Agilio Macabasco
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16 Min read Whether you’re completing your first placements ever or a veteran back on the grind, it’s important to know your main role in order to climb to the best of your ability. This article aims to help players understand how and why to choose a main role.
Throughout the history of team competition, roles and positions have usually been designated by physical attributes. In basketball, being tall usually means you’re going to be playing in the key, looking for rebounds and blocks—the shorter players are delegated to learn and specialize in skills like shooting, dribbling, and passing. In American football, stronger, bulkier players will be sent to the front lines to protect speedy running backs, while taller receivers are favored to flank the sides.
Sure, every once in a while, players pop up that defy these conventions (like 6’9″ Kevin Durant who plays like a guard with a big man’s body), but the safe bet is that you’re going to want to play to your physical advantages in traditional sports.
In League of Legends (and gaming in general), confines like height, weight, and strength don’t matter when it comes to deciding if you’re playing Top, Jungle, Mid, ADC, or Support. Instead, factors like whether you like solo duels or sticking with a team, slicing foes up close or blasting them afar, and so on, define where you can find a place and successfully climb.
Why pick a main role?
Nothing is stopping you from jumping between roles, but it’s hard to deny these benefits of settling down on one:
Although Riot encourages you to play within five designated roles, the biggest decider is how you personally like to play.
Play around and experiment to find out what brings you joy when you’re playing. Remember that the road to climbing isn’t always fun and games – the journey is long and arduous. Picking a main role is about falling in love with the grind – embracing the fact that there will be adversity, but you will inevitably improve as long as you stay focused on your goals.
Do you like operating alone instead of spending most of your time with your team?
Are you a 1v1 combat enthusiast who enjoys the nuances of dueling?
Can you lean on your own skill and strength to create undeniable pressure on your foes?
If these appeal to you, Top lane may be your place.
Top is a solo lane set apart from other roles because it is the most isolated from the rest of the map’s action. Early on in a usual match, things tend to happen more toward bottom side due to Dragon contests. Sure, you may have the occasional fight at Rift Herald or the Void Grubs.
As the game progresses, top laners often transition to being split-pushers, so they are often still separate for much of the match until they are grouped for baron battles and end-game team fights.
Isolated for better or worse
As a Top laner, it can often feel like you’re on an island – it’s probably the least proactive role in terms of map movement potential. You’re responsible for holding the fort of your First Turret, and you shouldn’t expect help to come every time you need it. If you fall behind against your counterpart, it can feel like a survival game where you’re just doing your best to hold your turret up for as long as possible.
You also won’t be able to impact other lanes like other roles can. Top laners may roam to Mid every once in a while after shoving their lane, but they almost never impact the bottom lane outside of the occasional Teleport (which has a long cooldown) to flank or help with Dragon.
So even in games where you’re doing well, you may feel helpless if your teammates aren’t doing so hot. The isolation can also turn in your favour if you’re able to dominate your opponent. If you get a few early kills, the enemy team will be forced to invest resources into keeping you in check, thus opening up opportunities for your allies.
Overall, Top lane involves tanks and duelists with split-push capabilities. There are many melee choices and a few ranged champions, with AD and AP at your disposal depending on your play style needs. Here are some examples of the different guises Top laners can take:
If you want a solo lane where you can really rely on your individual prowess as a player and don’t want to worry a ton about what happens on the rest of the map. It has a good amount of carry potential, decent variety in champion pool and play styles, and is beginner-friendly since it doesn’t require as much map awareness/champ learning.
Are you a strategist that likes to plan your moves and stay a step ahead of your enemies?
Do you like traveling the map and being able to help all of your teammates?
Do you relish the opportunity to invade, ambush, and steal from your foes?
If so, Jungling may be your gig!
Jungling is quite interesting in that it is one of the most mechanically simple roles but may be the most mentally demanding. You won’t have to worry about last-hitting like other solo lanes but you’ll have to have an incredible amount of game knowledge and sense.
The Jungler dictates the pace of the game, creating action where you see fit. If you want to help snowball lanes, defend them, or ignore them, that’s ultimately up to you!
Strategy and flow
As a Jungler, you are tasked with having the most planning to do, but that also means you have the most freedom. The game begins in champ select and loading screen for you because you’ll be planning your pathing moves in advance. You set the pace and decide where you can make the biggest impact.
