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Red Bull Solo Q winners reveal how to itemise in a League of Legends 1v1
Red Bull Solo Q world finalists spill the beans on the items you need to buy to come out on top in one-on-one on the Rift.
In the first part of our guide we explained what tactics and strategy you should use to win a one versus one in League of Legends. While Red Bull Solo Q is played with just two players, and a lot of other aspects of a normal League of Legends game are redundant, items are definitely not.
Here, regional winners and qualifiers for the Red Bull Solo Q championship to be held in Germany later this year go over which items you should pick up in the Red Bull Solo Q qualifiers in order to maximise the effectiveness of your champions. These tips will give you an edge over your opponents in the Red Bull Solo Q qualifiers or simply beating one of your friends, so heed their advice closely.
Start with starter items – and don’t stop
A champion without items doesn’t really do much in League of Legends. When you spawn in the fountain, the first thing you do is pick up a starter item. It’s important to know which items to buy and which to avoid in order to maximise your damage, mana and health. Losing to the shopkeeper still happens in the highest levels of play. Some items just fit the situation better than others. In a 1v1, buying the wrong item could set you hundreds of effective gold behind, which could mean that you lose that one all-in or dive that would cost you the game.
Michał ‘Ravenno’ Owczarski won the Red Bull Solo Q Europe Nordic and East qualifier in May. He tells us that there is not a golden item path that works for every champion: “It’s always important to choose a build based on the match-up you're in.”
In 1v1s people often stack starting items. Ravenno tells us the reason for this is simple math: “Buying five Doran's blades you get 400 HP, 40 AD and 15 percent Lifesteal for the cost of 2,250 gold; this is equivalent to a Pickaxe (875 gold), two Ruby Crystals (800 gold) and a Vampiric Scepter (900 gold), which gives 2,575 gold of effective value in items (and you're still missing 100 HP, as one Ruby Crystal gives you 150 HP).”
In other words, starting items sometimes give you the best bang for your buck. In regular five on five matches, most of the gold effectiveness from completed items comes from their passive and active abilities. Since games never really go long in 1v1 the chance that you will be able to finish an Infinity Edge are small. However, just buying starting items is also not a great idea. Ravenno tells us that “sometimes giving up three Doran's blades to purchase Quicksilver Sash against Mordekaiser might save your life.” Juan ‘Xenory’ Cruz Ponce, winner of the Red Bull Solo Q Latin American qualifier, tells us that he will always buy boots, no matter what the match-up.
Buyer beware
Of course there are some “trap items” that seem good at first glance, but really don’t offer much in a real 1v1. Take for example the Stopwatch, an item that gives you the active ability of Zhonya's Hourglass. It gives the chance to completely negate the opponent’s all-in with a stasis that makes you untargetable. Yet, the winners of the qualifiers say it isn’t a good purchase. The problem is that the item doesn’t give you a boost in stats, like a starter item would. Ravenno says: “I'd rather spend my money on Doran's Blade and potions.”
When questioned on the biggest mistakes people make in 1v1 itemisation, both winners answered differently. Xenory said that he saw people trying to finish items instead of stacking starter items (they didn’t have the chance to read this guide yet!) and Ravenno told us that people heavily undervalued health potions. In a race to a 100 cs, every base can be extremely costly. By buying health potions, you can extend the time that you can stay in lane. If you’re against a poke champion, it becomes even more vital that you stack up on enough health potions so that you can stay in lane for more than a minute before having to base again.
Our last tip comes from Ravenno: “Doran's Shield is a safe option for unfavourable match-ups. This way you can survive early stages and still gather experience or last hit minions.”
Sometimes the best tactic is waiting it out until you see an opportunity to strike. Staying in lane is one of the best ways of doing that, and Doran's Shield is the perfect fit for that strategy.
Red Bull Solo Q is far from over. Are you a Riven one-trick, ready to show your skills to the world? Do you have a sick pocket pick or a secret tactic? Sign up now to compete in Red Bull Solo Q
