Been gone a couple years / What can I do to catch up?

Grist··1 votes·716 views

Hey everyone. I took a break from LoL a few years ago. I had played at launch for a couple years and the last release character i remember being around or was Vi. I know this was forever ago. I've been playing vs AI a bit and I understand the game still, but I don't know the current meta. I just don't want to suck in games because i forgot something or don't know anything that is currently expected that I wouldn't know yet.

Can anyone give me pointers on how to catch up or what my team might expect of me? I'd like this to be a good return.

Thanks!

26 Comments

Breaku3 votes

Treat it like you're playing a new game. Most of what you knew about the game is mostly no longer relevant as many champion kits and items have been changed, reworked, or (in the case of items) completely removed.

Cat cafe3 votes

Important Stuff IMO

Top/Mid turrets have reinforced armor early game, bot turret does not -First turret killed gives a lot of gold

Ignore rift herald @ baron pit early game (unless really ahead)

  • Attack Eye behind herald for more dmg ( need 2 players)

5 elemental dragons now that give permanent bonus stats

  • Fire +dmg, Ocean +out of combat hp/mp regen, Mountain +dmg to turrets/Epic monsters, Air +out of combat movement speed, Elder +true damage burn
  • Fire>Mountain>Ocean>Air
  • Elder dragons spawns only late game and other dragons rotate early game. Stats given stacked up to 3x per drag

Baron Nashor is really strong now, and gives really good buff ( Helps to push and siege with empowered minons) -Baron > Elder Dragon

New mastery system gives new keystones ( look up masteries for champions @ op.gg website) Ferocity Tree:

  • Warlords (LifeSteal)/Fervor of battle(+AAdmg) for ADC,
  • Deathfire Touch for DoT champions (Teemo/Brand etc,) or new ADC (Jhin)

Cunning Tree:

  • Stormraiders surge (+MS){not Recommended} for burst champs (Zed, Riven,talon, Rengar)
  • Thunderlords (+BurstDmg) for ( assassins, some mages)
  • Windspeakers blessing (+AllyShield) for supports) (Janna/Soraka)

Resolve Tree:

  • Grasp of the undying (+dmg/Health) for bruisers
  • Strength of the Ages (+Health), for Junglers (Nidalee/olaf etc)
  • Bond of stone (+DmgMitigation) for support tanks (Leona)
Nameless Voice2 votes

This is a good summary.

Some extra things:

About the dragons: Which ones spawn is semi-random. There is no strict order of priority, which ones you want the most depends on which champions you have. Fire drakes are great for champions who build a lot of AP or AD (since it's a percentage increase), but not so good for champions who focus more on CDR / AS. Ocean drakes are great for poke (either poking, or being poked.) Cloud drakes are great for assassins and initiators. Mountain drake is just great for taking/securing objectives faster. It's generally useful, but has no combat application unlike the other three.

Items have changed a lot. Mage and ADC items, especially. Pretty much everything on the mage side has CDR on it now. Hourglass is now a cheaper item with CDR and a much longer cooldown, for example.

ADC itemisation also has a lot of CDR in it, through Essence Reaver which gives you CDR when you build crit, though mostly people just rush Hurricane now to apply the Fervour mastery faster.

Warding is very different. You can't buy normal wards any more at all. You can only place them through a warding trinket, which has limited charges and a much shorter duration early-game. Only Sightstone and one of the jungler items lets you place wards otherwise. You can buy pink wards, which are now 75g, but are permanently visible. They have 5hp and regenerate lost health. Each player can only place one pink ward at a time, and carry a max of 2.

Grist1 votes

Thank you very much. One of the first things i did was pore over the Masteries. Thanks for the quick chart.

Alpha Samsuni2 votes

just try and understand the new champs and old champ's changes, meta will change very soon anyway.

Grist1 votes

Thank you

DarkRitual2 votes

Read through the some patch notes.

Also, something VERY good that was done yesterday for the Finals: There was an alternate Casting Stream that was geared towards newer players. It might be worth watching through, as they would go over some of the basic stuff we wouldn't think to talk about being changed.

hsumis1ove2 votes

Uninstall because apparently the community is more toxic than ever before. Seriously though, probably watch some LCS games or challenge r streamers to learn about picks and bans and who's op.

