- Support
A level spike is reaching the next level, and the extra ability point, before the enemy does. In bot lane you can plan it: work out which minions you need to kill, and shape the first waves so your duo gets the experience first.
What it is
Level 2 needs 280 experience and level 3 needs 380 more, which is 660 in total. Experience comes from minions near you, and a duo shares each bounty. A melee minion is worth a base 62 and a caster minion 31. When two champions share a kill, each gets 65 percent of the base, because the pair gets 130 percent between them. Each of you earns about 40 from a melee minion and about 20 from a caster.
A first wave has three melee and three caster minions, so it is worth 279 base. A duo gets about 181 each from it. The next 99 or so have to come from wave two. The taught pattern is the first wave plus the first three melee minions of wave two: those three give about 121 each, which clears the line with room to spare. Two melee minions and one caster is enough by the numbers, and that is the minimum, not a promise: both champions must be near each kill, and the exact first hit can slip.
Level 3 follows at roughly four shared waves. The third wave brings a siege minion worth 75, and a duo needs about four full waves to reach level 3. A support item can help: Shared Riches grants a charge every 20 seconds, up to three, and it can execute a minion that is low enough while an ally is nearby. Used on the right minion, it brings a kill forward by a few seconds. The first charge arrives at 1:05.
How to do it
- Learn the numbers for your lane
Remember that a wave is three melee and three casters, and that you need all of wave one plus about three melee minions of wave two for level 2. Count the kills as the waves meet, not by the clock.
- Auto-attack the enemy minions so they die sooner
Experience goes to every champion near a minion when it dies, whoever lands the last hit. So the lever is making enemy minions die faster than yours do. As support, auto-attack the enemy melee minions of wave one, then the first three melee minions of wave two, so they fall before the enemy's wave kills yours. Your duo then reaches 280 experience first.
- Hit the same minions as your ADC and stop before the kill
Pick the same enemy minion your ADC is hitting, so the damage stacks on one target instead of spreading. Your ADC should still take the last hit for the gold, so bring each minion low and stop hitting it once a single ADC auto will kill it. Stay close together, because both of you must be in experience range when it dies.
- Use your item charge on the key minion
If you have a Shared Riches charge and an ally nearby, finish a minion you are one hit from killing. This gets the level in a few seconds earlier than the enemy expects.
- Check the enemy minions before the last kill
Look at how many minions the enemy has left and where they stand. If you will reach level 2 first, step up, trade and use the new ability. If the enemy will reach it first, stand back.
- Use the spike the moment it arrives
Level 2 gives you a new ability, so trade straight away, while the enemy has no time to react. Level 3 gives you another, so do the same. Do not walk up to trade before the level, since the enemy hits theirs when you cannot.
Watch it
What to watch for: The chapters list a Level 2 Spike section from 4:42, after the warding section and before the cooldown and rune usage section from 8:55.
Video: Fix Your Laning Phase in 10 Minutes (Support Guide) — Coach K
Common mistakes
- You trade before the level. Wait until the experience lands, because the spike is the point.
- You miss a minion that is out of range. Both champions have to be near each kill for the shared XP, so stay together.
- You stand back and let the waves fight on their own. The enemy support who autos their wave reaches level 2 first.
- You hold the item charge too long. Charges stop at three, so spend one as soon as it kills.
- You count by the clock, not the kills. Minion deaths decide it, so watch the wave.
Practice drill
- In a custom game, play the first two waves with your ADC and count exactly how many kills it takes to hit level 2. Repeat until you can predict the moment.
- In a custom game against a bot, aim to reach level 2 first five times in a row. Write down which minions you needed each time.