Troll Pickers - Interviews with Summoners who Found Success Playing Outside the Meta

One of the most important responsibilities of a summoner who wishes to improve and climb the ladder is staying up-to-date on the current League of Legends metagame. Knowing what champions and items are in and outside of the accepted metagame and exploiting that knowledge is the key to making a valuable contribution to your teams victory.

However, an unavoidable consequence of playing League of Legends, a game with an established metagame, is that there are always going to be champions, item builds and strategies that are considered underpowered, unfavorable, inefficient, weak or even just silly. Due to the fluidity of the metagame, it is unlikely that every game element will ever be considered strong all at once, and because of this it is sad to see some game elements abandoned by players who deem them too weak to be worth acquainting themselves with.

But there is another equally important element in finding success in League of Legends: Innovation. Some of the most successful players are ones who have experimented with unpopular or niche strategies and found success with them, either by surprising and confusing their opponents with their audacity or by uncovering and exploiting an innate strength yet to be recognized by the rest of the community. I personally find these players inspirational because their courage and ingenuity shows that operating outside of the established bounderies is not and should not be taboo, and that the metagame, a rigid and unyielding scripture to some, is actually a flexible and accommodating system that is open to exploration.

I interviewed several players who have found both success and repute by pioneering their interesting and unusual strategies:

Tell us a little about yourself. Who are you and what is
your claim to fame? (Name, rank, server, strategy)

Rodoabad - I'm Rodo and I am one of the few Diamond players who primarily main Teemo. I have two accounts in Diamond. Both are Teemo mains. Also currently in the #25 list of Teemo all over the world. #23 to be exact. I play every role with Teemo too. Most Teemo mains would [only] play Teemo top. And last but not the least, I use Hurricane as one of my main items.

+------+------+

Inverted Composer - I was well known for my Singed and my guides during Season 2 and Season 3. Now I’m a Challenger Yorick player. I’m also a dedicated League of Legends theorycrafter.

+------+------+

Simon Hawkes - My name is Gabriel, better known as Simon Hawkes. I am a Master tier Nunu top main who plays on the NA server . I came to some attention during S3 where I went from gold to high D1 80-90 lp in a week, people took notice of me fairly quickly given I play such an off-the-wall champ in a role that he is not designed to be played in but for the most part I am a lover of tanky champions.

+------+------+

Mister Oink - My name is Josh "Mister Oink" McMillan. I’m a Diamond 1 mid player who recently got popular due to the fact that I reached Diamond by playing AP Sejuani mainly (mid of course). I play on NA.

 

How did you discover this interesting strategy? What series of events led
to you playing this particular champion/build in the way that you do?

Rodoabad - I've been playing Teemo since beta. I really like Teemo's kit. You shoot, and then you run. It's all about baiting. You either bait them to your mushroom field or you bait them to your team. As far as the hurricane build is concerned... we all know Teemo's auto attacks with E leveled up poisons enemy champs. I buy the hurricane not because of the attack speed boost (although that helps a bit) but because I can poison three enemy champs at once. At 500-600 AP you really do a lot of damage. Combine that with Magic Penetration and it doesn't matter if they have 200+ MR. This is all under the assumption that your team knows how to play with a Teemo. Hurricane is also a nice if you want to split push as a Teemo.

+------+------+

Inverted Composer - Most of the unconventional champions have tricky build paths so people tend to build them suboptimally and perform worse in games. However, when I found out that when unconventional champions such as Yorick are built optimally [they] tend to excel in unique ways, [especially when] people are not aware of his true strengths. Unconventional champions can be very strong when they are built optimally, but the problem is, because their build path is very tricky, people often don’t build them right Yorick has his own unique strengths that suit my playing style. Yorick actually performs just as well as other champions when he is built right.
*Inverted Composer indicates to me the particular importance of this next part*
I believe that one should play a champion that they enjoy playing the most and continue playing the champion to discover their unique strengths And finally people should really invest their times to find the right runes/masteries/builds for their favorite champion. And eventually you will find yourself a unique player with your own unique strengths.

