In a teamfight, each hero has a place. When everyone holds it, the fight goes as planned; when only one player deviates, the whole team often loses. Positioning is not a matter of reflexes: it is a decision made before the fight begins.
The three lines of a team
Any fight can be read as three successive lines.
- The front line: the tank and often the fighter of the exp lane. They absorb, engage and protect. Their job is to be ahead, but not alone.
- The damage line: the marksman and the mage. They deal most of the damage in combat, provided you survive. Their job is to hit what's within range, not to advance to hit a distant target.
- The divers: the assassin and certain fighters. They go around the front line to reach the opposing carries. Their job is to arrive at the right time, not the first.
A lost fight often comes down to a line that has left its place: a marksman in front of his tank, a tank who engages while the team is still far away, an assassin who dives before the opponent's controls are used.
Before the fight: choose to fight
Sometimes the best decision is not to fight. Before accepting a fight, check three things:
- The numbers: at four against five, a balanced fight becomes lost. Wait for the missing player, or move back.
- Ultimates: an opposing tank without an ultimate can no longer engage. It's time to move forward.
- The objective: a fight that does not bring in a Turtle, a Lord, or a turret is only useful if it is very favorable.
The team analysis helps you see before the game what your composition can do: engage, protect, last, or hit hard and fast.
The front line: engage at the right time
The tank decides when the fight begins. A good engagement meets three conditions: the team is close enough to follow, the target is an opposing carry or a tight group, and allied damage skills are available.
- An engagement of Tigreal or Atlas only has value if the damage occurs within the following seconds.
- A tank that protects rather than engages stays close to its carries and waits for enemy divers to arrive.
- The exp lane fighter does the opposite of the tank: he waits for the opponent's controls to be used, then enters.
The damage line: hit what is in range
The marksman and mage must inflict as much damage as possible, for as long as possible. The most useful rule: hit the closest target you can safely reach, even if it's the tank.
- Moving forward to reach the opposing marksman means going in front of your own front line.
- A mage who casts his area skills in the middle of a group is worth more than a mage who waits for the perfect target.
- Against a team full of divers, a protection item like Wind of Nature or Winter Crown buys the seconds that win the fight.
The damage calculator shows what each hit does after defense and penetration: useful for understanding why hitting a tank without a penetration item leads nowhere.
Divers: arriving at the right time
The assassin must not open the fight. He waits until the opposing front line is occupied and the opposing controls have been used, then he enters the most exposed carry. A diver who arrives too early dies under control; a diver who arrives at the right time decides the fight in a second.
Who to target
The safest order of priority:
- the most exposed opposing carry, the one that can be reached without crossing the front line;
- the hero who heals or protects, if he is within range;
- the rest, starting with the closest one.
Against a team that heals a lot, healing reduction items change the outcome of long fights: Sea Halberd for physical damage, Necklace of Durance for magic damage, Dominance Ice for a tank. The item catalog indicates who builds them.
The most common mistakes
- Fighting four against five because an opponent is low HP.
- Engage with the tank while allied carries are still farming.
- A marksman who positions himself in front of his tank to hit a distant target.
- Pursue an opponent who is fleeing instead of taking the objective that the won fight has just opened.