There’s a lot to love about League of Legends: a massive roster of champions to explore and master; a diverse community of players from all walks of life; an ever-expanding library of content to enjoy; and, of course, the competitive ranked system where the best players in the world face off for millions of viewers. But there’s also a lot to dislike about the game: an overwhelming amount of time spent in the midst of tense interactions that can easily escalate into full-on fights between fellow summoners.
It’s easy to see those clashes as the root of many of the toxic behaviors the game has earned a reputation for. But they’re also just the surface symptom of something far more complex: the way League is designed to produce conflict by default, in ways that can be difficult for people to notice or acknowledge.
To get to the bottom of those issues, I sat down with Nick “NicoThePico” Korsgard, a professional coach and former EU LCS jungler for Origen, Fnatic, and Banditos, who has also achieved challenger tier play in three different roles. He’s got some insights to share about how to approach large skill growth and competitive level play in League that might surprise you.
The answer, he says, starts with understanding what the game does and doesn’t ask of its players. It’s important to learn the game fundamentally, just as you would with chess or volleyball, starting with the rules and moving on to the more detailed strategies. 롤대리