Wards Win Games Part 1: Ward Types and Uses

Introduction

It's been said a thousand times before, but it must be said again: vision wins games. Strategy is the most important aspect of a MOBA. How does a team create and execute a strategy? Information. How do you gain information? Warding.

Gaining vision is critical whether you are ahead or behind. It enables you to predict the enemy, shut off their escapes, and catch them unaware. Initially it can be daunting to try to understand where and when to be warding, as well as who should be doing it. Here's a simple rule that will help you remember:

Everyone should be warding at all times.

No, I'm serious. Information is the most powerful thing you can use against your opponents, and this isn't just applicable to League of Legends. Using information to your advantage is important in any endeavour, so you had better learn to use it in LoL. This series of articles will teach you the most effective warding knowledge and strategy. This first part will introduce you to the types of wards, and their advantages and disadvantages.

 

The Trinket Ward

Most (pretty much all) players begin with the yellow trinket, or Warding Totem, which provides a short duration ward on a somewhat long cooldown. The yellow trinket is excellent in the very early game, as the flow of the map is mostly static. Laners can usually remain quite safe from ganks with their trinket and some sense, however, this is not enough.

The trinket ward's vision is very temporary, and should be treated as such. It is just enough to cover your back in the laning phase, and to avoid some risky facechecks later in the game, but that will not help you to snowball a victory. In order to truly predict the enemy, and to have enough information to exploit them, you will need vision of their movements way in advance, not just warnings of when they are about to arrive.

The yellow trinket ward is very useful for temporary safety, like preventing level 1 invades, but it is not enough. It is often replaced by the red trinket as the match progresses, which necessitates buying other wards even more. It may also be upgraded to provide a Stealth Ward, or a Vision Ward.

Examples of early level Trinket Wards for blue team.

 

The Stealth Ward

Also known as a green ward or sight ward, this is what most players think of when warding is mentioned. For 75g, you get three minutes of vision in a respectable radius. It is amazingly effective, and the information you attain is worth a lot more than 75g. Every member of the team should be buying these wards, unless they have a Sightstone.

This is your “bread and butter” ward – you're going to be placing them around key points that you expect that the enemy might be passing through, or areas that you expect to be going to soon. Season 4 limited the number of stealth wards on the map to 3 for each member on the team. There are many, many more than three useful warding spots at any given time, so everyone should be buying plenty.

It is important to remember that, even if a ward is scanned (or pinked) and destroyed, or even if it never sees an enemy, it will always pay for itself in terms of information. Remember: if the ward sees no one, you can still gain information because you know where they aren't. The more wards that your team has on the field, the more effective that they are because it helps to narrow down where the enemies are.

On the whole, there's no excuse for not buying 1 or 2 wards on pretty much every visit to the shop. Place your wards at points of that map that you expect your enemies will be moving through, or that you are planning on gaining control of in the near future. Vigilantly watching the map is important, as information is only as powerful as what it is used for. However, it certainly has the power to decide games when used properly.

Examples of early-mid game defensive Stealth Wards for blue team.

 

The Vision Ward

The final type of ward is the Vision Ward, or pink ward. Vision Wards are potentially the most effective kind of ward, but are the most expensive at 100g. Do not be put off by the price of this ward, as it is amazingly powerful. They have 5 hit points, and are visible unlike Stealth Wards, but they give true vision, and can last the entire game if they are placed where the enemy does not expect. They can also be obtained by upgrading the yellow trinket.

Unfortunately, each member of the team is limited to having only one pink ward on the map at any given time. This means two things: firstly, placing them in the right spot is very important, or you just wasted some gold. Secondly, and most importantly, every member of the team should do their best to have a pink ward on the field at all times, so that you can maximise vision control.

The key to Vision Wards is placing them in areas that you wish to maintain control of, or areas in which you expect to be clearing a lot of enemy wards. Another niche use for Vision Wards is to counter stealth champions such as Akali, Twitch, and Vayne. When fighting these champions, placing a Vision Ward can negate their stealth abilities and win you the fight. These wards are more defensive than Stealth Wards, and should be found in key junctions in the jungle, or around Baron Nashor or the Dragon.

Once again, these are control wards: you should not be too aggressive with these wards, or they will simply be scouted out and destroyed. Therefore, they are best placed where you know that you can at least contest the enemy shoud they try to clear the ward. Do not be afraid to replace your Vision Ward if your previous one becomes obsolete due to shifts in map control.

Examples of mid-late game aggressive Vision Ward placement for blue team.

 

Final Remarks

Information is one of the most important aspects of strategy, and wards are your gateway to more decisive, considered play. Many solo queue players do not ward enough, and it is paramount that you do your part. This article has been an introduction to the various ward types and purposes. The next part of this series will explain advanced warding strategy