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How to PROPERLY tax a lane

Eedat··45 votes·5,932 views

Hello, jungle/top main here to give you the DO's and DONT's of taxing a lane. As someone who plays both jungle and a solo lane, I feel I have a good idea of what is appropriate and what is not.

DO:

  • take some CS after a successful gank when your laner gets the kill
  • help shove the wave under tower after killing/forcing the enemy out of lane (denying farm)
  • shove the wave under tower to bounce it back to your laner
  • hold a lane/tower if your laner is roaming or just based
  • freeze the lane in a favorable position for your laner
  • show up just to help break a freeze against your laner
  • balance a wave so its in a more favorable position when your laner gets back

DON'T:

  • take all the CS after a failed gank
  • leave the wave in a position to get frozen against your laner
  • leave the wave in a position where you laner has to over extend to farm
  • take all the CS after ganking and you get the kill
  • break your laner's freeze (personal biggest pet peeve ffs stop it)
  • arbitrarily take their cs for no reason at all
  • excessively tax a lane that is behind

A lot of this has to do with gold distribution and minion dynamics. Most of it is common sense tbh. If you gank and get the gold from the kill, let the laner have the free farm. You get gold, they get gold, both are happy. If you don't understand how to control minions waves, I highly advise you to watch some videos on it. Knowing how to freeze, balance, slow-push, and reset waves is critical. It's extremely important.

Following these tips will help get your entire team ahead and will reduce toxicity. Don't get me wrong. You will still occasionally get an ADC that will furiously back ping you away from their cs even after ganking and getting them a double kill, but there is definitely a lot less of it.

Oh, and laners.... please dont take all of your jungler's camps if they're behind too

Well this list is just off the top of my head so I'm sure I've missed some things. Feel free to add them below

Sincerely, The jungler who isn't a douche

62 Comments

Kingnewgameplus25 votes

MasterYi Imma do it Akali Don't you do it MasterYi Imma do it Akali Don't you- Alpha strikes the wave, smites cannon, leaves Akali GOD FUCKING DAMMIT.

Mhihnj4 votes

Whenever yi is using project and alpha strikes to tax my lane, i see little middle fingers on his shadows

Ariel the Cruel5 votes

He learned from the best: Zed

Golden Tager X11 votes

You forgot one very important thing too.

DON'T FUCKING TAX Nasus !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rakvir6 votes

{quoted}

You forgot one very important thing too.

DON'T FUCKING TAX Nasus !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yup.

40+ minute game

Jungler: "wtf Nasus, y u only 180 stacks?"

Me: "maybe if you'd stop taking all my farm every 3 minutes...."

*Jungler takes CS even -more- frequently *

Ariel the Cruel2 votes

Your opponent is using item 3512 . You don't even need CS. ;p

Zarvanis1 votes

Veigar I know the feel.

Wyrmblade8 votes

I prefer a feudal system when it comes to taxing. The filthy lane-dwelling peasants may farm the land, but I take all the gold and crops then die of dysentery before I'm thirty five.

HeeroTX2 votes

As long as you don't forget the dysentery part, then we're all good.

IcyPepper7 votes

If the enemy laner burns their summoners and has to recall, thus giving my laner time to get a lead, is it okay if I take one or two minions? I lost time ganking, which is exp and money for a jungler, while still giving my laner an advantage in exp and gold.

Gstevenston2 votes

Yeah, as long as something was made from the gank, for example forcing a flash, then it's okay to tax the lane. This obviously is not the case when the lane is behind, however.

YJRBqwXJcS1 votes

{quoted}

If the enemy laner burns their summoners and has to recall, thus giving my laner time to get a lead, is it okay if I take one or two minions? I lost time ganking, which is exp and money for a jungler, while still giving my laner an advantage in exp and gold.

...thats a successful gank

IcyPepper1 votes

But does it warrant taxing? That's what I'm asking.

Some people won't let me tax even if my gank was so successful the enemy laner afk'd for fifteen minutes just because they don't get a kill. Not out of spite, but some kind of unspoken protocol.

So yes, I'm asking for clarification for something I do not find immediately obvious because of ambiguity I found through experience.

Rintam1 votes

That person is in the wrong. You force the enemy lamer out of lane, or burn a summoners, you can tax.

KVbqbFsC8e6 votes

I really, really wish more junglers knew all of this. One thing I hate is when the jungler gets a sucessful gank when I have my lane in a good position, but then doesn't shove the wave. I play Nasus alot, so even though my jungler picks up a kill vs that level 3 Darius, he can just TP back and freeze the wave.

DarkRitual2 votes

And then they yell at you for taking gromp/krugs when you can't do anything in lane.

BakedLotion5 votes

what do u mean I shouldn't Q the minion wave everytime i walk by a lane as master yi???

