Hi, guys, I am Librarian Husky and today we’re talking about common mistakes that lead you all to losing your games!

Recognizing Common Mistakes in Low ELO Games

After reviewing and Playing hundreds of low ELO games this season, one thing is absolutely crystal clear: every single game, without fail, players just like you (well, and sometimes like me too) are making the same game-losing mistakes. And no, we’re not talking about advanced macro decisions or flashy mechanical misplays or anything like that. These are simple fixable habits that are actively costing you games. So today, we’re going to be breaking them all down one by one, and more importantly, we’re going to be showing you exactly how to fix them.

You load up a ranked game, head to lane, completely dominate your opponent in an early trade. Heck yeah! Nail every CS perfectly. But just seconds later, the enemy jungler shows up, takes you down, and suddenly it feels like the game is over. And maybe your life too. Well, sound familiar? Getting caught by an early gank can completely derail your game. And, well, in low ELO, it happens nearly every single match. Junglers typically follow three early game paths with predictable timers. A standard full clear into river leads to a gank on an overpushed side or midlaner around as early as 3 minutes and 15 seconds. A full clear and a scuttle delays the gank to about 3 minutes and 45 seconds.

Then there’s the level three cheese, where the jungler clears one quadrant before ganking an overextended side laner or mid, sometimes as early as 2 minutes and 30 seconds. But as you probably know already, keeping track of the in-game timer while trying to lane, well, let alone memorizing jungle gank timings, is just, uh, well, let’s be honest here, it’s a lot easier said than done. But there is an easy solution. Just watch your minion waves. All you need to know is that for wave 1 and wave 2, there’s going to be zero interference from the jungler.

Understanding Wave Management and Gank Timings

However, as that third wave arrives, this marks the timer for a potential level three gank. Meaning, if you’re pushing, go ahead and use that advantage to get an early ward down. The next crucial wave to watch is wave 4. An easy way to remember this is by just using the cannon minion as your reminder. When the cannon minion reaches your lane, it typically means the jungler is in the process of securing their second buff. From there, they can either clear gromp or krugs, or if you’re overpushed, skip the camp and look for a gank. So, placing a ward, or at the very least, remembering this, can help keep you safe.

Another key to avoiding early ganks is understanding strong side versus weak side. So, take this game for example. Here, Ekko starts on his bot side, while Kayn starts on his top side. Since Kayn is pathing away from Urgot top lane, it’s the weak side for the red team, while bot lane is the strong side.

Meanwhile, Ekko is pathing toward Urgot, making top lane the strong side for the blue team, and bot lane the weak side. If you’re on the weak side, you need to play extra safe, as your jungler won’t be there to counter gank, making you an easy target for the enemy jungler nearing the end of their clear. However, with leashes rarely happening in any ELO right now, the best way to track the enemy jungler early is to ask your midlaner to ward the enemy Raptors as minions spawn. This is one of the strongest wards in the game, as based on when the enemy jungler shows or by checking which buff they have, you can easily determine which side of the map they’re pathing toward.

The average League player has improved drastically over the years, so much so that I’d almost bet everyone watching this can recognize exactly what this Leona is trying to do here in the bot lane. You guessed it, push for level two. Pushing is one of the most powerful wave management concepts. You push for level lead, you push for priority, you push so you can rotate to objectives, you push so you can recall. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Where a lot of players go wrong here is that they don’t understand you can actually overpush.

Take this example from a platinum game. Lulu and Jinx are contesting level two against Maai and Ashe. Pausing here, we can see Jinx and Lulu ahead with a three minion lead, practically guaranteeing they’ll hit level two first. But watch what happens next. They just keep hitting the wave. As expected, they reach level two first, but Maai and Ashe simply back off, losing nothing. And as the wave is now overpushed, it just crashes straight into the turret, allowing Maai and Ashe to then safely pick up the minions, hit level two themselves, and engage from the safety net of their own turret, forcing the Flash out of Lulu and then even chasing down Jinx for the kill.

Now, it has to be said that the goal of pushing isn’t just to hit level spikes. It’s to gain advantages. Jinx and Lulu had already done the hard part by securing the push lead. Imagine if from here, all they did was just chill, letting the wave naturally slow push. This would give them plenty of time to then actually use that level spike they worked so hard to get, zoning Maai and Ashe off the wave.

Understanding Rebounds

So, to better understand why overpushing is detrimental beyond just abusing level power spikes, we first need to address the next common mistake, which is not understanding rebounds. League players love to overcomplicate literally everything, especially wave management. But here’s all you really need to know about it. When you crash a wave into your opponent’s turret, if they can’t clear it before their next wave arrives, their minions are going to get caught on yours, and the wave will begin to slow push back to you. That is a rebound. Understanding that, that’s a rebound.

