In League of Legends, knowing how to carry in LoL can be a game-changer, especially when your teammates are struggling. This blog will guide you through essential strategies to turn the tide, even in the toughest games where it feels like everyone is feeding.

Table of Contents
Key Takeaways
- Pressure Management: Focus on maximizing your lead in one lane instead of trying to save teammates.
- Proper Side Lane Play: Utilize crashing waves and collapse to mid when necessary.
- Self-Prioritization: Always prioritize your own game plan and lead before attempting to assist teammates.
- Itemization Strategy: Build offensively when behind to capitalize on mistakes, while tanks can break traditional itemization rules when ahead.
Introduction to Carrying in LoL
In League of Legends, understanding how to carry a game when your teammates are struggling is essential. The key lies in recognizing your strengths, maintaining pressure, and making strategic decisions that enhance your chances of victory. This journey involves mastering your role, especially as a top laner, where isolation can often lead to feeling powerless. By applying specific strategies, you can increase your influence on the match, regardless of your team’s performance.
Understanding Your Role as a Top Laner
As a top laner, your primary responsibility is to establish lane dominance. This means not just winning your lane but also transitioning that lead into meaningful pressure across the map. Your role is pivotal in shaping the game’s momentum, as you can dictate the pace through wave control and strategic roams. Remember, the lane is your domain, and managing it effectively can set the tone for victory.

Common Scenarios in Losing Games
It’s not uncommon to find yourself in a situation where your team is struggling. Perhaps they are overextending, making poor decisions, or simply unable to execute their strategies effectively. In such scenarios, it’s crucial to remain focused on your game plan. Often, players fall into the trap of trying to save their teammates, but this can lead to further complications and lost opportunities. Instead, maintain your focus on leveraging your lead to create pressure elsewhere.

The Mistake of Bailing Your Team Out
Many players make the mistake of abandoning their strategy to help struggling teammates. This often results in a loss of pressure in your lane, allowing the enemy team to capitalize on your absence. Instead of bailing out your team, concentrate on using your lead to maximize your own impact. By maintaining pressure in your lane, you can force the enemy to respond to you, creating opportunities for your team elsewhere on the map.

Utilizing Lane Pressure Effectively
Lane pressure is a powerful tool for top laners. By pushing waves and establishing dominance, you can dictate how the game unfolds. Utilize your minions to zone out opponents and create opportunities to roam and assist your team. Always be aware of the map state; if your lane is pushed, consider collapsing to mid or helping secure objectives. This not only aids your team but also allows you to maintain your lead.

Collapsing to Mid: A Default Strategy
When you’re ahead, a solid strategy is to crash your waves and then collapse to mid. This is particularly effective when your team is behind, as it allows you to leverage your lead to create advantages.

However, always assess the situation before committing to a play; your strength can turn the tide, but overcommitting can lead to unnecessary deaths. Make informed decisions based on your current state and the enemy’s position.

Prioritizing Yourself Over Team Needs
In situations where your teammates are struggling, it’s essential to prioritize your own needs and lead. Focus on farming effectively and pushing your advantage rather than trying to save your team from their mistakes. This mindset shift can significantly enhance your performance, as you’ll be better positioned to capitalize on opportunities when they arise. Always remember that your primary goal is to maintain pressure and create openings for yourself and your team.

Ultimately, the ability to carry in League of Legends hinges on your understanding of pressure management, strategic decision-making, and the ability to prioritize your own gameplay over trying to rescue teammates. By mastering these elements, you’ll not only improve your chances of winning but also enhance your overall enjoyment of the game.
Understanding Wave States and Rotations
Understanding wave states is crucial for any League of Legends player, especially when trying to carry a game. As a top laner, managing your minion waves effectively allows you to create pressure in your lane, which can be pivotal in transitioning that pressure to other parts of the map. When you push a wave, you force your opponent to respond, opening opportunities for you to roam or collapse on mid-lane.

To effectively manage wave states, consider the following strategies:
- Freezing: Maintain the wave close to your tower while denying your opponent farm.
- Slow Pushing: Build a large wave to crash into the enemy turret, allowing you to roam or secure objectives while they are occupied.
- Fast Pushing: Quickly push the wave to reset it, which can help you regain control of the lane when necessary.
Utilizing these techniques can significantly impact your ability to carry, particularly in challenging games.
Itemization Strategies for Tanks
Tank itemization can be a game-changer when trying to carry games, especially if you’re behind. Traditionally, tanks build defensively to survive longer in fights, but when you’re ahead, consider breaking the mold by incorporating offensive items into your build. This allows you to deal significant damage while still being a frontline presence.

