Top Lane

The first Champion we have to highlight for the top lane is Rumble. With his recent changes skewing him toward dealing better against tanky enemies, we will see some matchups that will favor him. As for items, your core is likely still going to be Hextech Protobelt, Sorc’s, and Shadowflame. This is a Champ that leans heavily into pen, obviously.

For the second top lane highlight Champion, we’re jumping onto the Ivern top hypetrain. This Champ is all about dominating the laning phase and allowing your jungler to play around you actively. If you remember the Karma top lane era, this will be very similar. You’ll use the brush bonus damage as well as the natural range advantage to bully enemies off of the lane. We suggest you rush Lichbane top into Night Harvester. It will sound weird on paper, but it’s a fresh approach to the top lane. Well, until it ultimately gets nerfed.

Jungle

Up next is another Champion and build that’s sure to be nerfed in the future, the Trinity Force Kindred. The item is absolutely broken with Kindred, as you’re basically turning into a juggernaut that deals unlimited amounts of damage, and all you need is Trinity Force, Wit’s End, and Black Cleaver. The first item alone will make her so ridiculously powerful you’ll be half tempted to stop there.

Our second highlight Champion, Rek’sai, has had a similar trajectory to Kindred recently. She felt lacking as Prowler’s Claw was changed, but after some adjustments, she’s back in business. Her new build and the buffs from 13.11 really helped her reclaim her old glory, and you’ll be leaning on the tried and true trick of the level 3 gank to make it happen. You’ll want to tunnel into the enemy’s lane from behind to deny their escape, and then once you’re on top of them, it’s likely a done deal.

We would suggest you grab a Stridebreaker and Black Cleaver to be an unkillable damage dealer.

Mid Lane

Over in the mid lane, the Neeko rework has proven to be a massive success in terms of player satisfaction. She’s gimmicky, features many strategic elements, and scales with the enemies. If they’re tired, they won’t even notice the extra minion wave and you’ll pick up a freebie. Check out our masterclass on this master of disguise to get an edge, and build her with Rush Rocketbelt, Sorcs, and Shadowflame to maximize her output.

This next Champ appears to be on her way back into the mid lane role, which has earned her a highlight placement on our tier list. Damage buffs and a minion gold increase have given Orianna some extra power when it comes to laning and scaling. More than often enough, her full combo felt lackluster, but with the added damage to the ult, she will feel a lot more satisfying to use. She probably won’t quite reach her overpowered days of the past, but she’s getting there. Make sure to pick up Luden’s Echo for earlier spike and pen, Sorc boots, and then Archangels, of course.

Bot Lane

Are you seeing your main anywhere on our list of ADCs? We certainly see some of our favorite picks ranked well on this tier list.

First, we have Draven, a Champ who never disappoints. The damage potential offered is off the charts with the right build. Normally you’d default to the Essence Reaver built for infinite mana, but in 13.12, we’re giving him Trinity Force into Collector. With the added tankiness and the power from the recently buffed Trinity Force and Collector, you’ll be a big problem. The eco-nerf to Bloodthirster may be weird, but it’s Draven, you’re in it to get rich or die trying.

Another pick that does a lot of the same item-wise is Samira, a Champion that is loving the Trinity Force and Collector build. Her low cooldown on a spammable spell puts value on that Spellblade proc, while granting her more power in early fights. Furthermore, the added tankiness is quite a neat thing as Samira is infamous for going deep behind enemy lines.

Supports

Last but not least, we’ve reached the support tier list. We wanted to spotlight Rakan, and here we have the Shurelya’s & Zeke’s Convergence build. This will provide you with decent stats and playmaking capabilities, which will help you take over the game with a strong ADC by your side.

The next Champion will also add much to any fight, skirmish, or all-in. Seraphine has been one of the most stellar picks that went through so many phases in League, from being a go-to mid lane to being a broken APC, and eventually landing in the support role. Her value has always been crazy, and it was all just a matter of team composition to give her the credit she deserved.

With Moonstone getting some buffs, we’re curious to see if this item will finally take over on her, replacing Helia as the go-to item on every enchanter. Font of Life with Echoes of Helia really did become quite the meta, though people still don’t build it on Champs such as Karam because they believed in the power of Shurelya’s. Remember, move speed is important, but turning into a massive stat-stick while offering tons of healing and damage should not be underestimated. Our recommendation for Seraphine would be Moonstone, into Staff or Ardent, to see how strong it can be compared to Helia.

For the last pick, we have a buffed one. Ashe has received a number of nice buffs to her base damage and AP scaling, which is obviously targeted at her identity as support. The thing about Ashe is she’s totally broken. She constantly applies Font of Life while Helia does its usual work. At the same time, Ashe is able to facilitate plays around the map, and even in skirmishes, her slow comes in clutch.

The only problem is she can present skill and composition issues, so we don’t suggest that you blind pick this one, as certain Champs can make your life a living hell. In the right hands and played properly, though, you’ll be amazed at how powerful she can be.

The post The High ELO Tier List for 13.12 first appeared on ProGuides.

The title here may be a bit misleading, so we’re going to clarify; this isn’t the Ultimate VALORANT tier list, it’s the tier list of ults in VALORANT! We’re going to work down from the top to the bottom, starting with the best of the best and moving down until… well, the rest.

S Tier

Phoenix’s Run It Back

Starting off at the top of the tier list is the blazing Brit himself, Phoenix. Run It Back is an incredibly powerful ultimate, as the benefit of an extra life that can be abused without any repercussions in a round simply cannot be overstated. That 10-second window before earning a respawn with full health and the remaining armor you had when you started the ult, all for the price of 6 ult orbs, is just too good to overlook.

KAY/O’s NULL/cmd

The next best ultimate in VALORANT currently belongs with KAY/O. His Null/cmd ability is able to suppress any enemy abilities in an absolutely massive area, which effectively leaves them without any utility. It’s particularly useful against sentinels such as Killjoy or Cypher who’d be entrenched behind an elaborate setup, or even against a Chamber or Jett ult who would be left nearly weaponless. It’s even more impressive when you factor in that if he’s killed while the ult is active, he’s in a downed but not out state for 15 seconds, leaving the door open for a second chance.

Killjoy’s Lockdown

This ability takes the third spot in our S tier section, having recently been improved when Riot removed the ability to destroy the ult with Breach’s Aftershock. KJ has cemented her place as a strong and easy-to-use sentinel who can make a big impact in matches. With the threat of detaining anyone in a 32 meter-radius for 10 entire seconds, the Lockdown can often guarantee a completely cleared-out site, leaving it wide open for your teammates to take over. If the opponents don’t have specific counter-ults available, you’re going to be in good shape.

A Tier

Brimstone’s Orbital Strike

Kicking off the A tier with our favorite Sergeant at the top, Brim’s ult Orbital Strike deals out damage to any enemies within a 9-meter radius. It’s an extremely powerful way to clear out angles, punish defusers, or downright counter Phoenix, Sage, and Killjoy ults. It just missed out on moving up the tier list as it doesn’t quite have that extreme round-deciding capability that some of the S tier ults have, but even so, Brim is at the top of A tier for a good reason.

Breach’s Rolling Thunder

Moving down the list, we have Breach’s Rolling Thunder, which is a great space-clearing tool that stuns any enemies caught within its huge area of effect for 6 seconds. It’s best used for taking and retaking sites in conjunction with a fast-moving dive agent. This one would be higher on the list, but it doesn’t leave opponents as exposed as KJ’s ult, and that 6 seconds can fly by pretty quickly if your teammates aren’t ready to capitalize. Nevertheless, it’s locked in for the A tier because it still offers a great deal of playmaking potential.

Fade’s Nightfall

Coming in the third slot of the A tier is Fade’s Nightfall, which is similar to Breach’s ult, but with opponents affected by it leaving trails leading to them, them becoming deafened and decayed. It features a combination of info-denying ability for the opponents, with information gained for your teammates. Fade can then send out prowlers which automatically lock on to the trails to near sight the enemies as well, making it an all in all solid ult.

Viper’s Pit

This ult has the ability to completely shut down a section of the map, leaving anyone on the rival team who finds themselves in the cloud watching as their health ticks down slowly to 1hp, with severely reduced vision. You’re able to stop players from getting too comfortable entering a site whether it’s on offense or as a retaking defense. If it wasn’t so easy to chase Viper out of position, this one might have been higher on the tier list.

Jett’s Blade Storm

Jett’s ultimate is definitely one of the most powerful weapon substitutions in all of VALORANT. Blade Storm gives Jett 5 knives that replenish on each successful kill, with no penalty to movement at all. This means Jett can be flying, jumping, or running and remain deadly accurate, and when a single headshot with a blade deals a full 150 damage, this one can be so devastating. This one sits lower on the tier list as it’s not exactly a team-oriented ability, and it’s going to require a good deal of accuracy to use effectively.

Yoru’s Dimensional Drift

Rounding out the A tier is Dimensional Drift, an ult that has a lot of potential in both individual play and team play. It serves as an extremely powerful drone, as you’re able to run around for 12 seconds completely invulnerable while flashing enemies at will. Yoru can also pop out of the ult at any time, enabling him to reposition as he pleases, though it does come with a loud audio cue for enemies. You can help your teammates out with some recon to open up sites, or you can be a little selfish and use it to secure an unexpected opening pick without much risk.

B Tier

Sova’s Hunter’s Fury

As we move down to the B tier, we start off this section with Sova’s Hunter’s Fury. This is a great way to secure an opening pick off of Sova’s info or clear out corners where enemies can be lurking or setting up ambushes. However, it missed out on sitting higher on the tier list because it’s fairly easy to avoid if you’re a good enough player, and it doesn’t impact the round significantly outside of some post-plant scenarios. Don’t get us wrong, Hunter’s Fury is still solid, and it fits well here in the B tier.