+------+------+

Simon Hawkes - It was Season 1 when I first played Nunu. I’ve always been one to just play things that let me get in the fray and shake off damage so naturally Nunu was my go-to buddy. I also loved the concept of a champion who just wanted to protect his friend more than himself so I was connected to him more than champs like Maokai or Cho'Gath or other big beefy tanks. What made me play the way I do now was just preference. I played Nunu a lot and at first I built what I wanted to, [but then] I tried to figure out what could get the biggest bang for its buck and slowly over time I tried any and all items ranging from Hydra to Banner of Command. After a couple hundred games on one champion you kinda put your own little stamp on it. I found the most success with a heavy sustain/tank style build using Nunu’s high base damages alongside just 1 AP item to make him a threat then transitioning into a tank style play allows him to be the anti-carry tank and disruptor which I personally love.

+------+------+

Mister Oink - Well, when Riot initially announced that you could change your summoner name with IP, my girlfriend and I decided to change our names. When we eventually decided on Mister and Mrs Oink, I looked around for ways I could use my summoner name to my advantage. I was (and still am) a mid main, so I thought AP Sejuani mid would be a fun and unique pick. I played it 4 times in normals, then went to ranked. The rest is history!

 

When you are in champ select, what kinds of responses have you gotten
from your teammates when you tell them what you are playing?

Rodoabad - I rarely them them which champion I'll be playing. I only say the position that I'm playing. Why? Because once you start saying Teemo, The responses that you'll get... are not so friendly. The amount of backlash depends on the ELO. I can tell you that the champ select can get very toxic as soon as you lock in Teemo. As soon as you get to Diamond though, people just expect you to know the champ that you play. They also look you up for the most part. Realize you have 300+ games on Teemo then decide that you're not trolling. Silver-Plat... not so much. They all believe that you should be playing the current meta. Certain players will troll your game [just] because you pick Teemo. Players will always blame you, even if it's not your fault. When you ask for help, the most likely response that you will get would be... "Because you picked Teemo." As a Teemo player your jungler will rarely gank your lane too. They just think it's not worth it. One of the main excuses would be... "You don't have any CC." "You're Teemo.” Very frustrating but you learn to live with it. You get better at predicting ganks. At 2v1s. At baiting.
That's why I just mute everyone.

Dignitas – Harsh but necessary, apparently.

Rodoabad – Gotta have thick skin.

+------+------+

Inverted Composer - I remember playing Fiora, Morde, Janna, Alistar and Gangplank top as well…people in champ select [were] discouraged and told me to pick more of a "proper champion". To overcome this, you should really master your champion before jumping into ranked and show them how high your win rate is on your champion in order to calm the teammates discouraged by your picks. I try calming my teammates by assuring them that I have in-depth knowledge and skills about the champion I’m playing.

+------+------+

Simon Hawkes - I rarely speak in champ select. Back when I was gold 1 and just starting Nunu top I for the most part got mixed results. I’d say 70% of the time people were fine with it, 20% people said some harsh words and 10% they’d just AFK or dodge and I was ok with that because as long as I had fun and looked to improve I knew I wouldn't be a burden to my team. Now-a-days I am just the Nunu guy. When [someone] sees Nunu it's usually me and people who know me are fine with it because I am a consistent player for the most part.

+------+------+

Mister Oink - Sometimes people will try to get a reaction from me and ban Sejuani, but that usually just ends up with our team losing LOL. But it is what it is like for most popular people, you have people that look up to you, and you have people that think that you're the scum of the earth. And for those who don’t know who I am I usually just say "mid please" and make it a surprise.

 

How has the other team responded to your strategy?

Rodoabad - Just as majority of your teammates do not know how to play with a Teemo, the majority of the players also do not know how to play against a Teemo. On some occasions you'll see them all buying sweepers and upgrading them, but for the most part you will win your lane. And then it just depends whether other lanes win or not. Even if you lose your lane you still have a high chance of winning, provided that your team knows how to play around [your] shrooms. Most of the time [the enemy] just give up. Good thing Diamond players do not give up so fast. But in lower ELOs, you have to win hard.

+------+------+

Inverted Composer - Some have called my champion (Yorick) to be broken and some even asked for my build path and runes/masteries They don't say anything when I play [poorly] but when I play well they acknowledge the strengths of my champion.

+------+------+

Simon Hawkes - Most of the time it's hard for junglers to put pressure top lane, because the trade-off for a failed gank is high (losing dragon/trading kills bot and mid). Therefore most of the time the [enemy] jungler ignores my lane if he is smart and applies that pressure elsewhere because with a good set up of wards [Nunu is] hard to kill given your inherit tankiness. Also I usually just get cc trained in teamfights because they don't want to deal with my ult.