Pay attention to this low ELO game that we’ll play right here. Darius gets a very good early trade on Renekton, forcing his Flash. He then crashes the first two waves and uses that time to get down a ward. Textbook. So far, everything’s great. But now, with a clear lead, Darius obviously wants to keep up the pressure. So what does he do? He moves up and tries to fight and harass Renekton, using his Q in turn, hitting the minion wave, which he then finishes off shortly after. The result? Renekton is back farming under the safety of his own turret. We see this all the time. Players who are solid laners and consistently get leads, but think the only way to extend that lead is by constantly applying pressure.

When in reality, going back to our previous clip here, Darius had Renekton in a checkmate position. Here, all he had to do was let that wave slowly push back toward him off the rebound. Renekton then had two bad options: either risk overextending to farm, setting up Darius for an easy chase down with his Ghost, or base and bleed minions as the lane pushes away from him. Either way, Darius wins.

Just remember, in League, sometimes giving up a small advantage, like letting the wave push back toward you, not only sets you up for a bigger payoff, but also keeps you in a safer lane position, reducing the chances of the enemy jungler turning your winning lane into a losing one with a single gank. It’s kind of like a game of chess. And speaking of which, rebounds are also something you want to start to pay attention to as a jungler. Take this game from one of our Challenger coaches in a recent commentary. As they finished their clear on Diana, they checked mid and bot to see both lanes pushed up, normally a sign that ganking isn’t an option. But let’s listen in to their thoughts here.

“Can we get a kill on the bounce back here? Yeah, I’m definitely going to smite this and go. I need the timing to be faster.”

By simply factoring in rebounds into their decision-making, they set up a play that led to a double kill for Draven.

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So, next up is, without a doubt, one of the most common mistakes that we see again and again and again. But let’s start with a quick quiz here for you. Get your pins ready. Our Platinum Malzahar just took a very bad trade in lane, which leaves him at around 20%, while Vex is basically full health still. Should he:

A) Hang around two screens away, trying to stay in XP range;

B) Hide under turret and hope Vex messes up a dive and trades one for one;

C) Wait for his jungler to potentially bail him out; or

D) Just recall, except he’s going to lose a wave and return with full resources?

Well, in this situation, Malzahar tried every single option other than D. He played super far back, he tried to bait dives, and even when both jungle and support came to gank, he still stayed in lane. It’s not until two minutes later when Vex finally just flashes, autos, and ignites Malz for the kill that he returns to base as a corpse. Haven’t we all been there?

And this is such just an unbelievably common mindset in low ELO. Rather than just accepting that you’ve messed up, pressing B, accepting you’re going to lose a wave, and then trying to get back into the game from there, players will quite literally choose to prevent themselves farming. You really have to know when to cut your losses in League.

I mean, going back to our Malz, he even had Teleport, by the way. At most, if he just recalled and TP’d back, he would lose maybe three to four minions. I’m honestly a little bit dumbfounded as to what causes this. Is it an ego thing? Is it that they don’t respect their opponents? Well, who knows. But just understand that players messing up and having to take a bad recall timing and concede some minions as a result is something that happens all the time, even in the highest ELO. So, standing off the soapbox here, calling our next mistake just a mistake really doesn’t quite do it justice, because honestly, well, I’m not even kidding here, it’s more of a phenomenon. There are going to be times when you’ll know your opponents are doing an objective, you’ll know there’s absolutely zero chance you can fight or even think about contesting, yet somewhere deep in your soul, talking way down there, you feel it. And you know what I’m talking about.

The Temptation to Watch

That strange, just irresistible urge to just sort of hover around, stand there, and just watch them while they do it. Now, I don’t know why, can’t explain it, but it happens nearly every single game. There could be camps to do, minions to farm, waves to push, towers to take, even objectives on the other side of the map that you could be trading. But no, no, no. Just look at this. Thresh sees his jungler in mid or top side. He knows the enemy team has at least three on Drake. But still, for whatever reason, there’s this uncontrollable urge to have to see it firsthand. So he moves up, gets the ward, barely surviving. But we have a problem here. They clear it. So like a man possessed, he moves up again to get another one. This time, paying the price. And for what? Oh, and uh, this clip here is from Platinum ELO. So just imagine how frequently players are doing the same thing in the lower ranks. If you know you can’t contest an objective, do something else on the map. Otherwise, you’re just AFK’ing with extra steps involved.

And honestly, if you’re not standing around watching somebody take an objective, you are throwing the game. Over one. We’re not exaggerating when we say in nearly every single low ELO game, multiple throws happen over every objective. Or here, why in the world is Shaco starting Void Grubs when he doesn’t have priority in top lane, and his mid laner is on the other side of the map? I mean, surely he learned his lesson here, right? Nope. He spawns, goes straight back for round two, and throughout this, every single one of his camps are up, and he’s now two levels and almost 1,000 gold behind Nocturne. And for what? Well, don’t get me wrong here. I know I’m just trashing these players. This doesn’t just relate to junglers. Laners do the exact same thing.

