Position Guides

Overview

The role and playstyle of each position, plus how to think about items and Arcana. The next step after the beginner guide.

Clash Lane Guide

Win the 1v1 and push side lanes in

The Clash Lane is a solo lane where Tanks and Fighters fight one-on-one. Your first goal is to win the fight against the enemy Clash laner, or at the very least, draw it.

The laning phase almost never decides the whole game on its own, but if you get killed here over and over, the entire match can fall apart.

From level 4 onward, when your jungler is nearby, push the wave into the enemy's side so you can set up ganks.

After the mid-game, use Transport (Teleport) to rush to Tyrant, Overlord, and team fights, shifting into the role of the front-line Tank/Fighter for your team. When the wave is pushed into your side, clear the jungle camps on your own half to farm gold and experience.

Wave management：Managing the position of the wave is the heart of your playstyle. If you feel the enemy is stronger, freeze the wave a little in front of your tower (about two minions' distance back) so you can farm safely and minimize your disadvantage. With the wave frozen near your side, it's easier to signal your jungler to come in for a gank.

When you're ahead：When you have the advantage, do the opposite: push the wave into the enemy's side and take their jungle camps (around the Spirit Owl and the Tyrant's crab).

When to use Transport：Transport (Teleport) is your trump card for rushing to team fights and objective contests. Keep the Tyrant spawn timer in mind and use Transport to join the fight when it's about to appear. Don't stay in lane farming alone.

Before recalling：Before you recall, push the wave once and then head back, and signal your teammates to cover the wave for you.

Boots：Choose your boots based on the enemy composition. Boots that reduce physical damage (Fortitude Boots) are the default, but if the enemy has two or more Mages, Resistance Boots that shorten CC duration are more effective. Check the enemy composition on the scoreboard before deciding.

Fighter build：As a Fighter-type Clash laner you want to build damage while staying durable, so avoid an all-in offense build that compromises nothing on damage. Get at least one defensive item by the mid-game (around 8 minutes) at the latest. If the enemy has a Marksman (ADC), reflect-damage items like Spike Armor or Bloodthirst Axe (which grants a temporary shield) are options; if they have many Mages, magic-defense items like Blazing Cape or Ominous Premonition become choices.

Arcana：For Arcana, build 10 of each of the 3 colors (30 total). For a Fighter, balance offense and durability: red (offense) centers on physical attack and attack speed, green (survival) on max HP and healing, and blue (utility) on physical defense and cooldown. A Tank leans further into the defensive green and blue. Pick the specific Arcana to fit your hero from the Arcana list.

Using Transport to recall：Transport is for joining Tyrant, Overlord, and responding to ganks. Don't waste it just to save 15 seconds of walking.

Over-pushing without vision：Pushing across the river without checking vision hands the enemy jungler free kills. Always ping for vision.

Ignoring magic-defense boots against magic comps：If the enemy team has two or more Mages, Resistance Boots beat Fortitude Boots. Check the scoreboard.

All-in damage Fighter build：A Fighter should have at least one defensive item by 8 minutes. Against a Marksman, build Spike Armor or Bloodthirst Axe; against Mages, build Blazing Cape and the like.

Recalling with the wave left behind：Push the wave before you recall. If your minions are dead, you're handing the enemy three free minions.

Jungle Guide

The commander who controls the map

The jungler is the role that controls the tempo of the game. You decide which lane to pressure, how to handle objective spawn timings, and whether to start fights.

Specifically, you clear jungle camps efficiently, contest river vision and buffs, gank lanes right after an enemy uses a key skill (while it's on cooldown), and secure objectives like Tyrant, Overlord, and Dark Tyrant with Punish. On top of that, when you're ahead of the enemy jungler in level, invade the enemy jungle and swing by winning lanes to snowball your advantage.

Early clear：A standard clear and first gank looks like this: at level 1, start on the blue buff side (or the red buff side if you can go for a strong level-2 play), clear three camps, and reach level 3 with Punish ready.

Level 4：At level 4, take your second buff (red or blue) and secure river vision. River vision speeds up your rotations and lets you read the enemy jungler's movements.

Levels 4-5：At levels 4-5, gank the lane with the least wave pressure. Keep Punish in reserve in case the enemy jungler invades or a fight over an objective breaks out.

