Controlling Buffs: A Key to Victory in League of Legends
Controlling buffs is crucial for success in the game League of Legends. Buffs provide tangible benefits to champions, often tipping the scales in a close fight. They can determine whether a mid laner has enough mana for a final spell or if a marksman has the extra damage to secure a kill.
The Two Most Common Buffs in League of Legends
The two most common buffs in League of Legends are the Crest of the Elder Lizard, also known as the Red Buff, and the Crest of the Ancient Golem, also known as the Blue Buff. These buffs are named after the jungle monsters that grant them when defeated.
The Red Buff adds extra damage to basic attacks and a slow effect, making it ideal for marksmen and brawling champions. However, the Blue Buff is more valuable, especially for mid lane matchups.
The Blue Buff provides mana regeneration and cooldown reduction, transforming a champion into a spell-slinging machine. In fact, the Blue Buff is estimated to be worth 2000 gold for its two-and-a-half minute duration.
Buff Control in the League Championship Series
We analyzed how well teams control buffs, particularly the Blue Buff, in the League Championship Series. Our analysis focused on which teams excel at controlling buffs, how they distribute them, and if there are any outliers.
Our sample size includes the first half of the season, consisting of 14 games prior to the current Super Week.
We evaluated buff control in the context of the entire map, considering both a team’s own buffs and the enemy’s buffs. This measure, called “Buff Control,” indicates the percentage of total available Red and Blue buffs a team obtains during a match. It demonstrates a team’s priority on buffs and how successful they are at securing them.
Top Performers in Buff Control
The team that excelled at controlling buffs during the previous week of LCS was Team SoloMid, acquiring 54.89 percent of all buffs on the map. Fnatic from Europe closely followed, controlling 54.44 percent of buffs.
Surprisingly, the teams with the best records did not always have the best buff control. For example, Team SoloMid and Fnatic were not ranked in the top three of their respective leagues.
There were other outliers as well. Although Millenium had a solid 8-6 record, they had the lowest buff control percentage in the league at 45.26 percent. However, their objective control stats were strong, suggesting they may prioritize other objectives like dragons and towers over buffs.
Distribution of the Blue Buff
To gain further insights, we examined the distribution of the Blue Buff, focusing on how each team allocated the buffs they controlled.
Some important contextual numbers: the European LCS averaged 13.51 blue buffs per game, while the NA LCS averaged 11.875 blue buffs per game. This difference can be attributed to the game time, with European games being longer on average.
Fnatic had the highest Blue Buff control at 54.05 percent, with their mid laner receiving the buff 37.30 percent of the time. Alliance and ROCCAT also had strong Blue Buff control percentages.
Differences in Distribution Strategies
ROCCAT stood out with a lower overall buff control percentage but a high blue control stat. Their mid laner, Overpow, received more blue buffs than any other mid laner in the league.
Copenhagen Wolves had a unique distribution compared to other teams in the league. They had a higher percentage of blue buffs taken by their jungler instead of their mid laner.
In the NA LCS, teams with star mid laners like LMQ and Dignitas prioritized giving the Blue Buff to their power players. On the other hand, Counter Logic Gaming focused on the Red Buff, benefiting their star marksman.
The Need for Further Study
These stats provide a surface-level understanding of buff control and distribution in the game. Further research is necessary to explore the effectiveness of controlling buffs and the impact of different compositions on buff distribution.
Studying where buffs come from and how teams secure them could also yield valuable insights. Additionally, investigating the role of the Red Buff and its impact on fights and team compositions would be worthwhile.
There is still much to learn about buff control in League of Legends, and these initial findings serve as a starting point for future exploration.
League of Legends, buffs, Red Buff, Blue Buff, buff control, distribution, mid laner, marksmen, LCS, teams, competition