Understanding Objective Prioritization

Players often find themselves drawn to watching objectives being taken, even when they have more pressing tasks at hand. This behavior can lead to missed opportunities and ultimately throwing the game. It’s crucial to prioritize efficiently and not get distracted by what’s happening elsewhere on the map. The example of Thresh in Platinum ELO highlights how this tendency can significantly impact gameplay, leading to unnecessary risks and falling behind in resources. Recognizing when to let go of the urge to watch and focus on strategic actions ensures better decision-making and ultimately contributes to overall team success. Remember, effective gameplay involves constant assessment of priorities and proactive decision-making to secure advantages on the map.

Understanding the Importance of Objectives in League of Legends

Just Think about how it makes you feel when you’re winning a game or even just winning your lane, and yet your opponents are the ones getting the objective. Exactly like this situation right here. Red team have a slight gold lead, but have just lost two players after taking down mid inhibitor on a push. Drake’s about to spawn, and the red team are sending pings like there is absolutely no tomorrow. Nasus postures around it, Kai’Sa even gives up all the free farm she’s getting top lane to move all the way down. But Xin is like, “Nope,” and just ignores the call and continues clearing his top side. And there’s no guessing to who gets pinged and subsequently flamed for not choosing to go and coin flip a 3v4 over the blue team’s third dragon of the game when they’re ahead anyway.

“What was that, Ashe? You said bot lane are already on their way back, and you need to base, and we don’t know where the enemy jungler is. How misinformed you are! We must convert this play into an objective. Objectives are what wins games. Like here, red team are doing the third dragon of the game. They’re first, by the way, as five players on full vision with Ocean reviving. Nonetheless, does the blue team give them it? Maybe push out top or bot instead? Well, don’t be silly now. They engage a 4v5 fight. Like, why do this? All of this stems from the mindset that objectives are hands down the most important thing on the map. No variables, no exceptions. Don’t play for kills, play for objectives.

All paired advice that on paper does make sense. And, well, to be honest here, at one point, really held a lot more weight. But now, in 2025 League of Legends, especially in low ELO, if taken too literally, can actually do you way more harm than good. And it’s advice like this players often tunnel on to the point it warps their decision-making. When in most cases, realistically, rather than helping you win the game, objectives exist to help you close out the game. Think about it. You don’t just randomly get Void Grubs and be like, “Oh, cool, I can take their turrets now.” Or secure an Infernal Drake and think to yourself, “Oh, sweet, definitely going to win late now with that 3% AD and AP.” Sure, there’s obviously always the threat of soul, but think back to your games. How many have been decided solely based off one team getting soul point? Then compare that to how many have been thrown over objectives you have no place starting or fighting over.

Effective Objective Control in League of Legends

Instead, try to simply just treat objectives as something to play for when it makes sense to do so. Your team’s in the area, you just won a team fight, you won’t sacrifice your lane state, you know you’re not going to be overly contested on it, or you’re ahead enough to the point where it doesn’t matter if you are. Times where you don’t even have to Think about if it’s a good or a bad decision to play for them.

Beyond this, despite what you’re going to hear from others, if you want to climb, it’s completely fine to play for kills, farm your lane, or even camps. Seriously, we promise. The less you fixate over objectives, the more you’re going to naturally secure leads, outscale your opponents, and ultimately, when all is said and done here, transition that into objectives anyway.

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And on the topic of throwing over objectives, it has to be said here, one of the biggest traps this season is AotN. AotN spawns at 20 minutes, the same time Baron used to spawn in previous seasons. Think back to those seasons with Baron. How often were you actually taking Baron on spawn or just randomly pulling Baron off a single pick that early into the game? Pretty rare, if ever, right? And yet, AotN not only takes longer to kill than Baron, but he also deals way more damage. And yeah, sure, you could argue some of it is avoidable, but take this low ELO game right here.

Caitlyn picks off Zed at around the 24-minute mark, and immediately the pings for AotN just start flying in. On paper, man, it does seem like a good call. No one from the red side is even close. But before AotN even drops to 25%, Tom is based and walked down, Diana has rotated all the way from her red buff, and Wukong is practically dead. Red team engages, wipes the fight, secures AotN, then the dragon. And once the false life buff expires, the game flips from a

Timing and Decision-Making in Objective Control

The timing and decision-making in objective control are crucial elements that can determine the outcome of a game. It’s essential to assess the situation before committing to an objective. Understanding when to prioritize objectives and when to focus on other aspects of the game, such as kills and farming, can give you a strategic advantage over your opponents.

In the case of AotN, players often fall into the trap of prioritizing this objective without considering the risks involved. While AotN may seem like a valuable target, especially when uncontested, its high damage output and the potential for enemy team rotations can quickly turn the tide of a match.

To prevent throwing over objectives, it’s crucial to maintain a balance between objective control, team coordination, and individual performance. By making informed decisions and staying adaptable in your gameplay, you can effectively secure objectives while minimizing the risk of losing control over the game.

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