Does no one understand what "main" means?

Top River King··4 votes·581 views

You don't need to play the champion every match, since then that'd be something else (one trick pony), but if you've only played a couple matches with a champion, or you play numerous other champions more than said champion, they're not one of your "mains." If we defined "main" as loosely as most people I see use the term, and we applied the same logic to movies, every character in most movies would be a "main character."

"Main" is meant to signify something more than just "I played this champion a dozen times." Depending upon the person and the champion, it can be quite a while before you really learn the ins and outs of a champion. For example, I've played a grand total of 120 matches with Ekko, tied for fourth most of all the champions I've played, and I'm still learning. That's also partly because he's weak now (except for in the most skilled hands) and I hadn't played him in normals in months before this week... but the point still stands.

18 Comments

Drunk Tsundere4 votes

I have 500+ games on Thresh. I main Thresh.

When I decide to pick up Nami for a week to get level 5 mastery on her, I call that spamming a champion.

100% agree with you.

Top River King1 votes

Exactly. Though I don't base it solely upon games played, as some champions I'm just newer to, and others I tried in vain to succeed with for way too long.

For example, I have 120 matches with Azir, which ties Ekko for fourth most. I think of Ekko as a sort of "main," as I've played him top, jungle, mid, support, love his kit, and feel he's one of the funnest champions in the game. But I only played Azir that much because I wanted desperately to pull off the sort of stuff high-level Azir players can, and because I found his kit fun enough to carry on despite things never quite clicking.

Then there are champions like Lulu, who I just picked up recently, and only have 44 matches with, but who I intend to spam in ranked whenever the new teambuilder and client go live. I'm a support main, and her, Tahm, and Nautilus are practically the only supports I play, especially in ranked. So I'd consider her a "main," or at least a champion who's for sure gonna become a main.

But those 44 matches on Lulu, and definitely those 120 on Azir, are more than most have on their supposed "mains."

ModWulf Helhammer4 votes

To me, a main is a champion that you can always fall back on and will usually do well in the role you play them in.

Niyumi1 votes

What if I have 20-30 champions I play frequently, have rank 5 on 90% of my champs, and enjoy the majority of them? Would I have multiple mains, or do I have no main? What if I learn a champion in a game, and only improve from there?

I call myself a fill main. ^^

Top River King1 votes

"Fill main" sounds about right, since you'd have no actual "main." League players fall somewhere on a spectrum between one-trick ponies and people who are capable of playing a large number of champions, or at least try to. Some don't like being tied down to a small number of champions because they find it boring.

I, on the other hand, have played 597 matches with Garen, by far the most I've played with anyone, with second place being a measly 139 (Tahm Kench). And I average 181 with my top 7, and 112.5 if you don't include the outlier (Garen). Only two other champions even surpass 50 matches. Honestly, before I could play Garen every match and never get tired of him, and now I could do the same with Tahm. You, on the other hand, probably would be bored with that.

Niyumi1 votes

Hm... Yeah I'd be bored to tears. xD

I'm the kind of person who constantly needs something to occupy their mind with, and the same repetitive thing over and over eventually just burns me out. So while I do have 200+ games on some champions, I have over 100-200 games on like every champion I own. :P I might play a champion as much as I can for a while (when I first buy them), but then start branching out again and saying fill or feed. There's also the fact that I really don't enjoy simplistic champs at all, and insist on playing high skillcap champions who take a lot of effort to pull off, let alone compete with.

Different ways for different people I suppose. :3

Drunk Tsundere1 votes

You don't have to have a main. Most people main a role, or a lane, or a class of champions, or one champion in specific. Do any of those sound like you?

Niyumi1 votes

Mmmm... nope, not really. I play and enjoy mages, marksmen (AD caster types, like Lucian, Ez and Sivir), tanks (Tahm mostly), bruisers, assassins and juggernauts (I LOVE ILLAOI SO MUCH).

Although, I do tend to play and enjoy champs with higher skillfloors and caps, so does that count? A high-skill main? xD I donno a word for it.

Dark Nephthys1 votes

Yea people do use "Main" to openly even though it's not a main of theirs. I generally just try to main 1 champion for each role, which is I guess kind of using it loosely but wouldn't be as bad as some others who picks up a champion and plays 4 games with them and claims that is their main.

Though it's alright to play like 4 games with a champion and say you want to learn that champion and have them become your main, that would be fine to say.

Top River King1 votes

I wouldn't say that's using it loosely. I play ADC maybe once every couple hundred matches or so, but I do have a main go-to for the role: Graves. He's the only ADC I ever really felt at home with, both before and after his recent changes. I don't really jungle either, but Amumu is the perfect fit for my style when I do jungle, as he's a supportive jungler.

But I also differentiate between my "mains" and my "main (insert role here)." Amumu is my main jungler, but he's not one of my "mains." Wukong, who I play jungle occasionally, in addition to top and mid, is.

ltmetal1 votes

To me, if a role or champion is someone's "main," they are saying that is their most comfortable role or champion. Skill with a champ and whether or not you decided to "main" one are usually, but not always, concurrent with each other.

Nekusen1 votes

Its kinda simple, as the word says, you can only have 1 main.

And if a champion just came out, wait at least a month to call it your main.

Blazing Tenshi1 votes

I love playing Ekko, he is so much fun. I have been spamming him lately.

http://na.op.gg/summoner/userName=Blazing%20Tenshi

Stephenizgod1 votes

Yes agreed. Some people think you can only have 1 main but i think this is wrong, i think you can have several main for each position, one for different situations that you always fall back to. For example i have 2 mains for Top, 1 for Mid, and several for Support. Garen Malphite for top, Malzahar for mid, Morgana Nami Janna for support. I may not play these champions ALL the time but when push comes to shove or if im in a losing strength i will fall back to one of these champions depending on the lane i am in and who fits my team better.

Champions i play alot but am still not comfortable enough with to call my main: Shen Illaoi Chogath Gragas Jax Lux Warwick. I may use Shen more than Garen right now, but if i had to win id feel more comfortable with Garen.

kasfas1 votes

Spamming =/= maining, but correlation also =/= causation, meaning I may spam a champion for a while, to find their ins and outs, the play them a bit more loosely, like with poppy right now.

Maiming a champion means to me that you always play that champion come need or buff, because you enjoy their kit. Whether you choose to play a lot offences withthem in a row or not doesn't mean anything.

I think it's easiest to tell when a person mains a champ if they have very fee mastered champs, but each has some 50k+ mastery points.

XinZhao2WinNhao1 votes

I main Akali. 300 games so far, 24.2 kills per game average.

best Akali ever on all of the servers

kasfas

Spamming =/= maining, but correlation also =/= causation, meaning I may spam a champion for a while, to find their ins and outs, the play them a bit more loosely, like with poppy right now.

Maining a champion means to me that you always play that champion, come need or buff, because you enjoy their kit. Whether you choose to play a lot of games with them in a row or not doesn't mean anything.

I think it's easiest to tell when a person mains a champ if they have very few mastered champs, but each has some 55k+ mastery points.

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