Communication is Key

One of the main themes that we touch on in the Minions Have Spawned Podcast is communication. Many people who play League seem to be more used to the playstyle of fast paced FPS's or MMO Battleground type combat. Where League differs from these is in that it is so team based. Many times a player will get somewhat fed early, prompting them to think that they are invincible, which leads them to getting baited into situations that they should not be in. Keeping your cool is incredibly important, because when you become distressed, agitated, or angry you are much more likely to make poor decisions.

For example, say your bottom lane has had a really hard time for one reason or another, and you lost that tower. This is the type of moment that is a fulcrum for the rest of the game; you can either get your team to regroup or else the game will quickly fall apart. Losing a tower is not GG, and what I try to do is get the champs in the duo lane to start being mobile. Rather than continuing to farm their lane, which will leave them overextended because of the loss of the tower, I will try to get them to start ganking with me. Many teams do not expect to be ganked in their own jungle right after they have taken down a turret, and things like this can quickly turn the game in your favor.

Also on the theme of communication, you always want to ping your target, especially if you are the one initiating. Many times you won't have the time to fully type out who you are going to focus when a team fight or gank is breaking out, so you want to make sure everyone is focus firing the enemy carry. I simple ping can mean the difference between getting a clean gank or getting killed yourself because your team spread out their damage between multiple targets.

Even if the team fight does not go in your favor, it is definately not a GG. Simply phrasing suggestions in different ways can lead your team to come together rather than AFK'ing at the spawn point. Rather than saying something like "OMG WTF ARE YOU DOING KASSADIN U FOCUSED MORDE GG IDIOT" you could say "Well we definately didn't focus the right people there, lets make sure we get their Kog 'Maw next time, he is the one that is completely wrecking us."

In a game that is completely based on team combat it is more important than a lot of people think to make sure you are keeping your team together, being constructive, being helpful, giving advice, and leading without being overly bossy. Kills are not the end all of League of Legends, that would be towers. Don't get too caught up in K/D ratios and focus on good teamwork and strategy and you will find your games, even your losses, to be much more rewarding.