+------+------+

Mister Oink - Well, when I first started doing Sejuani mid, a lot of the enemies' reactions were "lol did u guys forget to swap?" Some people think it’s unique and fun, some people think it’s cheese, some people think it’s boaring, it’s pretty split.

 

Do your teams generally have a change of heart as or after they play with you?

Rodoabad – For the most part, no. Again, unless you're playing in Diamond, where people actually know you. I think it's because once you get to Diamond, you will most likely play with the same players over and over again.

+------+------+

Mister Oink - I've turned some people into believers in the AP Pig! It’s nice when people open their minds to different and off-meta picks. It makes for a more interesting season.

 

Why do you choose to play this way rather than with
a strategy that conforms more closely to the meta?

Rodoabad - I just like playing Teemo. That's all there is to it. Also I was told once by a friend that the only reason why I'm in Diamond is because I play meta-champs too. But I proved him wrong by playing a Teemo only account.

+------+------+

Simon Hawkes - Because I do what I enjoy. If you love something enough you make it work. Obviously numbers on paper can say X Y or Z is better but paper can crumble. The human element is the most important thing and humans adapt and that's what I did with Nunu.

+------+------+

Mister Oink - I've always felt that it doesn’t matter what you play, it just matters how good you are with it. I firmly believe that if you mastered, say, AP Hecarim, you could EASILY climb the ladder all the way to the top. All that matters in this game is skill level, and the meta is just a guideline for people who don’t think outside the box.

 

Do you think that you have discovered something that deserves to be played
more often and by more people? For example, do you think you will one day
soon see your strategy played in a professional environment like the LCS?

Rodoabad - I don't think my strategy is good enough as far as team oriented plays are concerned, [mainly] because you must base everything on Teemo. Your jungler has to be tanky. Your support has to be tanky. Everything must revolve around Teemo. Can this strat be used in high elo? Certainly, I'm using it right now. LCS? Maybe not.

+------+------+

Inverted Composer – Yes. Yorick definitely deserves to be played more often. He has high DPS potential, heal per second, and he is one of the best duelists in the game. Yorick also performs well in any lane match up making him a very viable "safe pick" in any game. Usually duelists like Jax don't perform well in team fights but Yorick has his ultimate to back him up. Yorick has essentially no weakness when played right.

Dignitas - The reason I ask this particular question is because when people find something they think is overpowered but unnoticed they are upset when it is finally discovered and exploited professionally because then it starts to be examined by the balance team.

Inverted Composer – Ah, is that so?

Dignitas - Yes, actually. Another impression most people have is that Yorick is a "faceroll" champion.

Inverted Composer – Ah. No, that is certainly not the way of winning. People should be reminded of the fact that Yorick needs extreme microing to be not kited, and utilitizing the ghouls optimally takes a lot of effort. Yorick also has hidden abilities that I elaborate on in the “Hidden Abilities” section of my Yorick guide.

+------+------+

Simon Hawkes - No, solo Q and competitive play are 2 entirely different monsters, there is a reason there is ONE Nunu top main. The list of things I have to do in a game to make it work is long and if I mess one thing up I am pretty behind. It has its own merit but like most picks that aren't seen there are too many X factors in it to make it work and the competitive meta is about the most efficient way to get it done.

+------+------+

Mister Oink - Maybe! Sejuani is actually a very powerful champion, it’s just that no one really knows about her/she hasn’t gotten any buffs, so no one even considers her. I mean, I’ve always wanted to change the meta, so I guess it would be cool to see pros influenced by my play.

 

Would you want something like that to happen?

Rodoabad - Oh yeah. Everyone wants their strats to be played at a professional level. So I definitely would want it. C9 Hai played Teemo. He had a negative K/D ratio. But look at the amount of objective control he offered. Probably one of the reasons why Teemo's mushrooms were nerfed. Teemo right now is so weak

Dignitas - Interesting you bring that up because the reason I ask this particular question is because when people find something they think is overpowered but unnoticed they are upset when it is finally discovered and exploited professionally because then it starts to be examined by the balance team

Rodoabad - I didn't get upset that much. Since I believe that actual Teemo mains like myself will always find a way. My strat before was just build AP/ATK Speed. Now it involves adding HP. So strats change. Before the Teemo nerfs it used to be that you can create an island. At top. No need to interact with your team. At the current meta you'll most likely need help from your jungler now. Since the current meta favors champs like Irelia, Ryze, and Nid.