Gekko’s Thrash

One of VALORANT’s recent additions, Gekko came in with his fast-moving, controllable fish Thrash which offers incredible recon utility. It can render enemies helpless, but it’s fairly easy to shoot down as it has just 200 health and it can be difficult to follow up on given that opponents will usually step up to cover the player you used it on. This one may have actually been lower on the tier list, had it not been usable twice in the round if you’re able to pick it back up.

Skye’s Seekers

Next up in B tier is Skye’s Seekers, which features three cabbage jellyfish… things… that lock onto the three closest enemies and travel directly to them. Upon reaching their targets, they stun and near sight your opponents, making them easy pickings. The Seekers do suffer a similar fate as Thrash, as they have low HP and are easy to break, and even then, they’re not terribly useful for taking sites. They really serve a better purpose being used midround to gather some intel.

Raze’s Showstopper

This one comes in the middle of the B tier for a few good reasons. While it can be a great way to fly in and grab that opening frag, the damage from it can be quite inconsistent and we’ve found ourselves wondering how we didn’t finish off that player that we seemed to hit dead on.

Cypher’s Neural Theft

Next on our B tier list is Cypher’s ult, which is functionally similar to Skye’s Seekers, except it grabs information on all opponents’ exact location regardless of where they’re at. This one joins Skye in the B tier since it has the same function of finding enemies mid-round, but it lacks the stunning, near-sighting effect which places it lower on the list. It’s useful in the right situations, but outside of those, it lacks impact.

Harbor’s Reckoning

Our final entry on the B tier is Harbor’s ultimate, which is one of those site-clearing ults on paper, but its lacks that punch that you see from Breach or Fade. The stuns are much easier to avoid, and the information is hard to process in the midst of a site take. It can still push opponents out of corners and into the open, but it’s not quite as menacing as it should be.

C Tier

Neon’s Overdrive

Neon sits at the top of the C tier with her Overdrive ult, which serves as another one of the weapon replacements in VALORANT, and it has no horizontal movement penalty. Neon is sprinting the entire time that it’s active, which means she’s moving faster than normal which makes her a harder target to get a lock on or hit. Despite that, high-ranked players will normally have little to no issue picking off Neon mid-ult and shutting this one down in her tracks. When you also consider that her ult has a high time to kill and significant damage drop-off, it’s a C tier lock for the rapid renegade.

Sage’s Resurrection

The location of this choice may come as a surprise to some of you, but Sage’s Resurrection is next up in our C tier list section. On paper, it’s a no-brainer really. You can bring a dead teammate back into the round, what can really be better than that? In practice, however, it doesn’t quite work out that way most of the time. Teammates that get revived are completely vulnerable for a few seconds, and the fact that they died in the first place often means that they’re in a dangerous position. With this one costing 8 ultimate orbs, it’s just not quite worth the price of admission.

Chamber’s Tour De Force

This ultimate is going to be pretty recognizable, it’s Chamber’s Tour De Force, which in practice is essentially just a free Operator that also slows the area where the victim lands. Beyond that, there isn’t a whole lot more to this ult. It’s dropped down from S all the way to C on the tier list since the fire rate nerf has really hit Chamber like a ton of bricks. This is a great ult to use to save some money, and it’s a good weapon to have, but other than that it doesn’t get enough value for the team to justify moving it up the list.

Astra’s Cosmic Divide

Our last entry in the C tier is Astra’s Cosmic Divide. This is the only real teammate ult this far down the tier list and that’s for a good reason. Cosmic Divide is a large wall that can’t be shot through, it muffles sound and extends indefinitely in both directions. On the right map, this can be an extremely powerful ult, but the niche use means it doesn’t warrant a higher placement despite its occasional round-winning potential.

D Tier

Omen’s From the Shadows

All the way down here in the D tier, we start off with Omen and his ult From the Shadows, which gives him the ability to teleport anywhere on the map. The problem, however, is the sound cue that gives away his position along with the long loading-in period, in which Omen can be shot to cancel the ult. This means that Omen’s are rarely able to teleport anywhere without the enemy having exact knowledge of Omen’s whereabouts. His only saving grace is the fact that he can pick up the bomb from anywhere on the map, but for an ult ability that can only be used every few rounds, that benefit just isn’t good enough to move upward.

Reyna’s Empress

Finally, our last entry and the bottom run of the tier list, Reyna’s Empress. This gives Reyna the ability to heal and dismiss after each kill, along with a faster firing rate. The ultimate really doesn’t aid Reyna mains in dropping opponents, so much as it supplements some already solid gameplay by adding another reward to kills. Even so, getting value out of this ult to the point where you can say it secured a round would really only occur in 1vsX situations, at best. Since this is the only ult where you can be justified in saying it can’t win you rounds or gunfights, Empress sits comfortably at the very bottom of this tier list.

The post The Ultimate Tier List for VALORANT first appeared on ProGuides.

Claw / Paddles

Changing up your controller or your grip may seem like a high entry price, but if you are serious about becoming an insane controller player, it’s one of the first steps to consider. Playing with a controller that allows you to either bind your face buttons or paddles or playing with a claw grip (where your thumb never leaves the right stick) will improve your controller play in the long run.

Consider the scenario where you’re playing with a normal grip on a standard controller; things are getting intense, and you find yourself in a build battle where you’re constantly jumping, building, switching modes, and trying to edit. Every time you do one of these actions, you have to move your thumb from your stick to press one of the face buttons, forcing you to lose control, as well as having the added travel time before the button is pressed, both of which could cost you that fight.

If you do decide to switch to a controller that features paddles, or play with the claw grip, it’s going to be a bit of an adjustment at first, but it’s worth the time that it will take to get comfortable. When you first start out on this journey, practice by building and editing on your own island. Once you feel comfortable with building and editing, hop into some actual games to force yourself out of that comfort zone, as you’ll end up in actual in-game scenarios which will help you get used to combat with the new controller setup.

Sensitivity

Finding sensitivity settings that you are comfortable with is a huge part of becoming an insane controller player. One bad habit that you may have or develop is changing your sensitivity far too often. You may believe that this is helping you, but in reality, each time that you change the sensitivity, you are throwing away all of the muscle memory you had built up and starting fresh.

The best practice is to choose a sensitivity that feels comfortable for you and stick to it no matter what. Over time, you will build up a ton of muscle memory on that setting, and your building and editing accuracy will get much better along with your aim.

If you’re wondering how you can find the best controller sensitivity, start out by taking a friend and going into your own creative island. Once you’re there, have them stand around 4 to 5 boxes away and get them to begin running around you in a circle. While they do this, you will track them without aiming down your sights. If you find that you’re constantly behind them, then you should raise the sensitivity slightly until it’s easier to track them. If you find that you’re over-shooting them, then lower it slightly to locate that sweet spot. You can do the same test for your ADS multipliers as well and adjust them with the same regimen.

When it comes to building and editing multipliers, you can test these out by simply free building on your creative island. Most controller players range from 1.6 to 2.2 build and edit multipliers because they find that the easiest to control. Anything above or below that range starts to get much harder to control, and it will likely mess up your crosshair placement while building and editing. If you notice you’re constantly making wide edits by accidentally over flicking while free building, try decreasing the multipliers a bit until you’re more comfortable.

Have a Solid Warm-up Routine

If you haven’t developed a solid warm-up routine for yourself yet, you could be really holding yourself back as a controller player. All of the top controller Pros like Mero, Dey, Reet, and Cam have plenty of things in common, but one of the key things they all do is they each have a warm-up routine that they use when they start playing each day.

A good warm-up routine typically lasts around 30-40 minutes and focuses on both your aim and your mechanics. Some great ways to warm up your mechanics are edit courses, Raider’s piece control map, 1v1 build fights, and free building in your own island. After you have your mechanics warmed up, it’s time to warm up your aim.

Great aim in Fortnite is arguably the most critical skill to have, so it’s extremely important that your aim is warmed up before you jump into your games. To warm up your aim, try Raider’s aim training map, or 1v1 aim duels. Both of these maps will help you warm up your long and short-range tracking and shotgun aim. You won’t need to use every one of these maps, so once you’ve figured out a few that work for you, you can toss them into your routine and use them accordingly.

Understand Meta / Controller Loadout

Each season, the meta adjusts, and shifts, and understanding these changes to the meta is another critical part of becoming an unstoppable controller player. The meta refers to the best strategies and skills used in the game to remain competitive. This includes knowledge of the best new guns, heals, and knowing what the best loadout is each season.

This season brought a ton of new items in, such as the Havoc shotgun, the Kinetic Blade, and ODM gear, as well as new best-in-slot healing items like the legendary Slurp Juice, which is arguably the best healing item added to Fortnite so far. For movement, the Kinetic BLade and ODM gear are great, but what a lot of players don’t yet know is how good ODM gear can be in combat.

ODM gear has an attack option that launches through any build and can hit your opponent for up to 70 damage per hit. When it comes to the best controller loadouts currently, you definitely want to have the ODM gear in there.

In the case of shotguns, there are a few solid options. The strongest secondary this season is the Mythic Pulse Rifle. This is one of the most overpowered guns they’ve ever added, but there’s only enough for 1 team each game. Every game, an island spawns after the 3rd storm circle, which adds a flag that you need to capture, which drops the Mythic Pulse Rifle and Slurp Juices. If you can get this, then definitely keep it in your loadout.

More practically, however, you’re going to want either a twin mag SMG or a high-rarity pistol. The twin mag hits for a ton of damage and even offers some range. The pistol is also great, as it comes with a fast reload and high damage. For the last spot in your loadout, you’re going to want some minis, splashes, or big pots.

Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

If you’re working to reach your full potential in Fortnite, you’re going to need to step out of your comfort zone and try things that you’ve never tried before, as well as things that you have struggled with. For example, if you really only play in pubs, start playing some arena games to face off with better competition. It may not go so well at first, but over time, it will make you a significantly better player.

