You can improve in League of Legends without investing an additional hundred hours. This post is about a method that improves your gameplay off the Rift.

This is not one of those posts that claims to have the special formula to finally get you the rank you deserve (Challenger of course). To implement the following, you don't have to invest twelve hours a day in League of Legends to make noticable improvements. Quite the reverse - less is more! This method can be used by absolutely anyone, regardless of rank.

Building Routines

You probably know this phrase: "I'm not a robot!". This alludes to the fact that repetitive tasks can often be performed better by machines than by humans, since they show no signs of fatigue and also have little tolerance for deviations. When the machine is running, the same routine (a sequence of processes) is repeated continuously. Usually you get the same result.

Routines can be applied very well to League of Legends because a game always runs on the same principle. Suitable routines can be integrated and used in every phase of the game.

Of course, you only want to reinforce routines that have a positive impact on the gameplay for you. In addition, it is also important to eliminate those who have subconsciously already grinded in, but negatively affect the gameplay. The trick here is to recognize (potentially) positive and negative routines and to integrate them into your game or remove them. By repeating positive routines as negative routines decrease, your chance of a positive outcome in your game increases.

To give some examples, you will find both positive and negative routines here. This list can be expanded and adapted for your personal use. It is also helpful to have them on hand during the game so that you do not forget individual points.

Positive Routines (Reinforce)

In general:

  • Reduce number of ranked games (quality over quantity)
  • Try different roles/champions in normals

In the champion selection:

  • Check your runes and summoner spells
  • Close all other tabs that could distract you

In the loading screen:

  • Analyze the team combinations of both teams and find potential strengths/weaknesses
  • Check your opponents' summoner spells

In the first three minutes:

  • Cover the buff entrances with your team
  • Think about where the opposing jungler started (Red/Blue?)
  • Try to become level 2 first (Kill the ranged creeps first)

Negative Routines (Eliminate)

  • Being toxic in chat
  • Being greedy after dying
  • Keep playing despite tilt
  • Play ranked games despite being tired
  • Spam too many ranked games
  • Make consciously the wrong calls

By building routines, you will be able to do these things intuitively, while more of your capacity will be available to make important game decisions. At the same time, bad habits become less and less, so you will get more positive results from your games.

Don't expect to suddenly win every game. The game is built up from small winnings, which together beat the opponent in the big picture. You can improve yourself at the following levels before winning the game:

  • Win trades
  • Win in CS
  • Destroy the enemy tower first
  • Win the lane
  • Win more dragons and objectives (globally)
  • Make more right than wrong calls for your team

All of these things will help you win a game, but they don't necessarily lead to victory. It would be wrong to doubt the routines after losing. The small victories in the lane must be recognized. Routines eliminate the simple mistakes that, when combined, can often be decisive for the game. Long-term success can only be built up with constantly avoided the small errors.