Two teams of the same mechanical level do not win as often as each other. The difference is the macro: the ability to be in the right place, at the right time, with the right number of players. It requires neither reflexes nor precise heroes, only attention.
Watch the minimap
The minimap is the first source of information in the game. A glance every few seconds is enough, as long as you're looking for the right things:
- how many opponents are visible, and where;
- which waves advance, and towards which turret;
- which objective is approaching: Turtle, Lord, opposing buff.
An opponent who disappears from the minimap isn't anywhere. If he was in mid lane five seconds ago, he's within a radius you can estimate. It is this estimate that tells you if a target is safe.
Trading objectives
A game is not played objective by objective: it is played in exchanges. If the opponent takes the Turtle while your team takes two turrets, the exchange is in your favor.
- When an objective is lost in advance, take another on the other side of the map rather than fighting four against five.
- When you take an objective, ask yourself what the opponent can take in that time.
- An exterior turret is worth less than an interior turret: the order of destruction counts for access to the opponent's jungle.
The map guide reminds you where each turret and each camp is located, and the objective chronology allows you to know in advance when the exchange will occur.
Split pushing: pushing alone
Split pushing involves pushing a lane alone while the rest of the team stands elsewhere. It forces the opponent to choose: send someone to defend, and play four against four elsewhere, or drop the turret.
It works when three conditions are met:
- The hero who pushes wins the duel against the one who comes to defend, or can flee without dying.
- The rest of the team does not fight: they hold a defensive position, under a turret or near an objective, without accepting four-on-five combat.
- Waves are managed: a lane pushed in front of your team keeps the pressure on while you are elsewhere.
Heroes designed for this destroy a turret quickly and leave the lane easily: Sun, Zilong or Masha are known examples.
When not to split push
Split push becomes an error in three situations:
- the Lord is in play and the opponent can take it with five while you push alone;
- your team doesn't know you're pushing and engages in combat without you;
- the strongest opposing hero in a duel no longer appears on the minimap: he may be waiting for you.
Late game: the Lord and the waves
After about fifteen minutes, the deaths last a long time and a single lost fight can open the base. The macro then becomes simpler, and more severe:
- only fight with the Lord or a turret on hand;
- always push the wave before an objective, so that it arrives at the same time as you;
- never leave a player alone in the middle of the map without vision.
The weekly meta report also shows which heroes are moving up or down: a meta rich in split push heroes calls for more discipline on lane defense.
The most common mistakes
- Group together as a group of five in mid lane, letting two waves push to the sides.
- Abandoning a goal without taking anything in exchange.
- Split push while the teamfights, without warning: it's a four-on-five fight.
- Run towards a distant fight instead of taking the turret in front of you.