If you’re a player who tends to hide until the endgame phase and you don’t stack up too many kills, step out of your comfort zone and start pushing people and going for more high-kill wins. You may struggle at first, but it’s for the greater good, as you need to push yourself outside of your comfort zone to reach your full potential.

VOD Review

Reviewing VODs, also known as rewatching gameplay, is a huge part of improving as a player in any game. Reviewing your own VODs can really help as you’re able to look back and see your own mistakes, which you may not have even registered as you were making them.

We would recommend watching a game that didn’t go well for you so you’re able to see exactly where things went wrong. For example, if you die mid-game, you may not have farmed enough mats early, you may have made a bad rotation, or you may not have looted enough off of spawn.

We would also suggest pairing that practice up with watching VODs from Pro controller players as well, as you will be able to identify the habits that they have or specific ways that they approach situations which you could add to your own gameplay. If you find that you struggle with getting kills, try reviewing some of Reet’s gameplay to see what he does that is leading to more kills than you typically achieve. Try to pick up on things like how Reet rotates to find players or the way that he fights with right-hand peeks. You could even learn from how a player like Reet disengages from losing battles.

As you watch these players, ask yourself, what are they doing in the situation that helped them, and what would you have done differently? Once you find yourself in situations in-game that you have already reviewed in VODs, you’ll know exactly what to do and how you can make better decisions.

Creative Training

Our last tip that we will leave you with on your path to becoming a better controller player is just to train. You must train in things like crosshair placement, piece control, mechanics, and aim.

The best way to train these types of skills in Fortnite is through creative mode. Practicing these skills through creative allows you to have an infinite amount of repetitions, all without the stress of losing a game. If you mess up, the only person who will know is you, so don’t be afraid to try new things.

One great way to practice piece control and mechanics is through Raider’s piece control map. This map will allow you to go through 25 different in-game scenarios where you have to piece control your opponent in order to secure the elimination. As you go through these scenarios, work on consistency in your builds and edits before you work on speeding up your controls.

The best way to train your aim is with the same maps that we talked about using for warm-ups, as those aim training regimens have a ton of different scenarios that you can go through, such as shotgun flicks, close-range shotguns, long and mid-range tracking, and more. While you’re on aim training maps, focus on whatever you know that you’re struggling with.

Regarding 1v1 aim duels, the aim training maps are a great way to work on close-range SMG tracking. As a controller player, being in a box with your SMG should be familiar. With the 1v1 aim duel map, you can set your HP from 2,000 to 10,000 and hop into a head-to-head scenario where it’s just you and an opponent. Focus on controlling your crosshair and always keeping it towards your enemy’s head. Train with these maps daily, and you’ll be on your way to becoming a top-tier controller player.

The post 7 Tips That Will Make You an INSANE Controller Player first appeared on ProGuides.

Top Lane

We’ll be starting up top first, so take a look at the tier list. Are you seeing your main there?

Since Ornn is as strong as he is, we need to present you with at least one option to perform well into him, and as a result, we have Zac. This blob is a very powerful laner for tanks and sustains amazingly well into Ornn. Next to this, he can also abuse one thing that most lower ELO players simply do not consider: Extremely high engage ranges without any indicator of what will happen. Ornn, on the other hand, tells you what’s up by blowing into his horn, but Zac just stretches his biceps a bit and jumps right onto your skull.

Using items such as Radiant Virtue provides him with all of the stats he wants, and especially thanks to the more recent change to the item, it’s extremely cheap for him to acquire. This obviously leads to an earlier spike, and as long as Zac is allowed to sustain through fights, he’ll deal with that tanky Ornn without any issues.

Another all-time classic that’s been dominating the top lane and is very strong in the sense of making an impact all the time is Maokai. This tree can provide you with anything you need from a supportive angle or just take over the game if fed and itemized well. He’ll even be useful from behind, given the amount of crowd control he offers while simultaneously allowing his allies to play around him and get fed.

Maokai is easy setup, easy lockdown while offering high dive potential if you feel up to the task. As for the item department, go with Sunfire and Evenshroud, and things will naturally go your way.

Jungle

Over in the jungle, we have some adjustments that are interesting to observe. Changes within this list aren’t as extreme as they might be for the higher ELO tier list, but we have clear winners so lets take a look.

First up, we’re going with Ivern. This Champ’s supportive power and ability to take over games from the get-go is unparalleled, thanks to the items available. Echos of Helia is a perfect fit, and with support items being as cheap as they are, he can stack them up and reap all of the benefits. Add to that the fact that most people in lower ELO won’t acknowledge spam ganking at all before falling victim to it. With Echoes and Ardent or Staff, depending on the Champs you’re with, you’ll be an extremely painful opponent to play against once you’re slightly ahead.

The next Champ is all about getting ahead, so it may seem odd to slot her into a low ELO tier list, but we’re looking at Kindred. She has to play around certain mark spawns and utilize pattern recognition to make sure she’s efficient in terms of collecting marks, but with the introduction of a new build, things have changed.

Kindred now turns into a mobile turret, being as chonky as a tank, yet she dishes out an unholy amount of damage. If you’re wondering what led to that, just look at Trinity Force into Black Cleaver or Wit’s End, and it will make more sense. You’ll have to go out of your way to die with that.

Mid Lane

Next, we’ll head to the mid lane, and if you don’t see your main in the higher tiers, this next Champ may become your new main, or a minion, or a ward at any point. Any idea who we’re hinting at? Obviously, it’s Neeko, and this Champ has hit the game much harder than we expected.

Even more powerful is the fact that people who are not paying close attention to her existence are being caught off guard all the time. If you want to utilize most of her power in the mage-like approach, all you need to do is get Protobelt, Sorc’s, and Shadowflame, and then you’re on easy street.

If Neeko isn’t your vibe, we suggest you take a look at Zilean, who has historically been one of the most annoying picks to face outside of his one weakness; the lane phase. Given that you have an accelerated Lost Chapter in combination with Future’s Market and the minor gold buff to mid lane, Zilean is stronger than he was before.

Adding even more power to that is the common perception of the lower ELO players, as they’ll often forget that Zilean is capable of single-handedly denying an enemy engage while providing safety and crowd control simultaneously due to their bloodlust when they see a low HP bar. We suggest you go with Zilean’s typical core build consisting of Everfrost, Boots of Lucidity, and Cosmic Drive, and don’t forget to hang on to a Tear, as you’ll need it later for Archangel’s Staff.

Bot Lane

Now that we’re on the bot lane, we’re going to spice it up with the ADC role all based around one major theme for the entire class of marksmen, Trinity Force.

Twitch the Plague Rat is currently rocking the game as we speak. He’s easy to play from a skill-floor perspective but features a reasonably high ceiling in spite of that. Before you start laughing, it’s not about the mechanical execution but more about the approaches you can take with Twitch. Being able to read the map and going for clutch rotations, utilizing your stealth while knowing about enemy wards, is an elaborate strat that you won’t often see in low ELO gameplay.

To enjoy the rat play, start with Blade of the Ruined King to have a strong first item, then transition into Trinity Force. This build will provide you with great damage and broken stats, which will make you extremely difficult to kill.

The same train of thought comes into play with the next Champion, though we will offer two approaches. Miss Fortune was a brutal winner of the lethality changes to Youmuu’s in the past. However, Miss Fortune players were disappointed when it got nerfed. Fundamentally speaking, it’s still a solid item on her in the right situations, but for this patch, it’s all about Trinity Force.

Rather than going with Youmuu’s into Collector, you’ll go Trinity Force into Krane or into Collector. With these items in, you’ll actually be shocked by how much damage you’re dealing out.

Support

Last but not least, we’re looking at the Supports, and we’ve got a couple of options we wanted to highlight.

Nautilus has benefited from the recent changes to the price tags and has risen increasingly in priority, with the same thing applying to Rell. Both of these Champs are really happy right now and display that they are quite powerful, but that’s especially true in Rell’s case.

Luckily for players of both Champs, but of them feature the same itemization, or at least they can dip into the same thought process. Evenshroud and Zeke’s Convergence or Evenshroud and Knight’s Vow are amazing pickups for either of them, so you’ll be more than happy to get these.

For the enchanter players out there, we have to mention the most busted picks in 13.12, and it’s Janna and Sona once again. These two are absolute criminals with Echoes of Helia and make the game borderline unplayable for their opponents once they’ve scaled.

Let’s be honest here, how many times have you seen these Champs get shut down as they should be? At least Sona should die occasionally, right? If that’s not the case though, it’s time for them to take over the map. Go with Echoes of Helia, Staff, or Ardent, depending on the team composition you have, and life will be pretty sweet.

Finally, we will highlight the walking brain of the support role, Heimerdinger. He’s an infamous criminal when it comes to camping in brushes with his array of turrets and, let’s be honest, name a more iconic duo than League players and face-checking unwarded brushes. Don’t worry; we’ll wait.

It’s pretty easy for Heimerdinger to be fully functional, just pick up Rylais and Liandry, and you’re good to go in terms of utility and damage alike.

If you’d prefer a Champion for some pressure, it’s Annie, Annie, and Annie again. Maybe one day, this Champ will be a weak support option, but we don’t know when that will happen. For Annie, however, there’s also an Echoes of Helia build. Just run Font of Life, rush Echoes of Helia, and go for Rylais afterward. Enjoy the great power curve from a decent early game into an absolutely devasting midgame.

The post The Low ELO Tier List for 13.12 first appeared on ProGuides.

#1 – Bangalore, Seer, and Horizon

Of course, Bangalore will be featured in the first combo of our list. She’s a mainstay in the S tier on our tier lists, and she is currently perched at the top as the best Legend of Season 17. Bang is an extremely well-rounded Legend, and we simply cannot overstate that point to you in our articles. Each of her abilities offers both offensive and defensive capabilities, and her position in the powerful assault class helps too.

