Recently, I picked the brains of some NA LCS coaches about drafting strategy, the new Rift Herald, and more. Each coach had their own set of insights, and rather than condense them and lose the unique elements, I’ve decided to share the raw audio of all three interviews below in full. Enjoy!
Core Questions
- Drafting for comfort vs counterpicks.
- The importance of flex picks to the draft.
- How has Rift Herald affected the viability of playing around top lane?
- What are the best ways to use the Rift Herald buff?
Parth, Team SoloMid
Key Points
- Drafting comfort vs. counters depends on the style of the opposing team.
- Flex picks are valuable because they force the opponent to have two counterpicks to address it, and those counterpicks may not fit together cohesively. But to use flex picks, you need to be able to play them well on multiple team members.
- It’s much more viable to play around top side now because you can now use tempo to trade two objectives for one, which used to only be possible on bot side.
Cop, Team Dignitas
Key Points
- “Gambling” vs. “best champion available” drafting approaches.
- Flex picks require a willingness to play the champion into “blind” matchups.
- Herald buff “has to be on the jungle or support.”
Thinkcard, FlyQuest
Key Points
- Drafting comfort vs. counters depends heavily on the players’ confidence in playing different matchups.
- Playing bot side can mean you “put a timer on yourself.”
- Holding onto the Herald buff patiently to assert “implied threat” and gain sustained map control.