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Attempting to become better

Idelia·6/28/2015, 6:15:49 PM·2 votes·1,061 views

I am a newer player, so I don't have a whole lot of experience, but I still feel that at this point I should be better at the game than I am. I play Sivir a lot, since she has range and damage, but unfortunately I tend to rush into places where I shouldn't be and then feed the other team. On the flip side sometimes I am just way to cautious and end up leaving my teammates to die when I could have gotten a kill or at least kept my teammate alive. I have thought that perhaps I am just not a very good ADC, but I've been told to refrain from purchasing other champs because I should save for runes when the time comes. I have payed Vi and Garen as well as a few others when they come onto the free rotation but otherwise I only really play Sivir. I'm a bit afraid of trying to learn another champion since I am finally starting to grasp all of Sivir's abilities and the way you use them. Farming is also an issue although I feel as though I have become a bit better. I tend to have bad map awareness as well. I'll either focus on minions and forget to look around or miss last hitting since I am too busy looking to see where my opponent is.

I would really appreciate some tips or tricks or just general advice.

Thanks in advance.

13 Comments

TurquoiseYoshi6/28/2015, 6:49:46 PM2 votes

Honestly, practice is the best way to get better. That and more masteries/runes. Getting CS (minion kills) is a lot easier with higher level masteries.

RainStorm0076/28/2015, 7:58:38 PM2 votes

Just keep playing, you get better with time. I remember when i used to think health pots were a waste of money

Icestar11866/28/2015, 10:44:54 PM2 votes

You seem to have noticed most of the mistakes you're making. Awesome! It means that if you practice more, you'll stop making them. However, I would recommend buying a few more champions to see if a role besides ADC fits your playstyle better. The 450 IP champions are all cheap and easy to learn.

TheGrumpy16/29/2015, 1:31:34 AM2 votes

I'm slowly getting better as well, but I've found that buying other champions (or at least using them a decent amount during the free rotation) has helped me get better as a player. When you play a champ, you learn what they are capable of (which in turn lets you know what you may be up against in the future). Keep noticing your mistakes! When you stop noticing them is when you will stop growing.

I'd say a good way to develop map awareness (at least it worked for me) is to invest in a cheap support champion that's pretty straight-forward and play as them in a couple of AI matches, at least. As a main-support myself, I can recommend starting out with Soraka. I say this because she teaches you a lot of the mechanics that you'll need to be aware of as any role (but bottom lane especially). Plenty of CC types and how effective they are, a pretty easy-to-aim attack, and a playstyle that'll help you get into the practice of warding and watching your map. Taric is pretty cheap in IP if you don't want to spend the RP.

Finally, just keep playing and keep learning. So much of what we, as newbies, learn comes from trial-and-error; we can boost our growth a little-bit by reading and watching general youtube help-vids, but just getting into the game and actively playing to improve helps the most.

Randomonium6/29/2015, 3:22:21 AM2 votes

Don't worry about runes yet. You're only level 12, there will be plenty of time to get those later. Also, don't buy runes until you figure out what kind of champs you like to play and you figure out what the best runes for those champs are or you will regret your purchases (I recommend buying the same runes the pros buy.)

When I was just learning to play I tried to play every free champion at least once during free week. Usually before the game I would look up a guide or something just to understand the pros/cons of a champion. Probuilds.net is a great resource to figure out which skill you should max first and what items you should buy for a particular champion (and what runes and masteries they use.) That's how I found all the champions I love playing now a days. You'll never know if there's a better champ out there for you unless you play them all. Don't worry about mastering a single champion, you're only level 12. You should be focusing on improving you game knowledge and learning what different champions can do is a huge part of that. You don't want the first time you see a champion to be when you are playing against them.

If playing League is like driving a car, your minimap is your rear view mirrors. Your eyes should be scanning down to that minimap every couple seconds so you can track player movement and anticipate ganks. Anytime you can check the minimap and not miss a CS you should be checking it, it will definitely save your life.