Her smokes can be used to cut lines of sight when escaping or maneuvering around the map, and they’re just as good when you’re dropping them on an opponent’s head and throwing down with a Digital Threat scope. Do you know what else works well in that scenario? A good Seer ult!

If you have trouble finding a digi, that’s where that Seer ult comes in. He serves as your own private wallhack, and you won’t even need your parent’s credit card info to get this one! With a solid Seer scan and a smoke, or Seer’s ult and a smoke, you’ll see the enemies, but they won’t see you.

It’s important to note that Seer has recently been nerfed, but that has been a hotly debated topic, so we’ll have to see more of the new Seer in action before determining that this combo has been compromised.

Regarding the third member of this combo, previously, we would have slotted Valk into place for her mobility, but recent changes have made her less critical in this group, as they can just use the EVAC tower. Instead, we’re eyeing Horizon for the third slot.

Horizon isn’t as broken as she was, but she’s no slouch either. If you were a “fly into the air and one-clip someone” sort of Horizon player, you would need to adjust your strategies, but once you begin to utilize her mobility, you’ll see that she really is helpful. Taking the high ground is one of the most powerful tactics in any battle, and Horizon will allow her teammates to join her, which is an advantage over Valkyrie.

Though Black Hole no longer pulls through walls, which was really obnoxious, it’s very strong when you use it in the right situations. Make sure you’re capitalizing on it quickly; even if the opponents destroy it, they’ve just had to dump their ammo into it, emptying their weapons. Catch them on the reload and enjoy the free kills.

In Summary

• Bangalore has great versatility
• Combine Seer scans with Bang’s smokes in combat
• Use Horizon to gain the high ground

#2 – Ballistic, Valkyrie, and Wraith

You know we had to get the newly introduced Ballistic involved in our list of the best Legend combinations this season. We have already taken a deep dive into Ballistic and looked over all of his abilities, so we’ll spare you those details here, but we do want to stress that he offers great utility for team fighting.

In those 30-second Tempest Buffs, you can get really aggressive and make the most of the sped-up reloads and unlimited ammunition. Taking this into consideration, we’ve paired him up with two Legends that are great at locating fights as well as winning them.

Wraith is the OG fighting Legend, with a slender hitbox and phase ability that makes her a great choice for taking aggressive positions in fights, all while making the most of the buffs from Ballistic. Plus, Wraith’s Portal can help you safely get into fights or escape them if they take a turn for the worse.

That’s also why Valk is the best Legend to add to this combo; her jetpack enables some great positioning, and her missiles are nothing to overlook, either.

Where Valk excels with her Skyward dive, though, and not because you need it to rotate these days, but because she gets scans whenever she flies, whether from her ability or the EVAC towers. This means she can help you locate those fights and assess if you want to take them.

In Summary

• Use Ballistic’s ult to win your team fights
• Wraith will help you be more aggressive, take angles and dish out damage
• Valkyrie’s scans while she’s airborne will provide crucial information

#3 – Loba, Wattson, and Newcastle

This combination is designed for the new placement-heavy ranked system, but we don’t suggest this one for your average pub games.

The biggest weakness is that there is no zone rotational ability, but Loba’s Black Market will let you quickly find an EVAC tower that you can use to fly into the zone. Once you’re set up in the zone, Loba will help you loot up, and you can steal loot safely from nearby teams. Lastly, Loba’s bracelet can be that difference maker that helps you clutch a bad situation by sneaking away so you can craft banners.

Now, we’re going to shift our focus to the best duo for bunkering down; Wattson and Newcastle synergize so well and offer a lot of utility for positioning and early rotating. Between his Castle Wall and her Pylon, you will be able to save your batteries and heals for the most critical situations, and if all goes wrong, you still have his revive.

Wattson accounts for Newcastle’s weakness to nades, and his wall helps keep her Pylon active, and when you marry that with Loba’s endless loot hookup, you can see why this squad will help you farm up that placement.

In Summary

• Loba lets you loot remotely
• Wattson’s Pylon provides heals and safety from nades
• Open spaces become playable thanks to Newcastle’s Castle Wall

The post The Best Legend Combos in Season 17 first appeared on ProGuides.

We want to stress here that all 10 of these tricks are more about know-how than insane mechanics, so you will be able to apply them almost instantly. Let’s get started.

Cheater Recalls

The first trick that the Pros abuse is the cheater recall. This is a zero-risk, medium-reward way to give yourself an advantage in lane. This is one of the most well known tricks, but just in case you’re unfamiliar with what a cheater recall is, we’ll give a quick rundown.

Usually, when you want to go for a reset, the default way is to hard shove the wave so you can get back to base instantly, but when you’re going for a cheater, you want to slow push the minion, stacking up two waves. Then, once the third wave arrives, you start clearing as quickly as possible.

Now, the massive wave of minions that you’ve stacked will crash into the enemy turret, and you can slip off back to base. You’ll be able to buy, then get back to the lane without missing much, if any, CS.

This is made even more OP as your opponent can’t reciprocate because now the wave will bounce back toward you. If they try to leave, you can easily build up a freeze and turn it into a snowballing CS lead that they can’t address, which more than likely forces them to stay in the lane with you.

Having that item advantage over the opponent on the lane is a big deal, as even a single long sword or amplifying tome can make a huge impact when you’re in the early levels of a game due to the base stats being so low. As far as timing this cheater recall, technically, this method can be used at any time, but the true cheater recall is done right away, with the first three waves in the game.

Abusing Slow Pushes in Other Ways

There are more ways to abuse slow pushes aside from the cheater recall. By the time the game is in the mid to late phases, many players have pretty much abandoned the concept of wave management. They either freeze forever trying to farm, or they simply hard-shove waves to rotate away quickly.

It’s a waste not to integrate slow pushes into this phase. If it’s done right, a slow push in the mid to late game can be a massive source of pressure. This is called the “6th man” strat for a good reason.

You can generate this massively stacked-up wave, then rotate to fights elsewhere, leaving it to split on its own. By doing this, you’re forcing the enemy team to make a decision. They can take the 5v5 fight over whatever objective you’re targeting, letting that massive wave die and/or, do a ton of damage to their tower, or they’ll have someone catch it, which delivers you the win in the objective fight.

The other option you can try is to push with the wave. Most of the time, someone will come to try and answer you eventually, but if they don’t, having all of these minions means you’ll be able to shred through a turret easily, sometimes taking more than one with that single push.

The key to using this well is to read the map effectively. The best time to start up the slow push is about two minutes before a big objective fight pops off, so you can set it up, then decide how you’ll use it based on the information you gather on the map.

Level 1 Trinket Swap

This next tip that pros abuse will take much less thought process, and it’s something that has begun to appear in lower ELO matches in the last few years as well. At level 1, you can throw down your trinket ward, usually around 50 seconds, then recall and get Oracle’s Lens. This Oracle’s Lens recharges so quickly it’ll always be back up by the time you’re looking to gank, so this is extremely efficient.

There are a few useful spots you can place the ward to get information. The most popular is the pixel bush on the opposite side of the map. This is most commonly done when the enemy jungler is a strong early Champ that can invade you in your second quadrant. It also doubles as a way to prevent cheesy mid-lane ganks at level 2 from that side of the lane.

If you don’t care about being invaded and you just want more information on where the opposing jungler starts, you can also throw the ward down on one of their buffs. This will be a bit riskier since it involves crossing into the enemy jungle to place it.

This ward strat is often carried out by junglers, but support players can also do the same thing. Having sweeper for a lane can actually be really nice if you’re playing a Champ with good lane pressure since you can deny bush vision constantly.

Dip into Bush for Level Up

If you’re a side laner looking for a different type of vision play, this next tip may be right up your alley.

When you know the next minion or two will be enough XP to ding level 6, you can slip into a bush, then hit your opponent with a surprise ult from within the bush for an engage that no one can react to.

Obviously, this will not be useful for every single Champion, but those that will benefit from it should use this more often. It’s a bit easier to coordinate if you’re playing with teammates in VOIP, but even if you’re not, you can just communicate that you plan on doing this to your lane partner beforehand.

One very specific use of this can be done with Shaco. If Shaco was last seen as level 5, then hits 6 out of vision before sending his clone out of the bush, the enemy laners will see him as level 5 still.

An engage support can easily be baited into jumping on the clone immediately, giving you some free shots at them if not a full-blown secured kill. This is really niche, but when you pull it off, it’s really satisfying and can instantly tilt your opponent.

Warding Over Walls

The next trick that pros abuse is a quick one, and you’ll see it all the time in high-level games. Warding over walls prevents one of the silliest mistakes that we see players making all of the time. Think about it like this, if you think that you’re about to be ganked by the enemy jungler, the last thing you should do is walk straight into the river to drop a ward.

If they’re already there, you’re either blowing flash to escape, or you’re simply dead. Instead, learn all of the different places that you can place wards over walls. There are a ton of videos out there providing information specifically about this tactic.

Auto Spacing / Orb Walking

This is going to be one of the more significant tips on the list. Some players may call it auto spacing, others may call it orb walking, and there’s plenty of other jargon that’s used for it too, but it comes down to being able to integrate movement between your attacks.

This is a crucial skill that far too many players overlook, and no, it’s not just for ADCs. It doesn’t matter if you’re ranged or melee, carry or tank; every Champ can use it to help kite better or chase opponents depending on the situation they find themselves in.

Sure, we did say that all of the tricks in this article would be easy to implement and wouldn’t require a ton of practice to learn, and sure, you may be thinking that this is one of the most mechanical things in League, but give us a moment.