You can camp one lane all game, try to help where you can, or even focus on farming up for the late game. However, having all the freedom in the world can also be a burden since you may have teammates who are begging for you to come. Junglers must have thick skin because you may be blamed when things go wrong in your allied lanes (luckily, you have a mute button).
Junglers must have good intuition and feel for the game because there are so many things they have to keep track of. They have to track the enemy Jungler’s movements, understand the health states of the laners, the timers of camps, and so on…
You better know your stuff!
Junglers have the luxury of not having to learn last-hitting mechanics, but they will have to learn much more than the other lanes. As we mentioned earlier, you are tasked with understanding the game state and knowing the best place for you to be. Ultimately, you have to not only understand what your enemy Jungler is looking to do, but also how all the champions on your team interact with their opponents in order to make the best decisions possible.
Smite-wars and invades
The one time where getting the last hit matters for a Jungler is with Smite. Smite not only helps you clear you clear camps, but it’s where you can shine for your team when you’re fighting for objectives. If you have quick reflexes and a good feel for timing, clutch Smites can win or save a game for your team – it’s like a sort of mini-game. At the same time, if you don’t have the nerves or a good feel for damage rates, you may want to consider another role because missing a Smite can also cost you a match.
Another unique facet of Jungle is the invasion game. As action happens around the map, and either you or your Jungle opponent make a gank, the other player will often have the opportunity to make a gank elsewhere, try to set up a counter-gank at the lane they’re targeting, or try to enter the enemy territory to take their camps. If the ganker fails, the invader denies them gold and experience and may be able to gain a lead. Invasions can also create 1v1 duels in the Jungle, so you must be prepared to be the hunter and the hunted.
The Jungler pool is full of engage and mobility options, and has choices whether you want to play as a carry or supportive. There’s a good mix of tanks, assassins, fighters, and even a few ranged like Graves/Kindred. Junglers like Kayn, Zac, and Nidalee have some unique movement options that allow you to hit from different angles while Junglers like Evelynn, Shaco, and Rengar thrive on chaos.
The Bottom Line:
If you want to play League like a game of chess, Jungler is for you. Forget the nonsense of having to last hit and trade in lane, you take control of the game with your decision-making and simply outsmarting your opponents. You have the responsibility of keeping track of objective and camp timings to be at the right place at the right time. It’s also one of the best roles to play with your friends since you can coordinate with them and stay in-sync.
Keep in mind however, that being out of lane will often mean that you’ll end up with potentially less gold than your other solo counterparts. If some ganks don’t work out and the game starts to turn against you, it can be hard to keep up in terms of items. This is probably the highest pressure position, so be aware of that.
Are you jack-of-all trades who enjoys doing a little bit of everything?
Can you easily execute spell-combos without missing a beat?
Are you a team player that also enjoys solo play?
If these appeal to you, find your center at Mid as your role.
The Mid laner pretty much does it all, it’s kind of like the sample platter of all the different roles. You’re a solo 1v1 lane like Top, you can influence many parts of the map like a Jungler, and you’re expected to be given gold and carry like an ADC. You have to worry about last-hitting and farming but you also have to be ready to react to help other lanes by roaming, aiding in taking/defending objectives, or participating in action in the Jungle. You can even play similar to Supports with champs that have shields like Orianna or Lux.
The Mid laner is second to only the Jungler in terms of being able to impact the other areas of your map. You’ll need to be a master of wave control and timing in order to properly shove, help a side lane, and return in time before missing too much farm.
A well-timed roam can seize the early-mid game by enabling a First Turret or First Blood in a side lane. Your game sense must be sharp however, because if you leave your lane for too long, you may be missing out on experience or even risk giving up your own turret.
Whether it’s with assassinations, spell combos, or long-range artillery, Mids have tons of access to explosive damage that may be able to one-shot enemies at times. Unlike the ADC who outputs high damage with auto-attacks, Mids tend to duke it out using QWER rotations to maximize their effectiveness.
You’ll be using your abilities so often that you should expect to be given Blue buff by your Jungler to help you out – just make sure you don’t die with it and give it to the other team or else it will probably be the last one you’re gifted.
Mid is the most sought-after role so don’t be surprised if you don’t get it every time you queue. If you plan on climbing ranked, be prepared with a secondary that you enjoy and can play proficiently to keep your climb consistent.
