[Guide] Specific Role: Marksman (Part 2!)
####Last Updated 5/8/14
Hello, and welcome to my weekly [Guide] post. I’m just your friendly neighborhood Gold player that wants to impart some knowledge about general League knowledge through tips, tricks and experience to hopefully help you or maybe a friend of yours through your games. This guide will be on the general role and actions taken by the Marksman Role.
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######Trying out a new standardized format for the role guides here, tell me what you think! Do you like this way of presenting the information? or do you prefer the less organized more spontaneous format of the previous role guides?
####Part 1:
####1) What do you mean, Marksman?
####2) Who is a Marksman?
####3) What do?
####4) Runes/Masteries
####5) Champ Select
---Bot-lane synergies
---Priorities, damage vs. utility
---Considering the enemy team
####Part 2:
####6) Laning Phase
---Farming/Last hitting
---When to push
---When to go back
####7) Teamfights
---Preparation
---Positioning
---Kiting
####8) Items
####9) Tips and Tricks
#6. Laning
###Trading
For those who do not know, ‘trading’ is the skill to poke, prod and otherwise engage an enemy with the intention of doing more damage to them then they do to you. Some champs (Caitlyn, high level Tristana, etc.) have easy mechanics that can make trading a very good option most of the time. Marksman trading is all about planning ahead.
Gauging how much damage you can do versus how much you will take is a precious skill and separates the alright from the great. Trading is a key skill in any lane but it’s most exaggerated in a marksman. Here are some tips to help your next battle of the pokes:
#####Minion Waves http://i.imgur.com/Q5XJVN0.png?2
Early game, minions hurt. They agro just like turrets of you attack an enemy champion and vice versa for you and friendly minions. The effect isn’t game-deciding but consistent use of minion will help out more than you think bot for your own health and theirs. This may even decide a level 1-3 fight in some cases.
#####Attack Animation Auto attacks are quick, but they aren’t instant. Before a lot of attack speed is had (like at lvl 1-3) if you start to hit someone just after they auto attack a minion or others chances are they won’t be able to hit you back. Like minions, this isn’t something that will immediately show, but can help with consistent use.
#####Funneling With any skillshot, minion waves and walls can help you predict where someone is going to go. If someone is rounding a corner, tripping over a lot of minions or are skipping in between a the turret and the wall, aim there. Due to how pathing works there’s a good chance they will just hug the corner/minion/turret and you can shoot a tangential shot (along the curve).
#####’Checking’ Autos http://i.imgur.com/UTBqZhl.png?1
You ever have an auto attack seemingly disappear or just not go even though you could’ve sworn you were in range forever? Most likely it was because you ‘checked’ your auto attack. This happens when you de-select a target in the middle of the animation for the auto attack. Until the arrow/bullet/axe is in the air, you haven’t fired. To help guard against accidentally letting someone live by a hair, practice with the champion you plan on playing as a marksman and be sure to practice with low attack speed. Once you’re good with last hitting, this problem should also be fixed.
###Farming/Last-Hitting
This is the absolute first thing to practice if you plan to be a good marksman. This isn’t because last hitting is particularly difficult to do, it’s not. It’s because it’s difficult to keep doing it throughout an entire game. To put it into perspective, the gold grabbed from a champion kill is ~15cs. This isn’t an exact value as champion gold rewards and minion gold rewards change over time and situation, but you’ll find the average to be around there. Keep in mind though that your total cs isn’t what really matters. It’s how much cs you’re above or behind on your enemy counterpart.
#####Farming under turret http://i.imgur.com/t0BGTGI.png?1
This will happen to you eventually, no matter how good you are. So be prepared! Farming underneath your own turret isn’t impossible, but it’s hard to farm it perfectly with both the tower and your own minions fighting you for the kills. A good way to get a good initial gauge is to know how many turret shots a minion can tank.
- Melee Minions have more health and base armor than caster minions. They will also always take 3 turret shots to die provided nothing else helps. The second shot will leave it with very little health so usually one aa should take it down in that window.
- Caster Minions are squishier but hit harder than melee minions, so killing them quickly will keep your own minions wave alive longer. They also always take 2 shots to die to a turret, provided nothing else helps it along.