Yes, in order to pull this off, you’ll need some incredible mechanics which have been acquired through tons of practice, but even basic-level orb walking is something that you can work into your game, and it will make a massive difference.

Use Bushes for Trading

Here’s another bush trick that you’ll see the pros abuse in high-level gameplay. You know when you have a big range advantage, so you want to harass your opponent on the lane constantly, but each time you hit them, the minions just pummel you, negating your advantage?

The solution is to simply adjust your positioning and look to trade near the bushes. Every time you poke, run into the bush to get out of vision, and the minions will completely forget you were there.

Four Ways to Buffer

This next one is actually going to be a 4 parter, and it’s a few ways that you can properly buffer spells.

The first is learning to buffer spells while using flash. Everyone knows the classic ones, like Ahri Charm and Lee Sin’s kick, but there are many more that players aren’t using as often. Orianna can flash with the ball on her to move where the ult lands at the last second. Alistar can Q Flash for a knock-up that enemies can’t react to. Xin Zhao can even do an Insec of his own with an R Flash.

There are way too many to list each one, so the best thing to do if you’re wondering if your Champ can buffer one of their spells is to hop into the practice tool and test it out quickly.

The second buffer trick is using abilities to negate CC. This tip will be very Champ specific, as only a few Champs, such as Ezreal with his blink and Tristana with her jump, can really do it. That’s because they have an uninterruptable cast; if they are CC’d during the cast, the mobility goes off anyway.

If you’re playing a Champ that doesn’t have a mobility spell to escape being CC’d, you can still use damage spells as a buffer to trade back while CC’d. For example, imagine you’re playing Senna.

Senna’s ult is a powerful 2v2 spell, but with its long cast time, it’s pretty easy to dodge. On the of that, that’s also a good bit of time where you’re not auto-attacking or using other spells.

If the enemy bot lane forces an engage on you, neither of those issues really matters. Enemies that are going in aren’t really in a position to dodge. Plus, since you’re likely CC’d, it’s not really time you’d be autoing or using spells anyway.

For the last buffering trick, we’ll look at using a targeted ability before you flash. The best example of this will be Malzahar, so that’s what we’ll talk about here, though you can apply this to other Champs.

Let’s say your jungler is coming in for a gank, so you go to Flash R your opponent. If they have really fast reflexes, they may react to your flash before you can get that R on them.

If you instead attempt to cast R from them when you’re out of range, Malz will start auto-moving toward them. Then, once you’re in the flash range, once you use the summoner, he will instantly tether from them with the ult, something that absolutely no one can avoid.

Turret CS Denial

Something that we feel people used to do much more often is actively using the enemy turret to deny CS, meaning you’re about to take the first turret on your lane, but you let it thin out the wave first. Every minion the turret kills is one that your opponent isn’t. If the wave is 15 minions deep, letting the turret kill them all right before you knock it down is equal to denying them a kill.

On top of the face-value amount of gold that you’re denying your opponent, you also have to consider the wave state after you break the current. If you were going to be able to shove that minion wave all the way to the inner turret, the wave would definitely bounce back to you.

Usually, though, when you’re killing the first turret in the lane, it’s happening early on, and your enemies will return soon. If you leave a stacked wave and don’t crash it into the turret, they could turn that into a freeze, making it impossible for you or your team to return to the lane to farm.

Play Around the Right Teammates

Our final trick that you’ll see pros using but solo queue players don’t is playing around players that are already doing well rather than the players who are using. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not the job of the jungler, or anyone else on your team, to bail people out when they’re feeding on their lane.

It doesn’t matter if they ended up that way after losing a few 1v1s or dying to 5 jungle ganks; if you go to their lane when they’re already far behind, you’re just risking the game for nothing. What happens if their opponent is fed enough to 2v1`? What if the opponent is waiting to show up?

Instead of that, just play to help other lanes get ahead, then later, you can work towards shutting down the problem from that lane.

Obviously, if you can stop the bleeding early on, then go for it. It’s just about recognizing when a lost cause is just that and knowing that you really need to focus your efforts elsewhere, so you can drag that teammate across the finish line kicking and screaming later on.

The post 10 Tricks The Pros Abuse To Gain An Edge first appeared on ProGuides.

Purpose of the Duel

One of the most important aspects of taking a duel in VALORANT is understanding the purpose of the duel you’re about to take. You will want to make sure that you are taking risks at the right time, so try to avoid taking bad fights in the first place. This means taking into account the areas of the map that your duel impacts and how it will assist your team in taking control of that area. You will also want to consider what utility you may have that your team would need in the round if you were to get yourself eliminated.

For example, let’s say that you’re playing a controller; your team may rely on your smokes to execute a strat later on in the round. If you were to be eliminated in a duel early in the round, your team could be disadvantaged without your smoke. Taking those duels early on is a bad decision since losing it removes your team’s options if you lose that duel, preventing you from upholding your responsibilities in that specific role.

When you have a good comprehension on the purpose of the duel you’re taking, you can make a more informed decision about when and where you should engage the enemy. This can help to avoid unnecessary risks while also increasing your chance to win all of your duels, securing control of the map each time. As a good rule of thumb, always ensure that you’re taking duels that will provide more map control in your team’s favor.

In addition to understanding the purpose of the duel, it’s also crucial to communicate the outcome of the fight and what that means to your team. This way, if you win the duel, you can make a decision with your team on what to do next.

For example, you may decide to move forward and fight for more space or retreat to play to your advantage and hold the area that you have just won. Alternatively, you may decide to rotate to where the enemy may have left, which will allow you to catch them off guard, seizing control of another section of the map.

When you have a clear plan after taking duels, you will be able to better capitalize on the fight you just won or recover after the fight was lost. If you did lose the duel, you would need to communicate this to your team as well. This can help your teammates adjust their strategies and make better decisions to proceed without factoring you into that round.

Effective communication is key to making the duels that you take worthwhile, as it allows your team to work together and make informed decisions as a team. When you communicate the outcome of your duels and work together to make decisions, you can increase your chances of winning more fights and ultimately securing the win for your team.

Understanding Your Weapons

Having a good understanding of your weapon is another critical factor that will help you win all of your duels. Different weapons excel in different situations, and understanding these situations will help you take fights on your own terms.

For close-quarters battles, SMGs and shotguns are going to be ideal. These weapons deal massive damage at close range and can often drop opponents in just a few shots while also providing more mobility to the user. We would suggest using smokes and flashes to close the distance and catch opponents off-guard to set yourself up for success in these fights. You never want to take a Spectre into a long-range aim duel, as you’ll basically guarantee a loss for yourself.

On the flip side of that, walking into a smoke with your Vandal on the enemy save round could spell disaster for yourself. Additionally, you can use run-and-gun tactics to sway the odds in your favor, as you can do things like running around corners while firing to make it more difficult for your opponent to land a shot on you.

Snipers and rifles, on the other hand, excel at the medium and long ranges. These weapons can deal massive amounts of damage, and they’re also perfect for holding angles and picking off opponents at a distance. To be successful with these weapons, it’s important to avoid being too predictable in your duels. Always have a plan of escape or reposition after winning a fight, as it will help you avoid being an easy target for trade.

When you understand the strengths and weaknesses of your weapons, you can make more informed decisions about when and where to engage in your duels. This will help you take fights on your own terms while increasing your chances to win all of your duels.

Crosshair Placement

Virtually every guide you read or watch about dueling in VALORANT is going to be talking about crosshair placement, but that’s for a good reason. Having good crosshair placement is one of the keys to winning duels in the game. Not only does it improve your aim, but it also increases your reaction time, making it much easier to hit your targets. Good crosshair placement can always help you take fights more consistently, improving your ability to fight multiple targets at once.

To begin working on improving your crosshair placement, you should look for markings and objects around the map that are at head level. Boxes, lines, and architecture are good places to start, and you should practice placing your crosshair in these positions whenever possible. It’s also important to only focus on one angle at a time, as peeking out into multiple enemies can be an instant death sentence.

Pre-aiming common angles through walls is another fantastic way to improve your crosshair placement. By positioning your crosshair at the head level on an angle where an enemy may appear, you can be prepared to fire the moment they come into view. This can give you a massive advantage in duels, as you won’t need to adjust or correct your aim as much.

When you focus on your crosshair placement and practice it regularly, you can greatly improve your ability to win all of your duels in VALORANT. Whether you’re taking fights head-on or peeking around corners, good crosshair placement can make a world of difference.

Set Up for Success with Utility

One of the keys to consistently winning duels in VALORANT is making sure that there is utility preparation in every duel that you take. Depending on what agent you’re playing, the way that you approach duels is going to be different. Duelists may want to use their utility to flash, stun, or outmaneuver the enemy, while controllers may want to take the duels based on their duelists in more of a trade situation. Whatever your role is, it’s important to make sure that you have the proper utility to give yourself the advantage in each duel.

Another crucial aspect of utility prep is making sure to eliminate as many angles as possible before taking duels onto the site. For example, if you’re taking A site on Haven, you want to smoke window and consider darting the back site for information. The more information you have, the more you can focus on one engagement at a time. This can be the difference between a successful take and running into a brick wall.

It’s also important to know what duels you should take in your role. If you’re a duelist, ask your team to help you gain as many advantages as possible. If you’re a sentinel, only take duels on your own terms and preserve your life so your team has options to traverse the map safely. Remember, every duel you take should be calculated and have a specific purpose behind it. Don’t take fights just for the sake of doing it; make sure that you have a plan of action and that you’re using your utility effectively.

Movement in Duels

We may sound like a broken record here, but movement is yet another key to winning all of your duels in VALORANT. It’s important to learn how to move and counter-strafe properly to make yourself a more difficult target as you peek your angles. Counter-strafing is the act of stopping abruptly by pressing the opposite direction key and shooting immediately after, which can help your shot accuracy as well, which will give you a significant advantage in battles.

