Finding your place

During the time in which I started playing League and where I am today, I admit to being confused as to why I play the role I do and the champions I lock in. Part of me just played jungle because no one else learned how to do it, another part of me only played Warwick because he was OP at the time. Every champion has a kit that is attuned to a certain play style and every player has a play style that best suits them.

Every player tells something with the way they play and the champion they select. There are many reasons why we play the roles we do and the champions that accompany them, some of us are lucky enough to find those roles and champions sooner than others. For those of us that don’t quite know where they are the most comfortable, there’s a way for you to find the paradigm of champions that best fits you.

Image courtesy of the League of Legends website

Reflecting on the past

Reflection is an important part of understanding why you do what you do and what you can do better. Ask yourself “What kind of player am I? and what champion do I feel the most comfortable on?" Perhaps you like to be a lane bully that wins the lane, maybe you like to contribute more to your team globally, or maybe you like to wait for your opportune moment to strike and assassinate that carry. Each player should have something that works for them and a champion that reflects that play style. To find your niche you need to look back on your performances in the past.

- Maybe you dominated the lane as Renekton but you often died to early ganks, you may feel too pressured to win the early game before the other champion out scales you.

- You notice you win more games when you play more passive or passive aggressive champions and when you hit level six you know when to turn on the aggression. You may be the type of player who doesn’t quite know if they can win the one vs one until they get their ultimate.

- What if you’re the player who knows how to play it safe but you hate being bullied in lane? Maybe you need to find the champion that does well with levels and can be a force in the early game.

It's not the champion, it's you...sometimes

Every champion has their over unique strengths but sometimes it is how we think behind the wheel of a certain champion rather than the champion itself. Champions such as Riven, Darius, Teemo, Gnar, Pantheon, and Brand almost feel as though we have to be aggressive whereas champions such as Nasus, Veigar, Maokai, and Poppy we may tend to think that we need to wait a few levels before we can start winning trades. Maybe it is your habit of playing the early game aggressively on someone like Pantheon but don’t let the champion drive you, don’t force yourself to adjust your play style to use the champions strengths but use their strengths to coincide with your playstyle, slowly reduce the excess until you feel comfortable and understand the objective you’re trying to achieve with the champion of your choice.

There also comes a particular type of uncertainty with each champion. Champions with % of max health or missing health deal different amounts of damage to the various enemies they will fight. Other champions have steroids that enhance their damage output for a certain amount of time. These qualities in a champion can make them harder to play as it can be difficult to perceive their full damage output and kill potential. Other champions such as Graves or Corki are about how well you can hit an ability which can change how the course of a fight goes. Consider which of these qualities you are comfortable playing with as you try to find the champion that best fits you.

Image courtesy of the League of Legends website

Play the role you enjoy

We should be playing the roles we enjoy playing, after all it is a game we are meant to enjoy playing it. Reflect on what you want most in the champion you play.

- Do you enjoy initiating to tell your team when to fight? Top lane or jungle might be the place for you.

- Do you enjoy applying your mechanics to the champion you’re playing? Mid lane or bottom lane may appeal to you.

- Do you enjoy high risk - high reward playstyles? You may enjoy playing assassins.

Reflect on the champions you enjoyed playing the most and what you liked about them, try to see if that criteria fits into a role and stick with that role for a week to see where it goes. With so many champions and so many play styles, there is bound to be a champion that is right for you.