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Skillshot prediction is aiming at the spot your target will occupy when your ability arrives, not the spot they occupy when you press the key. Every skillshot has travel time or a delay, so the player who reads movement habits hits far more than the player who clicks on the champion.
What it is
A skillshot has no target: it flies along a line or lands on a spot, and it hits whoever is there at that moment. Between your key press and the hit there are always two delays. The first is the cast time, the short animation before the ability launches. The second is either the travel time of a projectile or the built-in delay of a ground effect. During both, the enemy keeps moving, so an ability aimed at their current position nearly always arrives behind them.
The fix is to aim ahead. How far ahead depends on the ability. A fast projectile needs a small lead, and a slow one needs a large lead. Delayed ground abilities need the biggest lead of all. Cho'Gath's Rupture, Veigar's Dark Matter and Aurelion Sol's star all land a moment after the cast, so place them where the target will be, not at their feet. A few abilities, such as Karthus's Lay Waste or Cassiopeia's Q, are almost pure prediction.
Prediction is easier than it sounds because players are predictable at certain moments. A champion who starts an attack on a minion has to stand still through the attack windup, and moving cancels the attack, so most players remain put for that moment. Others walk back the same way every time, step to the same side, or use the same dash. Reading these habits is what separates a lucky hit from a reliable one.
How to do it
- Learn the speed and delay of your own abilities
In the Practice Tool, throw each ability at a dummy that walks away and note how far ahead you need to aim. Rank them from fastest to slowest. Slow projectiles and delayed circles need most lead, while very fast ones need little.
- Aim at where they are going, along their path
Look at the direction the champion is walking, not their model, and place the aim point in front of them on that line. For ground effects with a delay, aim at the point they will reach when the delay ends. If they are walking towards a wall, a turret or their own team, aim at the place they must stop.
- Use the last-hit moment
When an enemy walks up to last-hit a minion, they commit to an attack and stand still through its windup. That is the best moment for a skillshot, because their position for the next second is known. Throw on the attack animation, not before it, and aim at where they are standing.
- Watch for forced stops and fixed paths
A champion who is recalling, channelling, picking up an axe or finishing a dash has a path you can read. Dashes in particular go a fixed distance, so you can aim at where they end. Look for those landings and throw at them.
- Learn dodging habits, then break them
Watch the first one or two skillshots of a matchup. See which way they step and when. Many players dodge the same way every time, so throw the first shot to find the habit, then aim your second at the spot they step to. Throwing a single shot at close range first is better than three at the edge of range.
- Account for what is in the way
Many projectiles stop at the first enemy they touch. Lux's Light Binding passes through one unit and stops on the second. If minions stand between you and the target, line up the shot so as few units as possible are in front of the champion, or choose an ability that passes through.
- Put the strongest part of the ability on the target
Several abilities are stronger in one zone, for example the edge of a cone or the centre of a circle. Aim that part at the champion you most want to hit, not the nearest body.
Watch it
What to watch for: Ten tips for landing skillshots; watch how each one moves the aim point relative to the target.
Video: How to INSTANTLY IMPROVE Your SKILL SHOTS Accuracy! - League of Legends — Skill Capped Challenger LoL Guides
Common mistakes
- You aim at the champion model. The ability lands behind them. Aim at the path in front of them.
- You throw into a crowd of minions that absorb the shot. Check what stands between you and the target before you press the key.
- You use every skillshot at maximum range. A long throw gives them more time to dodge. Throw from nearer, or wait until they are busy.
- You aim the same way every time. Dodgers adapt. Vary the lead, and aim at where they step after a missed shot.
- You press the key before their attack animation. By the time your ability arrives they have moved. Wait until they are committed.
Practice drill
- In the Practice Tool, spawn an enemy dummy, walk it around, and throw your main skillshot fifty times. Count the hits. Then do the same while the dummy changes direction, and see how the count falls.
- In a normal game, pick one skillshot and throw it only at last-hit moments or at forced stops for the whole laning phase. Compare your hit rate with your usual rate.