To improve at movement and counter-strafing, practice in the shooting range and in deathmatches. You can also watch Pro players to learn from their movement and positioning.

Another important factor with movement is peeking angles correctly. When you are peeking an angle, you should try to move out quickly before moving back in quickly as well. This will make it more difficult for opponents to land their shots on you.

We would also suggest practicing strafing back and forth while shooting at a target to improve your accuracy while moving. Additionally, try to incorporate jump peeks and crouch peeks into your gameplay to make yourself even more unpredictable. However, you will need to be aware that these movements can also make you more vulnerable if you’re not being cautious.

The best way to peek angles is to establish a line of sight you want to peek down and form a “strafe line” where you can swing out by either pressing the A or the D keys. You almost never want to take a fight while you’re pressing W or S since it’s extremely hard to stop, and you are moving in a straight line toward or away from the enemy.

The most common problem Low ELO players will have with their movement is the lack of establishing one duel at a time by controlling the situation with their movement. Establish that common angle and swing from right to left in order to retain good crosshair placement as well as solid movement mechanics.

Overall, improving your movement and counter-strafing can make you a more well-rounded VALORANT player, and it gives you an edge in your gunfights. Keep practicing and experimenting with different movements to see what works best with your playstyle.

Patience and Controlling Aim

Knowing when to burst and strafe instead of crouching with some spray and pray is another critical thing to consider in your duels. While spraying can be effective in certain situations, it is generally less accurate and harder to control than burst fire. Bursting involves firing a short, controlled burst of shots, allowing you to maintain accuracy and control over the recoil. Additionally, strafing or moving side-to-side while shooting can make you much harder to hit.

To practice this, try to engage in more controlled gunfights where you take your time to line up shots instead of just spraying and hoping for the best. Focus on your crosshair placement, burst with the right timing, and strafe so you’re not giving your opponent a stationary target. It may take some time to get used to, but with enough practice, you’ll find yourself winning significantly more battles.

Patience is key in any engagement in VALORANT. While it may be tempting to panic and unload a magazine as soon as you see the opponent, controlled bursts with solid accuracy will almost always be more effective. You have way more time than you might think, especially in Low ELO matches, so take your time and make your shots count.

Ultimately, remain calm and composed in your battles, as it can make all the difference. Take your time, work on your accuracy, and don’t panic when things escalate. With practice, your burst fire will improve, your ability to take shots between strafing will get better, and you’ll find that this technique will help you win all of your duels.

Aim Training

The final tip we have to help you win your VALORANT duels is to practice in aim trainers such as Aimlabs. This will help with your overall mouse control, consistency, target acquisition, and your ability to react. By practicing exercises such as 6 shot, you can improve your ability to perfect the small movements necessary when swinging angles and taking duels. Aim trainers can also help you train the muscle memory required for different types of weapons, so you can react faster with better accuracy in the heat of battle. With consistent practice in aim trainers, you can gain the edge that you need to increase your chance of coming out on top.

The post 7 Critical Tips To Win All Of Your Duels first appeared on ProGuides.

The Three Fundamentals

There are three important traits that you will need to become a better combatant. The first is aim, the second is reaction speed, and the third is game sense. Good aim can ensure that you always hit your target, possibly ending fights before your opponent has a chance to gain an edge. Reaction speed can save your life if you’re caught off guard, allowing you to respond with your own fire, or the time you need to build up and defend yourself. Finally, game sense will provide you with the knowledge needed to make the right decisions in any situation.

Improving Your Aim

Do you find yourself securing clean kills often? By clean kills, we mean the situation when you engage an enemy without taking much damage, if any, or expending too many resources. The best way to earn more of these clean kills is to train your aim to end fights faster.

Pros typically improve their aim with a combination of techniques and gameplay settings. Changes such as sensitivity adjustments can greatly improve how quickly you can bring your crosshair over your opponent, as well as your stability while you do so. Going through aim training courses can help you land your shots more consistently while also improving your ability to accurately hit that damage multiplier even if you’re aiming at a moving target.

Reaction Speed

Having great aim is an important skill to have in your toolbox, but if you’re not the initiator in your engagements, it’s not going to make any difference. Reaction speed can make or break you during any battle, especially as you start mastering the art of building in Fortnite.

One problem that many noobs face is being unable to come up with a decision once they’re engaged. Some will focus on retreating while forgetting that building is an option. Others may try to match the opponent’s aggression but struggle to locate the enemy.

Players on the other side of the spectrum will see an opponent and know what should happen next but hesitate in the hopes that they’ll have an even better shot opportunity. Before you know it, the opponent is either gone or already opening up on you.

One good way to improve your reaction speed is to condition yourself to perform a specific action during any given situation. If you get hit, and your shield is broken, box up! If you spot an opponent and they don’t see you, take the shot! These combat fundamentals may not win you the fight each time, but they will help you stay focused when it’s time to react.

Reaction time becomes especially critical once you start build battling and piece control. If you make the effort to claim a wall, you need to be ready to place your own. The same goes for when you box an opponent and need to open up a space to peek.

Game Sense

The final piece of the puzzle is game sense. Knowing the layout of a map keeps you from running straight into dead ends, and learning the meta keeps you from misusing your weapons while also giving you an idea of what the other player may be packing. Most importantly, knowing how the best players in the game are using the mechanics will show you the tactics that your opponents may be trying to use against you.

Now that we know the three combat fundamentals, let’s learn about the most important factor when it comes to Fortnite; you.

Playstyles: Passive and Aggressive

What type of player are you? Are you the type to go completely aggro on your opponents? Or do you prefer to take it slow, find the perfect angle, and beam your opponents down? A good player knows how to slip between both playstyles, but many players tend to lean one way over the other.

Passive

Players who lean towards passive play tend to land uncontested, build up their arsenal throughout the match, and then pick and choose the best times to strike. This is a great way to get more Victory Royales. However, this might result in the player lacking combat skills when things get ugly.

Aggressive

The more aggressive players will prefer to land hot, taking the action that comes with having more players around them. They may even spend the rest of the match actively seeking out more players for a higher elimination count. They may, however, have a similar drawback to the passive players. Playing aggressively might require you to take more risks, which means you will be leaving yourself exposed every now and then.

While it is a great idea to expose yourself to both playstyles, if you want to improve at combat, you will need to be more aggressive to prevent your skills from getting rusty.

Solo Arena & 1v1’s

Playing Ranked mode Solo Arena could be a great way to reinforce your combat fundamentals and instincts. Though it may sound a bit scary, it will give you the opportunity to play against more unique and refined playstyles. Your reaction time will also improve since you’re growing more accustomed to faster playstyles. Grinding enough in Ranked Arena will give you a significant edge over players in the more casual playlists, as they’ll seem much slower and more manageable.

Another option to improve is to play 1v1s against stronger opponents since this will expose you to repeated combat with no intermissions. You can use this as a method of warming up before you start grinding out BRs. When you build a regiment doing this, you’ll be able to adopt a more aggressive playstyle.

Fighting Wkey

Now, how do you deal with an overly aggressive player, also known as a W keyer? If you play passively like most beginners, you may have a hard time defending yourself and fighting back. We’ve got some tips for you though.

The secret to taking down W keyers is being able to determine how skilled the other player really is and adapting from there. Is the player as tough as they look, or are they bluffing you with their aggression?

Many W keyers are counting on you to lose your cool as they pressure you. If you respond with equal aggression, you can throw them off, especially if that player doesn’t have the skills to back up their tactics. You’ll also find that maintaining distance works very well against W keyers, since their playstyle revolves around closing the distance between them and you as quickly as possible. If the fight lasts longer, it gives you a chance to turn the tables on them.

Now, let’s go over some close and long-range combat options. Close-range combat usually results in fast outcomes one way or another. Close-range weapons such as the SMG, are built to deal tons of consistent damage up close. Shotguns

The Flow of Combat

Combat in Fortnite continues to transform and evolve the longer that the game lasts, so let’s take a look at how opponents will usually play around each stage.

Early Game

In the early game, everyone is scrambling to grab a good weapon, stock up on materials, and fill up their shields. As a result of this many players will fail to bring their A-game to combat, but some players will still choose to be aggressive in the early game, taking advantage of the confusion.

Mid Game

During the mid-game, combat starts to slow down again. You won’t encounter nearly as many players, and when you do, it will usually be because you’re actively seeking out engagements. You should also be aware that if a fight takes too long, you will definitely have to worry about players trying to third-party your battle. If you’re not seeing any combat though, make a habit of scrolling through your weapons and reloading each of them. Entirely too many new players tend to forget to do this and end up engaging with guns that are only half-loaded.

Late Game

The combat in the late game is very similar to the early game; you’ll most likely encounter more opponents during this time, but instead of the combat being frantic, it’s more calculated. This means most other players will have better loot and mats to spare, so you’ll find yourself relying more on your building skills in this phase.

Building

While they’re not impossible to learn, building mechanics can be some of the most difficult to learn. If you don’t have the muscle memory for cranking 90’s or creating edits, then you need to start free building on creative mode as much as possible. Simply learning the position of basic pieces is going to greatly improve your durability during matches.

Boxing up gives you the time needed to recover during or after a battle. If you suddenly get hit and take a ton of damage, you’re going to need cover ASAP. If you plan on making the most out of this cover, forget about medkits and whip out faster items such as minis and floppers.

Piece control is a more advanced technique that is very effective against other players who are also skilled builders. It essentially allows you to build around your opponent so they have fewer movement options during the fight.

High ground is extremely important in the late game, especially in competitive playlists. Highground will let you follow the storm circle without needing to worry about players attacking you from every possible direction. It will also help you avoid worrying about bumping into another player’s build.

Confidence

This may sound overly simplified, but the ultimate secret sauce to tying together all of the other combat fundamentals is confidence.