Grist1 votes

So, i rolled into my first Summoners Rift after playing Doombots and regular Vs AI. I immediately tell my team that i haven't played in several years and didn't really know a bunch of things anymore. All while they are rushing to spam MID! TOP! BOTTOM! SUPPORT! So i'm like, ok... i know all your champions but 1 of them, are you saying you need Jungle? They say yes. So I'm totally confused. Last dude I jungled with as Volibear and yes... UDYR. So i hear Udyr is not viable right now and I go Volibear. I was actually impressed with the flow of jungling. It's much easier to clear camps now, i really like the multi-charge on Smite and the early game items, HOWEVER, i did fairly poor and we lost the game. I had a hard time standing up to the other team who kept killing the Top lane right before i would get to him and then kill me lol. That being said, my team did not yell at me, or curse at me, or really even say anything to me. I have been afraid to let my team down due to lack of knowledge but I hope they continue to let me learn and get back up to speed without getting really pissed off. I was prepared to play Support, but im going to try and get caught back up on Jungle. Apparently you don't start at Blue anymore LOL!

hsumis1ove1 votes

try ranked lol. after our top, me, and my support die once, our lee couldn't stop typing about how we were retarded.

Need Gold 4 Tent2 votes

It's not the same game. If you've been through Vi, that means you missed the juggernaut/mage/marksman update which is a hell lot of changes. Play through a coop vs ai and observe the smurfs.

CrazyBear19872 votes

You can watch some youtubers play

the recent Worlds just end youcan try catch some recaps or highlights

Coop vs Ai was a good idea

go through league wikis to see any new or updated builds for champions

Grist1 votes

Worlds is what made me come back. I really enjoyed it. I was happy to see people using champions that I actually knew.

EcchiOtakuTM2 votes

Play a bunch of bot games->play featured games->watch streams and gameplay videos of champs you like

Between doing all that, relearn items and runes/masteries setup.

The main thing is finding videos of champions you like cause there's a long list of things you would be required to do which alters dramatically per champ even in the same role. I also wouldn't try to go jungle immediately cause being gone will dim your decision making so after you learn a role then try picking up jungle that way you gain knowledge of what a jungler might do while you're laning.

Blue Collar Bear2 votes

I'll comment a little on what I think of the meta. I do some coaching, and I'm also D5 (although, that doesn't count for much these days).

The meta is probably the most flexible it has been since I started playing in S4. I would say, outside of a few remote cases, you can play anything you want up to like the middle of Diamond. Those remote cases are champions that are deliberately kept weak, or they're too hard to use. As far as I know, there are only three champions: Aatrox, Azir, and Kalista. Outside of that, I'd say you could play whatever so long as you practice and it and you do well with it. As far as what's popular, it's what is always popular: carries.

I would recommend reading every set of patch notes since you've been gone, or at least the last season. Read up on Riot's design philosophy. A lot of champions saw complete reworks and more saw significant gameplay updates. Riot began their class updates and some single champions saw significant reworks while entire classes saw updates as well.

I've gotta run. Add me if you'd like to talk more.

Grist1 votes

Thank you very much!

Blue Collar Bear1 votes

I read a little bit more into your post. Udyr and Volibear have both been nerfed in the last season. They're not unviable by any means, but they are unpopular for that reason. They're also unpopular, because Karma is currently popular. She gives her entire team an incredible amount of movement speed and that makes it difficult to play Udyr and Volibear.

Grist1 votes

Thanks for the pointer! I'm actually playing Trundle right now as he's fairly simple mechanic wise, though I also really like Ivern if I get stuck having to jungle again. I can always dump Taric or Soraka if i need to play support, but it seems like everyone calls Top and Mid right away and i just pick up whatever we need. I used to play a lot of Top and Support back before i quit and was trying to learn Jungle. Hoping I can find some champs to play well while i learn. I am really enjoying Trundle right now and he seems to be well liked.

Blue Collar Bear2 votes

A lot of analysts say that Trundle is one of the top tier picks in competitive and solo queue right now. He's played well in top and support while being an uncommon, but well played, jungler. The only thing I have an issue with is he's boring as fuck to play unless you just enjoy watching people run away as you club them to death like baby seals.

HexaDecimel1 votes

I smell an Canadian......

Blue Collar Bear1 votes

I promise I don't condone the death of baby seals. :x

(also from the deep south)

TheEvilQueen1351 votes

i mean preseason is going to start soon and assassins are getting an update. the meta is going to change soon.

MiriaJiyuu1 votes

UH don't play ranked for one. Learn what the new champs do, learn what old champs who have been changed do. For current meta... it's all going to change in a week anyway when preseason 7 hits. Just brush up on your knowledge and enjoy the loveliness that is League of Legends in November when Riot changes everything ;).

Grist2 votes

Hahah obviously no Ranked play.

Weathered1 votes

I would just explore the Wiki and click on anything you haven't seen before.

Dominick Destine1 votes

Ekko Yasuo happened.

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