Level 4 (Ultimate)：Once your ultimate is up at level 4, go for a gank that involves a big rotation to a lane pushed up to the enemy tower. The first Tyrant window opens at 4 minutes, but only go for it when you have two or more teammates and vision secured.

Physical type：For a physical jungle, build around jungle items that grow your physical attack from killing monsters, like the Rapacious Bite line. For boots, take Fortitude Boots to reduce enemy physical damage, or Resistance Boots if you want to shorten CC. Items that boost basic-attack damage, like Doomsday, are also options.

Magic type：For a magic jungle, build around the Runeblade line that grows your magic attack from killing monsters, and add items like Demon's Bane to supplement magic defense. For a tankier build that wants more HP, the Giant's Grip line fits well.

Arcana：For Arcana, a physical jungle builds toward attack, penetration, and movement speed. For a magic jungle, swap the physical-attack Arcana for magic-oriented ones, and the movement-speed Arcana for stat-conversion types.

Only clearing camps, never ganking：Farming the jungle is safe, but it alone loses the game. If a lane is pushed across the river and the enemy jungler isn't visible, go for a gank.

Fighting the enemy jungler without Punish：When Punish is on cooldown, never contest objectives or invade the enemy jungle.

Not taking river vision：Without river vision, you get caught out in fights over the Tyrant and buffs. Light up the river with wards or your team's vision before you move.

Taking Tyrant solo too early：Tyrant before level 4 is almost always a trap. Wait until your ultimate is up and you have at least one teammate to help with vision.

Aimless rotations：Before every jungle clear, think about where the enemy jungler is and which lane you'll gank next. No plan is a plan to lose.

Mid Lane Guide

Move the game with the highest damage

The Mid Mage's job is to push the wave and then roam. The first 5 minutes, Mid is the most impactful lane on the map, repeating a cycle of clearing minions and roaming.

Staying glued to Mid the whole time loses tempo all by itself. You carry the highest burst damage on the team, and your goal in team fights is to instantly delete the enemy's carries.

The basic pattern is to push the Mid wave to the enemy tower by level 4, then roam from there. Late game, you grow into a threat that can decide the match single-handedly.

Mid is also the center of the map's vision, so you share the job of providing vision together with your jungler.

Early game flow：From the start until 1:30, push out the first two waves quickly and aim to reach level 4 before the enemy Mid. At 1:30, head to the river to secure vision; your jungler is expecting you to be there. Around 2-3 minutes, recall once to set up your items, then push the Mid wave again.

Mid-game movement：Around 3-4 minutes, help the Clash Lane if your ultimate and your team's CC are ready. The kills you get here fund your first core item. From 4 minutes on, group up for Tyrant and play as the burst threat in 4v4 and 5v5 team fights.

Vision and safety：Mid is also the lane most vulnerable to ganks, so secure river vision every time it comes off cooldown, and manage river vision and the Tyrant together with your jungler. When the enemy jungler has been off-screen for 15 seconds or more, back off under your tower.

Choosing boots：Arcane Boots with magic penetration are the default, and they're preferred in almost every game. Only pick defensive boots when the enemy has a lot of burst damage.

Core items：Holy Grail, which restores mana and health, and Ardent Dominion, which shields you when your health drops, are important early spikes. Against tanks there's Void Staff; for a big magic-attack boost there's Savant's Wrath; and for skill-triggered explosions there's Scepter of Reverberation.

Arcana：A magic-leaning setup is the default, with attack, adaptation, and dominance types being standard. Burst-type Mages sometimes swap the dominance Arcana for penetration-oriented ones to pierce the enemy's magic defense.

Staying in Mid the whole game：Without roaming, you're just a slightly better tower-pusher. Rotate to other lanes every time you finish clearing the wave.

Not tracking the enemy jungler：Mid is the most gank-prone lane. Keep river vision up and, if the enemy jungler is off-screen for 15 seconds or more, back off under your tower.

Wrong boot choice：Magic-penetration Arcane Boots beat defensive boots in 9 out of 10 games. Only buy defensive boots when the enemy has a lot of burst damage.