In our Versatility Skill Decompilation, we discussed how learning “flex champions” or champs that have the flexibility to play multiple roles, can be helpful in these instances. For example, from the sample Mid champion pool below, Diana can be jungled, Lux can be played as Support, and Zed can be played in the Top lane.
Here are some examples of different champions at your disposal:
The Bottom Line:
There’s a reason why the Mid lane is the most popular role, it can often feel like you’re the star of the show. You’re expected to do a little bit of everything and you’re able to participate in the activities of any of your teammates. You’re able to impact the map as much as your Jungler while being able to enjoy the 1v1 subtleties of solo combat. Just be aware that if you fail in your duties and lose your lane, you’re conceding a very strategic area.
Do you like sniping your enemies from afar?
Want to be able to carry your team singlehandedly in team fights?
Do you prefer to be protected by your teammates?
The ADC (also known as “Marksman”) is a role traditionally dedicated to the long-ranged carry. As an ADC, you’ll be expected to focus on farming up to get your items as fast as possible. You’ll be squishy and weak early on, but in exchange, you’ll be extremely powerful later on in the game.
The ADC is so important that a Support will be with you for most of the time – if you don’t play well with others you may be better off playing a solo lane. If you have a friend to duo queue as Support, you may have a better time climbing in the long term than having to adjust to the different play styles of Supports you’re matched with.
Make no doubt about it, playing ADC is a farm fest. Early on you’re going to be quite weak compared to the other roles since you need the most gold and items to scale and really hit your stride. If you don’t enjoy the grind of farming and last-hitting this is not the role for you.
The positive trade-off for having to be the most farm-focused of the roles is that you are expected to invest lots of time into powering up for the late game. You can often get away with grabbing a big wave for yourself instead of attending to other matters – it’s part of your job.
The downside is that you probably have even less map impact than the Top laner. You’re pretty much tethered to farming the waves because if you leave, you’re giving up precious gold.
In lane and in team fights, your allies will be protecting (and even dying for you) to keep you alive. At the end of the day, you’ll eventually be the biggest threat on your team, so your enemies will be prioritizing you as their optimal target.
Besides, farming, surviving will be one of your top priorities. Dying can be devastating since missing out on gold and experience, as well as delaying those crucial item buys, so you’ll need to be able to position yourself well in fights and balance caution with damage output.
Once you’ve paid your dues and have farmed up to hit your big items, it’s time to party! If you’re good, don’t be surprised if you rack up Triple-kills, Quadra-kills, and perhaps even the rare Pentakill.
ADC is the most mechanically intensive role because you have to balance your movement with being able to maximize your auto-attacks and abilities. If you can walk the line, however, you’ll be able to carry your team in fights with your incredible damage output. If you can’t handle the pressure you may want to reconsider your role – if you die too much or don’t put out enough damage, your team will have great difficulty in finishing off enemies.
The Bottom Line:
If you love ranged combat, last-hitting farm, and carrying hard, ADC may be your match. You’ll be dominating with precise movement and mechanics to outplay your opponents at every turn, weaving in and out of the battle behind the protection of your allies, and rushing to your power-spikes. Don’t forget that you have to work well with others because you’ll always have a Support with you, so embrace the camaraderie. Be collaborative and able to read the play styles of your partners and you will thrive.
Do you enjoy the laning aspects of League but don’t want to worry about farming?
Does working with others bring you more joy than working alone?
Are you a player whos sees the big picture and excels at controlling the crucial areas of the map?
The Support role is all about making sure things run smoothly for your team. You help facilitate vision control, protect your ADC, and provide game-changing crowd control. You won’t be the one carrying your team with kills or clutch Smite steals, but you’ll be the one who enables your ADC to get that Quadra-kill and you’ll be the one who sets up the vision that let’s your Jungler make that steal.
If you won’t enjoy the game if you’re not getting a high amount of kills or farm, you’re probably better off picking another role. If simply winning is enough Support is a great choice.
As a Support, your play will often fade into the background because you aren’t personally responsible for a solo lane or for farming and hitting your items. Your actions sort of fade into the background so if you play poorly it won’t be as noticeable as other roles. The flipside is that when you play really well, your teammates (your ADC may), probably won’t notice as much in comparison to when another role pops off.
Support is easily the least popular role, so it makes it easy for mains to consistently get it in solo queue. You won’t have to worry as much about being well-versed with a secondary role and you can really focus on mastering your champ pool and play.
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