Warding: The essentials, and beyond

Warding is one of the most important, and more effective methods of securing a win for your team. But knowing when and where to ward can be tricky. Season 4 changes have introduced trinkets, which can turn the tide of a game. Expanding your team's ability to maintain map awareness, or denying the enemy team vision can be imperative for team fights, laning, and successfully eliminating objectives. Wards have numerous benefits and provide the much-needed ability to keep an eye on your foes.

And the best part? They're FREE! Well, mostly, anyways.

TRINKETS:

  

Trinkets are available at zero cost at the start of a match. Trinkets upgrade at level 9, either gaining increased duration, range, or a faster cooldown rate. Trinkets can be further upgraded for around 450g to an advanced version of themselves.

 Warding Totem

   

The Warding Totem places a stealth ward which lasts for 1 minute at level 1, 2 minutes at level 2, and if upgraded to a Greater Stealth Totem, wards will become identical in duration to those purchased in the shop, lasting 3 minutes. The Greater Warding Totem can also be upgraded to a Greater Vision Totem, which places a vision ward when used.

 Sweeping Lens

  

The Sweeping Lens reveals and disables enemy wards or stealthed objects such as Teemo's shrooms for 4 seconds at level 1, 6 seconds at level 2, and additionally reveals stealthed units for 10 seconds at level 3.

 Scrying Orb

  

The Scrying Orb reveals any location for 1 second, and is exceptionally useful for scouting brush from a respectable range. At level 1, the orb has a range of 1500, at level 2 it increases to 2500, and as an advanced trinket, it increases to a whopping range of 3000, and reveals enemy champions hit for up to 5 seconds.

 

And of course, we have the two types of traditional wards. Keep in mind that with the changes in Season 4, at any one time you can only have a certain number of each type of ward placed on the map:

- 3 Stealth Wards (Including Trinket Wards)
- 1 Vision Ward (Including Trinket Wards)

Vision wards reveal any stealth unit/object within their detection radius. Vision wards have an infinite duration, but are NOT STEALTHED. Stealth wards have a duration of 3 minutes, and will reveal any non-stealth unit within range. They will also reveal some stealthed units if they come too close, such as Evelynn, though she must be close to the ward itself (within 400 units of its 1,100 unit detection radius).

 Key factors to remember when warding are:
- Maintaining awareness of chokepoints/entrances to lanes/jungle is vital.
- Is the ward positioned in a useful way? Will it alert your team to incoming enemies from one or more directions?
- The more "paths" it covers, the better! (This is why tribrush is so useful to ward early game)
- Is the placement offensive or defensive? Do you need offensive wards right now, or defensive ones?
- CLEAR ENEMY WARDS! Don’t allow the enemy to gain total map awareness, or you’re in for a bad time.

Vision wards, while used less often, no longer have a set duration, so they last forever. That is assuming they're not destroyed. Be sure to pop one down every now and again, as denying enemy vision is extremely important, and knowing what your enemy is seeing, or NOT seeing can turn the tide of a game.

 

Early warding is essential for both map awareness, and a successful laning phase. A well placed ward can either assist your jungler in performing early ganks, or make you aware of an impeding gank from someone on the opposing team. Let's take a brief look at optimal ward positioning.

Warding this spot on bottom allows you to see incoming/outgoing enemies from both river and your jungle. This ward can also be placed farther left in the river itself, but will not reveal enemies in the brush.

Warding this location on top allows you to see incoming and outgoing enemies from the river, and your jungle.

Warding the brush in river is essential for early game map awareness in all lanes. Spotting the enemy jungler before he's within range of you or your teammates can be the factor that differentiates victim from prey. Used properly, wards can turn ganks around on the opposing team, allowing you to set up or prepare for the gank, and potentially net you a kill.

Equally as important, Tri-brush warding can pass the benefits of early-game vision onto your jungler, and help prevent both counter jungling, and jungle ganks. It is absolutely vital to keep map awareness in this area, as either a sneaky jungler or roaming mid laner could just pop on down for a quick visit, and nobody likes unwanted guests.

