• Mid

Wave shoving is clearing the whole enemy minion line quickly with area spells so your wave marches into their turret, and a roam is the trip you take while it does. Done in that order, you leave lane without losing minions and arrive elsewhere with the enemy laner stuck behind.

What it is

Minions only advance when one side deals more damage than it takes. The simplest way to push is to kill every minion in the enemy wave without your own minions interfering, which sends your wave forward to the enemy turret. A shove is that, done fast with area abilities instead of one auto-attack at a time.

A shove is the setup for a roam. Once your wave is under the enemy turret, the turret spends its attention on minions, and the enemy laner has to clear them or lose gold and experience. That is the window to leave, because your own lane will not be falling apart while you are gone and the enemy cannot follow without paying for it. In mid lane this is the usual way to get to a side lane or the river before your opponent can.

Your clear matters as much as your timing. Some champions do it with a single combo: Ahri's Orb of Deception passes through minions on the way out and again on the way back, her Fox-Fire does double damage to minions under 20 percent of their maximum health, and the same Fox-Fire gives movement speed that decays over 2 seconds, which is the speed you roam on. The pattern is general: pick your cheapest area combo and learn how much of a wave it clears at your level.

How to do it

  1. Learn your clear

    Find the area abilities that hit several minions and how much of the wave they clear at each level. Practice the combo in the Practice Tool until you know how many casts leave the line nearly dead, and how much mana it costs.

  2. Bring every minion low, then finish them

    Open with the area combo so that most minions drop to low health together, then take the last hits on the casters and the siege minion for the gold. The goal is every minion dead quickly and no gold left behind, since a roam that costs you farm needs a kill to break even.

  3. Check that the wave will reach the turret

    Your own wave has to be walking into their turret before you leave. If your minions are still in the middle, the enemy laner can clear them and follow you. Turrets target siege minions first, so a wave that includes one is the longest for the enemy to deal with.

  4. Check the enemy's position

    Look at where the enemy laner and jungler are and whether you have vision on them. A shove gives you priority: your wave is far enough forward that they cannot leave without losing minions. If they have already left, think about whether the roam is the right call.

  5. Leave as the front minions reach the turret

    Go when the first minions attack the turret, not before. Use your speed boost and the bushes along your path, and ping so your team knows you are coming. A crash leaves you roughly the time the enemy needs to clear the wave.

  6. Plan the return

    A new wave spawns every 30 seconds, or every 25 from 14:00. Be back for the next wave or recall, and do not wander so long that the enemy wave arrives at your turret unfarmed.

Watch it

What to watch for: Watch the fast push chapter from 0:24 and the bounce back chapter from 2:24.

Video: Master Wave Management in 6 Minutes | League of Legends Guide — Leks

Common mistakes

  • You roam before the wave has crashed. Your minions are left to die at your own turret, and you lose gold and plates for nothing. Shove first.
  • You use all your mana to shove. You arrive on the roam with no abilities. Clear with the cheapest combo that works.
  • You shove with no idea where the enemy jungler is. A shoved laner is far forward, so ward and check before you commit.
  • You take the whole trip without a purpose. If you cannot reach a fight before the crash ends, you are only losing farm. Roam toward a play, such as a gank or an objective.
  • You miss the last hits while shoving. Area damage kills minions without giving you the gold, so finish the casters and siege minion yourself.

Practice drill

  • In a custom game or the Practice Tool with minions on, clear each wave with your area combo only and note how many minions survive. Aim for a wave that is nearly dead after one combo, then finish it with last hits.
  • Shove, then walk to a side lane and back before the next wave arrives. Success is returning with no enemy minions at your turret and no farm lost.

Related guides

← All guides