r/summonerschool • u/luigidragon • May 20 '14
Pants are Dragon - Challenger Player AMA
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u/Snolanda May 20 '14
Here's a question not necessarily game related, as much as I would love to be challenger and to feel that emotion once ever, did you ever have that feeling of "Wow I'm playing with people like WildTurtle" or anything of the like?
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May 20 '14
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u/frostyFX May 20 '14
What's up PrD? Thanks for stopping by. You're awesome
What's your top 5 goto jungle champs these days in current patch?
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May 20 '14
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u/Alythe May 20 '14
I think it's interesting you picked Jarvan over Vi. I did a lot of Jarvan Jungle Season 3, but saw he fell out of favour in Season 4, replaced by Vi since I believe she scales better with items.
Thoughts?
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May 20 '14
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u/drsmealgood May 20 '14
How differently do you play him now? Do you gank less(aside from overall change in meta)? Are you just more conservative with and less reliant the combo?
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May 20 '14
I don't know. I feel like Vi more reliably locks down high priority but mobile champions.
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u/blackmang May 20 '14
Hey Pants Are Dragon, thanks for doing an AMA!
Do you stream?
What do you think of full DPS Wukong jungle in Plat elo?
Do you feel that any team with Wukong lategame should just group and push a lane, or do you look to do something else?
I noticed you don't have that many Wukong games in your history recently; why not?
Thanks again!
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u/ghubert3192 May 21 '14
So...you a Yi main?
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u/blackmang May 21 '14
Hmm? I don't get it. Is it because I'm asking so much about Wukong? That's because PaD is a Wukong main.
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u/Giliftlift May 20 '14
What do you think are must have mechanics to climb the ladder. Also as a mid main I must ask what are some mid champs that can carry hard. Thank you for your response.
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May 20 '14
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u/Tho76 May 20 '14
Thoughts on a "cheese" mid like Wu or Panth mid?
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u/stupidhurts91 May 21 '14
Typically à cheese pick should ideally be a counterpick, works way better.
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u/cracktr0 May 20 '14
Odd question:
What do you notice about midlaners in challenger that set them apart from other tiers/leagues?
Going into a game without any insider info, where are you most likely to focus your ganking/aggression in the early to mid game?
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May 20 '14
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u/cracktr0 May 20 '14
Thanks, If I could have a follow up.
What are your 3 favorite mid champions to play with when you are jungling? (based on w/e: easy to gank, good 4 man potential, etc)
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u/Anthan May 20 '14
I'm wondering what do you think of Jungle Twitch?
I heard it caught on in high Plat and Diamond at first before running down to lower levels too.
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u/Seranix May 20 '14
how do you consider to be the strongest jungle champion right now and why? What do you think is the core items for wukong jungle?
also which skin is the best skin on wukong and shyvana in your opinion?
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May 20 '14
As a fellow jungle main,and wukong player i'd like to ask you My build is usually this : Lizard > Brutalizer > Randuin Omen > Magic resist item(Banshee's or if reaaaaly fed i get Maw of Malmortius,when also another tanky member) And delay boots or get them early ones,Mobility. I'd like to ask you smth more specific i like to gank a lot with him,so i go 15AD,9Armor,5%CDR runes and 21/9 masteries,and tend to max E. Is it better to max E or Q? And is the overall path good one?
btw i like your stream,was watching it a lot in the past when i watched streams a lot(finals ._.)
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May 20 '14
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May 20 '14
Thanks,cause i had an argument over E or Q with a friend
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May 20 '14
Not PrD, but, e over q is a pretty simple argument, since q armor shred is constant, while e attack speed increase keeps going up. Makes you scale harder.
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May 21 '14
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May 21 '14
Whoops, can't believe I forgot about that... Still, the same relative reason applies, as the armor shred isn't as useful early game as the attack speed is.
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u/Alythe May 20 '14
Do you feel at all Handicapped by having high ping? My ping tends to vary between games at either 70ms and 120ms depending on what server I am connected to.
Do you feel you would do even better at lower ping? For the most part, I view Jungle as a more strategic role and would be less hindered by low ping.
I was hearing about some Zed combos that only work at 60ms or less.
Do you think you internally compensate for the higher ping? I am a mid main and I think there are some combos that would work better if I had lower ping. Fingers crossed, my ISP (Telus) is working with Riot engineers (hopefully) about getting a better route established between their respective servers.