Here are some essential itemization strategies for tanks:
- Offensive Items: When ahead, consider items like
Thornmail or
Spirit Visage to enhance your damage output while retaining your tankiness.
- Defensive Items: When behind, prioritize items that provide survivability, such as
Randuin’s Omen or
Dead Man’s Plate.
- Situational Awareness: Always adapt your build based on the enemy composition. For example, if the enemy team has heavy AP damage, consider building
Adaptive Helm.
By mastering your itemization, you can turn the tide of battle in your favor, even when your teammates are struggling. For a deeper dive into tank builds, check out our extensive itemization guide.
Assessing Situational Pressure
In League of Legends, assessing situational pressure is vital for making informed decisions regarding your gameplay. Understanding when to apply pressure versus when to back off is crucial for maintaining your influence on the match.
To assess situational pressure effectively, consider the following:
- Map Awareness: Always keep an eye on the minimap. Observe where your teammates are and where the enemy champions are positioned.
- Wave States: Know the state of your lanes. If your wave is pushed and your teammates are in a position to contest an objective, consider rotating to assist them.
- Enemy Cooldowns: Take note of enemy abilities and summoner spells. If key abilities are on cooldown, it may be a good time to engage or apply pressure.
By honing your ability to assess these factors, you’ll be better equipped to make plays that can lead to victory, even in tough situations. For more insights on this topic, explore our League of Legends meta guide.
Making the Most of Opportunities
Opportunities in League of Legends can be fleeting, especially in games where your team is struggling. Learning to recognize and capitalize on these moments can be the difference between a loss and a comeback victory.
Here are some strategies for making the most of opportunities:
- Identify Weaknesses: Look for isolated enemies or overextended opponents who are vulnerable to ganks or ambushes.
- Coordinate with Teammates: Use pings to communicate potential plays. Even if your teammates are behind, a well-timed engage can turn the tide.
- Prioritize Objectives: If you manage to secure a kill, immediately look to convert that advantage into objectives like turrets or dragons.

Key Takeaways for Carrying in Tough Games
Mastering how to carry in League of Legends, especially in tough situations, requires a combination of strategic thinking and execution. Here are the key takeaways:

- Focus on Your Lead: Use your advantage to create pressure in your lane rather than trying to save teammates.
- Utilize Proper Side Lane Play: Always look for opportunities to crash waves and collapse to mid when necessary.
- Adapt Itemization: Break traditional itemization rules to maximize your damage output when ahead.
- Assess Situational Pressure: Be aware of map dynamics and adjust your strategy accordingly.
- Seize Opportunities: Always look for chances to capitalize on enemy mistakes or weaknesses.
Conclusion
Carrying games in League of Legends requires a strategic mindset focused on maximizing personal advantages rather than trying to rescue struggling teammates. Success hinges on mastering key elements like wave management, proper itemization, and strategic pressure application.
The most effective approach involves maintaining lane dominance, making calculated rotations, and converting individual leads into map-wide pressure. Rather than spreading yourself thin trying to save teammates, focus on creating and capitalizing on opportunities through smart decision-making and objective control.
By prioritizing your own gameplay while maintaining awareness of map dynamics, you can effectively influence the game’s outcome even when your team is behind.
FAQ
What should I do if my teammates are losing?
Focus on your own lead. Manage your waves effectively and look to create pressure in your lane. Use that pressure to collapse to mid or assist your teammates when the opportunity arises.
How important is wave management?
Wave management is crucial. It allows you to dictate the flow of the game, create opportunities for yourself and your teammates, and apply pressure on the enemy.
What items should I prioritize as a tank?
As a tank, when ahead, consider building offensive items to enhance your damage output. When behind, focus on defensive items to survive and create opportunities for comebacks.
How can I recognize opportunities in a losing game?
Keep an eye on enemy positioning, look for isolated targets, and communicate with your teammates to coordinate plays effectively.
How should I adapt my playstyle if I’m playing a champion that relies heavily on teamwork?
If you are playing a team-reliant champion, try to focus on wave management and positioning to create opportunities for your team. Look for moments when the enemy is overextended or distracted, and capitalize on those with well-timed roams or engages, even if it means sacrificing a bit of farm.
What is the best way to communicate with my team when the game is going poorly?
Use pings to signal your intentions rather than typing in chat, as it can often lead to frustration. Focus on highlighting objectives or potential plays, and maintain a positive attitude to help keep team morale up, which can lead to better coordination.
Should I always group with my team when I have a lead?
Not necessarily. While grouping can be beneficial, it’s essential to assess whether it’s the right time to do so. If your lead allows you to pressure a lane or secure objectives on your own, it may be wiser to maintain that pressure rather than risk losing it by grouping too soon.