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Short trading is walking in, firing a quick chain of spells and autos woven together, and walking out before the enemy can answer. Weaving autos between abilities and using attack resets squeezes the most damage into the smallest window, so you take little damage back.
What it is
A long trade is a standing fight where both champions keep casting. A short trade is a burst of a few seconds that you start and finish on your terms. You spend your cooldowns and autos in the order that deals the most damage per second, then you leave. The longer you stay, the more the enemy's cooldowns, minions and health pool matter, so the point is to cut the exchange before they matter.
Weaving is the core of it. Many champions reward spell, auto, spell, auto. A cast can empower the next attack: Zoe's next basic attack after an ability deals bonus damage, and Lee Sin's next two attacks after a cast gain attack speed and restore energy. Others store stacks that an auto then spends. Skipping the autos leaves that damage unused, while spamming autos alone leaves spell cooldowns idle.
Resets sit inside the weave. Riven's Broken Wings, Fiora's Bladework, Renekton's Ruthless Predator, Darius's Crippling Strike and Vayne's Tumble all reset the attack timer, so an auto can follow almost at once instead of after the normal wait. The timing rule: a reset in the recovery removes the remaining wait, while one in the windup cancels the attack you were making. The input detail is covered in the Animation Canceling guide; here the question is how you use it inside a trade.
Leaving matters as much as entering. If you hit an enemy champion with a basic attack, nearby enemy minions turn on you, which makes a long stay cost health every second. Trade, then step out of their reach and back to your wave.
How to do it
- Pick the moment
Start a short trade when the enemy has just spent a key spell, has been pushed back by their own wave, or is busy with a last hit. If their defensive spell is ready, wait. Tracking cooldowns is its own skill, covered in the Mana and Cooldown Trading guide.
- Open with the move that gets you in range
Use your gap closer or the spell with the longest reach first. With Fiora or Renekton the opening cast also resets or empowers your auto, so you land the first hit as the cast ends instead of walking up afterwards.
- Weave an auto after each cast
After a spell, click the enemy champion, not a minion, and let one auto launch before the next spell. For empowered-auto champions this is where the extra damage lives. Mark the launch (the hit or the projectile leaving) and press the next spell right after it so you never stand idle.
- Fit the reset between autos
Once an auto has launched, press the reset, click the target again and attack. With Riven's Q chain, click the target after each cast because the ability orders the attack but any hesitation wastes the saved time. Never press the reset during the windup.
- Leave before the answer
Decide your exit before you start. When the chain is over, or when their cooldowns return, walk back toward your wave and tower. Use a dash or a shield for the exit rather than for the opening, if your kit allows it.
- Reset the lane, then repeat
Return to the minions, take the last hits you missed, and wait for the next window. Several short trades across a wave add up to more damage than one big fight you might lose.
Watch it
What to watch for: The video covers the mechanics of trading in top lane and when to trade, using Riven as the example.
Video: Riven Trading Tips (Top Lane Mechanics Guide) — retrad
Common mistakes
- You open with an auto and keep autoing. The spells sit on cooldown. Start with a cast and weave.
- You stay for a second round. The enemy's cooldowns return and minions join in. End the trade when your burst is spent.
- You auto a minion between spells. The empowered hit or stack is wasted; click the champion.
- You press the reset during the windup. The attack is cancelled and you lose damage; press it after the launch.
- You trade into a ready shield or reflect. Wait until it is spent, then go.
Practice drill
- In the Practice Tool, play Renekton, Riven or Fiora against a dummy. Run the same chain ten times and count total damage, once with autos woven in and once with spells only. Repeat until the woven version wins every time.
- Play a few lane games or custom bot lanes and trade only after the enemy has cast a spell. Aim for three short trades and no long fights; success is leaving each one with more health than the enemy.