League of Legends XXXII: Cupcakes and Kittens and Squirrels. Oh my!

[PEACH]

To play for fun?

Skarner, Nasus, Malz, Graves (though I'm pretty meh with him), Taric/Janna. That's one for each role. Top two are probably Skarner and Nasus. Nasus because Wither is just so sexy, SS farm competitions are fun, and being able to smash towers and squishies mid-late game is nice. Skarner because... he's Skarner! There's nothing not to love!

To play in ranked (or just more competitively in a normal game)?

Skarner. Urgot on Dominion, because doing anything but Urgot and occasionally Yorick bot leads to me getting crushed.

For the looks/feel of the character?

Skarner. He's pretty awesome looking (though I'd kill for an actually great skin, like a bone Skarner or something), and he feels like a very mobile high damage highly sticky tanky DPS with great scaling on everything who gets to use abilities constantly. Because he is!

Because of 1 defining ability/characteristic?

Skarner. Dat ult. And Dat flash+ult initiation. Nothing says "let's teamfight" like killing Cass from 600 range or so.

[Chumbaniya]

To play for fun?

Alistar, no question. I like making the big plays, simple as that

I recently bought Kennen and he's great fun, especially in blind pick matches where nobody but me bothers to farm and I run around like a maniac killing people.

To play in ranked (or just more competitively in a normal game)?

Warwick. Most of my ranked games so far have been on TT as I have 2 friends I usually do ranked with, and WW is incredibly good at shutting down enemy bruisers. He isn't the most exciting champion but he's an extremely hard to shift laner.

For the looks/feel of the character?

Kog'Maw. I love his overall look, his dance, and his skins (the butterfly is good and the firework skin is my favourite skin in the whole game - don't own it though). I also think it's cool to melt enemies by vomiting all over them!

Obviously Teemo too. Love that lil' guy. Astronaut skin is the 2nd best in the game.

Because of 1 defining ability/characteristic?

Hard to argue with Veigar's combo. I seem to lose a lot of games with him but still farm up 800+ AP and go round gibbing people and running away while my team screw up everything all day long! I don't play many games with Veigar any more though, as he's just utterly lacking in versatility and completely dependent on your team being able to follow up on your taking out an enemy.

For a single ability, I'd go for Kog's R, because I don't play at a high level and I'm pretty decent with skillshots, so people get sniped all day long when I play as AP. Double kills on enemies sat under their towers? Yes please!

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

I played against a Nocturne once, who impressed me tremendously because he pretty much had no damage items - yet still tore our team apart.

Does that make sense to anyone? As far as I can tell, he doesn't have any scaling for damage - except the obvious (damage items).

His Q offers a damage boost while he's standing on the effect (scaling from 15 to 55).

[Chumbaniya]

His Q offers a damage boost while he's standing on the effect (scaling from 15 to 55).

Plus free attack speed on his W, and to a lesser extent the damage multiplier on his passive. That's one of the nice things about Nocturne - he feels like a really solid damage dealer but he doesn't need items to fill that role.

[fred dref]

AS Lulu is just /so/ much fun to watch people melt to nothing, and solo dragon the moment you get razors... plus people always think they can 1v1 you. They can't.

It's funny because just last night I was up against both a Nocturne and a Lulu on the same team. They tried to 2v1 me about 25 minutes in. They couldn't.


I was Nasus.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

...I don't normally like Cntrl+Alt+Del as a comic, but this one is great, and League-related.

COMIC

[MonarchAnarch]

My friends at work have indirectly convinced me to try LoL. Will be trying to night, they suggested Nasus as the best for me to learn on that is free atm.

Wish me luck.

[PEACH]

Nasus is a weird champ to learn to start playing with because he kind of requires you to immediately learn not only last hitting, but last hitting with a specific skill, and you have to immediately learn the "attack, then use an AA skill to attack again immediately" trick that not every champ uses. He's a pretty easy champ besides that, but it's a bit different than most champs.

[endoperez]

My friends at work have indirectly convinced me to try LoL. Will be trying to night, they suggested Nasus as the best for me to learn on that is free atm.

Wish me luck.

Will you be trying on your own, or with someone guiding you? In either case, you should start with the tutorial, and then play against bots instead of humans, at least for one or two games. Understanding some of the basics before that would help too. There's probably a good video for that somewhere, but I don't know where, and the first post doesn't have one either.

Does anyone here know of a good introductory tutorial or guide for LoL? Video format would likely work best. It seems like it'd be very nice to have it in the first post.

[Lix Lorn]

Nasus is an exception. xD Trying to 1v1 Nasus as an AS charrie is just silly.

[fred dref]

Nasus is an exception. xD Trying to 1v1 Nasus as an AS charrie is just silly.

Trying to 1v1 Nasus as anyone who isn't Ryze, Karthus or Cass is probably going to end poorly, assuming you're 25-30 minutes in and Nasus has not been shut down.