Watch videos when you can. There are so many great resources out there that help new players play. I do instructional videos all the time and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. Check out my videos if you want. They cover some more advanced strategies but they skill might be beneficial to you. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2EZm50wNGmfJal7IHM_b8Q

Future Strider6/29/2015, 6:06:23 AM2 votes

Last hitting under tower--- Melee minions(2 turret shots, 1 auto attack), Ranged Minions(1 turret shot, 2 auto attacks) Laning---- Just focus on farming and poke them with your abilities occasionally when possible Map Awareness----- Use the smart ping and make a habit of looking at the map occasionally for missing laners so you don't get ganked and feed the other team. Wards---- buy them when you can. They are important for knowing where the enemy is. Shopping--- Ideally try to save your gold for bigger items and don't just spend cause you have gold because the more expensive items give you a boost in tankiness or damage.

TouchpadExpert6/28/2015, 10:36:31 PM2 votes

One tip when learning to play any champion is to listen to their dialogue. It may sound silly but the in game dialogue tends to give tips on how to play the champion in question. I'll list some of the important ones below:

"I've got values. They stack up nicely." (In reference to her pursuit of wealth)

This is a reference to her W ability. Whenever there is a massive minion wave Sivir can W the whole wave and clear it out very quickly and safely. She loves to get that gold and will go wherever it is.

"Loyalty isn't earned, it's bought."

This is in reference to how Sivir doesn't show loyalty to her teammates in the sense that if there is a team fight going on she would much rather shove out that minion wave with 30 minions in it since it would get her more gold than the potential double kill she might get if she went to the team fight.

"Heroes go hungry."

Some people can go into a situation outnumbered and come out on top (RIven, Master Yi, Zed, etc.). This isn't Sivir. If she tried to go into a situation where she had to be the hero all by herself... she couldn't do it. She would die and "go hungry." So even though the enemies are taking your inhibitor if she's outnumbered she is better used shoving another lane and applying pressure out that way.

52847732_DEL6/28/2015, 8:54:23 PM1 votes

My tip for you is to just have fun. Enjoy being a newbie while it lasts, it's inevitable that'll you'll improve by the time you reach level 30. So what's the rush? Enjoy the game!

My other advice is to make the game a happy atmosphere for everybody to play in. Be nice, say GJ or TY for something good, and not lose your cool when somebody rages at you is what all you need to do. If you suck you can still be nice.

Most people become better by following** K.I.S.S.**, Keep It Simple Stupid! (But you're not stupid!). If you fail at something just keep going at it until you get it right, be persistent. Good luck but have fun!

Sorry for long post.

Idelia6/29/2015, 2:08:48 AM1 votes

Thank you everyone! Much obliged.

Sxli6/30/2015, 12:15:58 AM1 votes

Watching streams and youtube videos help. But youre only lvl 12, you have a long way to, and youll get there. Focus on CS right now. Remember that damage from minions come in waves. So use that to time when you should hit. Teamfighting is a skill that develops over time, but here`s a video that show the basic mechanics: For ADC In General

TouchpadExpert6/30/2015, 1:17:26 AM1 votes

Oh yeah. Number one mistake for players with your level of experience is chasing for kills. Killing the other guy is nice but its not the kill gold that is useful, its the fact that you can now farm the rest of the minions in the wave and rack up some free damage on the enemy turret. Or you can choose to back and spend that gold and come back to lane where you can push your advantage. Either way its a win/win.

But in some cases you will get them really low and they will run away and try to back to their base before you can kill them. Let him do that, shove out the wave and either rack up some damage on his turret free of charge or back yourself. If you chase and the enemy jungler happens to be nearby... well, then usually he is the one who comes out on top. Then all your hard work blows up and now you start back to lane behind rather than slightly ahead. Its better to play the safe and route, especially if there's an MIA on the other team that you have no vision on.