Early vision is about one thing: knowing where the enemy jungler is before they reach your lane. Work out where they started, place your first ward on the path they will walk to your lane just before they can arrive, and play safer whenever that ward is gone. One ward placed at the right time stops more ganks than three wards placed at random.
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Why early vision matters
In the first minutes, most ganks come from paths you can predict. The enemy jungler starts on one side, clears a few camps, and then ganks, goes to the scuttle crab or keeps farming. If you can see their path, you can trade freely. If you cannot, every step forward is a guess.
Early vision is also a lane advantage. The laner who knows the jungler is far away can push, trade and take priority, while the laner who does not has to play back.
Read the start before you ward
Watch where the enemy jungler shows up at the start: who leashes for them, which side they were seen on, and who is missing from the map. A jungler who starts on your side can reach your lane early; one who starts on the far side usually needs more time.
Your teammates' wards help too. A ward from another lane that spots the enemy jungler tells you where they are not.
Time your first ward
A Stealth Ward lasts a limited time, so the timing matters as much as the spot. Placing your trinket ward the moment you reach lane often means it runs out right when the first gank comes. Hold it for the moment the enemy jungler can first arrive, or place it when your wave gives you a safe window to walk up.
In top and mid, a ward in the river brush or at the enemy jungle entrance near your lane covers the most common gank paths. In bot lane, the support usually takes care of the river and the brush beside the lane.
Play to your vision
Vision only helps if you change how you play. When your ward shows the jungler is somewhere else, you can push and trade. When your ward is gone or the jungler disappears from view, step back, keep the wave closer to your tower and wait for information.
The same is true for the enemy's vision. Clearing their ward in your river lets your own jungler gank them without being seen.
Early vision for junglers
As a jungler, early vision tells you where to go. A ward on an enemy camp or jungle entrance at the right time shows which side the enemy jungler is on, so you can gank the other side, contest the scuttle crab or wait for a counter-gank.
Common early vision mistakes
Warding the moment you reach lane, so the ward is gone when the first gank comes. Hold it for the timing.
Warding the brush you are standing next to instead of the path the jungler will walk.
Placing a good ward and then playing as if it was not there: pushing past it, or never looking at it.
Practice early vision
Early vision is one of the 51 patterns on the MOBA Trainer Pattern Map, with a video explanation and training puzzles made by top players and coaches. In each puzzle you see a real game moment, choose what to do, and learn why the best players choose differently. The daily puzzle and the first lesson are free.
Frequently asked questions
- Where should I ward early in League?
- Cover the path the enemy jungler will take to your lane: usually the river brush or the jungle entrance on their side near your lane. Place it just before the first time they can arrive, not the moment you reach lane.
- When should I use my first trinket ward?
- When the enemy jungler can first reach your lane, or when your wave gives you a safe moment to walk up and place it. Using it too early means it runs out right when you need it.
- How do I know where the enemy jungler started?
- Look at who was seen at the start, which camps are missing, and whether the enemy laners left lane late because they were leashing. If you cannot tell, assume they started on your side and play safe until you see them.
- Should junglers ward early?
- Yes. A ward on an enemy camp or jungle entrance tells you which side the enemy jungler is on, which decides where you gank, where you farm and when you contest the scuttle crab.
- 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 and Android, in the web app, and in Discord with the Moti bot.