The Glossary of e-sports Part II
You have been waiting for this one since we published the glossary for Counter Strike in part I of our presentation of e-sports terminologies. The Glossary for the League of Legends (LoL). And how could we not do that, as it’s the title that is most popular in all selections for betting. It’s a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) game that doesn’t just need skill and deep knowledge. It requires teamwork. Five people to work together as one. Let’s begin the discussion.
The layout of League of Legends
The first thing to know about the game is that the five players of each team do not play five against five. The play one-on-one. The map is divided in the middle and the final objective is to destroy the enemy base. The division is diagonal forming each area as an isosceles right triangle. The sides forming the 90-degree angle are the top and bottom lanes, while the median makes the mid lane. The areas in between are the top and bottom jungles. The bases generate minions that award gold and experience points to the players when they kill them. The same thing happens with the minions and the monsters that exist in the jungles.
The base, or Nexus, consists of a central building and two guarding turrets. Three inhibitors, also guarded by towers, located at the start of each of the three lanes, generate minions that move towards the enemy base. The central building cannot be destroyed until both guarding towers, or at least one of the inhibitors are destroyed.
General terms of the game
Let’s begin learning the words that form the premise:
- Map and Map Pool
For each game there is a number of maps available. This is the map pool. The Map is the one selected by the players to compete upon.
- Pick and Ban
Teams «pick» characters and maps and «ban» those that they do not want.
- Early, mid and late Game
The stages of a LoL Game. Early is when they begin, late is when they are close to completing the objective and whatever happens in between is mid.
- Meta
The term refers to the best team compositions, the strategies that are most effective and the strongest characters.
- NPC
Stands for Non-Player Characters. Those are computer generated and controlled, and interact with the actual players during the game.
- Perk
Each character has unique abilities and characteristics. Those are referred to as «perk».
- Ultimate
This one pertains to the most powerful ability of a player.
- Vision
The line of sight
- XP
Experience points.
Game specific terminology
Gamers speak in their own terms on every game. For LoL we have:
- Carry
The player with a critical role or can deal a substantial amount of damage
- Flank
Attacking the enemy from the sides or from behind
- Killstreak
Killing enemies consecutively without getting killed
- Nerf
Intentionally making an item or a character weaker
- Spawn and respawn
At the beginning of the game the characters spawn right behind their base. If they are killed then they respawn at the same area.
- Spam
Using the same move or tactic continuously.
- Tank
Taking a lot of damage.
The five that make a League of Legends team
Let’s begin with those who make things happen in a match:
Top Lane
Two of the lanes are solos for one-to-one fights. The objectives of a top laner are to farm, to help fighting tanks, find flaks and take damage. There are 5 champion classes: Divers, Juggernauts, Fighters, Mages and Tanks.
Mid Lane
The center of the map and the shorter of the three lanes holds the team tower. Protecting that tower for as long as possible is the primary objective of a mid laner. They can change lanes, they can farm and they can do and take damage. However, they also hold the most vulnerable spot as the opponent can come from two directions. The classes here are: Assasins, Mages, Marksmen and Utility.
Bot Lane
The lane carries actually two members of the team. The Bot Laners and the Supports. The focus of the first ones is to farm as much as possible, buy items and when the game progresses to the mid and late stages, do the most damage. Usually, Bot Laners are ADCs. Only two classes on this one: Mages and marksmen.
Jungle
For the fans of the game, it’s the most unique role. They hunt and clear jungle monsters and try to have an effect in various areas of the map. They can also surprise opposing laners and kill them. Four classes: Assasin, Diver, Fighter, Tank
Support
Mainly they help the Bot Laners. However, they can also help the entire team. They also carry the greatest responsibility for destroying and placing wards. Three classes: Engagers, Enchanters and Mages.
We believe that you can now understand what it is that you are seeing when you are watching a live stream of a League of Legends match. Ready to place a bet on one of the top teams (or your favorite one)? Then open an account via agent and collect the profits. If the genre is not to your liking, then you may want to wait for the next edition of our glossary: Defense of the Ancients (DoTA 2).