Warding the Tri-brush on bottom allows both you and your jungler to see incoming enemies that have , or are about to enter your jungle.

Warding the Tri-brush on top also allows your team to see incoming and outgoing enemy junglers and laners.

Dragon and Baron are two of the more important objectives on the map, being that they respawn at set times after being taken. Keeping an eye on these objectives can allow you to prevent the opposing team from taking them, or allow your team to safely dispose of them, earning valuable global gold. Usually a stealth ward will do on these objectives, but before taking them, remember to scout for enemy wards. First to avoid a potentially unwanted situation after you've just tanked Baron for your team, or barely killed dragon at level 6. Knowing where the enemy team is approaching from is vital when committing to objectives.

 A vision ward placed at the entrance of dragon can help you clear enemy sight in a wide area around the objective. Extremely useful when you want to set up the area before attempting to take the objective.

While these wards reveal a large area, remember to scout the BACK of baron as well, some wards can escape detection there.

 

Warding the entrances of your jungle in the river is especially important if you expect the enemy jungler to set up camp in middle, or if your mid laner is going to be a high-priority target during the match. All around it's a good idea to keep vision up in these spots throughout the game. Knowing when enemies are scouting Dragon or Baron, sneaking around for a tower dive, or trying to counter-jungle is super handy, and allows you to prepare a welcoming party when that unwanted jungler steps foot into your territory.

Warding here allows you to see anyone approaching from bottom, and depending on positioning within the brush, also allows you to see people entering or exiting two jungle paths.

This ward, much like its twin on the bottom side, allows you to see anyone utilizing a river path, or entering/exiting two jungle paths. This ward is also useful when you want to keep an eye on baron. It's a popular warding spot, so be aware wards here could be cleared quickly.

 

Warding the enemy jungle can assist you after a push, or during one. Ward key points to keep an eye on which enemies are heading towards the lane your team is in, or lanes that are unoccupied. This can also prevent free farm ganks, or assist in carrying one out. And it never hurts to snatch their red or blue buffs when they're not looking, does it? That's a rhetorical question.

Warding the enemy red buff can assist your jungler with preventing the enemy team from obtaining it, assist him with stealing it, or even allow your top laner to steal it if the chance arises.  

While I wouldn't recommend a vision ward right away, it's extremely useful if you're pushing through the enemy jungle , as you can deny them vision of their own territory. (Just be sure to actually put the ward IN the brush)

 Defensive Warding is exceptionally important when the enemy team has you on your back foot. Are your jungle entrances covered? Is your jungle warded, or worse, does the enemy team have the jungle warded? Warding is essential when you're on the defensive in a match. Without vision, it's nearly impossible to safely counter-push. Even if you do manage to bypass a siege line to attempt that ninja split push, if they have your jungle warded, they can easily catch you out on your own, and that's never fun.

 Warding here can help you keep an eye on your red buff, while simultaneously giving you awareness of several paths through jungle.

Keep an eye out when enemies are sieging mid, this brush is a popular spot to hide in, recall from, and launch ranged attacks from.

Warding this spot on either side is a great offensive/defensive move. This is another popular warding spot when sieging mid, as it allows side control of the tower.

Warding inside your enemies base can be carried out during a push, or when split pushing. Also, you can set one up if you're retreating after taking an inhibitor or base turret. They provide excellent vision of which enemies are going where, and can greatly assist your team when attempting to split push.

Along with the new vision system, Riot has introduced a few new mechanics that spread the responsibility of warding over the entire team. Now limited to three stealth wards, and one vision ward placed at any time, your support can no longer properly ward the entire map alone, nor should they have to!

You know the typical warding locations now, so buy a vision ward, or a Sweeping Lens, and remember…

If you can see them, and they can't see you, you're halfway to victory already.