Published with permission from redditor u/Aras_Paragraph


Note: Remember that I am just a guy, not a professional teacher or player. This is my best attempt to explain a mechanic most players take thousands of games to develop fully. Furthermore will I assume basic knowledge of the game and will ignore some mechanics to go more in depth on the specified mechanic. This guide is based on mythic level play at the least.

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INTRODUCTION

Helloooo my properly prepared Players ! For a short second I thought those marksman were going to just overrun the vote, they are really good at pushing through their pick after all.

I am going to explain map awareness on three different levels, as map awareness in higher ranks requires knowledge that most players just don't have. I am going to try to teach you a frame of reference to use.

Basics - That funny square in the corner

Franco

You may have encountered times where it was absolutely obvious to you that there is a Franco in the bush ready to gank, yet your teammate thick as a rock just walks straight into that bush mashing the chat button to blame their tank.

The problem is that these players simply don't look at their map, to these players all they have to know is close to their character, so don't expect them to look at the map. But you are not like those players right ? What am I saying, 30% of you voted mm, there is a pretty good chance you are that kind of player!

Now you may cry out ohhh please teach me how to see the world! But that is not the the problem is it? The difference between you and the bad player is not that he can't see, even if it feels like you are playing with a blind person that lost his finger. He just isn't looking and we are going to change that by creating beneficial habits.

To form habits you connect triggers to actions. In higher ranks people just do it, because it is exactly that, a habit. So what are those triggers? There are a few but in general you should look at the map every few seconds.

You leave the lane? Check the map.

Coming back? Check the map.

Someone new in your lane ? Check the map.

Every time there is an Event -> Check the map,

this may seem like overdoing it, but in reality that's what we all do, you just get used to it.

These are the things you should look out for:

Laners : Is everybody in their lane? If not or your lane counterpart leaves, ping that enemies are missing. If people are not in their lane, they may be walking and trying to gank somewhere. The midlane is especially important because they should rotate with their roamer. So if they are gone, they are probably trying to set up a gank.

Saber

Harley

Jungler : That dude is literally walking around the map trying to murder semi innocent people. If he shows up on the map that is great! Yeah you heard right, because at that moment you know where he is. If you regularly get surprised by Saber or Harley , this is the best way to avoid it. If you don't see them on the map, they might as well be behind you.

Roamer : In lower ranks the roam just camps the gold lane and is pretty easy to spot. The higher you go, the more they are going to move and they are the ones initiating ganks and team fights. Now you may know that, but seeing the roamer move also gives you information on where a team fight might be about to happen.

ADVANCED - MAP CONTROL

High rank players will literally feel a tingle if they stay too long in a lane. They will sometimes even only take 2 of 5 minions because they know they are about to be ganked. At some point you are going to have to understand that the abstract enemy is a human just like you. So if they see that you are out of position and they see that your team is on the other side of the map, they will for sure come for you.

That's why bad marksman players struggle so much to reach high rank. They will go solo push a lane but don't realize how much information they are giving away with that.

Try to really understand this principle: KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. There is a reason why vision giving heroes are so good in high rank. Every information you get, is intel on what the enemy is up to.

If they don't have that information, they have to play like you could be everywhere and you have to play the same way. Everybody is watching their map, try to think about how the enemy is going to react every time something is visible on the map.

To create that pressure and forcing enemies to move around a certain way on the map is what we call Map Control. If the tank shows where he is, it's safe. But if the tank could be in that bush, you are forcing the enemy to avoid that area, even if that bush is empty. Standing in the enemy jungle can completely deny rotations with certain heroes.

Chou

Yin

In Battle : Try to watch your flanks, if you can see the enemy, the enemy can see you. Chou or Yin , players will use these opportunity to either gank you or flank you by walking around. While in fights especially as a mage or mm, make sure your position is secure and then check the map after attacking to reassess who is moving where. Sometimes you can catch someone trying to flee the fight and assassins even tend to engage and reengage in fights multiple times.

Out of Battle : Try to walk through bushes and avoid minions. Yeah for once you are not killing them! Every time your enemy sees you walking through a wave, you are giving them information. On the other side, if you show yourself and then hide in a bush, they have to assume that you either walked that way or that you are still in that bush. You can use those situations to force your enemy into certain positions. For example a Franco who is nowhere on the map, makes marksman reaaal nervous. Try to gain the most information, while giving the least away. Even preparing ganks, just sitting in the bush until everybody is there, hinders the enemies ability to mobilize their team accordingly or react at all.

PRO - PATTERN RECOGNITION

Ling

Natalia

Gord

This is the part you can't just read, you have to have the experience for it. Because of how pathing works, high rank players know which ways players will go. So if they show themselves not only do I know where they are but also where they are going to be. But for that you have to know how fast certain heroes can move and how they play. A Ling is going to rush across the map, where a Harley tries to cut off your way and a Natalia is going to be already somewhere in the bushes around you.

Furthermore, because you watch the map so much, you will watch those dots permanently. From the movement of those dots you can tell which skills are getting used. Saber's dot jumping forward and then standing still is probably going to mean he hit his ult and a Gord that is not moving is probably using his ult too.

Because I know that, I can adjust my play style. For example I would be safe invading Saber because I know he used his ult. But not only that, if I see Saber walking out in front ready to jump forward, I know he has his ult ready. Because his ultimate has a certain pattern on the map, I know when Saber is looking to ult so I can avoid him or bait him into a bad ult.

Role patterns : So by having that information, you can for example see that a jungler started his blu and now you have enough information to know where the jungler is for the next few mins. Don't even need to see him. I know that he is going to take his red next and will then go gank the mm. All I then have to think about is the junglers clearing speed and mobility and I pretty much know exactly when he is going to gank and I have to retreat. Some players know where the jungler is at all times. If you know their rotation you only need a glimpse to see the whole picture.

Team patterns : In the later stages of the game, teams will tend to move together. But the way they stand will almost always be the same, with the tank engaging and the damage dealers standing back. But not only that, teams move in formations. You can use that to stand in bushes and wait for their team to walk by and then attack their back line or to deduce where the enemy MM is. He probably won't even show himself until the fight starts and then jump out from some corner. But he is going to play that way every time until punished! So the next team fight you know exactly where he is and try to give vision there or ambush them.

The patterns in specific don't matter. For example you see the enemy always rotating with 3 people and you then see someone alone and nobody else on the map? You know that their team is probably gonna be close by! To recognize these patterns, understand them and then break them, is the difference between pro teams.

CLOSING WORDS

Map awareness is a habit of gathering information , how good you are at gathering that information and then deducing enemy movement based off that information can increase your win rate drastically. Players like Betosky are famous for their map awareness. He knows how a Natalia is played and how they move, so it's almost obvious to him where she is going to attack from. Map awareness is not an easy skill to develop and focusing on the map you are going to play worst first but in the long run you will be able reach much higher. It's like an anime character only fighting with one eye just to then go all out opening both. It's as much a game of psychology as a strategy game can be.

Comments, especially feedback, additions and personal stories are greatly appreciated.
Contact Author at redditor u/Aras_Paragraph