mid in the same lane you are losing will just cost you your towers one after another if no change to the team strategy is made.

Kaioko2 votes

There's so many exceptions to what you just stated. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Orianna still rushing morello and just using her Q+W to farm the wave. She just needed to play defensive. Morello on her is almost required to function.

SnugglePuggle941 votes

Except the Ori didn't play defensive, she wasn't even good at dodging Yasuo's tornados. She let him run all over her. Some people do not THINK.

Nalisai2 votes

I try to do this as often as possible actually. Surprised the crap out of my opponents to the point they actually said something over chat when I built item 3139 first against a Lulu and Ezreal as Jhin over item 3031 or item 3508 . Still built item 3031 after boots of course, but not being double bursted to death is kind of important :p

Imperial Japan1 votes

is GP jg gank - enemy Camille double kill hits lvl 6 - I'm lvl 4 - gets dove builds tabi first then sheen then tank still gets dove every time Camille gets back to lane ends game 5/10 (other lanes fed too) feelsbadman (Was under turret entire laning phase)

Lauchmelder1 votes

Camille's a different kind of "Fk you"

Imperial Japan1 votes

lol yeah

Big Lincoln1 votes

if you give my lane doubles and they snowball off of it every kill they get is your fault

Friendly Ram1 votes

Trundle but i want my trinity.

Makharya1 votes

Depends on the champ, depend on the situation. For no reason i would do defense as first item on adc. I won't even be harder to kill as without damage the adversaries will be able to do what they want. Harder to dive me? Maybe, but they can take tower as if i weren't there. There are many other case where damage are better to do okay than defense.

But yes, thinking is always a good thing.

Kitty Clarissa

They are better off rushing item 1056 x2item 3191 if its AP vs AD mid since the upgrade to zhonyas is 5 more armor not worth and at most item 3802 is all you need for mana substain , for Ap vs Ap item 1056 x2 item 1057 is better if your getting stomped in lane by a death. Ad vs Ap item 3155 is pretty much the option , for brusiers most of them if they are getting smashed in lane go item 3047 item 3211 item 1031 item 3111 early on so and build item 3078 item 3071 , if its really bad then they stop at item 3057 /item 3044 and build either a item 3065 oritem 3742 . AP brusiers well item 3027 item 3030 item 3116 are defensive items with offense

ADC cant really buy defense outside boots i mean at most they can get item 1053 and hope to survive laning

jungle well it depends so i cant say

Supports well they build nothing but item 3190 item 3504 item 3107 item 3222 and well yada yada so in a way they already build defensive

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