Rakvir3 votes

I avoid taxing.....usually.

When I GET taxed, though, it's a gank they got the kill, they take the next two waves of minions in their entirety, then don't even help take tower and wonder why I'm down 2 levels as well as half or sometimes a full item behind lane opponent.

If I go take krugs or something to make up for the disgusting greed they had, enemy pushes lane and takes 1/4 of turret health or more but if I stay, they freeze lane too far to safely grab experience from max distance, let alone last hit, even with wards because they are actually clearing them as fast as I place them (ala raptor buff).

This is MY biggest pet peeve: players starving teammates then whining about how 'useless' everyone else is. I've lost track of the amount of games I've been in where one or two full build plus elixir teammates continued stealing cs and camps from people still working on finishing their 4th item.

DarkRitual1 votes

On that last point, sometimes your team just needs to waveclear. Usually it's best to let someone behind take it, but there are occasions when there needs to be a hard push, and whoever has waveclear beeds to be getting it done.

HeeroTX2 votes

Agreed. I try not to take cs when I'm full build. But if I'm full build, we're in endgame, and ESPECIALLY if there's super minions, I ain't letting them push deep in on nexus just so you can "farm".

nice table3 votes

if the enemy laner has to recall obama care on that shit, otherwise dont unless looking for a dive.

Tobias Brackner2 votes

I have no idea why this is a thing that people get upset over.

Kill minions after gank if you want to push the lane to try and take tower. Kill a few minions if you are really behind (no sense in shitting on someone else's farm to make up for your mistakes there are other options) Or just leave the lane and go back to jungling

DarkRitual5 votes

Taking minions that breaks a freeze often completely negates any advantage your laner just got from you being there, sometimes even putting them at a bigger disadvantage. The wave will push into turret, and they can choose to risk getting ganked to stay up and get exp/cs, or fall back and get literally nothing.

Tobias Brackner1 votes

That's why I said only do it if you are trying to take the tower or if you are desperate for gold.

Also not getting ganked sounds pretty sweet if that's what they are worried about. Hell they could probably also slap down a ward as they are getting close to the tower.

DarkRitual4 votes

A jungler's need for a wave of farm is so much less important than maintaining a proper freeze. If the lane freeze is under yohr own inner turret, it's even more important to maintain it.

Tobias Brackner1 votes

Ummmm, no?

Like unless you have some kind of math involved in this claim then you know that this is 100% subjective, right?

Rintam3 votes

No, they're right. Say you are ahead in lane. You have two options that could benefit you. If you want to leave, you shove it under their tower, so when you get back, they have lost some gold from the tower shooting minions, and have to waste mana shoving it back. If you are crushing your enemy laner, you freeze it near your turret. You only attack to last hit, and the lane stays near your tower. This is most effective if they are mele. They can not get a singe cs without you either killing them, or forcing them back, meanwhile you are farming and safe from a gank. That is every laner's dream. Don,t ruin it. You can farm to preserve the freeze, but don't break it.

Tobias Brackner1 votes

Don't ruin it

Not even in the specific scenarios of "Jungler is getting screwed out of gold" and "We can take this tower"?

Because it looks like to me you are either risking a loss or pointlessly drawing out the game.

Rintam2 votes

It is difficult to take a tower before ten minutes. It is probably not going to happen. Let the lamer decide if they want to risk it. If you are behind in jungle, just farm your camps. Not only do they give more gold and do to a jungler with your items, but it also doesn't harm the laner.

Tobias Brackner1 votes

It is difficult to take a tower before ten minutes.

Ok so you do agree that a jungler should kill minions if it means taking a tower, right?

Rintam1 votes

Leave it up to the laner. By freezing the lane, you eliminate the enemy laner from ever coming back. They can't farm without being killed, they can't kill you. If they roam, then you shove it and take turret, forcing them to come back. If they die, and the turret is low, yeah, take minions to take the tower.

Tobias Brackner1 votes

So you agree that a jungler should kill minions if it means taking a tower.

Why are you burying it in all this nonsense that literally has nothing to do with the question asked?

Rintam1 votes

Because the "Nonsense" is situational. Sometimes kill the minions to take the tower, sometimes don't.

Tobias Brackner1 votes

So you support drawing out the game for no reason?

If there is a tower to be taken then take it, why give your opponent the opportunity to come back into the game?

Tobias Brackner1 votes

Only if your team fails to continue to apply pressure.

And planning around your team's failure is no way to play. That's playing to not lose.