- Siege Minion Keep in mind your turret will prioritize this minion when given the option, so watch this closely, as your minions will do the same as well. It’s also worth the most gold, so be sure to get this for the gold and the exp.
#####Using abilities to farm I see a lot of people do this early on. More damage means more last hits right? Not really. Trust me on this, unless you explicitly want to push (covered next), use your basics to last hit as much as possible. It will save mana, prevent your lane from getting closer to your enemy’s turret and won’t lose you much if any cs if done right. It takes practice to get good at it, but anyone can do it given enough time.
###When to Push http://i.imgur.com/Iy8ObSY.png?1
Pushing is the act of killing enemy minions faster than your minions die, causing the minion wave to ‘push’ towards your enemy turret. This can result in zoning your opponents under turret, killing the turret, forcing their jungle to help bot lane instead of others and most anything that can comes being aggressive. This also includes being much more vulnerable and an easy kill if pushed too far for too long.
- Pushing is usually left to the marksman in question. Anything more than last hitting will start pushing your lane unless your opponent is doing the same. To be clear, if you are comfortable farming under turret losing ground in your lane is not a bad thing. Do not sacrifice health unnecessarily to keep your lane even.
- Pushing early does mean the enemy minions are dying faster, which means more exp. Early pushing lvl 1-3 can get you to lvl 2 faster and some champions (Leona, Jinx, Thresh, etc.) can have lvl 2 that really matters, keep an eye out for that.
- A trick to push with a large minion wave as opposed to a small one is to kill the caster minions first. Melee minions to much less damage, but tank more, so leaving these to the last will make your own minions bunch and give you more time for the next wave to join up. Make sure to last hit them still, though.
###When to go back This can be a very easy or very hard decision to make, but usually it falls to the side of caution. But being too quick to recall can seriously hurt you in the long run as far as cs and experience. It all depends entirely on your particular situation at the time and what factors you can weigh in. Here are some tips to help you make your choice.
####Do not sit on a lot of gold
A penny saved is a penny unspent
I’ve seen so many lanes do very well and then give up a shut-down kill because they got cocky and didn’t go back for an absurd amount of time. If you can buy a decent item and your lane is pushed to their turret, RECALL. Everytime your laning opponent dies they’ll get a bit stronger because they backed, and if you don’t take that into account you could end up giving them an extra 500 gold (shut-down gold) by accident. Going back does not mean you lost in anyway, it just means you want to keep your lead!
####Watch their mana I counted five shots, you better not miss
If your health is starting to get low, there may still be some hope for an even match up. A lot of early aggressive marksman (Draven, Lucian, MF, etc.) have some form of gating to prevent them from being able to keep doing it. Usually this is mana (In Draven’s case it’s axes, but premise is still the same), and once that is gone they’ll be weaker than normal. You still have to watch out naturally, as that will regen eventually, but you have the capacity to turn the tide if you keep this in mind.
####The first recall http://i.imgur.com/opXDBP3.png?1
I’ll be back
League is a game all about momentum, and momentum starts at the very beginning. The first ones to recall in bot lane will be at a natural disadvantage until some plays happen. It’s not huge, but the higher and higher ELO you go, the more these things matter (First blood, invades, etc.). It’s not a gamebreaker by any means, but if you are the one to go back first you will be fighting an uphill battle when you return to lane.
#7. Teamfights
This is where good Marksman are separate from great Marksman. The chaos of a teamfight is ridiculous and it can be very difficult to do your own part and help the team. A Marksman’s role in a teamfight is slightly masochistic, because they do better the longer the game has gone on, a.k.a. the closer they are to a very expensive full build. This means that the people trying to kill you are stronger as well. In other words, the better you can do as far as damage usually means the harder it is to stay alive! This is a major reason marksman are one the most unforgiving roles in the game, and it can be very hard to truly shine. But that’s where I come in!
###Preparation
Proper preparation is all about the three T’s Threats, Teamwork, and Targets.