Confidence is not a placebo to make bad players feel capable, there is actual science to it, and confidence constantly fluctuates during each engagement.

The key is to boost your own confidence with practice, exposure, and wins. Meanwhile, you can use some of the tactics that we’ve mentioned so far to lower your opponent’s confidence. Getting them boxed up, cracking their shields, and being aggressive can all work towards leveling the playing field. Even if you’re going head to head with a sweaty player, if you can shake them up enough, you’ll see them get sloppier and more susceptible to your efforts.

So put the work in, practice, build up your fundamentals, and be confident about the efforts you’ve put in thus far; they will all work together to make you a much scarier player in every lobby.

The post From Noob to Pro: Combat Fundamentals You Must Know first appeared on ProGuides.

D Tier

Lifeline

The aggression from the teams in the higher ranks of Apex has led to this Legend dropping down a tier list rank. Lifeline is still good at what she does, of course, but at the higher levels, sitting in the knockdown shield to take the 1v1 or 1v2 is simply better than Lifeline rezzing and fighting in the open. For that reason, Lifeline just isn’t very useful for higher-ranked players, which explains her rarity in the higher-ranked lobbies. Sure, you could just avoid drone rezzing a teammate, but if that’s the case, why did you even pick her?

Mirage

Once again, Mirage finds himself in the D tier. He can still be useful in fights, but that is really mostly coming down to your individual skills and mechanics rather than the Legend himself being especially useful in combat. Moving him to the support class is nice, but it’s not really much of a game-changer. As much as a sick Bamboozle can be extremely satisfying, we all know in our hearts that Mirage belongs at the bottom of the tier list.

Revenant

Do we really need to spell it out for you? Everyone knows why Revenant lives down here.

C Tier

Vantage

The thing that has really dragged Vantage down the tier list is that her Echo Relocation ability is mid at best and will result in you taking a lot of damage if you try to use it in tight situations. Here ultimately simply lacks oomph, and it can be great, but it takes way more skill than the vast majority of ults in Apex Legends. Maybe Apex would be better if more Legends were designed in the same vein as Vantage, but for now, it leaves her in a mediocre spot.

Fuse

In the casual tier list, we spoke about Fuse frankly being a dangerous pick for lower-skilled players due to the fact that he deals so much damage to himself. This hopefully won’t be as big of a problem for the higher-skilled players, but he’s still very situational which is a huge flaw. His kit excels when you have teams trapped in tight spaces, and his kit relies on having access to plenty of grenades, as well as enough backpack space to carry them all.

Mad Maggie

Maggie is one of those Legends that can be really impactful, but only in specific situations. If you have a team pinned in a building, she can be unreal. If you’re fighting against a Gibby or a Newcastle, Maggie can actually destroy them like they’re nothing. That being said, Gibby and Newcastle are rarely played, and people don’t tend to turtle in buildings as though it’s ALGS, even in the ranked lobbies. If the new MMR-based ranked system gets sweatier, and that is a big if, Maggie might become a great choice, especially on Worlds Edge.

Newcastle

Unfortunately for Newcastle, he relies on synergizing with Wattson to be effective, which is what keeps him locked in the C tier. Even in the hands of more advanced players, Newcastle can be easily countered by grenades, and you really need Wattson’s Pylon to block those nades, or Gibby and Bang ults. When he’s paired with Wattson, Newcastle could easily sit in the A tier as the two legends complement each other so well, but on their own, they are flawed. His passive revive is still very strong, but alone, it’s simply not enough to elevate him up the tier list.

Wattson

While Wattson is great at what she does, even advanced players can’t elevate her kit due to the style of play in the higher-ranked lobbies. She’s something of a reverse Maggie in the sense that she’ll excel if the new ranked lobbies lead to extremely sweaty games with 6-8 teams left alive. She enables early rotating thanks to her Pyon, and the ability to poke and level up evo shields without wasting batteries and cells is great for taking positions early.

While her fences don’t offer insane damage, they are really good at establishing presence and deterring teams from pushing on your position. They’re even great against a Valk ulting right onto your head if they didn’t notice you were there first.

Crypto

Here is another Legend that is great in sweatier games, but accessing those survey beacons remotely is far and away his standout ability. He suffers a bit from the way that games are currently playing out, though. His EMP is strong, but it excels against Legends like Gibby and Wattson, which few people are currently playing. He’s a great forward scout, but who really needs to scout in ranked play? That’s why he’s stuck in the C tier, and is yet another legend that is great at what they do, but what they do isn’t always useful in the current high-level meta.

B Tier

Ash

The various buffs that Ash has received since her heirloom was released have helped her once again become a solid choice. Her Tether is vastly improved and is no longer deployed in slow motion. Horizon’s passive is probably the most overlooked tool in her kit, as it can be a great way to find fights, find loot, or even avoid the action entirely.

Her portal is still pretty mediocre, though, and while it can be strong in some situations, there are other abilities that outperform it, especially when it’s used as an escape. Ash is pure aggression, and trying to escape with her portal is a waste.

Loba

Here is another Legend that can really shine if the new ranked system is particularly competitive. While advanced players won’t need to rely on Loba as much to gear up, she is always going to be a useful pick overall. Especially if she helps you keep your grenades and ammo well-stocked.

We have seen Loba shine in ALGS tourneys when used by teams who want to rotate as early as possible. She lets you loot on the run while also stealing loot from teams that die nearby once you’re set up in a building. That being said, if there are not enough teams in those final circles, this power is far less effective. Regardless of that, she’ll always have her function.

Caustic

We typically hate Caustic because of how strong he continues to be, and again, his usefulness is significantly elevated in the more competitive lobbies. Overall though, he’s stuck in B tier simply because, much like Wattson and others that we’ve mentioned, the majority of fights aren’t taking place inside or around buildings where he shines. His large hitbox also makes him a liability out in the open. Still, his ult Nox Gas grenade is wildly powerful, so be sure that you’re using that in any fight when you have the opportunity.

Rampart

This is one of the best Legends for third partying, and once you’ve really mastered how to use her Sheila, Rampart can be a devastating choice. People tend to fail with her when they’re whipping Sheila out as a third weapon in close-quarters 1v1s. Sheila is insane at killing opponents before they’re aware of what’s happening, whether it’s out of the sky, at range, or from behind while they’re engaging another player. Rampart’s walls are now a pretty sturdy combat tool as well. If LMGs were a bit better, she could easily sneak up the tier list.

Bloodhound

Though Bloodhound has fallen from their tier list peak, the scans and the extra speed provided by their ult will always be incredibly useful. The White Raven went some way to making up for the loss of those fast scans in Bloodhound’s ultimate, but it’s still annoying to use. If you lean in and embrace the ability to hunt enemies down, Bloodhound can still be a great pick.

Horizon

Much like Bloodhound, Horizon has to be reimagined. She’s no longer capable of soaring into the skies and dealing huge damage, she’s all about movement and positioning. What really helps her among the higher talent is her passive, as you can combine this with advanced movement abilities like tap strafing to really break some ankles and push boundaries on what’s possible. Use the Gravity Lift to reposition with your team, rather than alone, to be as effective as possible.

Octane

Octane was in the S Tier for our casual tier list due to his flexibility and kit simplicity, but Octane’s power falls off significantly in the higher-level lobbies. Talented players will hurt you, if not fully down you, right out of mid-air, and they won’t struggle to track you while you’re stimmed. However, Octane still has his uses in the higher ranks. The kit flexibility is still there, as you can attack or escape using his mobility. If you happen to take someone by surprise or third party an ongoing fight, they will not be able to dish much damage out to you due to them being occupied.

A Tier

Catalyst

When then interaction with Seer’s ult is fixed, Catalyst will finally be the Legend that we all believed was arriving when she was first released. She has proven to be a flexible Legend with useful abilities both inside and outdoors. Her Dark Veil is a stand-out ability, as you can isolate players and take advantage of that situation. Cut off the enemy’s lines of sight or simply reduce the amount of space they have to play in. Don’t forget how powerful taking control of doors can be, as you can trap teams inside of buildings with this ability.

Pathfinder

It’s been great to see Pathfinder return to the meta, as the buffs he received last season really made a big difference for our favorite bot. Now, Pathfinder can rotate around the map, and the extra speed provides a lot of safety while doing so. His zipline is useful, and it makes his passive absolutely insane. You get your zipline by scanning care packages, so you can chain these up and make some pretty wild rotations around the map.

Ballistic

It’s obviously the early days for Ballistic, but he seems to be a really strong addition to Apex Legends, especially in team fights. The thing we really like about Ballistic is how fun he is to play or to play on a team with. The biggest question, however, is what weapons to use in the sling. We are leaning toward the Havoc in there, but a Rampage, Mozambique, or R99 are also great choices from our experience thus far.

Valkyrie

You’re probably wondering how Valk missed out on S tier without receiving any nerfs. Well, the new Evac Tower has knocked her down a notch on the tier list. Of course, her Skyward Dive goes higher and further, but the fact that this item exists in Apex simply reduces the number of times that you actually require a Valk. As a result, it’s hard to consider her as an absolute top-tier Legend, but she’s arguably the best of the A tier.

Gibraltar

Outside of Pro play, Gibraltar is a particularly underrated Legend with a very low pick rate among casual players in spite of the power he offers. He’s made inaccessible to some due to his massive hitbox, but his ultimate is still extremely powerful and difficult to avoid when it’s used well.

His arm shield can help you win your trades, especially in those close-quarters shotgun battles. Shotguns will always be your best friend while playing Gibby, as you can use his Dome of Protector or his bubble to take on multiple enemies while isolating others using the walls to cut up the space.

Wraith

She’s the OG icon of Apex Legends, and we all know what she brings to the table. The huge portal buff last season helped to elevate her back into the A tier. Aggression is a key component of Apex, and all the confidence and escapability offered by her abilities give you aggression by the ton. Is there much more to really say about her?

