Good positioning means standing where the enemies who can kill you can't reach you, but still close enough to deal damage or protect your team. In lane, that means staying out of range of their combo and their minions' aggro; in teamfights, it means keeping your frontline between you and their threats. Know how far each dangerous enemy can reach and stay just outside that distance.
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1. Range is the first rule
Every dangerous enemy has a distance from which they can reach you: an ability range, a dash, a Flash plus an ability. Positioning starts with knowing those distances for the champions in your game.
Stand just outside that distance while you deal damage, and step back when their threat ability comes off cooldown.
2. Positioning in lane
In lane, stand where you can last hit but where the enemy can't hit you for free. Don't stand in a line behind your minions against hooks and skillshots that need a clear path, and don't stand inside the enemy wave where their minions will hit you after a trade.
Keep an escape path open: know which way you will walk if the enemy jungler appears.
3. Positioning in teamfights by role
Frontline champions stand in front and take the enemy's first abilities. Carries stand behind them, hitting whatever comes into range. Assassins and flankers wait outside the fight until the right target is open.
Before the fight starts, look at who on the enemy team can jump onto you, and stand where they have to go through your frontline to get there.
4. Play around the enemies you can't see
An enemy who is missing from the map can be anywhere, including in the bush next to you. When key enemies are missing, especially their engage champions, stand further back than you would if you could see them.
Wards in front of your team tell you where the enemy is coming from, so your position can be closer and safer at the same time.
5. Common positioning mistakes
Walking forward to land one more ability. Standing in a narrow jungle path where one ability hits your whole team. Fighting with your back to a wall where you can't escape. Facechecking a bush.
Most of these are a small step too far. Moving back one step costs a little damage; one step too far often costs your life.
Review your deaths for positioning
In a replay, pause a second before each death in a fight. Who reached you, and from where? Could you have stood a step back and still hit someone?
After a few games, you will know which enemy champions you misjudge most. Learn their range and you will stop dying to them.
Practice positioning decisions
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. Positioning 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
- How do I position as an ADC?
- Stay behind your frontline and hit the closest enemy you can hit safely. Know which enemies can jump onto you and keep that distance from them. Move forward only when their engage abilities are used.
- How do I stop getting one-shot in teamfights?
- Find out which enemy kills you and from how far, then stand outside that range. Keep your frontline between you and them, and stand further back when they are missing from the map.
- Why is positioning so important in League?
- Because most fights are decided by who dies first. A carry who stays alive keeps dealing damage, and a carry who dies early leaves the team a player down.
- How can I get better at positioning?
- Review where you were a second before each death, learn the range of the champions that kill you, and practice positioning decisions in puzzles outside of ranked games.
- 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.