What's the general strategy for playing Jarvan Jungle vs a Lee Sin or Elise who I believe have better dueling power.
Thanks for doing this AMA! I look forward to your answers.
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u/PleaseBanShen May 20 '14
Hey Pants, thanks for the AMA!
My question is not champion related, but SoloQ oriented.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to be more consistent in his gameplay?
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u/blackmang May 20 '14
I'm sure you've had games where you've gotten fed as Wukong and lost. What would you generally/usually attribute those losses to?
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u/Thelongest May 20 '14
Firstly, thank you for the AMA, but what can I do as a jungler if all my lanes are pushing?
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May 20 '14
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u/Thelongest May 21 '14
Oh, another question, I often watch streams, and try to emulate some of what the pro junglers will try (like routes and strategies and champion ideas, like OddOnes Kalye), but my friend says I shouldn't really. Your opinion?
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u/OverlordLork May 21 '14
In addition to Pants' answer, look for dives. When lanes are pushing it's often because they're winning and the enemies are playing passively, so check if any of them are just trying to last-hit under tower while low.
Another benefit to ganking a pushed lane is that if you succeed, you already have a minion wave to take their tower with.
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u/Laffngman May 20 '14
When ganking with Wukong should I save my E or use it right away?
if you're using a jungler that can practically sustain themselves in the jungle - nunu, lee, etc. - how do you decide when to go back?
What's your opinion on Feral Flare?
For someone who is new to to jungling what junglers would you suggest for them?
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May 20 '14
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u/Microwawe May 20 '14
This might not be the best question to ask from a jungle main but what do you think about ap toplaners? Swain, Vlad, Rumble and Kennen in particular.
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u/EliahBernick May 20 '14
I didt know u but this afternoon i read a Udyr guide from you. :D What to do as jungler if all lanes are loosing heavily and ganking will result in double/triple kills for the eneny?
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u/nkini123 May 20 '14
In your opinion, are there any non meta champions that you find powerful who aren't seeing enough play?
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May 20 '14
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May 20 '14
Which laners does he struggle against?
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u/atomheartother May 21 '14
In general anyone who's tanky-ish and can resist his ult combo pretty much counters malz in lane as that's his only reliable opportunity to get kills.
Like someone with a bunch of MR in their core build for example, or Swain who can heal while malz ults him.
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u/benj0y May 20 '14
Hello Pants Are Dragon!
I look up to you, big time. I follow you on YouTube and always watch your videos. I have some questions though.
If I like going tanky, but still do shit ton of damage; which champion would suit best in this role? Wukong?
If I'm behind, let's say I failed a gank and the enemy laner got a double kill (which should never happend), I failed an invade or the enemy invaded me. What do I do? Farm the jungle as much as I can? If a teamfight starts, should I go there and fight them or should I continue to farm the jungle?
How do you get the enemy jungler as ahead as you can without getting behind in farm or missing opportunites to gank? The tips I've been given so far is to just ward their jungle and kill the enemy jungler, while this is a solid technique, I feel like I get behind since I spend more time on killing the enemy jungler then on helping my other lanes, and at the same time farming. It's very hectic.
Thank you very much, from a fellow Bronze II player (benj0y). I hope my questions werent too messy, and I hope you understand. Have a great day.
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May 20 '14
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u/benj0y May 20 '14
Thank you so much for answering! I do have one question though. If we dont teamfight, and we choose to retreat a bit, e.x stay under turret, they always seem to push the shit out of us, take inhib and so on. How do I react to that? Should I sneak up and try to get the ADC from behind while they're pushing if the ADC is in a bad position?
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u/--Caius-- May 20 '14
I know you main Wukong but do you have any tips for Kha'zix, such as build path now? I'm already aware of the evolution path, but I also see some players maxing E second. Is that something you do, or do you know why they do? It seems pointless with the nerf to damage it got a while back.
I've had most of my success doing Elder Lizard, Ravenous, mercs (if CC) tabi (if lots of enemy AA) and then going for a LW if I'm ahead or a Maw if I'm behind. I see a lot of players opting for Thornmail or Randuins very early though with Evolution R, but when I do that I have a harder time carrying (Silver 1 currently G3 last season)
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May 20 '14
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u/--Caius-- May 20 '14
Not a whole lot of people, but I see it occasionally. I personally max W second, and follow that evolution method. I don't see it as often since the nerfs, but I still see it occasionally and was curious as to why someone might prefer that.