Diving in with no CC setup：Most magic Mids need a CC starter. If you're solo with no roamer nearby, don't force it — back off.

Neglecting Holy Grail and mana upkeep：If you run out of mana in the middle of a team fight, you're handing the enemy a free kill.

Farm Lane Guide

Grow into the late-game main carry

The Farm Lane Marksman shares the lane with a Support. The Marksman is a scaling role that grows strong late game; you don't need to kill the enemy outright in lane. What matters most is farming more minions than your opponent and growing.

Think of every 10 minions as roughly one item component's worth of gold — every minion you miss delays your item completion. Play it safe early, and from around 20 minutes on, join every team fight as your team's main carry.

By the time your third item is complete, you've become the damage core the team revolves around.

Last hitting：Make last-hitting minions for gold your top priority. From levels 1-4, prioritize killing minions over trading, playing as if you'll last-hit every single minion. Paired with a Support, you can aim to farm 60 or more minions by 4 minutes.

Tyrant：Take the Tyrant that spawns on the Farm Lane (bottom) side together with your jungler or Support when it comes back up.

Positioning：In team fights, always stay behind your front line (the Tank) and attack from the very edge of your range. Never initiate (dive in first) yourself.

Mid game onward：From 8 minutes on, join every team fight — this is when you truly come into your own as the carry.

Boots：Attack-speed boots (Deftness Boots) are the default; get them by 4 minutes.

Damage items：For damage, your options include a slowing-on-hit item (Deep Frost Siege), an item that prevents a fatal blow (Destiny), a penetration item to deal with tanks (Star Breaker), a physical lifesteal item (Blood Weeper), and a high-crit-damage item (Eternity Blade).

Lifesteal：A lifesteal item (Blood Weeper) is standard as your second or third item; without it you'll just get chipped down one-sidedly.

Arcana：As the Marksman standard, take 10 of each: red (offense) = physical attack / attack speed, green (survival) = attack speed / healing, blue (utility) = physical penetration. Crit-based carries lean their red Arcana toward crit. See the Arcana list for specific combinations.

Fighting instead of farming minions：The Marksman wins by getting strong late. Unless you have an even or favorable trade, don't force it — let it go.

Standing in front：One positioning mistake can ruin a team fight. Always position behind the Tank.

Delaying boots：Attack-speed Deftness Boots are the Marksman's default boots. Get them by 4 minutes.

Not building lifesteal：Without lifesteal, you get poked down and forced off the line. Building a lifesteal item as your second or third item is standard.

Pushing in alone mid game：The fragile Marksman gets killed by assassins coming out of the fog. Push together with a teammate or roamer.

Roam (Support) Guide

Build the game with vision and engages

Roam is a role that's 20% damage and 80% map management. You don't need to get kills yourself; your job is to give your team vision, protect (peel for) your allies, and create safe openings to engage.

Instead of staying in lane to farm, you protect the Farm Lane Marksman up to around levels 1-4 early on, and place vision (wards) around the river and the Tyrant/Overlord areas. From there, you set up ganks for your jungler and Mid to generate kills.

Since this isn't a role that wins with your own damage, it's the best role for learning the big-picture play (macro) of reading and moving around the whole map.

Opening vision：Be mindful of vision priority. At the opening (0:00-0:30), place vision on the enemy red buff if you're invading, or your own red buff side if you're defending. Ward the Tyrant pit ahead of its first spawn around 4 minutes to prepare for the first spawn.

Early defense：From 1-3 minutes, protect the Marksman in the Farm Lane. Don't steal minions here. Once the Farm Lane is stable, rotate to Mid around 3-4 minutes or group up to set up ganks.

Mid-game engages：From 4 minutes on, either lead the plays around Tyrant or follow up on your teammates. Your role is to land CC on the front line so your team's main carries can finish them off. Only engage when your Farm Lane teammate is nearby.

Late-game team fights：In late-game team fights, don't just stop the front line with your CC — peel the assassins diving your carries off of them.

Choosing boots：Choose your boots to fit the situation. Candidates are Fortitude Boots to reduce physical damage, Tranquility Boots to shorten skill cooldowns, and Resistance Boots to shorten CC duration.

