Hi, guys. I havenāt been playing a lot because I got bored the game + school-related issues, but just recently (about last week or so) I suddenly got the motivation to play again. Itās also the reason Iām slightly more active in the forums now.
Iāve been planning on drafting a āMarket UIā idea because Iām really bothered by how uncaptivating the āfeaturedā section looks like? But yeah, anywayā¦
Iāve been trying to climb rank in 5v5 as a captain, and Iām still pretty new to the 5v5 environment. Here are the areas I really want to improve on.
I donāt know my rotations.
My decision-making is wack: I find myself moving back and forth in an area because I donāt know what to do.
I donāt know which items to prioritize with 5 enemies.
I am really struggling on drafting a good counter captain to the enemy comp.
Iām struggling to climb out of T8-Gold, and Iād really like some tips to improve.
Personally I have barely touched roam since 5v5 is out so Iām not the best one for that but I can give some tips from what Iāve noticed in my games. In the beginning you should go mid and help your laner clear his wave. After that either help them secure their CP buff or invade enemyās buff if youāre strong early. The roams usually babysit mid and rotate to other lanes when needed or jungle when itās up and needs help. From what Iāve noticed the supports usually help top more than junglers as junglers are mostly focused on bot. You can try to place some vision on dragons once theyāre up.
Honestly I donāt know what the builds differ in but going with a build you used to do in 3v3 wouldnāt be too bad. In 5v5 fountain is less impactful though. So it is pretty viable as a non first item.
About top picks, even though Iām pretty sleepy and might miss something, Lyra, Ardan, Lorelai, Walker all are good picks. If you have enough melees Adagio is really good too and helps mid bully the enemy. Grace is good but sheās also used in different positions. Fortress works if you need hard engage. Almost forgot Tony. Heās pretty damn good too.
Thanks for the tips. There are times where Iām missing out in a team fight, and itās really frustrating. Iāll just keep practicing and experimenting on builds and such.
Speaking of experimenting, Iāve been trying out a Shiversteel Grace because on paper it seems like a really good engaging tool (and a great setup for her B)? But I donāt know if itās the best item for her. I guess it depends on the comp.
I also found myself using Catherine as a Kestrel/Celeste/Baron counter? But since theyāre pretty much in every match, IDK!
I donāt main captain so I canāt really help out much here, but from what I see captains usually roam mid and top to protect them. 3v3 builds are ineffective now for the majority of the time, like for example against a team with multiple CC Crucible 1st is a must. Just assess the bigger threat of the enemy team that comes online the fastest.
Example scenario: They have a Catherine on their team while their carries take a bit to get online. Crucible over other items.
As for drafting a captain you need to understand what the enemy is aiming to do, what your teamās comp is trying to do and understanding the heroes. For example picking Ardan or Churnwalker against 2+ poke heroes when your team is also poke makes no sense. Youād fare better off picking a captain who can initiate onto their pokers without tanking too much damage, like a Cath.
lyra cath ardan and (according to niv) phinn are the good roam picks
on lyra, fountain as 2nd or 3rd item is best
on backliner supps like lyra, imo, donāt get atlas and instead get an item that benefits them (e.g. clockwork)
if your teammates wanna invade the crystal treant, protectorās contract is a good buy for early teamfights
travel boots after 1st item is good for more roaming
flares are pretty good!
what i do is start at mid and keep an eye on which sidelane needs more help. lyra is really good at harassing, so is adagio and lorelai. phinn is good at the teamfight phase, ardanās good at splitting the enemy team, and cath is gud counter to burst
So first off you donāt really have a rotation, but what Iād suggest is prioritising your mid and top lanes. Why? Well top lane is going to be facing 2v1 situations more often (more fame for jungler here) there is also a good chance the enemy laner will be buffed by the WP orb. If they can hold the lane vs the enemy then theyāre doing a good job. Conversely your bottom lane should be getting jungle support so shouldnāt need you to rotate down often.
Prioritising of items is hero dependent, Lyra for instance should be building HP not a fountain first. But this isnāt the case for other captains, fountains, crucibles and vision are usually my first three itens.
Counter drafting is more difficult in 5v5 (you can negate all of the enemies abilities), but you want to think about how theyāll be playing and how youāre set up. If your a dive heavy early game team pick a fortres to facilitate snowballs and engages. If your enemy has early game dominance and dive comps choose a lyra, her B are great at peeling vs these types of heroās.
One thing I beg you to do is build a vision early, I see so many captains ignore this item and itās a mistake (imo), vision is priceless in 5v5, for example if your midlaner loses the vision game the theyāre at a significant disadvantage theyāll alwsys appreciate a scout cam in a bush!
Iād disagree with this, roams have more impact in 5v5 than they used to in 3v3. A decent roam makes a significant difference in POA, youāll suffer if your roam has no idea how to prioritise their position or build path (I just love seeing a SC as first item on my roams).
Thanks for the insight. And yeah, I usually buy the precursors to the Max vision item (I forgot what itās called) while I build the first item. Plus, it really helps with energy problems.
the ideal peaceful start would be 2 carries + 1 carry 1 jungler taking wp and cp treants while you standby in mid or wherever, establishing vision and keeping eye on possible invasions on both side to evacuate your team. this way your 4 damage dealers get closer to lvl 2 without you soaking up that XP.
agressive start needs a protector contract ( dragonblood if youāre crazy ), but expect a major backup from enemy side most of the time. itās better to wait nearby if enemy forgets vision and steal the boost and snowball after that.
builds are pretty much the same. vision is on a higher level of priority ( especially if there is a flicker!!! ).
cams should be at: 2 mid lane bushes where the river starts, 2 bushes near the side lanes where the river ends, on dragons, on CP / WP treants and near the enemy turret in a lane which is most pushed. this way if someone is bright enough to buy teleport boots, a carry can use the opportunity to push to victory in a time of distraction
drafts are the same
you should always be on the move. this is why being a captain is hard on such a huge map. everyone needs you. use the river speed to get there in time. assist the lane where there is 1v2. Itās best to establish your āmainā lane the one where your laner is at a disadvantage hero-wise. Eg, enemy SAW vs melee laners. and from there move to other lanes. the best lane for captain is mid (if you get lucky ), because river speed works both ways.