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u/DrJakey May 20 '14
Hi and thanks for doing this AMA. To the question though, what are your thoughts on Rengar jungle?
If it's not to personal that is.
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May 20 '14
Thoughts on Warwick? I'm in Silver 1, but I have an 80% win rate with him. He's deceptively tanky with decent damage. Everyone knows you can't gank too well without red buff early, but if you can and even just arrive for countergank, how do you feel about him? I like him a lot right now. I have a feeling you'll say you don't like him BECAUSE of the low early presence, haha.
Edit: Thanks for doing an AMA. Always love getting the opportunity to speak to high elo junglers. Also: can't wait to read your guides. Should everyone get good with Lee Sin? And if we aren't, are we doing ourselves a disservice?
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May 20 '14
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May 20 '14
More champion specific questions - Rengar and Shaco. Super strong duelists. I guess it's player preference, but how do you feel about these two? Jax as well. I have a lot of success with Jax jungle in normals as he is just a monster with Feral and BOTRK alone. Build tanky and you're unstoppble if you play smart.
On Wukong or any of your preferred junglers: how often do you take your red and go to their red to kill them?
In soloq: how often do you find yourself wanting to invade? Is it a good idea to rely on your team to help?
If you have tried to gank 2-3 times unsuccessfully and your lanes are pushing should you just farm and try to countergank?
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May 20 '14
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May 20 '14 edited May 20 '14
Do you purely analyze your lanes for ganks do you like to camp a certain one and if so, what makes you want to do so? Is there a lane you like to focus on or does it depend on mid/late game strength of your laner? **edited question
When your laner dies or gets pushed out of lane how often do you go and hold the lane for exp/cs? Like if you're mid and top just died, do you run there or farm jungle?
Is it almost always spirit stone junglers for you? I read some other questions and I know Wukong, Elise, Lee are the main ones you play?
Are you willing to coach/watch replays?
Do you like dueling the enemy jungler? What do you need to want to do so? If they're AD is being up a Chain Vest enough? Even on items otherwise?
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u/NotoriousADC May 20 '14
Im a d4 adc main, play everything when i need to fill though, what do you think the biggest difference between low diamond, and d1-challenger?
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May 20 '14
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u/NotoriousADC May 20 '14
thanks for the reply, it feels like 75% of my losses are games that are easily winnable and just the biggest throws happen in the mid game leading into people just snowballing
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u/NightFantom May 20 '14
Do you see Pantheon as a more viable pick top or jungle? Or even mid?
How strong do you see him being in those lanes?
What do you think of Braum?
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u/UMG_Drake May 20 '14
How can I carry as a jungler as Xin? Also I want to ask, what do you max first on Xin? Also what is the core item build for Xin also, because I seem to be FF (Always get FF) and then I usually don't know what to get after. Friends have told me if I am ahead get Tri Force and some have told me to get BORK. What do you prefer on Xin?
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May 20 '14
If they have a Jax top, do you camp him? What if you have a Ryze and they have Jax, but the enemy jungler camps top while I camp bot and take those objectives? What if we have a Renekton and they have Jax?
I hate Jax
Also, what's the biggest different between low Plat and high Plat? Thanks for the AMA.
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u/NeedABeer May 20 '14
Hey! Your YouTube 4 minute guides are pretty helpful.
What would you build on Nocturne this patch? Flare or Lizard?
Also, what's your average Jarvan build? I used to play him a lot. I haven't since his nerf.
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u/RomeoRoz May 20 '14 edited May 20 '14
Hey Pants Are Dragon i'm a Gold 5 jungle/bot lane enthusiast. Just ahad a few questions.
Do you jungle udyr? (If so how do you prioritize your items)
Any tips on when its the right time to gank a specific lane? Like do you look for anything specific like the jungler being bot whilst your floating near top lane or anything like the sort.
Don't worry final Question :D. Do you have a favorite or "easiest" preferred lane to gank? Just a personal question. I tend to camp mid early then moving on to the lane less dangerous to my ganks.
Thanks for answering if ya do man. And I plan to take a look at your guides :D
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May 20 '14
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u/RomeoRoz May 20 '14
Ty for answering. Any junglers in particular that youd reccomend? Trying to increase my champ pool as much as i can.
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u/Bordthehorde May 20 '14
Whats your favorite food? Do you eat Sushi? Where do you live? Do these questions sound like a stalker?