Threats are fighter, assassins and other champions on the enemy team who consider your unmoving corpse as a job well done, or a tank/cc machine that brings these horrible people to you. Naturally you want to avoid these. The best way to do so is to make sure you keep their effective range in mind. Knowing this before going into a teamfight can seriously help your positioning. Make sure you know where these threats are and that there isn’t anywhere they can pop up that you wouldn’t like. (Damnit Rengar, :P)
Teamwork is all about how much you can depend on your team to do something, and this may not be to peel for you. Some ‘all-in’ teams can win a teamfight without an marksman via cc, AoE and burst. It’s up to you and them to make sure a teamfight is won and the easiest way to do that is to realize what you as a teammate can do to make that happen. Running away and keeping two people busy is just as useful as killing another. If your actions give more of an advantage to your team than the enemy team, you’ve done well.
Targets is self-explanatory, who are you wanting to hit? For a marksman this is actually less a matter a specific person and more making a choice out of the people in your range. Always do damage, but make sure you’re hitting the best target you can be at the time. While completely situational, let’s discuss what killing a target can do after the fact. ####Useful
- Killing a mage before their combo, lot of damage that isn’t there anymore
- Killing a fighter, you can dps somewhat unharassed now
- Killing the enemy Marksman, as long as you live after
####Not as Useful
- Killing a tank, that’s their job
- Killing a mage after their combo, usually they can’t do nearly as much as others with their ult down.
- Killing a support, as they are usually in the back you’ve probably just killed yourself. If they made a mistake and you can kill them quickly, go for it, but don’t gun for them if you have others.
###Positioning http://i.imgur.com/i9CH18f.png?1
Ok, I lied. This is what separate the good from the great. Positioning is all about making the most out of where you are and where you can be going. Marksman are very mobile people, and as such you’re best chance at doing well is to keep moving. Your ideal place to be is near your team - close to theirs - away from the Threats. Naturally this very rarely happens, as you can usually only get 2 of the 3 to happen consistently. My best advice is to always stick close to your own team, so you can act on their results and vice versa. There are times when gtfo’ing from everything is the best option, but that should be rare.
###Kiting
For those who are not aware, Kiting is the action of moving away from a Threat while attacking them. This takes a lot of clicking and a lot of practice, but it’s very very useful to be comfortable with. I would actually go all the way and say it’s nescessary to get out of Silver on your own efforts. Practice, practice, practice with this, but keep one major thing in mind: Realize where exactly you are going. A lot of new players will kite directly into an enemy team, or so far away that the chaser can just turn around and kill everyone else. Don’t do this, be better. Kite towards your team, whether this means a turret or a teammate, doesn’t matter, just make sure you know where you’re going and that it’s a good idea.
#8. Items
###Starting Off
99% of the time
###First Back
Having trouble? (400g-700g)
Ending somewhat evenly? (800g-1200g)<
<
Doing awesome? (1550g+)
##Important Marksman Items
#####
Blade of the Ruined King
**Strong for: **Health | Weak for: Armor
Get this first for an AA-defined marksman and none of your opponents have a respectable amount of armor yet. The active can be a literal life-saver so be sure to remember to use it! Synergizes Last Whisper quite well, along with any other Attack Speed purchases. Be careful of high armor targets though, as lifesteal is applied to the damage after armor calculation, so more enemy armor = less health return.
#####
Infinity Edge
Strong for: All | Weak for: EXPENSIVE
There are very, very few times you shouldn't be getting this ASAP. Once you get this item on a Marksman you've graduated from someone who can help to someone who can carry. Naturally this synergizes quite well with crit chance as well as having one the larget AD base stat of any item. Unfortunately it is a B.F. Sword variant and as such is one the most expensive items in the game.
#####
Last Whisper
Strong for: Armor Shred | Weak for: Armor Reliance
This is the go to anti-armor item, as it's significance improved the more armor an enemy team builds. % Armor shred is very nice and is great against champions like Rammus, Malphite, Garen or Taric among others. But it loses effectiveness against low armor targets as most of it's power is in its 35% armor ignore.
#####
Mercurial Scimitar
Strong for: Cleanse | Weak for: EXPENSIVE
Like any B.F. Sword variant, Mercurial Scimitar will make you wait for it, but it can invaluable in certain situations you can find yourself in. Largely having to do with CC. The MR is nice, but it's here for the cleanse and a large amount of AD.
#####
Bloodthirster
Strong for: Highest AD/Lifesteal after stacks | Weak for: Stacks
This is one the best items for a Marksman, but is inherently risky as it will make deaths hurt more with the stack mechanic. This is great to get while you're ahead in lane, as you should be able to reliably get stacks. Be sure to not get this item of they have an obnoxious assasin that keep killing you, it will not be worth it.
