Online gaming is a global phenomenon, and multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) League of Legends can attest to its prime and popularity. As it is inspired by another MOBA game called Defense of the Ancients (DotA), the goal is for teams of five players to battle in player versus player (PvP) combat to protect their respective sections of the map.
Does League of Legends’ objective sound easy? While it is a sophisticated MOBA game built with several challenging elements that require various skills and teamwork, you can dominate it soon once you become a good skirmisher. From what it is to tips and tricks to becoming a strong and reliable one, you can find everything you need to know here on this page.
About skirmishes in League of Legends
Before you understand what a skirmisher is, you first need to know what ‘skirmishes’ are and what they serve for in League of Legends.
Skirmishes are several exchanges or duels between your team and the enemy team during the mid-game. In fact, they are often considered the ‘calm before the storm’ before a real match in an esports tournament, in which you hurl your skills at the adversary in an attempt to knock them out.
Since skirmishes aren’t rated matches, players have the liberty of the number of players joining the game. Like 3v3 and 4v4, they can include many team members from each team and are often messier than structured 5v5 team fights. Although easier said than done, they are exclusive activities only for, you guessed it, skirmishers or skirmishing champions.
Different champion classes in League of Legends
There are currently seven champion classes in the League, which are as follows:
- Controller (Enchanter and Catcher)
- Fighter (Juggernaut and Diver)
- Mage (Burst, Battlemage, and Artilery)
- Marksman
- Slayer (Assassin and Skirmisher)
- Tank (Vanguard and Warden)
- Specialist.
While all of which are crucially important to defend the map and win the game, the sub-category class of skirmishers is what you ought to learn here.
Skirmishers (also known as Duelists) are tasked with chopping down any surrounding enemies. They lack high-end burst damage and dependability, thereby making them close in on high-priority targets and rely on situationally potent defensive measures to stay alive in the fight. Read on below as we will share with you notable League of Legends skirmishing champions. Yet first, here are four effective tips and tricks to increase your lead further.
Tips and tricks to win more skirmishes
You can see how good you are at skirmishing with the enemy team if you keep the following tips and tricks in mind.
- Manipulate the minion wave
Wave manipulation or control is a necessary skill in the League. You can change any conflict in your favour as well as also prevent unpleasant circumstances by recognising when it is a good moment to fight.
When battling in the bottom lane, it is a good idea to keep an eye on where the minion wave is located. It is possible that you can’t trade if it is under the enemy tower. This is because if you assault the opponent, the tower will centralise on you, resulting in changing the trade and preventing it from going as planned.
For example, Alistar may only engage pre-6 if the minion wave is far away from the enemy tower. Since he won’t be tanky enough to dive until he gets his Ultimate, you will need to have the minion wave even or slightly closer to your side of the map in order for him to play aggressively.
- Check the minimap
Before engaging in any combat or skirmish with the opponent, always inspect the minimap first. You must make sure the enemy team’s Jungler isn’t close by, or else, the fight will be a 1v2 battle that normally favours the opponent.
Furthermore, it is risky to search for a battle if the enemy team’s Jungler is close, especially with the typical strategy that they might quickly pop up and gank you. So, what you need to do is that when an opponent Jungler is close by, take a step back, relax, and wait for them to move on before attacking the opposition laner.
- Play with your champion power spikes
It is crucial to know when a champion is weak and powerful. Meaning to say, you can know when to make use of your strengths to achieve a kill on the enemy team. Early game champions, for example, will be more powerful (during the laning phase) than late game champions.
- Make the most of your champions’ combos
Skirmishing and trading with the opponent are necessary, but if you want to obtain kills, you must do the most damage in the quickest and safest method possible. Learning the greatest and most optimum combination strategies for your champion is one guaranteed method to achieve this.
4 best League of Legends skirmishers
Ready to bring your best foot forward in skirmishes? Make sure you are way ahead of the game by knowing which among the many available skirmishing champions match your gaming preferences.
- Kayn
Kayn is a fantastic skirmisher since he has to do it early in the game to acquire his form as fast as possible. His Q has a short cooldown, but he can flee or instigate skirmishes with his E, whereas his Ultimate can provide him time to escape or wait out his cooldowns.
- Fiora
There’s a reason she’s known as the Grand Duelist. Skirmishers are League of Legends’ duelists, and no one is better at one-on-one combat than she is. When used in the proper hands, her damage and enhanced resilience make her an almost invisible opponent.
- Jax
With his E, Jax may block incoming auto-attack damage, giving him another layer of defence in exchanges. In a 1v1 match, on the other hand, his Ultimate offers him additional protection that might make him lethal.
- Ekko
Ekko takes advantage of numerous exchanges to put his Passive to good use. He may also engage in lethal exchanges and use his Ultimate to flee. He can fight almost any opposing League of Legends champion in a skirmish, and if he gains the upper hand, he can melt his foes.