AMYS GRAVE2 votes

A lane with a controlled freeze is a lane that is winning. Because the enemy laner has to play so much more defensively when pushed to your tower its much much safer for you and more dangerous for them to be farming. Your freeze means your minions kill their minions that the enemy may not be able to approach because it is too far forward. This gives your laner a CS advantage which means more items which means more winning. It also means that instead of warding the river once it is pushed they can hold the wave in front of their turret and ward your jungle to protect from invades or they can ward baron/rift herald which means you have better vision on the important things because vision of their lane isn't needed.

lane freeze means safer farming lane freeze means safer harassing lane freeze means less farm for enemy lane freeze means more gold lane freeze means better vision

wave control and management is probably the most important skill in league. It may be the easiest way to snowball a game out of the enemies control.

Baby Ghoul2 votes

Also if your laner tells you not to tax their lane, just don't. They're clearly tilted, let them have it and take the win instead.

The few extra gold isn't worth the rest of us having to endure their whining, or worse.

I like your post though. It could help with people who genuinely aren't aware of what they're doing when they take CS.

AMYS GRAVE2 votes

and ffs dont smite the cannon in front of your tank support with relic shield stacks.

Arakadia1 votes

So many junglers tax and shove lane in the worst way possible.

When I play jungle and they take my camps its like "You have your lane for farm. I dont. Dont take my jungle please". If they take my camps its like me sitting in their lane and taking cs tbh.

Good post.

DarkRitual3 votes

If you're on the other side of map, and have that half to clear, I'll help my adc tKe krugs/gromp. They'll respawn in plenty of time for you to have them.

Rintam1 votes

That works if the jg is an Evelynn, or Kindred; someone with a slow clear and low sustain, but Shyvana, Vi, Udyr, Nidalee and the like clear like lightning, and will actually farm cross the map and take the scuttle before it respawns. Some jungler farm, others gank, be careful what line you take from, just like junglers have to be careful about how they tax laners.

Friendly Ram1 votes

What about stealing cannons while the allied laner isn't there? I normally go strength of the ages junglers so i was wondering your opinion.

World Ender2 votes

If a minion is going to die to the tower or to other minions, go ahead, because otherwise that gold goes to waste. Just don't auto attack it 5 times so the wave pushes to the enemy's side of the map (unless you're 100% sure you can get the whole wave under his tower before he gets back).

The Undine1 votes

couple of games ago, playing jungle tryndamere, ganking botlane, gave both double kills to my ADC.

proceed to take my Share of the governmental LoL Tax.

AND THEN THE SUPPORT, YELLS AT ME, FOR TAKING FARM.

THE. GOD. DAMN. SUPPORT.

despite the adc saying it's fine, he let me get the double, let him tax.

and no, i had to push and get the tower ASAP so we can get the infernal dragon right after.

sometimes i just look at some players are just ask myself, what is wrong with you?

Kitsunes Lust1 votes

Thanks for this. Ive been jungling a long time, but i never tax lanes because regardless of any situation my ally always flames me (like i take 1 caster minions thats it and they go ape on me, and it esp dont help when its a nasus or veigar who need farm for stax lol). And im tryin to do irelia jg, and falling behind in cs and levels, so someone said taxing lanes helps a bit. So this will help me a bit. Good info also

Eedat1 votes

How'd you stumble on this post? Its 2 years old xD

Kitsunes Lust1 votes

google lol XD

Reaper55991 votes

Fellow Top/Jungle main here.

Theres someone I know who could really use a good look at this, let me explain.

A while back I was playing top and he was jungle, I was suffering against a Yorick as Rumble and needed desperate help, he came in and failed the gank, the Yorick got away with pretty much no health and without burning a summoner (We won't talk about how I completely screwed up my ult), but then he proceeds to take most of the fresh minion wave, including the cannon, while I was already desperately down on cs, I asked him not to do it and he ignored me, the next time he ganked, he did the same thing, even though that gank was a failure as well. At that point I was so far behind, I then went into his jungle and took his gromp since he was much fruitier ahead and I needed the gold, he then proceeds to yell at me (We were in a call) for the rest of the game, complaining about how I was takeing his farm...despite only taking one camp and knowing he took much more gold then me.

Next game, the roles are reversed, I was jungle, and he was mid, he was doing fine, but eventually, I came in for a gank, I let him get the kill since its better to have kills on a Zed then a Nautilus right? I then say to myself hey, I burned my ult and he got the kill, I should get a little extra right? I then Take 2 melee minions as tax, and what does he do? Flips the fuck out and proceeds to steal my blue...keep in mind, he was Zed, I was Nautilus, and when i asked why, he says thats what I get for taking lots of his farm, when I took about 42 gold (Thats how much two melees are worth right?).

Anyways, Im glad you made this, so people like him learn when to tax and when to get taxed.

Eedat1 votes

this post is 2 years old haha

Reaper55991 votes

Looks at date created

o

Still a good post tho and it can still be relevant now.

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