Boards›Gameplay

Mechanics vs Gameplay Knowledge

LeeEstes·1/2/2019, 8:54:24 AM·5 votes·5,829 views

Hey everyone,

for the past few months (maybe the past few season already?) I've seen tons of criticism and complaints. Most of them were about champions but items and runes were also frequently addressed. I've been playing now since Lissandra got released (V3.6) and one of the reasons why I've always really enjoyed League a lot was how I could make a difference by knowing good strategies or to cooperate with my team members. I'm not a person who is good mechanically wise. Hence I prefer playing something like Janna over a champ like Katarina or Le Blanc.

I'm not saying the importance of gameplay knowledge/macroplay is completely gone nowadays but I start feeling like good mechanics start to matter more. Fast reactions seem to matter more. Especially if you don't want to get blown up by an assassin. I was just wondering how you guys felt about this. Did mechanics really start to matter more because the game feels like it became a lot faster. Did individual skill start to matter a lot more than it used to? How do you guys feel about this? Is it my perception or are more people feeling the same about this?

I only know that games tend to be a lot more snowbally, which I think is a shame because I always liked teamfights a lot more in League. Please let me know your opinion on this.

[sg-ahri-2]

15 Comments

Marshbouy1/2/2019, 3:00:45 PM3 votes

I strongly, strongly disagree, but this is an unpopular opinion on the boards. I think that good macro play and decision making matters more than ever, and that microplay matters less.

The higher damage in the game means time to kill is much lower. If you land one CC spell in bot lane, a lot of the time you'll deal loads of damage to someone, kill them, or push them out of lane.

You have to be INCREDIBLY aware of where everyone is on the map at all times, or else you're going to get instagibbed by someone.

Warding is more important than ever because many times you won't survive a gank. You won't survive getting caught face checking a bush. You won't survive a bad baron call.

Picking a good comp is also vital, just as much as ever. I've played on teams with 4 carries (riven, kayn, yasuo, draven, I was lulu), won all 3 lanes, then got shit on later into the game because our comp was garbage and everyone had the solocarry "i am going to 1v9" mindset. This was in ranked by the way, not just people screwing around in normals.

Strategy matters more than ever now IMO, it's just that time to kill is much smaller so people get caught by a CC spell, die, and then say "game sux now GG"

Moody P1/2/2019, 11:53:13 AM3 votes

the latter will take you immensely farther

Silly Neeko1/2/2019, 9:27:19 AM2 votes

Without game knowledge there can be no mechanics in all honesty. You NEED game knowledge in order to get the mechanics you need to play well.

Better reaction time has also always been key to being better, you dont need to persay be able to catch a speeding bullet kind of reflexes..... but you need to know what a person generally does, and what to use against certain things.... like if Yi is open and taken, you want to have a fairly reliable cc or two for your team. If you have a Yasuo on your team, you can work with him by picking Malphite, Janna, Braum, Alistar, Wukong, Orianna.... etc.

It is like learning to run before you walk. you just cant.

Pandemic Punch1/2/2019, 3:20:40 PM2 votes

I think a lot of people in this thread are forgetting how bad someone's mechanics can be.

There are people who never took typing class or never adjusted to using a keyboard properly. Their fingers will miss the correct keys 50% or more of the time during fights. There are people who lose their cursor on the screen and can't use targeted abilities quick enough as a result. There are people who can only use mouse only. There are people who can only play on locked screen. There are people who can't multitask well enough to even look at the mini map.

This argument depends on the EXTENT of someone's mechanics + the EXTENT of someone's game knowledge. For Example:

Someone who is extremely good mechanically with Yasuo or Ekko but has poor game knowledge, should still EASILY be able to sweep through every division up to low Platinum. However, someone with high game knowledge but Iron 4 mechanics will struggle through the lower divisions because they will only be able to play champions who HIGHLY depend on the team. Imagine someone so bad that they actually MISS Janna shields or Soraka heals. Mechanics are far more important in this regard. It just depends on HOW BAD ARE THEY REALLY with mechanics?

LeeEstes1/4/2019, 12:45:36 PM1 votes

I think an example of what I mean is a Rengar vs Janna matchup I was in. I could ping precisely where he was, I knew he was focusing me, I did shield and did stay away far from the bush. however if he ults and flashed and then kills me in 0.02 secs that I'm not the person who presses my Janna ult fast enough to knock him away, hence I end up dying even though I knew what was going to happen, yet mechanically wise I'm not fast enough. I'm not sure if this is a decent example but I hope it gives a better view of what I'm getting at

Lovelle1/2/2019, 6:55:44 PM1 votes

Riot has nerfed and/or removed a lot of defensive options/scaling over the years. This not only reduces strategic elements, but makes the game easier to get into and play (this one in particular is their primary aim imo).

This has also happened with some popular fighting games and MMOs, the removal/nerfing of defensive power to shorten the gap between veterans and newer players, which supposedly makes the game more appealing to a wider audience.

Hügö1/2/2019, 11:11:50 AM1 votes

Just ask yourself this question. Do you need game knowledge/decision making in a team deathmatch? Or do you just need to perma fight your enemy?