• Jungle

Counter-ganking is setting up an ambush in immediate response to an enemy ambush, so that the enemy jungler's gank turns into a fight your team wins. You do it by waiting just outside their sight, close enough to arrive within a second or two of them committing.

What it is

A gank is an ambush on a laner. The lack of natural vision in the jungle helps the ganker, which is why laners are expected to ward and watch the minimap. A counter-gank answers it: you arrive after the gank has started and fight the gankers while they are committed.

It works because of how sight works. A unit in brush is hidden from enemies until they have sight over that brush, such as from a ward. Entering brush is not stealth, it only conceals. Terrain also blocks sight. A unit-targeted attack or ability from inside fog reveals a 300 radius around the attacker for two seconds, so your first hit gives your position away. Where you stand, and when you hit, are the whole skill.

The other half is information. You need a guess for where the enemy jungler is and which lane they are heading to. You get it from what you have seen: their first clear, camp respawn timers on the minimap, and monsters changing targets near an enemy camp. A camp you saw cleared shows a respawn timer, and one you did not see shows its timer only once you get sight of it near respawn. Use these to place yourself where you can reach the lane they are likely to hit.

How to do it

  1. Build a guess for their position

    Use your last sighting, which side they cleared first, and the time their camps respawn. Decide which lane they reach next. If you cannot say which side they are on, treat both as possible and stay central.

  2. Wait one lane away

    Stand in fog or brush next to the lane you expect them to hit, not in the lane itself. Staying out of their sight means they commit without knowing you are there. Do not walk into lane vision before you need to.

  3. Wait for the commit

    Do not go in as soon as you see the gank coming. Wait for a visible commitment: the first crowd control lands, a gap closer is spent, or they step past the point where they can safely leave. Then move. Arriving early only lets them retreat.

  4. Count the fight first

    Count who can be there in a second or two: you, the laner under attack, and any nearby ally. Compare it to the gankers' summoner spells and key abilities that you have seen used. A 2v2 or 3v3 with their tools spent is a fight to take. If it is worse, stay hidden and keep the camps.

  5. Hold your first hit

    Your first targeted attack from fog reveals you for two seconds. Use it on the target that matters, with your crowd control ready, not on the first thing in range.

  6. Know your exit

    Choose in advance where you will step if the fight turns. A brush behind you, or a path back into fog, lets you leave. If the enemy has a tower nearby, avoid ending your fight under it.

Watch it

What to watch for: From 13:09, the chapter on spotting ganks in advance. Watch which information the jungler uses to predict where the enemy will go.

Video: Why You SUCK at JUNGLE (And How to FIX IT) - Season 16! — Skill Capped Challenger LoL Guides

Common mistakes

  • You arrive as the gank starts. They see you and walk away. Wait until they have spent crowd control or a gap closer, then go.
  • You wait in the lane, in plain view. The gankers know you are there before they commit. Stay in fog or brush, one lane away.
  • You attack from the brush before the key moment. That attack reveals a 300 radius around you for two seconds, so use it when your team can follow up.
  • You go in without counting. A 1v2 after you arrive is a worse trade than the gank itself, so count allies and their spent abilities first.
  • You stay in your jungle during the whole gank. If your own camps are about to spawn and you are not near either lane, take them instead. A counter-gank you cannot reach is a lost clear.

Practice drill

  • In your next five games, write down the time you first see the enemy jungler and your guess for their next lane. Check each guess afterwards. Aim to be right more often with each game.
  • In a custom game with a friend as the gank target, hide in brush near the lane and practice stepping out only after they commit. Success is landing your first ability on them before they can leave.

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