Mastering Wave Management: Part 1

Minion waves are a crucial aspect of League of Legends. The flow of minions, or the "wave," can have a significant impact on the outcome of a match. In this blog post, we will dive into the details of minion waves and why wave control is essential. We will explore the various wave positions, the factors that contribute to good wave control, and how it can impact the map objectives, jungle, and lanes. Additionally, we'll discuss how wave control fits into team compositions and the importance of recognizing the state of the wave in different situations. Finally, we'll touch upon the concepts of zoning and trading and how they play a role in wave control. Wave control is crucial for improving in League of Legends, so we've broken down the guide into three manageable parts for you.

In Part 1, we will cover the basic functions of minion waves, why wave control is so important, and the benefits of good wave control. Understanding the fundamentals of minion waves and the benefits of proper wave control can give you a valuable advantage in League of Legends. So, get ready to take your understanding of minion waves to the next level!

What is wave control in League of Legends?

To begin with, let's start by explaining what wave control is in the first place.

Wave control in League of Legends (LoL) refers to the manipulation of the flow of minions in a lane. Minions are AI-controlled units that spawn from each team's base and march towards the enemy base. Wave control involves pushing or freezing the wave to gain an advantage over the enemy team.

Basic functions of Minion waves

The above table displays the timing at which the minion wave reaches each friendly and enemy turret. The minion wave's damage is primarily determined by the type of minions within it, with Siege (cannon) minions doing the most damage, followed by casters, and then melee minions. This information is crucial for effective wave control as it allows you to identify opportunities for advantageous trades, especially in difficult matchups early on. Having a few extra casters can turn an unfavorable trade into a favorable one. To maximize the potential of the minion wave and effectively manage it, it's important to understand the damage output of each minion class.

Why is wave control important in League of Legends?

Experience and Gold Advantage:
Wave control allows a player to control the flow of minions, which determines the amount of experience and gold gained by each player. Players can manipulate the wave to ensure that they receive more experience and gold, which gives them an advantage in the game.

Pressure
Pushing the wave creates pressure on the enemy team, forcing them to play defensively and potentially miss out on opportunities to make plays elsewhere on the map.

Objective Control
Wave control can also be used to control objectives, such as towers and dragons. By controlling the wave, a team can apply pressure on the enemy team, making it difficult for them to contest objectives.

Map Awareness
Wave control helps you understand the flow of the game and what is happening on the map. This information can be used to make better decisions and to coordinate with your team.

 

The benefits of good wave control in League of Legends

Cheater recall

Wave control in League of Legends allows players to take advantage of "cheater recalls," where they can return to base and replenish their health and mana without losing minions. This results in a CS lead and experience advantage, as well as a possible turret plate, and forces the enemy to take a less than optimal recall or burn their teleport.

Good Base Timing

Having good wave control allows for optimal base timings by letting the wave push towards you, leaving 2 casters, and dragging it into your new wave. This sets up a freeze and forces the enemy to lose minions and suffer health advantage. This results in the enemy wave pushing towards you and forces the enemy to burn mana and make suboptimal moves. If you are ahead, you can zone the enemy off the wave, creating a repeating cycle..

Gold + Experience Advantage

Correctly utilizing the wave states discussed later can enhance your laning and teamwork by securing gold and experience advantages in every lane. This puts the enemy at a disadvantage by reducing their CS and experience, making you a higher level, and increasing the likelihood of ganks or having more turret plates and objectives like dragons and rift herald.

Favourable Trading

By mastering the art of combining wave control and trading, a player can greatly improve their performance in League of Legends. This can lead to winning more trades in lane, getting a gold and experience advantage, and even making tough matchups seem like a breeze.

Roaming with wave control

By using wave control, you can create opportunities for yourself every 25-30 seconds (sometimes even longer) to gain better vision on the map and make plays. If the enemy is overextended, you can roam and affect their lane, putting them at risk of losing even more farm. Meanwhile, you won't lose anything since you don't need to be in your lane and can simply walk back and repeat the process. This also allows you to secure neutral objectives such as scuttle crabs, drakes, and heralds while the enemy is unable to respond or loses even more minions.

Split Pushing

With split pushing, you can create a huge wave that will make the enemy lose a lot of minions and reduce the health of an enemy turret on the opposite side of the map. For example, if you want to take control of Baron, you can slow push in the bottom lane, then go for Baron. If the enemy leaves the wave, they will lose turret health and a significant amount of gold and experience. You can repeat this process until they respond, then take a favorable fight with a 4v5 advantage, or make them waste their teleport and do it all over again. Either way, the outcome is in your favor. If you have a big wave, the enemy will either lose more minions or spend more time clearing it.

Stay tuned for Part 2

In conclusion, we've just covered the basics of wave management in League of Legends. Now that you understand its importance, you're ready for the next step. In the second part of this blog, we'll dive into wave positions, tools you can use to manage the wave, and the impact of wave control on the map. Stay tuned for more insights and tips on how to improve your gameplay. And for a more personalized and in-depth approach, consider ordering a coaching session here at GameBoost. With the help of our experienced coaches, you can take your wave management skills to the next level.

This guide was provided by our coach Firnen. We strongly recommend checking out his profile and scheduling an affordable coaching session if you really want to improve your general game knowledge and start climbing ranks.