A counter gank is answering an enemy gank so the fight turns in your favour. To do it, predict where the enemy jungler will gank, have your jungler or a teammate close to that lane at the same time, and keep your laner healthy enough to fight back until help arrives. Done right, the enemy jungler and laner lose summoner spells or die instead of you.
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1. Predict the gank
Junglers gank lanes where the enemy is pushed up, has no Flash, or where their own laner has crowd control. Look at the map with their eyes: which of your lanes is most gankable right now?
Track where the enemy jungler started and which camps they have cleared. From that you can guess when they will be near which lane.
2. As a jungler: be on the same side
If you think the enemy jungler is top side, play top side too. Being close when they gank is worth more than clearing a camp on the other side of the map.
Wait near the lane in fog or in a lane brush. Join the fight after the enemy jungler has used their abilities, not before.
3. As a laner: hold the fight near your tower
When you see a gank coming and your jungler is close, don't run away right away. Walk back toward your tower, use your escape only when you need it, and let the fight move to where your help and your tower can reach.
Ping your jungler when the enemy jungler shows. Their arrival a few seconds later can turn a two against one into a two against two, under your tower.
4. Count who can arrive
A counter gank is a race. Count who on both sides can reach the fight in time: their mid laner, your support, a teleport. If more help can arrive for the enemy than for you, back off instead.
5. When to just back off
If your jungler is on the other side of the map, there is no counter gank. Play safe, keep your wave near your tower, and give the enemy jungler nothing to gank.
Then tell your jungler where the enemy jungler is: it often means a free objective or camps on the other side.
Review the ganks in your games
After a game, find each enemy gank. Where was your jungler at that moment? Could you have guessed where the enemy jungler was going?
If your jungler was close but didn't join, look at what was missing: a ping, a ward, or holding the fight long enough.
Practice predicting ganks
MOBA Trainer turns real game situations into puzzles: you see the map, choose the play, and learn what the best players would do and why. Counter ganking has its own video explanation and training puzzles on the Pattern Map, made by top players and coaches, next to the other fighting patterns.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a counter gank in League?
- A counter gank is when your team answers an enemy gank, usually with your jungler arriving at the same time, so the fight turns in your favour.
- How do I know where the enemy jungler will gank?
- Track where they started and what they have cleared, then look at which of your lanes is most gankable: pushed up, no Flash, or facing a laner with crowd control.
- Can laners counter gank?
- Yes. Mid laners and supports often join fights in side lanes or in the river. Teleport can also turn a gank into a counter gank in the right moment.
- Should my jungler follow the enemy jungler?
- Often, yes. Being on the same side of the map lets you counter their ganks. The other choice is to go to the opposite side and take camps or an objective there.
- Is MOBA Trainer free?
- The daily puzzle and the first lesson are free. The full campaign with every pattern is part of the Season Pass, at $9.99 a month or $69.99 a year. MOBA Trainer runs on Windows, macOS, iPhone and Android, in the web app and as the Discord bot Moti, in 12 languages.