Removing "KS" From Your Lexicon

I'll be frank; "kill stealing" is probably my least favourite term used in League of Legends. Whether it be someone accidentally taking the kill by underestimating their damage or legitimately meaning to take it, it is a term that does more harm than good. Reevaluating how you see kill stealing will help focus on the game as a whole instead of fighting over a perceived missed opportunity.

First Things First...

To get this out of the way,  I'm not saying that you should abandon all attempts to let the carry have the kill. You want the gold to be on the right person, as there isn't much a fed support is going to do that a fed carry can do better. Getting gold on the carries is a good idea, but it shouldn't be the dominant one. As such, getting worked up about kill stealing focuses on blame instead of looking at the bigger picture.

Most of the time, champions who are not meant to do a substantial amount of damage won't. A Janna autoattack shouldn't beat you to the punch for yours or any other abilities. People can set the kill up for you, but no one should wait forever for you to do damage when the window of opportunity starts to close.

 

Next time, try to leave a dent. No, really.

Sure, there will be the Karthus who decides to ult when you think you have the situation under control, but that situation is way too much of an outlier to seriously consider. If an ally is able to secure the kill before you are, it's better to think that had they not done it, they could have gotten away. Rely on yourself to get the kill- if someone else gets it you still get gold anyway.

 

Kill Secured. But Actually.

I think there have been more instances in which people let a kill go away because they are so afraid of kill stealing. The support backs up or stops attacking, only for the enemy to dash away where you can't get to them. This easily could have been avoided had the support kept attacking.

 

 

It seems like there is no winning; someone gets mad you "stole" a kill, or they are angry you let it get away. The latter of the two is more detrimental as it leaves you with absolutely nothing. Don't be afraid of potential toxicity (as frustrating as it is to receive it) to the point where you feel like you can not secure a kill. 

What matters is that any gold was gained at all. If you are a carry and end up with an assist, that is an advantage gained. Yelling at your teammates for ensuring a fight was worth it is a complete waste of time when you just gained the upper hand. 

 

But How Can I Carry If I Don't Get Kills?

Unlike junglers or supports, laners have the opportunity to get their gold by farming. As pro games have shown, kills are rarely the entire source of income for a team. It's all about the laning phase and how well you farm. You will (theoretically) be getting more income anyway because of the gold you get from minions. If you have to rely on kills as a source of income, then you are not farming properly. A non-carry securing a kill is less of a deal if you are last hitting correctly. 

Seeing kill stealing as an issue makes you forget that your responsibility as a carry is to carry. Instead of viewing it as everyone else's duty to part the seas for you, see it as your job to secure it before anyone else does. If something happens, a teammate can ensure the enemy dies.

 

Sharing Is Caring

In the context of a team game, "kill stealing" is a dangerous term. "Stealing" implies that something was taken that does not belong to them. Is it really that horrible another player got a few kills despite the fact you got assist gold? Someone else getting a kill is not the end of the world, nor should you feel entitled to get every single one. In a team game, stacking all your resources on one person is unrealistic, especially since gold is more often than not a resource that serves to benefit everyone. Every item improves each champion individually, but that in turn helps the team.

 

Communication and complete organization is sparse in soloqueue. In a chaotic teamfight, kill stealing is a non-issue when everything is happening at once. You want to win the fight, not make it a gamble by essentially backing off from it and hoping a carry kills everyone in time.

There are no champions that can do without gold. Seeing any of your teammates as less deserving of it is a terrible mindset to have. This isn't Season 2 anymore; a support has the opportunity to build helpful items instead of having a boot, a gold generation item, and 50 wards.

In short, the concept of kill stealing doesn't benefit anyone. It is never bad that an enemy has been slain, and making it such an issue to the point where your team is fighting with each other is not worth it when nothing bad has happened. Closing out your kills should always be your number one concern, no matter who gets it. View it positively; something has been gained, not lost. You still get gold, you still get a map advantage, and you still can get kills in the future.