Regardless, I can't imagine the usual roster of tanky DPS duelists (Jax, Warwick, Olaf, etc.) would have much trouble with Lulu. She could probably beat most AD carries in the midgame, I guess.

[LordShotGun]

...
XL: Chased Singed Got Forty Kills. And That's Terrible.

OK, that made me laugh. That lex luthor comic always gets me going.

[Eldariel]

Trying to 1v1 Nasus as anyone who isn't Ryze, Karthus or Cass is probably going to end poorly, assuming you're 25-30 minutes in and Nasus has not been shut down.

Anivia, sir?

[Lix Lorn]

OK, that made me laugh. That lex luthor comic always gets me going.

I picked Singed because he is bald.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

I picked Singed because he is bald.

But if anyone is doing terrible things, wouldn't it be Veigar?

Especially because he's a Yordle. He'd totally steal 40 shrooms, or 40 cupcakes, or any number of other things.

[Qaera]

But if anyone is doing terrible things, wouldn't it be Veigar?

Especially because he's a Yordle. He'd totally steal 40 shrooms, or 40 cupcakes, or any number of other things.

And that's terrible.

~ ♅

[MonarchAnarch]

Will you be trying on your own, or with someone guiding you? In either case, you should start with the tutorial, and then play against bots instead of humans, at least for one or two games. Understanding some of the basics before that would help too. There's probably a good video for that somewhere, but I don't know where, and the first post doesn't have one either.

Does anyone here know of a good introductory tutorial or guide for LoL? Video format would likely work best. It seems like it'd be very nice to have it in the first post.

My co-workers play alot, but I'll be going it alone while I learn. Will start with bots of course, just to get my feet under me. I recognize that nasus is a support/utility toon, with a slow crawl to hitter at the end.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

My co-workers play alot, but I'll be going it alone while I learn. Will start with bots of course, just to get my feet under me. I recognize that nasus is a support/utility toon, with a slow crawl to hitter at the end.

That's actually a bit untrue. Nasus is a bruiser through and through, but just doesn't come into his own until later, when his Q is nicely stacked with damage (+3 permanent extra damage per kill gained using his Q). He doesn't really have a lot of support or utility, although he has a rather nice slow/attack speed reducing ability.

Instead of being a support/utility, he likes to play passively and sit by himself in a lane farming up damage, and then he'll swoop into team fights with some really brutal damage.

[fred dref]

That moment when teamfights have been brutal 3 for 3 affairs all game, then Nasus decides to start teamfighting.

[PEACH]

Trying to 1v1 Nasus as anyone who isn't Ryze, Karthus or Cass is probably going to end poorly, assuming you're 25-30 minutes in and Nasus has not been shut down.

Regardless, I can't imagine the usual roster of tanky DPS duelists (Jax, Warwick, Olaf, etc.) would have much trouble with Lulu. She could probably beat most AD carries in the midgame, I guess.

While Nasus does do really well in 1v1s, even fairly farmed he can be beaten by AD carries that can kite (see: Anybody with a dash+a mallet and possibly mercs), and some people can legitimately threaten him with similar farm (Skarner/WW can reasonably heal through his Qs and survive wither, and Nasus just doesn't have a lot after that besides ult popping for a single champ). Nasus is great in 1v1 against a vast majority of champs and can easily shut down two people in a teamfight (one with Wither, one with pain) if he's farmed, but "wins 1v1 against everybody but three carry mages" isn't necessarily true. Hell, if Nasus avoids wall, Karthus shouldn't be a problematic matchup at all.

[Lix Lorn]

But if anyone is doing terrible things, wouldn't it be Veigar?

Especially because he's a Yordle. He'd totally steal 40 shrooms, or 40 cupcakes, or any number of other things.

...this is virtuous and true.
However, stealing cupcakes will just get him snared by the long gun of the law.

How can I fuse these ideas into one witty line?
Veigar stole forty cupcakes, and Cait's running out of traps? I dunno.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Hell, if Nasus avoids wall, Karthus shouldn't be a problematic matchup at all.

Yep. I've actually found mages the least of my concerns, if I have Banshee's or FoN (and Nasus should have one of these), and maybe Mercs. If they can't kill me outright in a combo, I'll down them in two hits, and can probably catch them with Wither/Phage/Mallet/Triforce (pick one or more). I'm much more afraid of tanky, high-damage characters, who can sometimes manage to 1v1 me if they play well, or farmed carries with natural escaping ability and long range (Vayne, Ezreal, Tristana can all really mess up Nasus' day if played right).

[Eldariel]

Yep. I've actually found mages the least of my concerns, if I have Banshee's or FoN (and Nasus should have one of these), and maybe Mercs. If they can't kill me outright in a combo, I'll down them in two hits, and can probably catch them with Wither/Phage/Mallet/Triforce (pick one or more). I'm much more afraid of tanky, high-damage characters, who can sometimes manage to 1v1 me if they play well, or farmed carries with natural escaping ability and long range (Vayne, Ezreal, Tristana can all really mess up Nasus' day if played right).

