- All roles
Wave freezing is keeping the minion line parked in one spot, close to your own turret and outside the enemy's, by never pushing the wave and killing enemy minions only when you need the last hit. The enemy has to walk forward to farm and you farm safely, so a freeze turns a lane into a trap.
What it is
Minions fight whoever they meet. When your wave and the enemy wave clash and no champion helps either side, the line stays roughly where it is. A freeze keeps it that way on purpose, at a spot you choose. Most players choose the edge of their own turret range, 750 units, so the enemy minions stand just outside it.
The trick is to keep enemy minions alive. As long as a few of them remain, they keep hitting your minions, and your minions keep hitting back at them, so the fight never resolves in anyone's favour. In practice you leave about three or four enemy minions alive, usually the ranged casters standing at the back of their line. You kill a minion only when you can take its last hit for the gold, and otherwise you add nothing to the push.
Every minion you kill early pushes the line toward the enemy turret, and every extra attack from you speeds that up. A level lead also makes your minions hit harder than theirs, so the wave drifts toward the enemy by itself and you have to hold back more. Waves arrive every half minute at first and every 25 seconds from 14:00, and each fresh wave joins the fight, so a freeze is something you keep re-checking. It is also a safe-farm tool when you are behind or the enemy hits level 6 first, because a frozen wave near your tower is the hardest to gank.
How to do it
- Get the wave to your side first
You cannot freeze a wave that is in the wrong place. If it is pushing toward the enemy, let it crash into their turret and bounce back, then hold it as it returns. If the enemy wave is so big it would crash into your turret, thin it with last hits until it can sit outside turret range. If it is slightly too small, stand so the enemy minions attack you and take a few hits: minions go for a champion standing in their path, so they stay out of turret range while your minions hit them.
- Count both sides every wave
Check how many minions each side has and where they stand. You want the enemy to have a few more minions than you, so the line leans toward you but does not crash into your turret. If it leans too far, take last hits on enemy minions. If your minions suddenly outnumber theirs, the freeze is about to break: skip a last hit or let one of your own minions die. If it creeps toward the enemy, stop attacking altogether.
- Last-hit only, and only when needed
Watch the minion health bars and hit a minion only to take the kill. Skip auto-attacks that do not kill, because each one weakens the enemy line and shifts the clash forward. If a wave is healthy, stand back and let the minions work.
- Stay out of the trade range of their champion
A minion priority list puts enemy champions attacking your champion first, and a champion that damages another with an attack draws nearby minions onto the attacker. If you hit the enemy laner, their minions switch to you and your minions get free hits, which pushes the wave. Avoid trading while minions are around unless you mean to push.
- Hold the edge of your turret range
Your position matters as much as the count. Stand where you can last-hit from close to your turret, so you can fall back if their jungler appears. The enemy has to walk forward, away from their own turret, to take a single farm, which exposes them to ganks and to your short trades.
- Break the freeze when it stops paying
Give it up when the enemy jungler is nearby and you have no vision, when you want to recall, or when a roam matters more than the lane. Clear the enemy minions in one go and the wave pushes. From the next wave onward, build the position again.
Watch it
What to watch for: Watch how the minion counts on each side decide where the wave settles.
Video: How and Why to FREEZE a Wave in League of Legends | LoL Lane and Macro Guide — SamSam
Common mistakes
- You auto-attack minions out of habit. Each extra hit pushes the wave toward the enemy. Hit only for the last hit and let the minions do the rest.
- You trade with the enemy laner under their minions. Their minions turn on you and yours push the wave. Trade only when the wave is where you want it.
- You lose count after the wave timer changes. Waves arrive faster from 14:00, so recount each wave.
- You freeze without vision of the river. Ward the approaches before you commit.
- You stand in front of your own minions. Enemy minions go for a champion in their path, and your minions then hit them for free, which pushes the wave. Stay level with or behind your line.
Practice drill
- In a Practice Tool or custom game with minions on, let your wave and the enemy wave meet near your turret. Do not attack except to last-hit. Keep the line there for three full waves without ever crashing it.
- Repeat it in a custom game against a bot. Try to keep three or four enemy minions alive while the bot farms, and note every action of yours that pushed the wave.