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A buffered combo is a second ability cast during the first one's dash or cast time, so there is no gap between them. Flash fits the same idea: pressed at the right moment, it moves you without cancelling what you were doing, so your combo lands before the enemy can answer.
What it is
Normally you cast an ability, wait for it to finish, then cast the next. Several champions can skip that wait. Riven can cast any of her abilities during Valor's dash, Azir can cast any ability during Shifting Sands, and Diana can cast any of hers during Lunar Rush. Fizz can fire Seastone Trident and Chum the Waters during Urchin Strike, Wukong can cast Crushing Blow during Nimbus Strike, Master Yi can cast Wuju Style and Highlander during Alpha Strike, and Braum can cast Unbreakable during Stand Behind Me. Casting in that window is what players call buffering.
Buffering also changes the result for some abilities. If you buffer Pulverize while Alistar's Headbutt is in flight, Headbutt's knockback shrinks from 700 units to 200, which keeps the target close and lets the knock-up land. So you choose the order and the angle before you press, not after.
Flash is the other tool. It blinks your champion a short distance toward the cursor, and it is cast at maximum range if you click further away. It can be used to dodge, to land an ability, or to cross a wall. It will not interrupt abilities that have a cast time or a charge, so a champion can start such a spell and then Flash for surprise, as with Ezreal's ultimate and Varus's Piercing Arrow. Flash cannot be used while rooted or grounded, and its base cooldown is five minutes, so every use matters.
How to do it
- Find the dash or cast window on your champion
Read your own ability tooltips for the sentence that says an ability can be cast during the dash. Not every dash allows it. In the Practice Tool, press the dash and then the next ability right away and see whether the second one fires before you land.
- Press the second ability while the dash is still moving
Start the dash, then press the next key straight away, without waiting to arrive. The visible cue is that your champion is still travelling when the second ability starts. Quick cast helps here, because there is no extra click, and aim with the cursor on the target as you press.
- Choose the order for abilities that change each other
Decide the combo before the fight. For Alistar, buffering Pulverize during Headbutt shortens the knockback, so use it when you want the target to stay near you, and not when you want to push them into your team. Azir and Diana can fire an ultimate before they land. Riven can fit Ki Burst in the middle of Valor's dash.
- Start the slow spell before you Flash
Because Flash does not interrupt a cast time or a charge, begin the ability, then press Flash toward the target. This is a standard use for abilities such as Ezreal's Trueshot Barrage and charged spells such as Varus's Piercing Arrow. The enemy sees you move late, and the spell is still on its way.
- Aim Flash with the cursor, not a click
Flash is always quick cast, so it blinks toward your cursor as soon as you press the key. If your cursor is beyond range it goes to maximum range. Put the cursor where you want to end up, press, and then immediately use the next spell.
- Keep Flash for the combo that kills or saves you
It cannot be cast while rooted or grounded, so use it before a root lands, not after. A buffered combo that needs Flash to connect is only worth it when the kill is real, because the cooldown is long.
Watch it
What to watch for: A short clip on buffering Flash into other inputs; watch the order of key presses and how little time passes between them.
Video: Flash Buffering — Coach Kim
Common mistakes
- You wait for the dash to finish before you cast the next spell. The enemy gets time to react. Press the next key during the dash.
- You assume every dash allows buffering. Read the tooltip first, because only some abilities can be cast mid-dash.
- You buffer Pulverize into Headbutt and then wonder why the knockback is short. The shorter distance is the effect of buffering, so plan your angle first.
- You Flash first and then start the long spell. Start the spell first, then Flash, as Flash does not cancel it.
- You try to Flash while rooted. It will not cast, so use it before the root, not after.
Practice drill
- In the Practice Tool, run the same buffered combo on a dummy twenty times: dash, then second ability during the dash. Success is both abilities landing without a visible pause between them.
- Choose a charged or long-cast spell, start it, and Flash toward the dummy. Repeat until you can do it without looking at the keys.