Hi, I'm Anivia. There's a wall in front of you. Also, you're taking DoT from Glacial Storm, moving slowly and stunned when you do move freely alongside 1000-damage spikes in your face. At the best you can run away.

[PEACH]

I don't think there is ever a point Anivia can get to 1000 damage spikes on a tanky character, thanks to that pesky mr thing. Yes, Anivia can kite well, but if she misses anything or, hell, Nasus just withers and barrels through/around, he can smash her pretty easily.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

Hi, I'm Anivia. There's a wall in front of you. Also, you're taking DoT from Glacial Storm, moving slowly and stunned when you do move freely alongside 1000-damage spikes in your face. At the best you can run away.

Then you run. Congrats...a mage you don't fight except in team fights. Yeah, there are exceptions (Anivia being one)...but Nasus can definitely escape that, and if he DOES get within range Anivia is in serious trouble.

She's about as good a hard counter as he has though. You're definitely correct there, due to the fact that she has THREE abilities that keep Nasus away, two of which he has no real counterplay against (wall + AoE slow).

[Terribad]

To play for fun?
Singed. I love having a hissing sound as I'm running around like a madman dripping stuff and have opposing heroes SCATTER BEFORE ME

To play in ranked (or just more competitively in a normal game)?
Cassiopeia or Kennen. Cass because of her raw power and strong team fight presence. Kennen because energy-based AP carries are awesome.

For the looks/feel of the character?
Gangplank. Since Tides of Blood (anyone remember that tragically awesome War3 MOBA map?) I've always liked piratey heroes. Gangplank has nice voicing and skins, so always a pleasure playing him, usually only on Dominion or as Supportplank

Because of 1 defining ability/characteristic?
Lux. aaaaaaaAAAAAHHH DEMACIA!

[fred dref]

Yep. I've actually found mages the least of my concerns, if I have Banshee's or FoN (and Nasus should have one of these), and maybe Mercs. If they can't kill me outright in a combo, I'll down them in two hits, and can probably catch them with Wither/Phage/Mallet/Triforce (pick one or more). I'm much more afraid of tanky, high-damage characters, who can sometimes manage to 1v1 me if they play well, or farmed carries with natural escaping ability and long range (Vayne, Ezreal, Tristana can all really mess up Nasus' day if played right).

I've found Tristana and Ezreal to be the only carries that can really threaten a Nasus, mainly because Ezreal does decent damage with Q even when Withered, and Tristana has the escape/knockback to disengage and the range to get some hits in before Wither goes off. I've never had trouble with Vayne past the lane phase.

While Nasus does do really well in 1v1s, even fairly farmed he can be beaten by AD carries that can kite (see: Anybody with a dash+a mallet and possibly mercs), and some people can legitimately threaten him with similar farm (Skarner/WW can reasonably heal through his Qs and survive wither, and Nasus just doesn't have a lot after that besides ult popping for a single champ). Nasus is great in 1v1 against a vast majority of champs and can easily shut down two people in a teamfight (one with Wither, one with pain) if he's farmed, but "wins 1v1 against everybody but three carry mages" isn't necessarily true. Hell, if Nasus avoids wall, Karthus shouldn't be a problematic matchup at all.

If Karthus has Rylai's, you're gonna have a bad time.

Warwick, Yi and Olaf are three that I forgot about when making my sweeping statement. Warwick does most of his damage through Q anyway, and Yi/Olaf completely ignore Wither. I've never dueled a Skarner, but he seems really reliant on attacking things for the CDR to truly shine.

Eldariel, I have never faced a good Anivia player, but I imagine Anivia can easily just say NOPE if she sees a Nasus running at her face.

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

I've found Tristana and Ezreal to be the only carries that can really threaten a Nasus, mainly because Ezreal does decent damage with Q even when Withered, and Tristana has the escape/knockback to disengage and the range to get some hits in before Wither goes off. I've never had trouble with Vayne past the lane phase.

If the Vayne is good and decently fed, she can kite you long enough to put you down hard, even through Wither. Of course, few Vaynes ARE this good, and she probably needs a bush for a bit better kiting, but she can definitely do it.

[Delusion]

A quite vague hypothetical question:

What do you do when you get trulyand totally outpicked?
Just stay back, tower hug and try to farm? Pray for ganks?

[Djinn_in_Tonic]

A quite vague hypothetical question:

What do you do when you get trulyand totally outpicked?
Just stay back, tower hug and try to farm? Pray for ganks?

You personally? Your lane? Your entire team?

Those make big differences. If it's me/my lane, I'd normally see if a lane swap is available, and if not I'd play VERY defensively and call in regular ganks.