PSA: Sometimes your jungler just can't save your top lane, but you can still save the game!
Sometimes you can't rely on your jungler to save your lane. Sometimes you just have to bite the bullet and suffer a good 5-12 minutes. It's not something that always happens, but in some situations you just cannot win your lane no matter how much the jungler attempts to help you.
But why? Why can't the jungler help you kill that 2/0 Darius by 4 minutes? Why can't they assist you even though you're pushed under tower, sitting at about 30% HP while they're at about 60-70%?
Because my friend. Allow me to explain this to you. And for all you people who already know this? I give you kudos. But this is just for those people who are wondering why their jungler isn't ganking for them, even when it looks like a perfect gank. And if this thread gets to help one person understand, then I'm happy.
My friend, the reason why they cannot help you? Is because they're weak. The jungler is incredibly. Weak. They're going to be lower level in most normal situations, by default. Now some of you may think, that the top laner being level 5 and the jungler being level 4 shouldn't matter THAT much. But oh, oh it does. There are so many situations while I was ranking up and leveling up, that I've seen the jungler just dive in on me while I still had about 35% Hp, and I still managed to kill them for free.
The jungler has to be in a constant state of farming and exp gain so that they don't fall two levels behind the support. Which can easily happen if they're ganking several lanes and not getting kills. This can happen quite a bit if the jungler attempts to be TOO helpful at trying to gank every pushed lane. Yeah they're giving you some time to farm, but those valuable seconds they spent just giving you a chance to catch up another 5-7 CS, is setting them that far back from level 6.
So if they're not getting the assist or kills in their ganks even though you've been pinging for them to show up, don't be surprised and ask why they're level 5 when everyone is level 7.
I myself have made this mistake sooooo many times as I was learning the ways of jungling. Top, mid and bot were all pinging for help. And with me wanting to be the team player, I did my part and ganked them all. Sadly in my attempt at doing so, we never got kills and I negated the ability to farm up and as such, the enemy jungler managed to get to level 6 whilst I was still struggling to get to level 4.
There are other reasons as to why they simply can't gank for you.
Say you tried to play super aggressive but it fell apart. You tried to go ham level 1 and you ether missed a button press or accidentally clicked a minion and you died. Well, you try to TP in immediately and kill them while they're low from the fight... but in your doing so, you manage to die again.
If this happens? Do NOT expect your jungler to roam up top. In any point of the early game.
In most situations, if the enemy is that fed so early, even if your jungler shows up, they will most likely kill you then your jungler in the gank, making them 4/0 and screwing your jungler over in the process. If you find yourself at top lane and you see yourself in this position, unless you're in a team where you have great communication, you're probably going to be on your own for a little while.
But don't give up. And please try not to get on tilt when this happens. (And it will happen eventually) Don't get angry. Don't rage at your jungler, don't flame and try not to go on tilt. Put on your favorite music and just farm. Farm farm farm. Throw the CS out the window and know that you're going lose lane. You're going to fall behind in CS, you're going to be shoved under tower...they might even dive you. But try and keep a cool head.
So, you're going 0/2. GG right? Obviously right? You're behind. They're ahead. They're snowballing and they're going to kill you over and over and over right? Wrong! Wrong wrong wrong!
This is why being on tilt can make things that much worse for you.
How can you still save the game even if you seem to have lost lane? Simple as this. If the 2/0/0 top laner by 3 minutes is still going 2/0/0 by 20 minutes, he's done absolutely nothing with his 2 kills.
Try your best to CS and focus on NOT dying. Focus on pinging that MIA whenever you don't see him. Because they're going to want to roam. They want to get the other lanes ahead so they can push! If they can never get kills or assists, then they still won't accomplish anything.
See the signs leading to death. The top laner will most likely never try to dive you at full health. If you're at about 20-30% hp under tower, leave. You're already behind, so at this point it doesn't matter how much CS you lose. Just tp back to your turret and farm more.
Make sure you ward places that give a sign that your top laner is roaming mid. And warn your team about TPs. They'll definitely play safer knowing that the fed top laner is looking for a TP play.
Eventually you WILL catch up and you WILL turn it around. Just don't give up. Even if they're spamming level 7 emotes after chasing you out of lane.
If mid and bot are winning, they will eventually roam up top lane to help you out.
Try your best to think of comebacks. Stay positive. And if nothing else? Apologize. If you are going 0/2 super early, there is nothing wrong with flat out apologizing to your team. Just let them know you're not feeding and that you are trying your best. Let them know that you feel absolutely terrible about dying like that. You would be surprised how quickly an: "I'm so sorry, I freaking screwed up so hard with this." or a "Man I really really messed up. Jungler, just try to help the other lanes. I'm so sorry for those deaths guys. I'll try and just farm under tower and play safer." can keep your teammates from flaming you and can help with team morale.
Owning up to your mistake and acting like you're really trying to still win and not like you're a raging feeder can not only help you avoid tilt, but it can get your teammates to respect you.
I hope this helps some of you guys who ever experienced this feeling. I have gone through this myself and I had gotten help from a few people who were willing to carry my broken spirit to a victory. So I'm merely paying the kindness forward.
Good luck everyone and have fun on the rift!