Missed skillshots aren't all bad

DISCLAIMER: I am by no means a skilled player, all my observations / assumptions are from watching skilled players and listening to the shoutcasters.

Skillshots are abilities that have no target, meaning that they have a potential to miss. But I see a misconception that a missed skillshot is wasted, when in fact its not.

So a skillshot, whether it be a Zerath ultimate, a Ezreal Mystic Shot, or a Annie Summon Tibbers, all have one thing in common: they miss occasionally. However, something that is often overlooked is that a missed skillshot doesn't mean its wasted. A quote from a recent viegar thread, comparing the reliability of his dark matter:

Press W once and you're bound to hit SOMETHING.

Which was replied to with this:

That's not called strategy. That's called wishful thinking.

Here is where I disagree. Viegar's dark matter is a prime example of what I will call a "zoning skillshot" On its own, it is very unreliable, and hard to hit on a enemy that knows how to dodge things because it has a clear indicator and delay. However, the act of placing it down then gives the enemy a choice: They have to either run out of their way to dodge a skillshot or get hit by it and not move.

Now that sounds silly, but a skilled player can place a skillshot to deter an enemy. I think the best example of this is Ziggs's Explosive Minefield. You don't place it so it deals damage, you place it to close off an area, or to block off a tight passage. There is more skill in throwing these skillshots than just "Did I miss or did I hit".

Example: Your team is running away and you throw down your zoning skillshot (dark matter, explosive minefield, etc.) in front of the enemy team. To chase you as effectively as possible, they have to run through it, which incurs a penalty (dark matter deals heavy damage, explosive minefield deals damage and slows, reducing chase potential.) or go around it, which wastes time. A skilled player can place the skill shot so that both the outcomes of the situation are to their benefit, or that whatever the enemy chooses, you benefit. Example: If the chasing enemy runs through dark matter, they will be low enough for you to delete them with your ult, and if they run around it, you will get away scott-free.

tl;dr:

Skillshots are not all bad if they miss, and skilled players can place skillshots so that they give the enemy a choice that in turn benefits the player.