Defensive core：For defensive core items there's Spike Armor to reflect damage, Blazing Cape to burn nearby enemies, Succubus Cloak to negate magic damage, and Glacial Buckler with area damage and a slow.

Arcana：For direction: a Tank-type roamer keeps red (offense) to a minimum and loads up on green (survival = max HP / healing) and blue (utility = physical/magic defense / cooldown). A Mage-leaning Support roamer shifts its red and green toward magic and adaptation types. Pick the specific Arcana from the Arcana list.

Defense is a must：The key point is that even a Mage-leaning roamer should never skip defensive items entirely. A Tank type prepares Spike Armor or Blazing Cape by 7 minutes, and even a Mage-leaning Support should carry at least one defensive item.

Stealing the Marksman's minions：Every minion you take steals gold from your main carry. Except when one is dying and lane tempo requires it, don't touch minions with basic attacks.

Not placing vision (wards)：Roam is the vision role. Light up the Tyrant and Overlord pits with wards every time they spawn.

Engaging with no carry nearby：A 1-for-1 trade where you die and the enemy Marksman survives is a loss. Never engage unless your Farm Lane teammate is within range.

All-in damage Tank build：A Tank roamer needs Spike Armor or Blazing Cape by 7 minutes. Even a Mage Support roamer should carry at least one defensive item.

Wasting escape/peel skills：Yaria's heal, Da Qiao's knock-up, and Dolia's shield can decide team fights. Don't fire them off cooldown just because you 'want to do something.'

Items & Arcana Guide

Tune items and Arcana to your matchup

What items are：Items are things you buy with gold during the match, purchased as the game flows. You can adjust them by swapping items as the game progresses.

What Arcana are：Arcana (on the international server, emblems are called Arcana) are a page of stat boosts you set up before the match; they cost no gold at all. They're locked in before the match starts and can't be changed mid-game.

Tune both：To get the most out of a hero, you need to set up both of these correctly.

How many you can hold：The international server has 107 items, which you buy with gold earned from farming, kills, and objectives. You can hold up to 6 items at once, plus one line of boots on top of that.

Think in priorities：Think of items not as a fixed shopping list but as a priority order you swap around to fit the match.

Build around the recommendations：Each hero's recommended items show the buy order, when to use them, and which lane they're for. Use those as your basic foundation, and read the phase-by-phase thinking below to judge when each item should be completed.

Early game：In the early game (levels 1-4), buy your first item and boot line. The aim is lane resilience and your first power spike, not completing your damage. Marksmen and Mages rush physical-attack and magic-attack components; Tanks and Fighters buy early defense and resilience components so they can trade in lane.

Mid game：The mid game (2-3 core items) is where the character of your build is decided. Carries complete two damage items to ride the team-fight power spike; Tanks complete one defensive item and one team-supporting item. Most heroes are stronger than the enemy in this window, so group up with your team and go take objectives.

Late game：In the late game (a 5-6 item complete build), swap your boots or first item for a single situational item. Physical defense to deal with a fed Marksman, magic defense to deal with a burst Mage, healing reduction against heal-heavy comps, and so on. A complete build should answer the enemy's threats, not just pile on more damage.

Basics：Arcana are the international server's version of emblems: 27 runes you equip before the match. Each character holds 10 each in 3 colors (red, green, blue), for a total of 30 Arcana. Arcana grow from level 1 to level 5, and level 5 is standard in ranked.

Red：Red is offense — physical damage, attack speed, crit, lifesteal, and other aggressive effects.

Green：Green is survivability — max HP, healing, movement speed, lifesteal, and other durability boosts.

Blue：Blue is utility — physical defense, magic defense, cooldown reduction, penetration, and other stats that support durability and game tempo.

Don't just copy：The most common mistake is copying the exact same build every single game. The recommended core items are only a starting point; choose your last 1-2 slots to answer the enemy team.

Pick based on the enemy：If the enemy's physical damage (Marksmen and Assassins) is fed, buy physical defense; if a fed Mid Mage is about to burst down your backline, buy magic defense; against heroes with a lot of lifesteal or shields, buy healing-reduction items.

Arcana prioritize your role：Since Arcana can't be changed mid-game, pick a combination that suits your role rather than one specific opponent.