PSA: Three melee carries is not a front line

Arya Riven·2/6/2017, 7:43:02 PM·56 votes·3,833 views

As a Riven player, I love melee carries. That said, you cannot play a melee carry every single game if you are going top/jungle/mid. At some point you have to say: "Oh, we have Rengar jungle and Yasuo mid? Maybe I shouldn't go Fiora top." If you do, do not yell at your Marksman/Support/Mage when they die over and over. You cannot have Squishy backliners with no beefy front line.

So I urge my fellow top laners, junglers and somewhat mid laners. If your team already has say... Please don't pick... pick instead.

Playing mid and your team has 3 carries and a squishy support? Pick something with CC and some level of toughness, or that can build tough and/or compliment a team with squishies.

Playing jungle? Pick a tank, bruiser, juggernaut, tough fighter. Anything that brings CC and tankiness to your team.

Please. our squishy backliners deserve better than this... Mid Top Jun

115 Comments

vOmvbrawfU2/6/2017, 7:46:40 PM29 votes

Fiora top MasterYi jg Yasuo mid support

"omg adc why don't you do anything"

Edit: Looks like I'm top comment! (hi mom). Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity say that I don't think ADCs are weak at all. I think they're fine. It's just tanky champs do too much damage for the little that they build, and that people don't play peeling champs anymore.

Sahn Uzal2/6/2017, 7:58:35 PM11 votes

Gangplank We may not have a frontline.. but Neither will you!

In seriousness, I do agree with this. If my team has picked, or is hovering a lot of damage heavy champions, I will pick Sion isntead of Gangplank.

Slave Knight2/7/2017, 6:52:16 AM8 votes

We may not have a frontline... but they will not have a backline!

rtbf761092712/6/2017, 10:42:12 PM4 votes

Typical team in silver: Fiora Leblanc Khazix Zyra Draven

"no_ I'm_ the carry"

But in all seriousness as much as a team "should" have an engage tank and frontline, so so so many of my games do not have proper team fights on equal terms. They have ridiculous skirmishes where it's 2v2 someone is caught in jungle then some people run there, then more run there, then the people who died first respawn and run back in to fight again. In super sloppy games where there are no textbook teamfights with tanks in front and everyone present, I believe it's actually good to have everyone on your team output damage and be happy to take small fights at complete random with no coordination. "teamfight" tanks are only good if there are actually team fights with them in the front which in silver is absolutely no guarantee

Demented Gag2/7/2017, 1:01:05 AM4 votes

Shaco The joke is on you, this is how I build: item 3748 item 1401 item 3047 item 3071 item 3065 item 3742 item 3053 item 3111 item 3075 item 3143 item 3026

Sambers2/6/2017, 7:56:46 PM4 votes

Nope imma keep playing Gangplank cuz I have more fun blowing their back line than defending mine cuz they should be able to defend themself..

50000000000000002/7/2017, 12:50:37 AM3 votes

That said, three melee carries and a tank (or two tanks) is also a pretty bad team comp. Pretty much any team comp with three melee carries is a bad comp, tbh.

MorgManBasher2/6/2017, 10:19:43 PM3 votes

People don't trust their teammates to carry in solo que and I don't blame them. Much prefer playing split pusher tops so I never have to rely on my team and it's all I ever play in low ELO.

If you are in the ELO you belong and you know you can't solo carry because of enemy team comp or the people you are against are just that good, then go for team comp otherwise building a good team comp is pointless if no one plays their character well and don't survive the laning phase.

My go to tank is Sion but ever since the item 3512 changes I find it a lot harder to carry on full tanks so I play him a lot less, sadly. I love sion, but I carry my hardest usually on Garen with item 3142 item 3071 item 3031 summoner 4 summoner 14 and Mordekaiser with item 3146 summoner 3

Spoofghoul2/7/2017, 10:18:28 AM2 votes

Sion all day everyday

shits on midlaners by

Better poke Better sustain Can't be bursted Can burst midlaners Good waveclear early & midgame Best roams in the game

Fixes your frontline problem

Critmaster Garen2/6/2017, 8:11:37 PM2 votes

maybe it would be possible to play melee carries more often, if marksmen wouldnt always take up a carry slot on the team.

k wìx2/6/2017, 8:15:48 PM2 votes

One of the reasons I think my Zilean support is so successful. Sure, play 3 carries, i'll save the first one of you that gets dove and we'll turn the teamfight around.

NastyMcOutplay2/7/2017, 12:42:39 AM2 votes

Darius isn't that good of a frontline

aspects12/7/2017, 12:28:19 AM1 votes

althoguh darius works well as a tank, he works far better if you get an even tankier person like zac or mumu to engage fights

DarthSpectrum2/7/2017, 2:27:35 AM1 votes

Actually Darius shouldn't be the only front line. Sure, he builds tank items, but with no gap closer and a long CD short range pull he gets kited really easily and can be melted down unless someone initiates first.

Solidarius2/7/2017, 5:43:48 AM1 votes

your right

but...

you can just build "tanky" ... you dont need a tank champion item 3742 item 3026 item 3065 item 3083 and many more "tanky" items can be build on any top/mid/jg

many games rely on awareness and improv on what your team needs, for example if in one my games there are 4 squishys/carries on my team... I pick MonkeyKing or Pantheon top and build them half or even full tank because I know that my team does not need more damage just someone as a front line...

if your team consists of Ahri Ashe Karma Rengar you can still go Riven you just need to know that your team should have enough damage and one or possibly 2 of you need to go tank build

Troll for Trump2/7/2017, 6:36:45 AM1 votes

Darius isn't a tank...please don't relegate him to do something suboptimal like that.

TyrekGoldenspear2/6/2017, 8:00:12 PM1 votes

Hmm.

Would a RoA core Brand be tanky enough?

DunkinNoobs2/6/2017, 7:59:42 PM1 votes

But then how am I supposed to carry my noob team?