Synchronizing waves means making minion waves in different lanes reach enemy towers at the same time. The enemy then has to defend several lanes at once, and they either split up or lose structures. It is most often used with Baron buff, when empowered minions are hard to clear, but the same idea works any time your team pushes two lanes together.
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Why it works
One wave at a tower is easy to defend: the enemy sends one player to clear it. Two or three waves at the same time force them to split their team, and whoever is left to fight your group is outnumbered.
With Baron buff, it's even stronger: empowered minions push towers on their own, so the enemy has to clear them or lose structures.
How to set it up
Push the waves furthest from the enemy base first, then move to the next lane while that wave walks toward the tower. Timing matters: you want the waves to arrive at the same moment, not one after the other.
Talk with your team: one player pushes a side lane, the group pushes another. Then you all move to the next tower together, or each of you pressures your lane at the same time.
Stay safe while you push
Splitting up to push lanes is when a single caught player can lose the whole play. Keep vision near the side lanes and leave before the enemy can collapse on you.
If the enemy groups to fight the player who is alone, that player backs off and the rest of the team pushes. Synchronized waves are about making them choose, not about winning every fight.
Common wave synchronization mistakes
Pushing all waves one after another instead of together, splitting up without vision, and sending a lone player too deep are the usual mistakes.
In a replay of a Baron, look at the waves. Were they arriving at towers at the same time, or did your team push them one by one? The difference is often several towers.
Practice the decision on real game situations
Synchronizing waves is one of the 51 patterns on MOBA Trainer's Pattern Map, in the Map movement group. It has a video explanation from a coach and training puzzles built from real game situations: you see the map, choose where to go, and learn why the best players choose differently.
Frequently asked questions
- What does synchronizing waves mean in League?
- It means timing minion waves in different lanes so they reach enemy towers at the same moment, forcing the enemy to defend several places at once.
- When should I synchronize waves?
- Mostly with Baron buff, when empowered minions are hard to clear. It also works in the mid and late game whenever your team can push two lanes at once.
- Is synchronizing waves the same as split pushing?
- Not exactly. Split pushing is one player pushing a side lane alone. Synchronizing waves is the team timing pushes in several lanes so they land together.
- 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. MOBA Trainer runs on Windows, macOS, iPhone, Android and the web, and the Discord bot Moti brings the daily puzzle to Discord.