There will be games when you or your team will die early, possibly very early. If the enemy team capitalizes on your misfortune the deficit can sometimes feel insurmountable. In the latest semi-final matches from the Vainglory World Invitational, we witnessed this exact scenario. However, despite a rough start, we got to see how the team behind played to keep themselves in the game, rather than have their hopes, dreams, and vain crystal shattered. Here are five strategies teams in the Vainglory World Invitational used to combat the snowball effect.



1) avoid fights

Getting ahead in gold translates directly into competitive advantages in the form of items. If you are behind in gold, then the chances are you will lose an even fight. In those situations, unless you get the drop on your opponent you should probably not pick a fight; channel your inner Gandhi and avoid confrontation with your enemies.

2) play safe

Agreeing to abstain from fighting doesn’t mean your opponents signed a peace treaty. You need to be careful where you walk, what you farm, and who you’re with (or without). Don’t wander into unfamiliar territory, or even your own jungle, if you don’t have your team to back you up, or if you don’t know that it’s safe.

3) ignore minion mines

If the other team has a gold advantage then don’t capture either Minion Mine. The Minion Mine grants the opposing team more gold for killing lane minions. While the amount gained was recently reduced from 10% to 5% in patch 1.7, it’s still an advantage, you have to pinch every penny to have the best shot at winning.

Another critical factor about Minion Mines: they dictate which direction the lane pushes. It’s much safer as a laner to have the minions coming to you, rather than needing to walk further down the lane in order to farm.

4) levels are important

If you’re being starved out of your jungle, do your best to continue to get experience. Experience is earned by being near minions when they die. If your team won’t rotate with you through the jungle, then help push lane to encourage your laner to roam down into the jungle, even if that means he soaks up some jungle experience.

One important note is that the lower-level team will benefit more with experience thanks to anti-snowball mechanics SEMC introduced to the game.

Each level you earn translates directly into combats stats, not to mention damage and utility on abilities, which can be the difference in a fight.

5) defensive items for gold efficiency

Teams that frequently pull ahead tend to invest money into more damage. Smart teams that know how to recover from a deficit will quickly invest in defensive items, especially when the other team’s composition consists of mostly one damage type (either weapon or crystal). The defensive items are actually more cost-efficient than offensive items, which lets a team with less gold stand toe-to-toe with their wealthier counterparts.

Consider a scenario where a level 12 Ringo has a Sorrow Blade. He’s sitting on 281 total weapon power. If the enemy Ringo buys a Coat of Plates for 950 gold, he is only taking 108 damage from each attack, a 61% reduction.

live and learn

The tips provided here are offered as “best practice” principles that will help you, but won’t guarantee you’ll make an amazing comeback every game. Try these out in some games where you suffer an early deficit. Keep your chin up, and remember these five tips, and you will be pleasantly surprised with your outcomes!

These are just five tips I picked up on when watching the most recent semi-final match from the Vainglory World Invitational. Check out the gameplay footage below to see if you can learn any other tips from the best players in the world!