The Winning Mentality in League of Legends
League of Legends is one of the most prolific Esports titles ever made.
It has seen amateur players rise as champions, winning millions of dollars, and being celebrated by tens of millions of people all over the globe.
With such high stakes on the line, having the right mentality is half the battle when it comes to your success.
This can be as simple as just playing with confidence and avoiding tilting.
Actively managing your mentality while competing goes a long way to ensuring you are playing to the best of your ability.
Playing with Confidence
Having confidence in your skills immediately improves your gameplay, regardless of those skills being real or not.
By playing confidently, you play with purpose. You stick to the plan and don’t second guess yourself, which gives your opponent less of an opportunity to capitalize on your indecision.
There are a few things that you can do to increase your confidence in your play.
- Watch the pros play your champion
Watching how the best players in the world play certain champions can open up a massive opportunity for learning. Watch their builds, their timings, and analyze why they make the decisions that they do.
- Watch YouTube tutorials
There are plenty of videos online you can watch to increase your game knowledge. Game knowledge is your understanding of nuanced game mechanics, map layouts, item synergies, and everything in between. The more you watch the more you know.
- Practice with purpose
When you are practicing, do so with a specific goal in mind. Are you trying to be a better support player? Or die less each game? By practicing for certain objectives you can fill in holes in your play and solidify your strengths.
Don’t Tilt
Tilt is when you allow loses and poor performances to make you angry, which in turn leads to more loses and even worse performances. It’s an ELO burning, cruel circle.
Avoiding tilt is vital to maintaining a winning mentality. Being able to keep your composure allows you to make better late-game decisions which can be the difference between victory and defeat.
It also helps with multi-game long competitive series, where you have to play multiple maps.
To manage tilt you can do a few things. Try taking a short break every few games to relax your mind and stretch your legs. If you’re on a losing streak, hang up the keyboard and mouse for a day. Remember to breathe during games and keep a clear head.
Remember at the end of the day it’s only a game. Granted it’s a very important game, with a lot of money and time investment, but it’s a game all the same.
These two are the most critical parts of maintaining a winning mentality for any game, not just league. There is plenty more you could do though. Avoid burning out, stay ahead of the meta, and studying game theory are just a few examples. It’s not easy, but it’s worth it.