Playing Vainglory on iPhone 8

Do y’all play with y’all thumbs while playing on iPhone? I feel like if you play with your thumbs your only limited to do so many things.

You mean thumbs as opposed to fingers, on a tablet? Or as opposed to mouse and keyboard, on a computer?

For what it’s worth, I play on a phone (and have since I started), and I really like it. It’s really intuitive and using activatible items like fountain and crucible is easier than on a tablet, since your fingers have less distance to travel. I haven’t tried M+K though, so I can’t say if that’s better. :cheers_minioncandy_t2:

I left mobile long ago but when I did play on mobile I always played with my thumbs. It’s just preference. If you’re asking if it’s viable, yeah it is. Some of the best players in the world play with thumbs. You’ll get used to it. It’s usually better for smaller screens and index fingers is usually for bigger screens.

1 Like

I play on an iPad (the normal sized one), and I actually play with my right index finger and my left thumb, oddly enough. (I have become proficient with stutterstepping with one finger. My kids laugh at me because it looks funny, but it’s how I learned to play, so I’m stuck with it now.)

For certain heroes where I have to really spam abilities (e.g. Kestrel), I’ll switch to two fingers as needed.

I can NOT play with two thumbs. That doesn’t even work for me when I play on my iPhone. Lol.

Thumbs on my android all day. I tried tapping (with fingers) on a flat surface, I think someone recommended that to me? Yuck. Only my second season but I’ve been VG both seasons. This season, I am 2400+ in 5v5, 3v3, and Blitz and it’s all from the use of just thumbs.

I’m with @HipsterSkaarf, I love playing this on my smartphone. I tried on my laptop in tablet mode, just didn’t like it. Was a cool feeling at first, but phone is better IMO.

Why do you feel you’re limited using just thumbs? You posed the question, but I’m curious and will pose it back to you - what do you use/prefer? @CIam?

I’ve been using thumbs for years but it feels like some how now that I get a new phone it’s feels like it’s not the best anymore .

I play on my Sony Xperia xa2, and I have a kinda unique method of using my thumb on my left hand and my index finger on my right. I developed this style because the first device I played VG on was a Samsung Galaxy S5, which has back and tab buttons at the bottom. When I used my thumb, I kept accidentally hitting these buttons with the palm of my hand, which would close the app, and you can understand why that’s annoying. Although the Sony doesn’t have these buttons, I’ve gotten used to playing this way and anything else feels unnatural.

Edit: Just read @hazeleyes uses the same fingers, but on a larger device. Was there a reason you learned to play that way?

1 Like

There was some pro players play with stylus and I used to watch a streamer did that with vainglory , plays with two touch pens , I didn’t try but I think with phones pens better than thumbs but people already using thumbs so I don’t know , I also used my thumbs last time I played on my phone but tablet is better .

1 Like

Druid was easily the best player in the world for a while, carried Phoenix Armada to the 2016 world championships title. He used a stylus. Also there was CitrusEmpire, a guy who ran a few Lan parties in the UK and set up the BIVG (British and Irish Vainglory) discord channel.

3 Likes

Wonder myself how it would feel one hand with stylus and the other with finger while the phone is laying on the table (note 9). Should try it. I play diablo 2 LOD on the phone with the stylus and it’s really good tbh. :smiley:

Originally, I played with only my right index finger, but as I got more experience, I realized I wasn’t fast enough to keep up with players who used both hands (like my kids). :smile: I generally grip my iPad with my left hand even if it’s resting on a surface (which is how I normally play), so it just kind of made sense to use my left thumb for the buttons and such on the left side of the screen. :man_shrugging:

1 Like

I miss the old Druid . He was my favorite carry .

1 Like

I just started playing a couple of weeks ago. (Why didn’t I check out VG sooner!? :man_facepalming:) I’m on an iPhone 8 as well, and I definitely feel like thumbs is the way to go. I do agree that it can limit your vision at times, and may not have the speed of setting the phone on a flat surface and using index fingers. I just don’t want to always have to play at a table or desk or something.

1 Like

I tried to play on PC but whenever a teamfight would break out, i would find myself getting stuck or being too slow to respond, usually i would have an idea what to do but i wouldn’t be able to do it fast enough. On mobile though everything is intuitive and i use my both thumbs to play. It is very comfortable to play as well!

2 Likes