#####
Trinity Force
Tons of Damage!
Strong for: Burst damage/has everything | Weak for: EXPENSIVE
One the highest cost items in the game, this little bastard has everything stats wise (except for CDR and regen). The reason you get it on a marksman, however, is for the Spellblade effect. Tri-force has the highest spellblade effect in the game and can seriously increase burst damage for Ability-defined marksman like Lucian, Ezreal or Corki.
#####
Zephyr
Strong for: Tenacity/Highest MS boost in-game | Weak for: Weakish combat stats
The most common use for this item is to replace your boots in a ridiculously long game. There are usually better options, but if you're having some serious trouble staying out of fights you don't want to be in, get Zephyr.
#####
Statikk Shiv
Strong for: Armor/Grouping | Weak for: All-ins/Burst
A very good finished item, the charged shot is great for poking as well as punching through high armored taregts. It's chief strength is it's synergy with crit chance. The proc being a fixed value it will do more the faster you get to it, and fall off hard later. It does, however have the added advantage of multi-hit, so getting assists in a very bursty teamfight is cake with this item. Named after the Rioter of the same username, hence the weird spelling of 'Static'.
#####
Phantom Dancer
Strong for: Attack Speed+Crit/Ghost Passive | Weak for: Lack of base AD
A huge slew of base stats, PD is very strong when it comes to attacks speed, mobility, crit chance and movement speed increases. One of the best items to get for an AA-defined marksman. Note, however, is that it lacks AD, and as such will lower your overall 'burst' but increase your sustained damage output.
#####
**Executioner's Calling **
Strong for: Health Regen/Sustain | Weak for: Late Game
Very Situational. If your team is having trouble with a champion like Mundo, Sion or Soraka, this item may be a good buy for the grievous wounds de-buff. Unfortunately it can also turn into a trap, as you will have to juggle Targets from tank to proper target to keep the de-buff on them. Usually it's just easier to have ignite, but this item is there in case your team doesn't have it. Make sure your Mage does not have a Morellonomicon already before you buy this.
9. Tips and Tricks
####Let’s face it, this section is the real reason you came here, am I right? =)
Melee Minions take 3 turret shots from 100%, Casters take 2.
- To push with a small army of minions, kill the enemy caster minions first.
Another Dorans Blade isn’t a bad idea if you’re having a tough time but never get more than 3 the lack of item slots is not worth it.
- Note your opposing marksman’s movement speed is in his info box whenever you can. Make sure you know who is faster, it means you can run away from him in an extended chase or not.
Sometimes using abilities can actively hurt you, keep in mind that you can’t auto attack while you’re using an ability and that may end up killing you. (Looking at YOU Caitlyn ult)
- If you’ve won a lane fight (killing them or they went back), push your lane before you leave. Their turret will deny them farm and bounce the waves back to you when you return.
The main impact of a marksman isn't just by how much damage they do to champions, it's how fast they can take down turrets as well. This is why you'll see entire teams going out of their way to save their marksman.
- You can be a great 1v1 duelist, but make sure you're not unwittingly starting a teamfight when you try to kill someone.
You are only as good as your team let's you be. Don't go around thinking you're the only reason you're team is winning. Complement your teammates and make sure to thank them for being awesome whenever you can. Then they'll want to protect you as opposed to needing to. That can mean more than you think.
- Don't be afraid to buy a pink ward. If you have some left-over gold, a defensively placed pinks ward can really help you support out. Be sure to know that you want this ward to last as long as possible so you don't have to buy another. Usually in the bush by the buff nearest you will be the best bet.
##Part 1
##Current and Upcoming [Guides]
Wanted to apologize again for how late this [Guide] is. Hopefully I'll be back on track again.
As per usual, if you see anything you don't agree with or want clarification on be sure to tell me! If you have any general questions as well I would love to hear them! I'll be updating and polishing as I go, and this means any of the [Guide] posts so even if you're late to the party say something!
####Special thanks to:
Quantum3 - The Plat Draven in the pics
Sir Smurphington - Teammate of mine, the Leona in the pics, and the one who finally convinced me to get LoLReplay
)
