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The Summoner's Guidebook: Stealth mechanics, stiletto heels, and League of Legends
Recently my League of Legends games have included a lot of solo mid (mostly by choice), and while I play Syndra quite a bit because she's really fun, I've had the most success playing Evelynn. I've had a fair number of games where I've carried my team kicking and screaming over the goal line despite their insistence on making awful decisions. I just walked into teamfights, hit R, and proceeded to steamroll their entire team after a completely dominating laning phase where I ganked everywhere including the enemy jungle. Evelynn's pretty much the polar opposite of Poppy. They both have blue skin, but the similarities pretty much end there. Poppy is a tiny tomboyish warrior in plate and chain with a mighty hammer and a direct approach to problems. Evelynn is a subtle temptress with stealth, vampiric abilities, a supermodel figure, and an outfit that suggests that "lady of the night" might have a double meaning.
The Summoner's Guidebook: A year of summoning Guidebooks
It feels sort of strange to be writing the one year anniversary of the Summoner's Guidebook. On the one hand, it feels like yesterday since Shawn asked me to do more MOBA coverage and I pitched the idea of a League of Legends column to him. On the other hand, it feels like I've been writing about League for ages. I've grown tremendously as a player; from a guy who stomps pubbies in low-Elo games to a guy who gets stomped by experts in high-Elo games. I have no illusions about going pro, but I've made a lot of progress up the skill ladder. I don't chalk up this advancement to chance or aptitude. I know I didn't get here on my own. I have you guys to thank -- faithful readers who have read my column, either silently or vocally in the comments, who force performance upon me. I can't just be a hypocrite and tell you to practice a skill. I have to practice what I preach! When my authority in this column falls on my ability to execute on the battlefield, I need to step up my game. This week's Guidebook is my love letter to all of you.
The Summoner's Guidebook: I suck at middle lane in LoL
There are five roles on Summoner's Rift, and I play four with reasonable competency. Support is my strongest role; I'm cautious and attentive and I like warding. Also, I don't have to last-hit, a role at which I feel my skills are a bit deficient compared to the rest of my skillset. Despite feeling deficient at last-hitting, though, I actually play carry fairly well, given my current matchmaking rating. I am virtually always ahead in creep score compared to my opponents, and if an ally in my lane gives up first blood, it is almost always my jungler grasping at an opportunity that is not there. I've always been decent at solo top, I've recently learned how to jungle, and my jungling has been directly responsible for my team's victories quite frequently. There is one role in League of Legends' Classic gametype I'm not so good with, and that's solo mid. I'm not even an apologist for it, really. People fight over mid lane often enough that I've really never felt the need to field champions that play there. Many of my friends also specialize in mid lane champs. Although I feel my Classic skills are a bit on the weak side, solo mid is a special deficiency for me. Can we improve it? Let's find out!