+------+------+

Simon Hawkes - Nunu has seen play in that past in the role he is best suited for and has been played to great success by teams all around the world so of course I’d love to see Nunu. I’ve taught many people from NA to Korea about Nunu and seeing him played is to me a joy because it's more about planning ahead and adapting on the fly with what you have.

Dignitas - The reason I ask this particular question is because when people find something they think is overpowered but unnoticed they are upset when it is finally discovered and exploited professionally because then it starts to be examined by the balance team.

Simon Hawkes - I don't care I’ve played Nunu through and through. I love the champion NOT for the kit but for who the little guy is, a kid with no care in the world but to protect the one he loves and see and meet new people. That's why I play Nunu not because he is some secret op. Even if he was I’d be happy for him to be tuned to a reasonable state (if he actually was op).

+------+------+

Mister Oink - Yes and no, I like the thought of being unique, but it’d also be cool to influence a scene. I’d also be scared of the inevitable nerfs.

Dignitas - Would you stop playing Sejuani if she was nerfed heavily?

Mister Oink - I firmly believe that if you TRULY enjoy playing a champion, you'll play them throughout any number of nerfs or buffs.

 

Do you think having a defined metagame is a good thing?

Rodoabad - Oh yeah. It wouldn't be meta if it's not optimal right? So having a meta kind of says that X types of champs will have the highest probability of winning a game. Provided everything else is equal. People keep forgetting, however, that a player with 10 games of Ryze will most likely get stomped by a Teemo player with 800 games under his belt.

+------+------+

Inverted Composer - Following the meta is like following fashion trends. You do not have to follow the meta to be good just as you don’t need to be fashionable to look great. Sometimes creativity results in innovation so I guess it is not necessary to follow the meta.

+------+------+

Simon Hawkes - The Meta is like a canvas, it's a blank sheet and we as players decide what it looks like. If enough people in the top tier of play do X thing then the lower tiers will fall in line because they see it to be the most optimal way to play the game. I think the meta is here to make sure the game doesn't devolve into just a mindless game of cat and mouse where you just kill or get killed and nothing gets done from it.

+------+------+

Mister Oink - I like it, because then it allows more room for innovative picks :P If there was no meta, playing weird shit would be the norm, and no one would ever look twice at people like myself.

 

Any closing remarks?

Rodoabad - Hmm. Final remarks. A message to all non-Teemo mains. We're not that evil.

+------+------+

Inverted Composer –The key of climbing ranked games is to play your best champion and building it optimally. Skills and strategies are learned automatically from repeated game plays of the same champion. It is just the builds and setup people should invest their time on. Unique players with good skills, strategies, and builds win games.

+------+------+

Simon Hawkes - Thanks to all who enjoy this game, we as people sometimes forget that games are meant to be loved and a social experience. Sometimes we in the higher tier forget that the names they see are as human as they are, so to each and every player who has a passion for this game and shows kindness in the face of victory and defeat, thank you.

+------+------+

Mister Oink - People should be more open to different picks! If your teammate picks something weird and off-meta, give them a chance to prove themselves!

+------+------+

+------+------+

Thank you to Rodoabad, Inverted Composer, Simon Hawkes and Mister Oink for their participation and candid answers in this interview. They provided a different lens with which to view the state of the game. They taught me a lot about devotion to an idea and the strength that it has and can give, you, even in the face of dissent. They were also surprisingly comfortable in the face of a meta that would seemily abhor their presence. I hope that the examples that these players will encourage other ambitious summoners to pursue their own strategies, no matter how wild or farfetched they may appear.

Rodoabad streams his incredible Teemo strategies regularly. His stream is www.twitch.tv/rodoabad. You can also check out montages, clips and game replays on his YouTube channel, www.youtube.com/rodoabadtv. 

Inverted Composer is currently dedicating a lot of his time to a sepearate but related project: an online tool that calculates the optimal item builds for any champion. The project is several years in the making and it can be found at www.leagueoflegendsmath.com. Additionally, his Challenger Yorick guide can be found at www.leagueoflegendsmath.com/Yorick_Guide.html.

Simon Hawkes, in addition to being a wonderful interviewee, also graciously offered to be a resource for future articles. Simon Hawkes can be found on Twitch at www.twitch.tv/simonhawkes.

Mister Oink still streams his powerful porcine exploits at www.twitch.tv/mister_oink. Also if you want to learn to tap into your own piggy potential, you can learn how with his AP Sejuani guide: www.solomid.net/guide/view/128565-sejuani-build-guide-apc-by-mister_oink.