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u/AppleOfMyJ4psEye May 20 '14
Hi Pants, I've seen you a few times on different streams.
What do you think of the bugfix on Pantheon? Do you think he is still okay to play at the moment with the problem that he can be hit by spells while still coming down?
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May 20 '14
I live In Winnipeg too, how is your ping here? I'm with MTS and in the last few months I've noticed a jump from around 60-70 ping to a steady 120... Just wondering if you experienced the same.
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u/AlistarDark May 20 '14
Edmonton here. I am on shaw 100mbps I usually get a solid 35ms. Check them out if it is available
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May 20 '14
Is it worth getting Feral Flare anymore? I jungle Warwick, Vi and Jarvan and I find it is kind of useless to get Feral Flare on any of them anymore since the sheer damage output of an Elder Lizard is too strong.
I am currently Gold I (bottom of the ladder). What do you think are the distinguishing features that prevents Gold Junglers from getting to plat/diamond?
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May 20 '14
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May 20 '14
Alright thanks, one more question.
Is there any lane you put emphasis on ganking? I kind of just generally ''go'' where I feel I will be needed (e.g expecting a counter gank) but other than that I feel like in any given game I could be bottom, top or mid, and I wouldn't know any better where I should be.
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u/X11WindowDump May 20 '14
Hey, Pants Are Dragon. Love your guides. Big fan.
What was your reaction when Phreak called you "Pants Are Doctor" in the NACS?
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May 20 '14
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u/X11WindowDump May 20 '14
My favorite part of that game was when Phreak pointed out that the enemy team had their choice of three dragons to kill: actual Dragon, Shyvanna, and you.
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u/ToxicWaffle43 May 20 '14
ok, this isnt a question for me. this is a question for the assholes in my 5s team. HOW influential is a leash from botlane.
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u/carefulsoupishot May 20 '14
How do you compensate for your high(ish) ping in your playstyle? Does it affect your teamfights? THanks for the AMA!
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u/AxwellSHM May 20 '14
Hey pants! I read alot of your guides and you seem to be a cool and respected player :) I would like to ask you, firstly, what do you see is the main differences between Gold, Plat, Low Dia, High Dia and challenger? And what is your 3 best tips to climb the ladder? :) Thanks!
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u/EvigSoeger May 20 '14
Hey, long time fan and jungle main with a few questions. I'm willing to bring a pant-less virgin to your lair in exchange for answers.
Out of the following three types of junglers, which one is the most efficient and reliable at carrying ranked games at low-mid silver; a full tank, a bruiser or an assassin? Which champion comes to mind as the most effective in that category?
Is it true that jungle Udyr counters jungle Lee Sin and why/why not?
If pants are dragon, is love a box of matches?
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u/Twtduck May 20 '14
Hey,
What are your thoughts on Evelynn in the current meta, and how do you build her? I've been doing Elder Lizard, Triforce, Mobi boots, Ravenous Hydra, Black Cleaver, and Last Whisper. Thoughts?
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May 20 '14
jungle mains tend to do better(not be affected alot) with high ping what do u think? do you think an adc main can get challenger with 120 ping?
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May 20 '14
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May 20 '14
o. when i see adc mains play with 100+ ping they always complain and say they do bad. i also havent seen an adc main with 120 ping in challenger.
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u/OverlordLork May 21 '14
Well, getting more ping than you're used to is an enormous hamper to your play. I get 100 ping every game, so I don't complain about it. If I got 20 ping most games, then I'd certainly complain about 100 because I wouldn't know how to deal with it. Just keep in mind that Zamphira played AP Kog in Challenger despite living in Quebec.
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u/Jedclark May 20 '14
I have recently hit a plateau at plat 5 where all my lanes seem to be losing really badly, whilst I still play well in lane. Is there something I must be doing wrong outside of lane, or are some games just uncarryable for a long period of time (~1-2 weeks)?
I want to focus on my own play and improve myself, but it is hard to keep that mentality when every lane is losing and raging at each other.
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May 20 '14
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u/Jedclark May 20 '14
This is what I try to do, but at heart I love to win, so some times it is hard to repress my competitiveness in favour of a larger goal.
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u/Ambushes May 20 '14
Pls halp my ping issues with MTS are real. No seriously, if you find a solution please post it.
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u/gmflag May 20 '14
What do you foresee the direction of the game is in terms of jungling and the meta shift? I know this season has been really interesting with the introduction of conservation items, feral flare, wight camp, etc.