S Tier

Seer

While we may hate that Seer is in S tier, we simply cannot deny it. As the skill gap between players shrinks, the value of information dramatically increases. Considering that, ask yourself, who provides more information than Seer? Canceling heals, scans that last seven seconds and display the player’s health, all packed in with an ult that proves full scans for almost an entire fight? Seer is just flat-out too good.

Bangalore

One Legend continues to surpass Seer, however, because Bangalore remains to be the best and most well-rounded Legend in all of Apex Legends. She has the power of the assault class, along with smokes that can be used aggressively or defensively. Her ult can clear space, deny pushes, or provide cover for a hasty retreat. She really does have it all in her kit.

Of course, she still benefits from specific equipment, namely the Digital Threat scope, but even without it, she’s a great choice and well worth your time in Season 17.

The post The High Rank Apex Legends Tier List For Season 17 first appeared on ProGuides.

Top Lane

Starting out with the top lane tier list, the first highlight we’ll point out revolves around one of the most commonly banned Champions of the last patch; Rengar. He’s been a menace in the jungle, and he’s also been a real problem when it comes to the top lane.

Even with Youmuu’s nerf, it’s still been useful for Rengar when it’s built. The item is mostly about the movement speed bonus that’s provided, and nerfing the number on the lethality value was required, especially when you factor in Rengar’s ultimate. Having around 12 extra armor penetration from his ult, and combining this with Youmuu’s lethality grants the Champ a lot of bonus damage during trades.

Next to this, we also have to talk about his healing capabilities with his W in short trades. It’s just really annoying to lock him down, and approaching any brush can turn into a deadly encounter for you. If you want to make it even more deadly, go for Youmuu’s Ghostblade and Essence Reaver as core items; other than that, situational items will help to boost the cat’s effectiveness.

There haven’t been many other major changes to the top lane meta, so we’ll highlight an all-time classic, Jax. His love for lethal tempo, lane dominance, scaling, and sidelaning are as big as they used to be. There do not appear to be any nerfs heading in his direction, and he’ll continue to remain a solid pick. Going with Divine Sunderer, Black Cleaver, and then some situational tanky items will make Jax a top-lane terror.

Jungle

Over in the jungle, we believe the changes to AD assassin items, such as Youmuu’s and Duskblade are going to be very interesting to see where people land on their builds. Will Rengar still remain permabanned? He is an assassin, so you can probably assume it’s likely. Putting that aside, let’s move to another tier list highlight with Graves.

Graves is a decent Champ into a few of the OP picks, namely Kha’zix and Rengar, and the item changes benefit him quite a bit. Especially the changes to BT, as it grants Graves significantly more up-front damage, which makes it substantially easier for him to maneuver in skirmishes.

Another thing that is intriguing about Graves is his flexible playstyle. You can be the most aggressive invading demon, or you can farm it out and wait for specific spikes to take fights. Either works, but you’ll need to specifically know about the enemy’s jungle clear speed and strength compared to yours, depending on your pick. Also, don’t forget that the enemy team will always move first, as if the entire universe is out to get you. We’d suggest looking into a Youmuu’s Collector core build, but depending on the situation, you may look into a Goredrinker, Cleaver, and BT approach to turn yourself into an unstoppable tank.

Another powerful pick from Patch 13.11 is Nocturne. He’s better than before due to Enchanters being picked more often… No way Echos of Helia is still broken, right? The previous buffs to Stridebreaker are another argument in Nocturne’s favor.

Nocturne is infamous for being an entirely ult-centric Champ that mainly indulges in a herbivore type of gameplay until his ult is ready to go. Upon switching out the lights, he’ll then quickly travel towards the ADC of choice at the speed of light, and after crashing into them, the Stridebreaker slow and fear will remove any counter-play options. The opponent’s only chance will be a literal statcheck against you at that specific moment, which sounds fun for you, doesn’t it? Make sure to grab a Stridebreaker and Cleaver as your core items, and you’ll be good to go.

Mid Lane

Now, as we move over to the mid lane, we’ll need to see what is busted over here as well. Since we’re mostly focusing on Solo queue, it’s important to consider the chaos and reliable setup that you can provide for your teammates on a consistent level. Picks such as Zilean are still absolutely broken on paper, as they hadn’t been addressed in this patch, but other power picks just do much more, earlier.

We’re still going to take a moment to discuss Zilean, who serves as more of a Tier 1 protector. He hugs his tower and wants to scale toward his powerspikes. Once he gains access to his ultimate ability, he can enable his teammates to completely disregard specific laws of the game as they gain a second life. To add to that, he also has a crazy point and click slow with a stun setup that you cannot miss once the enemy is slowed.

However, as mentioned earlier, it’s all about getting to those cooldowns and level breakpoints to truly come online. Once that’s done, he turns into a Sona-tier Champion that just completely takes over the game. To accomplish that in proper fashion, you’ll want Everfrost, and afterward, you can focus on situational items, and even Imperial Mandate can work as it’s affordable. Otherwise, a cosmic drive for its movement speed and ability haste come in clutch. Don’t forget to start with a sapphire crystal.

If you’re looking for a Champ that provides setup earlier with a lot more damage than you want, take a look at Annie. This Champion’s design is as easy as it gets, and yet powerful as hell. You provide an immensely broken gank setup with your stun, and can constantly zone off enemies just by having it available. Moving forward triggers an automatic response by your enemy, as they’ll have to respect you, and that’s the thing you’re going to make use of

make sure to keep your opponents on their toes and confuse them, then once your jungler is within range, you can simply flash on their head and one tap them with your jungler’s assistance.

For your items, you obviously have pen as your signature core build. On one hand, Luden’s Echo, Sorc Boots, and Shadowflame will wipe an enemy off of the lane in a hurry. On the other, against tankier Champs, you can also build into Liandry’s Anguish instead of Luden’s to abuse your Tibber’s burning aura. Generally speaking though, you’ll be fine with the Luden’s pen build most of the time.

Bot Lane

Heading down to the bot lane, we have some adjustments for ADC’s with new builds. Trinity Force Zeri is back, and she’s going hard in 13.11!

Alongside her, there are also other ADCs who enjoy this item so far, so let’s take a look at Lucian. For your core, you have basically two options; you can opt into the Trinity Force build, or you go for the current option of Stromrazor into Galeforce. The burst provided by this build is the highest, but the Trinity Force build grants you more consistent DPS. Keeping that in mind, it’s time to think about your laning partner. Are you going to be playing with a support that will enhance you with even more burst, or are you going to be allowed to safely deal damage within extended trading windows?

It’s important to note down here that the Trinity Force build doesn’t really feature crit, but rather, it goes for an on-hit approach with the blade and Cleaver. You’re a lot tankier, but you’ll deal far less burst damage. To give you a third option, you can also look into Essence Reaver and Navori as a combo for maximum ability haste. With Navori’s change, this might be something interesting as they gave the item more damage by trading it for some ability haste. Just remember, you’ll have plenty of haste already.

The next Champion we want to highlight here is the virtuoso, Jhin. Again, we’re going to keep this simple and easy. Start with Stormrazor, Galeforce, and most likely Rapidfire into LDR for your core, as these items are just too good.

If Jhin isn’t really your preferred type of Champ, you can also look into poke-Varus. While Jhin is a burst-centric ADC that provides utility in the form of setup with his deadly flourish and curtain call, Varus is more about poking and locking people down. With lethality items such as Youmuu’s for the added lethality, Manamure for infinite mana, and bonus on spell-hit damage, you’ll deal a ton of damage before the fight has even started. Previously, we had mentioned that BT is now providing a lot more AD as it received a change to its identity, so adding that and Serylda to your build will grant you a boatload of attack damage to take down enemies.

Support

Winding down the tier lists will be support, and we have a few different sub-tiers featured here.

Enchanters being around more often now, it’s Pyke’s time to dominate the map as they’re stuck or late to rotations. The power of this pick is mainly linked to your prowess when it comes to map domination, so here you have to put in some effort to make him work.

He’s also a big fan of Ghostblade, as the nerf isn’t affecting Pyke all that much. It surely makes him weaker, but it doesn’t push him into buying another mythic, as this one provides everything he needs. For your core, you really want those ability haste boots with a Ghostblade to take over as quickly as possible.

While Pyke wants his boots as early as he can get them, our next two Champs might have a different approach. Buying early boots is an investment to have increased pressure on the map, but what if there’s a way to brutally statcheck people with a single item?

In the distant past, a certain Janna one-trick introduced an Ardent rush. Ardent was absolutely broken, and it was almost gross to see the difference between an ADC who had its buff, and one who didn’t. Something similar is happening with Echoes of Helia now. For your peel support Janna, you have the following adjustments to your build: For Runes, you now want Glacial Augment and Font of Life to consistently trigger Echoes of Helia.

For playing Bard, on the other hand, you’ll just want to opt into the typical Resolve tree with Guardian to gain access to Font of Life. Both of these builds mainly revolve around Echoes of Helia, which is the very core of everything that makes up a broken enchanter currently.

Now ask yourself the following question: Can your Champ proc Font of Life consistently on maybe multiple targets while still dealing damage? If so, Echoes of Helia is probably broken on said Champ, and you’ll inflate your winrate significantly.

The fact that Bard the chad can even opt into tanky items afterward makes it even more difficult to kill him when you add the mobility of his magical journey to the mix. Since killing Janna was never, and will never, be an easy task, the Champion is just straight-up obnoxious to face as it denies so many other Champs.

How do our tier lists look compared to your own? Did we surprise you with any of our picks or highlights? Be sure to let us know and keep an eye out for any changes when 13.12 inevitably drops in the future!

The post The High ELO Tier List for Patch 13.11 first appeared on ProGuides.