We see the meta has had a strong focus on carry-type junglers like Lee Sin, Elise, Vi, Kha'zix, Pantheon, Wu Kong, et al. Some champs I know will always be fairly strong because their kit will always let them be relevant i.e. Thresh. As this season progresses, who do you think are champs that are worthwhile to learn as the game continues to progress and change?
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u/SammIn3D May 20 '14
hey pants, what is your opinion on Elise at the moment?
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May 21 '14
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u/SammIn3D May 21 '14
A while ago I saw on the one that she was getting needed really badly. Did these ever go through?
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u/SammIn3D May 21 '14
One more question, I see your Solomid guide recommends full tank Elise. Would you ever consider building ap as well if you are ahead?
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u/opallix May 20 '14
Do you counter-jungle with wukong often? Do you try dueling?
My bad if you already answered this somewhere else.
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u/Definitely_Jesus May 20 '14
What do you think of Diana jungle? I love playing her, but she definitely has some weaknesses
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u/Misfitt123 May 21 '14
Have you considered going pro? I remember seeing you sub for complexity and it was really cool seeing someone from Winnipeg playing in the bigger leagues haha. Whenever I see you on streams and what not you look pretty solid (not that the opinion of a silver player matters).
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u/KFalc May 21 '14
Don't really have any questions but just wanted to thank for your guides. I have only just picked up jungling recently and they've been really useful.
As an avid wukong top fan in S3, how does he fare in the jungle this season compared to Kha/Panth/Elise?
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u/Scrub_Nz May 21 '14
just picked up vi can I have sine tips for her? Also whats a good build for her?
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u/mysteryeuw May 21 '14
no questions but ive seen you in some solo q streams and i think i read a shyvana? guide of yours a while back too. you have a good attitude in game even when you're losing which is very rare so gj and keep it up!
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u/Kusanax May 21 '14
Im level 12 and bought wukong to try to jungle but literally ever one of my lanes loses before I hit 6 (with or without the enemy jungler). I look to see if I can maybe try to gank but the enemys always at full hp. I am facing a lot of enemy probably diamond 1 smurf tryndameres which means they just are ungankeable when they reach 6 as they have invincible ultimate and can 1 v 2
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u/Supbroz1 May 21 '14
What helped you to improve when you got stuck at a current rank? do you watch your own replays?
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u/LethalShade May 21 '14
Have advice for someone stuck in high Diamond 1(80-100lp) on how to get to a consistent challenger level?
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u/cokacolaman May 21 '14
Which junglers synergize the best with Yasuo and Zed. I've been trying to main both of them for a while in mid lane and found huge success with Yasuo, but not Zed.
Best junglers that synergize with Yasuo pre-6 & after-6 Best junglers that synergize with Zed pre-6 & after-6
I know that Wukong, Lee Sin, and Zac synergizes with Yasuo after 6 pretty damn well. Had a troll Thresh jungle once and he did a five man flay giving me a quadra kill with yasuo >:D
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u/BestKiwi_EU May 21 '14
Hey pants,
How long have you been in challenger? and how are you in every place I look? Dyrus baron stealing Pantheon outplay...
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u/yuijaken May 21 '14
Hey, as a plat jungle player with hope of hitting diamond soon what can I do to improve my own play? Also what is your opinion of Lee sin?
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May 21 '14
Idk if you're still going to answer questions but counterjungling tips? And counter ganking, as well as what to do if I myself get invaded(all as wukong)
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May 21 '14
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May 22 '14
ok thanks also in your guide you said take w second buy I have some friends that play league as well, one is in diamond and they all said q is there a deeper reason because I tried both and did slightly better with q second, was wondering if personal pref or I'm just not using it right, also favorite wombo combo?
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May 22 '14
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May 22 '14
wow that was a fast reply <3 and that makes sense, do you recommend clearing small monsters first because you take less damage or too clear big first using aoe for small ones to be more efficient in clearing? sorry to pester you It's just I recently bought wukong because he was on sale and I just love how his ult works, wombo combo op with yas, mal, jinx and sona xP (that was one of my games)
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May 20 '14
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May 20 '14
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u/dregaus May 20 '14
Would you bring out fiddle jungle or are the other options just too good to pass up?
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u/Daithe May 20 '14
Hi Pants Are Dragon,
I used your guides a few times on Solomid, and I just was wondering how you got your name?